Chapter 29
"Happy birthday!" Natasha greeted, entering the room with a grocery sack in her hand. Almost immediately, everyone swarmed her.
"Thank you," Harry chuckled from the bed. He was already really excited about today, because he was being released from the S.H.I.E.L.D hospital and everyone, spare Natasha, were flying back to the United States.
Harry didn't know it yet, but Clint and Fury were scheduled to fly back tomorrow afternoon to help Nat. Tony would come closer to the time of the trial.
"I brought donuts!" Nat laughed, shooing everyone away. "Get back heathens, Harry gets first pick!"
Harry glanced inside the box and chewed his lip thoughtfully, choosing the strawberry glazed donut.
"You like strawberry donuts?" Peter asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.
Harry shrugged. "Kind of. But usually nobody else wants it so I'll let everyone else choose what they want. This is okay."
"Absolutely not!" Bucky walked over, plucking the strawberry donut out of Harry's hand. "First of all, strawberry glazed is my absolute favorite, and I will not let you, who only 'kind of' likes them, eat the only one. And second, it is your birthday, and screw what everyone else wants. You're sixteen! Choose your own damn donut!"
Bucky took a dramatic bite out of the donut and moaned. "I haven't had one of these since 1944. It's just as good as I remember."
"Buck, I would have taken you to get a donut," Steve murmured softly from behind him.
"There were more pressing matters. Like milkshakes. And... God, literally anything. Hydra didn't let... nevermind," Bucky trailed off, taking another large bite of the donut, filling his mouth so full that he couldn't speak.
"I really love the chocolate glazed ones," Harry spoke, breaking the silence and picking up a chocolate long john.
"That's a good choice. I think I might take one of those too," Peter nodded, grabbing one exactly like what Harry had and tapping it to his, giving a small exclamation of 'cheers'.
"Cinnamon twist all the way," Tony spoke, plucking the twist from box. "Pep, can I get you anything?"
"I'm fine with whatever. Just make sure it wasn't touching the strawberry one," Pepper gave him a small smile, before seeing Harry's confused face.
"I'm allergic to strawberries," she explained. Harry's mouth dropped into an 'O'.
"I'm so sorry! I know there have been times before when I have made breakfast and it's had strawberries. I didn't know, I'm so sorry!"
"Harry, really it's fine. As long as it doesn't touch whatever I'm eating, and I don't consume them, I'm fine. What you've been making is fine. Don't worry about it."
Harry's body relaxed a bit. He felt bad that he didn't know anyone's allergies, but he made a mental note to ask Friday about it once they got back to New York.
"Are you ready to go home today?" Tony asked, taking a big bite out of his donut.
"You have no idea," Harry responded. "Even though I'm just going to the med-bay there, I'm ready to be home."
"I'll bet," Pepper nodded, "after we finish with donuts, I'll go finish signing some release forms and then we can go home."
Harry nodded, squeezing Peter's hand in a combination of nerves and excitement.
"What do you want for dinner tonight? And dessert?" Steve asked. It was always tradition to have whatever the birthday person wanted for dinner and dessert, and he was going to make sure the tradition carried on with Harry as well.
Harry skeptically looked at Steve, pausing a moment before saying, "you're not going to make it are you?"
The room erupted into laughter, even Steve letting out a deep laugh. "No, I wouldn't do that to you."
"Okay, good," Harry smirked.
"Alright, I'm going to go sign release forms," Pepper chuckled, finishing her donut as she rose to her feet.
"Thank you," Tony gave her a peck on the lips, making her blush in the room full of her friends.
Pepper turned and excited the room, a grin toying at her lips.
"How is your donut?" Peter asked Harry, as Harry took another bite out of his chocolate frosted donut.
"It's really good," Harry licked his lips to catch the extra frosting that was clinging to the corner of his mouth.
"You missed," Peter smirked, leaning forward and kissing Harry before pulling away.
"Get it?" Harry asked, face flushing as he realized they were still in front of the entire team.
"Got it," Peter blushed, glancing down at his hands when he realized what he had just done in front of everyone. Making bold moves like that was not common for him.
Tony cleared his throat, making Peter and Harry jump at the realization that he was about to start talking. But Tony had already moved past the kiss and was back to talking about his favorite thing- himself.
"So I don't have your gift here, but when we get back to New York, I'm going to take you to get it- don't worry Brucie, we're not going to be gone for long," Tony gave the scientist a wink, and Bruce rolled his eyes at the billionaire's over-confidence.
"I think I nailed this one, you're really going to love it. God, I am such a good gift giver, don't you guys think?" Tony nodded, looking around the room for agreeance. Everyone gave him grumbling nods, not wanting to agree with him and add on to his cockiness, but knowing that he was right. Tony really did give the best gifts.
The door opened, and Pepper entered the room with a grin, followed by Dr. Atkins and a few of Harry's favorite nurses.
"Alright, once we say our goodbyes, we can get you on the plane and go home," the strawberry blonde spoke, and it all hit Harry.
He was going home.
*
"If you're in any pain at any point, let me know, okay?" Bruce told Harry, helping him ease into the seat on the plane. "And feel free to sleep too, if you'd like. With the speeds on this thing, the flight's going to be a lot quicker than normal, but it'll still be a bit. Just like the ride over here."
"Bruce," Harry touched the man's arm, stopping his fussing for a moment. "I'm okay. I'll let you know if anything starts to bother me."
Bruce nodded, giving the kid a small smile. "Alright. Sorry for being so worrisome."
"You're fine. Thank you for caring so much," Harry returned the smile. Bruce gave his hand a light pat and with a final nod as he checked everything over one last time, he made his way over to his own seat.
Besides Harry, Peter squirmed in his place.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow with an amused smirk.
"I really hate planes," Peter grumbled, fastening his seatbelt tighter around his lap. From across from them, Steve let out a small chuckle.
"I understand that, kid," Steve snorted, mirroring Peter and fumbling with the seatbelt strap.
"Can I help with anything?" Harry asked, grabbing Peter's hand like Peter would always do for him whenever he was scared.
"No, it's okay. I just don't like how loud it is," Peter responded, and it clicked for Harry that the loud noises of the plane must be super overwhelming for Peter's heightened senses.
"I have your earplugs, if you'd like them," Tony offered, handing a case to Peter, who gladly accepted them.
"Is everyone ready?" Tony asked, looking around to make sure they had everyone. Clint and Fury had decided to just stay with Natasha, so the plane's occupants included Pepper, Bruce, Bucky, Steve, Harry, Tony and Peter.
Everyone nodded and mumbled their agreeance, and Tony nodded.
"Alrighty then! New York, here we come!"
*
"Harry," someone called, rubbing Harry's arms gently as he began to wake. "Harry, wake up bud, we're in New York."
Harry stirred in his seat, realizing how stiff he had become.
"It's dark," Harry grumbled, blinking a couple times and glancing out the window.
"It's 5 a.m," Tony chuckled.
"Ohhh, I forgot about time zones," Harry took his glasses off and rubbed at his eyes.
"The sun should be rising soon, and then I'll take you to your gift," Tony smiled, skin around his eyes crinkling.
"Are we going to the tower first?" Harry asked.
"Probably, just so everyone can take all of their stuff in and get settled back in. Then after we get back later, we'll get you settled into the med bay."
Harry let out a small groan. "I'm so done with hospitals."
"I know kid, but we're just trying to make sure that you're alright. As it is, Bruce is worried about you overdoing it today, so he's probably going to have you laying in bed all day tomorrow as it is. It's only been a few weeks, and your body is still healing from surgery and pretty massive trauma."
Harry remained silent, but he nodded. As much as he wanted to block the day from his mind, he knew Tony was right. He could already tell that he was going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow, but he wasn't about to ruin everyone's surprise for him. He could handle the pain.
Heaven knows he had been for his entire life.
Harry turned, looking around the empty plane.
"Where's everyone at? Where's Peter?" He asked.
Tony gave him a fond smile. "Everyone is getting their stuff, and Peter swung home- literally. But he'll be back soon, he just wanted to check in with his aunt and give her an update."
Harry nodded, and let himself stretch his stiff limbs, letting out a sharp inhale when a shooting pain shot through his back.
"Hey, are you alright?" Tony asked, eyebrows furrowing with concern as Harry winced.
"M'fine, just slept weird. It's fine- I'd feel this way even if I wasn't hurt."
Tony hesitated for a minute, trying to decide if he believed Harry, or if the kid was lying to him. Ultimately, he decided to trust Harry's word, but to keep a careful watch on him for the rest of the day.
Harry slowly rose to his feet, accepting Tony's hand that helped him up.
"Are you ready to go?" Tony asked, his voice gentle as he helped Harry move off of the plane slowly. He knew that, even once Harry's physical therapy began, it would take several months for him to be able to regain the same range of motion and the speed of everyone else.
"Just a little bit further and then we've got a chair for you down here," Tony spoke, helping Harry, who groaned.
"Do I have to use the chair?" Harry asked, looking up at Tony with big green eyes. Tony wanted to just say no and leave it at that, but he knew that 1) Bruce would have his head if he allowed Harry to go without and 2) Harry would definitely push his limits and would end up hurting himself more.
"This one's non-negotiable I'm afraid," Tony told him in the softest strict voice he could muster.
Harry visibly deflated a bit, but he didn't try to argue. He knew Tony was just trying to do the best thing for him.
"So we're going to just swing by the tower and pick up Pepper, and apparently Peter who just texted me and said that he's going to meet us there, and then we'll go to your gift."
"You're being very vague about what this is, and I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous," Harry gave him a small smile as he eased himself into the wheelchair at the bottom of the ramp. Tony grinned mischievously, rounding the chair and grasping the handles before they went rolling towards the car that awaited them.
*
"Pepper, I really don't understand why you think the blindfold is a bad idea," Tony sighed dramatically, flopping against the seat.
"Tony, there's literally no need for a blindfold," Pepper countered, giving her fiancé an exasperated look. Harry and Peter giggled from the backseat.
"To make it a surprise, duh," Tony rolled his eyes, and turned to glance at both boys in the backseat, gesturing a small circle by his temple using his index finger.
"Anthony Edward Stark, you'd better take that back," Pepper warned, and Tony's eyes grew wide, and he let out a squeak. Both Peter and Harry were laughing hysterically at this point, and Peter had tears rolling down his face as he continued to laugh harder.
"Where are we going, though?" Peter asked, looking out the tinted window. The sun was rising over the tops of the sky scrapers, despite the fact that it was barely 7. Peter loved summer because the days were longer, but he also hated it because patrol always ended up being so hot.
"This looks like Greenwich Village-- what's in Greenwich Village?" He questioned, looking at the small brick buildings and quaint shops that lined the shaded streets.
Pepper slowed the car, pulling it up to the curb and turning the key in the ignition that silenced the engine.
"We're here, come on," Tony spoke, opening his door and climbing out before opening Harry's door and helping his out slowly.
Peter was already on it, and already had the wheelchair behind him to help him sit back down. Despite whatever Harry was telling them, his day had already involved the most movement he had done since before the accident, and it was evident that he was exhausted.
And despite how much he protested the wheelchair, they knew how much pain walking was causing him.
Harry smiled graciously at Peter, giving his hand a small squeeze. Tony moved behind him once more and began pushing the chair towards the park at the end of the block.
Once they reached the corner, Tony turned the chair to where Harry was looking into the windows of an empty building.
"What-?" Harry began, and Tony reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a singular silver key and handing it to Harry.
"Is this..." Harry looked down at the key, to the building, and then back up at Tony, who gave a head nod towards the building, shrugging as he shoved his hands down in his pockets. It was as if the Tony Stark, was nervous.
Peter grasped the handles of the chair and was about to push Harry up to the door to try the key, but Harry shook his head.
"No," he pushed the brakes on the chair down to lock them, and grabbed at Peter's arm to help support him. Surprised, Peter placed his hands on Harry's waist to help him up, before gently wrapping his arm around Harry's back, careful to mind the layers of bandages over his scarred, grafted skin.
"I've got you," Peter whispered to Harry as they walked slowly up to the door. Harry stuck the key into the lock and turned it three times, until the stiff handle became loose and Peter pushed the door open as they stepped inside.
The shop was larger than it had appeared from the outside. Inside, the brick walls gave the shop a homey feel, and modern light fixtures hung from the ceilings. A white, marble counter was close to a solid brick wall, along with a glass case meant for displays. There were no tables, or any sort of furniture, but the there was a counter against the only other wall without windows.
"Peter's aunt, May, has been doing me a favor. She and Happy, who's normally my head of security, have come in her a few times. Taken the boards off of the windows, cleaned, and Happy supervised the new countertops and the kitchen appliances being installed, just a few days ago. Once you're back on your feet a bit more, we can come in and you can decorate all you want."
Harry turned to look at Tony, who was standing in the doorway of the shop, arm around Pepper who was nestled into his chest with a smile on her face as they watched the two boys take in the sight of the shop.
Harry's shop.
Harry was speechless. He looked around, in complete disbelief that anyone would ever do something like this for him.
"How did you-?"
"You mentioned wanting to open a bakery. Of course, that doesn't have to be what this is, but you've got all of the kitchen appliances for it, and an investor that truly believes in you. He doesn't care anything about the profit, just that the owner of the shop enjoys and loves what he's doing."
"Would this investor happen to be speaking in the third person right now?" Harry asked, a grin toying at his lips.
"He just might be," Tony grinned, and Harry's face lit up. He let out a choked laugh, covering his mouth with his hands.
"I- this is- wow! Peter, can you believe this!" Harry exclaimed, excitement bubbling in his chest as he realized what this meant. Tony had listened to him- truly listened- and knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wasn't pushing him to do anything he didn't want to do, but instead encouraging his dreams-- it was more than anyone else had ever done for him.
"Who do you think gave him the key that Aunt May had been using?" Peter smiled, and Harry's mouth dropped into an 'O'.
"You were able to keep a secret from me?!" Harry cried, looking impressed and deeply surprised. Peter was the worst person he knew at keeping secrets.
"Surprisingly yes. I almost let it slip a few times," Peter grinned.
"You even made that comment in the car! You made me think you were clueless too!"
"It's called acting, darling," Peter spoke in a bad British accent, and Harry giggled.
"That is not how I sound!"
"Is too!"
Harry's lips found Peter's, and he grasped both sides of Peter's face, pulling him closer to his body as they kissed.
"Ew, there are children present!" A voice exclaimed behind them, and the two broke away in giggles.
"Who?" Peter laughed, giving Tony a confused gesture.
"Me! I'm just an innocent child!" Tony gave them a mock- pouty look.
"You absolutely are not!" Pepper gave his arm a small swat, and everyone laughed.
"Hey, would you guys go grab my gift out of the car please?" Peter asked, clutching at his aching stomach as they all finished laughing.
"Sure thing," Tony pushed Harry's chair into the shop, and Harry gratefully eased into it. He was absolutely wiped, and he knew that he was going to have to get another dose of pain meds from Bruce once they returned to the tower.
Moments later, Tony appeared carrying a poorly wrapped present, covered in two types of Christmas wrapping paper.
"Pep and I are going to wait in the car. Take your time, but don't forget to lock up when you're done," Tony gave them a lopsided, fond smile, before retreating back out the door.
Harry looked at the gift in his lap before looking up at Peter with a quizzical expression.
"You do realize it's July, don't you?" He teased, and Peter gave him an expression of mock-offense.
"We didn't have any normal, birthday wrapping paper, and I was crunched for time. Then I ran out of the first wrapping paper so I had to use another. Don't make fun of me!" But Peter was laughing, realizing how truly bad the present looked.
"I love it," Harry grinned.
"I think you're supposed to open it before you decide that."
"Ha ha," Harry rolled his eyes before tearing into the gift.
"It's a box!" He exclaimed, glancing up at Peter teasingly.
"Just open it ya goof," Peter ruffled Harry's hair.
Harry pulled open the lid of the box and folded several layers of tissue paper back, revealing the backside of a picture frame. Picking it up gently, he flipped it around and his breath caught.
It was a wizarding photo of him and Cedric from right before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. They were standing on the dock, and the picture showed Cedric looking between Harry and the camera, before flashing a thumbs up at the camera. Harry was laughing, gazing up at Cedric, absolutely mesmerized.
Harry had completely forgotten about this picture. It had been sitting at the bottom of his trunk at the Dursley's, out of absolute fear that they would see it and realize what no one at Hogwarts had-- that he was completely head over heels for the seventh year Hufflepuff.
But it didn't matter now, because Cedric was dead, and Harry was safe from the Dursley's. At least for now.
"I'm sorry- I really didn't mean to overstep or... or intrude but, it's just, I was at the tower right after I found out about the accident, and I was upset, and I went into your room and, you're stuff was somehow there, and your trunk somehow open, and the photo was on top and-"
"Thank you," Harry choked. He knew that, in her own miraculous way, Magic had brought his case to America for him, and led Peter to find this photo. Peter should have never been able to open his trunk on his own, and the photo had been wrapped in the invisibility cloak at the bottom of the case, rather than right on top. Hell, Peter should never have even been able to see the photo moving.
But he did. And he had bought a frame for the photo. And he was here, and not running for the hills, like anyone who knew Harry's history with people he loved, should be. Peter was here, and he was amazing.
And Harry was head over heels in love with him. Just like he had been with Cedric.
It was a bittersweet feeling. Cedric had died only a little over a year ago, and Harry still felt the pain and guilt from it every day. But now he had Peter, and he knew that Cedric would have wanted him to move on, and wasn't that what he and Peter were doing? Moving on?
"He would have loved you," Harry began, watching the photo version of him and Cedric move. Smiling and laughing, without a care in the world.
Completely unaware of what was coming.
"Do you want to tell me about him?" Peter asked, taking a seat on the floor, crossing his legs and giving Harry his full, undivided attention.
"Cedric was the kindest person I had ever met. He was loyal and would do anything to defend and protect the ones that he loved. He- he was the first one I ever told about the abuse. He wanted for me to take it to Dumbledore, but I told him no and insisted that I was fine. That I deserved it. He was the first person to ever tell me that nobody deserved it. Ever.
"And he was smart. Merlin, was he smart. Peter, he was almost as smart as you. And he would do anything to help anyone. He didn't have any prejudices against anyone, and was always so willing to help anyone and everyone with everything, even if he wasn't sure how to do it either. In so many ways, you remind me of him. And Peter, I loved him so much, but..."
"But what?" Peter whispered, breath caught in his throat as he awaited Harry's next words with bated breath.
"But I love you so much more," Harry breathed.
It felt stupid to be confessing love to someone he had only known for less than a month, and realistically, he knew that they were only 16.
Statistically, the numbers that added up to a lifetime together weren't on their side. But goddammit, Peter made him happy. The happiest he had been in a long time.
Peter made him feel loved, like he hadn't been loved in a long time. It was the type of love that couldn't be filled by the role of a parent, no matter how much love Tony and Pepper showered him with- and there was a lot of that. But this loved feeling was different, and left this flooding feeling in his chest, as if someone had been pouring love into a cup and had become distracted, forgetting to stop pouring and allowing the cup to overflow. This type of love left this fluttering in his stomach, like a swarm of butterflies after being released from their cocoons.
Peter made him feel validated, like no matter what problems he was facing, big or small, they were all valid. He made him feel special, and made sure to tell him how special he was. Peter made sure that Harry knew that he was valuable, and that there was nobody else like him.
Peter was gracious, and kind, and so full of hope and spirit. Peter was the feeling of the sun on your skin on a cool day, that just erases any chill in your body and allows you to feel warm again. Peter was the relief of a freshly flipped pillow against your flushed face after a nightmare. Peter was the smell after a rain storm, when the sun was shining again and everything was drying out. Peter was the singing of birds in the mornings, bursting with optimism about the day.
And for Peter, Harry made him feel normal. Not how people at school made him feel, but like a different kind of normal. The type of normal that came with loving another man. The feeling that love was love, and that nobody could change that. The feeling of oblivion to the world, not caring about how they're viewed if they hold hands in public, or kiss. The feeling that whatever they were doing wasn't considered 'gross' or 'unacceptable'.
Harry made him feel important, and needed- something that sometimes didn't always feel to be the case. Harry gave him a purpose, and kept him grounded. Harry made him feel listened to, like his thoughts and feelings were valuable. Harry truly cared about what he had to say, and how he felt.
Yes, there were other people who listened to him, but none that truly understood the feel of being an abnormal teenager- not Tony, not May, and not even Ned.
For Peter, Harry was the feeling that you got from drinking a hot drink on a cold day, that just warms you up from the core, throughout the entire body. Harry was the smell of a new book, and the satisfying feeling of cracking it's spine for the first time. Harry was the sweet smell of people out in the countryside of New York, burning fields or brush piles. Harry was the feel of the ocean splashing against your legs, waves rising and falling with the tide as they throw you off balance and threaten to knock you into the soft sand with laughter as you get soaked by the next wave.
Harry loved Peter, and Peter loved Harry.
"I love you, Harry James Potter," Peter whispered, taking a chance as he cupped Harry's face in his hands, holding his breath as he awaited a response.
"And I love you, Peter Benjamin Parker," Harry breathed, bringing his hands to the sides of Peter's face, and smiling.
They met in the middle with a kiss, and for the first time, Peter and Harry understood what people meant when they talked about sparks during a kiss. The air around them ignited, full of love and passion, and even when the two broke apart moments later, the air around them was still thick with enchantment.
And both boys smiled, because in that moment, for the first time in a long time, nothing else matter.