Chapter 2
"Mr. Stark! Can I get an autograph?" Someone cried, stuffing a piece of paper in Tony's face. Sighing, Tony stopped and scribbled some shitty signature across the page.
He had thought that being in a small town in England would spare him autographs and recognition, but apparently there were still people that knew him and cared about his work.
All he had wanted to do was get some fresh air before the conference that afternoon. He figured he would stop by the market and buy some fresh summer fruit.
"Where is it?" He muttered to himself, tapping on the side of his glasses to bring up the digital map again.
"One block east," he muttered, tapping the sides again, letting the glasses go back to normal. When he reached the street he needed to cross, he noticed a small boy walking towards the market as well.
He scoffed at what the boy was wearing. It was nearly 80 degrees already, but the boy was wearing an enormous heavy long sleeve shirt, and some sweatpants that were obviously several sizes too large, as the drawstring was pulled as tightly as it could possibly go around the boy's waist.
The boy had his head down as he crossed the street, and walked very slowly, which was very different from the rest of the people that Tony had been watching. The boy intrigued him- he was different. Tony couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, but there was something.
Excitement coursed through Tony's veins when he realized that the boy was also heading to the market. Pepper and Bruce absolutely hated when he people- watched, but he always found it interesting. Everyone had a different story. A different reason for being there. A different life.
Reaching the market, Tony grabbed a basket and stood next to the apples, watching as the boy rummaged through a bin of russet potatoes. Up close, Tony could see just how skinny the boy really was. But it wasn't until the boy turned that Tony saw the bruises. It took every ounce of self control for him to hold back the gasp that so badly wanted to escape his lips. He watched with concern as the boy moved closer to him, now looking at blueberries.
Harry could feel that the man leaning against apple stand was the staring at him, making him shift uncomfortably. The man looked nice enough, but he was a bit intimidating. Although, it could have just been his instinctive reaction after last night's punishment from Uncle Vernon.
"Hey kid," he heard the man say, standing up straight and taking a step towards him. Harry tried his hardest not to flinch, and bowed his head.
"Kid!" Tony called again, taking another step towards the boy.
"Wait up!" The man called after Harry, his American accent standing out to Harry. Trying to keep his head down, Harry sped up and began walking away from the man quickly. Suddenly, his head began to spin, feeling light and hazy.
Harry stopped, waiting for the dizziness to pass. He looked up, and he saw the man standing next to him. Everything around him was spinning, and it appeared that there were three men in front of him instead of just one.
"Hey," he could hear the man say, but it sounded as if someone had stuffed his ears full of cotton and dunked him underwater.
"Hey!" Tony waved his hand in front of the boy's face, his brows furrowing. The raven-haired boy was wobbling where he stood, and looked very unsteady. Gently, Tony placed a hand on the boy's arm.
Harry felt the pressure of the man's hand on his arm, and his instinct was to scream and run. But he was glued to where he was standing. Every fiber of his body was screaming at him danger and that he needed to run, but he felt as if he was going to pass out.
"Kid, are you okay? You don't look too hot," Tony said, concern lacing his voice. The kid hadn't made eye contact with him at all, but he still wore a look of fear on his face. "Do you need to sit down?"
Harry knew the man was talking to him, and he could tell by the tone of his voice that he was concerned, but he had no idea what he was saying. But before he could process anything else, everything went black.
"Do you need wat-- whoa whoa whoa!" Tony cried as the boy began to crumple, his knees giving out from under him. Catching him in his arms before he could hit the hard ground, Tony held the boy.
"Hey, shh" Tony hushed into the boy's dark hair, holding him tightly as he began to quiver. "I've got you."
"Can you stand?" Tony gently rocked the boy, who nodded weakly. "Come with me."
Tony helped Harry to his feet. Harry was still wobbly, but Tony was easily supporting all of his weight.
"I'm going to help you kid," Tony said, as Harry started to pull away.
"M'okay, don't need help" Harry slurred, head lulling back as everything went black again. This time, he went completely unconscious.
Tony glanced around the market place wildly and was shocked when he didn't see any people around to witness what was going on. Quickly, he gathered the boy in his arms and darted into an alleyway, the nearest place that he could find shade.
Tony gently laid the boy down, propped against a wall. He noted how light he was, but now was not the time to focus on that. Quickly, he pulled out his phone.
"Pepper?" He said when he heard her voice answer. "I need your assistance immediately."
"Anthony Stark what have you done now?" Pepper sighed, but Tony heard her rustling around and the clang of keys. "Where are you? I'm on my way."
"I just went to the market to get some fruit, and there's a boy here. He's got to be like 13 or something, he's so small. Anyway, he fainted and I have him right now. I'm sending you my coordinates right now."
"Tony..." Pepper began.
"And come alone," Tony emphasized. "Hurry."
He quickly hung up the phone as the boy began to stir from where he had propped him up.
"Hey kid," Tony said softly, kneeling next to the boy. "You okay?"
"M'fine," Harry stated groggily. He looked around briefly before attempting to get to his feet.
"Hey, no. Stay down," Tony said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder to try to gently guide him down. Harry jumped away from Tony's hand, taking him aback.
"I'm sorry," Tony said, softening his voice as not to frighten the boy more. "What's your name?"
"Harry," Harry responded, taking in the man's appearance fully. His head was throbbing madly, and his entire body ached. The lashes on his back were burning as if someone had just lit him on fire, and the burns on his skin were fluxuating between fire and ice.
"Alright Harry, I'm Tony. I'm going to help you," Tony told him. He could tell that something more than just a fainting spell had happened to Harry. Someone did this to him-- it made his blood boil.
"I'm okay, really!" Harry exclaimed, trying to stand up. "I just haven't, um, drank enough water recently."
"Harry, you're covered in bruises," Tony pointed out. "Please let me help you."
"I've got to go," Harry sputtered. He wasn't sure what Tony wanted with him, or in exchange for his help, but he didn't want to give it to him. Plus, if he didn't get back soon with the groceries, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were going to have his head.
"At least allow me to drive you home," Tony sighed. "My fiancé is on her way right now with the car."
"I'm fine, I just need to finish my shopping, and I'll go home," Harry insisted.
"Harry, I will help you finish shopping and then drive you home, but please. Just let me help make sure you get home safe," Tony said, more stern now. He didn't miss how Harry jumped at his tone of voice. A little softer he said, "I'm not taking no for an answer."
Harry sighed, realizing that Tony was really not going to back off. He stood up and steadied himself against the wall as everything began spinning more.
"Harry?" Tony asked as he watched Harry's eyes become glossy and unfocused again. "Harry can you hear me?"
Harry's hearing was getting more and more muted, and his vision was tunneling into grey. Everything around him began to start fade away and...
Tony caught the boy before he hit the ground again, out cold, right as Pepper was pulling up in the car.
"Oh the poor thing," Pepper frowned, hurrying out of the car to help.
"He's so light, I have boots that weigh more than him," Tony stated, picking Harry up.
Pepper gasped as she saw the bruises on the boy's face and neck. "Tony what happened to him?"
"I don't know, but he seems adamant about getting home," Tony growled. "He's jumpy as all get out too."
"Did he say where he lived?" Pepper asked as Tony set Harry in the backseat and slid in beside him. She hurried around to the drivers seat and buckled her seat belt.
"No, but I say we take him back to the hotel," Tony suggested. He was feeling oddly protective over the boy, but he wasn't sure why.
"No," Harry grumbled, stirring once more. He grabbed at his head as he sat up, flinching as Tony's hand landed on his shoulder to steady him. "I need to go home."
"Harry, this isn't normal for someone to pass out this many times. There could be something seriously wrong!" Tony exclaimed, shocked by the lack of cooperation Harry was giving.
"Please," Harry whispered, looking up at Tony with pleading eyes. Sighing, Tony shook his head.
"What's the address?" He asked finally, the sound of defeat in his voice.
"Number 4 Privet Drive," Harry responded, leaning his horribly pounding head against the seat. Pepper silently plugged the address into the GPS on the dash, before beginning the short route.
"So Harry, how old are you?" Tony asked, desperate to cut the tension that was filling the car.
"Fifteen, sir. I'll be sixteen in July," Harry replied. Pepper frowned at the boy's age- he looked barely old enough to be 13, much less almost 16.
Tony chuckled. "Please, call me Tony. Sir was my father's title, not mine."
"Sorry," Harry ducked his head, avoiding eye contact with Tony.
"Is this your street?" Pepper asked, slowly turning on to Privet Drive. A lump appeared in Harry's throat as he watched the Dursley's home grow closer and closer, until they were finally alongside the curb in front of the house.
"This it?" Tony tried not to scoff. It, along with all the other houses on the street, looked as though it had a stick up its ass. He wouldn't have placed Harry as living somewhere like this. Then again, sometimes outside appearances are just desperate attempts to hide what's actually on the inside.
Harry nodded nervously, staring out the window of the car. He could see the curtains shift, and knew that Aunt Petunia was standing there watching them.
"Alrighty then, let's go," Tony exclaimed, opening his door and striding up the front walk. Harry hurriedly scrambled out of the car, mortified by what Tony was doing. Uncle Vernon was sure to be upset now.
"Tony," Pepper called. "What are you doing?"
"If he were my kid, I would want to know what happened!" Tony stated, continuing up the walk way. Pepper bit her lip, but didn't say anything. She just followed Tony up to the front stoop.
Harry, however, stayed back. He watched as the two Americans stood on the stoop, waiting in anticipation for someone to answer the door.
Suddenly, the front door opened a tiny crack to reveal Aunt Petunia, peering hesitantly out at the strangers on her doorstep.
"Hi, my name is Tony, and I have had the pleasure of meeting Harry this morning. Can I come in?"
Aunt Petunia shot Harry a death glare from her position in the doorway, but opened the door wide enough to let Pepper and Tony in. Harry quickly darted inside as well, letting the door shut behind him. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew one this-- it wasn't going to end well.