Author's Note: Hey guys! I don't really know why I ended up writing this after a three year absence, but it just popped into my head and I went with it. Enjoy this little ficlet!

Steve woke up with blurred vision to a bright room. He rolled over onto his side and saw the bars of his crib keeping him safely locked in his bed. He squirmed, feeling his diaper squish beneath him, as he grabbed his favorite stuffed eagle (named Bucky) from beside him and squeezed it to his chest. He had just woken up from his afternoon nap. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and cooed into the baby monitor as he waited for someone to come and get him.

A minute passed, and then another. Steve felt himself starting to whimper as his diaper grew cold and itchy. Soon the whimpers turned to cries and the cries to wails. It took a full five minutes before someone finally came to get him. Natasha came running into the nursery. Steve reached up to her, still crying, but relieved that someone had come.

"What on earth is the matter, sweetheart?" She asked, pulling him into her arms. He was crying too hard to answer. She hushed him and bounced him up and down, but the crying wouldn't stop. She changed his diaper quickly and that calmed him down, but he didn't tell her what was wrong, he just sucked on his pacifier morosely. Natasha decided not to pry, and carried him out to the living room.

Normally everyone would be here after his nap, but today the room was empty. Natasha sat him on the couch and turned on the TV so that he could watch something while she got some work done. She didn't realize that this made Steve feel ignored. He cuddled his eagle to his chest and focused on the TV. Soon, he was completely enveloped in the story. Time slipped away and before he knew it, three hours had gone by. But Steve didn't notice. He was too busy with his show.

What he did notice, was when the TV suddenly shut off.

He turned around to see Uncle Tony tossing the remote onto the coffee table, not even bothering to acknowledge him. Everyone was home now, he saw, but no one seemed to notice he was there. Without the distraction of the TV, he began feeling upset. So he got up from the couch and began searching for his Mommy.

He found her in the gym, working out. He couldn't get near her without getting hurt, so he had to call out to her instead.

"Mommy?" He called. No answer. "Mommy?" He tried a little louder. Still nothing. Feeling even more dejected, he left, not realizing that Natasha hadn't heard him because she had her wireless headphones in.

He went looking for his Daddy next, and saw that he was in the lab. But the doors were locked. He knew Daddy was working, and he didn't dare interrupt. He knew Daddy had the hulk to deal with. He didn't disturb him unless it was serious. Timidly, he went back to the living room. He moved to get the remote, but it wasn't there.

Steve felt himself getting frustrated. No one was paying attention to him. No one had even noticed he was there. He clutched his eagle to his chest and whimpered. He tried to be strong, but he couldn't stop himself from crying. All he wanted was to be noticed. Was that too much to ask?

After a while, the tears stopped flowing, and he calmed himself down. He could hear everyone getting ready for dinner. As much as he wanted attention, he also didn't want to be around them. It hurt too much.

A few minutes later, Natasha picked him up. "Come on, sweetheart. It's time for dinner."

She set him into his high chair but didn't put the tray on yet. Before he could even react, she took Bucky from his hands. This was normal procedure. She always took him and set him somewhere nearby so that he wouldn't get food on him. It was a smart and logical thing to do.

But today, Steve didn't see it as logic. He saw it as his Mommy taking away the only friend he'd had all day. And he reacted accordingly.

His face grew red as he started to whine and cry, reaching for the stuffed toy.

Natasha was used to his tantrums, and could usually gauge if they were ones to worry about or not. She figured this was one to let slide.

She was woefully mistaken.

Just as Steve tried to get out of the chair, Natasha put the tray in, locking it in place. This only made the tantrum escalate. His crying grew louder and louder, and he started to pound his fists onto the tray.

"Steve," she said in a warning tone, "We don't slam our fists on the table."

But Steve was far too overwhelmed with his own emotions to listen to her and kept pounding the tray. "I want my Bucky!" He sobbed.

"That's not the way to get it." She said calmly.

"I WANT IT!" He screamed. He started kicking as he kept thrashing and flailing around in his seat.

Natasha now knew she was very wrong about this tantrum. She'd seen many of his tantrums, but this was one of, if not the, most extreme one she'd seen. She was afraid he'd hurt himself if he was in the high chair, so she unlocked the tray and opened it. She picked him up, despite his kicking and screaming, and walked him away from where the little eagle sat.

"No!" He screamed. "No!" As she got him further away from his beloved comfort object. He kept thrashing and hitting and kicking, but she never loosened her hold until he was in a playpen. There, he could melt down without hurting someone. And he did just that. He screamed and cried and pounded his fists and kicked his legs as hard as he could. Natasha stood there and waited for it to pass. Still, the tantrum droned on. After a while, he could talk understandably again.

"Mommy!" He cried, upset at how unfairly he was being treated.

"Mommy doesn't want to talk to Steve when he's upset." Natasha said calmly.

"But I want my Bucky!" He sobbed.

"Then you'll calm down, or you're not getting him."

"I can't!" He shrieked. He was hyperventilating at that point, and she knew she needed to calm him down now before it got too far. He wasn't kicking or thrashing anymore, so she picked him up and sat on the couch, setting him in her lap.

"Calm down." She said, rubbing his back. "Can you take a deep breath for me?"

He tried, but failed. She hushed him, and after a few tries his breathing slowly evened out, even though he was still crying.

"Now that you're calmed down, tell me why you were so upset."

"You took Bucky away." He said, wiping his eyes.

"I always take him and put him somewhere so he won't get food on him. You know that."

"But I need him!" He said desperately.

"Tell me why." She said, worried that he would start up again.

"'Cause I'm lonely." He whimpered. "No one's been here all day. No one 'cept him..." He looked at her, afraid of her reaction.

Natasha was stunned into quiet by his words. She realized that she'd been busy all day and hadn't spent time enough with him today. Guilt washed over her like a tidal wave, and she cuddled him close and kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." She said. "I didn't know you were by yourself all day. If I had I would have come out to see you or taken you with me. You need to tell me when that happens or else I don't know."

"But I did try." He said, explaining about how he'd tried to get her attention earlier.

Natasha felt her guilt intensify, and she cuddled her baby closer. "I didn't hear you, honey. I had my headphones in. Or else I would have stopped right there and went to you." She promised, giving him a kiss. "I'm so sorry."

Steve bathed in her affection, suddenly calm as he snuggled into her. He yawned tiredly, and she realized the tantrum must have taken a lot out of him. So she picked him up, and carried him to where his favorite toy was, and gave it to him. He nuzzled the little bird happily before he fell asleep. Deciding that he could eat later, she put her son into his crib, gave him a gentle kiss, and let him sleep.