“No,” Steve whined softly as he swung his legs back and forth. The boy was currently sitting on the side of his dark colored, sturdy, wooden, changing table that was against the wall of the blonde’s nursery… or as he would call it ‘little boy room’ since he was not a baby… or so he thought. He was fully naked, except for the towel that was draped over his shoulders, having just gotten out of a warm bath, and his hair was wet but styled, since his Daddy had just brushed it. His bottom was resting on the plush, light blue, changing pad that was over the wooden surface, and his legs were being kicked out in an adorable ‘I’m bored and fidgety’ sort of gesture. Tony was standing in front of the boy, eyebrow raised, as he looked down at his blonde baby. The brunette man was wearing loose, light wash, denim, blue jeans, white socks, and a black, long-sleeved, shirt, with a graphic t-shirt over it – a casual and comfortable outfit that was perfect for a day spent with his baby. The two men had spent their day together basically just lounging around and relaxing. They had been incredibly busy and stressed the last few weeks, so when Steve slipped and aged down last night, Tony could not have been happier. Because of their recent hectic schedule, Tony decided the best way to spend their day would be to just relax, watch movies, and play. Steve had been more than thrilled with that, and had spent his day watching different classic Disney movies (including his favorite: Peter Pan), as well as playing cars with his Daddy, as well as other games. The rest of the team had been around a bit, but most were busy doing their own things, or relaxing in their own ways, since once Steve aged down it was almost like a switch flipped in the tower, and suddenly everyone was taking a day or two off. It had been a pretty nice day for the Daddy and baby, but now it was 9:00pm and it was time for the boy to settle down and go to sleep, since they often used little time as a way for the blonde to catch up on lost sleep. So, the boy had his dinner, finished his movie with Tony, played a little bit more, had his bath, and was now sitting on the changing table, swinging his legs.
“Excuse me?” Tony questioned, not appreciating the two-letter word that had slipped from his boy’s mouth.
“No, thank you,” Steve corrected as he tilted his head and smiled, hoping that his manners would mean his Daddy would drop the subject. The subject at hand was that Steve did not want to wear a diaper to bed, while Tony most definitely wanted the boy to wear a diaper to bed. While Steve’s little space normally bounced around the three-year-old range, and that normally meant he was fine with a pull-up and a Daddy who made sure to ask him if he needed to go potty on a regular basis, sometimes that wasn’t enough. Sometimes the boy slipped further down in age, and sometimes he was just too caught up being an excited little boy to really notice when he had to go, and it was during those times that Tony pulled out the not quite hated, but not quite loved either, fluffy diapers. The Daddy had spent the day with the boy, and could tell from early in the morning, that the boy was definitely a bit younger than usual, probably more around the 18 to 24-month range. So, he simply made sure to be on top of the boy every hour or so, asking him if he needed to go potty and made sure no accidents happened, however now that it was bedtime, Tony felt that a diaper was most certainly needed.
“That’s better, but you still need a diaper,” Tony said while holding back a small laugh, knowing that the boy was mentally equating manners with getting his own way.
“No diaper, Daddy, no thank you,” the boy repeated as he batted his eyes and really looked quite adorable, not that it was persuading Tony at all, but it was a nice try.
“I appreciate how polite you’re being,” the Daddy started, wanting to acknowledge the boy’s manners, “But Daddy wants you to wear a diaper, so you’re going to wear one,” the brunette said firmly as he bent down to grab one from a stack that were sitting on a shelf underneath the top of the changing table. Steve let out a pout as he crossed his still somewhat damp arms over his chest.
“But I was a good boy today!” the boy protested as Tony stood back up, knees crackling as the air moved in his joints. The man held back a smile at the blonde’s silly arguments.
“Yes, you were sweet boy, but you know just as well as I do, that diapers have no connection to if you were naughty or not, isn’t that right?” Tony said looking the boy in the eyes, as the little one stuck his lip out and stopped his legs from swinging. The Daddy found it amusing that the boy was trying to grasp at just about anything to get out of having to wear the thick, fluffy, and crinkly protection. Especially since Tony had made it clear to the boy in the past, that diapers are not punishments, but simply tools and pieces of useful clothing that are to help make the boy more comfortable.
“Okay, okay, but I’m a big boy, Daddy! I don’t need a diaper,” the blonde suddenly said, perking his head up as he thought of this perfect piece of information that would most certainly make his Daddy back off with the diaper. Tony toyed with that statement in his head for a few seconds, not sure how he wanted to respond to the boy’s announcement and thinking, knowing that the boy was not going to stop the constant stream of arguments.
“Sometimes big boys need diapers too, and besides, I think you’re more of Daddy’s little boy today, and it’s okay if you need some more protection,” Tony stated softly as he set the diaper down on the changing table, and then placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders.
“But-but-but,” Steve stuttered out, starting to get himself worked up, signaling to Tony that he was starting to get overly tired. The brunette man brought his index finger up to the boy’s lips, shushing him.
“It’s just to be safe, just a precaution. If you don’t use it, that’s fine, and if you do use it, that’s perfectly fine too. But Daddy wants you to wear it, so you’re going to wear it,” the Daddy said once again, in a soft, no-nonsense, tone of voice, ending the statement with a kiss to the wet hair.
“I won’t use it though, Daddy, no need to waste,” Steve said quietly, causing Tony to smile, since the boy could be quite smart and manipulative when he wanted to be. But the Daddy was well practiced when it came to dealing with his baby, so the cute comment didn’t make him budge, not even a little bit.
“That’s alright love, Daddy is willing to take the chance. Lay down, please,” Tony stated as he lightly pressed the boy backwards, but instead of letting his body tilt back, the boy reached his own arms up to set them hands on his Daddy’s shoulders.
“Wait, compromise?” Steve squeaked out, causing the brunette to let out a dramatic sigh, “I wear pull-up to bed,” he continued, looking into Tony’s eyes.
“That is not a compromise babe, that’s you getting your own way,” the Daddy chuckled, knowing that the two options here were diaper or pull-up, but Steve was acting as if the two options were diaper and underwear, making a pull-up the so-called compromise… tricky little boy he has. “Now lay back, it’s time to get you ready for bed,” he continued, changing the subject as he lightly took Steve’s hands off of his shoulders, which was follow by pushing the boy back and to the side. The boy was soon laying on his back on the changing table, eyes pointed towards the ceiling, lips in a pout. His Daddy just never listened to him! Well that wasn’t true… he actually listened to him a lot, but he wasn’t letting him get his own way and that wasn’t nice, nor fair! Or at least the blonde thought so.
“If I no wet diaper tonight, we throw them all away?” the boy asked quietly as Tony finished drying his skin off with the bright white towel.
“I don’t think so,” Tony said as he folded the towel up and set it on the floor. Next, he pumped some vanilla scented lotion into his hands and began to massage the blonde boy with the soft substance, letting his skin soak it up, and his muscles relax under the gentle but firm touch. Once the lotion had been fully rubbed into Steve’s body, Tony turned to the diaper that was sitting next to him and carefully unfolded it, before tapping the boy’s hips, signaling for him to lift them, which he did, surprisingly.
“How come Daddy makes all the decisions?” the baby asked as Tony sprinkled powder over the boy’s crotch.
“Because that’s my job, to make rules and decisions that perhaps my little boy doesn’t like, but are there to make him happy, healthy, and safe,” the Daddy stated matter-of-factly as pulled the front of the diaper up, and taped the sides to it, making sure it was secure. Steve didn’t seem too happy with that answer, but didn’t question it, too caught up in the feeling of the thick, fluffy, garment that was now strapped around his hips.
“What pajamas do you want?” the brunette man asked as he pulled out one of the drawers of the dresser, looking at the different pieces of clothing that were neatly folded. Since the boy normally wasn’t in a super young headspace, most of the pajamas were soft flannel, or fleece, pants and matching short, or long, sleeved shirts, most of which had really adorable patterns on them. There were a few sleepers in there as well, but they weren’t used that frequently, much to Tony’s dismay, since he quite honestly loved it when Steve was very little, despite the fact it didn’t happen too terribly often.
“Dinosaurs,” Steve said as he turned his head, not even looking at the items in the drawer, since he knew the exact ones he wanted. Tony wasn’t surprised, and so he pulled out the well-worn and well-loved pair of pajamas. The pants were black with light and dark green cartoon dinosaurs printed all over the place, with the bottom of them cinched with elastic at the ankle to prevent them from riding up his legs. The shirt was short-sleeved, and had the same black background, but instead of many dinosaurs printed on it, there was just one big one that looked as if it was wrapped around the shirt, it was really quite adorable.
“Good choice,” the brunette said as walked back over to the changing table, clothing in hand. Steve was starting to sit himself up when Tony put a firm hand on his chest, keeping him down on the table, “Daddy can get you dressed this time,” the man said, noticing the pout that remained, and if anything, got stronger as the Daddy spoke.
“But I can do it,” Steve protested as Tony started to slide the boy’s legs through the pajama pants.
“I know you can, but I’m going to do it,” he answered, pulling the flannel over the thick diaper, making sure it sat on his hips correctly. Sometimes Tony just liked being able to really baby his little boy, and sometimes he knew that Steve needed that, to have someone do everything for him, and tonight seemed like a pretty good night to do that. Once the pants were on, Tony bunched up the shirt so he could easily pull it over the boy’s head, and then threaded his arms through the sleeves, all while the boy laid on the changing table, eyes starting to droop, “Do you want socks?” he asked, always wanting the boy to have some say in what was going on.
“No thank you,” the boy said shaking his head, eyes wandering around the cute room that he had.
“Alright then, I think you are all ready for bed,” Tony said picking him up and setting Steve on his hip, where the boy rested his head on his Daddy’s shoulder. The brunette man then walked over to the twin sized bed that was in the corner of the room, a smallish bed that had six-inch tall bars on all sides to keep him from falling off, and to help him feel little. When first creating the nursery/little boy room, Steve had made it very, very, clear, that he did not want a crib, feeling as if it would be like a cage. He most definitely did not want to feel like a caged animal, and Tony most certainly did not want his little boy to feel like a caged animal, so they made sure to stay away from them. The Daddy had asked if the boy would just want to sleep with him in their adult bedroom, and while Steve considered it, he really wanted a bed for when he was little, afraid he wouldn’t be able to total separate headspaces if too many things were the exact same. So, the men ended up finding a wooden, extra-large, twin sized, bed online, and attached some small wooden bars to the side… thank god for Tony’s engineering and building ability. Once the bed was constructed, it was added to the adorable jungle themed room that Tony had worked hard on, making it a space for the little boy to have just for himself, and the blonde baby had fallen in love with it.
So, Tony set the boy down over the bars, once he had pulled the quilt and sheets down, slipping him in between the fabric. “Daddy is going to get you some milk, do you want it in a bottle or a sippy cup?” he asked the boy, knowing what the answer would be, but also wanting to give him the option.
“Cuppy,” the boy said with a smile as he laid his head down on the fluffy pillow.
“Alright, you behave, I’ll be right back,” Tony said turning away and walking out of the room and into their modern kitchen. He pulled out a yellow sippy cup from the shelf of a cabinet and set it on the countertop, before filling it up with milk, and putting it in the microwave to warm up. Once the machine beeped, the brunette took it out, screwed the top on, and walked out of the kitchen, turning the light off as he went. Soon enough he was back in the nursery, where Steve was laying on his stomach, chatting away to his stuffed lamb that was sitting on his pillow. Tony couldn’t help but smile at the scene, noting that it was something that Steve wouldn’t have been caught dead doing just months ago. It brought the Daddy so much joy to see Steve finally settling in with his headspace. “Having fun?” the man asked the boy, who quickly whipped his head around to look at his Daddy.
“Uh huh,” Steve nodded sharply.
“Well that’s good. Do you want to rock for a little while?” Tony offered, looking over at the rocking chair in the corner of the room that Tony simply adored himself, and knew that the boy loved.
“Umm,” the baby stated, clearly torn because he wanted to rock, but was afraid that perhaps it wasn’t quite something a big boy like him should be doing, “But I’m a big boy…” he trailed off.
“Daddy is a big boy and he wants to rock, so I think it’s okay,” Tony said with a playful wink to the boy, as if it would be their little secret.
“Okay,” Steve said softly, reaching his arms up to be picked. Tony happily obliged and lifted the boy up, setting him on his hip, and then transferring him to his lap when he sat down on the rocking chair. He positioned the boy so then Steve’s back was against his own chest, knowing the boy liked being held this way, since Tony could then wrap his arms around the boy and nuzzle his chin into the baby’s neck. So, the Daddy popped the sippy cup into the boy’s mouth, holding and supporting the cup for him, despite the fingers that tried to do it themselves.
“Do you want a story, love?” he asked the blonde, but received a shake of the head, and a mumbled ‘no,’ instead wanting to just enjoy the sound of his Daddy’s breathing and heartbeat. “Okay, we will just rock then,” Tony said as he pushed the ground with his feet, rocking the wooden chair back and forth.
They sat together for about fifteen minutes, but once the milk was gone, and the boy was almost half asleep, the Daddy decided it was time to put him in bed so then he could get some much needed and much deserved rest. So, he carefully picked the boy up after taking the cup from his mouth, and brought the boy over to his bed. He carefully tucked the tired baby into the sheets, humming a tune as he did so, and then wrapped the boy’s arm around his stuffed lamb. “It’s sleepy time now baby, so close your eyes and go night night. Daddy will be right next door, you call me or Jarvis if you need anything. I love you Steve,” he said quietly, and then concluded the statement with a kiss to the boy’s forehead.
“Love you, Daddy,” Steve said softly, nuzzling his nose into his stuffed friend.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” the brunette added, before walking to the door of the nursery, taking a peek at the boy, and then turning the light off as he left.
---
Steve did try to fall asleep, he really did… or at least he did for a solid three minutes. He closed his eyes and counted sheep, and pictured black, and thought about what he would do tomorrow, but sleep didn’t come. So then the boy started thinking about why exactly sleep wasn’t coming… and the real answer here, the only clear and obvious answer, was that the diaper was stopping it. I mean, why else would the boy not be asleep right now, despite trying, like, everything. “Don’t need it,” the boy mumbled to himself, needing to make sure it was quiet so then Jarvis or his Daddy didn’t hear, “I’m a big boy,” he continued as he kicked his legs around under the covers, feeling the thickness between his legs, hearing the crinkles of it. It then struck him, that if he didn’t need it, and more importantly because it was clearly preventing him from sleeping, then perhaps he should just remove it. Daddy wouldn’t want something to keep the boy from sleeping, since he is always talking about how important sleep is, so if anything, he would be happy that Steve removed it, right? Right.
Steve quickly sat up in bed once he realized what needed to be done. He pulled his legs out from under the covers, pausing when he heard his Daddy walking around in the room next to his. However, once the footsteps stopped, he resumed removing his legs. He pulled off the pajama pants and stared at the white diaper, well… he couldn’t see it that well, given how dark the room was, but he knew it was there, so he stared in that general direction. “Don’t like it,” he continued to mumble, running his hands over it, feeling the thick, bulkiness of it. Then it occurred to him, if he did remove it, and didn’t wet the bed… which why would he? He is a big boy after all. Then his Daddy would have to realize that he doesn’t need them, and then he would get rid of them, since clearly, they are taking up valuable room that could be used for other things like new toys and stuffed friends.
This made Steve eve more determined to follow through with his plan. So, he very quickly found the sticky tabs that held the diaper together, and pulled them, flinching when he heard the noise they made, but let out a sigh of relief when Daddy didn’t come running. He pulled the soft diaper out from under him and balled it up, looking around for a place to put it. The boy realized that he could easily throw it under the bed and Daddy would never know… what a sneaky little spy he was… or so he thought. Once the diaper was off of him, he pulled his pajama pants back up and stuck his legs under the covers, feeling much better now that the awful diaper was gone. The baby then laid back down, pulled the covers up over his upper body, closed his eyes and fell asleep easily… because clearly that diaper was the issue.
---
Steve awoke sometime later with a jolt, sitting up straight in his bed, tears welled up in his eyes. He had just experienced a very vivid nightmare, in which Iron Man was shot out of the sky, falling to his death – a very scary dream for the little guy. He had sweat patches under his arms, and his blankets were bunched up everywhere, showing that the dream must have lasted a good while. The boy was just about to call out for Tony when he felt a stickiness between his legs, a physical stimulation that he hadn’t been expecting, and it was here that he also realized the room smelled a bit funny. He reached his hand down and found that it wasn’t just his legs that were sticky and wet, but his favorite dino pajamas were too… and so were the sheets… and the blankets… and oh no. He had wet the bed. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. “Uh oh,” the boy said as tears started to stream down his sweaty face. Perhaps removing the diaper wasn’t such a good idea… but he hadn’t wanted it, and it was keeping him from sleeping, and he did the right thing, right? Maybe not.
The first thing the blonde did was get out of bed and start to take the blankets and sheets off, maybe he could just hide them under the bed with the diaper and Daddy wouldn’t know. But he had only been tugging on them for a few moments before he realized that Tony had really tucked the blankets in well, because they weren’t budging. So the tears continued to run down the boy’s cheeks, as he got more and more frustrated and uncomfortable. “Jasper, what we gonna do?” he said to his stuffed lamb that was back on the pillow again. The baby considered just going back to sleep, because he was tired. But he was also wet, and cold, and was starting to get sore, and his eyes were continuing to leak salty tears, and he didn’t feel very good… and he really just wanted a hug and kiss from his Daddy. But still, removing his diaper was still a good idea, right? Wrong. So, he quickly made the decision to go find his Daddy. He grabbed his soft blankie that thankfully hadn’t gotten wet, and ran out of the room.
---
It was about 11:27pm when Tony hit ‘send’ on his final email. He had spent the last two hours answering emails and explaining simple concepts to a bunch of idiot bigshots that thought they were amazing simply because they had money… really, fucking, annoying. But nevertheless, he was polite and professional, and explained some design principles and mechanical concepts to different men with suits, and sent the emails one after another. He was finally finishing up though, and closed his laptop when he saw it was almost 11:30. The man figured that he should go check on the baby and make sure he was asleep and doing okay, something he did every night when the boy was little, a small and loving habit the Daddy had acquired. So, he set the laptop down on the bottom shelf of his nightstand, and muted his phone in preparation for when he would come back and go to sleep. But before he could even swing his legs out of his bed and stand up, Steve came flying in the room, his soft blue blanket pressed up against his face, tears streaming down his red cheeks. Tony didn’t even have time to process any of what was going on, before he instantly reacted. “Steve baby, what’s wrong?” he said quickly, pulling the covers off of himself and sitting on the side of the bed, just as Steve ran up to him and stood directly in front of his body.
“Daddy,” the boy cried, reaching his arms out, wrapping them around Tony’s neck. The Daddy pulled the boy into his lap, allowing the blonde boy to cry into his neck, confused as to what was going on, but knowing he did realize that he needed to offer the baby comfort first and foremost.
“Sh, sh, sh, what’s going on? Why’s my baby so upset? Did you have a nightmare?” he questioned softly, pulling the blanket away from the baby’s nose so then he didn’t suffocate himself.
Steve simply pressed his face further into the brunette’s neck, crying out, “Daddy,” once again, as tears slipped down his own neck. Tony rubbed one of his hands up and down the boy’s back, while whispering shushes and coos into the boy’s ear. “Scary, Daddy,” the boy whimpered out a few moments later, confirming Tony’s thinking that a nightmare had woken him up and caused the issues. However, it was also here, when the scent of stale urine floated up to Tony’s nose, causing his brain to jump to the conclusion that the boy must have also wet his diaper during the nightmare, and was clearly very upset about it – something that does not, and would not, surprise him.
“You’re okay baby boy, you’re okay,” he continued to say as he swayed from side to side. It then struck the Daddy again, that diapers trap the scene within them, meaning that he should not be smelling anything, and then he suddenly tuned into the sensation of wetness that was rubbing off of the boy, and onto his own plaid sweatpants. He mentally smacked himself from not realizing this the second the boy ran into the bedroom, “Alright, it’s okay baby, it’s okay, no need for tears,”
“Daddy, I’m-I’m-I’m so-o-o-rry,” he whined out, turning his head to the side so he could rest his cheek on Tony’s shoulder.
“It’s fine baby, you can stop crying, tears aren’t going to make it any better,” Tony said softly and logically as he stood up, shifting the boy to his hip. He walked slowly to the bathroom that is attached to the bedroom, bouncing the boy a bit, and shushing him the whole way there. Once he made it to the bathroom he carefully set the boy down on the closed toilet lid, taking his soft and wet face in his large hands, tilting his chin up so then he could wipe away the tears and look in his eyes, “Calm down sweetheart, Daddy doesn’t want to see you so upset, you’re okay now,” he whispered, wiping away the salt drops that were dripping down his soft cheeks, noticing that the waterworks were starting to slow.
“Da-da-da-,” he said while hiccupping, and then finally giving up at saying anything. Tony’s heart broke at the sight in front of him, but now that the tears and crying were starting to wind down, he realized now was time to clean him up, and then get down to business as to what happened.
“I know, shhh, Daddy’s going to get you all cleaned up, alright?” he said to the boy, as he turned on the hot water in the sick, grabbing a washcloth from the linen closet, before he dunked it into the water. Once the white cloth was wet he kneeled down in front of the boy, using his free hand to move the blanket away from the boy’s red face, running the hot and wet cloth over his snot and tear stained cheeks, lips, nose, and eyes. “Does that feel a little better?” he asked softly, gaining a nod in response as the boy put his blanket up against his cheek, getting some obvious comfort from it. Once his face was cleaned off, Tony wrapped his fingers around the waistband of the pajama pants, and pulled them down, noticing as the tears started to fall again. “What happened to your diaper, love?” he asked calmly, but instead of a verbal answer Steve just shook his head and buried his eyes and nose in the soft blanket, telling Tony he would have to ask later. After the pajama pants were off, the Daddy took the washcloth and carefully and softly wiped the boy down, making sure to get him completely cleaned up.
It was several minutes later, after a lot of shushing and tears, when Steve was entirely cleaned up from his accident, “Let’s get back to your nursery, and get you in some new pajamas,” the brunette said as he picked the boy up again, making sure to throw the dirty pajama pants and washcloth in a pile on the floor to be washed with the sheets and blankets.
“Okays,” the boy whimpered out, still upset, embarrassed, and completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Tony walked into the nursery and saw the mess that was Steve’s bed, with blankets all over the place, sheets half torn off the bed, and a large wet spot in the middle of the sheet covered mattress. He set the boy back down on the changing table, right where they were just a few hours ago. Next, he pulled out a pair of black pajama bottoms, and set them down next to the boy. He pushed the baby back like he had earlier, and pulled out another diaper, this time not getting any protests from the boy.
“Daddy is going to put this on you real quick, and then clean up your sheets, and then you and I can have a little chat,” Tony said as he started to diaper the boy, “After that you can go to sleep,” he concluded, mentally adding ‘with me’ to the end of the statement. The boy nodded his head as Tony added more powder to his crotch, and tapped the diaper on, deciding to leave the pajama pants off for now, since the boy was starting to get fussy. So, he picked up the blonde boy and brought him over to the rocking chair where he set the baby down, crouching down in front of him, “Can you sit here and be a good boy while Daddy puts your sheets in the wash?”
“Yes, Daddy,” the boy said quietly, followed by a sniffle.
“Good boy,” Tony said as he stood up, grabbing a pacifier and popping it into the boy’s mouth, something that would have appalled the boy if he wasn’t so upset and so little. Tony walked over to the bed, glancing back to see Steve looking very small in the rocking chair, with his face pressed into his blanket, pacifier bobbing in his mouth, while only wearing a t-shirt and a diaper. The brunette quickly stripped the bed, thanking his past self for butting a plastic cover on the mattress, since it prevented the urine from soaking in. Once all the wet and yucky sheets and blankets were gathered up, he rushed out of the room, grabbing the pajamas and washcloth from the bathroom, before he walked into their laundry room. “How is he doing Jarvis?” he asked the AI as he threw the items in the washing machine.
“Young Sir is still sitting in the rocking chair, crying again,” the voice replied, causing Tony to sigh, that poor baby of his. He quickly started the machine, washed his hands, and walked back to the nursery to see the heartbreaking sight.
“Okay baby boy, let’s go to the big bed,” he said picking the boy up.
“No, no,” Steve cried out as Tony set him on his hip, fingers pushing against his chest.
“Yes, yes,” Tony corrected as he ignored the hands.
“Stevie naughty, go in timeout,” he mumbled, causing Tony to stop walking, and turn his head to the boy.
“Oh baby, no, let’s go talk about this… but you aren’t going in timeout,” he said rubbing tears away from the boy’s nose as he walked out of the room, turned off the light, and walked into their bedroom. Tony stepped over to the bed, sitting down with his back against the headboard, and put the baby in his lap so he could see the side of his face. Steve then laid his head against his Daddy’s chest, liking the rise and fall of it, combined with the sound of his voice and breathing. “So, care to tell me what happened?” Tony inquired as he pulled the pacifier from the boy’s soft mouth.
“I naughty,” Steve stated, rubbing his blankie through his fingers.
“Why do you think you were naughty?” the Daddy asked, rubbing his hand up and down the boy’s back.
“Had an accident,” the boy mumbled out.
“No, that isn’t naughty behavior, little boys have accidents sometimes,” Tony said calmly, holding back a yawn.
“But gots everything messy,” Steve added a few moments later.
“Oh, I see, why did that happen?” the Daddy asked, hoping he could get the boy to put the pieces together himself – that having an accident wasn’t naughty, taking off his diaper however, well that wasn’t necessarily good boy behavior.
“’Cause had an accident!” the boy said sharply, was his Daddy really this dumb when tired?
“I don’t think that’s 100% why, I think you got things wet because you weren’t wearing your diaper,” Tony pointed out.
“Didn’t want it Daddy! And, and, and, couldn’t sleep with it, so took it off, ‘cause didn’t need it!” the boy rambled on, finally letting out some of his built-up frustration.
“But didn’t Daddy say you needed it?”
“Yes, but didn’t need it, not really. So, taked it off and put it under bed, and fell asleep. But then, then, then, had bad dream! Daddy got hurt, he fell, and didn’t wake up again, and thens I woke up and all wet, not my fault, Daddy! Nightmare fault,” he continued to say, slurring words together.
“I’m so sorry you had a bad dream baby, but it was just a dream, Daddy is okay, it wasn’t real,” Tony started to say, addressing the dream first, “And it is okay to have accidents, and I understand it happened because of the nightmare. But sweetheart, that is why we have you wear diapers sometimes. Because sometimes little boys can’t hold it when they’re asleep or get scared. Daddy put you in a diaper just in case something like this happened, he didn’t do it to punish you, okay? I love you my little Stevie baby, and I didn’t want this to happen to you,” he continued, hoping he explained it well enough.
“Daddy mad at me? Timeout?” Steve lisped out a few seconds later.
“No, no, Daddy isn’t mad at you, and you won’t be going in timeout. He’s sorry you had a nightmare and got all icky, and he wishes you had kept your diaper on, but maybe he didn’t explain it well enough earlier,” he replied, admitting some of his own issues, something that doesn’t happen often.
“Daddy didn’t say not to take off diaper,” Steve pointed out, causing Tony to laugh.
“That’s very true, but from now on, if Daddy puts you in a diaper,” he started to say, patting the side of his diaper covered bottom, “You need to leave it on, because I put it there for a reason, got it?”
“Okay, Daddy. I’m sorry,” the little boy added, continuing to rub his fingers over the blanket.
“You’re forgiven baby,” he said, which was promptly answered with a yawn from the blonde lad, “But now I think it is time for you to go to sleep,” the Daddy added, reaching over for the light on the nightstand. He pressed down the button on the stand of the light, hearing the click, and watching the room go dark. “Night night time for real now,” he said, laying down, spooning the boy.
“Paci?” the boy asked quietly, making Tony smile at the fact the boy was asking for something so, as he would call it, ‘babyish.’
“Of course,” the Daddy said, sliding it between the boy’s lips, before wrapping his arms around the boy, “I love you so so much,” he whispered into the boy’s now dry hair.
“Love you so so so much,” the boy said, adding one more ‘so’ than Tony had, something he was notorious for doing, beca¬use it often prompted Tony to reply with ‘I love you so so so so much’ and then they would go back and forth, wasting time that should be spent sleeping. But before the brunette could reply, the boy spoke again, “Daddy?”
“Yes baby?” Tony asked as he closed his eyes.
“Why are you always right?” Steve asked, sleep starting to take over his body and mind.
“Because Daddy knows what’s best for his little baby,” he replied simply, the response rolling off his tongue, an answer that was either enough for the boy, to the point he didn’t need to answer, or simply was answered too late, and the boy had fallen asleep before he could respond. But either way, Tony smiled, as he pressed his chin down lightly on top of Steve’s head, before falling asleep himself, happiness flowing through him, thankful for the little monster in his arms.