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Tony woke up with the bright full moon shining through the window, Natasha's small body was curled in the foetal position at the edge of the bed. Tony eased his arm out from under her shoulder before tiptoeing out of the room. Seeing his own bed still empty, he popped his head into Clint's room; Clint was starfishing across the double bed, whilst Steve lay right on the edge with one leg under the quilt. Tony entered the room to straighten out the duvet to make sure Steve could at least get a little warmth through the night, if not any space. Upon checking on the others, he found Thor and Bruce both lightly snoring with their backs to one another.
After doing his rounds Tony headed downstairs, figuring he could not put off the coming confrontation for much longer.
He found Pepper lounging on the couch with a book in hand, Fury and Coulson were both sitting next to her, being completely ignored and looking more than a little uncomfortable. Tony made a drink for himself and Pepper, not yet in the mood to play host to their other guests. Fury took the snub in his stride, but Coulson looked enviously at the mug Tony was holding; the former playboy took a loud slurp of tea, smacking his lips satisfactorily until Coulson looked away.
Tony sat on the armchair, quietly surveying the other two men, unwilling to be the one to break the uncomfortable silence. Pepper, after a few moments, lay down her book and angled her body to face Fury and Coulson, an expectant look on her face.
"Thank you for joining us, Mr Stark," Fury finally intoned. "Let's get straight down to it, shall we?"
Tony gestured for him to continue.
"Pepper filled me in about our little situation on the phone, now are we sure that what happened this morning is not another one of Loki's tricks?"
"This morning was the result of two enhanced individuals, siblings, from Sokovia. The current theory is that they have been injected with some form of serum which has given them these abilities. We're not sure why exactly they were sent, or why now, but we knew that once news of our little daycare situation got out that we'd be receiving some more unpleasant visits. So, here we are."
"So now you guys are up to speed," Pepper cut in, calmly, "maybe you could shed some light on how you are here?" she looked pointedly at Coulson.
Phil looked to Fury before responding; a tiny inclination of the former director's head giving him permission to reveal their closely guarded secret. Coulson took a deep breath before filling them in on how he had been brought back to life, and why no one had been informed.
Tony could feel anger bubbling up in his chest, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought to keep his rage under control, not wanting to wake the kids with a shouting match.
"So," he spat, "some random hacker you picked up off the street has clearance to know you're alive, but two people who consider you the closest thing they have to family are just left to mourn you for three years? Am I getting this right, here?"
Tony really wanted to go further, to make the pair aware of just how distraught Natasha was, but he didn't want to betray the redhead's rare confidence in him. Coulson at least had the good grace to look ashamed of himself.
"Nat and Clint have every right to be angry with me," Pepper scoffed loudly at that, "and I will do my best to make things right with them, if they'll allow me to but, right now, I think we have bigger problems to be dealing with".
"Agent Coulson's right," Fury chimed in, "do we have any update on Loki's whereabouts?"
"No, all we know is that he's not on earth".
"Do we know if he's amassed any sort of following?"
"The Asgardians haven't heard anything although, considering they're the ones who let him loose in the first place, I'm disinclined to trust them entirely regarding anything of importance".
"I trust you have a plan to turn them back," Fury gestured at the ceiling. "They're not much use to us in this state".
It was Tony's turn to scoff; yeah, of course I know how to reverse Norse de-aging magic – piece of cake.
"Sorry, boss; not my area of expertise. You guys seem to enjoy meddling with alien tech though, so why don't I let you give it a whirl instead?"
Fury and Coulson exchanged exasperated looks.
"How about we focus on these enhanced individuals, track down their cell in Sokovia and eliminate that threat, and maybe that will buy you a little time to fix this mess".
Tony could feel the rage bubbling anew; Fury was making out as though this 'mess' was of their own making. This was not a problem Tony could solve overnight, he wasn't sure if he could even solve it at all. This was an alien trickster god, magic, something way beyond his paygrade.
"And what exactly do you plan to do when you find them?" asked Pepper, concern clear in her voice.
"Like I said, Ms Potts; I will eliminate the threat."
Tony saw Pepper shudder out of the corner of his eye; although he shared most things with his partner, he tried to keep her shielded from the murkier aspects of working with Shield. She was clearly not impressed with Fury's methods.
"That's your go-to plan, isn't it, Nick? Shoot first, ask questions later."
"And how would you proceed, Mr Stark? Invite them round for coffee? Congratulate them on successfully breaking into your tower; a feat you claimed was impossible? Let them practice their skills some more on your teammates?"
Tony suddenly found it difficult to swallow; images of the young Avengers looking worn out, even traumatised, by the visions inflicted on them swam before his eyes. He felt responsible; they should never have been able to get into the tower.
"That's what I thought," Fury exclaimed into the silence. "You focus on Loki, leave the rest to us. We have Rhodes and Wilson on stand-by, should the need arise".
Tony finally found his voice.
"I'm modifying some of the suits; making them appropriate for the ki- I mean, for the size they are now."
"Good work. Hopefully they won't be needed."
Fury and Coulson, by some unspoken agreement, rose in sync to take their leave. Tony didn't bother to stand, Natasha's and Clint's distraught faces still swimming around his head. He inclined his head in acknowledgement as they made their departure, Pepper following in their wake, she probably wants to make sure they really do leave.
Tony could tell that Pepper was upset for more than just Nat and Clint; she too had considered Coulson -Phil -to be a friend of sorts. Upsetting Pepper was another mark against Shield as far as Tony was concerned, and that list was getting mighty long.
Pepper returned ten minutes later, the sound of a helicopter taking off muffled somewhat as she closed the door behind her. Tony took the time to study her appearance; he thought she'd handled their situation remarkably well, but it was clear the stress of the last few days was starting to catch up with her. He could see the bags forming underneath her eyes, and her shoulders were slumped forward with fatigue.
He stood from the armchair and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, he smiled against her mouth as he felt her rest her whole body's weight against him.
"Go get some sleep."
"What about you?"
"I just have some bits I need to check on in the lab – make sure everything is still in working order."
"Tony" she warned, her face taking on that stern teacher look that she always got when he was doing something he shouldn't be.
"I won't be long; promise".
Pepper reluctantly headed upstairs alone; Tony knew that, had she been less tired, she would have put up much more of a fight.
Tony headed downstairs, pausing outside Happy's damp basement room he could hear his friend snoring heavily from the other side of the door. Tony flicked a switch hidden at the side of the stairs, a small panel emerged slowly from the wall and lit up. He pressed his thumb to the green screen and waited as the wall next to it moved backwards and then slid out of sight.
Tony headed down the newly revealed staircase into his lab, leaving the entry open in case any of the others wished to join him. All the suits and equipment had been moved from the quinjet into the lab earlier in the day and he was eager to carry on with his modifications. Although he had promised Pepper that he wouldn't be long, he knew in reality that he would be camped out down here until she came to forcefully remove him. He had far too much to do, sleep would have to wait.
He's sure how much time had passed before he had his first major breakthrough; the suits finally appeared to be the correct size for each of the mini Avengers, they would just need to try them on and see if they could manoeuvre and command them sufficiently.
A light knock got his attention, and he turned expecting to find Pepper but was instead greeted by Steve, hair tousled from sleep and wearing Harry Potter pyjamas.
"Pepper asked me to come get you, it's time for breakfast".
Tony's stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of food; he tried to cast his mind back to the last meal he'd eaten, but he came up short. The past few days had been so hectic, and he knows they've all skipped more than a couple of meals.
"I'm pretty much done here anyway – we'll go stuff our faces and then you can all try on your new suits."
"They're finished? Already?" Tony feels pride swell in his chest at the look of awe on Steve's young face.
"They may need to be tweaked once you're in them, but yeah, pretty much finished."
Tony stood up, stretched out his aching body and made towards the door, he was halfway up the stairs before he realised that Steve was not following him. Trudging back down he found the young captain standing, shoulders slumped, where he'd left him.
He placed a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder, careful not to startle him.
"You okay, Champ?"
"Is she alright?" Tony didn't need any clarification on who she was, but he did wonder when he had become the information helpdesk for one Natasha Romanoff. Tony sat back down on the workbench and patted the space next to him. Steve ambled over and joined him; despite his downturned head, Tony could still see the blush that had crept over his features.
"You probably know better than I do about all things Natasha," Tony waited for Steve's nod of affirmation before continuing. "She's a tough woman, capable of dealing with anything and everything life throws at her but, this transformation has affected you all more than just physically. Your basic needs and your emotional instincts have reverted back to how they were in your childhood. That means that, not only do you need more rest and care but, you're more likely to react impulsively and find it difficult to hide or control your emotions. If adult Nat, or Clint for that matter, had been confronted with Coulson…it's possible we wouldn't even know they were shocked at seeing him, never mind upset. But as children, they struggle to stop those natural reactions from being so plainly broadcast; Natasha arguably still has better control over herself than the rest of you, but that's likely to do with how her upbringing already was when she was that age". Tony felt a chill slide down his spine, and his hands clenched painfully as the knowledge of Natasha's brutal childhood once again settled in his mind.
Tony watches Steve digest this information, his small hands balled into fists against his pyjama-clad leg.
"She's been through so much, too much," he finally confides, "I don't know if even Clint knows all of it, and he knows her better than anyone. I've seen her be vulnerable before, but this…I don't know how to help her."
Steve turns big, mournful blue eyes to Tony, silently asking for answers that Tony feels woefully unqualified to answer.
"You just need to be there for her, Cap; show her that you care and support her. Nat's a big girl – well, she's a little girl at the moment, but you know what I mean – if she wants to confide in you, she will, and if she wants help, she'll ask. All you can do is let her know that you're there for her if she chooses to do that."
Steve nods again, his face still showing the strain of the past few days. His frown turned into a smile, a genuine smile, when Tony's stomach rumbled once more.
"Breakfast, then?" he asked, standing up and heading for the door. Tony was more than happy to oblige, and the pair headed up together, swapping talk of Natasha for the more jovial topic of delicious breakfast foods.
As the pair entered the kitchen area, they were greeted with all the mini Avengers, and Happy, squabbling over the array of pancakes, poptarts, scrambled eggs and bacon being laid out on the table.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Tony cried out. "Dad gets first pick." He smirked at their disappointed and pouty faces as he reached for a slice of bacon, before another voice dashed his short-lived glee.
"Not so fast, Buster."
"But…them's the rules?"
"Or, maybe the rule is that the person who made the breakfast gets first pick?"
Tony slumped dramatically into his chair, feigning outrage at such a suggestion, to the delighted giggles of his teammates.
"Well, I suppose that would seem fair…but Dad gets second pick, right?"
It was Pepper's turn to smirk evilly.
"Once I have mine, I think it's every man or child for themselves."
Tony was not reassured by the sight of greedy little fingers poised over plates, the calculating eyes narrowed in his direction, or Happy's seemingly disinterested face, that man can move quickly when he wants to.
Pepper started an agonisingly slow countdown from ten as she moved around the table, carefully choosing her breakfast items. Tony could feel the table practically vibrating as the Avengers impatiently waited for their turn.
"…two…one."
Pepper was smart enough to not actually sit at the table to eat, instead she stood at the kitchen island, gleefully eating bacon and eggs, as she watched the small, messy battle play out before her.
Tony finally sat back in his chair, his plate containing a pitifully small offering of scrambled eggs, bacon and one tattered pancake. He was uncomfortably aware that he had grease marks, and bits of egg smeared into his clothes, his wrist sported a suspicious looking bruise, and there was a tear in the neck of his top.
He glared about at the other members of the team, each were giddily tucking into a bountiful plate of food, including Happy. Thor had managed to snaffle every poptart on the table, and seemed content to eat only them, I'll maybe have to have a chat with the baby god about healthy living. Bruce's plate looked as pathetically stocked as Tony's, and the older man could clearly see Bruce's gaze drifting longingly to the other plates.
Tony stood, as gracefully as he could in his now-shabby attire, from the table, scraped his meagre offerings onto Bruce's plate, and then grumpily selected an apple from the untouched fruit bowl next to Pepper. His loving partner deigned to give him a piece of bacon off her own plate, but Tony stubbornly refused the offer – not missing the amused smile playing about her lips. He did, however, steal a quick kiss from her, just to prove that his ire was mainly for show, as if she didn't know that already.
"Right, you 'orrible lot," Tony shouted, in his best cockney accent, "you have ten minutes, and then we're testing out the suits."
A few muffled cheers, and one audible groan were his only responses.
"I'm going to run out and get some more supplies; think you can handle them on your own?"
Tony issued an Oscar-worthy sigh, before turning a dazzling smile to Pepper.
"Take your time, Dad's got this."
"Are we really keeping up the whole 'Dad' thing?" she laughed, a sound Tony never got tired of hearing.
"Why not?" he smiled, "I kind of like the sound of it."
The slightly stunned look on Pepper's face, as the meaning of his words sunk in, was enough for Tony. He deftly swiped the bacon that Pepper had previously offered him, before heading upstairs for a quick shower, leaving her gaping after his retreating form.