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The board meeting had, if not nothing, successfully put one Tony Stark to sleep. He had spent the last several days locked in his lab, running solely off of bitter, albeit heavenly, coffee and an odd sandwich here and there, finishing up new prototypes for Stark Industries. If it hadn’t been for Pepper literally dragging him out of his workshop by the collar, for the meeting, he would probably still be tinkering with the Iron Man suit at the least. The protruding dark circles under his eyes, and sunken face did nothing to hide the pure exhaustion Tony felt not only physically but mentally.

In all fairness, even if Tony hadn’t been working on those prototypes he still would’ve found himself hunched over a screen trying to busy his mind with a new project. Tony had neither had a proper meal, or consistent sleep for what seemed like weeks. He couldn’t bare the thought of waking up in a cold sweat from another nightmare, alone in his tauntingly large bed.

The Avengers moving into the tower had been a big change, although it made Tony feel slightly less lonely, it had also put Tony on edge. He had to be more careful when he relaxed, hold his head together so he wouldn’t slip. It had been too long since Tony had last been able to have some down time, the fear constantly eating at him. Nobody could know, hell he shouldn’t have ever given into it to begin with but now he wanted nothing more than to go home, and curl into his favorite blanket, let his mind wander.

It really shouldn’t have been a big deal, afterall classifications were a natural part of everyday life. Science had proved that it was a part of our biological needs and for that everyone was required, by law, to go in and have an official classification at the age of 18. Classifications ranged from caregivers to littles to baselines with tendencies of either.

Tony remembered the day he had been classified very clearly, the sheer disgust and disapproval on his father's face would forever be burned into the back of his head. The Starks had gone through a lot of trouble to cover up Tony’s classification, it would’ve ruined them. For all that anyone knew, Tony Stark was a baseline and Tony was determined to keep it that way. The only people who knew of his true classification had long passed, not even Pepper or Rhodey knew of his dirty little secret.

  The board meeting had finally ended and Tony practically ran out the door, heading straight for the elevators. He was going to grab a quick cup of coffee from the kitchen on the communal floor before retiring to his lab. Thankfully none of the team was on the floor when the doors opened, meaning Tony could slip in and out undetected. Once Tony had gotten his coffee, a soft smile spread on his face as he took in the scent, the doors to the elevators had closed and just as Tony was about to hit the floor to the lab when JARVIS spoke out.

“Sir, might I suggest some rest before continuing in the lab, you have not had a proper nights sleep in several weeks” JARVIS so duly pointed out.

“I’m fine J” Tony answered automatically, without faltering.

“But, Sir-” , “Mute.” Tony interrupted before JARVIS could finish. He just really needed to busy himself, he couldn’t risk waking up in his headspace with his current urges.

**

It had been at least another 48 hours before he was stumbling out of his workshop in search of some food and more coffee before he would continue his work. The exhaustion was starting to blur the line between headspaces and Tony needed caffeine to pull him back. Without thinking too much about it, Tony set out for the communal floor.

When he got there he noticed Clint playing with a toy bow in view of Coulson and Bruce snuggled up to Thor’s side as his eyes were set on the cartoons in front of them. Natasha was working on some case files at the table, and Steve was sketching something in his book. It wasn’t often that everyone was able to gather together and Tony just had to pick the one instance that they were.

Without drawing too much attention, Tony started to make himself another sandwich and pour a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Everything was going perfectly until he had to go and spill scathing hot coffee on himself and drop the glass mug to the floor. Really he should’ve just cursed under his breath and started to clean up the mess without a fuss but he was already teetering between head spaces and he couldn’t help the small whimper that escaped before he was sobbing out loud. He was just so goddamn tired and this had been his breaking point.

Steve had been the first by his side, trying to coax him away from the broken glass on the floor, while Coulson and Natasha focused on cleaning up the mess. Tony realized his slip up and bolted for the elevator, muffling his sobs and closing the doors before anyone could catch up to him. He had JARVIS take him up to his floor where he hid under his covers, shaking uncontrollably, covering his eyes and hoping that this was all a bad dream and that he hadn’t just broken down into tears in front of everyone over some spilled coffee.

Steve tried to follow after Tony but was met with the elevator doors slamming in his face. He patiently waited for the doors to open but they never did.

“JARVIS please open the doors and take me to Tony” Steve asked politely. If he was being honest, he had his suspicions about Tony but never mentioned anything without having concrete evidence. That man couldn’t look after himself if his life depended on it, and it did.

“I’m sorry Captain Rogers but Sir has requested not to be disturbed at this time” JARVIS replied without further elaboration.

Steve sighed but he knew Tony well enough to know that Tony would hide away as long as he could unless confronted. Steve was going to find a way to get through to Tony, if his suspicions were correct, which now he was positive were indeed correct, Tony was going to need someone to care for him.

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Tony had managed to cry himself to sleep, letting exhaustion take over. He woke up hours later drenched in urine as he realized he wet the bed. Mortified, as always, he scrambled to take the sheets off and throw them in the trash, his clothes shortly following, erasing any evidence of what just happened. Once the initial shock had worn off, and his heart rate started to drop he jumped into the shower, taking a moment to let the hot water sink into his bones as it washed away his shame.

Tony shuddered slightly, how was he ever supposed to face the team now? He would just have to lock himself up until everyone else forgot. Who knows, maybe they didn’t care? Maybe they could pretend like nothing happened. He knew that it was unlikely that either of those would happen…

**

For the following week everytime Steve tried to access Tony’s workshop or private floor he was locked out by JARVIS. It was starting to get increasingly frustrating. He had to find a way to coax Tony out of the lab but Tony wouldn’t even come out to experiment with Bruce.

Steve started to head to the lab with a plate of food in one hand and coffee in the other, he was sure that Tony still wasn’t eating properly and maybe the promise of caffeine would get him to open the door. Still, Tony wouldn’t budge and the doors remained locked, Steve couldn’t even look through the glass because JARVIS had darkened them. He sighed softly and left the food and coffee by the door if Tony changed his mind.

Steve was pleasantly surprised the next time he went down to the lab to find the plate of food still where he left it, but now empty and the coffee cup nowhere to be seen. He smiled to himself and picked up the plate, this was progress he thought. Steve stopped trying to access the lab, instead he brought down breakfast, lunch, and dinner and left it in front of the door for Tony, happy to see that Tony almost always ate what he brought him. It was going to take some time, but Steve was willing to wait.

**

The first time Steve had left the food in front of the door Tony had been starving and was in dire need of coffee. He pushed his stubbornness aside, only this one time, and gratefully ate the sandwich and drank the coffee. Tony wouldn’t let Steve baby him and he was determined not to accept anything else from the man. Only, Steve started to leave his favorite foods and even some snacks, he was totally not playing fair. Tony couldn’t resist.

It continued on like this for another week and then Steve had crossed a line. When Tony opened the workshop door to find some fluffy blankets and a small Iron Man teddy bear sitting neatly on top, he lost it. He wasn’t a little, Steve had no right. He begrudgingly took the toy inside and waited for the next time Steve would stop by, he was going to stop this madness once and for all.

Just as he had expected, Steve was back with breakfast the next morning and before he had the chance to set it down, the doors to the lab opened. Steve cocked an eyebrow, trying to hold off a grin. He walked into the lab, tray still in hand but he didn’t see Tony anywhere so he settled on leaving the tray on his desk. As soon as the tray was down he felt a soft object hit his head and land on the floor next to his feet. Before he could turn around to see what it was, though he had his suspicions, he heard Tony start to go off.

“What the hell is wrong with you Rogers!” Tony was seething, and Steve slowly started to turn around to face him, not moving to quickly so he wouldn’t scare him.

“Bringing me food was one thing, but that …” tony trailed off momentarily, pointing his hands in the direction of the bear that was now at his feet,

“...that is crossing a line! Babying me like - like I’m some sort of… little ” Tony stumbled over his words, tears starting to well in his eyes. Steve thought over his next actions, if he played a wrong move it could ruin any chance of Tony letting go. He took the bear into his hand, looking at it momentarily before turning back to Tony.

“I’m sorry if I crossed a boundary, I just thought after two weeks of locking yourself in the lab…” Steve hesitated as he examined Tony from a distance, he looked even worse than the last time he saw him; Grease stained clothes, minor bruises and cuts from his work that he has yet to even wash, thin as needle, and exhaustion very clearly written across his face.

“...you could use some company” Steve finished, offering the bear to Tony once again only for it to be slapped out of his hand.

“But I'm not little! I'm not!” Tony huffed, a stray tear sliding down his cheek. He wanted to throw Steve out, pretend like nothing happened but he was so angry, and so tired. He couldn’t help think of having those big arms wrap around him and engulf him in a huge protective hug. These thoughts were starting to send Tony into a tailspin as he tried to push them away.

The next thing Steve knew Tony was on the ground sobbing to himself as he chanted the words “not little” over and over, maybe to convince himself more than Steve. Steve cautiously approached Tony, kneeling on the ground beside him and putting a soft hand to his shoulder.

“Tony, baby, can you look at me?” Steve asked softly, trying to coax the young little out of hiding from behind his hands.

“No! I’m not a baby!” Tony screamed, slapping Steve’s hand away, how was everything going so wrong so fast? It only took another moment for Tony to feel the damp warmth between his thighs before it felt like his entire world had crumbled. He broke out into massive wails, falling into his headspace completely, heaving for air as he cried.

The sight in front of him broke Steve’s heart. Steve moved closer and wrapped his arms around Tony, rocking him slightly as Tony hid his head in Steve’s chest and cried more. They continued on like that as Steve hummed melodies in attempt to calm Tony until finally Tony was drifting off to sleep in Steve’s arms.

“Just let go baby, I’ll take care of you” Steve whispered as Tony’s eyes fluttered shut and his breathing evened.

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Tony had woken up in his own bed and just for a second he thought that everything that had just happened had been some cruel nightmare, that is until he felt an unfamiliar crinkle between his legs. He peeled the sheets back hastily and desperately hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was. Of course nothing ever went how Tony wanted it to go because unfortunately it was a diaper, a fucking diaper. Tony Stark was sitting in a diaper in his bed, all the color visibly draining from his face. The worst part? He actually used it in his sleep. Tony scrambled to get out of bed and rip the wretched thing off, heart pounding out of his chest, cheeks turning a bright tinge of red.

In the middle of fumbling with the diaper tapes, his fingers not wanting to cooperate whatsoever, Steve walked in. Tony was beyond mortified, quickly running into the safety of the bathroom and locking the door behind him. This couldn’t be happening, Steve couldn’t have put him in a diaper, he couldn’t have put him to sleep, he couldn’t possibly care that much but then Tony remembered how Steve had held him before; so protective and warm, embracing Tony’s little side. Tony pushed those thoughts away as he heard feet shuffling behind the door and Steve’s soft voice following.

“Tony? Are you ok?” Steve asked worried, he knew Tony would wake up in a tailspin but that hadn’t made him feel any better.

“Ok? I'm in a fucking diaper Rodgers!” Tony spat venomously from behind the door, finally getting it off and throwing it into the trash. Tony muffled a whimper when he touched the red sensitive skin between his thighs, he must’ve been in that soiled diaper for a while.

“It was just a precaution after…” Steve trailed off, remembering back to the incident in the lab. He thought that Tony would’ve been more mortified if he had wet the bed instead.

“Do you think you could come out and we could just talk face to face?” Steve talked to the door, hands braced against the frame. It was a long shot but if need be he would coax Tony out.

Tony’s face darkened as he remembered more of the previous events, how he had wet himself in front of steve and cried about it into Steve’s chest. He was conflicted, because on one hand Tony never wanted to leave that bathroom again but on the other hand he wanted nothing more than to feel those arms wrapped protectively around him again. When Tony didn’t respond he hear a soft thud behind the door as Steve sat down on the floor next to the door.

“Tony… I don’t want you to be alone, afraid of letting go. I have this feeling that you’ve probably been hiding something for quite a while now, and its taking it’s toll on you. I just want you to know that all of us are here to support you, we’re your team, your family. Please, just let us in” Steve’s voice was soft and brittle, unsure and clear at the same time. He took another deep breath before he finished.

“I’ll stay here as long as it takes Tony, I’m here for you and I’m not going anywhere”

A few silent tears streamed down Tony’s face but he didnt move, barely breathed. Eventually Steve would get tired and he would leave, they all did. So he waited, took a shower, sat by the door as he heard Steve’s even breathing. One hour passed, then two, then three, and eventually it was the middle of the night and Tony was sure that Steve had drifted off on the floor.

The more that Tony was left to his own thoughts, the more that his little space was creeping back in. What was happening to him? Tony usually had a better hold on his headspace, damn it Steve. Before Tony could even register what he was doing, he had quietly unlocked the door and  in front of him was Steve sleeping soundly with the Iron Man teddy securely in his arms. Tony couldn’t help it, he was shifting between head spaces, he was cold and Steve looked so warm. He carefully huddled into Steve’s side, heart beating out of his chest as he heard a breath hitch above him and then calm again with a warm arm draping around his waist. It wasn’t long before Tony was asleep and being moved to the bed, this time Steve crawling in with him. Steves heart swelled as the sleepy baby snuggled further into the warmth of his chest, pulling the teddy closer to him.

**

This time when Tony woke up he was still fuzzy between head spaces and stirred slightly as he shifted to see his surroundings. He was now in his bed, with someone sleeping beside him. It only took a moment for Tony to realize it was Steve. A little dumbfounded Tony only stared, which must’ve been longer than he thought because Steve was now opening his eyes and Tony quickly looked away, blushing furiously.

“Good morning”  Steve smiled, his voice a little gravelly early in the morning. Tony didn’t reply, just slowly looked back at him before looking down at the bed, face turning another bright shade of red before he whimpered softly, Steve frowned slightly and followed Tony’s line of sight, only to realize Tony had wet the bed and was probably seconds away from a meltdown. He was quick to jump out of bed and scoop Tony carefully in his arms as he took them to the bathroom.

“I’m sorry Tony, I should’ve padded you before moving you to the bed” Steve apologized, moving to grab a washcloth to clean Tony up. Tony struggled in Steve’s arms , weakly pushing him away, more tears slipping down his face.

“Not little! Can walk’n my own” Tony whined, he didn’t need Steve, he could clean himself up. Steve let Tony down to sit on the toilet while he wet the wash cloth.

“I know, but do you think you can let me clean you up? I’ll be quick and then we can have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast” Steve offered, holding his grin back when Tony perked up at the sound of pancakes. He grumbled some incoherent words and crossed his arms, Steve took that as his signal to proceed. He quickly wiped Tony down, carefully applying cream to his developing diaper rash and put him in a clean diaper, ignoring Tony’s whines of protest.

“Just in case” he clarified, patting Tony’s butt as he lifted him back into his arms easily. Tony was unusually light and his ribs were starting to poke out a little. Steve thought about having Bruce look Tony over for a full health check but that would have to wait until Tony was back in his big headspace. Meanwhile, Tony was now wrapping his legs around Steve’s waist, one arm clutching Steve’s shirt and the other wrapped around Steve’s neck.

“Now who's ready for some delicious pancakes!” Steve said excitedly as he carried Tony into the kitchen, watching as the grouchy baby’s eyes started to brighten with excitement.

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Tony made a fuss about Steve trying to cut up his pancakes and feeding him until Steve gave up and Tony was allowed to feed himself. Through breakfast the silence was deafening and the tension thick, the more Tony ate the more his big head space started to crawl back. He was slowly pulling out of his little space and registering the events of the last two days. If steve noticed the change in demeanor he didn’t mention it, only continued to eat his breakfast. Tony was the first to break the silence, unsure of what else he could do.

“Why?” was the one question that kept circling back in his head. Steve cocked an eyebrow, acting dumb as he replied. He wanted Tony to be specific.

“Why what? The pancakes? I thought-”

“No, not the pancakes” Tony interrupted, “Why the effort? Why not leave this alone?” he clarified.

“We’re family Tony, and I meant everything that I said before. You should be allowed to just let go and indulge in your headspace like everybody else, you know the consequences of holding back” steve paused for a second and continued before Tony could argue.

“I know you say you’re not little but Tony there’s nothing wrong with being little. Do you think there’s something wrong with Clint or Bruce?” Tony’s cheek had a faint shade of pink as he shook his head no.=

“But I’m not like anybody else… I’m a Stark” Tony mumbled, recalling the words from his father. The countless ‘lessons’ his father had taught him, and the unending lectures continuously looped in Tony’s head, almost like a mantra.

“Stark or not, that doesn’t change your classification. No matter how much you claim to be baseline, we both know that isn’t right. Why hide away?” Steve softened his tone, he could easily sense the rising anxiety in Tony. Tony didn’t reply, how could he? How was he suppose to tell Steve about the following years with his father after learning about his classification. How was he suppose to tell Steve that everyone he had ever cared for had left him.

“Tony? Tony, honey could you look at me?” Steve was now by his side, kneeling at eye level. When had he moved? When had Tony started crying? He blinked back the few tears that hadn’t run loose on his cheeks and slowly raised his head to look Steve in the eye.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, not if your not ready but please Tony. Let me take care of you, just a trial.” Tony should’ve shaken his head no, should’ve continued to argue that he wasn’t little but at that moment the thought of warm arms wrapped around him, protecting him, were enough for Tony to answer with a faint ‘ok’. The next thing Tony knew, he was being lifted up and placed back down on Steve’s lap.

“Do you think you could let Bruce do an examination?” Steve asked, rubbing Tony’s back. Tony went a little ridgid at the thought of slipping into headspace in front of Bruce, but surely he could be big. He nodded his head again, burying his face into Steve chest. Steve hoisted Tony up again, taking him back to the bedroom to get changed, where Tony again whined about Steve babying him.

“I can get changed on my own” Tony complained, shooing Steve away until he raised his hands in defeat and left Tony alone. Tony put on regular boxers and jeans, throwing an old AC/DC shirt over his head before going to meet Steve at the elevator.

Luckily for them Bruce wasn’t in his head space, he had been working on a new experiment and had spent the last few days being little. When he spotted Tony and Steve walking through his lab he smiled kindly and safely secured the chemicals away, washing his hands in the sink.

“What can I do for you two today?” he asked, adjusting his glasses and shedding off his lab coat. Tony was quick to answer before Steve could, he was determined to be big right now and that meant not having Steve speak for him.

“Do you think you could just do a quick examination for me?”

“A full physical” Steve corrected, ignoring the glares Tony was shooting at him. He wanted to make sure that Tony was fully diagnosed. The look on Bruce’s face dropped a little, worry starting to etch on his face.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, already ushering Tony towards the medical wing towards his own room.

“No, just a checkup” Steve smiled, easing Bruce’s nerves. With that the physical was underway.

**

Once everything had been completed Bruce pulled Steve to the side while Tony started to get dressed.

“Tony has some severe vitamin deficiencies, very underweight and the lack of sleep is evident. He’s not taking care of himself at all” Bruce ran through his results briefly, Steve not looking one bit pleased.

“I know that Bruce, I just wanted to be sure of what we’re dealing with” Steve looked over at Tony still fumbling with the button on his jeans; his ribs were visible and he looked so thin and pale. Steve sighed and Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I know what’s been going on between you two, he needs someone to take care of him but the effects of his past have shattered his psych. If you’re going to do this, you need to be careful. Please don’t break him even more” Bruce’s voice didn’t waiver, he was upset but he was protective of Tony, the two were very close and he wouldn’t let yet another person come and tear Tony down.

“Of course Bruce, we all just want the same thing for Tony, for him to be happy and healthy” Steve smiled, thanking Bruce one last time before Tony walked out and the two were heading back for Tony’s floor.

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Steve would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited but he did his best to keep a calm demeanor, he didn’t want to freak Tony out. Steve hadn’t cared for a little since before he went under ice, he faintly remembered the days that Bucky and himself snuggled on the couch with their little sleeping in between the two. It made his heart ache every time he thought of what went through his little’s head upon finding out that he’s lost both of his caregivers. Steve couldn’t bare the thought of causing that trauma to another little again and told himself he wouldn’t allow himself to care for another little again but this was Tony. His friend, his family, he had no one and Steve would be damned if he let a little suffer in silence.

The ride up to Tony’s floor was quiet; Steve lost in his old memories and Tony typing out something on his phone not looking one bit pleased. His nose crinkled , his eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line. It wasn’t until the elevator doors opened followed by a crashing sound that brought Steve back to reality. He looked up quickly, eyes searching for Tony, tension building until he spotted Tony huffing and puffing in front of the couch, phone in pieces at his feet.

Steve approached Tony slowly, laying a warm hand on his shoulder, glancing at the phone before back at Tony. “Tony, is everything alright?”

“God damn board members, don’ know anything” He mumbled, subconsciously leaning into Steve’s touch.

“How about we give work a break and just talk” Steve guided Tony onto the couch and sat next to him with a few inches between them to give Tony his space. “Before we begin anything I just want to know how you’re feeling and I also want you to know if at any point there is something you are uncomfortable with or feel too big or too little for I want to know. The only way this will work is if we’re both honest with each other”. Steve felt like he was treading on eggshells and was worried that Tony would blow up again. Instead Tony shyly nodded his head, looking down at his hands while he fidgeted with his fingers. He was so cute when he looked like this, so little and so vulnerable.

“Use your words honey” Steve switched to a more caring tone, trying out the term of endearment on Tony. Tony’s cheeks flushed a bright red before he spoke up. “I think if we jus’ take it slow, I’ll be ok”.

In all honesty, Tony was terrified. He wanted nothing more than to just let go and be little without any worry of being caught but he couldn’t help think he would disappoint Steve like he disappointed his father constantly. Tony trusted Steve, if he said he wanted to do this then Tony’s going to do it.

A huge smile found it’s way across Steve’s face before he spoke again. “Alright, slow and steady wins the race. I also know how important work is for you and your lab but when you’re feeling little I want you to come to me; no littles in labs and definitely not heading off for battle”. Tony nodded his head again, it sounded reasonable.

Just then Tony’s body decided to betray him and he yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes as the exhaustion started to kick in. Steve chuckled at how cute Tony was and took him into his arms, heading for the bedroom.

“I think it’s nap time” he cooed, humming a soft lullaby to Tony while starting to pad him with a diaper. Tony’s cheeks flushed red again and his body tensed, Steve tried his best to distract Tony with funny faces while he worked quickly to get Tony changed. For now Steve put Tony in an oversized shirt to be comfortable and tucked him into the bed, he would need to go out and get Tony proper supplies later. By the time Tony hit the bed, he was knocked out.

“JARVIS, please let me know when he wakes up” Steve looked fondly at Tony before exiting and leaving a crack in the door.

“Yes, of course Captain Rogers”

**

While Tony slept Steve had busied himself by preparing Lunch and searching the web with JARVIS’ help for appropriate supplies that Tony would like. Like Tony wanted, Steve was taking things slow; he only ordered a single captain america themed teddy bear, a bib, and a range of clothes fit for a little (excluding onesies since Steve didn’t know how Tony would react to them yet). The necessities like diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. were already stalked in the tower due to the presence of other littles so Steve wouldn't have to worry about that. With the help of JARVIS , the items were ordered under an alliance, for Tony’s privacy, and were set to be delivered the next day.

Just as Steve had turned off the stove and set the table, JARVIS spoke up. “Captain, I believe young sir is having a nightmare” he reported. Steve wiped his hands quickly and rushed into the room to find Tony tossing and turning in the bed, cradling his head as tears slipped down his face and whimpered for the person in his dream to stop, apologizing profusely. The sight broke his heart and Steve moved to wake Tony, gently shaking him as he spoke softly.

“Tony, tony wake up.” he continued until Tony woke up, arms flailing in a fit of sobs. Steve carefully dodged the flailing fist and held Tony down so he wouldn’t accidentally hurt himself. “Tony, its ok. You’re in the tower, You’re safe, It’s just you and me”

It took a moment for Tony to come back to his senses and stopped struggling, instead he started to sob loudly. Steve pulled Tony into his arms and Tony automatically latched onto his shirt with a vice grip, sobbing into his neck and chanting “Im sorry” over and over again to Steve.

“Hey, hey it’s ok. There’s nothing to be sorry about” Steve lulled wiping the tears from Tony’s face as he gradually began to calm down. “Be’n little bad” Tony mumbled, still trembling vigorously. Steve had just barely been able to register what Tony had said. “No of course not, I love it when you get to be little. Why would you think being little is bad?” Steve asked only to be met with silence. Steve decided it would be best not to push and address the topic later. They sat like that for 20 more minutes, Steve rocking Tony and humming soft toons before Tony was finally calm again.

“Come on honey, I made some yummy lunch! How about we fill that tummy of yours?” Steve cooed, bouncing Tony slightly in his arms earning a giggle from the little and a gurgle from his stomach. “I'll take that as a yes” he chuckled, carrying Tony to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Their first day together was relatively calm after the initial hiccup. Tony was calm for the most part, not too fussy during lunch or after when they cuddled on the couch watching movies. It wasn’t until bath time that Tony started to fuss.

Steve was actively trying to get Tony into the tub but Tony refused to let go of Steve’s neck. No matter how much Steve coaxed, Tony was adamant about his position around Steve’s neck. Steve finally sighed and pulled the plug out, watching as the water went down the drain. He would need to think of creative ways to get Tony into the bath but for now he would have to settle on a sponge bath.

Tony was unusually quiet as Steve set him in the now empty tub, turning his back momentarily to get a small tub of water and a sponge. “We’re just going to have a small sponge bath” Steve reassured when he saw Tony tense. Carefully and slowly he wet the sponge, in clear view of Tony so he could see everything Steve was doing, and started to wipe Tony down, working quickly but diligently. Tony covered his arc reactor reflexively and screwed his eyes shut while Steve worked around it and hummed softly. Soon enough the bath was over and Steve was scooping Tony into a warm towel in his arms. He padded Tony in a fresh diaper and another oversized shirt.

“How about a bottle and then bed” Steve smiled as Tony shook his head sleepily, his eyes already starting to droop. “Not sleepy” Tony protested as Steve chuckled lightly. Steve grabbed the bottle from the kitchen that he had prepared earlier and settled himself on the arm chair in Tony’s room with Tony cradled in his arms. As expected Tony was hesitant at first but Steve gradually worked the nipple into Tony’s mouth and he began to slowly suck. Eventually the body was nearly empty and Tony was fast asleep in his arms. Steve tucked Tony into the bed, pillow walls on both sides, and left Tony with one final kiss to his forehead. It was soft and Steve hadn’t even realized he had done it but that didn’t stop all the affection Steve felt for Tony in that moment. Steve lingered for a minute more before heading out to the couch, he thought about renovating his floor like a family floor but he pushed that thought away, it was too early still.

Unbeknownst to Steve, shortly after he had fallen asleep Tony was beginning to quietly toss and turn in his sleep. Not enough to alert JARVIS but evident enough that he was having yet another nightmare.

**

The day Tony had been classified had crushed his father, Howard had proceeded to pay off the examiner and gone home, drinking himself into oblivion that night. Tony would never forget the image of his drunk father stalking into his room at night and yanking him out of bed into the living room. The pain that shot through his arm as he was dragged out of his room, the shrill cries of his mother ringing in his ears, and the anger echoed through every word Howard spit at him would forever engrave themselves into the back of Tony’s mind.

He started with a lecture, some shouting and flailing hand movements but when Tony began to cry Howard went over the edge. Tony didn’t even have time to register that Howard had pulled at the loops of his belt until the first hit had landed straight across his back. Tony cried out in pain, hands immediately going to shield his head before the next blow could land across his shoulder blades. Howard continued to yell as he beat Tony, repeating over and over again how much of a disappointment Tony had become. The beating had seemed to go on forever but when it had finally ended Howard dropped the belt beside Tony.

“Don’t worry Tony, we’re going to fix you. Now get out of my sight… and get yourself cleaned up for god's sake! Maria! Clean up this goddamn mess!” Howard spat venomously turning away towards the study to drown himself in yet another bottle of liquor. Tony had scrambled to retreat into his room, holding himself close as he cried himself to sleep that night, still soaked with urine and the pain all over his body roaring to life every time he moved.

*

After that first night it didn’t take long for Howard ‘s “training” to start. Everytime Tony had wet himself or the bed he would be forced to stay in the soiled diaper until a painful diaper rash formed that would last days. Everytime Tony was caught with his thumb in his mouth, they would wash his his mouth out with soap. Everytime Tony started to cry or was caught doing anything remotely childish he was beaten. “Stark men are made of Iron, We are not littles” he’d repeat over and over again until it was engraved into Tony’s thoughts. This went on for years until Tony could finally control his impulses out of fear of what his father would do.

Three years after his initial classification had passed, and long after Tony had learned how to suppress his little side, his parents had died in that car accident and Tony on some level was relieved just as much as he was in grief but those lessons his father had taught him would forever stay with him.

**

Tony had woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, still reeling from the nightmares that had just occurred. He moved into the bathroom to wash his face and the crackling between his legs made him cringe. He finally remembered the diaper and peeled it off, grateful that it was still dry, he wouldn’t be able to properly clean himself in this state and he sure as hell won’t wake up Steve. As he started to change into his regular clothing JARVIS spoke up.

“Sir, it is only 2am, may I suggest at least a few more hours of rest?” Tony didn’t think much about it before answering, “No JARVIS, I’m heading to my lab” he responded, splashing his face once more with water, examining himself in the mirror. He was already starting to look better from the naps and consistent feeding that Steve had been persistent with.

“Shall I alert Captain Rogers then?” Tony was a bit too quick to answer, heart starting to speed up slightly. “Absolutely not, you are not to disturb Cap while he’s asleep”

Before the IA could answer Tony was already heading out to the elevator, quietly stepping past the couch that Steve was now sprawled on, chest rising up and down evenly. Tony couldn’t help but stare for a moment, Steve had offered the world to him but Tony couldn’t accept it, it was wrong...

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Steve woke up a few hours later, yawning as he stretched out his arms and cracked his back. He couldn’t wait to get a family floor set up, the couch was killing him… but as long as Tony was happy then it didn’t matter. Speaking of, Steve hadn’t heard a peep from Tony or JARVIS all night, he could only assume that Tony finally got a good night's rest. Feeling quite happy with himself, Steve went to check on Tony only to find the bed empty and Tony nowhere in sight. Steve’s pulse started racing and he frantically started checking the entire room while speaking out to JARVIS.

“JARVIS, have you seen Tony anywhere?” Steve kept his tone calm but he underneath the mother hen in him was going ballistic. Tony was little when he put him to bed and chances are he was either little or between headspaces when he woke up.

“Sir is in his lab working” Steve stopped cold, why would Tony be in his lab this early in the morning? More importantly, when did Tony wake up to go to the lab…

“Since when has he been down there?” Steve asked, already moving to get dressed so he could go check on Tony, make sure he hasn’t hurt himself. “Sir has been in the lab since approximately 2:02am” . That answer annoyed Steve, how could the AI not tell him that Tony had woken up in the middle night.

“Why wasn’t I alerted when Tony initially woke up”, Steve was just about to head into the elevator when the AI responded. “Sir specifically requested that you not be disturbed while you were asleep”. ‘God dammit Tony’ Steve thought to himself. He’s gotta find a way to make Tony understands that he doesn’t mind one bit looking after Tony.

As expected, the windows to the lab were again blacked out and when Steve tried his passcode he was immediately locked out. He really hoped that they hadn’t just fallen back to square one. Just as Steve was about to speak out to JARVIS again, demanding to be let in, surprisingly the doors swung open and Steve walked in. He took a few seconds to spot Tony, who was hunched over at his desk, head cradled in his hands. Steve moved to grab a seat beside Tony and waited, Steve wanted for Tony to speak his mind first before making any rash conclusions. After a few silent minutes Tony sighed and began to speak.

“I can’t do this Steve…” Tony trailed off, his voice cracking, obviously emotionally torn inside. “It’s not right and I can’t ask you to do this for me” Tony had to bite back a whimper as the words came out of his mouth. He wanted nothing more to run into Steves welcoming arms. He had a taste of happiness and he was addicted, he needed more but Tony knew all too well that happiness doesn't last.

“Tony you have to know that I want to do this, I need to care for someone as much as you need to be little. Please, let me show you what can come out of this” Steve reached to put an arm on Tony’s shoulder and he flinched, Tony flinched. Whatever trauma Tony had gone through, whoever did this to him, Steve was going to find out and he would try to make this better.

“I need you to leave” Tony mustered up whatever self control he had to be able to say that with as much neutrality as he could.

“But Tony…”

“I SAID LEAVE!” Tony burst out, finally raising his head to look at Steve. Tony’s eyes were red and puffy, obviously crying before. He looked so broken but Steve knew better than to push, Tony would eventually come around or crash into his little space whether he wanted to or not. Steve raised his hands in defeat and slowly headed for the exit, stopping by the door one last time and looking back at Tony.

“My arms are always open…”  Steve said before the door closed behind him and Tony was left alone again. Those words pierced through Tony’s heart, how could someone care so much, no, how can someone care so much about him . Tony broke out into another fit of sobs, one that would last hours, even days…

**

It had been 6 days since Steve last left Tony in his lab, and those six days were horrible. Steve was constantly worrying about Tony and he couldn’t focus on anything except digging into Tony’s past. Steve was determined to find out what happened to Tony but every road he tried led to a dead end and it was driving him insane. The supplies that Steve had ordered before were now collecting dust in a cabinet, and Steve’s heart ached everytime he looked in that direction.

Currently Steve was trying to occupy himself with a training simulation when the Avengers alarm went off. Good thing he was already suited. While Steve made his way to quinjet he couldn’t help but wonder if Tony would join them or continue to hide in his lab. Tony hadn’t really seen much of the team in the last 3 weeks and Steve was certain that Tony didn’t want to see him right now. His questions were answered when he spotted a red and gold ironman flying out in the distance.

Steve was on a mission now, he had to focus so any thoughts about Tony would have to wait. Just as they were beginning lift off, Clint at the wheel, Natasha started the debriefing. There were reports of the winter soldier hiding out in an apartment upstate and Steve’s blood ran cold. The last time Steve had faced off with the winter soldier, he found out it was Bucky and then almost drowned in a river. Steve had spent months trying to track Bucky down with no success, this was his chance.

The plan was a sneak attack; each member of the team would be posted in different exit points and they’d quietly work their way into the apartment, surprising Bucky and sedating him before he could fight back. It sounded simple, doable but since when have the Avengers had it that easy? Everyone turned on their comms and were getting into position.

“Everyone set?” Steve asked, waiting for everybody’s confirmation. “Stark?” Steve prompted when he heard a reply from everyone except Tony.

“Yep, ready to rumble” Tony replied. His voice seemed steady and the tone didnt give away any hint at being stuck between headspaces which made Steve feel slightly more relaxed.

“Alright, on my mark…” He counted down steadily while everyone moved quietly towards the entry points. Just as they were about to burst in Bucky came barreling out the window, running across the rooftop.

“Dammit! We tipped him off, we can’t lose him!” Steve barked into his comms already chasing after the soldier on foot. Natasha scrambled for the jet, Clint used his arrows to create obstacles in attempt to slow him down. Tony flew ahead of them, landing straight in front of Barnes. Bucky looked back and forth, panic beginning to rise in his chest. He was just about to run for it when Tony held up a repulsor directly aimed at his chest.

“Don’t even think about it” Tony snarked. Bucky raised his hands in seemingly defeat and Steve approached Bucky to contain him. Once Steve was close enough Bucky quickly turned and grabbed the shield directly throwing it at Tony, knocking him off his feet before turning to swing at Steve.

“Bucky, stop! Why are you doing this, we just want to help!” Steve shouted, dodging Bucky’s attacks. He didn’t want to hurt Bucky but he needed to at least knock him down to buy some time.

“I can’t helped, I’m a monster!” Bucky snarled as he turned and caught the shield that came flying at his back. Before he could do much the shield was knocked out of his hands and he was in hand to hand combat with Steve. One punch led to another, both were evenly matched but Bucky had the upper hand with his metal arm. He sent Steve flying across the rooftop with a particularly harsh punch before turning back to Tony. Tony was an easier match, his hand to hand combat wasn’t as strong as Steve’s.

Steve was down and struggling to get back up, blood slipped down his mouth and temples, bruises highlighted his cheeks, he could only watch as Bucky tore into Tony. It was hit after hit, until Tony was on the ground and Bucky was on top of him. Tony’s helmet had come off in the fight and the fear in his eyes were evident.

“Bucky, please this isn’t you!” Steve begged, coming to his feet and still clutching his stomach but his pleas landed on deaf ears. What happened next was unexpected to say the least… Bucky was just about to slam the shield across Tony’s reactor, shield held high when Tony whimpered one word.

“Daddy!” He cried, shielding his head as he once did from his father, tears starting to slip down his face. Tony hadn’t even realized he said it, he was teetering between headspaced the last few days and the beating had sent him over the edge. He had thought about one day being able to call Steve ‘Daddy’ comfortably but had shook it off as an unrealistic dream. Now the day had come and it slipped from Tony’s mouth out of panic.

Bucky froze, and so did Steve, had Tony just called out for him? Bucky looked back to Steve, his face softening as he remembered the memories he once shared with Steve. “You have a little?” Bucky asked, voice cracking as a single tear slid down his cheek. He missed the family he had with Steve, maybe they could have it again...

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Bucky dropped the shield, removing himself from on top of Tony while Steve used the last of his energy to go to Tony’s side. His attention shifted completely to Tony, Steve hadn’t even registered Bucky’s question. Steve took Tony’s head into his lap, petting his hair while he called for backup. Tony sobbed quietly as Steve tried to lull him and all Bucky could do was watch. Seeing Steve care for a little again set something off in him, gave him hope.

“Daddy’s here” Steve whispered, almost tentatively, to Tony, looking up at Bucky with tearful eyes. Tony was hurt and in his little space the pain must’ve been excruciating. “I’m so sorry” Bucky whispered, dropping to his knees beside Steve. He wanted to help but he knew better, afterall he was the one who did this. It was another minute before the quinjet was landing on the rooftop and Bruce and Clint were rushing out to load Tony in. Steve flinched as Tony cried out in pain when they moved him.

Steve came to his feet and turned, extending his hand for Bucky. “It’s ok Buck, just please...come with us” Steve pleaded, he was tired and he couldn’t lose Bucky again. One part of Bucky still wanted to run and hide again, he wanted to to leave and never look back, he was tired of hurting the people around him but looking at those pleading eyes Bucky couldn’t say no. He took Steve’s hand and was lifted to his feet, “I'm with you Till the end of the line” Bucky smiled fondly before following Steve into the quinjet where they rushed back to the medical wing of Stark Towers.

The flight was short but watching Tony cling to Steve as Bruce began his examinations made him feel even worse. Everytime Tony cried out in pain or screamed when Steve moved even an inch it tore right through Bucky. He stuck to the shadows, watching as they unloaded Tony, as they took his suit and clothes off. Bruises lined up and down Tony’s chest and stomach, his arm looking especially beat up. Thankfully nothing was broken, only a few bruised ribs and a sprained arm; Tony would have to use a sling for a few days. The entire time Steve was coaxing Tony, calming him and petting his hair, reassuring him that he was ok.

**

After what seemed like hours they were finally able to put Tony to sleep with the help of painkillers and a warm bottle. Most of the team had left Bucky, Steve, and Tony alone, as to not intrude on their privacy. Steve watched as Tony slept peacefully in the hospital bed; Bruce wanted Tony to stay for some observations to make sure there was no internal bleeding.

Finally, once time seemed to stop all together and everything was calm, Steve made his way to the couch Bucky was sitting on, stiff and face void of emotion. Steve took a seat and couldn’t turn to face Bucky. They sat quietly for a few minutes, the tension thick in the air before Bucky spoke.

“Im S-” Bucky was cut off before he could finish, “Don’t , it’s ok Buck. I should be the one apologizing” Steve sighed. Bucky was flabbergasted, why was Steve apologizing? He was the one who beat his little.

“You have nothing to be sorry about” Bucky’s voice was firm, he would not let Steve feel guilty when he didn’t do anything. “You fell of that train because of me, I could’ve saved you, I could’ve gone looking for you…” Steve rambled before finally turning to look Bucky in the eyes. For the first time Bucky saw that Steve was crying, tears streaming silently down his face, eyes rimmed red.

“Steve, listen to me. It wasn’t your fault, I should’ve died from that fall but I didn't. I should’ve fought harder to escape but I couldn’t. None of what happened is your fault but that…” Bucky waved his hands at Tony, “That was my fault, I beat the crap out of an innocent little’ Bucky’s voice cracked at his last words, he felt like a monster, he was engineered to be one.

“Buck… you couldn’t have known that Tony was a little much less that he crashed into his headspace”. This time Bucky was the  one to start crying, he felt absolutely horrible about everything he’s done. Steve pulled Bucky into a strong hug, both men clinging onto each other with so much pent up longing and frustration. They sat like that for a moment and just enjoyed the feel of having each other back in their arms.

“Do you remember the first day we got to adopt our little?” Steve whispered, his mouth breaking out into a fond smile. The two of them had been so happy, and were thrilled to be welcoming a little into their home. “Of course I do, how could I forget, you wouldn’t stop crying ya big baby” Buck grinned while Steve started to chuckle.

“I’m not a baby!” Steve protesting before turning serious again. “Do you think we could do that again… be a family again?” Steve asked, nerves thick in his voice. Bucky had gone stiff, he wasn’t sure how Tony would react to him after what had just happened. “Would Tony want that?” Bucky asked, already dreading the answer.

“I think once Tony is more comfortable in his little space he would love having you as his papa” Steve reassured and the tension visibly left Bucky. “I don’t want to lose you again Buck, I missed you” Steve voice wavered and without a second thought Bucky pulled steve in for a desperate kiss. Steve reacted almost immediately, cupping Bucky’s face as he kissed back.

“I missed you too punk” Bucky breathed onced they pulled away, smiling widely. Steve chuckled, kissing Bucky once again. Things were looking up, Steve had Bucky and Tony was succumbing to his little side, all that was left was to deal with Fury.

As if Fury had been listening to Steve’s thoughts his phone went off with a message saying Steve had to come in for a debriefing asap. “Can you stay with Tony while I go to the debriefing?” Bucky looked hesitant at first, “I’ll be back before he wakes up” Steve promised and Bucky finally agreed. Steve kissed Bucky once more before heading out the door, Steve had a feeling this debriefing was going to involve lots of yelling...

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Steve was currently sitting in a meeting room at SHIELD’s headquarters staring blankly at Fury while the silence began to thicken. Coulson was to the side as usual, arms crossed while waiting for either one of the two to explode first. Steve was about to start talking before Fury cut in, voice even but anger still evident.

“Do you want to explain why Stark crashed into little headspace in the middle of a mission when according to SHIELD intel, Stark is a baseline” Fury was gritting his teeth. Steve had to pick his words carefully, he wasn’t sure about how Tony would feel after finding out that Fury now knows and if he said the wrong thing then Fury would explode on him.

“Tony’s been hiding his little status for decades” Steve answered, watching as both Fury and Coulson faces dropped. Both were caregivers and Steve could see how distraught they had become at the thought of a little in hiding. They know just as well as Steve how hard it can be for a little to live without a caregiver.

“How long have you known?” Fury asked, pinching his nose in frustration. “Only a few weeks, Tony is not comfortable with his little space and it’s been a battle just to get him to accept it when he’s crashed” Steve tried to explain.

“God dammit Rogers! Why didn’t you report it!”

“Tony doesn’t want anyone to know, how could I? It would’ve broken any trust between us!” Steve’s frustrations were rising. “You know Tony, you know the moment he gets wind of something like this he’ll barricade himself in his lab and work himself to the brink of death, pretend like nothing’s happened”, Steve cared about Tony, he did what he thought was right and Fury looked like he was actually taking in what Steve was saying.

“Fine, we can keep this privately as SHIELD intel but Stark has to follow the same rules as every other little in this agency; Mandatory little time, absolutely no call outs when in his head space, and he needs to register with a caregiver” Fury was adamant, he was calmer now but still very annoyed with the situation in hand. He took another breathe before adding “If Stark falls into headspace during battle again it will be on your head Rogers” he warned.

“Yes sir. I’ll handle the paperwork and talk with Tony. He’s not going to like this…” Steve sighed and Fury only smirked at him, Coulson snickering in the background.

“Good… Coulson will help you if needed now go on, I’ve had enough of you” If Steve didn’t know better it almost looked like Fury was smiling. He thanked both men and started heading back to Bucky and Tony, hearing Fury’s voice one last time as he was heading out the door.

“And Steve… Let him know that Uncle Fury can’t wait to meet him.” Steve smiled fondly and closed the door behind him. Tony was going to throw a fit when he finds out.

**

It hadn’t even been an hour since Steve had left and Tony started to stir in his bed, whimpering at the sharp pain from the sudden movements. He blinked a few times before starting to look around the room for Steve but the room was empty except for one other person. It took a moment before Tony realized it was Bucky and the monitor to his right started to speed up.

Bucky started to get nervous, he wasn’t sure if he should say something or just leave. He cursed Steve for leaving him alone with Tony but there was nothing he could do about it now. He was just about to get up and leave when Tony’s heart monitor starting going off the charts and it looked like Tony was about to start crying. It was like a stab in his gut but he knew it was well deserved.

“Hey, hey calm down I’m not gonna hurt ya” Bucky’s voice was smooth and even, he raised his hands slowly to show Tony he was unarmed. Tony was trembling from head to toe, trying to squirm into the corner of the bed hoping to disappear. Bucky waited another minute before getting up, hands still held in front of him, and moved a little closer to Tony. Obviously it was the wrong move because Tony started bawling and screaming. Bucky quickly took a few steps back, hoping it might calm Tony a little.

“Okay, okay I’m not comin near ya…” Bucky said over Tony’s sobs. “Steve’s gonna be back real soon.” At the mention of Steve’s name Tony’s sobs halted almost immediately, he looked up, big brown eyes still fill with tears.

“Daddy?” He asked, blankets clutched between his white fingers.

“Yeah, he’ll be here any minute” Bucky wasn’t sure how correct that was but he was praying to any God out there that Steve would burst through that door right about now. Bucky took a seat on a chair in the furthest corner, sighing with defeat. How was he ever suppose to care for Tony when he was terrified of him, maybe it would be best if Bucky just left.

“I’m sorry Tony… I didn’t mean to hurt you. They just messed with my head, put my brain through a blender, and sometimes I can’t think straight” and for the first time Bucky’s voice cracked , the guilt that weighed on him was crushing. Tony could see this, even with how little he was feeling. Tony knew how that felt, he knew how broken you feel when you feel like everything is your fault. Bucky wasn’t much different from Tony, every small mistake weighed like a ton of bricks.

“Once Steve gets back you won’t have to see me again” Bucky promised, he made up his mind. It wouldn’t have worked anyways, sooner or later Bucky would lose his mind again and accidentally hurt someone close to him. Bucky hid his face while the tears began to build up, god he should’ve kept running, why was he so stupid?

“Bucky…?” Bucky wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up, he was surprised to see Tony making grabby hands at him. Tony would’ve crawled to Bucky but he didn’t know how to get off the bed without falling. Bucky again slowly approached , the closer he got the more Tony reached his arms open for a hug. He was still shaking slightly and fresh tears slid down his face but Tony still seemed sincere. Bucky hugged Tony gently while Tony wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist tightly.

“Is ok to be bwoken, I’m bwoken too” Tony whispered and Bucky hugged Tony even tighter. Tony was really something precious and Bucky’s heart melted.

“Thank you” Bucky whispered back and those two words held so much emotion, so much promise for Bucky. He would make sure nothing ever hurt Tony again, and he had hope, he had a family again. Tony started to yawn, he was exhausted from all the stress and panic they had just gone through, his eyes starting to droop. Bucky tucked Tony in but Tony wouldn’t let go of his arm, he insisted that Bucky laid down with him and wouldn’t stop fussing until Bucky actually did.

When Steve walked in not even half an hour later he was surprised to see his two boys sleeping on the hospital bed, Tony draped across Bucky’s chest and Bucky’s human arm wrapped protectively around Tony’s waist. Of course this didn’t stop him from taking a picture and making it his new wallpaper. Steve couldn’t help himself, he climbed into the already cramped bed carefully and laid next to Bucky, petting Tony’s hair softly as he also began to drift off to sleep...

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Tony was the first of the three to wake up, he blinked a few times before his eyes settled on Steve, Steve was back! The excitement was short lived as Tony felt an uncomfortable dampness between his legs and realized he had wet himself in his sleep. He wasn’t going to let himself cry, not now, not while Bucky and Daddy were sleeping but he couldn't help himself when he began to squirm uncomfortably as he waited for Daddy to wake up. Shortly after Bucky slowly opened his eyes when he felt the movement on his chest, he looked over at Tony and smiled softly.

“What’s wrong, need a change?” Bucky asked, carefully sitting up without disturbing Steve who was curled up next to him. The poor man hasn’t had any rest since the mission and was probably exhausted. Tony’s face went a crimson red, he didn’t want to tell Bucky he needed a change, he wanted Steve to do it, so he shook his head hoping Bucky wouldn’t check. Unfortunately for Tony, Bucky cupped his hand around Tony’s diaper and felt the squishy material.

“It’s ok, I got you” Bucky whispered as he carefully climbed off the bed and settled Tony onto his hip. Tony buried his head in Bucky’s chest and shook his head no again, his face burning a bright cherry red. Bucky hummed softly as he strapped Tony into the changing table in the corner, ignoring Tony’s protest. He made silly faces to distract Tony while he quickly worked on cleaning Tony up. Just as Bucky had finished taping the fresh diaper Steve came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s neck and kissing his cheek.

“Hey there” Steve smiled, eyes still half closed as he hummed into Bucky’s neck. Tony whined in protest and pouted, lifting his hands toward Steve. Steve chuckled and blew raspberries into Tony’s stomach watching as the baby giggled and squirmed, swatting at Steve to stop it.

“Is that what you wanted, hmmm?” Steve asked, blowing another round of raspberries as Tony went into a giggle fit. “Daddy! Stawpppp!” Tony protested through his giggles.

“Hey I just changed him, you're gonna get him excited” Bucky chuckled.

Steve laughed, a genuine laugh that nobody gets to hear often and he finally stopped. He unstrapped Tony and scooped him into his arms. Steve was over the moon to see that Tony was starting to settle into his headspace, and even happier to see that Tony was able to get along with Bucky.

“I think it’s high time we get outta here” Steve smiled as Tony frantically nodded his head. Bucky called Bruce in to do his final examinations before Tony was cleared to leave. The presence of someone other than Bucky or Steve made Tony tense but he didn’t fuss too much, mostly kept quiet. When the doors to the elevator opened Tony looked around and realized that it wasn’t his floor, he assumed it was Steve’s but still looked at him questioningly.

“I was going to wait a little longer but I think you can handle this, I have a surprise for you” Steve smiled reassuringly heading towards the back of the floor where the bedrooms were. There were 3 rooms; one was Steve’s bedroom which he would now share with Bucky, one was his studio where he liked to draw and paint, and the other had been a spare that Steve had remodelled for Tony.

Tony started to squirm with excitement in Steve’s arms, Daddy had a surprise for him! When the door was finally swung open they walked into a fully stocked nursery. The walls were painted with intricate codes and circuit boards while the ceiling had a beautiful sunny sky for Tony to look up to. In one corner stood an oak crib filled with different stuffed animals, and a matching rocker sat by the window. Not to mention the changing table that was placed between the bathroom and closet. There were even books and toys along the shelves and overflowing in a toy chest. Steve had really made sure that nothing was missing, Tony didn't know whether he should be happy or terrified that he was really going into this. He didn’t know if he could believe that Steve really cared that much for him.

Steve watched as Tony slowly took everything in, as his grip on Steve’s shirt tightened. He waited a few moments and began to worry when Tony didn’t respond. Maybe this was too much too quickly. “If it’s too much we can-”

“No, I... love it… just surprised. Nobody’s ever cared this much about me” Tony answered honestly, looking down as tears brimmed his eyes but he wouldn’t let them slip.

“Tony, you’re my little baby boy. Of course I love you and I’ll do everything and anything to make sure you’re happy and healthy.” Steve kissed Tony’s forehead and wiped the tears away. Tony blushed furiously at being called a baby but he knew that Steve was right, Daddy cared about him and would always take care of him.

Bucky had slipped out while the two were having a moment to prepare lunch, he made sandwiches for everyone and took care to cut the crusts off Tony’s and also cut them into small triangles. He thought a bottle may be too much right now so when he was happy with the food he called the boys into the kitchen to eat.

Tony’s eyes went wide as they walked into the kitchen, there was an adult sized high chair next to the table, how had he not seen that earlier? The crib and nursery were one thing but he did not want to go into the highchair, he wanted to eat with Daddy. When Steve tried to clip him in Tony started to throw a tantrum, he clung to Steve’s neck and kicked his feet as Steve tried to navigate him into the chair.

“Anthony Stark, there is no need to throw a tantrum” Steve scolded as he finally clipped Tony in. Tony whined, a bit surprised that Steve scolded him with his full name, and worked at trying to undo the clip. The damn thing was baby proof and Tony was too little to figure it out. He cried and raised his hands pleadingly at Steve who just kissed the top of his head and turned to get Tony juice from the fridge. Tony huffed before turning to Bucky instead and reaching out for him, giving him the best puppy eyes he could muster and sniffled. Bucky’s heart melted, he couldn’t resist, he quickly undid the clip when Steve wasn’t looking and moved Tony into his lap.

“Buck…” Steve raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms. Tony just hid his face in Bucky’s chest while Bucky wrapped his arms around Tony.

“Come on Steve, I got him. He’ll get used to the chair eventually ” Bucky smiled as Steve sighed in defeat and took a seat next to Bucky.

“Fine, just this once…” Steve resigned and started to feed Tony. For the most part Tony ate the pieces on his own, Steve just handed them to Tony one at a time while he ate his own food. When lunch was over Steve took Tony from Bucky and started to walk to the living room. Tony was surprised to placed in a… playpen? He turned to question Steve before he heard the tv turn on behind him and he realized Steve started to play cartoons.

“Bucky and I have to do the dishes, do you think you can be a good boy and watch your cartoons?” Steve asked and Tony nodded his head. He would be good this time, he wanted to be good, he didn't want to disappoint Daddy again so he watched as Steve smiled, kissed his head, and walked back to the kitchen. The playpen was placed strategically so Tony had a full view of the living room and the kitchen, he could see as Bucky and Steve worked on the dishes and he relaxed more.

Tony tried to focus on the cartoons and entertain himself but his mind started to wander, normally he would have been lost in a trance but he started to think about all the work he had to catch up on, and the meetings he had in the coming days. Tony hadn’t even noticed when Bucky and Steve sat on the couch behind him. He turned around after a few moments and tried to formulate the words in his head.

“Big” he ended up saying, the words were jumbling in his head.

“Big?” Steve raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“I need to be Big” Tony started to think more clearly, his thoughts starting to piece together. “Meetings, important meeting… tomorrow!” Tony finally remembered, he had a huge board meeting the next morning and pepper would kill him if he didn’t show up. Steve nodded in understanding and picked Tony up out of the playpen. Tony squirmed and insisted to be put down, his legs wobbled slightly but he got the hang of it.

“Need to change..” Tony mumbled, already heading to Steve’s bedroom.

“There are some spare clothes in the bottom drawer, you can take those” Steve pointed out. Normally he would’ve tried to insist that Tony reschedule the meeting, or that he would’ve at least waited to ease into his big headspace but they had an important discussion that was time sensitive and Steve needed for Tony to be big. He only stood by and watched as Tony clumsily changed into boxers, jeans, and one of Steve’s muscle shirts and started rummaging through his phone. There were so many missed emails, and calls, the more Tony started to go through them the more he was pulled from his little space. Steve only stepped in when Tony started to head to the elevator.

“Hold on, you should stare here, at least until nighttime. You’re still between headspaces, you shouldn’t be alone” Steve insisted

“I'm fine, I just need to get to my office…” Tony tried to shrug Steve off without looking up from his phone but Steve was not having it.

“You can work here, there’s a tablet and you have JARVIS to help. Just for an hour” Steve was firm and Tony finally agreed. He grabbed the tablet off the coffee table and sat at the table, eyeing the high chair before turning back to the tablet and frantically typing away. Steve settled back on the couch with Bucky while Tony worked and periodically they’d hear Tony’s commands to JARVIS and noticed the subtle shifts in his tone. Steve sighed and wrapped his arm around Bucky’s shoulder, they would have the discussion after Tony’s meeting but Steve wasn’t sure how Tony would react to having to make things official...

Chapter Text

Right on the dot, as soon as the hour was over Tony had disappeared out the door, too engrossed in his tablet to even say goodbye but neither of the men took offense, it was Tony after all. Tony would be busy until the next evening and that gave Steve time to get the paperwork in order. He filled out his petition to adopt little Tony Stark with himself as Caregiver, he and Bucky had mutually decided that Bucky should be kept off the paperwork unless Tony said otherwise considering the previous events. A copy of the government guidelines for littles and caregivers were also printed if Tony had any questions, and finally to top it all off Steve ordered Tony’s favorite takeout to try and ease him into the discussion.

The two men waited patiently for Tony to return to the tower, alerting JARVIS beforehand to send Tony directly to Steve’s floor upon arrival. Steve was a bundle of nerves, what if Tony reacted badly? What if Tony locked himself away again? What if…? He kept replaying potential conversations over and over again in his head. It wasn’t until Bucky pulled him into a firm but warm hug that Steve’s tension started to melt away. He rested his head against Bucky’s chest and sighed heavily.

“It’ll be fine Stevie, even if he does react badly he doesn’t have much of a choice anymore” Bucky reminded, sounding a bit sad himself. It was true though, even if Tony didn’t want to do this he had no other choice unless he was willing to give up the avengers. SHIELD would never let an unsupervised little attend missions or training. Steve hated the thought of forcing Tony to do anything, it was only fair that Tony be provided a choice, not backed into a corner, and was really hoping that things would go smoothly.

Finally the elevator doors opened and Tony walked out wearing one of his pristine business suits as usual but now the tie was disheveled, and the jacket draped across his shoulders. Tony looks like he’s had a rough day and it only made Steve more nervous.

“What’s up Cap?” Tony mustered up a small smile, though his eyes reflected lack of sleep and lots of stress.

“We ordered some takeout and thought you could join us” Steve’s voice was even and his breathing calm, nothing from the outside gave off any indication that he was shaking inside.

“Shawarma, from my favorite place around the corner?” Tony raised an eyebrow, eyeing the food suspiciously. It was his favorite and he knew that team knew, but he shrugged it off and took a seat at the table.

“Yeah, Buck’s never tried shawarma before. I thought it’d be a good as opportunity as ever.” Steve grinned as Bucky came into the view as he walked into the kitchen, taking a seat next to Tony.

“It sounds weird but hey why not”  Bucky chuckled as he patted Tony’s shoulder. Steve took a seat on Tony’s other side, across from Bucky. Tony noticed that any sign of anything babyish was nowhere in sight, even the high chair had been moved away. He wasn’t oblivious, he knew that their tone was unnaturally friendly but he didn't comment on it, not yet at least. The three men ate in mostly silence, the silence was deafening and Tony had enough.

“Alright I’ll bite, what’s going on?” He asked, wiping his mouth and throwing the napkin down in front of him. Steve and Bucky looked between each other and had one of those conversations with their eyes before Steve hesitantly started.

“Let’s start from the beginning, you remember how I had to go to a SHIELD debriefing a few days ago?”

“Yeah… and?”

“After your mishap on the last mission SHIELD now knows of your little status...”. Steve was cautious with how he spoke, watching Tony’s reactions carefully. Tony sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands, realistically Tony knew that his secret would slip sooner or later. He fucked up on the last mission, and this was his fault, he started trembling slightly but made no move to run even though every instinct in him was telling him to do so.

“So what now?” Tony asked, voice shaking. He couldn't look up, he couldn’t look at Steve or Bucky. This was his worst nightmare.

“Well… for starters you know that all littles are required an assigned caregiver”, at that Tony’s head shot up, panic clear in his face. Who was going to look after him? He couldn’t bare the thought of weighing that burden on Steve. Steve took Tony’s silence as a cue to continue, he could see the inner battle Tony was dealing with clear as day.

“I’ve actually taken the liberty of filling out the paperwork for your adoption, all it needs is your approval” Steve’s voice was soft as he pulled out the paperwork and set it down in front of Tony. Tony’s eyes widened and he shakily picked up the papers and looked through them, tears welling in his eyes.

“You’d actually do this for me?” His voice sounded so broken it broke Steve’s heart.

“Of course Tony, I care about you so much, I just want you to be happy” Steve answered honestly, the sincerity so clear and genuine. Tony flipped through the pages and read through the important bits when he noticed Bucky was nowhere in the paperwork. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“What about Bucky?” Tony looked between the two men, catching the look of surprise identical on both of their faces. Yes Bucky and Tony had a rough start but Tony knew that Bucky would never hurt him intentionally, knew that Bucky was like Tony in a sense that he needed the affection just as much as Tony did. Bucky spoke up before Steve could.

“We weren’t sure if you would be comfortable with me as your caregiver considering what happened” Bucky was honest, and deep down he wished that one day he could be Tony’s shared caregiver with Steve. Tony pondered this for a moment before giving his final answer.

“I-I trust you Buck, I..” Tony took another breathe before continuing, “I want you to be my caregiver with Steve”. Then and there Bucky’s eyes brimmed with tears and he couldn't help himself pulling Tony into a hug.

“Thank you” Bucky whispered as Tony instinctively wrapped himself around Bucky, embracing the hug. At that moment Tony knew he made the right choice. Steve joined in the hug, wrapping his arms around both his boys, so happy that Tony wasn’t freaking out. Once the three finally pulled apart, Steve made the necessary revisions to the document and handed them to Bucky to sign and then Tony. Tony hesitated, pen in his hand as he stared at the paper.

“These documents go directly to SHIELD and no one will ever know, not the government, nor the media. It stays with us and it stays with SHIELD” Steve reassured as Tony nodded his head and signed the paperwork. This was really happening, Tony was officially a little and officially had caregivers. It scared Tony to no extent, he knew that if his father could see him now he'd be dissapointed but he pushed those thoughts away for now.

“I have a copy of the guidelines if you want to read over them but the only important thing I need you to know is that SHIELD requires 3 days of little time a week. They don’t have to be consecutive, we can ease into it, whatever you like but if you don’t meet this requirement they’ll bench you.” Tony’s face paled but he knew these rules all too well. Hes spent hours, no days rereading those guidelines, looking for loopholes, anything to get out of them but they were air tight. To be fair Tony couldn’t argue with them, they were rules made for the health and safety of littles, littles who put off their headspaces were known to get very sick and it had a lasting damage on their psych. He knew there was no getting out of this so he nodded his head and then without any control he started to sob hysterically. It was so much change, so much to take in, Tony was afraid, no terrified.

Both men were quick out of their seats to comfort Tony, Bucky scooping Tony into his arms and Steve running to grab a pacifier and a teddy. When Steve offered the pacifier, Tony latched on, sucking vigorously as he cried into Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky rocked Tony gently as Steve rubbed his back, both whispering sweet reassurances to their little boy. It didn’t take long for Tony to cry himself out with the force he was crying at, soon enough he was drifting off in Bucky’s arms. Bucky took Tony to Steve’s room, changing him into a diaper before settling him on the bed with pillow walls on both sides of him. Tony was too tired to make a fuss of the diaper change and quietly submitted to it. Bucky tucked Tony in, kissed his forehead and whispered goodnight. Just as Bucky turned the lights off and was about to head out the door he heard a tired voice that nearly made him start crying again.

“G’night Papa…”

Chapter Text

Bucky had tucked Tony into Steve’s bed for a nap, he wasn't sure how Tony would feel waking up in his nursery. They had yet to put it to use and after their very emotional conversation Bucky thought it was best to let Tony sleep somewhere more familiar for him. The conversation had unexpectedly given Bucky everything he had wished for and he couldn't be happier. He was officially a caregiver again, and he was a caregiver with Steve. Steve wasted no time in sending the paperwork over to SHIELD, and the two men celebrated with fine wine and cuddling on the couch while they waited for their little boy to wake up.

About an hour after Bucky had put Tony to sleep JARVIS spoke out. “Captain, Sergeant, if I may interrupt, I believe young sir is awake”. Steve thanked JARVIS and was quick to his feet, beating Bucky to the punch while he went in the direction of his room. When he walked in he found Tony sitting up in the bed, eyes wandering curiously before they landed on Steve. Tony’s arms flew up insticitvely, reaching for Steve, and Steve’s heart melted.

“Did you have a good sleep?” Steve cooed as he scooped Tony up into his arms, bouncing him lighty. Tony nodded his head before squirming uncomfortably in Steve’s arms and hiding his face in Steve’s neck out of embarrassment. Steve raised an eyebrow and patted Tony’s diaper, yep he needed to be changed. If Tony was embarrassed then he wasn’t fully in headspace yet.

Steve didn’t think too much about it before going to the nursery to change Tony. He made silly faces, and blew raspberries into his stomach. The baby boy giggled uncontrollably, not even aware of the diaper change until the new clean diaper was strapped in place. Steve dressed him in just a red shirt that read ‘Daddy’s little hero’ in gold lettering, leaving the diaper visible. Steve grabbed a pacifier from the side and offered it to Tony who stubbornly refused to take it into his mouth. He sighed but clipped the pacifier to Tony’s shirt just in case he changed in his mind.

“Come on, let's go see Bucky” Steve cooed again, taking Tony out to the living room where Tony’s attention immediately shifted to Bucky. He squirmed in Steve’s arms, reaching one hand to Bucky before Bucky stole him away from Steve.

“Traitor” Steve pouted playfully, as he feigned hurt. Looks like Bucky was quickly growing to be Tony’s favorite. Bucky smirked, kissing Tony’s head as he settled back into the couch.

“Looks like your Daddy’s jealous” He chuckled as Tony smiled and buried himself into Bucky’s side. For a while the three of them just sat and watched cartoons, Tony inbetween Bucky and Steve as he held onto them with one arm each as if they were going to disappear if he let go. At some point Tony had gotten so sucked into the cartoons he hadn’t even realized that Bucky had left to prepare dinner until he was calling them to the table.

Tony whined as he was being carried away from the TV, he wanted to finish his cartoon. “Toon…” he protested, reaching out to the living room. Steve chuckled in response as he settled Tony into the high chair again.

“We can finish the cartoons later, now it's time for yummy dinner” Steve clipped Tony in and Tony looked like he was going to cry again. He didn't like his high chair, he wanted to be close to Daddy and Papa. Tony started to fiddle with the straps again until Steve stopped his arms.

“Tony, its ok, we’re right here with you” Steve took a seat next to Tony while Bucky began to set out the food on the table. Tony shook his head again and started to tear up, he turned to Bucky again and reached his arms up hoping for an escape.

“Papa, up!” he pleaded. That was the first time Steve heard Tony call Bucky papa and he didn’t miss the light that lit up in Bucky. Still he gave Bucky a warning look, if Bucky kept bailing Tony out then he would never get use to the chair. Bucky looked guilty as he took a seat on Tony’s other side.

“Sorry buddy, not today. Daddy looks like he wants to murder me” Bucky smiled apologetically as he started cutting up Tony’s food into small pieces.

“Bucky!” Steve squeaked. He didn’t want to be the bad guy but sooner or later Tony would need to get into a routine and sooner was always better.

Tony was stubborn, he refused to take any food into his mouth until he was let out of the chair. Steve decided it was best to leave the cut up food in front of Tony and eventually he’d start eating. Steve knew Tony hadn’t had anything to eat recently. Bad idea because when Tony realized he wasn’t going anywhere he threw his nuggets at Steve. This time it was Bucky’s turn to scold Tony.

“Tony! We do not throw food at Daddy.” Then Tony threw a nugget at Bucky’s face, pouting as he crossed his arms in defiance. Bucky was not having it, he unclipped Tony and started carrying him to the living room. Tony’s victory was short lived when he realized where they were going, Bucky set Tony down in the playpen in the corner. Tony hadn’t even realized it was there and this time it was empty, no toys or blankets for Tony to entertain himself with.

“Anthony Edward Stark, we do not throw food period. We especially do not throw food while being scolded. Now you’re in timeout , I want you to think about this next time you want to be a naughty baby” Bucky lectured before leaving Tony to himself while he returned to dinner with Steve. Steve raised his eyebrow questioningly at Bucky and Bucky waved it off, he would spoil his baby endlessly but he would never tolerate misbehaviour.

From his corner in the living room Tony couldn’t see Bucky or Steve over the counter. The way it had been placed was so that the two men could keep an eye on Tony from the kitchen but Tony wouldn't be able to see them back.

“Daddy!...” Tony tried to call for Steve instead, Bucky was mad at him but Steve didn’t come either. “Papa!” He tried anyways but as he expected no one responded. He didn’t like being in timeout, it was boring and he wanted to be with Daddy and Papa. It wasn’t fair! Tony didn’t mean to be bad, he just wanted to be closer to them. Tony didn’t like how Bucky had scolded him, he didn't yell but the disappointment in his voice was enough to pierce Tony’s heart. He started to tear up, he made Papa mad, he was a bad baby… he didn’t want to be a bad baby. He shook the net a little, testing its strength, there was no way Tony would leave and risk getting into more trouble but it was worth a shot. After a few more minutes of silence and thinking Tony burst out crying. He didn’t like being alone.

“Daddy, Papa, Im sowwy!” He cried as both men rushed to his side. He was hiccuping and wailing as he reached his hands up for either of them. Bucky responded quickly and took Tony into his arms where Tony immediately buried his head and repeatedly apologized. He never wanted to be sent to timeout again.

“Hey , hey it’s ok. You’re forgiven Tones” Bucky cooed as he rubbed circles in his back.

“Its ok baby boy” Steve kissed Tony’s head as he wrapped his arms around Tony and Bucky. Tony eventually calmed down finally looked up to meet Bucky and Steve’s face.

“How about we try dinner again” Steve smiled as Tony nodded and his stomach rumbled in response. Bucky chuckled and clipped Tony back into the chair. This time Tony didn't fuss or argue, he ate his nuggets and sat peacefully in the chair, albeit not letting go of Steve but they’d work on that.

**

Tony was a mess, he had ketchup all of over his hands and face and Bucky chuckled.

“I think it’s time someone had a bath” Immediately Tony tensed up, he didn’t like water. Bucky noticed this and turned to Steve who didn’t seem to have a reaction to this. Last time Steve tried to give Tony a bath he ended up giving him a sponge bath instead because Tony refused to get into the tub. This time he had a plan.

Steve wordlessly scooped Tony up and started to carry him to the bathroom where Steve had JARVIS ready the bath while they ate. This time though the bath was filled with lots and lots of bubbles, ducks and boats lined the rim of the tub, and there was even a little blow up noodle for Tony to hold onto.

Tony’s tension hadn’t completely gone away but he was definitely more relaxed. Steve started to play with the bubbles a little, blowing them towards Tony while Tony held onto Steve’s neck with a vice.

“Look baby, there's lot of fun toys and bubbles. Don’t you wanna play with them?” Steve soothed as he placed one of the boats in the water and they both watched as it made its way across the tub. While Tony’s eyes were glued to the boat Steve squeaked the duck, catching Tony’s attention again. With one hand still clutching Steve’s shirt tightly Tony reached out for the duck using his other hand. Tony squeaked it once, then twice, and started to giggle.

Steve took this as his opportunity to try to ease Tony into the tub to which he was half successful at. Tony was halfway into the tub but he still refused to let go of Steve’s neck, making him bend over in an uncomfortable position. “Daddy…” Tony teared up and Steve sighed before another idea popped into mind.

“What if Daddy comes into the tub with you?” Steve offered. He would’ve never mentioned such a thing before but now that he was Tony’s official caregiver and Tony was more comfortable it was worth a shot. Tony sniffled and nodded his head.

With one hand still holding Tony Steve clumsily removed his shirt and pants so that he was left in only his boxers and stepped into the tub with Tony on his hip, slowly settling down so that Tony was seated in front of him in the water. Steve could feel Tony shaking from the stress and Tony’s grip only tightened around Steve’s neck but at least this was practice.

“Look, bubbles!” Steve took a handful of bubbles and gave himself a beard, making silly faces as Tony giggled and wiped the bubbles away. Slowly Tony started to shift his attention towards all the toys and bubbles and Steve could finally work on bathing Tony. While Tony played with the boat, Steve washed his hair and while Tony threw bubbles around, Steve scrubbed his face and body clean. Only when Steve was washing close to the arc reactor did Tony fuss up again but otherwise Steve was finally able to get Tony clean.

“There you go, nice and clean. No longer a smelly baby” Steve scrunched his nose playfully as Tony whined. Steve wrapped Tony in a fluffy towel and took him to the nursery where he dried Tony off and dressed him in a diaper and onesie. Just as Steve was clipping the onesie in place Bucky walked in with a warm bottle and chuckled at a still soaking Steve.

“Did you give him a bath or did he give you a bath” Bucky teased while Steve rolled his eyes. “I got him from here, you get dressed” Bucky shooed Steve away as he scooped Tony in his arms, rocking him gently before offering the bottle to which Tony happily drank.

“I see how it is, give me the hard job while you get to cuddle with the baby” Steve protested half heartedly as he already started to go to the bedroom to change. Bucky chuckled to himself softly as he sat down in the rocking chair with Tony still in his arms. The bath had really tired Tony out and the bottle was doing wonders at putting him to sleep. With a full tummy, and clean clothes Tony was soon asleep in Bucky's arm. Steve came back in just as Bucky was tucking Tony into the crib and both the men kissed their baby boy goodnight before heading to their own bed to pass out.

Chapter Text

Slowly the small family had gotten into a routine; Tony would be big on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesday in order to work on S.I and anything Avengers related and then the rest of the week was for little time unless there was an emergency. The beginning was more difficult, Tony had trouble staying little for long periods of time and neither Steve or Bucky pushed too much. They were patient and waited for Tony to slowly get comfortable with this big change and after a month of on and off Tony was finally ready for a group play date.

The days leading up to the big day Tony had been avoiding both Bucky and Steve, if he wasn’t little then he doesn’t have to go to the play date. He had locked himself in his workshop and had JARVIS initiate lockdown so that nobody could come in or out. The first day was quiet and so was the next but imagine Tony’s surprise when Steve and Bucky came strolling in, arms crossed, ready to drag Tony upstairs for his little time. Tony gaped, he hadn’t taken off lockdown…

“Jay what the hell?! It’s suppose to be full lockdown” Tony whined, eyeing both his daddies nervously.

“My apologies sir, as your legal caregivers both Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes have full access to any part of the tower” JARVIS informed and Tony groaned.

“Anthony Edward Stark, you are two days late for little time” Bucky scolded, taking Tony by the ear and dragging him towards the elevator.

“But big! Not little, have to work!” Tony tried to come up with any excuse but his hold on his headspace had been slipping. Damn that stupid routine, it made it too easy for Tony to get into headspace and right now that was not helping.

“JARVIS?” Steve prompted, arms still crossed as he followed Bucky.

“Sir has no immediate deadlines for the Avenger or Stark Industries, and no pressing meetings” Tony was going to murder the damn A.I.

“Traitor!” Tony whined and Bucky landed a solid smack to his backside which Tony squeaked at, he was totally in trouble.

“Report on Tony’s sleeping and eating habits for the last two days please” Steve asked again, and Tony gulped he was totally in big trouble .

“Sir has had dubious amounts of coffee and approximately 3 sandwiches over the last two days. He has slept for a total of 5 hours in the past 48 hours” To be fair 5 hours in two days was pretty good compared to how much he usually slept while he was on a work binge.

The elevator doors opened and Bucky immediately dragged Tony the corner, “10 minutes young man and then we are going to have a conversation on expectations and following rules”. Bucky’s tone was neutral, no disappoint but emotionless and Tony didn't like it. He nodded his head and turned into the corner. The first two minutes were quiet, by the third minute Tony was sniffling and by the 5 minute mark he was crying. When the 10 minutes were up Bucky came back and picked Tony up into his arms, to which Tony took as an opportunity to cling to Bucky’s shirt and never let go.

“Its ok honey, let's talk now” Bucky cooed, rocking Tony gently as he joined Steve on the couch.

“Tony baby, what happened? You were doing so well and now we're back to square one, you know better than to hide from us in the lab”. Steve’s voice was soft and he was holding onto Tony’s free hand, rubbing circles into his palm.

“I-I sowwy Daddy, just play date scawy” Tony whimpered and both Bucky and Steve melted.

“Darling it's ok to be scared, but it's not ok to run from us. When you’re having a hard time, come to Daddy or me. We’ll get through it together” Bucky kissed Tony’s head as he sniffled and nodded.

“How about we get you cleaned up and have a movie night!” Steve suggested and Tony immediately perked up, earning chuckles from both the men. After a quick bath and some yummy nuggets the three were settled on the couch with Tony in between both of them, Tony hadn’t even lasted half an hour before falling asleep on Steve’s chest. Bucky and Steve shared a sweet kiss as they both took in the sight of their baby boy sleeping peacefully in their arms.

**

Tony woke up in his crib the next morning, rolling onto his back as he looked around him. Today was the big day and he was still very terrified, still in his little space and not knowing what else he could do, Tony started to whimper and cry as he tried to bury himself in his blankets. Maybe he could climb over the crib and run off again but then Daddy would be mad. Not even a minuted later he felt himself being scooped up into warm protective arms.

“Hey, hey my sweet boy, its ok” It was Bucky and his hushed tone was very soothing. Tony calmed down quickly and clung to Bucky’s shirt instinctively. “Bad dream?” Bucky asked cautiously to which Tony shook his head; he hadn’t had any really bad nightmares for a while.

“Pway date” Tony clarified to which Bucky understood quickly.

“Daddy and I are gonna be right there with ya, you don’t even have to leave our arms if you don’t want to” That made Tony feel a lot better and his grip on Bucky’s shirt tightened.

After a quick breakfast and a change of clothes the three were now heading to the communal floor with Tony burying further into Steve’s neck as the elevator slowed down. Everybody was already waiting, excited to meet baby Tony for the first time. Clint was playing with blocks besides Fury and Coulson, Bruce was being fed a bottle in Thor’s arm, and Natasha had been clearing out the plates from breakfast. Clint was the first to notice and was quickly up and running to Steve’s feet.

“Uncle Steve!”Clint hugged Steve’s legs while Steve brushed his fingers through his hair.

“Hey there kiddo” Steve smiled warmly at the young boy as his eyes drifted to Tony still hiding in Steve’s arms.

“Tony!” Clint screeched as he jumped up and down. Tony whimpered weakly and wished that Steve’s chest could just swallow him whole.

“Clinton Francis Barton, what did I say about scaring the baby” Coulson scolded as Clint looked sheepishly at Steve and calmed down a bit.

“Its ok Clint, Tony’s just a bit shy and we gotta be patient with him” Bucky reassured, patting the boys shoulder. With that Clint was running back to his daddy’s arms and playing with his blocks.

Steve walked to the couch and took a seat next to Thor with Bucky doing the same. Thor smiled warmly at Tony as Bruce finished his bottle. Bruce looked curiously at Tony, and then back to Thor. Tony looked stressed and anxious and that made Bruce very anxious, he loved Tony and didn’t want him to be sad.

“Hello Tony, how are you this fine morning” Thor greeted softly only to be met with silence.

“Tony can you say hi to uncle thor?” Bucky asked as Steve rubbed circles into his back. Tony shook his head, he didn’t want to look at anyone or answer, he was perfectly fine in his current position.

“ ‘ony?” Bruce called over from Thor’s lap. Tony didn’t answer, he couldn't look at Bruce right now, this was too much too fast. The response made Bruce worry, did he do something wrong. Does Tony not like him anymore?

“ ‘ony no like me?” He asked, tears prickling in his eyes and voice breaking. At that Tony head darted up, looking panicked as he looked at Bruce. He made Bruce feel sad, Bruce was his best friend and Tony made him sad. He hesitantly crawled off of Steve’s lap to get to Bruce and hug him.

“You my best fwiend” He reassured as the caregivers watched intently around them. Steve quietly opened some cartoons and watched as Bruce and Tony slowly got entranced into the cartoon. The two were snuggled against each other as the caregivers talked and caught up. Eventually Clint joined in too, squeezing himself between the boys with one baby in each arm.

Looking at everyone in the common room around him made Steve swell with affection. Seeing his boys together, his family laughing and enjoying themselves, it couldn’t have gotten any better. Most importantly, Steve was happy that Tony could finally just let go.