For Menma1821, sorry this took so long.
In a magical accident, Tony, Clint, Natasha, and Wanda are turned into children leaving Sam, Steve, and Bucky to look after them until the spell wears off. That job shouldn't be too hard except they've got one who doesn't talk, two rambunctious children, and one who absolutely hates the other. Hopefully, they can straighten things out before somebody ends up hurt. Rated T
Well, would you look at that? I wrote another one shot! I hope y'all like this one. I'm a bit excited about it. Also, this takes place in some nebulous world post AoU where Bruce isn't in space and Thor comes and goes. Bucky is found early and Strange joins in every once in a while. So like the early 2012-2015 tropes before Marvel broke all of our hearts. Well, happy reading, I'll see you at the end.
Nobody was entirely sure what had happened but one moment they were fighting a sorcerer alongside Doctor Strange and the next Clint, Natasha, Wanda, and Tony were turned into pint-sized versions of themselves. Those four had been directly in the blast zone of one of the sorcerer's spells and Tony had even taken a direct hit. Upon seeing the tiny Avengers, Strange was able to quickly subdue the rogue sorcerer while the remaining Avengers bustled their teammates off to the compound.
There was a lot of yelling as the remaining adults tried to figure out what had happened. They knew it was a spell and really all they could do was wait for Strange to come over. Well, they could make sure the mini Avengers weren't hurt and attempt to figure out how old they were in case this was a long term thing. Fuck they really hoped this wasn't a long term thing.
As they talked to the mini Avengers it became clear that they retained a lot of their memories including who the others were, who they were, where they were, important adult memories, and luckily how to read and write. But there was still the fact that they were now children and were absolutely acting like it.
Clint was around six years old. His hearing was still just as spotty as it was when he was adult-sized so Steve was quick to grab his spare hearing aids to help the kid out. Pint-sized Clint Barton was an absolute whirlwind of energy. He was climbing on top of things and just generally enjoying being small and annoying and acting more like a child then he got to during his actual childhood.
Natasha was five years old and everyone was really grateful that she'd retained her knowledge of the English language. Sure Bucky could have translated for them, but it was easier having her understand what was going on and what was being said. Now mini Natasha was a bit bossy, and like Clint, thoroughly enjoying getting to do normal kid stuff that she never got to experience.
Wanda was about three years old and honestly, she was a bit of a tiny terror. In the hour after the transformation, she'd had no less than two separate temper tantrums because she hadn't gotten her way immediately. She was also throwing things around and most importantly she was throwing things at Tony who hadn't moved from the spot that Sam had set him down in once they'd arrived back at the compound.
Tony had been a bit harder age-wise to pin down. He was just so small. The guesses ranged from nine months to just a little over a year. It wasn't until they were able to see a doctor that they learned that Tony was just about eighteen months old. He was also the only one to have any injuries from the battle out of all the mini Avengers. Tony's right arm was broken and had to be set in a cast. The weird thing was that Tony wasn't crying from the pain like a normal baby. He just stayed silent and let the doctor put a cast on his arm. This behaviour alone was very concerning but none of the adult Avengers really noticed because they were struggling to keep the other three kids under control for half a minute.
With the complete chaos of having three kids running around the medical wing of the compound and screaming while the last one just sat there looking lost Steve, Bucky, and Sam were extremely grateful when Strange showed up with information about the spell used.
"So you're telling me we have to put up with three months of this?" asked Steve as he started down Strange while bouncing Natasha on his knees.
"Unfortunately yes. It will wear off on its own in about three months' time. Until then you'll just need to keep an eye on your friends and make sure they don't die. Pretty easy all things considered." Steve, Bucky, and Sam just gave Strange a look of disdain.
"Well, there's not really anything I can do here. Now, I'll be taking my leave. If you notice anything off other than the obvious you know how to reach me." Spoke Strange as he got up from his seat and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves.
"Wait, man! So you're just gonna leave us with the tiny terrors?" shouted Sam as Strange got ready to leave.
"Yes. I am." And with that Strange opened a portal and swiftly left everyone else behind.
With Thor off-world visiting home and Bruce attending a major biology convention in Canada, it was up to Steve, Bucky, and Sam to watch over the tiny Avengers until the others came back. The next three months were going to be long. So very, very long.
The first thing the adults did after they got the all-clear from medical was have FRIDAY order a whole bunch of kids clothes and toy in sized that would fit the mini Avengers. Clint, Natasha, and Wanda were given big kid clothes and toys fit for their age to help keep them occupied. Tony was given little footie sleepers and a stuffed bear and pacifier.
Very quickly the adult Avengers realized that they were very much in over their head. The older kids were just a whirlwind of trouble. Clint and Natasha were running around and shouting. Wanda was throwing things. It was a mess. The only one who was well behaved was Tony. He just sat where he was put with his new bear and his cast. He still wasn't talking which was probably why he ended up falling to the wayside. A small silent thing is easy to forget.
There was a reason Tony wasn't talking and it had everything to do with how he'd grown up. You see, Howard Stark was one of those people who should never have become a parent. He was cold and distant on a good day and downright abusive on a bad one. Tony grew up being shouted at and berated almost every day. He was often hit or made to hold hot or sharp things. He was forced to drink alcohol from a young age because "Stark men are made of iron." For that same reason, he wasn't allowed to cry or show pain. So yes Howard Stark was a right bastard and because of that, Tony had some communication issues when he was little. He was taught that children were to be seen and not heard so Tony didn't actually say his first word until he was almost four. He'd learned to write before he could talk. It was the only way that he was able to let Ana and Edwin Jarvis know if he needed something. It was necessary.
So yes, Tony wasn't talking or really making any noise. Because of this, it was easy for Sam, Steve, and Bucky to forget that he was there. Not that they were consciously doing it. It was just that they were swamped with the other three.
The first night with the mini Avengers was pure chaos. They calmed down enough for a dinner of mac and cheese but that was it. Sam and Steve managed to get the bigger kids fed and off to bed alright after wrestling with them for over an hour about bedtime while Bucky took care of Tony. Because Tony's dominant arm was in a cast he had a lot of trouble feeding himself so Bucky had to help him. The entire time Tony was completely compliant in doing what Bucky wanted. He didn't want to get in trouble for making a fuss or for crying like a baby.
He didn't fight as his diaper was changed. He didn't fight as he was placed in a new onesie. He didn't fight as he was placed alone in his new crib in a dark room. He didn't fight when he was left alone in the dark and was scared. He didn't fight. He just laid there and tried to fall asleep. He didn't want to get in trouble.
Nobody really slept well that night except for Wanda and Clint. The adults were up a few times with Natasha and had trouble sleeping because they were stressing over their tiny teammates. Tony was awake because he was plagued by nightmares. He wanted to scream and cry by he didn't. he knew better.
The next morning almost everybody was cranky as Sam went and cooked up some pancakes and eggs for everybody. Once again, Bucky helped Tony eat his food and got the tiny tyke dressed for the day. The clothes were nothing special. Just a red t-shirt and some grey pants. The mini Avengers mostly ate their breakfast in peace so the adults had a moment to talk. Once the kids were done eating Steve set them up with some crayons and paper so that he, Sam, and Bucky could clean up and figure out the best way to move forward with the situation.
Clint and Natasha happily coloured away while Wanda was very precise with her work. Tony, on the other hand, had a bit of a different plan in mind. He'd learned to write at a very young age in an effort to communicate. He was very thankful for that skill now. Now, Tony really needed to communicate with the adults taking care of them. His arm was beginning to hurt something fierce and he knew there was medication for him to help it. He just needed somebody to know so he could feel better. So, with a plan made Tony got to his feet from where he was sitting and toddled to the side of the table where the crayons were. He looked over at the other kids before he reached out with his left hand to grab a piece of paper and a crayon.
And then all hell broke loose.
As soon as Wanda saw that Tony was reaching for the crayons he started screaming that Tony was stealing from her. She pushed the tiny tot to the ground and started throwing a temper tantrum. The adults immediately went running for her leaving Tony sitting on the floor with his broken arm feeling as if it were on fire. He didn't cry but he was really close.
Tony didn't fight as he was told off for taking things that weren't his even though he'd done nothing wrong. In his mind, he knew he was a bad kid because of Howard's rhetoric. He just allowed Steve to put him in the small portable playpen with his ear and leave him there while Wanda was dealt with. Tony sat there in pain and furious. He just wanted the pain to stop. Why did Wanda have to be so mean?
Unfortunately, being confined to that playpen with only his bear for company began somewhat of a normal occurrence over the next few days. Wanda would throw a fit if Tony got near her so it was just easier for the adults to keep Tony separated from her. Bucky had some major misgivings about that. Tony was still so quiet and impossibly small for his age. It made him worried. He just didn't know what to make of the situation at hand. His friends were all small again, three of then were little terrors, and the last one was small, injured, and silent. He was worried and his mind kept wandering. He was focusing so much on everything that could possibly be happening that he, unfortunately, fell into the same space that Sam and Steve were in.
The space of sometimes forgetting that Tony was even there.
He didn't mean for what happened to happen. None of them did. It just sort of… happened. Wanda had once again been pitching a fit because Tony was near her so Tony was put in his playpen with his bear and a few blocks. Tony just sat there and held his bear close. His arm was hurting and the bear offered a small amount of comfort.
Tony didn't know how long he sat there. He just knew that after a long time the room got really quiet. There was no talking or shouting. Tony stood up on unsteady legs and tried to look around. There was nobody there. He'd been left alone. And Tony, even though he held onto his adult memories, was scared. He was hurting. He was alone. His tummy was rumbling. Tony didn't know what to do.
He just wanted somebody to help him.
Meanwhile, the adults had taken the other children with them to the store in an effort to get them outside for a little bit. Each of them was wrangling a child and it took all of their energy to keep some semblance of peace. Clint was a runner who had Sam holding him by a literal leash. Natasha was a little bit better behaved although she liked to just grab things. Wanda was a little nightmare. She was yelling and throwing things and running around. Steve and Bucky had to chase her all over the grocery store and eventually she was relegated to sitting in the cart so they could keep an eye on her.
And so, the makeshift family continued to grab snacks and things they needed as they made their way through the store. It was mostly snacks. Steve alone was mostly responsible for the depletion of their snack reserve.
"We should probably pick up some baby crackers for Tony." Thought Bucky as he reached for a box. He paused his movements as he looked around for a second. That was when it hit him.
"OH MY GOD! WE FORGOT TONY!" exclaimed Bucky as he dropped the box. The others turned to him and Steve and Sam had twin looks of horror on their faces.
Much to the dismay of the children they quickly paid for their things and left the store. The entire time Bucky kept dwelling on the fact that they'd left Tony behind. Tony was the smallest out of all of them. He was small and silent and it tore at Bucky because he never knew what was wrong with the babe. He was worried. He was worried and they'd left him behind.
Pretty much the second they arrived back home Bucky left the others to wrangle the kids and bring in the shopping while he pretty much sprinted to where they'd left Tony. It was moments like this where he was glad he had the serum because it would have sucked to run out of breath. So Bucky ran. He ran and he ran until he was back in the living room. He was back in the living room and poor baby Tony was still sitting in his playpen with his bear in one hand and his cast pressed close to his chest.
As Bucky started to walk in closer Tony set his eyes on the man and every emotion he'd been trying so desperately to hold in came rushing to the surface and he did the one thing he was told repeatedly not to do by his father growing up.
He cried.
Tony started bawling and Bucky raced over to pick up the crying infant. He held him in his arms and rested his head over Tony's. He rubbed his back and offered soothing words in an effort to stop the tears and hurt.
"Shh. Shh. It's alright. I've got you now baby boy. I've got you." Soothed Bucky but Tony continued to cry. It was the most amount of sound he'd ever hear Tony make since the spell happened.
"Make him quiet!" shouted Wanda and Bucky turned around to see that the others had arrived and were unpacking things. Bucky had no clue how long he'd been standing there with Tony sobbing into his shirt.
Bucky just ignored here and left Sam and Steve to deal with the fit she was throwing over Tony currently being the centre of attention.
"Are you hungry baby? Do you need your pain meds? Are you hurting?" worried Bucky even though at his point he knew that Tony wouldn't respond to him.
So, Bucky took it upon himself to figure out what Tony needed. He started with the pain meds. They were in liquid form and tasted horrible but Tony pretty much guzzled the medicine down without complaint.
"You must be hurting something awful baby." Sighed Bucky as Tony's tears started to subside and the rumbling in his tiny tummy could be heard. "Let's get you changed and comfortable and then I'll give you a bottle."
Bucky took Tony to his room and changed his diaper and put Tony in a nice warm onesie. He made sure to swaddle Tony up like you would a newborn and then brought him back out to the kitchen. San and Steve had sent Wanda to her room and Clint and Natasha were engrossed in a movie so it was quieter now. Bucky continued to rock and soothe Tony as he prepared a bottle with the special formula they'd been provided with to help with Tony's growth nutrient levels. He then proceeded to sit down with the others while Tony drank from his bottle. The tears had finally subsided as Tony's tiny tummy was finally filled. Feeling comforted and full Tony fell asleep in Bucky's arms not long after he'd finished his bottle. He'd had an exhausting day.
"Guys… we fucked up." Spoke Bucky after a while of sitting in silence and allowing Tony to sleep. "We left Tony alone and in pain. We… We pushed him to the side all because Wanda was throwing tantrums. He's hurt and we just… we left him alone. We need to fix this. Tony doesn't talk so we need to do better. We… we need to do better."
Steve and Sam nodded but didn't say much. They were still sort of in shock over what had happened. They couldn't believe that they'd left Tony, who was a fucking baby, all alone when he was hurting and hungry. They needed to fix this. They needed to fix this like yesterday.
It took a while but eventually, the three adults hashed things out. They settled on Bucky being solely responsible for Tony while Steve and Sam took care of the others. It was a fair deal. They figured that Tony would need more attention and it would make them all less likely to give into Wanda. They really needed to figure out a way to deal with her. But first, Tony.
Bucky spent the whole night with Tony just caring for him. He had Tony sleep in his bed with him so he could keep an eye on things. He just couldn't leave him alone after everything that had happened. Bucky didn't sleep much that night. He was up every so often with Tony to make sure he got some food in him as well as some medicine.
It was a long night.
When the sun rose the next day, Tony was up and about and still just as silent. Bucky took him down to breakfast and fed him some mashed peaches and oatmeal. Tony didn't do much during his feeding but Bucky kept noticing that he was eyeing up the Starkpad sitting forgotten on the table.
"You wanna play on the tablet little guy?" asked Bucky as he grabbed the tablet and passed it to Tony with a smile.
What happened next was not what Bucky had been expecting.
Once Tony had the tablet in his tiny hands he didn't open up a game like Bucky had been expecting. No, he opened up the notes app and began typing away. With a shy smile on his face Tony turned the screen towards Bucky and the question Can I have some blueberries was written clearly on the screen. Bucky sat there shocked for a moment before he shook himself out of his thoughts and responded to the boy.
"Sure thing Tony. Let's get you some blueberries"
The smile on Tony's face was worth everything once Bucky placed the small bowl of fruit in front of him.
"Hey, Tony, sweety? Can I ask you something?" asked Bucky after Tony had finished his treat and they had retreated back to Tony's room to play undisturbed. The tablet came with them. Tony nodded to Bucky's question and Bucky made sure he had the tablet ready for the tyke.
"Do you know how to talk Tony?"
No
"But you can read and write?"
Yes
"You don't really cry or make noise. Did someone hurt you, Tony?"
Tony paused for a moment with a few silent tears in his eyes before he wrote out his answer.
Mean daddy doesn't like noise. He hits me if I make any. Now I read and write to be quiet. I'm sorry.
And well, that just broke Bucky's heart. Bucky had known Howard Stark back during the war. He'd never really liked the man. And well, he never really trusted him either. And now he was finding out that he'd hurt Tony for who knows how long! It was just a bit too much. He wanted to punch things over the injustice of it all. But he didn't. All he did was scoop Tony into his arms and rock him soothingly.
"You'll never have to worry about him ever again ya hear Tony. Never again. I've got you now. I won't let you be left behind again. Alright, bub?" soothed Bucky and Tony nodded.
Eventually, they were both able to calm down and Bucky spent the morning playing robots with Tony. He was so proud when he actually got him to laugh.
When lunchtime rolled around Bucky brought Tony back out to where the others were so they could all eat together. Bucky had no clue what Sam and Steve must have said, but for the first time in nearly a week, Wanda didn't pitch a fit over the fact that Tony was sitting at the table munching away at the small slices of grilled cheese that Sam had prepared for him.
Meanwhile, Bucky was filling in the others on what he'd learnt about Tony. He told them about the tablet and why he didn't talk. Steve had the same response to Bucky over what he'd learned about Howard Stark. But, unlike Bucky, Steve had the opportunity to leave the room for a moment to go beat up a poor defenceless punching bag to get his anger out.
There were a lot more discussions to be had over how they could all move forward with the situation and how best to accommodate Tony while making sure the other mini Avengers were still taken care of. Luckily, Clint and Natasha had gotten the worst of the misbehaviour our of their systems so they were easier to work with. It was mostly just Wanda. Her adult vendetta against Tony must have continued on in her child state and it was certainly causing problems. But apparently threatening her with time out and no dessert was enough to get her to at least tolerate having Tony in the same room.
Baby steps.
Bucky also passed the information he'd learnt onto Strange. Maybe he'd be able to use thins to figure out a faster way of getting things back to normal. But, in the meantime, Bucky took his new job of watching Tony in stride. He was just a bright a kid as he was an adult. He loved math and science. He loved playing robots and blocks. He was finally putting on some weight which was amazing. Tony still wasn't talking though, but that was alright. He would talk on his own time. Bucky didn't mind.
So, things were finally settling with the Avengers and their tiny teammates. Clint and Wanda were slightly less rambunctious and loud. Wanda tolerated Tony. And Tony, well he was getting to experience what it was like to truly be a child for the first time ever.
And he was loving it. And it was all thanks to Bucky remembering and taking the time to just listen to him.
I hope you liked this one. It was fun to write. I've got a whole wack of new one-shots and short fics lined up for the school year so keep your eyes open. I'm going to spend most of August writing them so I can just post during the year. I'm excited for y'all to read what I'm cooking up. I'll see y'all around. -Shadows