Warnings: Swearing (I think that's all...)

A/n: Unbetaed and I own nothing. I wanted to say I appreciate all of you who have left a review, favorited, or followed and even just read. So, thanks 3 And also I have a special JARVIS twist coming up next chapter (I think...) that will explain a thing or two in this one. I'll credit theperson who helped me with JARVIS's chapter when it comes ;)

They didn't like each other. It came as a shock to everyone; Coulson, Natasha, Pepper, and certainly Steve. It wasn't like they fought or anything, Bruce was way too shy to engage in that sort of thing, but they ignored each other and sat at opposite ends of the table during meal times. Pepper, for the life of her, didn't understand why they wouldn't click they did every other time they'd been forced together.

Maybe it was the fact that Bruce was so much quieter and reserved than Tony, and as a kid it didn't fly with him. Maybe it was the fact that Tony was constantly getting yelled at for breaking things and hiding in obscure locations and all of that made Bruce uncomfortable. Steve suggested some exercises that might strength their non existent bridge, but Pepper said she wasn't sure if that was the best idea. She didn't want to force Tony and Bruce to hang out with each other if they didn't want to.

As far as Tony went, he found Bruce...unapproachable and quite frankly, weird. He never said anything to anyone besides the adults, minus Phil, and this had Tony thinking he was some sort of retard. Secondly, he never asked for anything or really did much besides sitting around and sketching, just like Steve. Thirdly, he was a suck up. He never went against the adult's rules, or complained about eating his veggies or anything else that put frowns on their faces.

In the week since Tony met Bruce, he decided it was best to ignore him and snicker behind his back. Bruce didn't seem adverse to this, nor did he seem to approve of it, but then again he was so monotone all the time it was hard to tell how he felt about anything.

But the discomfort was a two way street. Bruce would regard Tony's antics from his place curled up on the couch. He broke things, colored on things, ripped things apart, ate everything , and after Steve or Pepper got done telling him not to do that, he turned around and did it again. It was as if he had no self preservation instinct.

Bruce could see the resemblance between Tony's father and him, but Tony Senior wasn't just hyper and loud and witty, but there was a sort of sense around him, like an aura that drew Bruce in. This Tony was all glamor and diva, like he wanted the spotlight on him at all times and actively tried to get it, while Tony Senior was already naturally in the limelight.

"I think we should go to the park," Pepper said out of the blue. It was a slow morning, nobody was even dressed, but the morning light was beginning to breakdown the haze in the sky. Weak streams were splashed across the floor through the open window.

"Yeah?" Clint asked as he chewed idly at a crispy piece of bacon. Tony bounced in his seat.

"Ice cream!" He chortled happily, smiling widely. Bruce's too big brown eyes slid over to the energetic child and he just hunkered down further in his chair. At the very least, Tony usually distracted the adults away from Bruce.

Clint reached over and clapped Tony on the shoulder. "At least his mind's in the right place." Pepper smiled at him across the table.

"And we can play tag, or frisbee, or something." She suggested. Tony grinned again, a big doggy grin. "What do you think, Bruce?" Pepper glanced over at the reserved child. He gave a little shrug as he nibbled on his juice straw. Tony shot a look over at Bruce and held back a snort.

Another shrug, another indifference. Tony had half a mind to suggest they leave him behind. Someone with so little personality (and obviously decreased intelligence) was never fun to hang out with. When Tony asked Pepper who Bruce was the night after he met him, she responded with a vague, poorly fabricated lie.

"Well, we can go for a bit and if you have fun we can stay, 'kay?" Pepper suggested. Tony looked back over at Bruce who didn't say anything.

"Can we get a dog?" Tony asked suddenly. "Dad hates dogs." Pepper rolled her green eyes back to Tony.

"No, Tony," She sighed, exasperated. "We cannot get a dog."

"Worth a try," Tony defended as he picked up his electromagnet and slid off the chair.

Pepper stood up too and followed him back to his bedroom, leaving Bruce with Clint and Natasha.

"Tony, you gotta take a bath." Pepper said as she shut the door behind her. In the week they had him, Tony had only bathed twice, and really it was just him rubbing himself down with a damp wash cloth and wetting his hair. Tony looked back at her and then the electromagnet in his hand.

"It'll short circuit." He protested. There was no way he was getting fully submerged in water so it could all rush into the gap in his chest and short circuit the wires.

"No it won't. Remember the covering Steve showed you? It just goes over the gap and the battery and it's waterproof." Pepper argued. Tony was stubborn enough as an adult, as a child he was fucking unmovable. Tony crossed his arms childishly and pouted.

"What if it isn't?"

"It is . Come here, we're taking a bath," Pepper reached over and grabbed Tony's arm hard enough to keep him from escaping but not so hard to bruise. Tony whined as she dragged him to the bathroom, his unrestrained arm pushing against her.

She pulled him into the bathroom and kicked the door shut, locking it behind her. Fortunately, the lock was too high for Tony to reach. She walked around the kid who had plopped himself down in the center of bathroom and rubbed at him arm and turned on the bath, adjusting it to the appropriate temperature.

She rummaged around in the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a plastic cap for Tony's chest and electromagnet. "Get undressed, Tony," She ordered as she stood above him with the covering. He frowned up at her.

"Well, that's weird." He continued to sit. Pepper bent down and pulled him to the feet.

"Get undressed, Tony!" She could practically feel the tears of anger pressing against her eyes. She couldn't do it. Tony grumbled as he complied, maneuvering out of his sleeping shirt and tossing it aside. He wiggled out of his sweatpants and kicked them aside too. He crossed his arms over his tiny chest and continued to pout.

"Here," Pepper said as she bent down and gathered the electromagnet from Tony's hand. She pooled the wires and battery around the channel in his chest and pressed the plastic cap over it until the end rested against his skin. She then reached around and pulled the two plastic buckles around Tony's back and fastened them together just below his shoulder blades. Tony squirmed and instantly went to paw at the uncomfortable plastic cup on his body. "Stop," Pepper said as she pulled his hands away from his body. She kissed each one of his knuckles and looked him in the eye.

"Stop," She repeated. Tony refused to meet her gaze.

"I did," He responded sulkily. Pepper straightened and gestured for him to get undressed completely. To give the kid some privacy, she turned so she faced the wall. She didn't turn back around until she heard the splash of Tony getting into the tub. The water was filled nearly to his pectorals. She turned off the water.

"See? Not so bad, is it?" She smiled as she gathered some water into her hand and dumped it atop his head. The water rolled down his forehead and dripped off the tip of his nose. It dripped onto the plastic covering with a little splash, harmlessly rolling off of it.

"Still sucks," He responded as he grudgingly allowed Pepper to scrub her fingers through his greasy hair and nape. She stretched across the tub to get the shampoo when the front of her shirt was suddenly very, very wet. Astonished, she sat back on her heels with the shampoo gripped in her hand. She glanced down at her front. Her white sleeping shirt was now more of a dark grey over her stomach and chest, clinging to her bones. Tony grinned devilishly from the tub. Pepper's jaw clicked as she studied him and shook her head.

"Unacceptable, Tony. Unacceptable."

"Baths are unacceptable," He retorted sharply. Pepper shook her head again and popped open the cap to the shampoo, pouring some onto the palm of her hand. She scooted closer to the bath and a little more roughly than necessary pulled and rubbed at his hair with her soapy palms. Tony fidgeted under her hands, ducking his head in a half assed attempt to get away. Fortunately, he didn't seen too keen on falling face first into the tub and risking dislodging the covering over his chest.

After soaping up his hair, Pepper reached for the soap and smeared it all over his back, leaving behind a faint white residue. She brought the soap all the way down to the small of his back that was hiding under the water, around the covering, over his shoulders and all the way down his arms to his hands. She dipped her hand under the watered and grasped his foot, scrubbing the soap over the tiny foot vigorously.

While Pepper ran the soap over his body and poured water over his head and squirted conditioner onto his head just crossed his arms and bore it.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, like were done. Pepper held up the towel from Tony to step into. She rubbed the cloth all over his body before ruffling his damp hair with in.

"We're gonna keep the cup on until you dry completely," Pepper decided as she wrapped the towel around Tony like a dress. They both padded out of the bathroom and Pepper left Tony for him to get dressed. She had to go get herself ready anyhow.

When Pepper finished getting ready she came out to see Clint teaching Tony how to do a first person shooter game and Steve and Bruce quietly drawing on the floor. Natasha was nowhere in sight. Tony was sitting in the couch dressed in dark wash jeans, a white shirt with a black Stark Industries logo across it, and white socks. His hair was still slightly damp and swept to the side with a comb. Clint had gotten dressed and was wearing a tight purple shirt that accented his muscular arms, his hair was gelled, and he had boots and dark jeans on. Steve was dressed in a casual blue t-shirt with light blue jeans and Bruce, spread out on his stomach beside him, wore a red science shirt and black jeans.

Pepper couldn't help but feel out of place in her jean shorts and white blouse, but ah well.

"You guys ready?" She asked with as much enthusiasm that she could muster. Clint stretched and shook his head.

"I gotta go to SHIELD. Catch up with Tasha." He yawned.

"Steve?" Pepper asked with a silent beg. She didn't think she could handle Tony on her own. The blond nodded and gathered his feet underneath him.

"Yeah, I'm coming." He stood up and offered his hand to Bruce. The deaged scientist tentatively took it, a shy smile on his face.

"Uh-huh. You promised ice cream." Tony reminded as he chewed on his lip, his fingers rapidly pressing a button on the X-Box controller.

"I did," Pepper nodded. "And I'm driving the Camaro."

"Get your ass back here!" Pepper's scream caused perfectly respectable people to shot strange looks her way. She was running across the park in bare feet after Tony, who was surprisingly fast for his short legs. Little fuck had taken her phone and was doing god knows what with it. Bruce and Steve were jogging behind her.

Tony's little feet flew across the grass as he ran, weaving around people too slow to move out of his way. He could feel his heart rapidly beating against the channel in his chest, but it was either stand a little discomfort or get caught by a now thoroughly irate Pepper.

He rounded a corner and dashed in front of a horse and carriage ride. The large animal shook its head, but otherwise didn't acknowledge the child. The carriage driver watched with an irritated expression as the child ran off, followed by a redheaded woman.

Tony threw a glanced back over his shoulder but lost sight of Pepper through the crowd. He ducked behind a large man and threw himself behind a thick bush. Panting, he gathered his knees to his chest and gripped the phone in one hand and the electromagnet in the other.

He heard Pepper's shout over the blood roaring in his ears and smiled smugly. She deserved it, for giving him a bath and all.

He sat there for about ten minutes, once Pepper's voice had faded when he heard a rustling beside him. He glanced over, expecting to see Steve or Pepper, but the face that stared back at him was one with too big brown eyes and a head of curly hair.

Tony's hand whipped out and he grabbed the front of Bruce's shirt, dragging him behind the bush. "Shh." Tony demanded, lifting a finger to his lips. "Where are they?" Bruce stared at Tony with wide eyes before gently reaching up and prying the billionaire's fingers off of his shirt. The kid had been driving the adults crazy with worry for the past ten minutes.

"Out there," Bruce nodded vaguely past the bush with his head. "Pepper says were gonna get ice cream." Tony's ears perked up but only briefly.

"Don't you dare tell, snitch." Tony warned as he peered around the bush.

"I-" Bruce wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to upset Tony, but lying to the adults would probably be much worse. Although, was it lying if he simply didn't say anything? Tony looked at him.

"Are you slow?" Tony asked.

"Slow? I'm not very fast..." Bruce responded awkwardly. He wasn't used to interactions with other children, especially not ones like Tony.

"I didn't mean how fast you could run. Never mind. Just don't tell 'kay?" Tony said, his voice a little softer.

"Oh," Bruce said, sidestepping Tony's request once more. Honestly, he'd rather just stay out of it. It wasn't any of his business how Tony wanted to psych out the adults. They sat in an awkward silence for a while before Tony spoke again.

"Lets go," He said, straightening and peering over the top of the bush. He didn't see Pepper or Steve anywhere. Bruce stood up too and followed Tony's lead. The two children jogged across the grass towards a fountain. People awed at the marble design.

Water spouted into the air, sending droplets onto people standing too close. Water pooled down into the bottom, sliding down rivets in the fountain. Tony and Bruce weaved their way through the crowd to stand at the foot of the fountain. Tony peered over the edge, seeing the distorted image of dull copper pennies sitting at the bottom of the fountain.

"Would you like a penny?" A scratchy voice said from behind them. Bruce spun around on his heel, heart beating violently against his ribcage. Tony turned around much smoother, but his eyes were still wary. "Would you like a penny?" The man asked again. He was elderly, leaning on a cane and mouth chewing at his toothless gums. His head was mostly bald besides a few white wisps. His dull blue eyes sagged and seemed clouded over, as if he was blind.

"Uh..." Bruce hummed. His mother always told him not to talk to strangers and certainly never to accept anything from them. Coincidentally, Tony's own mother told him the same thing. The only difference between them was that Tony didn't listen to his mother.

"Yes, Mister Ninety-Nine!" Tony said jovially. The man's gnarled hand reached back into his pocket and he pulled out two glistening pennies. He handed one to Tony and one to Bruce. Then, he pointed past them to the fountain.

"Make one wish," He instructed. "Make one wish, kids, and make it count." Bruce's eyes fell to the overly shiny penny. The man turned and hobbled away, can hitting quietly against the ground. Tony turned the penny over in his fingers and turned towards the fountain.

"I wish people would stop handing me things," Tony declared loudly as he flicked the penny into the fountain, the coin floating to the bottom. Bruce leaned over the marble edge of the fountain. He made a silent wish as he plopped his penny in alongside Tony's. He watched it float through the bottom through the thin, hyaline water.

After looking at the pennies images warp to new shapes beneath the water, the two four years olds moved off. No one paid them any mind, so they strolled along sharing few words.

Meanwhile Steve and Pepper were frantically tearing through the park. They asked everyone they came across if they'd seen two four year olds, but most people just waved them off or grunted some unintelligible in response. It must have been a half hour before they fell into the nearest bench in an attempt to gather their train of thought.

"Okay, are they together?" Pepper asked, running her fingers through her tangled hair.

"It seems like they must be..." Steve mused. They hadn't got along though and it definitely wasn't like Bruce to just wander off, even with someone else.

"Oh my god, Steve, what if-what if someone took them," Pepper's hand slowly went up to cover her mouth as she tried to fight through her panic. It was just like Tony to go missing right when she got him back. "They're kids and we're in the middle of New York. Oh my god, what if they told someone who they were. Oh my god..." Pepper sat up straighter. Oh no. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"I'm sure nothing like that happened, okay? There are too many people, it's just too obvious. They're probably just hiding out somewhere." He reassured himself and Pepper. It wasn't like they could call in for help, Fury's warning still rang loudly in Steve's head and it had only been a half hour. They were kids; they were probably just playing an elaborate game of hide and seek. Pepper nodded and breathed in deeply.

"Okay, I'm sure you're right. I'm sure they're fine." Pepper stood up and smoothed down the front of her blouse and they continued to scope out the park, wandering past a busy marble fountain. They stopped to ask people if they'd seem them when someone cleared their throat behind them. Pepper and Steve turned around to see an old man with a cane, smiling at them.

"I saw you're sons," The old man began. "I didn't realize they had wandered away from their parents or else I would've kept them here and gone to find you." Pepper and Steve exchanged a look with each other.

"Thank you, Sir. Could you tell us where they went?" Pepper asked, relief seeping into her tone. Surely if this man had seen them, and remembered seeing them they couldn't be too far.

"Uh, I believe they went that way, Ma'am. Bright looking young lads..." The old man smiled as he gestured to a path leading away from the fountain. "Children, always causing an uproar. Back in my day we would've been strapped for behaving like that. Maybe it was better than way," The man let out a wheezy laugh and Pepper grounded out a chuckle.

"Yes, well, they're a handful. Thank you so much. We just...gotta go get them," Pepper grabbed Steve's arm and dragged him behind her. He stumble to catch up. They set a brisk pace, looking behind every statue, tree, and god damn bicycle rack for the missing Avengers.

"At least they're together." Steve said as he finished checking behind a trash can. Pepper sighed and reluctantly agreed. If push came to shove, they were both genius' and would probably be better equipped to handle an emergency than two grown adults.

"At least," Pepper responded dryly. This part of the park was quieter and more dense with trees and grass than walkways and statues. The breeze was blowing through the treetops, creating a low whistle, and the swish if grass filled in the mostly yawning silence. The only other sound that could be heard was the faint, distant noise of cars on busy city streets.

There was, of course, the occasional person snapping a picture of a particularly interesting yellow flower, to eating lunch under the shade of a tree, but it felt more like a suburban park rather than the Central Park.

Naturally Pepper didn't distrust people, or locations, or hell even times of the day, but finally she was understanding why parents always freaked out when they couldn't find their kid, even in broad daylight with plenty of people around. And this scared her. She wasn't Tony's mother, she was his girlfriend (which was now admittedly slightly awkward for her to think about) and she shouldn't have to feel like this. Like these were her two troublesome sons making her hair gray much too early.

Tony and Bruce wandered amongst the trees where there were very few people. The shade hid them from the brilliant rays of the sun and spared their milky skin of a sunburn. After they tired of walking, they found a nice place under a weeping willow to sit down and pick at the grass.

Tony sat Pepper's phone aside (he put it on silence after getting a bunch if calls from Steve) and sat his electromagnet next to it. Bruce watched him delicately rearrange the wires under his shirt before speaking.

"What-what happened?" Bruce asked, gesturing vaguely at the other kid's chest. Tony looked down and shrugged.

"The doctors said my heart failed or something. I'm not really sure how this," -Tony nodded at the electromagnet- "is keeping me alive, but you know." He shrugged.

"Yeah," Bruce replied monotonously. "Do you-did your father talk about me?" He asked shyly. Tony eyed him with carefully masked suspicion.

"I can't say he did. Why?" Tony was never really around his father anyhow, so if he did mention some kid named Bruce, he probably wouldn't know it.

"Oh. Okay. I was just...wondering." Bruce signed and pick at a strand of grass he held between his fingers.

"You know, you're not as lame as I thought you were." Tony mused with a smile. Bruce ducked his head in embarrassment, but didn't suffocate the smile like he normally did.

"And you're not as annoying as I thought you were." Bruce said daringly. He peeked up from under his brow to see Tony's reaction. The other kid just had a small smile on his face.

"Do you think they're looking for us?"

"Probably," Bruce hesitated before asking his next question. "Do you think they're lying to us?" Tony gazed at him before nodding vigorously.

"No doubt about it, my friend. I can tell you that Captain America is not alive-"

"I agree."

"-and if someone like Pepper worked for my father I would've known about it. Not to mention the 'heart failure' I had over night. My dad always taught me to be prepared for things like this, when he talked to me at all."

"Do you think the-that battery thing is a tracking device? Maybe hooked up to her phone? And maybe it operates from your heart?" Bruce asked as he crawled forward to look at the battery.

"I wouldn't doubt it," -Tony snapped his fingers as he allowed Bruce to pick up and roll the electromagnet in his hands- "that's why she got so mad when I ran off with the phone." They sat in silence after that, both of them gathering evidence. It was a while before they decided to move, yawns escaping their throats and bones cracking as they did so. Tony led the way out of the little forest until they once again came across clean cut grass, concrete pathways, and people.

"Hey," A man with cropped short hair elbowed a man with a shaved glossy head beside him. The bald man looked over, scowling.

"What is it, Lewis?" He snapped tiredly. The short haired man, Lewis, pointed two small kids wandering across the park, chatting with each other.

"See them? They don't got any parents." This caused the bald man to sit up straight from the bench he was hunched back against.

"Ah yeah, I guess they don't. Think we could make a pretty penny off of em'?" The bald man asked, his voice piqued with interest. Lewis nodded.

"Two of em', and they're young. Look pretty well dressed too-hey," Lew is started, squinting his eyes to get a better look at the two children. "Is that a phone they got?"

"Everyone has phones nowadays, Lew. Don't mean they're rich."

"They look 'bout five, Samson." Lewis pointed out, his peevish black eyes following the kids across the park.

"True, oh hey man, is that Steve Rogers?" Samson jabbed his finger at a bulky blond man rushing towards the kids followed by a woman with red hair. Lewis whistled.

"Damn, I think that's Captain Asshole himself. What on Earth does he want with sum' kids?" Samson punched Lewis in the shoulder.

"Moron. He probably knows em' or something. Think they're the redhead's?"

"Probably, but if Captain A is going after em', they must be worth more than a pretty penny."

"An arm and a leg, perhaps?" Samson suggested with a dark chuckle. He stood up, old shoes falling apart with every step he took. "Maybe I'll get those fancy sneakers from Captain A when he comes to pay the ransom."

"Maybe they'll give us some of dem fancy ass cars too," Lewis said gleefully. He had enough of seeing these assholes running around New York likes they owned the place, in their pressed suits and fake white smiles. What about people like him and Samson? The ones that weren't genius' or enhanced with some serum or trained by SHIELD? They were tossed out in the gutter like rats, and frankly Lewis just didn't think it was all that fair.

"Well c'mon then," Samson said as he stood up, grabbing his backpack. Discreetly he and Lewis made their way towards the kids that were being headed by Cap and the woman. Once they were at a close, but safe distance, they slowed, trying not to make it too obvious that they were watching the foursome. With so many people around, it wasn't hard.

"You said we'd get ice cream!" The kid with the phone whined. The redhead looked down at him.

"That was before you ran off and scared us half to death." She came back coolly. Captain America nodded his silent agreement.

"You're not my mom!" The same kid whined louder. The redhead hushed him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, but I'm your guardian right now and you'll do as I say."

"But you said ." The kid repined. The female rolled her eyes and said something in a murmur so Lewis and Samson didn't hear her. But when she got done speaking, the complaining kid threw his arms in the air and let out bark of triumph. He ran over and said something loudly -but too quickly for outside ears to catch- to the other kid. Lewis saw the barest glimmer of a smile on the other kid's face before the complainer was dragging him to the nearest bench to sit down. The two adults made there way over to what Lewis presumed what an ice cream stand.

"This is our chance," Sansom said in a rush. The two of them moved around the people to catch a glimpse of the two kids. They were playing some sort of hand game on the bench, perfectly oblivious to the two men.

"Our little money bags. Five star hotels and fine dining here we come."