Tony couldn't sleep. It had been three weeks since the attack in New York and he was more than happy to keep busy with the renovations to the tower. Anything was better than trying to sleep.

At some point he'd gone for more coffee and nearly brained himself when he'd stumbled into the kitchen to find Natasha sitting at the counter with a mug of what, he'd suspected was tea but his brain hadn't wanted to accept such mundane behavior from the spy. Clint had waved the spatula he'd been flipping pancakes with at him over his shoulder and continued cooking as if the whole insane picture was entirely normal. "Kid like pancakes?"

Tony'd mumbled he didn't really know and hurriedly poured his coffee, escaping back toward his, partially renovated, workshop. Addy had glanced up, accepted the can of soda he offered, and gone back to her sketchbook.

The wrench in his hand slipped, sudden visions of holes in space and falling, always falling, making his hands shake and jerking him back to the present. Damn confusing spies distracting him!

"Daddy?" Addy muttered from behind him, the soft green blanket they'd purchased a week before trailing behind her like a hooded cloak.

"Hey babe, shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and glancing around blearily. Several coffee mugs lay scattered around his work space and he momentarily wondered how long he'd been awake.

Addy swayed slightly on her feet, the motion dragging his attention back toward his daughter. "Don't feel so good," she croaked.

Tony frowned and straightened, joints cracking as he moved toward Addy. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes glassy, it was clear she'd feel feverish even before he placed his hand against her forehead.

He hissed quietly and swooped her, blankets and all, up into his arms. The fact that she didn't protest, merely sagging against him and letting out a tiny, painful sounding, cough as worrisome as the noticeable heat rolling off her. "Really caught a good one huh kiddo," he sighed and carried her toward the new sofa that'd been installed earlier in the week.

Addy whined slightly, "don't leave," she whimpered her voice croaky and weak. The girl sounded more her age than he thought she ever had.

"Not going anywhere munchkin," Tony soothed, manually unwinding her fists from where she was clinging to his shirt. "Look, you gotta let go so I can find you some meds or something ok? I'll be right back."

"Promise?" She whimpered, tearing up.

"Promise, course baby," he nodded and stepped away.

Tony rifled through the rather sparsely stocked medicine cabinet and swore. Advil, Pepper's midol, sleeping pills, and about two and a half first aid kits. Nothing safe for a seven year old. Nothing to cut through a fever or soothe a sore throat. He groaned and dropped his head against the cabinet. What would Jarvis have done for him as a kid? He vaguely remembered tea. "Jar, is tea good for a sore throat?"

"Many people swear by tea with lemon and honey sir. would you like me to find recommended doses?"

"We even have that crap?" He mumbled and began rifling through the kitchen. Any other moment he wouldn't have dared touch what he'd come to see as Natasha's tea but she seemed to like Addy. "Jar, find me a pharmacy that delivers would you pal. Need kid stuff, how do I not even have a Tylenol for her?!"

"Right away sir," the A.I. responded.

Tony hadn't really thought about the original Jarvis in a while, in fact he actively avoided thinking about anything connected to his childhood. Still, he smiled slightly remembering how much he always wished he could just stay sick. Keep Jarvis all to himself and avoid his father.

"That my tea?" Natasha asked, suddenly beside him.

Tony startled, the lemon he'd been cutting into flying off the counter to the floor. "Holy shit, Romanov," he gasped.

The woman raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to answer her question.

"Kid's sick," he shrugged. "Tea with lemon and honey, that's a thing right?"

Natasha glanced toward the sofa where Addy was curled into a ball under her blanket. "Does she like tea?"

Tony paused in his action of fishing lemon seeds from the mug, "uh," he sighed and rubbed the inner corners of his eyes. No medicines for her, no clue how to take care of a sick kid, and no idea if she even liked tea. The man suddenly found himself completely overwhelmed and feeling like the most pathetic parent on the planet.

"Easy Stark," she ordered and moved into the other room, rubbing her own hand gently over Addy's forehead. "Hey Addy, you're on fire дорогая," she muttered. "Think you can drink some tea for me?"

"Tea makes me sick," she croaked and began hacking until her chest burned and her throat ached. "Don't, don't like it," Addy forced out between coughs.

Natasha rubbed her back soothingly until she'd quit coughing and returned to the kitchen. "Come're  Stark," she huffed and pulled out another mug. "Milk."

Tony nodded and retrieved the jug. "Pretty sure that's not gonna help..."

"Not alone," she agreed and began rifling through the few spices. "Milk, cinnamon, splash of honey, little baking soda, heat it up," she explained as she mixed the ingredients together and put the mug into the microwave. "You know, you don't need to know everything right off."

"I need to be better," he huffed, staring at the machine as the numbers counted down, "she deserves better."

"She deserves love," the woman shrugged, "the rest will come." She smiled when the microwave beeped and set the mug in front of him on the counter, "go ahead, then. She's waiting."

"Thanks," he muttered and returned to the sofa. "Hey monkey, Natasha whipped up some warm milk stuff. Says will help till I get you some meds."

"You're not gonna leave right?" She pleaded, reaching one hand out of her blanket cocoon for him.

Tony shook his head, "nope, promised I wouldn't. I'll have to run down when they deliver all the crap I had Jarvis order for you but I'll be right back."

Addy nodded and sipped her warm milk. "Tell Nat it's nice?" She mumbled.

"Better than this garbage," the woman laughed as she joined them, sipping the tea Tony had made. "Too much lemon, Stark."

"Keep that in mind," he laughed, running his hand through Addy's hair. "Get this from me? I think you got this from me," he smiled and attempted to compare their hair.

Addy giggled weakly and curled against his chest, half in his lap. "You watch the Lorax with me?"

"Sure baby," he nodded and kissed her head. "Jar, you start up the Lorax?"

"Dr Seuss?" Clint grinned and dropped into a chair. "I love those books."

"Movie night," Addy whispered with a tired smile. "Look at you making weirdo friends."

"Quiet twerp, watch your movie," he laughed and tucked her head under his chin.

"Somebody decide to open a pharmacy?" Steve asked from the elevator, arms full of plastic bags with large red W logos.

Clint made loud shushing sounds and waved at him.

"Uh, hey capsickle," Tony murmured in confusion. "Get a day job?"

"It's almost 12:30 at night, Stark," Rogers replied with a frown. "Met the delivery boy in he lobby and told him I'd bring it up."

"Right, that makes more sense."

"Daddy," Addy whined.

"Gimme," Tony ordered, making grabby hands for the bags and directing Steve to place them on the floor. "I don't like being handed things. Ok babe, what hurts we got stuff now."

"Do I gotta?" She whimpered, wrinkling her nose at the bottles her father was lining up on the coffee table in front of them.

"Yup, gotta get you all perky and bossy again. So, throat and fever," he pulled two bottles forward, "anything else?"

"M'head hurts. 'M tired Daddy."

"Well, lucky for you this thing says it helps with fever, aches, and pains," Tony replied, shaking the medicine bottle. "Sit up babe."

Addy sagged in a heap beside him and groaned dramatically.

"Oh come on Tiny, work with me," Tony sighed.

"Got the wrong stuff," she whined. "Cherry kind is gross!"

Steve chuckled and held up three more bottles, "she's right, the cherry tastes fake."

"And you'd know because?" Tony huffed, tossing the cherry flavored Tylenol into the, now empty, shopping bag. "Which one's the right one, monkey?"

Addy rolled onto her belly with a whine and buried her face into the cushions.

"Best guess is usually bubblegum Stark," Natasha laughed.

"Buncha career soldiers know about kiddie meds," he huffed and remeasured the first dose with the pink goop this time. "Bubblegum this time, come on, up."

Steve took pity on him and moved toward the sofa, propping the limp whining ball of blankets up. "Swallow it quick, get it over with sport."

Tony upended the little measuring cup into her mouth and reached for the cough syrup. "Before I screw this one up too is this ok?"

"They can't make that one decent," Clint replied for her with a shudder.

Tony glanced up and shook his head, "when did I adopt twin spies and a super soldier?"

"Oh that's cute you think you're the adult," Natasha laughed and leaned over to ruffle his hair. "Hurry it up."

Addy pouted but took the medicine, gagging over the taste and tumbling forward onto her father before he'd managed to put the medicine bottle down.

Steve reached around them and took it before he could spill, adding it to the pile in front of them. "Please tell me you aren't going to leave those out?"

"No old fella I have this nifty little box I keep all this crap in," he huffed, leaning backward in the corner of the couch. Addy had already dozed off against him.

"So, you didn't tell us you had a kid?" Steve murmured after a pause.

Tony tilted his head toward the supersoldier tiredly. "Didn't realize we were doing the sharing thing. Was I meant to bring her up between scuffles?"

"Part of being a team Stark," Steve snapped. "As captain I'd like to know if I'm going to be facing a child when I inform next of kin."

"I don't go parading her around, she's not a first date trick," Tony replied, the glint in his eyes and sharp tick of his jaw belying the careless tone.

"You're telling me you've kept it quiet that tony stark has a daughter for what six years?" Rogers snorted.

Tony glared, "she's seven, and no, I'm saying for the last several months since her mother died and I was informed of her existence I haven't gone out of my way to put the kid in the public eye. She's isn't some bargaining chip or legacy."

Steve studied him with a raised brow, "wouldn't have expected something so parental from you stark."

"Stick around, Cap, I bought a desk calendar," Tony snapped, and went back to carding his hand through Addy's hair.

______________

Finally getting some fluff! *does happy dance*