Nick Fury is used to all sorts of interruptions, being director of SHIELD and all, so he isn’t surprised when the door to his office flies open while he’s trying to get his paperwork done.
What is surprising is the small child standing in the door of his office, panting and out of breath. Nick knows the kid is around four years old, because he knows this kid.
“Hey.” Nick says cautiously putting down his pen.
The boy’s eyes widen.
“Uncle Nick!” the toddler aged Tony Stark says. “I was looking for Aunt Peggy.”
The Director of SHIELD can’t help but wince at that. Whether he’s been de-aged or brought to the future, Tony doesn’t know that Peggy’s at the old folks home, or that his parents and Jarvis are dead. This was going to require tact.
“She’s out on a mission kiddo. Maybe I can help.” Nick pats his lap and the boy climbs onto it before he starts babbling excitedly.
“I got kidnapped! They weren’t very good because I was still in New York and they didn’t lock their doors so I didn’t need to even blow anything up to get up, but I blew up the microwave anyway.”
“Tony, can you tell me something?” Nick asks, a sinking feeling in his gut.
“These kidnappers, were a couple of them big blond guys, one a woman with red hair, one leaner guy with dusty blonde hair, and a scruffy looking brunette with glasses?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And you ran all the way over here from the tower.”
Tony crosses his arms and gives that “you’re an idiot” look that only four year olds can really pull off.
“No, I took the train.”
Nick rubs his temples as he tries to think of how to handle this. Tony’s always been a smart kid, so lying is a no go. But he doesn’t necessarily have to know the whole truth.
“Look kiddo, I’m gonna be straight with you.You’re in the future.”
“Really? Am I a grown up here? Can I meet myself? Do I work for Aunt Peggy? Are you still my babysitter?”
“In a sense,” Nick chuckles. “And no, you don’t work for SHIELD,” Tony’s shoulders start to droop at that before Nick continues on. “You do something much cooler. You’re a superhero.”
“Like Captain America?” Tony asks, bouncing up and down excitedly.
“Yep, you even work with Captain America and live with him and a bunch of other superheroes in your superhero headquarters.”
“Whoa.” Tony says, though the astonishment immediately turns to horror as he leans closer and whispers “Uncle Nick, I think I dropped an egg on Captain America.”
Nick laughs and ruffles his curls a bit.
“Don’t worry, I don’t think he’ll be mad.”
“Even if it was more than one egg?”
“No.”
“Even if it was a couple of cartons of eggs?
“Tony, I promise you, Captain America will not be mad, no matter how many eggs you drop on him.”
“You think so?”
“Why don’t we call him, and ask. I’m sure he’s worried about you.”
“Okay.” Tony nods vigorously and hops off Nick’s lap as Nick stands up.
“But while we wait for them to get here, do you want ice cream?”
“Yes please!” Tony rushes off to the SHIELD mess hall, and Nick sends a message to Barton. He was going to have them work so hard to make up for losing a child. He had an image to keep that was going to be absolutely destroyed the moment Tony called him “Uncle Nicky” in public.