It seemed that he couldn't shake off the role of babysitter since that time when he was returning a favor to agent Carter which made it also the first time he spent more than a few minutes with little Tony. Unknown to everyone, Nick had a decent if he dared to be completely honest with himself a good time playing with the kid, despite the fact that the kid was a handful with the potential to outsmart everyone within a few years. No one needed to know about the soft spot that started to develop for the kid and Nick intended to keep it that way.
Long story short, that little troublemaker was going to spend the night in his house, the Starks and to everyone's surprise Jarvis were out of town for a night and Tony had nowhere to go, well, agent Carter would have been delighted to spend the rest of the day and evening with the kid, but she was also unavailable. And the next best thing was him, which wouldn't have been a bad thing if he didn't find an unannounced guest in his house. A house that was well protected, hidden and which only agent Carter knew about.
Nick had enough time to mentally pat himself on the back for not following his stupid idea to bring the kid an hour earlier than the time he was supposed to, before he drew out his gun and slowly started ascending the stairs as quietly as possible while his gaze roamed at his surroundings. There were no signs of forced entry, nothing was broken or missing, in fact it appeared that everything was fine if it wasn't for the leather jacket that was hanging on the chair in the kitchen and the feeling of the house not being empty.
The moment he rounded a corner he heard footsteps coming from behind him and turned around to point the gun at the intruder at the same time as a voice echoed,
“Is this how you greet your friends Nick?” a second later his mind recognized the voice as a familiar one, he scowled and lifted his gaze to glare at his friend in an attempt to show how unimpressed he was and to ignore the way his heart was pounding in his ears.
“Dammit Carol! You can't appear like that, I almost shot you.” he only got a knowing smirk as an answer before he lowered his gun and went to place it in his bedroom. That was one of his guns, the other one was still safely tucked away, cold metal pressed against his side, paranoia was a good thing now and then.
“What brings you here?” he asked as she stepped forward to give him a hug.
“I just arrived and you want to get rid off me right away.” a pout on her lips and a playful spark in her eyes.
“That's what happens when you arrive unannounced. I'm expecting a visitor.” he joked, not that he minded Carol’s company, it had been a few years since he saw her, but Tony was supposed to stay with him and even though the kid was almost eight and incredibly bright he was worried about his reaction.
“Hang on…you really have a visitor? Who is it?” and before she could start teasing him just because she could, he interrupted her,
“I'm kinda babysitting.”
Wrong choice of words
She laughed so much that tears glistened on her eyelashes while he tried to appear as if he didn't give a damn, he couldn't will away his blush, luckily his dark skin helped to hide most of it.
So, he sent her his most intimidating glare and pretended to be bored while waiting for her to stop. It didn't work as well as he planned but she did stop, her cheeks flushed as she raised her hands in a sign of surrender before she added,
“I didn't think that was part of your job description.”
“It's not, but his father is important and a colleague is very fond of him, so I couldn't leave the kid in some incompetent agent's hands.” he wasn't even aware that he was trying to explain himself when he noticed the soft smile in her face.
“What?”
“You do know that the kid isn't Goose right? You'll need more than a warm bed and food to keep him entertained.”
“Oh, really? I didn't know, thanks for telling me, I don't know what I was going to do if you didn't break into my house to tell me that.” he tried to keep his face passive just to add an extra effect to his sarcasm.
It worked, because she rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement.
“Where's Goose by the way?”
“Around, she's somewhere trying to take me by surprise, such a trouble that little beast, unfortunately I think she likes me.”
“Don't pretend you don't like her because you do. You don't mind me using the bath and one of your rooms, do you?” that's when he took notice of her clothes, gone was the uniform slash armor she was wearing, she was dressed in jeans and a simple white t-shirt.
Something wasn't right
“You alright?”
“Yeah, just a bit tired, I need a place to crash, that's all, promise I won't bother you for too long, the kid won't even notice that I'm here.” it was unusual for her to want to hide, but by the haunted look in her eyes, he knew what it was like to need a safe place to rest, away from everything.
“Alright, be my guest, there's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry.” the tension in her shoulders eased as she walked away from him and into his bedroom.
“Just don't blow something up.”
“Don't worry, if I blow up something I'll try to aim at the things you hate.” came from behind the door, pulling a chuckle out of him, when he remembered to check the time.
Good, he had enough time to do some shopping and pick up Tony, hopefully by the time they arrived Carol would be resting while he and the kid would be preparing dinner after all he did promise him pasta.
“So…I just switched the wires and it worked! No one knew how to do that, but it was so simple, it just…uncle Nick?”
“What?”
“Did you listen to anything I said?” insecurity slowly seeping in his voice, one that didn't belong there at all.
“Of course I did, kid. I'm just watching the road, you don't want us to crash do you? Besides Jarvis will kill me if something happens to you.” that brought a giggle out of Tony.
“No, Jarvis is nice, I'll tell him that it wasn't your fault and he'll forgive you.”
“You sure about that? Last time we stayed up late working on the captain's shield, he threatened to never let me in if I didn't promise to behave like the badass agent I'm, also he said that he wouldn't give me any more of those delicious homemade cookies and I don't know about you, but I work hard for those things.”
“Ahhh, that's not fair, I'll sneak you out some cookies if you keep helping me, can we do that?” sweet kid, he was always willing to share everything with those around him, it warmed Nick’s supposedly cold heart.
“Alright, and when you get caught what then?” he hummed and took a peak at the kid, who was frowning before he clapped his hands together.
“I know! I'll ask aunt Peggy to teach me how to be an agent, that way no one will notice me. “
“And you think she will? She can be scarier than Jarvis you know.” he teased.
“Don't care, if you can't have some cookies, I won't eat them too, I'll tell Jarvis that if uncle Nick isn't allowed he can eat them all by himself.” Damn
“I appreciate the offer Tony…” they finally parked in front of his house before he turned off the engine and faced the kid,
“You just be good, study hard, leave Jarvis to me, alright? I'll find a way, am I not a badass agent or what?”
He got rewarded with a big grin, a quick hug and a quiet,
“You’re the best.” and before he could pull himself together and calm down the overflowing warmth and affection in his heart, Tony was out of the car and was observing the house like a curious puppy, fascinated by the fact that he was allowed to come.
Not long after, they were both in the kitchen, cooking and making a mess at the same time while waiting for the pasta to finish boiling. He didn't allow Tony to use the knives, but he allowed him to stir the sauce and carefully and slowly add the ingredients, they also made a salad which amused the kid to no end when he discovered that Nick wasn't too fond of vegetables, repeating everything Jarvis told him about them.
He even went that far to eat almost half of it to prove to him that salad was good, now and then. It was an adorable scene to witness and he was careful not to laugh just in case the kid changed his mind and stopped eating. The pasta and sauce were ready sooner than expected and both of them were positively surprised by the taste that they treated themselves with a few cookies for dessert.
Pretty soon, they were so engrossed in the game they were playing, they didn't notice Goose appearing out of nowhere, well Nick didn't.
One moment he was going back to the living room where he left the kid, the next thing he saw was the kid following the cat upstairs and towards the room where Carol was resting.
Just like that he froze on the spot, completely aware that the kid was going to meet one of the most powerful people he knew if not the most powerful and the only thing that was running through his head was danger.
It wasn't as if he didn't trust her to be careful, but he knew that startling someone could lead to disaster and this wasn't anyone, this was Tony, the kindest and the only kid who put up with him and he felt very protective of him at the moment.
“Tony!” he rushed after the kid, halting when he reached the door and saw the sight in front of him.
Carol was sitting on the bed, shaking, most likely a product of nightmare, while Goose was purring in her lap trying to comfort her with the kid hovering at the side, not sure what to do. Nick was about to say and do something when Tony asked,
“Did you have a bad dream?” instead of an answer she nodded at him.
The kid lowered his head in defeat before he lifted his gaze and quickly grabbed a fluffy blanket from the chair next to the wall. It was the one he bought for the kid, he wanted Tony to be comfortable and warm, he must have forgotten to pick it up and bring it to his room.
Slowly and with more care than a seven years old could have, he covered Carol’s shoulders with it, startling her. Thankfully it wasn't enough to scare him away when she wrapped her blanket around herself and offered the kid a grateful smile, Tony beamed and started talking,
“I'm Tony.”
“Nice to meet you Tony, I'm Carol. Wanna sit next to me?” his eyes lit when he remembered,
“You gave Goose to uncle Nick.”
“Yup, to take care of her.” just like that the kid completely relaxed and sat on the bed next to her, giggling when the cat sat on his lap and Carol opened her arm to cover him with the blanket.
Carol and Tony were sharing a blanket, it was unbelievable and that's why Nick didn't want to interrupt, but he stayed to watch, his curiosity getting the best of him.
“Sometimes I have bad dreams too…then I can't sleep.” when he saw that no one was stopping him, he continued, his voice soft and soothing.
Probably he picked that up from Jarvis
“Mom sings to me sometimes and we cuddle until I fall asleep…when she's not here I got Jarvis, he doesn't sing, he's terrible but he tells great stories and…do you want some cookies and milk? It always helps me…and oh!”
Oh, Tony
“The captain bear…he's the strongest, we made him look like him, he keeps the monsters away. I'll give it to you, he'll keep you safe.” and he rushed to untangle himself, the cat jumping away on time and he almost crashed into Nick on his way out of the room.
“Uncle Nick! You're just on time.”
“I see you've met aunt Carol.” and he smirked at the annoyance in her eyes.
“And where are you rushing to, kid?”
“To get the cookies, and milk and the bear…”
“Why? You want to sleep?” that caught the kid off guard and he stumbled over his words,
“No…I was just…”
“Tony was kind enough to share the cookies you'd been keeping away from me Nick, shame on you.” she interrupted.
“Those are ours, get your own. But…if the kid wants to share…”
“Please uncle Nick…” he chuckled and replied,
“Alright, I'll get the milk and cookies, you get the bear, put on your pajamas and we'll tell Carol some good stories, how about that?”
“Uncle Nick, you're the best uncle ever.”
“Better than Jarvis?” he joked and smiled at the torn expression on the kid's face.
“Ahhh, don't make me pick one, both of you are great.” he groaned and ran out of the room.
“Hope you're in the mood for some bedtime stories, the kid loves them.”
“He seems like a good kid.”
“That he is. Sure you're alright with some company?”
“Yes. Now go and get my cookies.”
“Anything else, your highness? Maybe some cold dinner? Or do you want me to make something else?” sarcasm and jokes were his way of comforting people, it didn't always work but this time it did.
“That would be all.” she said just in time to see Tony rushing back into the room, dressed and ready for bed, carrying his bear along.
“I'm ready.” he announced and placed his bear on Carol’s lap before he turned to look at him.
“I'm going to get the cookies, you stay there and watch over Carol.” and he walked away, pausing outside of the room to see how Goose, the kid and Carol made themselves comfortable on the bed and waited for him to return.
In no time he was back, interrupting their conversation when the kid said,
“Uncle Nick, aunt Carol told me that she knows the story about how you lost your eye.”
“Did she now?” he rolled his eyes at the innocent look on her face before he added,
“Since aunt Carol is our guest, I believe that we should be telling the stories, what do you think kid?”
“Jarvis says that we should treat our guests with respect, you're right uncle Nick.”
“Of course I'm. Now if you and your rebellious aunt and…” Goose decided to remind them that she was present as well, “and Goose are comfortable on the bed covered with the softest blanket I've ever bought, that leaves me no choice but to sit on the ground like a kicked puppy.” immediately he got reaction from Tony
“There's room for you too, right aunt Carol?”
“You're joking right? Look at him, he'll steal our blanket throughout the story, he's very sneaky, besides he's too big to fit with us all.” she joked, chuckling at the disbelief on Tony's face, whose gaze was shifting from Nick to Carol.
“But…he'll catch a cold.” he whispered , worry in his voice as all trace of enthusiasm faded from his eyes.
Nick sent the kid a reassuring smile as he gave him the box with cookies with a soft ‘don't let her eat all of them’ and pulled out another blanket from the room’s closet and wrapped it around his shoulders. Then he grabbed a few pillows, threw them on the carpet and sat on them, making himself as comfortable as possible.
“What did I tell you? I'll always find a way. Now I believe we owe Carol a story.”
“Let's tell her the story of the red headed girl.” Tony said, eyes shining as he barely stopped himself from jumping on the bed to get his suggestion heard.
“I don't remember the whole thing, maybe we should both tell it?” he asked, knowing that the kid probably didn't know all of it.
Tony nodded and started talking all the while cuddling into Carol’s side as the story slowly progressed.
“The little girl hid in the woods, leaving footprints in the snow…”
“she was the fastest runner, as fast and clever as a fox, oh and she climbed trees like a cat…”
“the soldier said that sometimes you need to be afraid in order to get brave…”
By the end of the third story, Tony was fast asleep, arms wrapped around Carol’s waist, face hidden in her stomach while Goose was purring next to him.
Nick truly didn't want to wake the kid up, since he looked comfortable and he believed that there wouldn't be any nightmares or bad dreams, yet he had to ask her as well.
“Should I take him to the other room?” he whispered, not wanting to wake him up.
“No, he's way too adorable like this, he can stay with me.” and she gently ran her fingers through his hair, delighted that he didn't stir at all.
“Alright, just watch over him.”
“I will.” then he covered both of them with his blanket and went to his bedroom.
In the morning he woke up to the sound of cooking in the kitchen, for a second he got scared that Tony might be trying something on his own and he rushed to see what was happening. When he got there, he was faced with the most interesting and heartwarming sight, Tony and Carol were making pancakes.
The kid was sitting on the kitchen table stirring into a pot while Carol was flipping pancakes, both were laughing at something and when his name was mentioned, he cleared his throat and waited. Immediately the kid’s bright smile was pointed at him and he was greeted with a cheerful,
“Good morning uncle Nick.”
“What are you two doing up this early?”
“We were hungry and you were sleeping, so aunt Carol said that we should make pancakes as a thank you for letting us stay the night. “
“Who taught you how to make them? Because I know for sure that your aunt Carol doesn't know how to cook.” smirking when she threw a spoon at him and missed.
“Jarvis showed me how and I showed aunt Carol.” Tony replied with a proud voice.
“Thanks kid, Jarvis will be so proud of you.”
“Either make yourself useful or stay out of our way.” the kid giggled at Carol’s order and offered to teach him. Not being able to tell him no, Nick joined them to help.
It turned out to be a nice breakfast and one he wouldn't mind repeating as long as Carol didn't offer to tell embarrassing stories about him.
He promised to make pancakes the next time Tony was around, after all he had a reputation to keep, even if that one was being an uncle.