Steve x reader x Tony x Bucky
Parenting universe
"What's going on? Where's Peter?" You demanded, rushing onto your living floor only to see Tony at the island making a sandwich.
"Nothing's going on. Why would you assume anything's going on?" Tony questioned you.
"I have eighty missed calls from you and seventy texts from FRIDAY saying Peter needs help." You told him. "That means something happened. Now, what happened?"
Today was supposed to be a quiet day. Peter was at school, Steve and Bucky were coming back from a mission, and Tony was supposed to be in meetings all day. Because all your boys were busy, you'd decided to go out for the day.
You'd shopped for Peter's upcoming birthday, gotten yourself some lunch, were just about to get your nails done when you checked your phone to see all the spam messages and calls.
"Before I tell you what happened, I need you to promise to keep your voice down," Tony asked of you.
"Tony, if you don't tell me what's happened to Peter in the next ten seconds, I swear to God-"
"Peter's been turned into a baby." Tony blurted out.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, a toddler. I'm not sure what the line is between baby and toddler, but he's much younger than he was this morning."
"Hold on!" You demanded. "Peter's a what?" You questioned, staring at your partner with wide eyes.
"A child, honey. A baby." Tony nodded.
"How the fuck did that happen?" You demanded, narrowing your eyes at him.
"This time, I can safely say I had nothing to do with this," Tony said, raising his hands in innocence. "The kid went out on patrol, and the next thing I know, KAREN is calling me to inform me 'it's a boy!'" He sighed, leaning against the counter.
"Have you told the boys?" You asked him in a more delicate tone.
"They're coming home tonight. Figured it's easier to show rather than tell, clearly."
"Clearly." You agreed. "Alright, where is he?"
"In his bedroom," Tony told you, putting the sandwich on a plate. The two of you made your way out of the kitchen and towards Peter's bedroom, whose door was open. "Hey, bambino, look who's here," Tony said, entering the room first.
Entering Peter's bedroom, you saw the usual teenagers' mess, and sitting on his unmade bed, watching cartoons, was a toddler with big eyes and a head of curls.
"Mama!" Peter cheered, jumping to a stand. "Missed you, mama!" Peter proclaimed, throwing himself into your arms.
"I missed you too, baby." You murmured, hugging him back while looking at Tony over his head. "Petey, baby, can you tell me how old you are?" You asked as he sat back down and began attacking the sandwich Tony handed him.
"Dis many," Peter said, around a mouthful of food, holding up three fingers.
"You're so smart, sweetheart." You breathed. "I'm just going to speak to daddy in the hallway." You told him before pulling Tony out.
"He's three years old?" You demanded. "Our sixteen-year-old is three? Tony, how the fuck did this happen?"
"I don't know," Tony told you. "FRIDAY's scanning every security system she can to find out what happened to him."
"We need to call the boys." You said. "See how far off they are. Get them to hurry home."
"I'll call them. You go sit in with the spider baby." Tony said, pulling you into an embrace. "It's going to be alright, sweetheart. I'll fix this. I'm a mechanic. I fix things."
"I know. I know." You nodded against his shoulder. "But that's our kid in there, and someone's done something to him. Why is it always him?"
"Probably because he's too good for his good," Tony answered you. "I'm gonna call Steve. You go play with the kid," Tony said, pushing you back into Peter's bedroom.
When you entered the bedroom, you saw Peter jumping on the bed, having the time of his life.
"Should you be jumping on the bed?" You asked the teenager, well, child.
"Yes!" Peter cheered. "C'mon, mama, jump with me!"
"Peter, it's not safe, sweetheart." You said, moving closer to the bed. "You could hurt yourself."
"Not with you! Never get hurt with you, mama." Peter denied, stopping his bouncing and standing before you with his little hands on your shoulders. "Please, mama, please jump with me." He begged with wide eyes.
"Okay, baby." You smiled, your resolve breaking at his big eyes. "I'll jump with you." You said, climbing onto the bed.
"Thank you, mama!" Peter clapped his hands before taking yours and beginning to jump once more. A laugh escaped your mouth as you began to lightly bounce with your son.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" Tony asked, suddenly appearing in the room.
"I don't know. Do you have an invitation?" You teased the man.
"I'm Tony Stark. I always have an invitation."
"I don't know. What do you think, Petey?" You asked, picking up the boy and holding him on your hip. "Does he have an invitation?" You questioned the toddler, tickling his stomach lightly.
"No, mama!" Peter giggled.
"There you go, Tony. The boss has spoken."
"Well, I think I know one way to change his mind."
"No, daddy! No tickling!" Peter squealed as Tony's fingers attacked his ribcage.
"Am I invited to your little party?" Tony asked, still torturing the laughing boy.
"Yes, daddy!"
"Well, you heard the boss. Welcome to the party, Tones."
"I'd hoped you were joking," Steve sighed, taking in the sight of your sleeping child.
"You think I'm creative enough to make a joke like that?" Tony asked, raising a brow.
"You're more than creative enough, doll," Bucky told the inventor. "So, how long is this going to last?"
"I have no idea. FRI's scanned him, and she didn't detect any unusual substances in his system. And KAREN doesn't even know how this happened." Tony sighed.
"And he doesn't remember being sixteen?" Steve questioned you.
"Not from what we can tell." You shook your head
"We're raising a three-year-old." Bucky scratched his head. "For how long?"
"We'll just have to see when this wears off," Tony told him.
"And if it never does?"
"Then we have preschools to look at."
"Peter is approaching," FRIDAY announced the next morning as the four of you were laid in bed.
"Let him in FRIDAY," Tony said as you all sat up. It took almost another minute before Peter's small head peered in the doorway.
"Morning, sweetheart." You greeted with a bright smile. "Look who's here." You said, nodding to Steve and Bucky.
"Papa! Pops!" Peter gasped before rushing forward as fast as his little legs would carry him. Tony helped him onto the bed, and Peter crawled between Steve and Bucky.
"Hey, little man, we missed you," Bucky said, pulling him into his body with his flesh arm.
"Missed you more, pop," Peter said, snuggling into his side. "You were gone for so long."
"Sorry, Petey, but we're home now. And we can spend all day together." Steve promised him.
"All day?" Peter asked with wide eyes. "All of us?"
"Sorry, bambino, but I've got to work today," Tony told him. "I'll be working until later."
"No play?"
"No play. I'm sorry, bambino." Tony said, causing the boy to wilt.
"But hey, we'll still be with you. And we can do whatever you want." Steve tried to cheer him up.
"Whatever I want?" Peter asked with wide eyes.
"Whatever you want," Bucky confirmed. "We could make legos, watch movies,"
"Build a fort." You suggested, causing the little boy to gasp excitedly.
"Oh, wow, a fort? I'm so jealous, kiddie." Tony mock whined.
"We're going to spend the whole day together, and if Daddy gets his work done quickly, he can join us," Steve promised the boy.
"Really?"
"I sure will, kiddie," Tony promised, reaching over you to tickle the toddler's stomach.
Before the conversation could continue, there was a loud rumbling that interrupted the five of you.
A loud rumbling, that was coming directly from Peter's stomach.
"Sounds like it's time to feed the dinosaur." Bucky chuckled before rolling out of bed. "What do you say we make pancakes, buddy?" Bucky asked, picking Peter up and holding him close.
"With chocolate chips?" Peter gasped excitedly.
"With all the chocolate chips we can find!" Bucky promised, causing Peter to cheer as the two left the room.
"Oh, we're in for a sugar rush today." Steve sighed, pulling himself out of bed.
"Have fun with that," Tony smirked, pulling on a pair of pants.
"Oh, if he's this age tonight, you're putting him to bed." You warned the genius.
"Well, then, let's hope I can fix this before bedtime," Tony said, tossing you your dressing gown.
"Steve, you alright over there? You're awfully quiet." You commented, looking over at the blonde.
"We never got this," Steve said. "Pete was twelve when he came into our lives, and now we have a chance to know him as a child."
"Oh, sweetheart. You're going to Tony cry." You teased.
"Rude."
"This is our chance," Steve repeated. "To know a Peter before he understood tragedy."
"Oh, Steve. You're gonna make me cry." You said before moving over to the man and embracing him.
"Sorry, doll."
"Alright, you two saps," Tony said after clearing his throat. "Enough with the chick flick moment. We have a husband and a three-year-old waiting for us."
"No lab till after breakfast?"
"I'm not missing a moment more with this kid than I have to," Tony said before the three of you made your way to the kitchen.
"Higher!" Peter squealed. "Higher!"
"Any higher, and you'll hit the roof, kiddie." Bucky chuckled as he caught Peter once more.
"Do not throw the baby into the roof, James Barnes." You warned the man as you helped Steve collect blankets and sheets.
"I'm not going to throw him at the roof." Bucky rolled his eyes.
"No! Higher! Please, papa." Peter begged, grabbing Bucky's face with his little hands.
"Whatever my little bug wants." Bucky smiled before obliging with the child's request.
Peter squealed as he flew through the air, causing Bucky to laugh and you to crack a reluctant smile. However, neither you nor Bucky was smiling when Peter didn't come back down.
"Oh," Bucky uttered.
"Steve!" You yelled, not taking your eyes off the toddler.
"What happened?" Steve asked as he rushed into the room. "Where's Peter?"
"Hi, pops!" Peter cheered, causing Steve's eyes to snap up to the ceiling. "Look! I'm sticky!" He said, clapping his hands.
"I can see that, squirt." Steve stuttered. "Do you maybe wanna come down from there?"
"No!" Peter giggled before he began to toddle along the roof.
"Oh, my God." Bucky gasped, his eyes widening at the sight.
"Bucky, sit down before you faint." You told the man. "Pete, you sure you don't want to come down?"
"No, mama!"
"Not even for lunch?" Steve bargained.
"Lunch?" Peter asked, his eyes widening. "S'getti?"
"You got it right, buddy. Spaghetti. But you can't have it up there." Steve told the boy.
"S'getti!" Peter cheered before letting go from the ceiling.
"Oh, Jesus!"
"Steve, catch him!"
"Gotcha!" Steve exclaimed, catching the giggling toddler in his arms.
"I'm gonna have a heart attack." Bucky panted, falling back onto the couch.
"No more catch." You said, pointing a finger at the toddler and the brunette. "Never again."
"I didn't make this mess. Why do I have to help clean up?" Tony asked as he deposited Peter into the bubble bath.
"Because Bucky's crying, Steve is having a heart attack, and I bathed him after breakfast." You told the man as you put some of the bath toys in the tub with the boy.
"We gotta find something cleaner to feed you, Roos," Tony told the kid.
"Ice cream?" Peter suggested.
"Maybe, bambino." Tony chuckled as he began to wash the boy's hair.
"Any luck figuring out what caused this?" You asked Tony.
"Not yet." Tony shook his head. "Thor said he's got some magic buddy down here that he'll see in the morning, but I got nada."
"What do we do if Peter's stuck like this forever?" You asked the man.
"Stuck! Stuck!" Peter cheered, splashing the water.
"No more sticking for Peters." You sighed.
"I'm gonna be honest, if this is some magic mumbo jumbo, I don't know what to do." Tony sighed, filling a bucket with water. "Close your eyes, Roos." He said before gently rinsing the boy's hair.
"Tony, I don't like not being able to do anything here." You admitted.
"I know. I know, and I'm the same. But as much as I hate to admit it, we can't do a lot about this." Tony told you. "We just have to sit back and enjoy the ride."
"Tony, our kid is three years old again."
"Yeah, and how many times have we all wondered about what he was like at this age?" Tony asked you. "As Steve said, this is our chance to know our kid before he understood how evil the world is."
"I suppose it wouldn't be horrible if Peter was stuck at this age for a couple of days." You admitted.
"That's the spirit." Tony smiled. "Now pass me the soap."
"Friends!" Thor exclaimed, entering the living room with a man in a cape following behind him.
"Uncle Thor!" Peter yelled, jumping down from his chair and rushing towards the God.
"Young one!" Thor chuckled, picking Peter up and throwing him into the hair.
You and Steve loudly gasped as Bucky turned whiter than a sheet at the sight.
"Point-break, please don't throw the baby." Tony sighed as Thor caught Peter.
"My apologies." Thor nodded, holding the three-year-old securely in one arm. "Friends, this is my friend, Wizard."
"It's Doctor Strange." The man corrected the blonde. "Doctor Stephen Strange."
"Seriously? Strange?" Tony rose a brow.
"Don't mock the man who's going to help Peter, Tony." Steve sighed at the billionaire.
"Unfortunately, there's not much I can do." The doctor told the four of you.
"He's stuck like this?" Bucky demanded.
"No. Peter is not going to be stuck at this age for much longer. Thor told me this has been going on for nearly 72 hours?"
"Yes."
"Just as I thought then." Stephen nodded. "One of my students recently caused a bit of mayhem when they got their hands on a book more advanced than their skill sets. It seems Peter was hit with one of their spells." Stephen told you.
"How long will this last?" You asked the man.
"The spell will only last 100 hours. After that, Peter will revert back to his normal age." Stephen promised the four of you.
"That's a relief."
"Thank God."
"Okay, then."
"Will he remember any of this?" Steve wondered.
"Everyone's different." Strange shrugged. "Some remember, and some feel as though they've been asleep for a couple days. But he won't be harmed or feel any adverse effects. That I can say."
"Thank you, Doctor Strange." Steve smiled as Peter jumped out of Thor's arms and ran back towards you.
"Of course." He nodded before turning and leaving.
"Well, he's something." Tony snorted. "You want to stay for lunch point-break?"
"I'm gonna get you!" You exclaimed, chasing after Peter, who was squealing loudly.
"Can't catch me, mama!" Peter laughed as he raced around the kitchen island.
"No running in the kitchen, you two," Steve said as he entered the kitchen. "There's knives in here." He added as you grabbed Peter around the middle and pulled him onto your hip.
"This isn't the only place where's there are knives." You whispered, causing Peter to giggle.
"Y/N." Steve sighed.
"Oh please, grown-up Peter knows there are knives everywhere around here," Bucky said, entering with Tony behind him.
"Not right now there aren't." Tony snorted. "The second he went to bed that first night I removed all weapons from this floor."
"A bit excessive, don't you think, Tones?"
"With the way this kid gets into things? Absolutely not." Tony shook his head.
Before anyone could agree with Tony's statement, Peter let out a loud yawn and rested his head on your shoulder.
"Tired, malysh?" You cooed, gently bouncing the toddler.
"No. Not tired, mama." Peter rubbed his eyes.
"Of course not, buddy." Steve chuckled. "I think somebody might need a nap."
"I'll take him to bed," Tony said, gently taking the toddler from your arms. "C'mon, kiddie, if you ask nicely, papa will check for monsters."
"Don't even have to ask." Steve smiled.
"Either of you want a coffee?" You asked, pulling out your coffee cup.
"What kind of question is that?" Tony questioned you. "Of course I do."
"Yes, please, doll," Steve said before the two left to put Peter to bed.
"You want a coffee too, Buck?" You asked as you pulled out Steve and Tony's respective cups.
"Hm, yes, please, doll," Bucky said, wrapping his arms around your waist.
"You're in a good mood." You smiled as Bucky rested his head on your shoulder.
"I liked seeing you with little Peter. You're a natural-born mother." Bucky complimented you.
"Are you saying I suck at raising our teenager?" You asked, raising a brow at the man.
"No. Never," Bucky promised, placing a kiss where your neck met your shoulder. "What I meant was that you just look really natural with a toddler on your hip."
"That's a bit sexist. But I hope you took enough pictures because it's the only time you'll see it." You said, breaking out of his hold as you began to make the coffees.
"Y/N." Bucky sighed.
"What? You know I can't. You know I can't give you children, and despite how much I want one, I can't carry a baby." You sighed, pushing the hair off your face.
"It doesn't mean we can't have kids. It doesn't mean it can't ever happen. We're not out of options." Bucky said, moving to stand in front of you.
"You want to bring another kid into this mess? The five of us are Avengers, and none of us knows what keeping ourselves safe means. If something were to happen,"
"And you don't worry about that now?"
"Not as much as I would with a baby." You shook your head. "Every day we let Peter waltz around in that suit, I have to fight away a panic attack." You admitted. "And every time one of you go out on a mission, I think about the last interaction we had. Did I say I love you? Did I wish you good luck? Did you look confident in coming home?"
"Y/N, sweets, nothing bad is going to happen to us," Bucky said, placing his hands on your shoulders.
"Don't act like you don't think the same when the situations reversed." You said, raising a brow as if daring him to lie to your face.
"I do, but I know what we're capable of. We're strong. We always come home." Bucky said.
"And what do we do when one of us doesn't? What happens when it's not just Peter that we have to explain that he's lost another parent, but another child? How are we going to tell another child, someone who's not in this life, that one of us isn't coming back?" You demanded.
"Breath, Y/N," Bucky said, cupping your face with his hands. "I know exactly what you're thinking. I've thought about every scenario myself. But we can't live in a world of maybes. We can't stop ourselves from being happy because of a maybe." Bucky told you.
"You stole that line from your therapist, didn't you?" You asked after a second, causing Bucky to laugh.
"A thousand percent." He smiled. "Maybe us having another kid isn't a discussion for today, and it might not become a reality for a long time, but if it's what we want, we can't focus on maybes."
"Maybe you're right."
"Maybe I am."
"Maybe I love you." You teased him.
"Maybe I love you too." Bucky smiled, leaning down to kiss you.
"You know, maybe you should help me make the coffees." You said when the two of you pulled apart.
"I can do that, doll." Bucky chuckled.
The four of you were in the kitchen the next morning making breakfast when a tired but fully grown Peter entered the kitchen.
"Hey!"
"Morning, kiddie."
"There he is!"
"How you feeling, squirt?" Tony asked, moving to ruffle the teenagers hair.
"Like I just slept for a week." Peter yawned. "But I don't know why I'm so tired."
"Do you remember anything from the last few days, bud?" You asked the boy.
"Not really." Peter shook his head. "Why? Did I miss something?"
"Buckle up, Pete. Do we have a story for you."