Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Steve got a call, which he knew would entail information on a new mission, on an early Tuesday morning. He answered quickly in fear the almost too loud ringing would wake his two littles. He wouldn't stand for that.

"Rogers," he said softly as he tried very carefully to get out bed where Tony and Bucky were still fast asleep.

"We need you to report to SHIELD immediately," Phil Coulson's voice came through the speaker with a practiced 'it's urgent but must remain calm' tone of voice.

Steve sighed an affirmation into the phone as he made his way out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. He didn't bother to shower, just brushed his teeth and sent a text to Bruce informing him about the call and asking if he was available to come upstairs and be with his boys. Knowing Bruce would never turn down time with his favorite nephews, he made his way back to the bedroom, set his phone down, and looked for an outfit to throw on.

Bruce made his way to Steve's floor rather quickly and sat in the cozy sitting room as he waited for Steve to come say hellos, thank you's, and goodbyes.

"Hey, Bruce. Thanks for coming on such short notice. Uh, they're both still asleep and should be for another couple hours. Tony had a bit of a hard night last night, so in all honesty he may be bit fussy when he wakes up. But I'm sure being with his favorite Uncle Bruce will make him perk up," Steve chuckled and patted Bruce on the shoulder.

"I'm sure Bucky'll find just as much joy at my presence," Bruce said dryly, knowing it was a complete lie. Bucky hated waking up and not having his daddy there. It was probably on his "Top Three Worst Things That Could Ever Happen" list. Given, there may or may not have been more than three things on said list anyhow.

With a wink and three finger wave over his shoulder, Steve was out the door and Bruce was alone with two of his nephews– one who would probably be overjoyed when he found out his uncle was there to keep him company for the day, and the other who would probably rather saw his other arm off when he found out his daddy was gone.

•••••

As Steve had said, Bruce had a couple more hours to kill before the two boys had woken up. He lied on the couch to rest his eyes until he heard a few whines, which built up to a rather weepy baby Tony, followed by some 'I'm trying to sleep' groans from Bucky.

Bruce raced in, wanting to explain where their daddy was and provide them with comfort afterward the news hit. When Tony looked up and saw his uncle, he had a flash of excitement on his face, that turned into confusion, and then realization that if Bruce was here, then his daddy wasn't. Cue more tears.

Bucky, on the other hand, didn't seem to be as put out as Bruce had expected. He gave a little smile and wave to his uncle, then brought it upon himself to comfort his baby brother.

"It's okay, Tony! We don't need no stinkin' years, it's just Uncle Bruce! You love Uncle Bruce, it's okay," Bucky gave his baby brother the biggest hugs he could as he tried to tell him everything would be okay. "And you have me too! We can have a good day even without Daddy. Then we can tell him all about it when he gets home soon!"

Bruce smiled at the two little boys from the bedroom doorway. He was a bit shocked at the reactions of the two, expecting the complete opposite, but he still knew how to deal with it. He walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. Tony's whines got louder and he sat himself fully in his big brother's arms with his face in his neck as he felt the bed dip under Bruce's weight.

"Hey, buddy, it's alright," Tony heard his uncle's calming words but he wasn't having any of it. He didn't want anyone but his daddy. And maybe his Bucky, too, but that's only because it was better than nothing. He still wasn't Daddy.

"No! Want Daddy!" Tony shouted and shook his head, tears non-stopping. "Go bye-bye, Uncle Bruce! Just want Daddy!"

Bruce just sighed and reached for the whimpering boy. With a glance at Bucky's face, he knew he was struggling to decide if he should protect his baby brother or let his uncle take over and care for them both. He gave in and allowed his arms to relax their hold as Bruce got a grip on him and began to pull him away. Tony began screaming and kicking at the loss of his brother. This was not going to be a very good day as far as Tony was concerned.

"No, no, no, Unca' Bruce!" Tony sobbed into his shoulder, but continued to kick his feet around as he felt the two of them stand up.

"Hey, baby, I need you to take some deep breaths for me, yeah? Think you can do that?" Bruce rubbed the boy's back in attempt to soothe him. "Me and Bucky can do it with you, too."

"Yeah, Tony! Me too!" Bucky chimed in and crawled closer to the edge of the bed.

Tony's sobbing lessened as he lifted his head up and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He knew Daddy wouldn't want him crying so much even though he says it good to cry when you are sad. But he also knew sometimes, crying too much make him sick and he really didn't want to deal with that without Daddy. With a shuddering inhale, he nodded his head and looked Bruce in the eye for further instruction.

"Okay, baby, just breathe in like me," Bruce demonstrated and the boys followed along. "There you go. Just a few more times."

After a few rounds, Tony's cries completely stopped and he laid his head on Bruce's shoulder with a sniffle. He guessed he was okay for now. But he still wanted his daddy.

"Daddy be back?" Tony pleaded rather pitifully.

"He'll be back soon, buddy. He just had to go speak with Phil," He kissed his nephew's forehead. "How about we change your diaper now, okay? It can't be very comfy."

"Want my teddy," Tony reached back towards the bed where Bucky was trying to find his teddy bear. It was a well-loved teddy bear that Tony loved to dress up– he always had on a pair of footie pajamas for bed. Having his bear safe against his chest, he let Bruce lay him down for a quick diaper change.

Bucky had gotten out of bed and got some fresh clothes for Bruce to put on his baby. He then had to change his pull up and get himself dressed. He usually had his daddy help, but today he was going to show Uncle Bruce what a big boy he was! He was even going to help him take care of his baby brother until Daddy got back home. He knew it would make him very proud.

•••••

As badly as Tony wanted to be held and coddled, he struggled against Bruce when he tried to pick him up again to bring him to the kitchen. He just didn't like how today was going at all. Although he didn't really know why himself, he was very fussy and clingy the night before, but he had Daddy to comfort him then, and he still needed him now. It just wasn't fair; Daddy should be able to come back and be with his boy who was feeling very small today.

Tony tried to push that to the back of his mind as he strutted to their kitchen with his teddy bear in his arms. Bucky knew better than to try to walk beside his brother or cheer him up as he understood he wanted his space right now because his mind was probably all fuzzy. He knew that his baby brother was feeling littler than usual, but he also knew Tony was trying to suppress it because Daddy wasn't there to care for him. He refused to be around any but Daddy(and Bucky, of course) when he was feeling very little.

"Okay, boys, what should we do for breakfast? Pancakes? Eggs and bacon? Or we can go down to the communal kitchen and see if anyone made breakfast," Bruce asked. The only reply he got was a glare from Tony. This was going be a really great day for the lot of them it seemed.

"Um, sometimes baby Tony just has a bottle for break-"

"No!" Tony shouted from his spot on the kitchen floor. He would not allow for Bucky to show and tell how little he was! He only had bottles for breakfast when he was feeling really little and it was always in their own space, not the communal kitchen– so Bruce didn't know any of that!

"Tony, we don't need to shout. Can you please tell me what you would like to eat?" Bruce thankfully had a very calming voice that seemed to work wonders on Tony.

"Cereal," Tony mumbled, looking everywhere except at the man kneeling next to him.

Bucky asked for the same thing and Bruce knew his next step would be trying to get Tony to sit in his highchair and take his bear away so he wouldn't get it dirty.

"Hey, Tony, how about we put your teddy down for a few minutes while you eat so you don't accidentally get him messy?"

Tony looked up at him with a very quizzical expression. "I know the rules, Brucie."

Bruce sighed in relief. That was easier than he thought. Bless Steve for being a stickler for following rules.

"Okay, bud, thank you. Let's hop in your highchair now, okay?" Bruce took the bear from the boy who offered it to him, set it aside, and helped him into the highchair.

"His bear sits on the chair next to me," Bucky said, patting the seat beside him with a smile. Bruce handed the bear over for Bucky to place him on the seat and both boys nodded. He supposed that meant he had done something right.

•••••

"Want Daddy," Tony whined as Bruce carried him to the living room. "When he be back?"

"I don't know exactly, buddy," He sat on the couch and let Tony pout and climb to the floor. "I'm sure he'll be back as soon as he can."

He should've known that not getting the answer he wanted would have caused him to cry some more, but Bucky came to save the day. He meant the two in the living room, after washing his hands, with Tony's teddy bear. Upon seeing his bear, the tears stopped, but he still had a pout on his lips.

"Here, Tony! Here's your bear. Now let's go play with blocks," Bucky laid the bear on Tony's lap and offered his hand. Tony hugged the bear to his chest and rested his chin on top of its head and shook his head.

"Don't want to play! Want Daddy!"

"Not nice to yell, Tony!" Bucky shouted back and stomped his foot. "I'm tryin' to help you and be nice, but you are just a cranky baby today!"

Oh boy. Bruce was in for it now.

Tony's eyes welled up and his bottom lip began to quiver before sobs came barreling out. He wasn't being mean to his brother on purpose, he just wanted Daddy back and he was trying too hard to stay bigger than he knew he needed to be and now Bucky was upset with him and he was just having a rough day all around!

Bucky was trying so hard to be a good big brother today and help his uncle, but sometimes it was just too hard. His daddy knew how to handle Tony when he was cranky, Bucky just wasn't cut out for that job. And Uncle Bruce was trying really hard too, but everyone knew how stubborn Tony was and he only ever responded to Daddy. He wanted Daddy back, too. He let frustrated tears roll down his cheeks and he tried to hide his face from his brother and uncle.

Bruce just sat in shock for a few seconds before pulling Tony back into his lap and reaching a hand out to Bucky, who promptly shook his head. He sighed and rubbed Tony's back in hopes he would calm down some— or even fall asleep. He wasn't really sure where to go to from there. He stood up with Tony, who whined in protest, still in his arms and walked over to Bucky and grabbed his hand.

"No, Uncle Bruce," Bucky whined but didn't try to pull away.

"We're going down to the communal rooms to see everyone," Bruce said firmly. He couldn't deal with this alone. "Maybe Clint is there and will play with you."

Aside from a bit of whining, neither of the two little boys put up much of a fight at Bruce's demand. Hopefully being with the rest of the team would help keep their mind off of things. Or, in the very least, Bruce wouldn't have to handle another tantrum or three by himself.

•••••

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Bucky ran out to find Clint. Apparently this was all Bruce had to do to make Bucky perk back up into a good mood. The little in his arms, however, seemed to not want anything to do with Bruce as he kept getting "accidentally" kicked in the back of his thigh and receiving nothing but glares when asked to stopped.

"Down!" Tony whined and kicked his feet around.

"Tony," Bruce sighed. "I think you need some corner time."

Tony started crying for the umpteenth time that day and chanted, "No!" over and over as Bruce was walking towards a corner in the room.

"Hey, come on, give the boy a break," Uncle Wade came to the recuse. "He just misses his daddy."

Him and Peter were usually only ever here when Phil was gone and Clint and Natasha were little. Or when Peter was little and wanted more than just his daddy to play with. Cries never stopping, Tony reached out for Wade who took him easily. The baby shot a glare at Bruce, who just sighed and wandered off to find where Bucky had run off to.

Wade popped a pacifier in Tony's mouth to help soothe him and made his way to the kitchen. He began warming up a bottle of milk, which made Tony sigh happily, then made his way to the nursery made specifically for Peter and Tony— the two with youngest mindset— to change the baby.

"Let's get you changed real quick and then we can go have a bottle, yeah?" Wade kept up the commentary while he changed the boy, knowing it helped keep him calm. "I'll keep you safe from mean ol' Bruce."

Bruce, of course, walked in at that moment with Wade's own little on his hip. He shot a quick glare to Wade. All that got him was a chuckle and shrug.

"Peter heard Tony was here and wanted to come say hi," Bruce explained as he made his way closer to the changing table.

"Hi, Tony," Peter smiled.

Back in Wade's arms, Tony ignored his cousin and hid his face in Wade's neck. He just wasn't feeling it today. Couldn't anyone just leave him be?

Wade rubbed his back with a sigh and Bruce followed him back to the kitchen.

"Why he not talkin', Daddy?" Peter pouted his lips.

"He's very sad and misses his daddy right now, honey," Wade explained with a sad smile. "I don't think he wants to talk or play today."

Peter sighed and told Bruce he wanted to go back to the play room and away they went. Wade made his way back to the living room and sat in a rocking chair. Tony was very eager for his bottle and spit his pacifier out right as they sat down.

"Here you go, buddy," Wade chuckled as Tony latched right onto the nipple of the bottle. "This is all you wanted, huh? I'll have to give Brucie a talking to, tell him to be nicer to my nephew and give him everything he wants. Sound like a plan?"

Tony finished the bottle in no time, but he quickly realized Uncle Wade was trying to get him to take a nap. He was not okay with that— it probably wasn't even nap time yet! He grumbled and whined and wiggled around as he attempted to get off his lap. He knew Wade wouldn't let it happen easily, especially because he knew all the tricks the two littlest tried when they didn't want a nap, but Tony was nothing if not strong-willed.

"No! No nap, Uncle Wade!" Tony yelled and hit at Wade's chest in hopes his grip would lessen. He wiggled around some more and tried to slide off.

"We both know you're tired, little man," Wade said. "Just rest for a little bit."

"No!" Tony screamed and his eyes began welling up again. "Want my daddy!"

Wade sighed and stood up with the now bawling boy. He never liked nap time, but he was putting up more than just his usual 'no nap' fight. He stuck pacifier in his mouth to keep him at bay, only to have Tony spit it back out and onto the floor. "Where'd we put your teddy bear, hmm? Should we go find him?"

Bucky came running into the room just as Wade was about to exit through the door. "Why is my baby brother crying?" Bucky glared up at Wade. "What did you do to him? Give him to me."

"I was just trying to let him rest, you booger," Wade ran his fingers through Bucky's hair. "He doesn't want a nap and he's missing Daddy some."

Still glaring, Bucky suggested, "Sometimes when he doesn't want to sleep, Daddy let's us watch a movie. Can we all do that?"

"Sounds good. Let's go tell everyone," Wade nodded and followed Bucky back to the playroom where Bruce, Peter, Clint, and Natasha were all still playing with toys and using their imagination. They all looked up at Wade and the still sobbing baby.

"He miss Uncle Steve, Daddy?" Peter asked and Tony screamed out as if he was hurt.

"Yeah, he does, buddy. But Bucky thinks it's a good idea for everyone to go watch a movie," Wade explained. "Does that sound like a good idea to everyone else?"

The three littles sitting on the floor among their mess of toys, grew ecstatic and jumped to their feet. Bucky joined them as they raced out to the living room before Wade could say 'okay'.

"Shouldn't we give them lunch first?" Bruce asked.

"Eh, they can eat while they watch the movie," Wade shrugged and brought his attention back to Tony. "Wanna pick out a movie, baby?"

Tony shook his head and wiped at his eyes. "Bucky do it."

"You want Bucky to pick a movie?" Tony nodded. "Works for me. Bruce, do you want to start making something for lunch? Don't bother asking them what they want or you're gonna get five different answers. Just whip something up."

The three walked— or were carried in Tony's case— down the hall and split apart so they could go to their respective rooms. Tony had stopped crying at that point but asked for a binky and his bear. Wade gave into the commands and quickly located a pacifier and his oh so loved bear.

"Bucky?" Tony mumbled but Bucky still heard and looked up. "Pick movie?"

Bucky smiled and nodded and skipped over to the cabinet of movies to pick something out. Wade was surprised but relieved by the fact that the others didn't complain that Bucky got to pick the movie. Small victories.

•••••

Bruce served all the littles a bowl of macaroni and cheese halfway through their movie. They all thought it was the coolest thing ever that they got to sit at the coffee table and eat their lunch while still watching Finding Nemo. Aside from Tony, who decided Bruce was his friend again, and sat in his lap to be fed.

Tony lasted about ten minutes after finishing his lunch before he passed out on Bruce's lap. He looked over to Wade to see that he also a lap full of a sleeping Peter. Bruce got up very carefully and walked down the hall, followed by Wade, to the nursery. They both laid the sleeping babies in two separate cribs and, thankfully, neither of them woke up. Tony, especially, needed a nap.

Just as Bruce quietly closed the door, he heard a scream, soon followed by crying, and then an argument erupting back out in the living room. Him and Wade looked at each other before Wade raced back to the living room as Bruce peeked back at the two sleeping littles to make sure they stayed asleep after the ruckus. Fortunately, they did, and Bruce was able to find out what the screaming and arguing had been about.

Upon walking back into the living room, Bruce realized giving three littles one bowl of popcorn to share maybe wasn't the best idea he's ever had. Wade just stood with his arms crossed, completely dumbfounded. Bruce kind of wanted to follow suit. Natasha was sitting on the armrest of the couch, eyes wide and flicking between the mess on the couch and to the grown ups. Clint was sitting with his arms crossed and glaring at his feet. And then Bucky, poor Bucky, was sitting covered in popcorn and sobbing his little heart out.

Everyone was still as a statue until Bruce made the first move. He hurried over to uncover Bucky from the popcorn and hold the boy in his arms. He let him sob into his neck while he looked at Wade with a pointed look and used his head to motion towards Clint in hopes Wade would get the message to deal with him. Bruce could comfort, Wade could discipline. They were a dream team for sure.

Clearly Wade got the message and strutted over and squatted in front of Clint. "Can you tell me what happened, Clint?"

Keeping his glare, he shook his head and wouldn't meet Wade's eyes. Wade raised his stare up at Natasha, looking for answers.

"Um... Clint dumped the popcorn on Bucky because he got mad when Bucky asked for it back even though he just had it," Natasha mumbled and played with her fingers. "And then Bucky was mad because the popcorn was all over him and then Clint called him a baby so then he cried lots more. I didn't do anything."

Wade thanked Nat and then focused back on Clint. He didn't seem to want anything to do with Wade. "Bucky was bein' mean to me. He coulda asked nicely, but he didn't, he just grabbed the bowl."

"That doesn't mean you can dump popcorn on him, Clint," Wade sighed. "You need to go sit in the corner for five minutes please."

"That's not fair!" Clint shouted and finally looked up. "Bucky was mean, too! He should be in trouble, too, not just me!"

"I will talk to Bucky, too, but for right now, you need to go find a corner," Wade raised his eyebrows and pointed to a corner on the far side of the room. Clint gave him one last glare and stomped over to the corner, fists by his side.

Bruce looked down to Bucky, who's cries died down to an occasional sniffle, but was still hiding his face in his uncle's neck. "Bucky? Can you look at me please?"

"Wasn't mean, Uncle Bruce, I promise," he sobbed out without lifting his head. Bruce shushed him and rubbed his back.

"Let's go rock for a few minutes so you can calm down," Bruce said softly and went over to the rocking chair in the living room.

"I don't need a rock, Uncle Bruce," Bucky finally lifted his head and rubbed at his eye with a fist. "I'm not a baby."

That being said, he still laid his head on Bruce's chest as he began rocking. Bruce continued to rub his back and snuggled into the boy. He was hoping Steve would come back soon now, too; he didn't know how much more of this he could handle.

•••••

It didn't take long for Bucky to fall asleep in Bruce's lap. Bruce knew better than to put him in a crib, so he had Wade lay out a few blankets and a pillow on the floor in the nursery, and laid Bucky there. Clint was very upset at the fact that he avoided a timeout because he fell asleep, then proceeded to tell Wade naps were for babies anyway, which got him another five minutes in timeout.

"I want my daddy!" Clint yelled from his spot in the corner. "I'm gonna tell on you."

"You know, kid, the longer you talk, the longer you're gonna sit there," Wade said in a firm voice. He didn't know how Phil or Steve dealt with this. He was glad his Peter was a little angel.

After a few moments of silence, Clint mumbled, "Uncle Wade? I need to go potty."

Wade sighed and followed him to the bathroom. Walking passed the nursery, he could hear whimpers and called for Bruce to come check on the babies.

Bruce came rather hastily and opened the door to the nursery as quietly as he could. He saw Tony sitting up with his pacifier in his mouth, looking frightened and as if he was trying very hard to not cry. Which was very, very possible. If only he slept a bit longer.

"Shh, come here, baby boy," Bruce whispered.

He lifted him out, handed him his bear, grabbed a diaper, and quickly and quietly made his way back out of the room without waking the other two sleeping boys. Phew.

He laid Tony on the— no longer covered with popcorn— couch and proceeded to change him.

"Daddy?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Not yet, buddy, I'm sure he'll be here soon," Bruce said with a sad smile. His previous thoughts of Tony being in a better mood after his nap completely diminished as Tony's eyes glassed over and he began sobbing once more and tried to roll off the couch before his diaper was strapped on. "No, no, baby boy, let's put this on real quick, okay? Almost done."

Tony's fists came up to rub his eyes as he shook his head, but he stayed still long enough to get a diaper on. Bruce thought maybe he needed a longer nap than just the hour.

Tony was just exhausted through and through. He didn't have a long enough nap, plus it wasn't even nap time when he fell asleep! And then, of course, he woke up from a nightmare and wasn't in his crib or with Daddy. He needed his daddy more than ever right now.

Wade came back with a sleepy, but seemingly content Peter in his arms and a teary-eyed Clint following behind. Bruce figured he didn't make it to the bathroom and a glance at Wade confirmed his suspicions.

"Do you and Peter want to have a snack, Tony?" Bruce asked in a calming tone. Tony nodded but wouldn't allow his uncle to put him in a highchair. He let out a whine and held a stronger grip on Bruce. "Babe, I can't keep holding you. I need to get you and Peter a snack. Do you want to sit at the coffee table and watch TV?"

Again, Tony shook his head and didn't allow his grip to loosen. "Just want Daddy," He let out a small sob.

Bruce sighed and just went through the struggle of getting the babies a snack while still holding Tony. Which, to Tony's credit, he held up most of his own weight. Bruce was able to find a box of goldfish crackers and a couple small plastic bowls. After putting a couple handfuls in both bowls, he stalked into the living room and handed a bowl to a very thankful Peter. At least someone woke up from their nap in a happy mood.

Bruce sat with Tony, who's tears hadn't really tapered off quite yet, and snuggled him on their chair and a half. He couldn't get the crying little to take any bites, but he left the bowl on his lap all the same.

"My Bucky?" Tony asked, sitting up to look at Bruce and wiped an eye with the back of his hand.

"He's sleeping, bud," Bruce explained halfheartedly. Tony's eyebrows scrunched up and he let himself fall back on Bruce's chest with a thump. He may or may not have snickered a bit when he heard a pained moan from his uncle.

"It's not like I can actually control these things, Captain," Clint and Natasha perked up instantly when they heard their daddy's voice as the elevator doors opened; Tony the same at the mention of his daddy's name. The two older littles ran over as fast as they could while shouting, "Daddy!"

Tony started sobbing again and struggled off Bruce's lap and toddled a bit towards Steve before falling back onto his bottom in his haste. He held his hands up to Steve from the floor and let out another sob.

"Oh, my baby boy," Steve said to his pitiful little boy. Tony was so happy to finally be in his arms after such a hard day. "Why are you so sad, huh?"

Bruce got up to join them and Steve looked at him worriedly. "What happened? And where's Bucky?"

"Tony had quite the day. He was missing you lots," Steve couldn't tell if Bruce looked more sad or frustrated by this. "Bucky is taking a nap on the floor in the nursery. Would you like me to go get him?"

"I'll go in in a little bit and wake him. But thank you," Steve gave his attention back to his sobbing little boy, who probably couldn't hold on any tighter than he already was. "What's wrong, sweetheart? I'm here now, we don't need anymore tears."

Tony just shook his head and continued to sob into his daddy's neck. He was feeling too overwhelmed to give any kind of answer. He thought he might be sick, though, if he continued to sob like this. He patted Daddy on the back with one hand and pointed to the elevator with the other.

"Do you want to go back upstairs to our floor?" Steve asked and received a nod. "Okay, baby boy, let's go wake your brother."

•••••

Bucky was so, so, so happy to be woken up by his daddy. All his yucky feelings from before his nap had seemed to disappear as though they had never even been there to begin with. He would have to tell Daddy all about their day today. It took a bit longer even after getting back to their floor for Tony to calm down. He wouldn't let Steve put him down for any reason at all— he just clung on like a baby koala. Which, Steve had to carry both his boys back to their rooms, so he was extra happy to have super strength in those moments.

"Now that we are all calmed down, can you tell me why you were so sad today?" Steve asked and Tony sighed and tried to snuggle in closer to his daddy. He figured it was safe to assume that meant no.

"I will tell you, Daddy," Bucky said and took a deep breath. "Tony was super sad and cranky this morning when we woke up 'cause you weren't here and he had a bad night. So he was very short with Uncle Bruce and being cranky and crying lots and wanted you. I was trying my best to be a good big brother and helped Brucie out lots and lots, but then Tony made me mad so I yelled at him, and so then Brucie was upset with us and made us go downstairs, but Tony was still sad and cranky. Then we watched a movie and my baby fell asleep. And then Clint dumped popcorn on me and called me a baby and I cried. But then I fell asleep. I don't know what happened after that."

Steve blinked a few times as he absorbed all the information. Sounded like he missed a lot. "Okay... I see. How come Clint dumped popcorn on you?"

"Because I wanted some more popcorn but he wasn't givin' it to me, so I tried to take the bowl, and then he got mad," Bucky mumbled. He knew he shouldn't have tried to take the bowl away. He just hoped Daddy punish him now.

Steve just nodded and looked down at the sniffling boy laying on his chest. He had a feeling why Tony was so sad and cranky, as Bucky put it, while he was gone, but he wanted to hear it from his baby. "Tony, baby, can you tell me why you were so sad today, please?"

"Daddy," Tony whined and could feel his eyes trying to start crying again. Wasn't he out of tears yet?

"No, no, none of that, Tones. You're perfectly safe right now and I'm right here with you," Steve kissed his forehead and rubbed his back.

"Feel really little, Daddy, but no want Uncle Bruce. Just Daddy, my daddy," Tony had a few tears slip out.

"Tony, you're not in trouble and I'm not disappointed in you, but you know Daddy doesn't like when you try to stay bigger than you need to be."

"But Daddy," Tony shook his head and let a few more tears out. "N-no w-want Uncle Bruce! Too little!"

Tony began sobbing once again and collapsed back to his daddy's chest and cried and cried and cried into him. He was overwhelmed and he didn't want to talk about this. Why couldn't Daddy see that?

"Okay, okay, shh, baby boy," Steve shushed the baby and looked up at Bucky. Bucky looked a bit lost and kind of like he wanted to sympathy cry for his brother. "Bucky, can you be my super helpful boy and go get me one of Tony's diapers and his binky, please?" Bucky nodded and raced off to Tony's nursery.

•••••

In the end, Tony finally got to age down to where he had needed to be all day. He got to be comfortable in his daddy's arms, with his brother next to him, and have a happy night with his little family. He really hoped Daddy wouldn't have to leave again soon, because if he did, there would probably be hell to pay.