Chapter Text
Uncertain of how to answer this frankly extraordinary question, Tony remained silent and stared at Steve with parted lips and rounded eyes. Steve seemed to take this as an answer in itself, because he twisted and opened up the cabinet under the sink. He rifled through a couple of packages before taking out a white pull-up patterned with blue stars and yellow moons, only it was sized for an adult.
“I think you’re going to need diapers later, but this will do for now until you’re in a better place to talk,” Steve said, more to himself than to Tony.
Tony didn’t – couldn’t – argue. He stood with Steve’s help and stepped into the pull-up, which Steve then drew up his legs. It was too big; Steve had to refasten it much more snugly to fit. Belatedly, it occurred to him to wonder who the pull-ups had been purchased for. Obviously someone bigger than him, but that didn’t necessarily mean much. But it seemed odd that the pull-ups had just happened to be here, never mind the diapers. Neither of those were things that most people would just keep around.
Bruce or Betty? That seemed like the most logical answer, but it was hard to picture either one of them being a Little. Maybe they just had lots of friends who were into this? He could have asked, but that would’ve meant taking his thumb out of his mouth and talking and Tony didn’t know if he was capable of that right now. It was easier to stay quiet and follow Steve’s simple directions.
Steve had to tie the sweatpants around Tony’s waist with the drawstring and then roll them up, as they were much too big. Likewise, the sweatshirt’s sleeves hung down over Tony’s hands and the collar threatened to slip off one shoulder. Undeterred, Steve tugged up the sleeves and shifted the collar until it hung a little better. Tony put his thumb back in his mouth as soon as he could.
“Well, it’ll do for now,” Steve said. “I don’t know if you brought clothes with you, but we can get you what you need.” He didn’t expect an answer, which was good because while Tony remembered throwing clothing into his bag, he couldn’t have said what clothing he had brought if someone offered him a hundred bucks.
He shivered at the gust of cool air when Steve opened the bathroom door again and made himself drop his thumb. The sweatpants covered up the pull-up nicely, but these people had already seen him being carried around like a little kid. Long-engrained habits made it so that Tony thought that he had to at least try making a decent second impression.
Bruce and Betty were the only ones there when Steve and Tony entered the living room. Tony’s eyes flicked around automatically for Bucky, but he didn’t see the man. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Bucky was technically a stranger too, but he was Steve’s friend and, after all the things Steve had told him about Bucky, Tony felt like he knew Bucky too in a way.
“Here, take a seat,” Betty said, jumping up and gesturing to the couch. Tony shyly followed Steve over and sat, holding his arm close to his chest. Betty and Bruce glanced at each other and then Bruce stood up.
“Hi Tony. I don’t know if you remember me, but we talked a few times in the chatroom,” he said, and Tony looked up at him in shock. “I go by ScienceLover.”
“That’s you?” Tony squeaked in shock. Of course he remembered ScienceLover – he memorized the name of everyone who took even a few seconds to greet him in the chatroom. He didn’t get the chance to talk to ScienceLover much; ScienceLover had alluded to having a job that kept him busy. If Bruce was a doctor, that made sense. He had also mentioned having a mommy. Tony’s eyes slid over to Betty.
She smiled at him. “I hardly ever get the opportunity to go into the chatroom,” she said. “Usually, even if I have a few minutes to myself, I’ve forgotten my phone at home. But Bruce has told me about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
At least that explained why there were pull-ups and diapers in the apartment, though Tony was pretty sure that the age of ScienceLover’s headspace meant he wore the former and not the latter. So maybe they really did keep diapers around for friends who came to visit. The thought was a little overwhelming and Tony found himself speechless.
“Tony hurt his wrist and he has a bruise on his side,” Steve said. Thankfully, he didn’t mention the bruises on Tony’s shoulders. “Could one of you take a look?”
“Of course!” Betty said. She knelt before Tony, still smiling. She had a really nice smile, Tony realized as he focused on her face. It reached her eyes and made the skin around them crinkle.
“Is that okay, Tony?” Steve murmured.
Tony swallowed but nodded, slowly extending his arm. Betty’s touch was very gentle as she took hold of his hand and arm. She ran her fingers across his wrist, feeling the bones, then rotated his hand. Tony flinched, biting his lip as a sharp pain ran up his arm. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes in spite of his best attempts to blink them back. Betty glanced up at him and her face softened.
“You’re okay, Honey,” she said. “You haven’t broken anything. I think it’s just a bad sprain. Bruce can wrap it up for you and that, plus some Tylenol and ice, will make you feel a whole lot better. Can I see your hip?”
“Here,” Steve said, wrapping an arm around Tony’s shoulders. He pulled Tony into him, then tugged up the sweatshirt. Tony flushed in embarrassment – the top of the pull-up was visible over the hem of the sweatpants – but Betty didn’t even look at that. Her mouth tightened as she touched Tony’s side, lightly probing around the bruise.
“Not broken there either. Just a bruise,” she said finally. “It wouldn’t hurt to ice this too, though.”
“I’ll get some,” Bruce said. He’d been standing over Betty’s shoulder, silently watching. Now, he turned and went into the kitchen. Betty followed him.
“You did really good,” Steve whispered in Tony’s ear. Tony just closed his eyes.
When Betty and Bruce returned, they had an ace bandage and two bags of ice. Betty quickly and expertly wrapped Tony’s wrist up, and Tony had to admit that his wrist did feel a lot better with the ace bandage around it. The ice stung at first, but, as the cold seeped in, the pain gradually began to ease. The same went for his throbbing hip. He breathed a bit easier.
“Here,” Bruce said, offering him two Tylenol and a glass of water. Tony clumsily took them both and tried to pop the pills in his mouth while also holding the water – and promptly dropped the glass.
Almost as though he’d seen it coming, Steve’s hand snapped out and he caught the glass. A bit of water spilled down the front of Tony’s sweatshirt, but it was far from the soaked lap he would’ve had if Steve weren’t there. Betty was there immediately with a tower to soak up the little water that had spilled, and Tony was barely aware of Steve handing the glass back to Bruce with Betty fussing over him. The next thing he knew, Bruce had returned and handed Tony a different cup.
A sippy cup, plastic with a bright blue spout. Tony’s face got hot.
“Hey,” Bruce said kindly, crouching down to meet Tony’s eye. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, Tony. That’s one of my cups you’re using. When I’m feeling little, I can’t handle regular glasses either. They’re slippery.”
“Take the Tylenol,” Steve directed in a low voice.
In spite of Bruce’s kind words, Tony was still very much embarrassed – but he obeyed regardless, putting the pills in his mouth and swallowing with a gulp of water from the cup. It took him a moment to work out how to suck water from the spout, but he found he was glad that he had it. His hands were trembling, and he undoubtedly would’ve spilled even more water if it hadn’t been for the lid. He drank the whole thing and handed it back to Bruce.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” Bruce said. “Do you want some more?”
Tony shook his head. The water had been gone, quenching a thirst he hadn’t even been aware of, but he was pretty sure that drinking more would be pushing it. His stomach was churning already.
“That’s okay,” Betty said, patting Tony’s knee. “You can rest for a while, and when you get up, I’ll make you something to eat.”
He didn’t argue, even though eating was the last thing that Tony felt like doing. He leaned back into Steve and rested his head on Steve’s shoulder, looking around the room for the first time. It was a nice living room, big enough to fit half a dozen people, and the furniture was actually comfortable to sit on. His parent’s living room could fit two dozen people, but all the furniture was stiff and made your back ache if you sat for more than a few minutes.
“I need to talk to Betty. Would you be okay alone for a minute?” Steve asked after a while.
“I’m not a baby,” Tony said, trying hard to sound annoyed. He wasn’t sure he succeeded, because Steve shot him a soft, fond smile that made Tony’s stomach twist for an entirely different reason.
“I’ll be right back,” was all he said, neither confirming nor denying Tony’s status. Tony frowned after him as Steve carefully got up and walked into the kitchen.
The ice had mostly melted, so Tony moved the bags to the coffee table. He pulled his sweatshirt back down, shivering a little – now that Steve had moved, he was chilled. He carefully set his sprained wrist in his lap as Bruce came back into the room carrying two things. One was a blanket, which he draped over Tony without asking. The other thing was a…
Tony blinked.
“I thought you might like it. He doesn’t have a home,” Bruce explained, holding out the stuffed animal. It was an elephant, all grey except for where it was pale pink on the bottom of its feet and the inside of its floppy ears, looking at Tony with big brown eyes. The toy was big enough for Tony to hold it in his lap and hug it – if Tony were so inclined, of course.
Which he wasn’t.
At all.
“He?” Tony said, which wasn’t what he’d meant to say at all, but it made Bruce smile.
“Or her.” He sat down beside Tony and set the toy on Tony’s lap.
It was soft. Tony was immediately in love. He pinched a bit of fur between his index finger and thumb, rubbing at it just to feel the texture. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d held a stuffed animal. It had been years. He must have been just a baby at the time, probably back when Jarvis was around. His eyes got hot again, and he blinked back tears.
Steve and Betty came out of the kitchen. They smiled at the sight of Tony holding the toy, and, although Tony blushed to be found holding it, he didn’t let go.
“Tony, we’ve been talking,” Betty began. “Steve thinks you shouldn’t go back home right now, and I agree. So we wanted to see if you would like to stay with us for a while.”
Tony’s eyes widened in shock. “Wh-what?”
“Of course, Steve can stay too,” Betty said, misinterpreting Tony’s reaction. “I know you’d feel more comfortable if he was here to take care of you. The two of you can stay until you figure out what else you’re going to do.”
Steve wanted to stay? With him? Here? Tony looked back and forth between them, overwhelmed.
“What will you do?” Bruce asked, looking up at Steve.
“Get an apartment, probably,” Steve replied. “I’m sure Natasha can help us find something… if that’s what Tony wants.”
They wanted to take care of him. Steve wanted to take care of him. Tony couldn’t hold the tears back anymore; they started falling thick and fast as he nodded his head so hard his neck muscles hurt. Steve’s face softened and he sat down on the other side of Tony, wrapping Tony up in a big hug.
“Shh, baby boy,” Steve murmured, rocking him back and forth. “It’ll be okay, you’ll see.”