A/N- So I saw the trailer for Civil War and I hated it. I'm forever Team Iron Man, as I love Tony and RDJ both. My emotions and muse carried it over into this story. There is some Tony angst, I meant for this to be a light hearted story but then I remembered ALL the characters I'm bringing it and so this chapter is a big sad. It'll get better as I love my happy endings. Anywho hope you like it and please review, they mean alot.
Chapter 4
Bruce was shaking his head he glanced around the corner yet again, Steve didn't get it. The Super soldier didn't understand what the child was actually thinking. Bruce wouldn't call himself a mind reader, far from it, but he knew Tony. He knew that his home life growing up had been on par with his or Clint's for that matter. The only two on the Avengers team who didn't seem to have a real family issue on their team was of course Steve and Thor. Well Thor fit if you didn't add his psychopath brother or his father's disregard for anyone other than Asgardians.
He shook his head, the thoughts getting off topic as he shared a look with Clint. The man had been against the time out, only on the basis that he didn't totally think Tony did something wrong. He hadn't been hurt, and he hadn't lied. He just hid, and they probably wouldn't have even known about it, if the child hadn't needed the bathroom and come forward. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, hoping for once that Steve might be right when it came to Tony Stark.
"Are you alright Dr. Banner?" Steve asked quietly, as he looked over at the pensive scientist.
"You're wrong about Tony, he's punishing himself now. This isn't the end of it for him Steve. He's going to wonder what is next, what do you have in store for him? Ignoring us and believing that we don't know what we're talking about is only going to hurt that little boy in the long run," Bruce stated out calmly.
Clint sighed from where he had been fixing a grilled cheese sandwich. "Bruce is right; it also doesn't help that you stuck him in the corner while he was heading to the kitchen to get some food. How long has it been since we had breakfast?" The archer pointed out quietly.
Steve frowned, not liking the implications of either of their words. He thought Tony would trust him, that he would do right by him, but maybe he was wrong. You can't undo years of abuse in a few days, he knew that. He just thought he was getting through to Tony, and he figured something as simple as this would be alright. "I will let him know," he said slowly.
"You do that, and throw in that Natasha is very proud of him for pulling one over her," Clint said with a sly smirk as his eyes flicked to his partner.
Natasha rolled her eyes, but gave a grin in return. "I am proud of him, but Stark tends to constantly prove people wrong. He doesn't like being told he can't do something," she said though her tone was fond.
"That's Tony for you," Bruce said unnecessarily before he finally took a seat at the table, taking that time to yet again check his watch. "4 minutes is up Cap, call me if you need some help convincing him," he told the man.
Steve nodded the frown still adorning his face before he made an effort to fix it into something a bit more neutral. He trusted his teammates and they clearly knew more about Tony then he did. Nodding to himself and hurried into the living room and towards the corner where he had last seen the child. He was slightly surprised but Tony hadn't made a noise since he'd put him here.
"Tony, you can come out of the corner now," Steve told him quietly.
The little boy tensed the moment the soldier had walked back into the room, he had been hoping that someone else would come and get him. When Steve actually spoke to him, he felt that he would be standing here in wet pants if he hadn't already relieved himself. He was so scared of what was going to happen.
His instincts were telling him to run as fast as he could, regardless of the fact that he could smell the yummy goodness coming from the kitchen. He remembered how he had been heading to the kitchen to get some food only to get stopped by Steve, and he gulped softly. He took a deep breath trying to steel himself for what was to come before he finally pulled back from the corner and pivoted to face the man.
The four-year-old in him was so frightened at the implications that it wasn't a surprise when Tony felt the older side of his mind come forward to access the situation. He knew logically that no one would hurt him here, but it was a testament to his trust that he actually believed that. This wasn't something he was overly familiar with and he didn't want to make it worse. Tony shuddered almost violently not sure that he wanted to know just what else the man had in store for him.
He can't bear to ask, and almost unnoticeably to himself he started working himself up to a state. He gulps on his air, having a bit of trouble breathing before recognizing the panic attack for what it was. His hand unconsciously goes underneath his shirt to make sure the arc reactor is there, holding onto it tightly in small hand before closing his eyes trying to gain some sort of control. For a moment he forgot that he wasn't alone until he heard the soldier's voice.
"Buddy, you're alright nothing is wrong and I'm not going to hurt you. There is no need to panic," Steve said in a soothing voice as he gently reached for the child's free hand. He was aware that the arc reactor was still in the boy's chest and he wasn't sure why that was. But Tony hadn't been very fore coming with the device and none of them wanted to force him to show them so they hadn't done anything in regards with it. He just hoped it wouldn't give the child any issues breathing. He gently squeezed the boy's hand, noting that despite the earlier panic the boy was starting to calm down.
"Are you okay now?" He asked just to be sure.
"Yes I okay," Tony mumbled out quietly as he stared at his shoes.
Steve didn't think he believed him but he wasn't going to keep the conversation there, he did still need to talk about Tony's behavior today. He let go of the child's hand and bent down so he could look him in the eye and waited patiently for the child to start explaining himself.
"I'll just go back to my woom," Tony said quietly when it became apparent that the man was waiting for him to say something. Sure he was hungry but he had gone hours without food before and he could easily survive without it, at least just until the man had gone to sleep. He didn't think Jarvis would rat on him, not if the AI had seen him not get to eat, he was Tony's protector before he was anyone else.
Steve's frown on deepened as he looked at the child in disbelief. "Why would you go to your room Tony?" He asked quietly.
"Because you'we finking about what my punishment might be. I know how dis goes Stebe," Tony told him quietly. The only bad thing about being four years old was no one really took you seriously. He couldn't wait until he was returned to normal size again, he ignored the small hurt he felt at the thought. Once he was back to his normal self, they wouldn't talk to him as if they truly cared about him. The list of people who actually gave a crap about his existence he could count on one hand. He wouldn't think on that right now; he was trying to think of the positive side of returning back to his adult self.
"I'm not," Steve said softly, trying to get the child to understand what he is trying to say.
"If dat is so, den why didn't you let me go into the kitchen to get some food? Da last fing I ate was at bweakfast. And now it's time fow dinner, you wouldn't wet me eat," Tony pointed out with a disgruntled expression.
"You needed to learn your lesson buddy, it wasn't my intention to let you think you couldn't eat with us," Steve muttered out annoyed with himself that Clint had been right.
"You need to be cwear," Tony said softly as he looked at their shoes. He didn't want to see the disappointment in the man's blue eyes.
"I will try to be more clear in the future. For now, I want you to know that you're not in trouble and I just want you to promise me that you will not do what you did again. It was not safe," Steve informed him not unkindly.
Tony nodded silently, unsure completely what the hell was going on. But the adult side of his mind seemed inclined to believe that Steve was feeling bad at how he had treated them and that this was a side effect of the man's actions. He didn't want the younger side to come out and question the soldier so he finally reached his arms out for the man in the universal sign to get picked up.
"Clint made us some grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, does that seem like something you might like?" Steve asked the child carefully as he hugged the boy for a moment before he turned to head back into the kitchen.
"I wike cheese," the little boy was quick to say even as he nodded to the man's question. His little tummy was grumbling something fierce, and he just wanted to fill it.
"That's good to know, I'll make a note of that. There are a lot of good dishes that feature cheese," Steve murmured quietly.
As Steve entered the kitchen with him Tony made sure to keep his eyes averted looking only at the chest of the man who was currently carrying him. He was deathly afraid of what Natasha might do to him for his disobedience, and he didn't want to find out how she might punish him. He figured if he didn't make eye contact he would be fine, at least he thought that until Steve set him in his chair, which just happened to be right next to the redhead herself.
"I can…I can eat in my woom Stebe," Tony stated quietly not even touching his food as he reached out anxiously for the man to pick him up again.
"No no no buddy, I told you that you weren't in trouble anymore. There is no need for you to excluded from enjoying dinner with all us," Steve reminded him kindly.
Tony frowned as he kept his eyes rooted to his sandwich, who he noted in some awe and amusement that someone had cut it up into animal shapes. He picked up the dinosaur shaped sandwich and played with it quietly before he took a bite of it, giggling happily. The food almost made him forget that the Black Widow was right next to him, and that he was within arm's reach of her.
"I didn't know that we had themed shaped cookie cutters," Clint said slowly as he looked at Tony's plate.
"This whole drawer is full of them, I found them a few months ago when I was looking for Tony's stash of chocolate," Bruce admitted. He had figured that the little boy could use some cheering up and he was right.
"Definitely going to have to see what else he stocked up here," Clint said with a smile. He knew the billionaire had some eccentric qualities but he got him and he knew that there was bound to be some fun stuff hidden in the tower to play with.
"Of course you are," Steve said with a disapproving look. He didn't want Clint to take advantage of Tony since the man was now a child and couldn't say who could touch or not touch his things.
"If he didn't mind us touching it, Tony would have never put it on the common room floor," Bruce pointed out when he saw Steve's look.
"Dr. Banner is correct, if Stark didn't want us touching something it wouldn't be out here. His lab for instance is hidden and private, no one is allowed in their unless he invites you in" Natasha replied quietly before she turned to arch an eyebrow at the little boy who was trying to carefully scoot away from where she had rested her arm near him.
"I think he's still scared of you Tasha," Clint remarked softly noting the exchange.
"Of course he is, no doubt he's got it into his mind that the second part of his punishment will be with me," Natasha said not unkindly, noting out the corner of her eye how the child's head snapped up at that and he was now paying her close attention.
"There is no second part," Steve repeated firmly, he was getting tired of saying it. But he would say it until everyone understood the message.
"Trust me Cap we understand this, tiny Tony however doesn't," Clint murmured out.
Tony sighed as he turned to look at the infamous Black Widow, giving her a grim smile. He knew they were talking about him but like he had been doing this past week he was better off not looking too much into it. He felt a small ache in his tummy and he wanted to get this out of the way so he could finish his yummy food.
"Awe you gonna hit me now?" Tony asked softly, hunching into himself as he asked so he could prepare himself for whenever she decided to strike out at him.
Natasha gave the child a cool look, ignoring the outraged gasp coming from Captain America himself. She didn't bother looking at Clint or the Doctor knowing that their expressions would mirror how she currently felt. The sorrow that she was currently feeling, she had definitely misjudged her teammate, hopefully once he was returned to normal she would be able to right that wrong.
"No mijo, I'm not going to hit you. No one will harm you here," Natasha told him firmly, her tone not showing the sadness that she felt for all that this child had endured.
Tony wrinkled his nose before he finally gave a small shrug before returning to his food. He couldn't take her word for it and she didn't promise it not that he would have believed her anyway. As growing up with a man like his father he knew words didn't mean anything, and neither did promises.
~*~*~*A few days later~&~&~&~
A couple days from Tony's stint in the corner things were starting to settle into what the Avengers were calling their new normal. Thor had yet to return from his trip to Asgard but they were all hopeful that the God would return with good news. As it was the wizard who had done this to Tony still hadn't woken up. And had it been any other situation they would have unplugged him from the machine, they just didn't know that if the man died would the magic that forced Tony to be a child become permanent or not. They didn't want to do anything drastic and so the man was currently in a Shield hospital as he had been the day of the battle a week or so ago.
The Avengers thoughts were the furthest away from the wizard in the hospital, only worried about their tiny teammate. Tony was currently lying across Steve, Bruce and Clint on the sofa as they watched a movie. He loved the fact that he could watch whatever he wanted (kid wise) and no one made fun of him for it. He couldn't remember having this much fun when he had been a kid the first time. He gave a happy sigh as he snuggled deeper into Steve's chest.
He would never admit it, but this was his favorite place to be, he always felt so safe in the man's arms. He had never received such comfort like this, and while a part of him loved it, a part of him was terrified on what this actually meant. When he re-aged up, what would happen? He wouldn't be able to get comforted again, they would treat him like they always did, like everyone did. Like he was a piece of gum on the bottom of their shoe, and he didn't want to go back to that. Even as an adult he was clearly touched starved.
Tony swallowed thickly, aware that the morose thoughts were yet again invading his mind. He couldn't think like this; he was starting to hate bringing his adult mind forth, especially when the alternative was to be carefree without worries. But he knew he needed to be careful he didn't want to lose himself. The little boy was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when that damned alarmed blared out yet again and he immediately placed his hands over his ears even as he pressed himself further into his protector's chest.
"What the hell? No we just went out to battle a few days ago," Clint muttered out as the monitor suddenly flicked from the cartoon to the Director of shield; Nick Fury.
"What is happening down there sir?" Steve asked quietly as he seen the man's dark expression.
"The Winter Soldier is downtown; and according to my watchers he was supposed to take out a target but he hesitated and let the man go. I don't know what happened, but it's a very interesting scenario one I think we can use to our advantage. I know that your last time didn't go too well I need you all to get down there and deal with him now," Fury replied tightly.
Steve tightened his hold on Tony for a moment, a feeling of hope blossoming in his chest at the man's words. Maybe this was what he had been waiting for. "So you think Bucky might, that he might be remembering?" He asked breathlessly.
"I'm not sure what to think, what I know is that his handlers are looking for him but I want you all to find him first and bring him to Shield," Fury replied quickly before he shut off the monitor.
"Well shit, there went the perfect day. I wanted to explore the tower a bit more with Tony," Clint muttered out as he gave a dramatic sigh at the change of plans.
"You can do that later, this is more important," Steve said seriously as he set the unusually silent child on the sofa and stood up. He turned towards the redhead who had been awfully quiet during the whole conversation. "Are you alright Natasha?"
"I'll be fine; come on we don't have much time. I don't want him to run, and remember don't engage him alone," Natasha said as she ran off towards the flight deck to get the Quinjet started up.
Clint nodded as he grabbed his arrows from where they were hidden underneath the sofa, giving the silent child a smile. "No matter what Cap says, there is nothing more important than you. I would rather be here then chasing the Winter soldier," he told him firmly. He had wanted to punch Steve for that line, especially when he saw how closed off the child had become.
Tony gave a small shrug, before he quickly nodded to the archer. His eyes burned at the fact that Clint had seen right through his mask that he had put up, that never happened before. Since when did he care that Captain America didn't think he wasn't anything important. He gave a small shudder as he quickly scooted off the couch, he was going to finally cry, he could feel it. His body was preparing for it and he didn't want Steve to witness that, especially when it was the man's own fault he was feeling these childish emotions anyway.
"Stay here Tony, Jarvis will lock up everything. If there is an emergency let Jarvis know and he will get one of us," Bruce told him fondly as he ran his hand through the child's soft locks. He could see the child fighting the tears but unfortunately he didn't have the time to comfort him like he wanted too. He quickly hurried to get his Hulk pants knowing they should have left already.
Steve winced at the look Clint gave him on the way out of the room and he frowned at himself for speaking without thinking. He really did want to find Bucky, he wanted his best friend back. But that being said, what the hell was he thinking by saying that? Tony would automatically jump to the wrong conclusion, he always did.
"Hey buddy, I didn't mean it that way," Steve said slowly.
"You'd bettew go, you don't wanna get in twouble wiff Furry," Tony said thickly before he ran towards the elevator. He took a deep breath pushing the childish part of mind back and letting the grown up him resurface. He knew he would have a price to pay when the kid him came out to play, he was still feeling very emotional but he could think rationally now.
This would be the perfect time to talk with Jarvis as soon as everyone left. He knew Steve hadn't meant the way it came out, but it still hurt him deep inside. He didn't like these kid emotions they made everything feel ten times worse than they should have felt. Tony watched silently as the elevator's door closed, pushing the stop button and sliding down to the floor.
He was listening for something and it didn't take long for him to hear it. He could hear the Quinjet leaving, and then all of a sudden locks started clicking into place. Technically he could open them, he had the password but that would alert the Avengers and he so didn't want to do that. He felt like even Natasha was warming up to him and he didn't want to ruin anything by being too hasty.
It only took two minutes for the living quarters in the towers to complete the lockdown but he didn't move from his position on the floor. He pulled his knees up to his chest as he casually looked up at the ceiling. It was a habit he learned from Steve, as that was how the man addressed his A.I.
"Young sir, is something wrong?" JARVIS asked curiously when it became apparent that the child wasn't going to get up and move.
"No, um Jarvis you still answer to me wight? Before anyone else, you'll pwotect my secwets from evewyone won't you?" Tony asked quietly.
"Of course, you are my first priority, even if you don't remember me," JARVIS replied in kind. He wasn't sure where the child was going with this but he needed to know the boy was reassured.
Tony swallowed thickly before he looked up. "I wemember you Jawvis, I wemember evewything," he admitted out softly. He gave a small shrug when all he was met with silence, he knew the A.I. was waiting for him to speak like he usually did and he didn't disappoint him.
"The spell didn't make me lose any memowies, I still know evewything I evew did. My body is just too small," Tony finished off with a shrug. "But you can't tell anyone," he added quickly.
"Of course not sir, it's obvious why you are keeping this a secret. I know you sir, and I am happy that this has happened. You are flourishing in such a small amount of time, and I would never ever want to jeopardize your happiness sir," JARVIS stated firmly.
Tony couldn't help it; the childish emotions were nearly overwhelming as he gave a pathetic sniffle at the man's words. "Thanks Jawvis, I knew I could count on you," he said before swiped the tears away from his eyes and pushed the button for his lab. "I wanna see my bots, have they missed me?" He asked softly.
"Of course they have, Dummy has been extremely worried about you. He knew something happened to you, just not what. I will inform that they need to be a bit more careful with you at the moment," JARVIS told him easily.
Tony nodded happily as he stood up and waited as the elevator moved downwards. He couldn't help the smile that grew into a bright grin as he finally had someone in the know. He wasn't alone in this, and he kept that happy feeling the entire time he was in his lab playing with his robots.
By the time the team had arrived back from the mission, Tony wasn't sure what time it was or if it was dark or if there was food. He had completely lost himself as JARVIS and he had worked on a few things that he could do in his small body. He didn't want to admit to himself but he super excited that everyone was back. He hoped Clint wouldn't be too tired to play like they had planned to earlier. He hurried into his lab bathroom to wipe off the grease from his body, wrinkling his nose at his appearance.
He was no longer greasy but he was now damp and he hoped that Steve didn't question him. Tony had no problem lying to the man, it's just if Steve caught him in the lie he had a way of making him feel the worse ever. He could barely hold in his excitement as he rode the elevator down.
"Jarvis, is anyone huwt?" Tony asked curiously hoping no one was, he just didn't want to be surprised. He didn't like surprises even when he had really been four. Living with Howard meant that any surprise was obviously a bad thing, unless you counted Peggy.
"No, everyone is alright, although there is a slight change in the occupants of the tower now," JARVIS stated carefully.
"What do you mean? Did Thor come back?" Tony asked curiously his eyes lighting up in excitement. The god was amazing at having fun, and Tony loved being on the big man's shoulders.
"No Mr. Odinson is not back, I've scanned an identified him as Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes as the extra occupant of the tower," Jarvis said quietly.
Tony gasped suddenly, his back hitting the back of the elevator before he could catch himself. Steve brought him here. to his tower? They didn't ask for his permission; how could they think this was okay? That man tried to kill all of them at one point and had killed his parents. He gulped audibly quickly leaning forward to push another button to go back up.
"Jarvis I don't wanna go up there," Tony pleaded out to his A.I. when it showed that the elevator continued on its upward decent instead of back down to the lab like he hoped.
"If you don't go, the Captain will just come and find you. I will not allow anyone to harm you here; you know that sir. You had me fitted with the best weaponry possible after what happened with Stane. I will protect you at all costs, no matter who stands in my way," Jarvis told his creator strongly.
Tony nodded thickly, knowing Jarvis was telling the truth. That didn't mean that he could just stop the fear in its tracks. He knew logically, or he hoped that Bruce or Clint would protect him if someone went wrong but it was nice to know that Jarvis was still looking out for him. The elevator reached the common floor but Tony refused to leave the safety of it, he just needed a minute to calm himself down. The little boy winced softly once the ding of the elevator rang knowing that someone would have heard it, it was just a matter of when he would be addressed.
He didn't have to wait too long as he saw to his relief Clint and Bruce both walking towards the open elevator, their expressions slightly grim if he wanted to go into it. He gulped softly scared for the very first time of his teammates. His baby face was so easy for the archer to read and it was of no surprise when the man stopped in the middle of the hallway, gently tugging on Bruce as he did so.
Bruce turned to look at Clint in confusion, as he wasn't sure just what the man was doing. "What are you doing? Why did you stop?"
"Fix your face, I understand the circumstances but he's frightened of us at the moment," the archer replied quietly his gaze never leaving the child who had pressed his body as close as possible to the wall in his fear.
"Do you think he knows what's going on?" Bruce asked a second later, as his expression turned from the grim one to the one he reserved for his patients.
"Maybe, I don't know if he's been talking to Jarvis or not," Clint said knowing they would find out soon enough. "Regardless he's scared now and he wasn't afraid when we left," he reminded him.
Bruce nodded easily knowing the man was correct before he hurried over to the elevator, his eyebrow arching from how long the door had stayed open. Jarvis must have had a hand in this, figuratively speaking that is.
"Tony, buddy can you tell me what's the matter? Did something happen when we were gone?" Bruce asked quietly as he bent down to his knees and reached for the child, like he had done that very first day they had been in this situation.
"Why did you bwing da Wintew Soldiew hewe? He killed my mummy and my daddy, why did you bwing him to my home? Do you want him to kill me too?" Tony whispered out brokenly, as he dumbed himself down slightly. He couldn't let on that his adult mind was fully there and accounted for not when it mattered the most. He no longer felt safe here, he wanted Pepper or Rhodey here to protect him. His teammates were choosing between him and another person, just like he always thought they would. He just never figured it would hurt this much.
Clint swore loudly at that, his eyes looking accusingly at the ceiling where the A.I. spoke from but said nothing at the moment. He hadn't known really what Tony remembered, it was just bits and pieces but this was a blow. What had they done? He shook his head knowing he had been against this, but Steve and surprisingly Natasha had felt it would be better off if Bucky had come to stay with them instead of with Shield.
They all knew the risk was great, but it would be an even bigger risk if the Winter Soldier went back online after the Shield agents triggered it. At least here, Steve was able to ground the man back and easily help him come back to himself, but what expense had they paid? Did they truly not want Tony to feel safe in his own home? It was a tough situation; one Clint didn't think he could decide for. They all needed to have a meeting and he carefully walked over to the child who had moved a bit closer to Bruce but only just and he frowned. They had clearly set back whatever progress they had made for their stupid on the spur moment.
"We need to have a meeting with the others about this, we should have thought that he would remembered just whose tower this is that we live in," Clint said the frown never leaving his face as he stared at the silent child.
"I know, I was against this but like you saw, it was either here or Shield," Bruce said with a frown of his own.
"Great, just like that Steve fucked up yet again. This is gonna cement to him that Tony doesn't matter, what the hell?" Clint said tightly obviously stressed about the whole thing before reaching for the child.
Tony gulped softly before he made his way to the archer and clutched his hand tightly. He didn't want to be picked up right now. He needed to be free and away if Jarvis needed to retaliate. He kept his head down, the urge to cry even stronger than it had been before, he just wanted Pepper! He forced himself to talk calm breaths as they headed back towards the living room in the common area. Once they got there, he couldn't make himself look up so he found himself studying the shoes of the three in the room instead.
"What's wrong with him?" Steve asked quietly when Tony didn't even bother to look up or greet him with a smile.
"He's afraid, what do you think?" Clint stated harshly.
"Why is he afraid? You guys didn't tell him anything did you? We agreed that we would all tell him together," Steve said a frown marring his face at that.
"Tony is a smart child, he is well aware of who is sitting at the counter over there," Bruce said lightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.
Natasha carefully stepped towards Clint and Tony knowing without the child even saying anything that the child was obviously feeling betrayed in some kind of way and frankly she couldn't blame him. But they had no choice, they were still thinking on places where they could place Bucky without Shield's interference. The tower was just a stopover, she just wasn't sure for how long.
"малютка I know this isn't the ideal situation, and I know that you feel like you don't have a say in this but you do honey. You just need to speak up and tell us," Natasha stated kindly.
Tony shrugged knowing already how this was going to go, he had lived with Howard who could be just as cold and callous as Natasha was being. They both had their good moments, however rare they were but he wouldn't fall into that sense of false security. He knew just like he thought; that he clearly meant nothing to them and never will. He wasn't going to speak as soon as he was alone he was asking Jarvis to call for Pepper. He pressed the side of his face firmly into Clint's side, his little boy trembling from his emotions.
Steve was still frowning feeling awful, worse than he had ever felt before. He hadn't meant for this to cause in discord in the house. He was aware that this was Tony's house, and he was disheartened to know that the adult Tony probably wouldn't have been comfortable with Bucky staying here but wouldn't have said anything. At least this way they knew where he stood in regards to that. He would be working double trying to find a safe haven for his friend and him to go. He didn't want to lose Bucky again.
"As lovely as this tensed silence is, where does that leave us?" Clint asked after a moment, he wasn't going to stand here when it was distressing the child and by association Bruce. The last thing they needed was the Hulk free and attacking Bucky, knowing that this was the cause of Tony's distress.
"I'm not completely sure exactly, but we do need to discuss where Bucky will be sleeping for the time being," Steve said carefully as he glanced back at his silent friend. He had yet to speak up regarding this whole thing, trusting Steve not to lead him astray.
"That's a fairly obvious question, clearly he'll be in your spare bedroom. He doesn't trust anyone else and the feeling is mutual in that respect," Natasha said bluntly.
Steve nodded before he blew out a breath that's exactly what he had been thinking, this was the better solution. "Alright that's what we'll do then,"
Tony snapped his head up quickly to turn to give Steve a betrayed look. "I sleep there!" He spat out, his anger getting the best of him before he pulled started to pull on Clint's hand that held him still. He could feel the tears in the back of his eyes, his stomach was churning in hurt and anger and he wanted to be far away from here. "Let go!" He screamed out aguishly when Clint only held onto him tighter.
"No buddy, you can't run away from this, I know it hurts but we've got to talk about it. And while Steve should have realized that before offering up his spare room, you can stay with buddy," Clint said quickly as he bent down to hold the child tightly.
"No no no! Pwease stop," Tony was pleading out tearfully, how could Steve do this? He could feel the tears making their way down his face and Clint was being unreasonable.
"Tony stop, buddy quit fighting me. You aren't going anywhere," Clint murmured out softly. He knew why the child was angry, he understood that. The feeling of someone tossing you out for someone better wasn't something one got used to and it was even worse for a child. He didn't know how Steve was going to fix this and frankly at the moment he didn't care. The man had dug his own grave, especially when Pepper had heard about this and make no mistake she would. That woman had a way of finding out anything and everything that had to do with Tony Stark.
"Pwease," Tony continued pleading out before he quieted for a moment before he steeled himself for what he was going to do. He hated to alienate what seemed to be one of his few supporters here but it had to be done. He took a breath before he bit down hard on the hand that was holding him tight.
"Ouch, what the fuck Tony?" Clint winced out, even as he held firm to the child. Getting bitten by a four-year-old wasn't the worse pain he had been in so while it hurt it was bearable.
Tony was staring at him in confusion, he had been for sure that would have worked. It had worked when people were trying to kidnap him in the past. His tears stopped for a moment as he stared at the man in wonder, was this Clint's superpower? "Why haven't you let go?"
"Because there are worst things buddy, and I do not want you to hide yourself away just so you can cry alone. You still have people here for you even if it doesn't seem like it. Bruce come grab Tony and go upstairs, I'll be up in a bit to set up my spare room," Clint said waiting until Bruce had a firm grip on Tony's hand before he let the child go. He looked at the tiny teeth marks on his arm and grinned ruefully. He had to give it to the kid, he was tough.
The archer waited patiently until the elevator had closed and had gone up before he turned to look back at Steve incredulously. He couldn't believe the gall of the man nor Natasha for that matter. He didn't even know where he stood in regards to everything now, everything was just so fucked up now.
Steve was looking steadily in the direction of where Bruce and Tony had disappeared too feeling like his world was crumbling down. How had he messed up everything so fast? He was only trying to what he thought was best for everyone.
"You fucked up Cap, I think it's best if you both keep away from Tony for a while. Keep an eye out for some space for him to stay because he can't stay here," Clint said tightly.
"That's not your decision Clint," Steve said quietly.
"No it's not, it's Tony and he's made that perfectly clear how he feels about the Winter Soldier being here. This is his house, regardless of his age," Clint said with a half shrug.
"Because of his age that makes us his guardians, and so we can decide who to have here," Steve replied carefully unsure of where Clint thought he was going with this.
"That would be true in any other house, but not this tower, not even close. Jarvis, how many days can the Winter Soldier reside here?" Clint asked quietly, his eyes boring into the Captain's watching in satisfaction when the man frowned.
"Young sir is inconsolable at the moment so I would suggest a week at the most. I will not have him feeling distressed in his own home. As he is my creator I have made a promise to him and I will fulfill it when I deem it necessary to do so. He may not be the correct age but I know who I will side with, and it will always be with sir," Jarvis said his tone sending out a clear message to the four who were listening.
"There you go, find another place for him or Jarvis will deal with you both," Clint said with a shake of his head. He couldn't even look at Natasha before he turned and headed towards the elevator, he had a child to comfort.
Natasha watched her partner leave without even sparing her a glance and winced before turning to look at Steve who was still staring at the ceiling in horror.
"Unless we can change Tony's mind about Bucky, he's going to need to find someone place else by next week. Neither of you will be safe here, I'm not even sure I will be," Natasha admitted quietly.
Steve blew out a breath as he turned to look at his friend, who was staring hard back into his own blue eyes. He never wanted Tony to feel like he was choosing between him and Bucky but honestly he would go with Buck any day. They had been through thick and thin and while he felt awful about it, when it all came down to it, Bucky was the priority.
That wasn't what he was currently thinking on though, he couldn't stop the fast beating of his heart at the A.I.'s words. The super soldier had joked with Jarvis about Fury he hadn't been sure that the A.I. even had that function but now he knew for sure and he couldn't stop the fear he felt. Steve scoffed feeling the weight of everything suddenly on his shoulders which had slumped down. Not even the excitement that he had finally found his best friend could change it. He needed a distraction, not noticing when Natasha finally left the room as he made his way over to his friend, carefully sitting across from him.
Meanwhile upstairs Bruce had gone to Steve's quarters to clean out everything of Tony's that had been in the spare room and the bathroom. He grabbed the stool under his arm, and glanced back to the open elevator sighing softly when the child continued looking at the ground. He and Clint had warned Steve about the fragile state of Tony and the man went and pulled this? It was only his relaxation technique and the fact that he would scare Tony that kept the Hulk at bay. He wanted to rip the super soldier from limb to limb, which was saying something as he and the Hulk never tended to agree on much of anything. He headed back into the bedroom not wanting to forget anything knowing they wouldn't be coming back here, especially once the Winter Soldier started to reside here. As he went to bend down to grab the stuff teddy bear that resembled the Hulk from the bed, he heard the elevator ding shut and he swore softly. He didn't know where Tony was going only that Jarvis wouldn't listen to him at the moment. He sighed as he quickly finished up hoping that Tony went to Clint's room, but he was doubtful.
Tony sniffled softly as the elevator rose up, he knew that it was an awful thing to do to Bruce but quite honestly he just wanted to be alone. He didn't feel safe or comfortable here anymore, no one listened to him. Just like that, he was being replaced as if he meant nothing to Steve. He choked on a sob as he tried to gain control of his emotions, his tiny arms holding his stomach in self comfort.
"Sir, who can I get for you? Who can I call?" Jarvis asked subsequently distressed that he couldn't help his young creator like he needed too. He led the elevator up to the penthouse ignoring both the archer and Bruce alike knowing that even though they had Tony's best interests at heart he needed to speak with his creator alone.
"Put da penthouse on wockdown mode Jawvis, no one can come up hewe unless dey have the passcode," Tony sniffled out tearfully.
"Lockdown initiated and complete," Jarvis replied a moment later before he asked again. "Who can I call?"
"Can you call Peppew?" Tony whispered out devastated at the turn of the events. And this morning had started out perfectly why had it ended like this.
"Right away sir," Jarvis replied in kind as he made the call. He figuratively frowned as the call was put through to voicemail, knowing that the woman was probably in a meeting.
Tony frowned as he climbed onto his bed, and hugged his pillow to his chest. He wished he had of waited until Bruce had given him a stuffy but he didn't think he would get another chance to be alone on the elevator. He felt so alone, and he didn't like it. He wanted to be somewhere else, this is why he never let anyone else in they always ended up hurting him in the end.
"I want Whodey," he sniffled out after a moment, hoping like hell that Rhodey wasn't on a mission and could come for him.
Jarvis did as he was asked, sighing relief as the phone was picked up on the first ring. "Tones, are you okay buddy?" Rhodey asked immediately, as it was a bit unsual to get a call from Tony at this time. It was pushing 9pm and after having been appraised of the current situation at the Avengers tower he had figured the child would be in the bed right now.
"I need you to come hewe wiff me, I need you Whodey," Tony whispered out unhappily.
"What's happened? Did someone hurt you? Who was it?" Rhodey asked quietly, keeping his voice even; not wanting to scare the child, but he was fuming.
"Dey just chose him ovew me, I knew it was gonna happen. Whodey dey bwought him into my tower and he gets to stay hewe even though I don't feel safe hewe wiff him," Tony told the man ruefully.
Rhodey closed his eyes tightly, his teeth clenching in his anger, wondering what the hell was going on in the Avenger Tower. He blew out a breath calmly, his free hand already arranging a meeting with his superior on his phone. "Who did they bring to the tower Tony?"
"The Winter Soldier," Tony replied quietly in response. "Dey found out that it's Stebe's old fwiend Bucky," he explained.
"I'm in Washington D.C. right now Tony, I need to talk with my superior but once he clears me I will be there within 4 hours alright? Where are you now buddy?" Rhodey asked quietly choosing not to reply to just who they had let into the tower. He always knew it would come to this, someone somewhere always took advantage of the good fortune Tony had. He had just thought it wouldn't be Steve who had done it, apparently he had proven wrong.
"I'm in da penthouse, Jawvis put it on wockdown, so nobody can come up unwess I say so," Tony replied proudly.
"Good, is there anybody in there that disagreed with Steve?" Rhodey asked hoping that all the Avengers hadn't sided with Steve, he didn't think so but he needed to be sure.
"Cwint and Bwuce did," Tony admitted.
"Alright, you can get Jarvis to let them up there with you but then go back to lockdown mode until I get there alright?" He replied quietly.
"Otay, just don't fowget to come," Tony added softly.
"Never Tones," Rhodey promised him before he hung up the phone and quickly got up to grab his things; he had work to do.
Tony sighed softly when the phone call clicked off, a small grin appearing in his face in amusement at just what the thought of what Rhodey being here might mean. They would be able go places and play and then tell Steve where to stick. He was very much looking forward to that the most of all. He giggled softly feeling much before as he hurried over to the elevator and pushed the button.
"Jawvis, can you tell Bwuce and Cwint dey can come up hewe?" Tony asked hopefully.
"Of course sir, just a moment," JARVIS replied as he relayed the message.
Back in Clint's quarters Bruce was helping the man set up the spare bedroom, he hadn't gone back downstairs not wanting to deal with the awkward situation. He was slightly startled when he heard the voice of JARVIS, a sigh of relief as he hoped that meant that Tony was okay. He would prefer to see him himself, but he would take the A.I.'s word for it.
"Young sir is requesting both of your presences up in the penthouse," Jarvis informed him.
"Is he okay?" Clint asked immediately stopping what he was doing.
"He will be fine, Colonel Rhodes will be here in a few hours and he needs some company before then," Jarvis replied.
Clint turned to Bruce at that, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Shit is about to hit the fan," he muttered out as they made their way to the elevator.
"And I cannot wait," Bruce said smugly as he pushed the button. It was time for someone to stand up to Tony, he needed to know that he mattered to people too.