Chapter Text
Tony knew something was wrong when JARVIS awoke him with the panic alarm. He shot upright, but realized he was in the nursery. It wasn't another villian trying a nocturnal scheme (That was when everyone learned that Captain America could swear with the best of them, and did NOT enjoy being woken up), so he looked down and... shit. The reactor. It must be that. He wouldn't have long, and he started his sprint, screaming at JARVIS to get Bruce and Pepper up, and to keep an eye on him as he moved. But suddenly a fist came out of nowhere, knocking Tony in the face. He looked up into the eyes of none other than his father.
Tony gulped. It couldn't be. The bastard was dead. He was DEAD! How could he be here?!
"You worthless, worthless piece of shit!" He growled, ripping the arc-reactor from Tony's chest, the same way Obadiah had done, so so long ago...
* * * *
"Tony! Tony wake UP!" Natasha hissed. She was in the crib, shaking him to try and get him to stop. He screamed, and shot up right, swinging, Natasha quickly grabbed his hands and restrained him. "Shh, baby just breathe," She cooed. "You're safe here, alright? It's me. It's sissy. You're in the tower, and Clint went to get Mommy for us. You like Mommy, right? Mommy makes everything better."
Tony's loud sobs slowly turned to hiccups, tears runing down his cheeks as Natasha rocked him. It was just a dream. Just a dream... Why was his dad haunting his dreams again?
* * * *
Tony was withdrawn the next day. He poked at his breakfast, and not even Natasha feeding him seemed to help. Bruce brought him down to his personal lab after breakfast to play, thinking maybe he would open up down there. He hadn't seen Tony this distraught since... well since after New York.
"Dada?" Tony finally asked.
"Yes sweet boy?" Bruce asked, at his side in an instant.
"....Don' feel good," He said nervously. "Feel.... Feel bad."
"Would the dolls help?" Bruce asked. Lately that had been helping all of the "kids" with using their words. Well, everyone except Bucky anyways. He mostly just chewed on everything.
Tony nodded. "Pease?" He asked. Bruce ruffled the baby's hair, going to get the doll house. Tony stuck his thumb in his mouth and waited patiently. Unfortunately, Playtime wasn't going to happen. Bruce had forgotten to put the lab in what they had recently dubbed "family mode," where only those aware of the "kids" could enter. This meant anyone could enter the lab. Including Rhodey.
The colonel had to admit, he had seen Tony get into some weird shit. He had known the kid since he was sixteen after all. But somehow like this, he looked... desperate. Frantic. Tony looked up at him and the world suddenly went muddy. He was half in reality and half gone, back to his childhood home, his dad drunk and towering over him.
"Tones?" Rhodey asked. That was all it took and Tony was running, trying to find someone, ANYONE to protect him. Mama, Jarvis, Aunt Peggy, ANYONE. He collided with someone's chest, but whoever it was quickly wrapped their arms around him. Tony tried to fight them off. He could swear he heard Bruce and Loki trying to calm him down but he couldn't see and this was a flashback and no no no no no! Then someone was pinching his neck and then the stupid childhood home melted away to reveal Rhodey and Bruce staring at him, one in worry and one in shock. The last thing Tony heard before he completely slipped into the fog of unconsciousness was the way Rhodey said, in that disappointed voice he utterly hated with all his being, "Oh Tony."
* * * *
"I really don't give a crap what you say Rhodes. You have no idea what the hell he's been through," Sam practically spat.
"Need I remind you I've known him since we were in MIT together?" Rhodey growled. "Not only that but I outrank you."
"Don't even try that bullshit Rhodes, I left, for exactly the same reason Tony's got what you seem to insist is a 'disgusting fetish,'" Sam hissed. "It's not sexual, and it helps. If there is anything you ought to know, it's that when something helps, it HELPS. As long as he's not falling apart, I can more than condone this."
"Does his counselor know?" Rhodey asked. "Or his psychiatrist? Or are you putting an unstable individual-"
Pepper, Natasha, and Maria Hill glided in at that exact moment, Pepper pretty much sprinting ahead of all of them. One look in her eyes and Rhodey knew he was in for a heap of hurt. The CEO slapped Rhodey HARD. "You had that coming for putting my angel into such a tailspin," She hissed in pure rage. "You're lucky I haven't sent Happy up here to kick you out on your ass Rhodey."
Rhodey glared at the three women before him. This was a match he would not win. Not by himself. Pepper brought out her big guns, Rhodey would show his. "Whatever Pepper," He said, before storming off.
"He's got a plan," Natasha whispered. "He's going to use the phone."
Hill nodded. "I'll stick Barton on it," She decided, leaving to go find him.
As the doors closed again, Natasha finally whispered, "I'm sorry Mama."
"You did nothing wrong," Pepper said. "This is Rhodey, not you."
"But what if I am disgusting? And a freak? I shouldn't-"
Pepper kissed the redhead. softly, gently, on the lips. "Don't do that Natasha. You're fine. I love you just the way you are, do you hear me?" Natasha nodded, her head swimming.
* * * *
Tony was still kind of foggy when he woke up in the med-bay. He tried to rub his eyes, but his hands were restrained. Bruce was by his side in an instant, undoing them and holding his hands. "Shh, hey there sweet boy," He cooed.
"D-D-D-D-Dada?" Tony stuttered. Oh no. Not this. Anything but this. "D-D-D-Dada I-I-I-I c-c-c-c-can't-"
"Shh, it's probably from the flashback you had," Bruce said, running a hand through Tony's hair. "You're okay. You know that right?"
Tony shook his head, tears in his eyes. "N-n-n-n-n-not s-s-s-s-s-safe," He sniveled miserably. Bruce crushed Tony to his chest.
"Listen to me angel, are you listening? this is important," Bruce murmured. He waited for Tony to nod against his chest. "Whatever you saw, whether it was real or not, is done. It's gone, and I promise I won't ever let anything hurt you again. Not even me."
"P-p-p-p-promis-se?" Tony stuttered.
"Pinkie promise," Bruce said, gently kissing Tony's precious curls. There was a quiet knock on the door and both boys looked up to see Natasha standing there, alone.
"Can I come in? I need to talk to you alone Bubby," She asked.
Tony nodded. "P-p-p-p-please D-d-d-d-dad-d-d-da?" He tried to say. Bruce kissed his pretty curls and left.
Natasha sat quietly on the bed. "How do you feel?" She asked her brother quietly. Tony shrugged. "Mommy kissed me," She added in a whisper.
"G-g-g-g-g-go y-y-y-y-you!" Tony tried to say, hugging her.
"I'm not sure how I feel about it though!" Natasha sighed in frustration.
"W-w-w-was i-it cons-s-s-sensual?" Tony asked, getting a nod. "A-a-a-a-are you g-g-g-gay?"
"I don't know what the hell I am other than really confused," Natasha said, laying her head on Tony's shoulder. "I think Rhodey is going to try and talk to you about what he saw. Mommy is working on the collateral. She knows a few things, and so does Uncle Sam. They said they would help."
Tony nodded. What else could he do?
* * * *
Clint, meanwhile, had been tasked with figuring out what Rhodey's plan was. He was spying on him the only way that he knew how; in the vents. He pulled out his cell, texting Natasha everything he heard. Apparently he was calling Jane Foster and Reed Richards, claiming that he was worried about Tony's well-being.
"BULLSHIT!" Pepper yelled. "That tears it. We're mounting a counter strike."
"What?" Maria asked.
Natasha's eyes lit up. "Playdate?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes baby girl. The biggest playdate we can manage," Pepper said, taking her phone to make a few phone calls.
*AT LE BAXTER BUILDING*
"He WHAT?!" Sue gasped. "....Of course we'll come. Johnny was asking about them just the other day."
*AND AT LE HOTEL WHERE THE SCIENCE CONVENTION IS THAT JANE AND DARCY ARE ATTENDING*
"....You swear you won't let nothing happen?" Darcy asked. "....Yeah, okay Auntie Pep. I's comin'."
*LE WHEREVER SPIDEY AND DEADPOOL LIVE*
"Oh HELL NO," Wade said. "Yeah, we're comin. The little tyke's been bugging me about seeing To-To again anyways."
*AVENGERS TOWER*
"Well, that settles that," Pepper sighed.
"And you really think rallying the troops is a good idea?" Maria asked.
"Hell hath no fury like mine," Pepper growled. Maria laughed. Pepper had such a momma bear complex.
* * * *
"TONY!" Darcy, Johnny Storm, Peter Parker, Natasha, Loki, Bucky AND Clint said, barreling into Bruce's lab.
"W-w-what's th-th-this?" The genius asked.
"Pway date pway date pway date!" Peter announced.
"W-w-w-w-why?"
"Mommy thought it was a good idea," Natasha answered. Tony stuck his thumb in his mouth nervously.
"Don' be scawed Tony," Darcy said. "Auntie Pep said we could pway aaaaaall day and then we would have a talk tonight and make you all better!"
"Pease bubba?" Bucky said. Tony couldn't help it. He smiled at his friends and nodded. They all squealed and suddenly there was a dogpile of littles giggling. Loki smiled, picking the actual baby (Bucky) up and taking him up to the living room that had been turned into a toy paradise. Everyone soon followed and suddenly there were a million things going on at once. Candyland was going on at the coffee table, Chutes and ladders on the sofa. Darcy liked to play pretend so she and Tony were playing doctor (quite fitting in her mind, since someone broke Tony's voice). Pepper smiled. She so loved when they had company. Sue was a nice person to sit and visit with anyways.
"Are you really okay with this?" Sue aked Pepper quietly. "You seem to be struggling with your feelings here."
"She's just.... I don't feel it when she's little," Pepper said. "And my heart belongs to Tony. Just... I feel like it wants to belong to her too."
Wade smiled and gently held Pepper's hand. "It will sort itself out." The rest of the day was... fun. There were a few small tears but nothing a good cuddle or diaper change couldn't fix. Steve and Sam had been absent until dinner, which was quite fun. Some littles were fed, by both bigs and each other (Tony asked that Nat feed him). Finally, Pepper settled them into the living room to explain.
"Alright, now there's gonna be some people coming in for a talk," She said gently. "And these people aren't very nice. They don't understand what we do, and why it isn't bad. But all of the big people are going to take care of it, alright? You just be yourselves, okay?" She got nods from everyone. A few thumbs went into mouths, Bucky curled tightly into Loki, who held his baby doll tightly. The doors slid open and in walked the odd squad.
Rhodey, Reed Richards and Jane Foster did a double take. Pepper stood, arms across her chest.
"What."
"The."
"Hell."
"Oh I'm sorry, did I step on your moment?" Pepper asked, making Natasha giggle.
*TO BE CONTINUED*