Defying Physics

Chapter Two

     I knew five-year-olds could be a pain. I also knew that Tony's machine was not supposed to affect the mentality of the people it was used on.

     But now I had first-hand knowledge that that was not quite true.

     Steve and Tony had been fighting over a juice box for the last five minutes, Clint was pulling Thor's hair, and Bruce and Natasha were actually behaving and coloring. After I had asked Tony and Steve to knock it off for the tenth time, I finally took the juice box away. Tony got upset and Steve just turned back to his chicken nuggets that I had miraculously found int the cupboard.

     "Tony, shut up!" I shouted, much louder than I had intended.

     That made them all stop and look at me. Tony's lip quivered, Clint slowly let go of Thor's hair, Steve's eyes went wide, and Bruce and Natasha froze. I sighed and picked Tony up, settling him on my hip. I rested my forehead against his.

     "Tony, you can't act like that. Okay? It was only a juice box."

     "Okay."

     I kissed his forehead and sat him back down. I went to the fridge and pulled out the last two juice boxes -- including the one the boys had been fighting over -- and set one in front of Tony and the other in front of Steve. Tony smiled up at me and quickly poked the straw into the box. Steve finished his lunch before drinking the juice.

     I still had to get to the store and buy clothes for them. I sighed.

     "Bruce?"

     "Yes, Kathryn?"

     "I thought you and Tony had said that the machine wouldn't change the mentality of those it was used on."

     Bruce nodded, "We said that. But I think we meant that we would still remember our lives and know how to act like adults." I raised my eyebrow and he went on. "I remember what happened. I remember my whole life. But since my body has changed, so have all my hormones and other natural changes that happened to my body as I grew. None of us have frontal lobes anymore and our brains are still children's brains, even though we have maintained our intellect and memories." He held up his drawing; a poorly colored-in cat. "See? My motor-skills are still developing."

     I groaned. I was not looking forward to handling this. I didn't want to call anyone else in, lest the mini-Avengers give them a hard time. I looked over at Clint and Thor, who were now having the time of their lives shooting rubber bands at each other. I turned my head a bit and saw Steve and Tony
sitting peacefully, but looking about ready to fall asleep. I carried them out to the sitting area and laid them down on one of the couches.

     "Bruce."

     "Yes?"

     "You're in charge while I'm gone."

     "Okay."

     "J.A.R.V.I.S."

     "Yes, Miss Rogers?"

     "None of them leave this floor. For any reason. Make sure the bathrooms are unlocked."

     "Yes, Miss Rogers."

     And with that I hurried off to the nearest department store.

**

     I was finally done shopping. All I had to do was check out.

     My cart was full. I had four outfits for each of my friends. I'd thought it would be funny to get them sets of clothes that had their faces on them. There were two outfits for day-wear for each of them that had their likeness or superhero symbols on them, a pair of day-clothes that were just a regular color, and I had gotten them each pajamas with their faces on them. The lady at the checkout was trying -- and failing -- not to give me a strange look.

     When I made it back to the Tower, I was relieved to see all the Avengers in the living room; napping on the couches. I picked them up one by one and carried them into the kitchen to get them changed out of their too-big clothes.

     Steve was first. He was fairly easy, and didn't even complain when I pulled out a Captain America shirt for him to wear. He just raised his eyebrow like he did when he was bigger than me and I did something that amused him. But he wore the shirt anyway.

     Bruce was also compliant. Although, he made sure to inform me that he would rather wear the plain green shirt than the Hulk t-shirt I'd bought for him.

     Tony was too enthusiastic to wear his own merchandise. He pulled on the Iron Man shirt with such conviction that I thought I'd never get it off of him, and we'd have to buy one in an adult size when I finally got them changed back.

     Thor and Natasha slept on while I dressed them. So, of course, they ended up wearing their merchandise. Natasha looked cute in a Black Widow themed dress, and Thor looked adorable in the shirt that was printed to match his Asgardian chest plate.

      Clint was a fight. Of course he was. he didn't want to get dressed, arguing that his parents had let him run around the house naked the first time he'd been five years old. I told him that I didn't care and was eventually able to get him fully clothed. And once he was finally dressed, he decided that he liked the Hawkeye themed shirt and left it alone.

      I sighed and sat with them in the living room after turning on some cartoon that I hoped would occupy them. Maybe their brains still had their memories, but I didn't think NCIS would be appropriate for five-year-olds. So I tolerated Dora the Explorer for five hours until it was time for dinner. I was then, mercifully, able to go into the kitchen and make some macaroni and cheese for dinner. We ate in front of the TV and then watched two more episodes before I had to get them ready for bed.

      I took them all to my apartment, knowing that I could better keep an eye on them this way. I dressed them in their new pajamas, over which only Natasha and Bruce gave me dirty looks and Steve looked highly amused again. I changed into my own pajamas and pulled my teammates into my room and onto my bed; and i climbed under the covers with them.

     Steve and Clint were the first ones to cuddle up to me. Natasha cuddled up behind Clint and Bruce made himself comfortable with them. Thor snuggled up by Steve and Tony tried to attach himself to my hip, but was pulled up -- by Thor -- in between Thor and Steve.

      Steve yawned, "What if we wake up and we're adults again, Kathryn?"

     I smiled, "Then we'll be glad you're all back to normal."

     Steve nodded and laid his head back down on my shoulder.

     They all fell asleep quickly, and for that I was glad. I quickly fell asleep, too, secretly hoping I would still have six children in my bed when I woke up the next morning.