Little Secrets, Little Bucky

Little Visitors

"I don't need a babysitter!" Tony said angrily, sitting himself down on the couch in Y/n's living room. He had been little all day, but now his Daddy had been called in as emergency backup on a mission. Clint and Bobbie had been gone for weeks now, and they had finally managed to get a message out stating that they were in dire need of air support. Sam and Rhodes had immediately been assigned to help, and Steve had volunteered, refusing to let his partner go without him.

"Tony please," Rhodey sighed. "The jet leaves in thirty minutes, and I'm not going to leave you alone while you're little. Y/n is going to take such good care of you, I promise."

Angry tears gathered in Tony's eyes and his bottom lip began to tremble. He often struggled with the idea of being abandoned and betrayed; it was something he was all too familiar with. "I don't want you to go away," he said sadly, voice straining as he fought back his tears. "Please Daddy, don't go."

Rhodey felt his heart constrict. He knew how scared Tony was of being left behind, and he had never left him alone while he was regressed unless it was absolutely necessary. But he had gone too long without being little and it wasn't a good idea to make him be big so soon. He needed time to rest, and Rhodey had complete faith that Y/n would look after Tony as her own. Even though she had also been tasked with checking on Nat, he knew that she was more than able to handle herself. The woman seemed as though she was born to be a caregiver.

He sat down beside Tony and pulled him into his lap. "Sunshine, I promise you I'll come back," he said gently, tightening his arms around the frightened toddler when he sniffled. "Can you tell Daddy what I can do to make this easier?"

"Don't wanna watch you leave," Tony whimpered. "It's too scary."

Y/n was struck by an idea. It may have been early in the day, but Tony had a bad habit of not sleeping when he was big. Chances were, he was exhausted. "How about I let you and your Daddy have some time alone?" She suggested. "He can put you down for a nap in my bed, and when you wake up you and I will decide what to do next."

That sounded like a very good idea to Tony. He could cuddle up with his daddy, and by the time he woke up he'd already be gone. Tony wouldn't have to watch him go, and Y/n would be there to help him when he was ready. The little boy nodded his head.

"Thank you," Rhodey mouthed to Y/n, taking Tony to her bedroom to help him settle down.

Y/n smiled and handed him an extra blanket. "There's bedtime books in the bottom drawer of my nightstand and clean pacifiers too."

"You're a saint," Rhodey said gratefully, before closing the door.

Once Tony was asleep, it was just about time for Rhodey to leave. He quickly gave Y/n a rundown of things she already knew, nerves showing through as he told her for the third time that Tony only took pacifiers when he was sleepy and needed reminders for the bathroom every three hours.

"I've got this," she reassured him, walking to the elevator with him. "I'll monitor his vitals every so often while he sleeps, and Jarvis will give me a ten minute warning before he wakes up."

"I know. I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing a hand over his face. "I just want to make sure he's okay."

"Trust me, I get it," she said fondly. "I'll take good care of him. I promise you'll come home to a happy, safe Tony. Do me a favor and let Bobbi and Clint know the same about Tasha."

Rhodey gave her a warm smile. "I will, Y/n. Good luck!" He called out as the elevator doors closed.

Y/n laughed to herself and went to the nursery, ensuring everything was clean and organized for the day. She had a gut feeling that Nat needed to be little, and if she was correct then she needed to be prepared. Bobbi and Clint had made Nat promise to come to Y/n if she needed to regress in a safe place, but Y/n had a feeling that she wasn't going to ask for help until it was directly offered. Natasha was a lot like Bucky in ways like that, and thankfully it meant Y/n had plenty of experience.