After the discussion between Steve, Natasha and Bruce, the next weeks at the tower were just as lively as they had been before Steve was changed back. Steve was back to being Natasha's and Bruce's boy and he'd only call them 'Momma' and 'Dad' in private. Only Darcy knew about the little arrangement.
Natasha and Bruce continued their lives as they had before, but every once in a while Bruce would have to remind Natasha that Steve wasn't a two year old anymore. That he could take care of himself and that Natasha didn't need to feed, bathe or put him to bed. Although, when Steve did see the sad look in his 'mother's' eyes he sometimes allowed her to tuck him in. He knew it made her feel better.
But they aren't the only ones continuing their lives, so is Steve. He may not have been a baby anymore, but he wasn't going to waste another minute thinking about the 'what ifs'. Last time he did that, he lost his first love. So Steve was determined to go straight up Darcy the first week he returned and straight out tell her that he loved her. And much to his luck, Darcy has reciprocated his love. So Steve had to let Darcy in on the little secret. Only she knows and she finds it cute.
Life went on- for them- after that night of the party. But what was confusing to Natasha was that everyone, except Darcy and Bruce, were keeping their distance. They now don't spend all their time in the common room like they usually do. Natasha would always find them downstairs in Tony's lab when she'd go to find Bruce and they would quickly disperse with harsh whispers once they realize she's in the same room. She always questioned them on what they were doing, but they'd make up some lame excuse that she wouldn't believe. She doesn't question or call them out on it knowing that they'd tell her if it were important.
Sometimes Natasha would find Steve and Bruce down in the lab with them, but mainly the two were always with Natasha. Especially Steve. He would always try to find some way to make her happy. Knowing that she lost a huge part of her life when Steve returned back to normal.
It was only four months after Steve was returned that everything started to fall into place. Everything returned back to normal and now the others were actually not spending most of their time in the lab, but with Natasha Bruce and Steve again. The only one that continued their time in the lab was, of course, Tony, but that was natural.
Only it was actually a real surprise when Bruce, Natasha and Steve saw the billionaire join them for dinner the night that everyone went back to their normal routine. They weren't expecting him for another couple of days, but when Tony stumbled into the living room- full of grease, with a mischievous look in his eyes and a wicked smile on his face- Natasha was genuinely surprised.
But her state of shock was quickly torn down when Tony rushed up to her and Bruce, extremely elated. Poor Jane was trailing behind, trying to calm Tony down. "I finished! I finished! By God, it's done!" He screams in their faces, shoving some sort of device into Bruce's hand.
"What the-" Natasha starts until she gets a whiff of an unpleasant scent. Her nose immediately wrinkles up and she buries her face in Bruce's shoulder. "Ew! Tony, you reek!" She exclaims when she realizes it's coming from the ecstatic billionaire. Bruce shoves Tony away from them, his eyes watering from the horrid stench, especially after seeing his sweat stained t- shirt.
"Tony," Jane speaks calmly, her hand hovering over his shoulder. "I think you should to go to bed now. He's been up for three days straight working nonstop in the lab. He's now running on caffeine." She tried to lure Tony away from a confused and disgusted Natasha onto the couch.
"Wait, wait, wait! I don't want to go to bed now. I wanna test this bad boy out! Because I FINALLY finished it!" Tony says, shaking Jane's hand off his arm. He turns tired, yet crazed eyes to Bruce and Natasha.
"Yeah you finished it. But at the cost of your sanity!" Jane says, exasperated.
"It was worth it! Now, ROGERS!" Tony says, turning on Steve who sits staring at him. "Get your ass in my lab; we're giving this baby a test drive." Tony grinned like a mad man.
"No way." Steve says, his eyes going wide. "You need to hit the sack."
"… I guess you're right. I do feel a bit tired." Tony then turned to Jane. "Jane, could you please help me? I seemed to have misplaced my room."
Pepper stands, "I'll take him. I know how to handle him." She comes Tony's side and grabs onto his hand. "Come on, let's go."
"Pepper, do you know if Mr. Sandman will bring me good dreams? I like good dreams… I like dreams in general." Tony absentmindedly rambles, following after her like a limp doll.
As Pepper took the overly exhausted and sleep deprived Tony to bed, Natasha continued to stare confusingly at the departing man and women. She was confused about the entire conversation and it seems everyone knew what Tony was talking about except her.
When the elevator door closes, putting a barrier between the couple and everyone else that when Natasha decides to break the silence. "Am I missing something?" She asks.
"You didn't tell her." Darcy asks looking up at Bruce and Steve.
"Didn't think Tony would actually finish it this early. Thought we had a little time." Steve admits.
"Tell me what?" Natasha asks looking up at Bruce.
Darcy smiles and squeezes his shoulder. "Now, might be a good time to tell her, Bruce."
Sighing, Bruce nods. He looks down at Natasha, "Let's go for a walk." He suggests, standing.
"What's going on?" Natasha asks, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Come on, I promise I'll explain everything." Bruce reaches a hand out towards her. Natasha continues to stare at his hand for a moment before reluctantly taking it and standing. "We'll be back." He informs the others.
Steve begins to stand, "Should I-"
"No. It's fine, I'll take it from here. Thanks, Steve." Bruce replies.
When the others hear the elevator door close, they look around at each other nervously. "How do you think she'll take it?" Jane asks.
"I'd say pretty good." Darcy replies. "I mean, once Bruce tells her the greatest advantage this machine can do, she'll go for it."
Steve nods uncertainly, "Are you sure this is what she wants though?" he asks.
"Yeah, she even told Hill. Right before you were turned back, she told Maria personally and Hill was so kind enough as to propose this idea to us." Clint says shrugging. "I mean if she didn't, we definitely wouldn't have thought of this and if I do say so myself, it's brilliant."
"But are you sure it's going to work?" Jane asks. "We haven't tested it yet."
"Tony may be an arrogant idiot," Clint starts, "but when it comes to building things his machines are, for the most part, reliable."
E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8
"What are you talking about, Bruce?" She demands.
"Okay, Nat. Please here me out. What if you could literally have Steve back as a baby? A toddler? I know it sounds crazy, but-"
"It sounds impossible!" she exclaims.
Bruce shakes his head, "Don't say impossible because nothing is anymore. We've fought aliens before, our leader was just turned into a two year old months ago, and we've defeated a god. Hell, we live with one!"
"I don't see how this is relevant Bruce-" She began, but he stopped her.
"It's relevant because of this." He held up the device that he had tucked into his pocket after Tony's little episode in the room. Pushing the device into her hands, Bruce smiles, "We- actually Tony- made a device that can transform Steve back into a baby while also changing him back easily if the world needed Captain America."
"What are you saying?" she asks utterly shocked.
"I'm saying that… we could have our baby back. It's possible for us to keep our baby while the world also has Captain America." For once, Natasha was speechless. "I know, I was speechless when Maria proposed the idea of-"
"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up." Natasha says, coming out of her trance at the mention of Maria. "Maria gave you this idea."
Bruce nods, "Well, yeah… how else were we supposed to figure something as brilliant as this out?" While Bruce continues to ramble on, Natasha's mind whirls back to four months ago. The day Steve returned back to normal.
Natasha doesn't look up when Maria speaks quietly, "It'll be alright."
"How do you know?" Natasha spits back, her tone harsh. It startles the others beside her, but Maria doesn't seem fazed.
"I don't." Maria replies honestly. "But when Captain Rogers returns, you'll see later on. Maybe not soon, but you will see that this was for the best."
Natasha sighs, "But Steve is a baby."
"No," Maria interjects. "In your mind, he's a baby. He's your baby boy and he'll always be your baby. But you've got to understand that children grow, don't they?" Maria questions Natasha. The redhead nods slowly. "Then think of this as… watching your child grow from a small toddler to a mature, well mannered adult. You should be proud of the man he'll become when he returns."
"I will be. I just…" Natasha sighs, pressing a kiss against Steve's temple. "I just wished there was a way Bruce and I could keep our baby- tiny and in need of his parents- AND the world can have Captain America when they need him."
It took her a second to wrap her head around this.
"Why?" She whispered quietly, almost inaudible.
Bruce walks up to her and places a hand on her shoulder, "Why what?"
"Why did you all do this?"
Bruce sighed and gave her a small smile, "Because he makes us all happy. And it pains us all to watch you mope around, because your baby isn't a baby anymore."
Natasha frowns up at him, "I do not mope around."
Bruce gives her a look, chuckling slightly. "Of course you don't." He replies sarcastically. She lets out a huff, crossing her arms across her chest. Bruce smiles before pulling her into a hug. "You can say no if you want to."
Natasha wraps her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. "What does Steve say about this?"
Bruce kisses the top of her head, "He said that if it makes you happy, he's willing to do it."
"Why does he want to make me happy?"
"You gave him something no one else could ever give to him. Ever since being unfrozen, you were the first person to actually love him. Not as Captain America, but Steve Rogers. Not as more than a friend, but family. You made him happy; he now thinks it's his turn to repay the favor."
E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8
When Natasha and Bruce returned, the first thing Natasha wanted to do was speak to Steve. Which is what she does. She finds him and Darcy in his bedroom watching a movie. She debates on whether gathering their attention because she didn't want to disturb them, but she really needed to speak with him. Ask him if what he said was true and if he'll do it. She'll only agree if he agrees on his own terms.
"Steve," She calls gathering his and Darcy's attention. "Could we talk?"
Steve and Darcy share a look before she nods understandingly. "I'm going to go see if Pepper needs help with Tony." Darcy pecks Steve on the cheek before standing and leaving the room.
"Did Bruce tell you?" Steve asks somewhat hesitantly.
"Yeah."
Steve sighs before patting the spot beside him. Natasha walks over and sits down next to him, pulling her legs up to her chest as her arms wrap around them. Leaning her chin on her knees, she lets out a big breath. "You don't have to say yes, you know?" Steve starts. "We just thought… I thought, that you deserved it and you wanted this."
Natasha looks up at him, slightly in disbelief, "You think I don't want this?" she ask. Steve only shrugs. "I do Steve, I really do and I think it's sweet that you all did this for me. But, this isn't my decision to make. It's yours and I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you're not comfortable with. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Do you want me to?" Steve asks sheepishly.
Natasha shakes her head, "This is what I'm talking about Steve. You always do what others want you do to. It doesn't matter if I want this to happen, it matters if you do or don't want this. It's amazing that you always want to please others, but sometimes, honey, you'll need to start making decisions that make you comfortable. That doesn't go against your values or morals. I love you, so much. Enough that if you're not comfortable with this, I'll tell the others to scrape the idea and the machine. It was a sweet thought, but it's understandable if you're not ready."
"Wait a minute…" Steve looks down at her confused. "You think I might not want this for myself? That I only want it for you?"
"Well yeah, but I-"
"Momma your blowing this all out of proportion here. I'm not just doing this for you and dad, I'm also doing this for me." Steve admits.
Natasha looks up at confused, "What do you mean?"
Steve sighs before standing and beginning to pace the room. "When I really a child, I grew up in the great depression. I didn't have everything I needed. My family would've been lucky enough to get three meals a day. I didn't know what it was like to have what others did. Of course I had all I could ever need. A mother and a father that loved me. But I have never known what it was like to have a full complete family that cared for me. Sure, I had the Barnes along with my parents. But this… you, dad, the others," Steve shakes his head. "I've never had this and this was all I could ever want. You guys risked your lives to save me when I needed it and that's something I can't thank you guys enough for."
Natasha stands also and stands in front of Steve, thus stopping him from pacing. She places her hands on either side of his arms, "Is that what this is about? Are you doing this to repay us for saving your life?" Steve nods his head, looking down sadly. Natasha places a finger under his chin and forces him to look in her eyes. "Steve, baby, we did that because we love you and we're a team. We protect each other and help each other when needed."
"But Darcy, Pepper and Jane aren't a part of our team and yet… Darcy risked everything to save me. Jane gave up countless of other science opportunities so she can help bring me back and Pepper had to put Stark Industries and meetings with important people aside just so she can stay and help take care of me." Steve reasoned.
"And like I said before, they did it because they love you. You all touched our hearts Steve, and we would do anything," Natasha says, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "anything to keep you safe and protected."
"I just want to repay the favor." Steve whispers back staring down at her sadly.
"You don't have to." Natasha says shaking her head. "It's a mother's job to keep their child safe and a family's job to help make sure nothing happens."
Steve reaches down and grabs onto Natasha's hands, holding them tight in his. He whispers softly, "Please, Momma. Let me do this. I want to do it."
"Are you sure?"
Steve smiles, "Positive. If it makes you happy, I want to do it."
Natasha feels starts to swim beneath her eyes and she wraps her arms around his waist pulling into his hug. "I love you, Steve."
"I love you too,Momma."
E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8E8
They all gathered around the machine that would most likely turn Steve back into a child. Natasha was really praying it would work, not that she would admit that to anyone. She was anxious to see her baby again, but she very extremely bad that Steve had to sacrifice everything so that she can hold and love her baby like she use to.
Because of her guilt, Natasha for the umpteenth time asked him, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
And Steve replied just like he always did, "I'm very sure." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before pulling her into a hug while Tony and Bruce got things ready. After Steve releases her, he turns to Darcy a sheepish smile on his face. "Now I'm going to ask you again. Not because I'm having second thoughts, but do you really want me to do this?"
Darcy laughs, "Of course I do! You're so adorable when you're a baby."
"You don't find it weird at all?" Steve asks nervously.
"Absolutely not." Darcy leans up and presses her lips against his. Steve reciprocates, wrapping his arms around her. Darcy has to pry herself away from the kiss and push Steve in the direction of the machine. "Now go, I want to see my baby become a baby." Steve can't help the pink tinge that comes across his cheeks.
He steps in the middle of the room, in front of a… no one honestly knows what it was except Tony and Bruce. There were two full circles on each side a long body length mirror. Apparently Tony said when Steve goes in one circle, he comes out the other full de-aged. Or the other way around. But seriously it was all a blur to Everyone else. They just nodded and said okay.
Natasha felt her heart constrict in her chest. Her breath hitched in her throat when Steve stood before one of the large circles. "Ready when you are." Tony says, a large smile on his face, anxious to see if his creation actually worked.
Steve glanced behind him at everyone staring at him and offers Natasha a reassuring smile before he steps through the circle. For a long minute, nothing happens. Natasha begins to panic because she can't see Steve at all. She doesn't know what to expect, adult Steve or baby Steve, but either way she doesn't see either of them. She's about to have a full blown panic attack until a second later two tiny, chubby legs toddle out the other circle. Natasha's breath hitches again and some force pushes her forward until she comes to a stop in front of the toddler. "Steve?" She calls and in return she gets a grinning two year old child with blue eyes and blonde hair looking right up at her.
"Mama!" He screeches before throwing himself at her.
Natasha drops down to her knees and pulls the small boy tight against her chest. "Oh, my boy. I missed you so much."
"Dada?" Steve asks looking over Natasha's shoulder. Bruce comes to kneel beside the two and gives Steve's tiny hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Hello son." Bruce gives the two year old a kiss on the forehead before Steve reaches out to him. Natasha allows Steve to slip out of her arms and into Bruce's. Her eyes never stray from his face. His perfect, tiny little face. It makes her heart swell with love, he's back. And he can be back for as long as she wants him to be.
She has the machine. She can easily change him back if the world or Darcy needed him, but for now this was her baby. He was her's and Bruce's boy.
'My boy.' She declares as she stares lovingly at her little family.