Chapter Text
Loki paced the hard floors of Stark tower. His brother had finally bested him and any second the Avengers would fly in and take the Tesseract from him and lock him away for all eternity in Asgard. Loki took his scepter in one hand and tried to think of a way out of this mess. He couldn't hide the Tesseract because the Avengers would just find it with their tracking devices so that was out of the question, he couldn't destroy it, nothing could.
Loki stopped when he heard the famous man of Irons suit land on the deck along with thunder not that far behind. Loki started to chanted a very powerful spell he once read in the dark parts of the Asgard library where even his mother didn't venture.
As the Tesseract started to glow and separate Loki took a piece and seared it into his skin with an agonizing scream. Tony and Clint ran in just in time to see a bust of light throw them across the room. Tony quickly activated his suit before he hit the metal wall but Clint had nothing to protect himself from it so he was knocked unconsciousness as Tony was simply winded.
Tony got up and ran to the room which now lay in crumbles. He looked down to find Loki unconsciousness as well holding something that was covered by his cape and moving.
“Jarvis check if he is still alive.”
“I've already scanned Mr. Stark but i seem to be picking up two heart beats.”
Tony walked closer and slowly pulled the cape back to reveal a small child. She looked to be about one with black as night hair, skin pale almost sickly looking, and eyes bluer than the sky. The child was hugging the unconscious Loki and giggling.
All of a sudden Thors loud voice boomed from the kitchen.
“Loki where are you hiding? You will be brought to justice no matter where you go!”
“Jarvis scan the child and see if her DNA is from the city.”
“Sir the child is not human. I am picking up a dangerously large amount of energy coming of of her sir, and if my readings are right the child is the ball of energy known as the Tesseract.”
“Scan again Jarvis Loki didn't create a child out of the Tesseract.”
“Sir the readings are the same.”
The child fell off Loki's chest and Tony quickly picked her up.
“Stark are you alright come in?”
Tony quickly left the room and hurried to his lab.
“Jarvis I need you to pull open the hidden liquor cabinet.”
While he was dating Pepper she hated his drinking so much she threw out all his alcohol no matter how expensive, so Tony had to come up with a better hiding place.
The large hatch opened in the corner and Tony set the small child who was giggling like a mad man in the cabinet.
“Jarvis where are my hulk tranquilizers?”
“In the zapper drawer sir.”
Tony pulled out the tranquilizer as Captain and Widows voice screamed in his ear asking If he was okay. Tony got a small syringe and went back to the child who was eating her foot. Tony pressed a button to have the suit retract so he could give her the shot with less of a risk.
“Hey baby girl, I need you to let me do this so nobody finds you okay?”
The child's bright blue eyes just looked at Tony as if she understood he thought. Then Tony looked in the metal reflection to see he had blood on his face. Tony quickly put the needle in her arm as he heard lots of footsteps coming towards the lab. He shut doors and quickly turned towards the door.
“Jarvis make sure air gets in there and lock the signal so it doesn't show that she's in their.”
“Yes sir.”
Right then Captain America, Black Widow, human Bruce, and Pietro ran in looking worried and beaten.
“Tony what happened? Why didn't you answer?”
Tony quickly went back to his laid back mode.
“Took down Loki and came to see if I could pull up the Tesseract on Jarvis. My headset must be broken.”
Tony went to the main computer and typed in something nobody could see. Once the screen lit up Jarvis voice did as well.
“Sir I'm not picking up any readings on the Tesseract. It seems to have just vanished.”
All of a sudden Tony heard glass break and everyone turned to see a angry Thor in between Tonys glass table.
“The Tesseract must be here. Loki could not have escaped so quickly with it and came back!”
Captain put his hands up trying to make himself small in the presence of the god.
“Thor he didn't we are just not picking it up right now. Tony will find it right?”
Tony nodded just as Clint voice rang through.
“Thor Loki is ready for transportation, he's still knocked out so you'll have an easy ride.”
Thor knelt down and started picking up Bruce's paperwork he'd been working on before they got the call that Loki was in New York and had an army.
“I am sorry brother Tony I am simply angry but it is no reason to destroy your home.”
“Don't worry big guy just get your crazy brother out of here.”
“I will return him to Asgard. It may take a while but I will be back friends.”
Thor left followed by Nat and Captain. Bruce was last but Tony stopped him from leaving.
“Bruce I need you to meet me in the lab late tonight understand?”
“I thought Fury wanted us at the party?”
“Skip it this is more important.”
Bruce paled a little.
“Tony Stark saying no to a party. What did you do?”
“Nothing just meet me here.”
Before Bruce could question anymore Bucky came in saying they. Needed the hulk to lift a large piece of cement off a helicopter full of people. Once they left Tony went to the hidden liquor cabinet and opened it to find a wide awake child. She made a hugging gesture and Tony picked her up, she started babbling something and Tony took her to the table.
“Jarvis I need fake paperwork made.”
________
Director Fury came into the ‘Party’ which was just the Avengers excluding Thor, Director Fury and them were all in the Stark tower with a bunch of paperwork.
“Loki wouldn't reveal what happened to the Tesseract no matter what we tried. Our scanners aren't picking up anything either. We know it was in the tower last with Loki but after it disappeared and we don't know how or where. Until the people calm down about the destruction you all caused from the battle you all will be inside Stark tower unless something should arise. Tony I don't expect you to actually help us find the Tesseract but the sooner it's in our hands the better.”
“You mean the sooner it's in your hands the sooner you can start making military grade weapons for the US?”
Fury squinted (or slowly blinked Tony couldn't tell) and walked up to Stark.
“Tony if you have any idea where the Tesseract is it'll be your best interest to hand it over.”
“I don't know where it is but I'll look and won't tell you.”
Fury huffed and walked out. Tony jumped up and Bruce followed.
“Hey you two have to help with the paperwork as well.”
“Cap like I've told you a million times paperwork is for dogs.”
Tony left before he could hear Steve remark with Bruce in toe. Tony got to his lab and shut the doors behind him.
“Jarvis check for any recording devices or cameras.”
“None sir.”
Tony walked to the cabinet and opened it to reveal the small child curled into a ball under one of Tony's shirts holding onto his Iron Man action figure.
“Tony why do you have a small child in your liquor cabinet?”
Tony picked the little girl up and faced her toward Bruce. She slowly woke up and looked at Bruce, she giggled while Bruce gasped.
“Her eyes.”
“Jarvis says she's the Tesseract. I did some small tests on her earlier and she's full of the Tesseract's energy and heat signal. I found her when Clint and I got to the building, there was a blast and Clint got knocked out but I had my suit on. I walked in and Loki was lying on the floor and the kid was on top of him giggling.”
Bruce stepped closer to the small child who was now babbling. Bruce touched her and his skin turned green and he quickly took his hand back.
“When I tried to touch the Tesseract it did the same thing. Tony we have to give her to Fury. We don't know what kind of magic Loki did but she could be a ticking time bomb for all we know.”
Tony cuddled to small child.
“She's not a time bomb Jarvis tested her vitals and everything. She's just a child Bruce if we hand her over to Fury they'll poke and probe her until she's nothing but a weapon. We have to figure out a better way.”
“Tony sooner or later they are gonna get through your computer programs and find out she's here. Fury will lock you away from your life, do you really wanna risk everything you've work for and made of yourself for a kid who's a freaking alien weapon?”
Tony looked down at the small babbling child who was clutching the small Iron Man toy and looking at him like he was special. For some reason Tony liked this feeling, holding the small girl and protecting her, if he was in his right mind he would send the child away or give her to Fury, but for some reason Tony couldn't bring himself to even consider it.
“Yes Bruce. Now are you gonna help me or not?”
“Damnit Tony… Find.. What do I have to do?”
_______
Bucky was standing in the kitchen drinking black coffee early in the morning before anyone was up. He still couldn't bring himself to be around all the Avengers in a normal situation, he didn't have to fully worry right now because Tony and Bruce had been hidden away in the lab looking for the Tesseract for that past two weeks. He felt like he didn't belong even after years of helping the Avengers he still felt like a monster no matter what Steve said. Steve always saw the brightness in everyone, something Bucky loved about the man.
Bucky choked on his coffee.
‘Loved?’ He thought.
Bucky pushed the thought away. The gnawed tingling feeling he always got when Steve was around or when he even thought of the man. Bucky sighed as he put his cup down. Bucky admitted it to himself long ago he was in love with Steve, he really knew it the minute Steve pulled him from his dark haze, he accepted it when Steve shared a room with his so he wouldn't be alone when his nightmares hit. Bucky knew it was wrong of him, he knew it was a time of acceptance but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong to want to be with Steve, like he was taking Steve away.
‘If he ever accepted that is.’
Bucky ran his hands through his hair just as he heard small footsteps. Bucky scrunched his face because they were light like a child's. Bucky stood up and peered over the counter to see a small child maybe five yawning with a sippy cup and a AC/DC shirt that he could only assume was Tony's. The child had the brightest blue eyes Bucky had ever seen, he couldn't even place the light blue rich color. The child walked until she got to a cabinet and opened it to Thor's poptarts. She grabbed one and started to leave when Bucky stepped forward.
To his surprise she didn't seem scared or even surprised, she simply looked at Bucky with an awed expression. With her tiny arms she held up the still wrapped pop tart to Bucky with a silent plea to open the package. Bucky reached down and his metal arm glistened in the low light of the moon. The girl's eyes went wide and she wrapped her hands around his wrist forgetting the pop tart. Bucky felt surprisingly calm with the child touching his arm, Bucky only let Steve and even then he felt humiliation, but for some reason he didn't mind the kid touching his arm.
The small child knocked on his arm and her eyes widened when it didn't make a sound. She started giggling which made Bucky smile.
“Bucky where are you?”
Steve walked into the sight which he hoped he'd never forget. Bucky was leaning down while a small child hugged his metal arm.
“Who is she? Why is she in Stark tower?”
The small child looked up.
“What's wrong with her eyes?”
Bucky picked her up and she put her hands on the red star which was on his shoulder.
“I don't know she just walked into the kitchen and tried to grab a pop tart.”
Steve got close and tugged on the bottom of the AC/DC shirt.
“This is Starks. Why is a child wearing Starks shirt?”
Steve stepped back a bit and looked to Bucky as far as either of them knew Stark had no family or friends outside Stark tower. Steve thought maybe it could be a mother he may be dating but Tony hadn't left the tower other than a bat run which took ten minutes. Steve gestured to Bucky to hand the little girl over. Bucky pulled her up to hand her off but she huffed and held onto Bucky's arm tighter.
“Go to Steve sweetheart.”
Steve went to grab her again and she started to cry loudly. Bucky held her close again and she slowly calmed down.
“Um… Bucky?”
“Yeah Steve?”
“You're floating.”
Bucky looked down to see he was indeed floating and a good foot in the air. Bucky held the little girl tighter as he dropped to the gowned with a loud thump. Bucky looked to Steve with wide eyes and Steve did the same. They stayed like this until Tony walked in with a very tired and worried looking Bruce.
“Hey you found her thanks.”
Tony went to grab her but Bucky backed up a bit. Steve stood in front of Bucky immediately.
“Stark why is there a small child in this house with your shirt?”
Tony sighed and went to reach for her but Steve pushed him back. Tony had been awake for three days straight trying to figure out why Tes had hit three major growth spurts in a single week, so it's safe to say Steve pushed his last button. Tony shoved Steve who in turn when to punch Tony but was abruptly stopped when a large metal bowl was flung at his head, Steve clutched his head from the pain and the now screaming child who was screaming
“Ton Ton!!”
All of a sudden things started flying at Steve ranging from a single spoon to the microwave. Tes cried in Bucky's arms until Tony ran over and grabbed her bouncing her up and down.
“Tony's okay sweetheart it's okay calm down.”
Slowly Tes started to calm down and things stopped flying at Steve who Bucky was kneeling over trying to help the gash on the side of his head. Tony slowly realized all the Avengers were awake including Wanda Maximoff, Tony didn't have his little mutant repellent earpiece so he couldn't do anything if she tried to read his mind. Tony slowly backed up and tried to think of an easy escape route. Natasha pointed to Tony as he tried to make his getaway.
“Who's the kid?”
Before Tony could answer Wanda gasped and stepped forward.
“She's the Tesseract.”
Everyone's eyes went wide and Steve stepped forward.
“Tony is this true?”
Tony looked to Bruce who was trying to get Hawkeye to calm down.
“Yes but I can explain.”
“We have to give her to Fury.”
Steve went to move but stopped abruptly.
“You can't do that Captain.”
It was Wanda who stepped up.
“If you do that this small child will be tortured and kept as a weapon. I won't allow that to happen to even my worst enemy let alone a child.”
Natasha got close to Wanda but Clint stepped I'm her way.
“She's right Nat.”
Everyone slowly calmed down realizing that fighting in front of the weapon child would be a bad idea. Everyone sat down in the front room as Tony put Tes in the middle and handed her a iPad on a painting app.
“What happened Tony?”
Steve was the first to break the silence as they all watched the blue eyed child poke the screen in wonder.
“When I got to the Avenger tower on the day of the battle Clint and I went to find Loki, we walk in and this huge burst of energy throws us back, I have time for my suit to take the impact but Clint gets knocked out. I go into the room and Loki is lying on the floor looking dead, then I see a movement under his cape, Jervis scans and says it's powerful but it's just a baby not even two-”
Natasha interrupts.
“This kid looks like she's five.”
“that's the thing it happened a week ago, she went from looking one to looking three and yesterday she looks four and today she looks five.”
Everyone's quiet, all assuming the same thing. Pietro voiced it.
“Da small child is ageing. Does that mean she vil die soon?”
Tony looked away.
“I don't know Jarvis check her, scanned her, he's done everything but it all looks normal considering.”
“Can she understand us?”
Clint got down beside her and she looked up showing him her picture of circles.
“I'm not sure. She calms down if you talk to her gently, but she can only say Tony more so she can only say Ton (Tone). Wanda do you know what she's thinking?”
“No. I can't hear anything from her.”
Everyone looked back down at the child who was walking over to Tony and showing him her drawing. Then she turned around and went to Bucky.
“Buck!”
She smiled when his eyes widened. Every one sat in wonder as she sat on Bucky's lap and used his metal finger to draw on the screen. She giggled when he made a star. Steve who was sitting by Bucky, had been silent this whole, not saying a word. Finally he stood up and looked at the child in Bucky's lap.
“Director Fury will know nothing of this Tony, but if she becomes a threat we will hand her over.”
Clint stared daggers at Steve along with Pietro and Bucky, Tony didn't even bother looking at him waving him off.
“She's harmless. She just a good asshole repellent.”
Steve turned and left followed by Natasha, Wanda, Vision, and Bruce. Steve turned to Vision as they entered the kitchen.
“Vision does anything about her feel off?”
“Other than the large amount of energy? No she's completely normal all vitals are healthy and perfect just as Stark had said.”
“We will keep an eye on her Steve. Don't worry.”
Nat put her hand on his shoulder. Steve got the feeling he was being watched so he turned his head back to the front room where he caught Bucky's eyes which looked pained before he went back to smiling at Tes.
______
The Avenger tower felt tense. Half the Avengers adored the small angle which was now ten years old. Clint would take her to a secluded park because he was the lesser known Avenger. Pietro would play slow tag ( as he called it ) and play with her and Clint in the morning, she slept in Tony's room but as of late bunked with Bucky when he was having bad dreams. Clint, Pietro, Tony, and Bucky all loved the little girl and it only grew when she learned their names. As for the others.
Wanda didn't seem to really care either way. Vision found her fascinating to the point he would scare her or try to get some of her blood, Bucky would threaten him and he's go away for the time, Nat seemed like she hated the small child as well as Steve who would be as far from the child as possible. Bruce just tried to research and stay out of the small child's way. He didn't want to hurt her.
One late afternoon Clint and Tes were sitting on the couch playing patty cake when the building shook slightly and Clint got up and picked Tes up with him.
“TONY!! THORS BACK!!”
Pietro raced in and looked to them.
“Vhat is problem?”
“Thor is here.”
Before Pietro could react Thor stepped into the room with a huge smile and open arms.
“Brother Clint I didn't know you would be bringing your offspring. What is this small child's name?”
Tony barged in and grabbed Tes.
“Lovely seeing you Thor but we must be off.”
Tony left the room quickly leaving Thor in a confused state.
“Was Madam Pepper with child?”
Clint shook his head and Pietro laughed.
“I will go check on Tony and Tes. Welcome back Thor.”
Was about to speed out when yelling came from the hallway and a loud “NOT THE SCOTCH!!” was yelled before glass broke and Thor ran to see what happened. Tes was clutching Tony and Natasha was on the ground holding her shoulder.
“Thor can fix it now tell him!!”
Thor walked up and knelt down checking Nats arm.
“Lady Natasha are you alright?”
“We found the Tesseract Thor.”
“That is marvelous news lady Natasha. Where is it?”
Natasha pointed to Tony and Thor looked up. For a few seconds he was confused till he looked into the child's eyes. He felt power. Thor stood up quickly and went to grab the child but Tony back stepped.
“What are you doing Thor?”
“I must take the child to Asgard and talk to the all father.”
Thor went again to grab her and again Tony side stepped.
“Okay let me come with you.”
“Not possible the Avengers are not allowed into Asgard yet.”
Again he went to grab her but Tony turned and ran.
“This is childish brother Tony.”
Thor quickly caught up to Tony who was handing her to Bruce.
“What is your all father gonna do to her Thor.”
“He will remove the Tesseract from the small child that Loki had put in her. Then we will return her to her family.”
“She was made Thor. Jarvis has no trace of her. Loki created her.”
Thor looked to them for a mo