Proper Introductions
CHAPTER 5: PROPER INTRODUCTIONS
Harry woke up to something pressed against his face. It felt weird, and his arm hurt a little. He couldn't remember having fallen asleep last night, but the pain in his arm must be because his uncle pulled it quite roughly.
The second thing he noticed was the brightness. His cupboard was never bright—even during the day. It's always dark in his cupboard. Why is it suddenly so bright?
His eyes had to adjust for some time before he can truly see around him. With a muffled gasp, he found himself lying on a soft bed inside a big room with a huge window. He wasn't sure where he was but he was pretty sure it wasn't prison.
Prison.
Oh, no. He fainted again last night when Mr. Tony guided him outside the house. He made Mr. Tony carry him! He cried on him!
Will he still be sent to prison? The bed is so nice! This couldn't be the prison, right?
Unaware of his upcoming panic, Harry hadn't noticed the sleeping person on the chair beside the bed. He definitely hadn't noticed the said person waking up from the sound of Harry's gasping.
"Harry! Baby, I'm here. You're safe, buddy," Mr. Tony quickly but carefully wrapped his arms around Harry.
To his embarrassment, Harry felt himself tear up again. The weird mask on his face was blocking his hand from wiping them away. And oh!
Someone stuck a needle inside him!
"No, no, no!" cried Harry, using his free hand to scratch his other wrapped hand where the needles were inserted. He was trying to pull them off when a bigger hand reached out to stop him. Harry couldn't even flinch like he usually would as he was too caught up in wanting to take the needles off.
"No, Harry, stop. You can't take those out, baby," Mr. Tony tried to reason as best he could. "They make you feel better, bud. They will hurt if you take them out now."
That made Harry stop. "Hurt?" He asked, voice still muffled by the mask.
Mr. Tony visibly sighed in relief before raising one hand to brush Harry's hair back. It felt so wonderful that Harry almost wished he was brave enough to ask Mr. Tony to do it again.
"If you take it out yourself, yes. Only professionals should do it, like a doctor or a nurse," Mr. Tony explained. He didn't stop brushing Harry's hair. "It's called an IV. It puts all sorts of good fluids in your body like glucose and saline."
Harry then looked around him once again, finally realizing where he was. He's never been to a hospital before. He thinks he broke his arm once when Dudley pushed him down the stairs, but he was only sent to his cupboard. He didn't have to clean or pull the weeds for two whole weeks!
"'ospital? Why?" Harry asked when he fully calmed down.
Mr. Tony didn't answer him, and for a second Harry thought he made Mr. Tony mad for asking so many questions. But the hair brushing didn't stop. In fact, it got better and the other hand that wasn't brushing his hair was wrapped around his shoulders, thumb drawing small circles on his un-needled arm.
"Do you remember what happened last night? When we got out of the house?" Mr. Tony questioned instead.
Harry nodded slowly.
Mr. Tony made humming sounds. The brushing and the circle-drawing continued. "You had a panic attack and fainted. We had to bring you to a hospital."
"Oh," replied Harry quietly. "Don' haf money t' pay."
The comforting hands stilled, and Harry wished he hadn't said anything. He always ends up doing something wrong. Well, at least he got to feel the tingly feeling on his tummy again.
To his surprise, he was lifted off the bed and placed on Mr. Tony's lap. The hair brushing didn't start again but he did feel something like lips brushing against the top of his head? He was still blurry about that one.
Mr. Tony breathed loudly and then told him, "Harry, you don't ever have to worry about any of that, okay? I'm here now, and I'll take care of you. Always."
Take care of him? Why would Mr. Tony take care of him? Harry wondered why someone like Mr. Tony suddenly thinks Harry is worth taking care of? He wasn't a baby. He was supposed to know how to take care of himself. "But why?" Harry asked.
"Why what, kiddo?"
"Why's you take care 'f me?"
A knock on the door interrupted them before Mr. Tony could say anything. Harry wasn't sure but he thought he heard Mr. Tony mutter a thank you to God before yelling out for the person to come in.
A woman in a white coat entered the room. It was the first time Harry ever saw a doctor in real life. From Dudley's cries every time his aunt and uncle take him to go see one, it wasn't what he expected. He kinda expected someone scary and mean-looking. The woman looked nice and kind. She smiled prettily at Harry.
"I see someone's awake and getting a cuddle already," commented the doctor lightly. Harry shivered on Mr. Tony's lap from embarrassment and joy. So, this is what a cuddle feels like.
Behind the little boy, the man turned tomato red from all the blushing.
"Hey, doc. We woke up around an hour ago and had a bit of a scare from the IV and the mask. But we're all right now, aren't we, bud?" Mr. Tony placed on hand on Harry's tummy and rubbed.
Dazed, Harry nodded.
"Well, I'm very sorry you were scared, Harry. It really is quite the shock to wake up with an oxygen mask and needles. I would know, I've been through that more times than I can count. You're much braver than me, though. The first time that happened, I didn't stop crying for hours!"
'Really?" Harry gasped behind the mask. He's never been brave before.
The doctor nodded. "The good news is you can take the mask off now. You have to keep the needles in, I'm afraid. We can't take them out for at least another day."
Mr. Tony gently pulled the mask away from Harry's face. Now that half his face wasn't blocked, Harry could finally turn his head towards Mr. Tony's chest and rub his cheek against the material of Mr. Tony's shirt.
"It okay, 'octer," Harry whispered bravely. It earned him a real kiss on his forehead from Mr. Tony!
The doctor smiled and patted Harry’s leg softly. Wow.
“I’ll leave you both to cuddle some more and rest. Someone will come up soon to bring you breakfast. Mr. Stark, as I know, you have Mr. Hogan bring you your food? Please do remember to let Harry eat the meal provided by the hospital. He shouldn’t be eating any more than we provided for him at the moment, at least until his stomach can adjust more, else he’ll just get sick.”
“Got it, doc. No feeding the munchkin cheeseburger,” Mr. Tony responded surely. Harry didn’t know what a cheeseburger was but it sounded very nice. Maybe Mr. Tony will let him eat a cheeseburger when his stomach can ‘just more.
Harry stopped bothering to listen while the nice doctor and Mr. Tony talk because he discovered how nice it felt to burrow his face on Mr. Tony’s neck. The hand that didn’t have needles and tubes on them wormed its way around Mr. Tony’s arm. The arm around him had tightened some more and another kiss brushed past his head.
Soon enough, the nice doctor had to leave the room. Thankfully, she didn’t make Harry come out from Mr. Tony’s neck to say goodbye. That would’ve been unfortunate.
Mr. Tony kept humming a weird tune that Harry could feel the vibration of. They stayed in that position for a long time.
"Hey, sweetheart, do you remember anything about your mom and dad?” Mr. Tony suddenly asked.
Harry peaked from his position and stared at Mr. Tony like he was crazy. But of course, Mr. Tony wouldn't know his parents died when he was only a baby. He shook his head. He really couldn't remember anything about his parents. He doesn't even know what they look like. Aunt Petunia didn't have pictures.
"Right, you were too young then. Okay. The thing is, Christ, why is this so difficult? Harry, your dad wasn't really your dad. I mean, he was, but not your blood-related dad. It's a whole thing. Legit, 100% thing to have a blood-related dad and a non-blood-related one. Very common nowadays. In fact, around 8% of the total children population in the US have adoptive parents or step-parents, you know."
“Not my dad?” Harry repeated, confused by the turn of conversation. Mr. Tony already lost him in the first few sentences.
Mr. Tony shook his head sadly, “No, not blood-related, anyway.”
Huh. He read about something like that before. There was a nice book in the library about ginetics or something. What was it called again? "Uhm, like bio-biologicky?"
The man’s eyes widened a fraction and his mouth curled to a smile. "Biological, yes. Such a smart kiddo, huh? Anyway, yes, James Potter wasn't your biological father, but he still loved you very much."
Harry didn't know his dad's name was James, and he didn't know he loved Harry very much. It was really nice to hear it, though. "But, um, who's my bio... biological dad?" Harry bravely asked, feeling the spark of hope rising from his chest. Maybe Mr. Tony will take him to his biological dad! He won't ever go back to the Dursleys again!
"That's... It’s complicated, Harry. I don’t know how to explain this as well as I should. Maybe I should have brought Rhodey with me or Pepper. Yes, Pepper can explain better, I think. She has a way of talking that makes Starks listen,” Mr. Stark rambled on and on, that Harry sort of let the words pass through him without a thought. “I haven’t prepared for this as much as I thought. Just that… Okay, Harry, kiddo, I am. Uhm, I'm your biological father. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry it took me so long to come get you. I'm so so sorry, Harry. I... I didn't know. I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry."
Harry stiffened. Had he heard it right? He secretly hoped his biological dad would be Mr. Tony, but that seemed so selfish to think. Mr. Tony already gave him lotsa hair brushes and cuddles and called him names that make Harry’s chest all warm. He didn’t dare ask for more. "You… dad? Really?!" Please be my daddy. Please, please, please!
"Yes, Harry. I am. I've always been and I will always be. If that's alright with you."
"I... will you, uhm, will you let me eat dinner wiv you?"
"Ah, fu-fudge, Jesus Christ, yes, baby, you'll eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with me. Snacks, too. We can't forget snacks, alright? Yes, that's settled then. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Together."
"Oh, okay then."
Mr. Tony huffed out what could be a laugh or a cry, Harry wasn't sure. "Harry, my beautiful, wonderful boy, you are never allowed to feel hungry ever again, okay? And absolutely no more storage rooms under the stairs! I can't— You have your own big room, two, in fact, with big windows and an awesome bed at home. Pepper, your aunt Pepper made sure it's all nice and ready when we get to New York. You'll never be sleeping on the floor unless it's under a fort or we plan on camping, okay?"
Harry understood about a quarter of Mr. Tony's words but he still replied with a squeaky, "okay." He supposed he should ask what'll happen now. However, the only thing that came to mind was, "So... so I don't hafta go to prison?"
Startled, Mr. Tony tightened the arms wrapped around Harry. "Prison? Why would you go to prison, Harry? Who told you that?"
"But the police," Harry reasoned cautiously. "Last night. Not fo' me?"
"What?! Of course, not! They were for your despicable relatives."
“Oh, was they bad?” Harry couldn’t think of any reason why his aunt and uncle got in trouble with the police people. They always said they were upstandingcitizens, whatever those were.
Mr. Tony, his daddy, nodded gravely. “Very bad. Very bad, indeed. You see, kiddo, they should have taken care of you, gave you a nice room, provided meals, gave you toys and clothes. When they didn’t do all those and they hurt you, they committed a bad act called Child Neglect and Child Abuse. They’re the ones going to prison, not you. Never you.”
“But wha’ ta ‘bout Dudley? Is he going to prison, too? Because his mum and dad are?”
“That cousin of yours? No, no. A woman named Marge Dursley will take care of him.”
Harry nodded. He supposed Dudley would be fine then. Aunt Marge really likes Dudley.
“And… and you take care ‘f me?” Harry shyly asked, twiddling his fingers on the hem of the clean white shirt he found himself wearing.
His daddy gave him the longest kiss ever on his cheek. Harry giggled at the feel of his mustache. “Got that right, kiddo. I’ll take care of you.”