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Tony Stark was a flirt. This was general knowledge. He'd kept up his facade as a playboy for many years, perfecting the art of making women and men blush at his words.
What wasn’t general knowledge was that Tony was a Little. Most thought he was a neutral—some even guessed Alpha—and he liked keeping it that way. Over the years more and more people close to him had learned his real classification. Rhodey. Happy and Pepper. Steve. And eventually the rest of the Avengers. It was a rocky start, mostly because of Tony’s long-held habit of keeping his classification secret. With time, they had gotten into a routine that worked.
And Tony had found his Caregiver; Steve.
It wasn’t perfect, far from that, but it was nice. It was a family of sorts. Tony had never been happier.
With this, Tony had first toned down—and later on, fully got rid of—his facade of being a playboy. He’d never liked being intimate like that since he was a Little. He’d only actually been intimate a few times, and those hadn’t been the best. Thanks to money, fame and a bit of alcohol he’d managed to continue convincing the public of his ‘sex god’ reputation. After all, who would suspect a playboy for being a Little? It was a good cover.
But recently he’d changed his reputation to be more along the lines of a ‘strong hero’ and part of Earth's protectors instead (which still put him rather far from his original designation in most people's minds). But in private he could be himself more and more. It was still hard some days, you didn’t wipe away years of hiding it in a snap, but it was getting easier.
Now, Tony could still enjoy a bit of playful flirting when he was big. It was a little bit like a game, and he liked when people liked him. He naturally flirted with guests at galas without it leading anywhere. He was good at it by now, after years of practice. Steve would sometimes look at him from across the room and shake his head with a badly concealed smile. Tony couldn’t help but send back playful grins.
Now this wasn’t strange, no one expected or wanted ‘Big’ Tony to necessarily stop acting like himself. Cheeky jokes, excessive flirting, and scratching sarcasm included.
The funny thing was that Little Tony was so different from his big persona. When Tony was little he was kind, soft and timid. He liked most people and did everything he could to show his appreciation. Giving small gifts—like a drawing, or a pretty rock he’d found outside—was common. He was cuddly and enjoyed being carried around by Steve. He was a little sunshine trough and trough.
Now, even if Tony didn’t like sexual intimacy or romantically loved people, he could still be very fond of some people. When he was feeling big it didn’t show more than in a friendly appreciative way. But when he was little it could play out a bit differently.
When Steve had started taking care of Tony, and somewhere along the way became ‘Daddy’, he’d had a period when Tony was practically glued to Steve’s side whenever he was in his little headspace. He’d gotten fussy when Steve didn’t carry him around or followed him when he left the room. He’d been very embarrassed during diaper changes and always wanted extra cuddles after them. Eventually, it calmed down but Tony was still very fond of his Daddy in a less intense way. Steve had assumed it was some sort of abandonment issue he’d been working through and didn’t think much more of it.
Though recently he had noticed similar behaviours in Tony concerning another person. He had been blind to it at first, but it had dawned on him later on. He knew by now most of the people who knew Tony’s real classification had picked up on it.
Because Tony was extremely fond of Pepper.
Now, Tony liked almost everyone, but Pepper had a special place in the little’s heart, that was clear. Steve didn’t feel jealous about it. He had his own place in Tony’s heart, and he wouldn’t change it for the world. Steve was Daddy, and nothing could change that. Pepper wasn’t a caregiver, she was a Neutral with a very caring aura. Steve knew she didn’t want a little, though she adored Little Tony and loved to babysit from time to time.
Besides, it was hard for Steve to be jealous when Tony was so cute. It was adorable how soft and shy he acted around Pepper. Even if he had absolutely no romantic interest, both as little and big, it was clear Tony had a strong platonic love for Pepper. A platonic crush was the best way Steve could describe it. He loved Steve platonically, but also more parenteral. The way Tony could blush around Pepper reminded him of a playground crush.
By now everyone knew. Even Big Tony. He even made jokes about it sometimes, about how even his Little side couldn’t resist her. It was purely a platonic flirty joke, but Pepper always rolled her eyes fondly. Steve was just happy Tony’s relationship with his little side had gotten so good he could joke about it.
The rest of the Avengers thought it was just as adorable as Steve. It was hard not to when you saw him.
How Tony blushed and smiled proudly when Pepper praised him for being a good boy. How Tony always demanded to sit between Steve and Pepper during dinner if she joined them. How he liked to take her hand when they were walking somewhere and he was little. How he drew her more drawings than he did for the others and gave her when she came by the common room floor. Really there were a lot of instances when it was clear that Pepper was something special for Tony.
Natasha tried to hide her smile whenever she saw Tony shine up because Pepper came by. Clint also thought it was adorable, but tried to hide it. Bruce would chuckle whenever Tony rushed off to tell Pepper to ask if she wanted to join movie night.
Speaking of Bruce, he had a few Daisies growing under a bright light in his lab. He’d used a few for an experiment, but when it was done they had just sort of stayed there. When Steve came by with Little Tony he’d noticed the Littles attention stuck on the flowers. After a while Tony interrupted Bruce and Steve’s conversation, asking if he could have one of the flowers. Bruce smiled, said he didn’t need them anymore and handed Tony one. Tony had taken the flower very carefully, examining the beautiful rows of white petals thoroughly.
Then he’d turned to Steve and asked if he could go give it to Pepper. He thought it’d be a good gift for her. Steve suspected he also just missed her, since they hadn’t seen her for a couple of days, and wanted a reason to go visit her. Steve didn’t like when Tony wanted to go bother Pepper while she was working, but Tony hoped if he had a gift that was the best reason ever to see her. They just had to visit her.
Steve had agreed it was a good idea thankfully. Bruce didn’t seem bothered that Tony wanted to give away his flower based on his friendly smile.
Tony was practically buzzing as they went to see Pepper. He walked himself and refused to be carried because he was a ‘big boy’, but he happily held Steve’s hand on the way.
Once they got to Pepper's office though Tony seemed a bit less confident. His smile had fallen and a shy frown had replaced it. Steve softly nudged Tony forward to knock on the door. Tony swallowed hard before lifting his hand and knocking on the door three times. Pepper's voice came a moment later through the door, telling them to enter. Steve opened the door to let Tony in first.
“Hi, I hope we’re not interrupting anything important,” Steve said.
Pepper looked up from her desk. “No, no worries. I needed a break anyway,” she said.
She rounded her desk, and her smile softened when she noticed Tony was little. “Hi, Tony.”
Tony fiddled a bit with the hem of his shirt with the hand that wasn’t holding the daisy.
“Hi,” he said.
“What brings you two here? Anything special?” she asked, looking between Tony and Steve.
Steve looked down at Tony and saw him squirming a little, but he stayed quiet. Steve thought he needed another nudge.
“Well, actually Tony had something he wanted to give you. Right honey?” The last part he said turned to Tony.
Tony nodded and walked up to Pepper holding up the daisy. His cheeks were flushed as he looked slightly down, hiding behind his fringe. Pepper looked surprised but quickly gathered herself and accepted the flower.
“Oh, Tony, it's beautiful!” she said with a bright smile. Then she brushed away Tony’s fringe and gently kissed his forehead. “Thank you for giving it to me.”
Steve saw even Tony’s ears were red now, but he had a bright proud smile on his face.
They spent a little more time talking to Pepper before they needed to leave her to finish her work for the day. Tony clumsily skipped down the hall even as they left her office and Steve had to stifle a chuckle. Tony was so expressive when he was little.
Now, it was clear Tony obviously liked Pepper for her personality, but he also seemed to like how she looked. Steve guessed it was a sort of aesthetic admiration. He had to admit, Pepper was pretty, and he was sure Little Tony saw that too.
One day Pepper joined a movie night, something that didn’t happen often. Tony had not so subtly indicated he wanted to sit between Steve and Pepper. At first, he’d been leaning at Steve, but sometimes through the movie he lost his concentration and started to shuffle a little. When Steve looked to the side he was Tony was gently touching a piece of Pepper’s hair, rubbing it between his fingers. Pepper had noticed and whispered something to Tony which he nodded to. He handled the long strand of hair very carefully, as if worried to mess it up. He didn't thug or anything. Then he brought the strand up to his cheek and slowly rubbed it against his cheek. Pepper smiled at him.
“It’s really pretty,” Tony whispered to Pepper.
“Thank you,” she said. “I think your hair’s pretty too.”
“Thanks,” Tony mumbled back.
Steve turned back to the movie but could hear Tony and Pepper whisper from time to time. When the movie was over Tony had fallen asleep with his head leaning on Pepper’s arm and his feet in Steve’s lap. Pepper's red hair was brushing his ear slightly.
He smiled at Pepper and lifted the sleeping Little up to take him to bed. He whispered goodnight to Pepper before leaving and she smiled fondly at Tony who snuggled into Steve’s embrace in his sleep.
One time Pepper had also come by the kitchen when Steve was making some lunch for him and Tony. She’d been meaning to talk to Tony about a planned meeting but had realized he was Little and took the time to sit down and talk to him for a while instead. She’d been busy for a few weeks and hadn’t seen a lot of Little Tony. Not a lot of Tony in adult headspace either. Natasha and Clint had also joined them, waiting for Steve to finish making lunch. He had only planned to cook for Tony and him, but somehow Natasha and Clint had managed to persuade him into making chicken pasta so there was enough for them too.
After a while, Tony started looking curiously at Pepper’s nails. They were painted light pink, not too flashy, but a nice subtle color. He eventually mentioned that he thought they looked pretty. She smiled at him and said she was glad he liked them. Then came something that shocked Tony.
“We could paint your nails someday if you want to?” Pepper said.
Steve turned around and saw Tony’s face shine up at the possibility. Then it quickly fell and he looked slightly uncertain. Steve wondered why, but then Tony looked at him clearly waiting for some sort of approval. He felt his heart clench at the sight of Tony being unsure if he could paint his nails or not, but he didn’t let the pity distract him. If he waited to answer Tony would feel even more unsure. It was best to just act as if nothing was wrong.
“Would you like that Tony? I think it sounds fun,” he said, trying to encourage him without forcing Tony in case he changed his mind.
Tony looked at him for another moment, before nodding and smiling again.
“Maybe I could try some too,” Steve added after a second thought. “I’ve never tried it.”
Tony was visibly excited by the possibility of them trying nail polish. Pepper soon had to leave for a meeting, but promised to come by with some nail polish another day so they could try it out.
A few days later they sat in the common living room with a few of Pepper’s nail polishes on the table, and even Natasha had joined in and brought a few of hers.
Tony had chosen a bright red. Pepper helped him paint it on. If it was a bit smudged because it was hard for the little to stay still until it fully dried, that didn't matter. And Adult Tony didn’t wash it off for the gala he attended two days later, but wore his nail polish without a hint of embarrassment. He’d done much weirder things, so no one really noticed it.
Steve let Tony pick out a color for him too, and Tony picked out a slightly shimmery dark blue. Steve didn’t think it looked too bad, but that was probably because Natasha had helped him apply it. She’d also managed to wrestle Clint down on the floor and had painted his nails one coat of purple polish before he managed to flee. Still, no matter how much he complained about it, Steve was sure he’d seen Clint admire it when he thought no one was looking.
Steve saw no fault with Tony’s platonic crush on Pepper. He was always thrilled to see Tony happy. He didn’t know if his crush would ever lessen, but he knew Pepper would always have a special place in Tony’s heart, both as an adult and Little. And she was more than worth the spot.
He would always be grateful for the good people that stayed by Tony’s side.