Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read this fic, it really means a lot to me. If anyone has any comments about anything they think may need improving
upon, I am more than happen to take those on board.
I will just say, that although the programme has been mentioned, Ultron 'himself' won't actually be making an appearance - this story is not looking to re-do Age of Ultron, it's just acting as a stand-in.
Once again, I own nada when it comes to the MCU/Marvel characters (apart from some well-worn DVD's and my own Black Widow fan gear!)
Enjoy :)
Some hours after Pepper had left on her shopping trip found Tony alone in his lab, with a splitting headache, sketching out his designs for the new suits he would need to make for his miniature teammates. Although they all still possessed their adult memories it seemed that, as time wore on, they were allowing themselves to regress and act as would be expected of actual children.
Just in those few short hours Tony had already broken up three fist fights, sent a robot to fish Clint out of the vents (he had removed his hearing aids again and was unable to hear them shouting for him), had to clean up the aftermath of a food fight, and had even wiped away a few tears (also from Clint, who had poorly misjudged a jump from the workbench and twisted his ankle).
Tony closed his eyes for a moment, trying to will the throbbing behind his eyes away. He jumped suddenly, knocking his knee against the desk, as something prodded him none too gently in the back.
He whirled around in his chair to find little Natasha gazing innocently up at him.
"Please tell me you don't need help going to the bathroom".
Natasha narrowed her eyes at him.
"Ha ha, very funny, Shell Head", she drawled. "Anyone ever tell you that you should be a comedian?"
"Now that you mention it…" he smirked at her disgruntled face. "What can I do for you, young lady? Tell Uncle Tony".
"You need to have a word with Pepper", she demanded, arms folded in contempt. "She's just got back with a ridiculous amount of clothing".
"And?" Tony asked, not understanding why that would warrant a talking to.
"She wants us to have a fashion show". It took every ounce of willpower that Tony possessed not to laugh in Natasha's face; her outrage would normally have him quaking in his boots but, now, she just looked adorable. Tony did still possess enough self-preservation, however, to not assume that Natasha's newfound cuteness would stop her exacting painful revenge on him if she saw fit, so he swallowed down the bubble of laughter threatening to emerge and turned back to his desk in order to straighten out his face.
Once he composed himself, he stood and, without thinking, offered his hand to the small girl at his side. Natasha looked at him, aghast, before flouncing out of the lab ahead of him. Tony mentally berated himself for his momentary lapse – it's the lack of sleep, it must be – before following her slight form through the door.
Natasha had already disappeared, so Tony had to check with Jarvis where he was supposed to be heading. He exited the elevator on the floor below the common area and headed away from the shooting range and towards the gym.
He popped his head cautiously around the doorframe to see that all of the gym equipment that was not bolted down had been moved to the side of the room, and a long line of exercise mats had been placed down the middle like a runway. At the top end of the room he could see Steve and Thor erecting two tents, another three were already constructed; these were clearly going to be makeshift changing rooms.
Pepper had somehow managed to get a small sofa positioned at the bottom of the runway where she was sat chatting happily to Bruce. Tony did another quick sweep around the room until a flash of red caught his eye. Natasha and Clint were sitting up on the ledge of the climbing wall, heads together, whispering animatedly. As if sensing his gaze, Natasha turned her eyes to Tony before jerking her head pointedly in Pepper's direction.
Tony reluctantly headed over to Pepper, unsure who it was safer to piss off – the woman who shared his bed and ran his company, or the six-year-old assassin who had a penchant for hiding knives and guns in easy to reach places.
"Hey babe," he greeted Pepper with what he knew to be winning smile. "Scoot", this he directed at Bruce, who jumped quickly off the couch but moved only far enough to sit on the arm, next to Pepper. Tony glared at him, hoping to convey that this was to be a private conversation, but Bruce only smiled in response, unfazed.
"Honey, Sweetums, Love of my life".
"Spit it out Tony".
"As exciting as a children's fashion show would surely be…is this not maybe a little frivolous considering…I don't know…there's an alien god amassing an army to come and kill us, and we are five soldiers down?" he smiled at her again but, judging by the look on Pepper's face, it was not quite as charming as he had been aiming for.
"Tony", he hated when she used that condescending tone, it usually meant he was about to get his ass handed to him. "Believe it or not, I am fully aware of the situation we find ourselves in. I am also fully aware that none of you have had a decent sleep in days and, although you all think you hide it so well, you're all extreme worriers – and this is coming from me – at the best of times so I know that you could all use some time to wind down a little, to free up your minds so that instead of worrying constantly you may actually be able to think clearly about what you need to do from here."
Tony thought about it a little and could see that Pepper had a good point; they were a somewhat highly-strung group which, when tensions were high, often resulted in arguments and fighting. Tony had witnessed enough of that already over the last few days.
"Maybe you're right," he conceded.
"Always am, babe", Pepper nudged him lightly and added with a wink, "I'll let you break the good news to Nat".
"No need" said a voice right beside him. Tony felt his whole body spasm at the shock.
"Will you stop doing that?!" he all but shouted. "Sweet Jesus, you're like a creepy ninja".
Natasha rolled her eyes at him before vaulting gracefully up on to the back of the couch.
"I could be a judge instead" she suggested, hopefully. "Or I could be the DJ for the show?"
"Nuh-uh", said Pepper. She picked the small girl up and plonked her back on the floor. Tony held his breath waiting for Natasha to whip out a taser or scissor kick Pepper in the face for daring to man-handle her.
Instead Natasha pouted and crossed her arms, trying to stare Pepper into submission. Tony was pretty sure that he would have caved pretty quickly if those eyes had been turned on him. Pepper, however, remained unmoved. Smiling gently at the petite redhead she merely gestured towards the tents the boys were finishing up with.
"Go on, I'll bring the clothes in to you in a second".
Tony was astonished that Natasha didn't put up more of a fight but, instead, made her way, as directed, to the other end of the gym.
"You're amazing", he mock-whispered to his girlfriend. "Teach me".
Pepper merely laughed at him before ushering Bruce along the runway to his tent and shouting for Clint to get down from the ledge.
Fifteen minutes later and Pepper was back on the couch with Tony whilst Jarvis had cranked up the tunes and put on some strobe lighting. Whilst Pepper had been busy with the others Tony had also instructed Jarvis to film the show – he was definitely going to hold this over them all for a long time.
First up, to no one's surprise, was Clint. Clint currently looked about nine years old and he hit the runway with all the energy and enthusiasm one would associate with a boy of that age. He was also a ridiculous show off. He pranced down the runway like a gazelle, ankle clearly no longer troubling him, showcasing his agility and humour with every pose and somersault executed almost perfectly (his spatial awareness was still a little off in his new body). He sported a pair of black leggings and a purple top with a silver arrow emblazoned across it.
Pepper was clapping along to the music enthusiastically and even Tony found himself tapping his foot along to the beat. They both cheered when Clint finally finished his routine and exited the runway giving exaggerated bows all the way into his tent.
Next up was Bruce, and the gear change was brutal. Where Clint had been energetic and silly, Bruce was shy and awkward. He practically shuffled his way across the mats, barely lifting his head until he reached the end of the runway. He wore a pair of dark grey slacks and a green button-down shirt which, despite being new and the correct size for him, still managed to look a little shabby now that it was on him. He tried for one half-hearted pose and a quick smile, before quickly shuffling back the way he came.
Although shyness was a thing of great mystery to Tony, he had come to understand the painful awkwardness that Bruce felt with any form of public performance and even this, with only two of his friends as an audience, was a huge endeavour for him. Tony found himself cheering extra loud for Bruce as he rushed headlong back to his tent.
Thor hit the runway next. He looked a long way from Asgard in a red tracksuit and a thin hairband holding his long blonde hair off his face. Like Clint, Thor was happy to be the centre of attention and took to the task like his life depended on it. He strutted and posed like a professional and even blew Pepper a kiss as he reached the end of the runway; Tony pretended to be outraged and shooed him away.
Thor's transformation had left him looking like a 10-year-old; of all the mini-Avengers, only he and Bruce seemed to be in the double digits. Where Bruce embodied the awkwardness of an adolescent however, Thor maintained the confidence of a spoiled princeling, but with the astounding charm of one who has a loving heart.
Next up came Steve, who looked in body to be about the same age as Clint, but who's bearing and furrowed brow had made him seem so much older. Pepper had kitted Steve out in blue jeans and navy polo t-shirt. He surprised Tony by strutting confidently down the runway, pouting and posing like he was in Zoolander. Tony often teased Cap about being so straight-laced and having a stick up his ass, but clearly the super soldier had a sense of humour that he'd been keeping to himself (or maybe just not sharing with Tony).
Steve struck a final pose before flouncing dramatically into his tent and Tony had to offer Pepper a tissue to wipe her eyes; she was laughing so hard at Steve's antics that she had started crying. There was a slight pause after Steve had finished his catwalk; Natasha was clearly still having to talk herself into being a willing participant.
Pepper sobered up immediately when Natasha finally graced them with her presence, and the tears in her eyes seemed to hold a different meaning now. Natasha, small even in her usual form, was now absolutely tiny compared to the boys. Tony felt a rush of affection for the girl as she walked sullenly down the runway. Although Pepper had purchased many different outfits in an array of styles, Natasha had chosen to wear a lemon summer dress with a blue short-sleeved cardigan for her catwalk debut. She had paired it with a giant blue flower clip which sat against her wavy red locks.
The cute and girly outfit was offset by her grumpy expression and folded arms. She deigned to stop at the end of the runway, feet planted squarely and chin held high, before turning gracefully on her heel and stomping back the way she came.
Tony glanced at Pepper out of the corner of his eye and saw her eyes still wet with unshed tears and her hand resting lightly on her stomach. He knew, without asking, that she was thinking of the little girl she had dreamed of having for years. He didn't think, however, that Pepper's imagination had ever stretched to defiance, eye-rolling, and a hidden weapons cache – although she does want to have a child with me, so maybe it does.
The fashion show continued for almost two hours, until even Clint had started to flag. Bruce had become a little more confident as the show had worn on, even managing some silly poses that the others had been teaching him between sets. Natasha, although still unenthusiastic, had at least managed a few smiles and twirls on her last couple of walks.
For her final outing Natasha sported a pair of black leggings and a plain white top. She had tied her hair in a messy bun on top of her head and had foregone any shoes. As she stood at the top of the runway Tony could clearly see her debating with herself about something, her tiny shoulders heaved with some unseen turmoil. Jarvis, seemingly on Natasha's command, changed the upbeat music to a classical strain that was only vaguely familiar to Tony. He looked to Pepper for an explanation, but she seemed just as confused as he was.
At first Natasha stood motionless, the music slowly building to fill the cavernous space. The boys were all loitering by the tents watching to see what the little redhead would do. As the music started to swell Natasha finally moved.
Tony was awestruck; he couldn't take his eyes off Natasha as she danced across the mats. He had always known her to be lithe and graceful, but this was something else. This was art.
Her movements were fluid and completed to perfection, but Tony could see rage in those movements, and sadness; emotions that Natasha usually kept hidden from the world.
She ended with a tumble that left her on the floor, tiny shoulders shaking as she tried to rein in all the emotion she had poured into her performance. The room was silent. No one moved. No one seemed to be breathing.
And then all at once they started cheering and clapping, tears visible on every enthralled face.
The adulation was apparently too much for Natasha. She whipped herself up off the ground and fled the room. As she flashed past the couch Tony heard a tiny sob escape her. Tony instinctively made to go after her but a gentle hand on his arm quelled his movement.
"Leave her be," Pepper's voice was fraught with emotion. "She needs time".
Tony glanced helplessly back at the door Natasha had disappeared through, and then around at the boys who looked a mixture of tired, shocked and upset. Pepper lightly kissed him on the head before announcing she was going to make dinner and instructing everyone else to tidy up before the food was ready.
Tony spent the next twenty minutes helping the boys to put the gym back to its usual state, but the whole time his mind kept flitting back to Natasha, her impromptu ballet show, and the emotions that she had tried, and failed, to keep at bay.