Chapter 10 of Provide Me (Marvel) is up!
Read here or start from the beginning
Thank you so much everyone for your support (reached 800 kudos today!), it really means the world, I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story.
Fic summary:
Tony wakes up a lot younger than he's supposed to be. The team try to figure out how to handle this.
Tension headaches, a little heartache, and a lot of learning ensues.
Fic status:
Updating weekly.
Relationships:
Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark & Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark & Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov & Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner & Natasha Romanov, Clint is palling around too but I have to stop with the tags somewhere
“Thank you all for coming,” Steve said, seating himself at the head of the briefing table.
“How serious is this business?” Bruce asked, shuffling some papers. “I ask because of the lack of red flashing lights; I have a project –"
“It’s not necessarily an emergency, but it is pretty important.”
“And true to form, Tony isn’t here,” Clint said, propping his feet up on the table. “I suppose he’s snorting cocaine off a pretty important model’s asscrack?”
“Clint.” Steve refused to rise to the bait. “Tony’s actually the issue.”
“Then shouldn’t he be here?” Bruce said, and Steve’s heart went out to him for the concern immediately apparent in his face. “I mean, we shouldn’t be talking about him without –“
“No, Bruce, I don’t mean he’s done anything wrong. He’s – and nobody panic when I say this, like I said, not an emergency – sort of in trouble.” Everyone sat up a little straighter. Steve felt a swell of pride at the team they’d built.
“He was fine last night,” Sam said, pausing in the folding of a paper airplane. “We were talking over some improvements to my wings. Seemed normal.”
“He didn’t check in at the lab this morning, but I assumed he was sleeping in. Is he OK?”
“Well, he’s –“ Steve sighed, glad he’d only have to explain this once. “Please just bear with me. He’s seven years old.”
Silence. Then a low chuckle.
“Sam, I’m serious.” The chuckle stopped.
“It’s never enough with you people, is it,” Sam muttered.
“Seven years old?” Bruce had taken his glasses off, and was polishing them nervously. “Mentally? Physically?”
“Well, damn,” Clint said. “I mean, Nat’s been telling him he has the mental age of a five-year-old for years, but –"
“And that’s exactly the sort of wisecrack I hope we can make, once we figure out what’s gone wrong, and how we can fix it.”
“Sorry Cap, I don’t think this is the sort of problem you shoot arrows at.”
“No, but it is the sort of problem you gather intelligence for. We’ve got Strange on-site -" A groan went around the table – “And we’re going to be polite and cooperative, so we can get our preferred goateed smart-alec back as soon as possible.”
“I can’t stand that guy,” Clint muttered, chucking a bouncy arrow-head at the ceiling and catching it. “He’s like Tony on LSD.”
“Well luckily for you, you won’t have to talk to him much. Nat says –“ Steve glanced at his phone – “that he wants to find out the identity of whoever cast this spell.”
“So it is a spell, then?” Bruce said, pursing his lips. “Not a chemical compound, or technology, or anything bound by the conventional laws of the universe?”
“Not this time,” Steve said, giving Bruce a small smile. “So Clint, you’re on intelligence-gathering duty. Footage of anyone we’ve fought in the past few weeks, surveillance of anyone with an MO that seems like it might stretch to this – whatever you think best, I won’t tell you how to do your job.”
“Aye-aye, Cap,” Clint said, taking his feet off the table. “Is Nat with me on this?”
“I’m not sure yet. Possibly she’ll want to be, but …” Steve spread his hands out. “Whether we like it or not, we have a child in the tower now. We’ll need someone on-site to keep him safe, and so far Natasha’s the only one who’s had prolonged contact. Jarvis doesn’t want to speak with him in case it upsets him, and he also says it might upset him to see me.”
“Wait. You haven’t seen him yet?” Sam leaned forward. “Steve, are you sure - and I mean really, truly sure, before I end up in a viral video - that they’re not pulling your leg?”
“I’m sure,” he said with a tired smile. “Nat, Tony, Stephen and Jarvis aren’t exactly a classic prank team. And I’ve never seen Nat look so uncomfortable before.”
“Sounds like she’s going to love babysitting duty,” Clint said.
“My guess is it’ll be a team effort. You’ll be on reconnaissance most of the time Clint, and I’m not sure how much I’ll be around – how much it’s a good idea for me to be around – but Bruce, I think you should try to get to know the kid.”
“Why does everyone always want to put me next to whatever’s most fragile and irreplaceable?”
“You’ll be fine. You can make sure this transformation isn’t having any weird health side-effects; chat about science, whatever else you two talk about, science. You’re a good neutral influence, like Natasha.”
“Hey!” Clint said. “Why am I not a neutral influence?” Everyone looked at him.
“You are a terrible influence, Clint,” Sam said. “I’d let Strange babysit my niece before you.”
“How’s that for bird solidarity,” Clint muttered.
“Sam, if it’s OK with you, I’d like you to up your patrols. I’m sure I don’t need to explain to any of you that this story remains inside the tower. Fly around a bit more; make Tony’s absence less noticeable.”
“Oh, the vanity patrols, you mean? The ones that do nothing for the city’s safety, but get him on lots of Instagram feeds?”
“Those are the ones.” Sam grinned.
“Sweet. Watch Falcon trend.”
“What about the Wizard of Oz? What’s he doing?” Clint asked.
“Hell if I know. Stirring potions? Whatever he needs -“
The door opened, and Natasha and Strange walked through.