Avengers Age Regression Oneshots

Science questions

Tony Stark was notorious for hiding out in his lab, especially when he was supposed to be resting. As brilliant as he was, Tony was also stubborn — a trait the rest of the Avengers knew all too well. The problem was that when Tony slipped into his little headspace, he didn't always make it obvious. He'd try to hide it, keep up appearances, and continue tinkering in the lab as if nothing was wrong.

The team, however, had become very good at figuring out when Tony was regressing. It wasn't always easy to spot; sometimes he would still appear focused, hunched over his latest invention, but something about him would be...off.

That's where the science questions came in.

Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and Clint Barton were gathered outside Tony's lab. They all had their own ways of knowing when Tony wasn't quite himself, but this time, they had agreed on a foolproof method.

"Okay, we all know he's in there," Steve said, arms crossed as he looked through the glass door. "But we need to make sure. If he's little, he shouldn't be working on anything dangerous."

"Right," Bucky added, nodding. "So, who's asking the first question?"

Natasha smirked. "I'll go first. Tony likes a challenge, right?"

Bruce stepped up to the door, tapping on it softly before opening it just a crack. "Hey, Tony," he called, his voice gentle but laced with suspicion.

Tony, who was crouched over one of his many prototypes, barely looked up. "Busy here, Banner," he muttered. His tone was gruff, but there was a slight edge of something soft beneath it — something the team had learned to pick up on.

Natasha stepped in, crossing her arms as she stood near Tony's workbench. "Tony, quick question. How do you explain quantum entanglement in relation to tachyon particles?"

The room went quiet. Normally, Tony would have rattled off a response without even pausing. But this time, there was a hesitation. He blinked, his brow furrowing as he looked up at her.

"Uh...what?" Tony asked, sounding confused.

Natasha exchanged a knowing glance with the others. That hesitation was all she needed to confirm her suspicions.

Clint took the opportunity to step in next. "Okay, how about this one, Tony. Can you tell me how to reverse the polarity of an electromagnetic field using only subatomic particles?"

Again, Tony paused. He squinted at Clint, clearly frustrated. "That's...not even... what kind of question is that?" His voice wavered slightly, and the team could see that familiar, distant look starting to settle in his eyes.

"Definitely little," Bruce said softly to Steve, who nodded in agreement.

Steve stepped forward, kneeling down next to Tony to get on his level. "Hey, buddy," he said gently. "I think it's time for a break, don't you? You've been in here for hours."

Tony looked at him, his expression softening as his hands fidgeted with the tools on the table. "But I gotta finish this," he mumbled, his voice quieter now, almost whiny. "It's important."

"We know, but you've been working too hard," Steve replied. "How about we take a break? We can do something fun instead."

Tony frowned, clearly conflicted. His little side didn't want to stop, but he was also too tired to argue. He looked back at the others, eyes darting between them before his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Okay..." he said, his voice small. "But only for a little while."

Natasha smiled and walked over, gently guiding Tony away from the workbench. "Let's go grab something to eat, how does that sound?"

Tony nodded, but as they led him out of the lab, he couldn't help but glance back at his unfinished project. "Will it still be here when we come back?" he asked quietly, his little side fully emerging now.

Bruce ruffled his hair gently. "It'll still be here. We're not going anywhere without you."

As the team walked Tony out of the lab and toward the kitchen, they exchanged smiles. They had learned over time that sometimes, Tony just needed a little help to realize when it was time to let go of his responsibilities, even for a moment.

And if a few tricky science questions were what it took to figure out when he was in his headspace, they were more than willing to play along.