little Tones

Edward

12:48am

Clint and Nat are analyzing the footage of when Tony was turned into a little boy, trying to find any clues to who the mysterious man might be. Bruce is keeping an eye on little Tony's vitals and trying to figure out what's happening to him, physically. As for Steve, he stands by Tony's gurney, watching over him.

A small whimper comes from Tony, emediately catching Steve's attention. "Tony." Steve whispers to him as he leans close to the head of the gurney. Another whimper escapes from Tony. "Hey, Shh. It's okay." Steve soothes and runs a hand, gently through Tony's hair. Tony whimpers once more before finally calming and going back to a restful sleep.

"is he in pain?" Steve looks to Bruce. Bruce shakes his head, not sure of the answer. "I can't tell, for sure but I don't think he's in too much pain. I'll give him some pain meds." He replies and gives Tony a safe dosage of pain meds. Steve nods his head, satisfied with the action.

  "Capin?" Both Steve and Bruce's heads turn to the soft voice. "Tony." Steve says, with a relieved sigh and a huge smile. Tony blinks, still exhausted and in pain, and tries to look around the lab, not knowing where he is or remembering what happened. "What happened?" Tony rasps, looking at Steve, through half lidded and fevered eyes.

  "You passed out. Your sick, but we're gonna help you get better." Steve replies softly and calmly as he strokes little Tony's hair. Tony nods his head, then closes his eyes with a sigh. "I'm sowy." Steve furrows his eyebrows and frowns. "for what?" "For -" Tony takes a deep, trying to breath better. "For getting tick." Steve shakes his head. "Tony, don't be sorry. This is not your fault." Steve says, very serious. "Is it . . . . da bad guys?" Steve gives a small grin and nods his head. "Yeah. Its the bad guys, but we're gonna catch 'em and get you better." Steve whispers. Tony gives a small, tired grin in return.

  "Hey, Little Tones." Steve and Tony both look up to see Clint coming over, happy to see Tony awake. "Hi Cwint." Tony greets, weakly. "We're looking for the bad guys who did this to you. Don't worry. Your gonna be okay." Clint assures with a smile. "Tank you." "Hi Tony." Nat greets coming up beside Clint. "Hi Nasha." "I promise, мои детские тоны, you'll feel better soon." Nat says with a warm smile and runs a gentle hand through little Tony's hair.

  After a minute of visiting, Nat and Clint go back to work.

  "Capin?" Tony whispers. "yeah?" "Can you get me Wogers wabbit?" Steve furrows his eyebrows trying to think what he means. Well, I know there's a movie called 'Roger Rabbit'. Does he mean someone who's name is Rogers owns a rabbit? Well, my last name is Rogers. Oooh! He must mean his Captain America rabbit. "Yeah, buddy. I'll be right back." Steve goes and retrieves the rabbit in less than 2 minutes. Tony latches on to it and hugs it to himself. "tank you." Steve smiles. "You're welcome."

  "How are you feeling? Any pain anywhere or trouble breathing?" Bruce asks, as he kneels by Tony's head. Tony shakes his head, but Bruce can tell it's a lie. Bruce gives a small grin. "Tony. Please tell me if you are in pain or can't breath. It's very important that you do. It will help us get you better soon." He says softly and kindly. After a few seconds, Tony nods his head. "My head and . . . chest . . . hurt." Bruce nods his head, happy Tony told him, and gets to work adjusting the pain meds and giving more.

  "Capin?" "Yeah, buddy." "Can you tell me a stowy?" "A story?" Steve asks with exaggerated excitement but softly. Tony smiles and nods his head. "I'm not very good at telling stories." Steve admits." Tony coughs before replying. "Dat's okay . . . Just say anyting. *Cough!Cough!*" Steve frowns at the sound of the coughs and cups Tony's cheek. Tony sighs in contentment and leans into it.

  "Alright, umm -" Steve sighs in thought before beginning. "There once was a man named . . . . Edward, who lived in a huge and beautiful kingdom. But this man wasn't any ordinary man. Edward could build anything out of anything. He once built a wagon out of two forks and a bread stick." Tony giggles causing Steve to let out a chuckle. "A lot of people think this man is selfish and only cares about himself." Tony furrows his eyebrows. "Why?" He whispers. Steve looks at him for a moment, thinking, then gives a small grin. "I don't know. That's just kind of what he made people think. . . . . And  one day . . . he made very special armor." "Why was it *Cough!* special?" Tony whispers, grogilly.

  Bruce, Nat and Clint all turn their heads towards Steve and Tony, intrigued by the story and finding it, somewhat familiar.

  "It's very special because this armor can not be broken. It's magical and can protect him from anything. But soon after, the kingdom comes under attack. Buildings are toppling over, fires are blazing and people are screaming." Tony's eyes widen at the description of the attack.

  "The kingdom sends out their best fighters, including Edward. They fight hard and strong, taking down bad guys left and right. Edward even comes face to face with a huge scaly, black dragon. The dragon breaths out fire, hitting Edward -" Steve pauses for effect, Tony entranced by the story, excited to know what happens next.

  "But Edward doesn't fall or burn. He stays standing, as his magical armor protects him. When the dragon is done, Edward slays the dragon. Just when the kingdom and Edward are winning, the bad guys bring out their big gun . . . . A magical arrow. This arrow can destroy and kill anything. They aim it at the kingdom's castle . . . and fire." Tony gasps. Steve smiles at that. Guess I'm not too bad at story telling.

  "The arrow makes its way to the castle, and when everyone thinks it's all over . . . . the castle doesn't crumble. They all look and see, Edward jumped in front of the arrow, taking the arrow for the kingdom. When the people see the castle didn't fall down, they all cheer and celebrate. The rest of the kingdom's fighters go to Edward who lays, unmoving. Not breathing. They all bow there heads for their fallen comrade." "No." Tony whispers, sad that Edward died.

  "But then, a big strong man, who claims to be a wizard walks over to Edward and casts a spell. Everyone stands watching. A huge, blinding light appears. Everyone covers their eyes and when the light vanishes, Edward springs awake, catching his breath. They all cheer, happy their friend survived . . . . and after that, everyone knew Edward wasn't selfish like they thought. They knew he would lay down his life any time for the kingdom. The End."

  Steve finishes. Tony smiles and yawns. "Tank you Capin. Dat was a gweat stowy. *Cough!*" Tony says, before closing his eyes. Steve smiles. "You're welcome." He leans over and plants a kiss on little Tony's forehead. "Get some rest, Tony." Tony snuggles into his Roger rabbit and falls into a deep slumber.

  "That was a good story Cap." Clint comments with a smile, knowing exactly what the story was REALLY about. "It sure sounded familiar." Bruce chimes in. "Yeah, well . . . It's all I could come up with." Steve says quietly, petting Tony's hair. "It was sweet. I liked it." Nat states as she works on a computer." Steve smiles a bit.