A/N-Enjoy

Chapter 3

Tony pulled free from Steve as they entered the kitchen, allowing the little boy to scramble up the tall chair so he could sit at the table. He noted in amusement that how both Bruce and Clint moved ever so slightly that if he were to stumble they would catch him. Had they always had that protective streak in them? He supposed that the Hulk taking a likening to him as well as saving him from death could have also been seen as protective. But he wasn't used to that and simply shook the thought from his head as he turned to focus on his food.

The little boy glanced around as the other males took a seat, reminding him that Natasha was still gone. He was content at that fact but slightly alarmed that he didn't know where she was. What if she was plotting with Fury to do something to him? Would she even contemplate something like that? Could she do that? He didn't know the answer to that and swallowed audibly at the fear that appeared, before quickly plastering a smile on his face when he saw Clint looking at him in concern.

"Eat up Tony," Clint told him carefully aware that his tiny teammate was clearly thinking of something that he didn't like. Especially if the frown on the child's face was anything to go by and as he was trained to notice these sorts of things he knew whatever it was he didn't want the boy to dwell on it.

Tony obediently started eating drowning out the conversation above him as he looked around his tower. He never noticed as he wasn't usually up here for long, but it looked very much lived in. He liked that his teammates saw this place at home; it warmed him up on the inside. The fact that he provided it to them made him slightly proud to be a part of it.

Steve turned from where he was talking to Bruce to make sure that Tony was okay, the child was so small and the super soldier was worried that something might happen to him. He gave the child a fond smile as the boy's face was nearly in his bowl before he turned back to Clint.

Clint's eyes were flicking from Tony and back to the Captain frowning every so often as he realized something. "What are we supposed to do if we get a call?" He asked quietly.

Bruce froze at that, his own eyes drifting to their tiny teammate who he saw didn't seem to be paying them any attention, but even as an adult he couldn't really tell. Knowing how Tony was, he could wager a guess that the child was listening on an unconscious level. He gave a slight shake of head hoping Clint would know that now wasn't the time.

"Wait until he's through eating," Steve murmured audibly when Clint looked like he wanted to say something else.

Tony was very much aware of what was going on and he was definitely curious about the answer. He knew that they would be called to assemble and where in the world would that leave him? Would they think that Fury was right and get rid of him? He shook the thought away; this was his tower he would hide before he let that happen!

He nodded to himself as he finished up his lunch, figuring that he could go explore a bit and find some better hiding spots. He knew that the vents weren't the idlest spots because Clint practically lived in the vents. The little boy grinned happily to himself before he scooted his empty bowl to the middle of the table.

"I'm done," he announced as he slowly climbed down from the tall chair.

"You are; did you want anything else to eat?" Steve asked him curiously.

"No I'm full, I'm gonna go 'splore kay?" Tony told him cheerfully.

"Alright buddy, if you need anything tell Jarvis and he'll let us know," Bruce told him easily.

Tony nodded that he understood before the little boy headed out of the kitchen and towards the elevator. Now was definitely the idle time to go down to his workshop and have a private chat with his A.I.

He skipped happily to the elevator waiting impatiently for it to come up before he stepped inside. He giggled happily to himself as he placed his hand on the screen so he could gain access to the lower floor only to jump back in fright as Natasha suddenly came into view. He quickly pushed a few other buttons on the elevator, so it would seem as he was being the kid he was and wanted to play. He gulped fearfully as he moved to a corner of the lift, his hand playing with the small arc reactor under his shirt.

"There's nothing to be afraid of Tony, I won't hurt you," Natasha reminded him quietly.

"I don't know dat, you could be lying. Gwown ups do dat all the time," Tony whispered out.

"Some of us do, but I have no reason to lie to you honey. Where were you going?" She asked carefully. She knew he was up to something she just didn't know what.

"I wanted to go back to da wab, Bwuce and I was building a wobot," Tony replied half-truthfully.

"You're only allowed in the lab with Bruce or one of the adults, Tony. There are some dangerous things down there and we don't want you to get hurt," Natasha cautioned him. She wasn't sure what to feel at this moment. She didn't know how to truly relate to the child she only wanted him to trust that she wasn't the enemy.

Tony sighed softly before he gave a reluctant nod, knowing that she wasn't going to get out the elevator until he did. And then she might issue a warning to Jarvis, and crap he was just screwed all around wasn't he?

"Stebe said dat I could 'plore the tower," Tony told her softly. He wondered if the widow was going to revoke that privilege too.

"You can, do you know where they are?" Natasha asked him gently.

"Having lunch on the common floor, dey were tawking about a call or somefing. They wouldn't let me listen," he pouted his bottom lip sticking out adorably.

"I bet you it's really boring and they wanted you to have fun instead," she said slyly.

"Maybe," the little boy allowed, before he grinned as the door opened on Steve's floor. He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out the elevator turning towards the woman. "Bye N'tasha," he chirped before he jogged back into Steve's room.

Natasha grinned as the elevator closed, only getting off once it was back on the common floor. She could hear them quietly talking and she followed the sound, coming into the kitchen.

"Tony said something about a call? Have we been called to assemble?" She asked skeptically.

"No thankfully we haven't, we were just discussing that. What if it does happen, where will Tony be?" Steve asked quietly.

"He'll be safe in the Tower, which will be on lockdown allowing no one in or out of the living levels until one of us comes back and lets Jarvis know that it's safe. It's the most reasonable thing," Natasha said slowly.

"Because Thor is gone and Tony is unable to fight we are already down two teammates, we can't afford to lose more," Clint said in frustration. He didn't like these odds, way too many things to go wrong.

"If Fury wasn't being a dick, he could have watched Tony," Bruce pointed out as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Natasha gave a smirk in return to that, she doubted at this point Fury would come even 5 feet of the little boy. He wouldn't be trying to snatched up the child or one of the Iron man suits, none of them not mention Jarvis would allow it.

"It'll be fine, the Tower is secure enough and we won't be gone for long. Besides we don't even know if we'll get a call or not," Steve said trying to be optimistic.

"Oh we will get one, just a matter of when," Clint said with a sigh. He was ever the realist and he knew eventually it would come and he only hoped they would be ready for it.

"Where do you think Tony went to explore?" Bruce asked curiously.

"I caught him on the elevator, he was trying to head to the lab. He said he wanted to finish building his robot or something with Bruce," Natasha said with a questioning brow.

"Oh yeah, good on you for catching him," the scientist replied with a sigh. The last thing they needed was the little boy getting hurt.

"Where is he now?" Clint asked.

"I left him in Steve's floor," the redhead responded before she got up to fix herself some lunch.

"I'll go check on him then, who knows what that kid will get into too if we leave him alone too long," Steve said fondly as he stood up from the table before he headed out the kitchen and towards the elevator.

~&~&Breaking of the Line~&~&~&

Up on Steve's floor, Tony was leaving nothing unturned. He wasn't making a mess but he was going through everything that he could. From as long as he could remember he had been obsessed with all things Captain America and the Howling Commandos. And to have the living legend here in his Tower and for him to be able to check out the personal memorabilia was amazing. Now that he was a child he gave into the urge, the bitterness with the child side wasn't there and he relished in that feeling.

The little boy checked in all the drawers and underneath the beds before he came to an office. He grinned as he walked inside and looked around trying to take everything in. He giggled happily to himself as he made his way over the bookshelf, he grabbed the old radio and set it on the floor next to him. It looked like it didn't play, and he wanted to see if he could fix it, after all radios were easy enough for him. He would just need to get his little tools, and he wasn't worried about that.

Tony's eyes widened as he saw a picture frame on the shelf above where he grabbed the radio. He wasn't sure who was in it, but it was obviously important if it was on this shelf. He grinned as he glanced around, he knew that at any point in time one of the team could make their way up here to 'check' up on him. Which he didn't totally mind, but it was kind of annoying. At the moment it just added some much needed thrill to what he was currently doing.

Tony stepped back for a moment before he grabbed the chair in front of the small desk in the corner before he dragged it over to the shelf. It was a slow going process as Tony's tiny body wasn't built for moving heavy things. Eventually he got the chair where he wanted it and scrambled up onto it, smirking to himself as he carefully grabbed the picture frame. He held it carefully in his hands as he focused his eyes on the photo inside.

The picture itself was black and white, reminding Tony that the Captain was out of his time. He smiled sadly as he looked at the picture of the two boys. He knew without a doubt one was Steve and the other was Bucky. He felt a small stirring in his stomach the longer he stared at the frame, scoffing silently to himself as he realized something.

He was jealous of the friendship and the closeness Steve clearly had with Bucky in this picture. He had never had anyone like that, not unless you counted Jarvis. Tony suddenly found himself blinking rapidly and hard as his eyes watered which led to him frowning. He wasn't about to start crying over a stupid picture! He glared at the smiling boys in it, before he moved to set it back on the shelf only to freeze as he heard someone come into the office. He had a moment of mild panic only to relax ever so slightly as he saw that it was Steve.

Steve for his part had bitten his jaw the minute he had seen what was in Tony's hands. He didn't really like it when people touched his things without asking. Not to mention that Photo was the only one he was able to recover. He knew from Fury that Howard Stark had collected all of his personal things but Steve had never gotten the courage to ask Tony if the man knew where any of it was. As it was, he frowned heavily as he leveled a stern look at the child on the chair.

"What are you doing in here Tony?" Steve asked calmly, he knew he needed to get his frustration in check. After all he supposed he could be the one at fault here, he hadn't given the child any rules about what he could touch and what he couldn't.

Tony swallowed thickly as he caught the look on the man's face before he averted his own eyes elsewhere. "Just 'ploring," he replied truthfully. He didn't want to get in trouble with Captain America again, he had felt so awful before.

"Oh, I wasn't aware that exploring meant you went through other people's things and touched them without their permission," he stated casually.

Tony opened his mouth to respond only to shut it as the blonde's words penetrated his brain for the moment. He frowned as he looked at his shoes, he had figured it was okay. Steve had never said he couldn't, where in the world was the man attempting to do? He shrugged slowly before he quickly set the picture frame back on the shelf before jumping down from the chair.

He was only able to move about a foot, when he heard the sound of glass breaking behind him. Tony turned around with a gasp as he saw the frame on the ground and now broken. It thankfully didn't look like the picture inside was damaged and he was thankful for small mercies.

Steve's eyes flicked over to where he heard the glass break and winced before he turned his glare at the top of the brown haired boy's head. He was frustrated that Tony had gotten into his things and broke something that was priceless in his eyes. He could never get that moment or Bucky for that matter back and Stark had just messed it all up.

He growled softly to himself before he went over to the shelf, moving the child up and away from the glass. He was a bit angry with the child but he didn't want him hurt. He quickly picked up what was left of the frame, hoping that the fragile photo inside was okay.

"This is what I was talking about Tony," Steve told him not unkindly but his voice was a bit rougher than usual due to the emotion that he was currently dealing with.

Tony couldn't help it, even if the adult part of his mind knew that Steve Rogers would never hurt a child, he couldn't help his unconscious reaction to the man's tone. When Steve had addressed him, he found himself flinching back hard before his hands came up to cover his head to protect himself.

Because his eyes were closed tight he didn't see the horrified look on the Captain's face. He was too busy fighting the childish side of his mind for the moment. The last time he had let it free, he had fled and ended up hiding in the vents. He knew that if he tried to run that Steve would catch him in an instant. But like all things he was starting to see in his life, they couldn't all be controlled. And it was a half of a second later when the four-year-old side of him won out and carefully peeked out from where his hands were shielding his face.

"Sowwy, sowwy sowwy," the little boy said frantically. He wanted the man to know he hadn't meant to it and hopefully that would let him escape punishment. As it was Captain America had set him onto of the desk in the corner so he wouldn't step in the glass. That meant something right? His daddy had never done that.

Steve was still standing in the same spot where he had been, unable to move as he watched his teammate flinched away from him. He honestly couldn't comprehend in that moment, why in the world did Tony think that he was going to hurt him? He swallowed thickly, his hands up so the child could see when he eventually looked up that he meant him no harm whatsoever.

"Tony, little man I am not nor will I ever hurt you. I know you didn't mean to break the frame," Steve started out gently. It didn't seem like Tony was going to look at him so he needed to get the child to see that everything was okay. He wasn't even angry like he had been before, after all the boy hadn't known the rules.

Tony himself was floored even as he chanced a peek up at the super soldier in amazement. He wasn't totally sure if he believed the man but he hadn't lied to him as of yet, and besides it was a good chance that Captain America was nothing like his daddy was even if they had been friends.

"Do you pwomise?" The little boy couldn't help adding. He knew after all that promises weren't meant to be broken and if the good Captain promised then his word was worth its weight in gold at least in Tony's eyes.

"I promise," Steve told him firmly before he moved a bit away from the glass and took a seat on the floor before opening his hands at to the child. "Come here buddy," he requested.

The little boy nodded silently before he slowly made his way over to the man. He knew that Steve wouldn't hurt him however that did nothing to stop the fear. He still tensed when he was in the man's arms. Though he eventually relaxed once he realized that Steve was only interested in giving him comfort.

"I'm so sowwy, I didn't mean to bweak it," Tony wanted him to know.

"I know you didn't and it's alright the picture inside wasn't even damaged," Steve reassured him.

"Oh that's good," Tony mumbled out and he did mean it.

The tiny tot knew how much Bucky meant to Steve, just a part of him wished that he could mean the same. He shrugged softly, feeling childish but that part was in the forefront of his mind and he had no chance right now of regaining the adult part. He was way too emotional at the moment, and soon the small moment of clarity vanished as the little boy turned to look up into the bright blue eyes curiously.

Steve didn't want to take advantage of the situation but they were definitely long overdue for a talk. And if he took Pepper's recommendation into order this was probably the perfect time to breach what he was sure to be an awful conversation. He knew his perceptions about the man had already been broken, but the feeling he was starting to get was about to leave everything bare. He only hoped Tony forgave him for this when he was once more re-aged.

"Alright Tony I need to ask you something very important and I want you to be honest with me okay?" He asked the child casually.

"Otay, I will," Tony promised quickly just wanting to please the man after what had just occurred.

"Why did you think that I was going to hurt you?" Steve asked softly.

Tony was silent for a moment; this was what the man wanted to ask? He for sure thought that it was going to be way worse. He wasn't totally sure why Steve wanted to know this but he had promised not to lie.

"Well it's 'cause peowple get angwy at you when you bweak dere stuff. And I bwoke a pictuwe dat I knew you weally loved," Tony replied honestly.

"What do you mean people get angry? Does your daddy ever get angry with you? Is that why you're afraid of Natasha and Clint? What does your daddy do?" Steve asked softly, aware he had probably bombarded the child but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

Tony curled into himself at the last question, he didn't know why Steve wanted to know that. Maybe if he told the man everything he would protect him from when his daddy caught wind of this. Though a part of him thought that might be a stupid plan as Captain America was clearly friends with his father and not him.

It could go either way, and the latter meant Tony could end up hurt. Did he want to risk it? He wanted someone to come and protect him and that meant telling someone, so he took a breath and gave a quiet nod.

"Daddy huwts me," he confessed softly, feeling a second later a weight lifted off of his chest even as strong arms tightened around him. He knew in that moment that Steve would protect him from everything which helped to loosen up his tongue to tell the older man what he wanted to know.

~*~*Line Break~*~*~~*~*

Meanwhile down in the common kitchen Natasha was explaining to Bruce and Clint some of what happened in her talk with Fury. She knows even as she's explaining that a Call to Assemble is imminent and she is powerless to stop it.

"Don't worry about it, we can't prevent it and worrying about it will make it worse then what it'll probably be," Clint murmured when she stopped talking. It wasn't surprising that he knew where her train of thought currently had been.

"Not to mention if it does get bad, Thor will come and we can always call on the Fantastic Four. We help them out sometimes and it's about time they returned the favor," Bruce replied calmly. He had faith in his team and their abilities they would all be okay.

~&~&~A few days later~*~*~*~*~

A couple days after that awful moment when Tony broke the picture frame, things were starting to look up for him. His experiment regarding his small body was blowing his mind every day. He never realized how much Steve or Clint loved to cuddle. They constantly held him in their arms even when he didn't want too. He didn't complain as he knew it was only a matter of time before the spell would be undone and it was back to normal.

They would never willingly touch him like they did now. He wasn't part of the team; he knew he was still an outsider looking in. They had all made that very clear to him, and he wouldn't be forgetting it any time soon. At the moment Tony was currently laying on Bruce's stomach while they watched Osmosis Jones. He was slightly embarrassed to note that both of his minds were very entertained by the childish film. He was also very much aware of how much this toddler version of him got away with things. Bruce had made it very clear the first day that he didn't trust himself around them. And here Tony was lying on the man comfortably and the man didn't seem to mind. Tony actually liked the Hulk, he wished Bruce did too.

The toddler wasn't sure where Steve was, though he was probably training with Clint, he wasn't worried. As he leaned forwards to grab his cup of milk, that is when the trouble started. A loud alarm suddenly went off, and Tony couldn't help his instinctive reaction and screamed loudly in return even as he covered his ears with his hands. He looked up at Bruce in concern but the man had only pinched the bridge of his nose in response.

"You're alright Tony, it's nothing," Bruce stated loudly as he stood up. The moment of truth had come and he honestly was not ready for it. Could they really leave Tony here and expect everything to be okay? Maybe they should have had Thor bring Jane here, she would've been a great choice not to mention a trustworthy babysitter for Tony. There was nothing he could do for it now, they had no choice but to stick with the plan.

"What's going on? Why is it so woud?" Tony yelled out in return.

"We been called to go out and protect the city!" Bruce yelled, only to frown as Jarvis suddenly cut the alarm and he turned to look at the little boy in his arms.

Tony was frowning, his adult part of his mind instantly on alert. He didn't think they would allow him to fly the Iron Man suit, not mention it didn't even fit him anymore, how would he even see?

"What does dat mean fow me?" Tony asked timidly. He didn't know their plans regarding him, they had never talked about it when he was within distance.

"You are going to stay here in the Tower and continue watching movies," Bruce replied, as he glanced at the doorway unsure of where everyone was. They usually met up in the common areas but he would go to them and see what was going on.

Tony's heart skipped a few times at that thought, they wanted him to stay here alone? Did he hear Bruce correctly? "I'm 'posed to stay hewe by mysewf?" He asked quietly, he felt very afraid all of a sudden. The tower was a big place and without the rest of the Avengers it would be even bigger and he would feel so alone like he used to be. He didn't want to ever feel that again, he didn't want them to go without him.

Bruce frowned, as he caught the soft tone. "It's just for the battle Tony, we aren't leaving you alone because we want too," he made sure to add as he carried the child and hurried towards the loading deck. It turned out to be a good decision as he could see the Quinjet hovering nearby and Steve and Natasha and Clint were all there as if they were waiting for him.

"Finally, what took you so long man?" Clint said not even turning around to look at the other man, he could hear him just fine.

"I was waiting for you guys, I wanted to know what was going on downtown. Do you need me to come with you?" Bruce asked casually, as he could feel how tightly Tony was clutching to his shirt and he honest to god didn't want to leave the child like this. He knew the child was afraid, he swore he could smell the fear which meant the Hulk was much too close to the surface for his likening.

"Yes we need you, we're not exactly sure what's going on. Fury wasn't very welcoming with his information so at the moment we are going in blind," Steve said seriously before he registered that Tony was in his friend's arms but it was Natasha who beat him to it.

"Go place Tony inside and Jarvis will lock the place down," she said quietly.

"Noooo! Pwease, I'll be good. Just wet me stay pwease," Tony pleaded tearfully before the man could comply with his words.

"We can't bring you buddy, it's too dangerous and you could get hurt," Steve told the child softly.

"No I won't you won't even know I'm dere. I'm good at being a good hider, I pwomise," Tony replied firmly.

"You may promise all you like amoureux, but my mind won't change. You cannot come with us," Natasha said determinedly. She wasn't going to jeopardize this mission by allowing Tony to accompany them, they would be worried for him which meant they wouldn't be doing their best.

Tony swallowed thickly at Natasha's tone before he gave a small shrug as if it didn't truly bother him. Who was he kidding anyway he knew what kind of person Natasha was before all of this started. Just because she tolerated him more now meant nothing in the long run. He was still Tony Stark and she hated everything about him, he blinked back the sudden emotion. He hadn't really given into his kid emotions and he wouldn't start now, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing how much she hurt him.

He wiggled until Bruce finally put him down, making sure not to look at any of them. He didn't want any of their pity, they may not know he had his adult mind but that meant nothing at the moment. He didn't actually care about the mission at the moment it was the principle of the thing, she could care less about him. He didn't care what she called him as term of endearment he didn't believe it.

If he was correct Bruce would need to run back to get his Hulk pants and they would all want to make sure he was in whatever room they locked him in. It was a small window of opportunity but he could do it if he really wanted too. And he did, he wanted to prove to her, that she wasn't the boss of him.

"Be safe Bwuce, Stebe and Cwint," Tony told them quietly before he shook his head and turned to head back into the tower.

"Hey little man, you forgot to wish that to Natasha," Clint said teasingly trying to break the tension he so obviously felt.

"No I didn't, da Bwack Widow will be fine wiffout my good wuck. She's da boss wight?" Tony said sarcastically before he ran back into the tower.

Bruce sighed before shaking his head. "Well I was wondering when that attitude of his would kick in," he stated dryly before he hurried into the tower to change.

Steve sighed his eyes flickering to where Tony disappeared. "I'm just going to make sure he's alright," he said as he followed the direction of where his tiny teammate had gone.

Natasha sighed but she and Clint followed after the Captain. She knew she had hurt the small boy but it was necessary, he couldn't come that was the way it was going to be.

There was nothing to do for it, she could just imagine if Tony got kidnapped. No that was a worst case scenario and as he wasn't leaving the tower it didn't have a chance in happening. She caught up to Steve and quirked an eyebrow in confusion as he was just standing in front of the elevator with a bemused expression on his face.

"What's going on? I thought we were checking on Tony," Clint stated slowly.

"He locked us out of the elevator, Jarvis has just informed me," Steve said with a frown. He didn't want to leave on this note but Tony was safe so there was that. He shook the thought out of his head, now was the time to focus.

"We'll talk to him about that when we come back, for now we need to go," Natasha said as Bruce came back and they hurried back to the landing pad, boarding the Quinjet a moment later.

"Right," Clint replied easily as he settled down in his seat and buckled up.

~&~&~&Page Break~&~&~&~&~&

Tony settled into the small hanger in the back that had a bunch of equipment blocking his hiding spot from everyone else. He made himself breath slowly, he had barely just made it and after silencing Jarvis he wasn't in danger of being snitched on. He grinned to himself happily, take that Natasha!

He couldn't help the childish thought but he had definitely outsmarted the infamous Black Widow and this way he could see what kinds of things they were keeping from him. It was definitely a win-win situation in his book. He curled up a bit more to get comfortable and found himself falling asleep thanks to the quiet lull of the engine.

~&~&~Break~&~&~&~&

"Jarvis could you let us know what Tony is doing?" Steve asked unable to help it.

He was worried he hadn't even been able to talk to him before they had left. He wasn't going to think of the child during the battle he just needed to make sure he was alright and not crying his eyes out like he thought. Steve frowned when he received no response and no video showing the live feed, his eyes widening at the implications and just barely able to stop himself from swearing.

"He's angry with us, of course he muted Jarvis," Clint said dryly. "No doubt he hates Natasha, he wouldn't even say bye to her,"

"Yes I'm aware Clint I was there, he's just upset. He's four, he'll be over it soon enough," Natasha replied what a shrug.

"Tony Stark can hold a grudge forever, so I hope you're in for the long run," he teased.

"I repeat he is four," she said tightly. She wasn't worried she had done the right thing; it was too dangerous for him now.

"I'm sure he's fine Steve, he probably fell asleep," Bruce said easily before he went to his meditating. He couldn't afford to think of Tony right this moment he needed to stay focused.

"Yeah I'll make it up to him when we get back," Steve said as they got closer to the drop off point. He cleared his mind, he couldn't afford to be distracted at the moment, watching as Natasha and Clint both got off first.

"I'll see you in a little bit," Steve told Bruce before he ran and jumped off the Quinjet.

Bruce smiled in amusement before he carefully took off his shirt and glasses, waiting on the jet landed on the rooftop before he got off and jumped off the roof transforming into the Hulk before he touched the ground. The Hulk let out a roar, the battle was on.

~&~&~&Breaking of the line~&~&~&~

Tony didn't wake throughout the battle, his little body trying to compensate for the many sleepless nights his adult body gained. He slept better as a child and since he knew he was safe and protective his sleep was deep. He didn't get to see any of his teammate in battle nor how good they fared despite being down two members of the team. It did help that they seemed to be fighting just the usual thugs without any special powers which they all were grateful for.

The little boy would have stayed sleep, even when 3 hours later the Avengers started to climb back on the jet. The that had woken him up was when the jet turned, so did he and he ended up knocking his head onto one of the equipment bags. It didn't hurt and so he mused for a moment that this was probably the food that he often kept in here for Steve and Thor's large appetite.

He moved to grab something from the bag before suddenly frowning at the tightness he could feel in his abdomen. Both the adult part and the child part recognized what was wrong not a second later and he grimaced at the thought. He had been in a hurry to make sure he was on the Quinjet in time that he hadn't had a chance to visit the bathroom. And now, hours later he was still on the jet after having slept and he had to go worse.

Tony forcefully pushed the child part of his mind forward, he wanted no recollection of a first person point of view if he ended up doing something embarrassing. He chewed his bottom lip silently for a moment as he squirmed in place, he didn't want to get in trouble but he also didn't want an accident.

He was a big boy now and his daddy hated it when he had accidents. Natasha had been mean early and he reasoned that she was be even more mean if he had an accident. And she had all the tools like daddy to hurt him and he didn't want to risk that. He wasn't sure how he was going to alert them of his presence, but that decision was also taken from him when he saw Clint rummaging through one of the bags near him. Tony made the split choice to pop his head out and speak.

"Cwint, I hafta go potty," Tony blurted out anxiously, not even having the grace to look embarrassed as he clutched at his pants. It was a bit more difficult to stand up and hold it but he had wanted to be see.

Clint flinched ever so slightly, the only outward appearance that he had been startled. His pounding heart was another thing which he ignored as he looked at the dancing child in front of him in incredulity.

"What are you even doing up here Tony? How did you get up here?" He asked in disbelief.

"I wanted to pwove dat I wouwdnt be in da way, and I did," Tony told him happily before he grimaced and tugged at the man's suit. "I gotta go potty," he repeated out urgently.

Clint grimaced as well as he turned around him before blowing out a breath, reaching for the child's free hand to lead him out to where he could be properly buckled in. There was honestly nothing for him to do for the toilet situation. Unlike the Helicarrier, the Quinjet didn't have bathrooms, the adult Tony never saw a need.

"Guys we have a stowaway," Clint informed the rest of the team, pulling Tony out in front of him so they could see the child.

Steve and Bruce both gasped in union as they caught wind of the child. "Tony, this is not okay," Steve told him sternly.

Tony ducked his head at the chastisement before he nodded quickly. "I sowwy," he added quietly.

"You aren't but you will be when we get back to the Tower," Steve told him. He was planning on sticking the child in the corner for four minutes so he could think about what he did. Thankfully Natasha was the on piloting the jet, so Tony wasn't at risk of getting chewed out just yet.

"Where were you hiding Tony?" Bruce asked curiously.

Tony didn't seem inclined to answer before he turned back to Clint with a desperate expression on his face. "Potty now pwease," he begged.

Clint winced before he looked at the two other men. "I don't suppose we could make a stop, kid's gotta use the toilet," he explained even though he knew they had heard the child just ask himself.

"This isn't the most inconspicuous of fighter jets, how long until we're back at the tower Natasha?" Bruce asked his eyes frowning as they caught sight of Tony.

"Half hour at this pace," she said easily. She wasn't deaf and though she couldn't see them she could hear them and therefore knew why he was asking.

"And at a faster pace?" Steve prompted.

"Less time, but I wont be speeding up until Tony is buckled up in a seat. I don't want him hurt," she told them in a tone that stated they should have realized as such.

"Just hold it for a little bit alright Tony? Natasha is gonna get us home so you can potty," Clint promised him as he hurried the child to a seat of his own and quickly buckled the boy in.

"Make sure it's tight," Steve added even as he watched Clint settle Tony in before he followed suit for himself.

"We're all buckled in Natasha, you can speed up," Bruce told her as he gave the little tot a smile. He didn't think the boy saw as Tony wasn't able to keep quiet in his seat.

Tony's head involuntarily went back for a moment as he got adjusted to the speed before he gave off another urgent squirm. He refrained from looking at Captain America as he could literally feel the man's gaze on him. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of it, even if he deserved it.

He didn't want Steve mad at him what if he started hitting him? He gulped softly whining as the next turn had his seatbelt digging into his tummy. If this kept up he would be wet before they entered the tower and that just wasn't going to happen to him today. He bent at the waist looking intently at the buckles, not knowing that he was being watched so slowly. He supposed that's why he jumped when he reached forward to unbuckle a set of the buckles.

"Don't you dare unbuckle that belt Mister," Steve said in a low tone. "It is not safe for that to be off just yet so leave it alone," he added.

"It's gonna make my potty on mysewf," Tony whispered out miserably.

"And whose fault would that be? You knew you weren't allowed to follow us and yet you did it anyway. You deliberately disobeyed us Tony, what do you have to say for yourself?" Steve said quietly.

"I'm sowwy, I just wanted to pwove dat I wouwdnt be in da way. And now I just gotta go potty so bad and you won't wet me," the tiny tot gasped out before he burst into tears. This was his punishment for proving them right, they were worst then his daddy in a way. How had he ever thought that they might love him?

"Hey hey, that is not true at all. The jet doesn't have a bathroom kiddo so we have no choice but to ask you to hold it. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself but we're nearly back at the tower," Steve told him kindly, his tone changing as he realized the child was now crying.

Tony sniffled at that before he buried his head into his shirt, willing his body to just wait a little bit longer. He didn't want to have an accident in front of his idol, he would never be able to look at Captain America ever again. While he sat there stressing over whether or not he would make it, he failed to notice them landing on the Tower's landing pad only that Natasha suddenly was in front of him and undoing everything.

He didn't know what to hold onto as she picked him up and sprinted out of the jet and towards the tower. The child part of his mind that was freaking out got a few seconds reprieve when older Tony thinking the ordeal was over took over only to realize that he was pressed against the Black Widow's body as she held him. He shook his head and pushed the younger version of him out, as he was not equipped to deal with that on top of everything else.

"Oh, I'm not gonna make it," the toddler whimpered out unhappily.

"Yes you are, because we are here," Natasha said easily as she sat him down in the common bathroom before swiftly pulling his pants down and setting him on the toilet.

Tony held the sides of the big toilet with both his hands, sighing in relief as he was finally able to have his release. He didn't notice Natasha patting his head on her way out as he slumped down happy. He finished and slid off the toilet and flushed before he washed his hands and fixed his shorts before making his way out of the bathroom and to the kitchen or that was his plan as he wanted a snack. He found to his surprise that wasn't to be the case as Steve suddenly appeared from nowhere and picked him up. He made to protest until he caught the look on the man's face and figured silence would be the best policy. At least that's what he thought until the man did set him down in the corner.

"You are to stand here until I come get you, this is punishment for disobeying us when we told you to stay here. If you move I will just bring you back and for every time you move I will add 1 minute," Steve warned him before he turned to head into the kitchen.

"But I wanted a snack," Tony whined out as he turned to see the man leave.

"After your punishment you'll get one," the Captain promised before he joined his teammates into the kitchen.

"Do you think he'll move?" Clint asked curiously as he peeked into the other room to check.

"No, he already disobeyed, I think for the moment he's trying to figure out what's the rest of his punishment is going to be," Bruce explained slowly.

"There is no next part, he's four and he getting four minutes in the corner. After he acknowledges what he did wrong we hug him and then forgive and forget," Steve said as he glanced at his teammates.

"Man you really did grow up in the thirties," Clint said with a smirk as he looked at the other man.

Steve only laughed as before rolling his eyes. "And proud of it," he said as he checked his watch. He didn't want Tony to be in the corner any longer than necessary.

He didn't want to admit it, but he found himself growing fond of the little bugger. He wasn't sure what this meant for the team when Tony went back to his normal age. Regardless he knew that he would be there for the man too, no one deserved to be alone least of all Tony Stark.