A Secret Exposed
Tony had never been happier. The following month was pure bliss. Bucky, as promised, would show up at each mealtime and bedtime to usher him into eating and sleeping. Winter would occasionally show up when Tony was being more combative with his commanding voice, cajoling Tony into doing whatever was asked of him. Overall, he felt healthier and much more energized than he had in years. His work output increased dramatically, but it wasn’t burning him out this time.
He was little at least twice a week and each time his caregiver was there. It was like a dream come true and Tony sometimes feared it was too good to be true. His relationships with the rest of the team were steadily growing closer and he had the sweetest, most attentive caregiver he could ever ask for. It was perfect.
Of course, it couldn’t last. Something always goes wrong for him.
It started when Tony had to travel to London for a meeting. It was another brand deal that Pepper insisted would be good for Stark Industries. So, of course, Tony agreed to fly out to meet her and attend the necessary meetings. What was supposed to be three days turned into two weeks of meetings and Tony hated it. He wanted desperately to return to New York where Bucky was waiting for him. The caregiver hadn’t been keen on the idea even in the beginning, but he got caught up in a mission himself so neither of them really had a choice.
Only he could take a business trip and turn it into a whole hostage situation. It had happened so quickly that Tony could barely wrap his head around it. One moment he and Pepper were walking to a nearby cafe to enjoy a quiet lunch and the next they were locked up in a room, and Tony found himself once again being threatened for access to one of his creations.
The entire situation reminded him eerily of Afghanistan and he wasn’t coping well with it. When their captives made a video, citing their demands of both his company and the Avengers team in exchange for his and Pepper’s lives. Pepper tried her best to soothe him in any way she could but it was pointless. He wanted his caregiver. He wanted to go home. To his family. He couldn’t handle this. It was tearing open old wounds that he didn’t know how to face. Still, he kept a firm handle on it, not letting himself give in. To give in to his emotions would certainly spell trouble for the two of them.
They eventually get separated, which leads Tony to have a minor breakdown once they lock him in a room empty except for a bucket and a thin mattress on the floor. He pounded on the door demanding that they take him back to Pepper. He screams until his voice goes hoarse and he’s forced to stop or risk losing it. He curls up in the corner of the room, trying to prevent himself from outright sobbing. He’s tired, he’s hungry, his body hurts, he’s pretty sure that he has a few cracked ribs from the few times that their captors beat him, and he just wants to go home.
He doesn’t know how long he’s there. It feels like weeks but perhaps it was only a few days. They come in every so often to make their demands, and each time he refuses they beat him. He’s almost certain now that his ribs are broken and he’s pretty sure one of his ankles is at least severely sprained. His head pounds with every movement he makes and he wonders idly if maybe there’s something wrong with his brain and he’ll die here. It would be better than sitting here day after day, waiting for someone to come rescue him.
Maybe there’s no one coming at all. The thought scares him, but the longer that he’s there, the more he wonders. He slowly devolves into begging for food each time he sees someone, but they ignore him. “You can’t leave me here to starve” he cries out, throwing the bucked at the wall, the resulting sound satisfying though it does result in someone coming in and slapping him across the face.
Sometimes he thinks he can hear Pepper crying somewhere down the hallway from him, and that brings tears to his eyes. The thought of someone causing her pain brings such distress to him that it nearly breaks what little resolve he has left. He slowly devolves into lying weakly on the ground, breathing shallowly in hopes that he won’t cause any damage to his internal organs. He knew how dangerous a broken rib could be.
The sound of gunshots and yelling breaks him out of his stupor. He looks towards the door and he barely has the energy to scoot away when it busts open, a tall figure storming in. His eyes struggle to adjust to the sudden light that is flooding the room. It had been a while since anyone came into his cell. He almost sobs when he recognizes the person standing there.
“Which one of you is it?” he croaks out and he hears a soft huff of relief before a thick, Russian accent responds to him.
“I’m glad you’re not dead, Котёнок. I’d hate to have to hunt down the entirety of HYDRA because they took you away from us.”
So HYDRA was behind this. The news really wasn’t all that shocking to Tony considering what they’ve done in the past, but it wasn’t really a comforting thought to know he was on their radar. Tony groans as Winter crouches down and gingerly scoops him into his arm. He sobs as pain radiates from his chest, instinctively reaching up and touching his reactor, making sure it is still intact.
“Daddy,” the name slips out of his mouth without his permission, and for a moment an expression of shock is plastered across Winter’s face.
“Do you want Bucky?” he asks and Tony whimpers, grasping onto his shirt.
“Don’t leave me,” he gasps out, tears starting to stream down his face. He desperately wanted Bucky, but Winter made him feel safe in this situation. Winter nods, tucking the little close to his body, urging him to rest his face against his neck.
“Don’t look up, Котёнок, I don’t want you to see anything.” the dom says gruffly, stepping out of the door and Tony can feel him shift, grabbing something. He is quick to duck his head back against Winter’s neck when he sees the gun, starting to drop further and further into headspace. He grips onto the dom’s shirt, sobbing quietly. He was in so much pain and he was utterly terrified. “Shhh, Котёнок, it’s alright.” Winter murmurs, his voice more gentle than Tony had ever heard it.
Tony screams when there are sudden gunshots and Winter quickly ducks behind a wall, pressing against it. The soldier hushes Tony, rubbing his back gently before peering around the corner and shooting a few times. He quickly checks Tony over, making sure he wasn’t hit before continuing. There are a few more instances where gunshots are exchanged before suddenly they’re busting out of the building they’re in, sunlight blinding Tony.
He cries out, burrowing his face further into Winter’s neck and the dom hums, squeezing him gently. “It’s alright, Малыш, you’re safe now. I’ve got you.” There’s something almost possessive and definitely protective in his tone and Tony snuggles closer, sighing quietly.
“Tony!” a voice cries out and Tony looks up, quickly spotting Pepper sitting next to Steve and Bruce. The little whimpers, gripping tightly onto Winter’s shirt tightly. He was little and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to pull himself out of it.
Winter grasps his chin, turning his head to look up into his, their eyes meeting. “Tony, I promise I’ll handle everything. Just be little, Котёнок, let me take care of it.”
“Папочка,” Tony mumbles and Winter inhales sharply. His pronunciation is clunky and he sounds like something died in his throat, but the intention behind the word is clear. Winter looks down at him with something akin to wonder and slowly nods.
“That’s right, Малыш, let папочка take care of it,” he murmurs quietly, seeming to decide to just roll with it. He slowly approaches the other three who are looking at them with curious expressions.
“Bucky, I’m glad you found-” Steve starts to say, reaching out to clap Winter on the shoulder but the soldier fixes him with a raised eyebrow and the man stutters to a halt. “Ah, Winter. I didn’t realize you took over. You can hand Tony over now, we’ll take care of it from here.”
“I don’t think I will be doing that,” Winter says, voice suddenly tense as he takes a step back. “I will keep my Котёнок with me.”
Natasha suddenly appears behind Steve, surveying the two of them quietly. “He’s a little isn’t he?” she suddenly asks and Tony inhales sharply, burrowing himself closer to Winter, who tightens his grip on him. “And you two, Buck and you, are taking care of him.”
Bruce looks between Natasha and Winter, finally landing his eyes on Tony, meeting his brown eyes with a sad expression. “I knew it. I just didn’t want to ask you,” he says quietly. “I was worried you would run away. I hoped you would come to one of us.”
Tony feels a bit guilty for hiding it from Bruce. The two of them had become particularly close over the last several months, but all he could do was whimper quietly, turning his face away, hiding in Winter’s shoulder.
“Tony’s a little?” Steve gasps, and when Tony looks up he can see that Steve is fighting his caregiver instincts to grab the little in front of him. “Tony, why didn’t you tell us? We could have been helping this entire time. You poor-”
“Because if it came to light that he’s a little he could lose his company and potentially be kicked off the team. Or at least this is what he fears.” Winter says, gruffly, “I will answer more questions later, for now, I would like to get my little taken care of.” The emphasis on the my is obviously directed towards Steve who takes that as his hint to back down.
With that, Winter climbs into the back of the truck that Bruce is sitting with Pepper in, carefully placing him down and closing the doors behind him to provide a bit of privacy. Pepper is immediately cooing over Tony, which Winter seems to be content to allow for the time being. He leans down and murmurs to the little.
“Bucky is worried about you. He keeps trying to take control of me. We still haven’t figured out how to share yet.”
“Daddy,” Tony whispers and for a moment it’s Bucky’s warm, worried eyes peering down at him. He brushes a gentle hand over Tony’s face and then Winter is back, stoically watching Bruce as he works.
“How bad is it?” he suddenly asks Bruce and the other caregiver sighs, shaking his head.
“We need to get him to a hospital. And soon. He has two broken ribs that I’m worried will puncture something if we wait for too much longer. I don’t know if we can even make it back to New York.”
Tony whimpers, starting to struggle a bit at the mention of the hospital but he is quickly stilled by firm hands on his body and a stern voice. “Still, Котёнок, still.” He soothes his hands over Tony’s belly, moving his other hand to run through the little’s hair. “I know you’re scared but you need to be still.”
“I promise I’ll be there the whole time supervising, bud,” Bruce says gently, addressing some of the more minor injuries with the first aid kit he had on hand. “None of us will let anything bad happen to you,” Tony whines again, trying desperately to control his breathing. Bruce sighs and reaches over, snagging something out of his bag. “Here, this will make you feel better. Just a little pinch.” True to his word, Tony feels a tiny pinch. A few minutes pass with Bruce leading Tony through some breathing exercises while Winter soothes him physically and verbally.
Tony quickly realizes what he was given when his eyes start to droop. “Nooooo,” he whines out, trying to fight their hands off of him weakly, but it is pointless. He quickly dropped into unconsciousness, the last thing he was actively aware of being Winter’s voice demanding to know what Bruce did to him.
——————
When Tony wakes up, he’s in a hospital bed with what looks like nearly the entire team. Natasha is missing though Clint is dead asleep, propped up against the wall by the door and leaning against Bruce who is quietly reading a book. Steve is passed out in a chair in the corner with Rhodey also sitting on the ground an open file hanging loosely from his hands. He looks down and finds Bucky -and he knows it’s Bucky because Winter would never sleep in a room full of people- with his head lying on his lap. Even in sleep, he looks worried and Tony makes a small humming noise, resisting the urge to smooth a hand over the familiar features.
Bruce looks up and lets out a small, relieved exhale. “Hey Tony, how are you feeling?” he asks, keeping his voice quiet so he doesn’t disturb the others. He slowly shifts Clint, resting his head on a bag on the ground, and stands, moving closer to the bed. He sits opposite of Bucky, lifting a hand to press against Tony’s forehead. “You started running a fever but it looks like the medication brought it down.”
Tony tries to speak but cringes when his aching throat protests. Bruce seems to catch the hint because he stands and walks to the door, sticking his head out. A few moments later a nurse appears, handing him a cup of water. He thanks her and sits again, lifting the cup to Tony’s mouth and the little gratefully drinks the water, the cool liquid soothing his throat. Once he drank a sufficient amount he pulled back and croaked out his question. “How long was I out?”
“It’s been almost twenty-four hours,” Bruce says quietly. “They gave you some pretty strong pain medication and they took you and stabilized your rib and ankle fractures. There were some signs of the start of infection around your reactor. But don’t worry,” he’s quick to reassure Tony when he notices that the little is starting to panic. “I handled that. All I needed to do was apply some of the cream you developed and give you some IV antibiotics and it started to look better pretty quickly. I wouldn’t let them touch your reactor, Tony, I promise.” He tentatively runs his hand through Tony’s hair and the little leans into the touch, humming quietly as he relaxes.
The sound must of disturbed Bucky because the caregiver shifts, lifting his head and looking around, looking a bit disoriented. Tony weakly smiles as the soldier’s eyes lock onto his and lifts his arms up, wincing when it puts strain on his ribs. Bucky hushes him, scooting a bit closer and carefully hugging him.
“I’m so glad you’re awake. I was worried about you,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to the crown of Tony’s head. “I’m so sorry that you got outed to the others.”
Tony sighs, looking around the room at the rest of the occupants. He was still a bit scared of how they were going to react to the news and treat him, but as long as he had Bucky and Winter by his side he figured things would be okay. At least Bruce seemed to be taking the news in stride, though he had been suspecting for a while anyway. “It’s fine,” he says, “It was bound to come out one way or another, I just wish it hadn’t been in circumstances like this. As long as they promise to not tell anyone…”
“We would never,” Bruce says, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Tony can’t help but lean into the touch again. How long had it been since he’d been touched in a manner that wasn’t an attempt to harm him? How long had he been stuck there?
“How long was I gone?” he asks, and both Bruce and Bucky sigh.
“It took SHIELD two weeks to get their shit together and find you and Pepper and another four days to actually set up a rescue team. They seemed more concerned about how they could use this to their advantage than actually getting you two out of there, and I’m sorry. We would have come after you ourselves but we couldn’t risk pissing off Fury” Bucky rubs his fingers over Tony’s cheek, an angry expression on his face, and when Tony looks over at Bruce he can see the expression mirrored there.
Nearly three weeks. That was nothing compared to the months that Tony had spent in Afghanistan. And yet he shuddered when he remembered the cell he’d been kept in. He wanted to cry when he remembered their harsh voices and loud demands. He wanted to hide when he recalled the way that they’d hurt him. The memories mixed with the ones from Afghanistan, merging together in a cacophony of horror and pain. He whimpered, leaning into Bucky and grabbing onto his shirt tightly. He wanted to be closer. He tugged on the shirt, whining and Bucky seemed to catch onto what he was wanting.
He stands up and deftly scoops Tony from the bed, being mindful of the wires, and settles himself on the bed, placing Tony into his lap and arranging him so none of the machines or wires are bothered, making sure that the little is comfortable. “Is this what you wanted, my love?” he murmurs, wrapping his arms around Tony gently and Tony sighs quietly, snuggling into his warmth.
Bruce slowly moves back to his original spot, placing Clint’s head in his lap and returning to his book. They sit there in a comfortable silence, the minutes ticking by peacefully. Tony slowly starts to grow more and more tired and he yawns, resting his head on Bucky’s shoulder. “Tired, Daddy,” he mumbles and the caregiver chuckles, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“It’s alright, Doll, go to sleep,” he murmurs and that’s all Tony needed to drop off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.