Harry Meets the Avengers
CHAPTER 9: HARRY MEETS THE AVENGERS
Three days later, Tony woke up again to something in his mouth. He peered one eye open and found Harry had somehow crawled into bed with him between 3 to 7 in the morning when he last woke up to use the bathroom. This time, thankfully, it wasn’t his kid’s foot, but Ronald the Lion’s tail.
The past few days went by without a problem. Pepper had already given him a month of Parental Leave, and the rest of the team were all busy doing SHIELD’s bidding. Tony didn’t have to focus on anyone but his son. They tried the playhouse again on the second day and it was a success. Relatively. Harry didn’t cry once, so that’s a victory. They even spent half the day playing with those Hot Wheels Track Set, and Tony would never admit it but it was the most fun he had since blowing up the Mark VI of the Disintegrator Ray a few months ago.
Yesterday, he had to take Harry out for the first time for his doctor’s appointment. As it turns out, Helen Cho’s family is made up of either doctors or engineers. Dr. Calvin Cho, Helen’s cousin, was an affiliated pediatrician in NY Presbyterian and also has a private clinic in Brooklyn. Harry seemed to like him well enough in the beginning, but it probably had something to do with Calvin having a pet owl named Errol. When it was time for the annual flu inoculation Harry missed, well, Tony never saw Harry glare at anyone so firmly before. At any rate, Tony found out the reason Dr. Calvin Cho, please call me Cal, is dubbed one of the best pediatricians in this side of the river was because he knew how to bribe children with cuddly shit. They entered the clinic with Poppy the medibear, and left with Poppy and a new stuffed owl Harry immediately named Hedwig. If Harry gets a toy every time they visit the doctor, Tony might actually need to build another playroom.
“Sir, Colonel Rhodes is on the phone,” JARVIS announced in a lowered volume so as to not wake the child in bed.
Oh crap, thought Tony as he quickly sneaked out of bed and leave the room. He forgot to call his best friend about his godson.
“Honeybear! It’s so nice to hear from you. How’s Romania?” Tony greeted cheerfully once the call went through.
“You weren’t supposed to— you know what? Never mind. I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. I’m doing very well in the undisclosed location, minding my own business, doing my responsibility and then suddenly I hear from the local news that Tony fucking Stark, my best friend, flew to England, grabbed his son, and said fuck it all, I’m taking him home without telling his best friend!”
“—Okay, first of all, I did not say fuck it all, I’m taking him home. It was a long process, just so you know. I had to stand in front of a British court and listen to them say words like chuffed and rubbish without batting an eye. And second, I didn’t mean to purposely not tell you. I just… forgot.” It was a lame excuse, but it was all Tony had. Maybe a week ago when he was still in the process of taking Harry home, he might have had a proper reason for not calling. He had too much in his mind back then, but now that all he’s been doing was play and watch movies with his kid, Tony just simply forgot.
He heard Rhodey sigh over the phone. He knew then he was off the hook. “I’m really happy for you, Tones, you know that right? I’m glad you finally got to meet your son. You gotta send me a picture of my nephew right after this call, got it? I’m gonna have to go shopping the moment I land. Have to earn that favorite uncle position if Captain America is my opponent.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Platypus. If you don’t get the favorite uncle, you can always be the favorite godfather,” Tony smiled when he heard his longtime friend choke on his spit.
“Me?” His friend asked, clearly about to start crying halfway across the world.
Tony huffed, “Of course, you’ll be godfather. You and Pepper are Harry’s godparents.”
“Thank you, Tones. I promise I’ll be the best godfather Harry will ever have. But I gotta ask though, what happened to Harry’s previous godparents?”
“Harry didn’t have a godmother, and his godfather, some kind of English Lord named Sirius Black— No, really, that’s his name— went missing a few years ago only a few months before James and Lily’s death.”
“Poor kiddo,” said Rhodey sadly.
Tony shook his head. “You have no idea.”
“Yeah, I saw the news reports. Was he really? Please tell me they didn’t,” Rhodey all but begged.
“To an extent,” responded Tony grimly. “He’s extremely underweight, had some faint scars on his back, a bruised shoulder when I found him, and fuck, Rhodey, they made him sleep in a boot closet.”
“Fuck.”
The two men were reduced to silence. Tony hadn't had the chance to vent out yet. He's been so focused on making Harry comfortable and getting to know his son, that he didn't let himself think of his own feelings regarding Harry's past. He couldn't let himself feel angry in his kid's presence, fearing it might bring back awful memories.
Tony talked to Happy back in England, and he had that conversation with Pepper over the phone and the first night he's back in New York. But not once did he stop and let things sink in.
And Tony is angry. No, he's ultimately furious at the fact that his son was constantly hungry and in pain. He's spitting mad at Vernon and Petunia Dursley for what they did and didn't do to Harry, illogically mad at Dudley Dursley for having two bedrooms while his son had to sleep in a storage space under the stairs, angry at Lily and James for dying, angry at the social services for never checking in on a child they placed, furious at Obadiah for taking away his chance to be a father.
But most of all, angry at himself for abandoning his son.
Because he did. He abandoned Harry even before he was born. Obie might have forced him to sign away his rights, but it was his hand that held the pen. It was his cowardness that allowed Obadiah to dictate his life. It was his choice not to reach out when he returned from Afghanistan.
"I can hear you blaming yourself all over from Romania, Tony--"
"I thought you said you're in an undisclosed location, Honey bear."
"Shut it," grumbled the man over the phone. "It's not your fault, Tones. You didn't know."
"That's exactly the issue, Rhodey, I didn't know. I'm Tony Stark for god's sake. Nothing was supposed to get through me. With just one click, one order, I would have known Lily and James were dead, and that Harry, my son, had to live with Lily's estranged sister. How can I think it wasn't my fault?!" Tony screamed, all his pent-up frustrations released by a single question.
"Because it wasn't," Rhodey yelled back, "It wasn't your fault you didn't know. You may be Tony Stark, but you're still a man. I knew how hard it was for you those first few weeks after Harry's birth. Don't you dare deny you didn't keep an eye on the Potters, because I came down that one time three weeks after you received James's message that Harry arrived, a wailing bundle of 7 pounds and 3 ounces, and found you passed out drunk with the birth announcement and the schedule of Harry's doctor appointments flashed on your screen. You've always thought of yourself as his father and the guilt it came with broke you. So, no, I don't blame you for not checking on them every goddamn second. Do I wish you found out about Harry earlier? Of course, I do. But do I think it's your fault you didn't? No, I don't. Lily and James were great parents. You had no reason to worry."
By now, Tony was straight-up crying. He remembers those horrible weeks, checking up on Harry's progress and hating the fact that he can't even attend a single doctor's appointment with his son. It took him two months to decide to stop punishing himself and begin putting all his time and attention into his projects.
But Rhodey wasn't finished.
"I'm not there, Tones. I haven't seen you with Harry yet. But even then, I am sure you're the best thing that ever happened to that kid. You're a good father, Tony. You loved that kid even before you met him. Harry is so lucky to have you. Don't ever forget that."
Chuckling and wiping the tears off his cheeks, Tony whispered, "Thanks, Honey bear. I didn't know I needed to hear that."
"Then I'll be sure to repeat that next time you dig yourself too deep in self-loathing. It's my job as godfather to make sure my godson's dad isn't being stupid."
"Sir, Master Harry is awake and arriving any second now," JARVIS interrupted quickly before Tony could form a response.
Just in time, a tiny, adorable voice called out, "daddy?"
"In here, Harry," Tony called back from the living room before asking his best friend if he could do a video call. Naturally, Rhodey's response was an enthusiastic yes.
Harry appeared from the hallway not a moment later, hair infinitely messy, a blue baby blanket over his shoulders, and no stuffed animals in sight.
"Where's Ron? Or Poppy? Or even Hedwig?" Tony asked amusedly.
Harry padded over to crawl up his lap. "Silly daddy. Poppy only comes if it's doctor day. Hedwig and Ron are still sleeping."
Tony kissed the top of his head and wrapped an arm around the kid's waist. "Of course, silly of me. Anyway, I have someone for you to meet. His name is Rhodey and he's actually your godfather."
The five-year-old tilted his head to the side, unaware of the TV screen behind him displaying the said godfather putting a hand over his mouth to keep himself from cooing.
"Godfather? What's that?"
"Someone to give you lotsa presents and run to when daddy gets too annoying,” Tony responded, smiling when Harry’s face turned incredulous at the idea of him running away from his father. “Wanna say hi?”
Harry nodded unsurely, forehead scrunching when Tony lifted him off his lap for a moment and turned him around. The bewildered look suddenly shifted into surprise and bashfulness when he realized someone was on the screen.
“Hello, Harry. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Rhodey cooed.
“Hi,” Harry waved back before hiding his face on Tony’s neck. Both men laughed.
“As you can see, he’s shy,” Tony explained, “He couldn’t even look into Pepper’s eyes until two days ago when she came over and gave him this blanket.” Tony fiddled on the piece of fabric wrapped around his son’s tiny body.
“Aunt Pep?” Harry asked quietly.
“Yeah, kiddo, Aunt Pepper. See, this man is sorta like Aunt Pep. Very important to me. I’d really like it if you find him cool so I can pass you onto him when he comes home from an undisclosed location while I go cruising around New York to party.”
“Tony!” Rhodey reprimanded from the screen. “Don’t listen to your dad, Harry. He hasn’t gone on a party since moving from Malibu.”
“Okay,” Harry responded easily.
The conversation went on smoother since then. Harry had stopped hiding his face on Tony’s neck and started speaking more. At one point, the little kid jumped off his dad’s lap and ran back to the bedroom to grab his stuffies. Rhodey didn’t even have to pretend to listen as his nephew introduced his favorite stuffed animals one by one. When Harry ran back out again, this time to grab his Nat Geo children’s book on Dinosaurs, Rhodey went to ask the father.
“Where’d he get those names?” The Air Force officer asked amusedly. Ronald seemed normal, Poppy a little unusual for a bear, but Hedwig? What the hell does that even mean?
Tony shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. “Might have read those in some books before. I know he likes books on nature. Ronald was probably just a neighbor. And Hedwig? I looked it up. It’s the name of the patron saint of orphans. Don’t know how he knew that, but the hell I’m going to tell him to pick up a new name, when I named my bots DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers.”
Rhodey didn’t get to say anything on that as Harry came back into view carrying not one but three books.
At the end of the call, Harry even got to call him uncle.
Rhodey did cry.
**
After the successful meeting between Harry and Rhodey, Tony began thinking about introducing his son to the rest of the team. Every one of them had been so patient in letting Tony bond with Harry without their distractions, so far as to stay in SHIELD's New York headquarters for a while.
It wasn't until two days later that Tony saw the chance.
Pepper had taken Harry for the day, insisting she needed to bond with her godson too without Tony's presence. Harry had been so excited about the adventure, as Pepper promised him a trip to the zoo. The kid woke up way too early and managed to make JARVIS prepare his bath for him when the A.I. notified the father. Tony immediately took over just as Harry was about to step in the water. While Harry is an awfully independent child, Tony didn't like it when Harry baths alone. He'd read so many parenting books while the kid was in the hospital and still shudders at the number of children drowning in their own bathtubs a year.
A quick bath later because it was impossible to make Harry go back to sleep, he dressed his son in a beige shirt with thin green stripes, knee-length dark gray shorts, a pair of tiny Stan Smiths, and a white baseball cap to complete the summer look. And because Harry didn't get his complexion, Tony had to apply layers of sunscreen on his kid to protect his sensitive skin.
After that, they had to wait for two more hours before Pepper came over to pick him up.
The tower was impossibly quiet when the pair left. Tony hadn't realized kids caused so much noise even though Harry was probably the most timid kid in the world.
The silence in the penthouse was too much for the billionaire to bear so he grabbed his keys and jumped on the first car he reached— in this case, the sleek cherry black Acura NSX.
The drive to SHIELD's headquarters was quick even with New York's traffic. Tossing his keys to one of the baby agents, he strolled into the building in search of one or two of his teammates. It wasn't long until he bumped, or more accurately, dropped on by Clint. The baby agent he passed his car to had a loud mouth and bragged on their chat system the fact that he got to drive Tony Stark's car.
"Look who finally graced us his presence," grinned the archer as he stared Tony down through his dark sunglasses.
"Hey, Legolas. Can you pretty please remove your hand on my shoulder. I don't know where that's been."
The archer only grinner wider and gripped his shoulder tighter. "Ah, I missed you too, Starky-boy. What brought you here? And where's that little kid of yours?"
Tony shrugged the hand off and stepped beside Clint, heading over to the building's lab. "Pepper took him to the zoo. The tower's too quiet."
"Huh," mused Clint with an amused smile. "I would have thought you'd want to experience your kid's first trip to the zoo yourself."
"Nah. Stuffed animals are fine, but live ones? Eugh," the billionaire made a face. "Speaking of animals, when are you and the rest of the team going back to the tower?"
"Oh, screw you, Stark," Clint cursed him while laughing. "Natasha's still out on recon but me, Bruce, and Cap are just waiting for your go signal." He paused for a second before turning his full attention to his friend. "Wait, does this mean we're now allowed to meet the great Harry Stark?"
The pair had reached the lab by now, empty as it was it had Bruce’s overused messenger bag hanging on one of the chairs. Tony immediately grabbed it and dug inside. “Aha,” the billionaire grinned, “found it.” In his hand was a pack of Chips Ahoy Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies.
“You came all over from the tower for a… cookie?”
“No, no,” Tony shook his head madly, tearing the package open. “Just saw the opportunity and took it. Anyway, I need all of you to pack your bags and run back to your floors. You guys didn’t have to leave the tower, you know.”
Clint shrugged and attempted to grab a piece from Tony’s hand, which Tony promptly batted the hand away. “Thought you might want to be alone with your son for a while. It was Steve’s idea, actually. Didn’t want to impose too much on you.”
Tony rolled his eyes. Of course, it was Cap. “Well, you weren’t. Didn’t he tell you he fed us breakfast that first morning since coming back from England? He eats Cap’n Crunch, by the way. Harry’s bound to meet the team, so might as well introduce you now.”
“Does he know about us being the Avengers? Kids dig that.”
“Oh, he does. My baby boy likes Iron Man the best. His words, not mine,” the man inside the suit bragged proudly, chest puffing and all that.
The archer groaned dramatically. “I would have thought at least one Stark had taste. Now that’s a dream down the drain.”
Tony flicked a piece of chocolate chip to Clint’s forehead.
“Oh!” Bruce entered the room in surprise. “Tony, I didn’t know you were coming. Why are you’re here?” Tony waved a hand dismissively, crumbs still sticking on them.
“—and why are you eating my cookies?”
**
Hours later, when Natasha finally got back from wherever she’d been, the team, bar Steve who prefer riding his bike, piled into Clint’s (Phil’s, actually) SHIELD-issued SUV. Tony had gone ahead of them since Harry was supposed to be home before three. Bruce, Steve, and Clint even got to say hi over the phone when the little boy called his dad to blab about an awesome King Cobra named Severus, and laugh when their friend told his son they could just buy Severus if Harry really liked the snake. None of them knew Tony was actually going to do it.
They’re supposed to join the Starks for dinner at the penthouse. Tony told them it’ll give him enough time to prepare his son into meeting more people. The dad said Harry’s been getting better at talking to others that weren’t his dad but still get extremely anxious sometimes, especially around a lot of people. They don’t know what really happened to Harry, and the circumstances of how he came to live with Tony, but Clint was able to tell the rest of the team the basics that he knew and what Tony was able to tell him.
Each of them stopped by their own floors before heading up to the penthouse for similar reasons: grab the welcome gift they bought for the tiny Stark. It’s a new experience for the Avengers to be around children for more than a selfie or an unfortunate save out of danger, and the fact that the young child they’re supposed to be meeting is the son of their teammate, they’re all desperate to be liked.
“Is anyone feeling like they’re at a job interview or something?” Clint muttered out loud, smoothing down his dark purple shirt and clutching the gift bag tightly. They all stood by the elevator waiting for Tony to welcome them in. Judging by the voices down the hall, their teammate was still convincing his kid to come out.
“You’re telling me,” responded Steve gruffly. “I had to change three times before I settled on the first one I chose. JARVIS told me Harry likes red.”
“Like father, like son,” chuckled Natasha beside him.
Footsteps, only one pair of them, clicked on the hardwood floor of the penthouse, provoking the superheroes into standing tall without looking so menacing. Soon enough, Tony appeared on the hallway, a tiny curly-haired boy hanging on his hip, head hidden under Tony’s chin. He wore a white shirt with little dinosaurs on them, black jogger pants, and fluffy white socks.
“Sorry for the delay,” Tony flashed them a smile, bouncing Harry a bit before encouraging the boy, “C’mon, kiddo, go on and say hi.”
The said boy peeked from the safety of his father’s neck and whispered a soft greeting, hand raised for a tiny wave. Not one of the world’s greatest heroes didn’t coo.
“We’re a little shy today,” Tony apologized again. “He’s worried you’re not going to like him,” he whispered playfully, earning him a muffled but embarrassed daddy! from Harry.
Steve was quick to step up. "You don't got worry about that, kid. I'm already sure we'll like you just fine."
Tony chuckled. "Ease up with the Brooklyness there, Steve-o," he joked freely. "Come in, guys, don't just stand there. We're having traditional English meal for dinner. I hope you like Shepherd's pie."
"My favorite," drawled Natasha drily.
Unlike how Tony made it out to be, they didn't proceed to dinner straight away. Nor will they be eating Shepherd's pie or any traditional English food. Harry's pediatrician had given Tony the go signal in letting his son try new, heavier meals. Surprise, surprise; they're having pizza.
"Alright," Tony clapped loudly after successfully prying Harry off of him and placing him down on the floor. "Introductions first. Avengers, meet Harry James Stark. Harry, meet daddy's friends, Clint, Bruce, Natasha, and Steve. We also have a Thor, but he's off Earth right now."
Harry, still half-hidden behind Tony's leg, waved for the second time. It was much wider now, and Harry had stopped hiding his face.
Surprisingly, it was Bruce who first approached the child. He crouched down to his level and pulled out a small box from within his jacket pocket. "Hello, Harry. I got you something. Wanna see?"
Harry looked at his father like a deer in a headlight, unsure of what to do with just about anything. Aware that this might be the first time his son will open a present that's actually wrapped in gift-wrapping paper, Tony simply smiled at him encouragingly and patted his shoulder. With a sigh, Harry nodded and stepped one foot towards Bruce.
Bruce, being the least trouble-looking of the bunch, successfully led the boy closer to the middle of the living room where the rest of the team were waiting for their turn. He carefully placed the box on the coffee table and allowed Harry to open it as he pleases.
They all watched as the five-year-old gingerly remove the wrapping bit by bit. Steve suddenly had a flashback to his childhood years when he did exactly the same to save paper, and he felt his heart break by how carefully the child opened his gift. He heard Clint mutter a curse beside him, obviously thinking the same thing.
Tony, having noticed his team's pained expressions, got up and sat next to Harry on the floor. "Want some help, kiddo?" He asked softly.
Harry immediately nodded and pushed the gift towards his father like it was some sort of bomb. Tony chuckled through the pain and side-eyed his teammates. "It's our first time actually opening a present," he told the team with fake cheerfulness.
Everyone held a breath and settled their eyes back on the boy who by now was watching his father rip the paper with wonder. Nobody commented on it, but everyone also noticed the way Steve's jaw tightened, Natasha's fingers twirling over her side where she kept one of her knives, Clint's fist gripping hard on the couch's arm, and Bruce's self-calming breathing.
"Look, buddy," Tony's beaming voice shook them out of their trance. "Do you know what this is?"
Harry crawled over to Tony's lap and peeked at the box on the table. He turned back to Tony and shook his head.
"It's a terrarium kit," Bruce answered from his position across the table. "You can do the layering of the rocks and soil yourself. I could help you if you'd like."
"Yes, please," Harry whispered, awestruck by the gift. "Thank you," he added sincerely without being told.
One by one, the rest of the team gave theirs. Harry didn't open any of them himself, rather, he made his dad rip the wrapper as he watched from Tony's lap, astonished.
Clint gave him a remote-controlled small helicopter, Natasha's gift was a 500-piece Best of British jigsaw puzzle that earned a dry look from Tony, and Steve went so far as to buy a mini vintage record player in light blue, complete with records of 5 of his favorite 40's musicians.
Harry had gasped and wowed at every gift, thanking each giver again and again until Tony put them away for later. By then, Harry lost his initial shyness and allowed his dad to make him sit on the couch with the team. Because they're having pizza, they didn't have to move to the kitchen to have dinner. Like with his Uncle Rhodey, Harry told them all about his stuffies and the whole playroom Tony built for him. Harry even invited them to play with him if they wanted to. He said he had awesome car tracks that go in loops and has an elevator. It was like the little kid was actually trying to convince them to play with him, like the adults he’s talking to wouldn’t do it in a heartbeat.
Half an hour later, Harry was still blown away by the presents he received, and every time his eyes would land on the pile on the chair by the TV, he'd thank them all over again. One would think his father wasn’t the richest man in America.
"You're gonna have to get used to presents, munchkin," Clint chuckled warmly. "This is nothing compared to what's coming for you on your birthday."
"I gots a hanger and Uncle Vernon's old socks for my birthday last year," offered Harry without difficulty over a piece of plain cheese pizza, "it didn't got a pretty wrapper, though."
A glass snapped broken, startling everyone. All eyes landed on Steve, whose hand had started bleeding all over his khakis.
"I'm sorry," Steve panicked. "I'm so sorry about this."
Tony stood and knelt in front of Steve, blocking Harry's view of the blood. "Hey, Steve, it's okay. C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," the billionaire helped the super-soldier stand before turning his head towards his son. "Harry, kiddo, I'm just going to the kitchen for a while with Steve, okay?" At Harry's nervous nod, his eyes went to the rest of the team. "Watch him for me," he mouthed.
When he reached the kitchen, Steve's body was already hunched over the sink, running water washing away most of the blood. Tony grabbed the first aid kit from one of the cupboards and stood beside the blond man.
“I think you washed them enough, Cap,” Tony said gently. “Give me your hand. We need to take the shards off before your super healing heals over them.”
Silently, Steve handed his injured hand to the engineer, head still downcast.
“It’s okay, you know,” Tony started again when it was obvious Steve wouldn’t say anything, “to be angry. I’m furious, myself. If you hadn’t distracted me with your bloodletting episode, I would have, I don’t know, lashed out or call the suit. Or maybe Bruce might have a Code Green. I know for a fact that Clint and Natasha already had their hands on their weapons.”
“I’m just so angry, Harry’s not even my kid,” Steve said, embarrassed. “I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
“Doesn’t matter that Harry’s not related to you by blood, or that you just met him. He’s a pretty likable kid. I would know,” responded Tony with a private smile. “I’m actually kind of glad you're as mad as I am. It makes me think I’m not just being dramatic or making it seem more than it actually is.”
“You’re not,” Steve exclaimed gravely.
Tony waved his hand back and forth. “I know, I know. But sometimes, my kid just acts so normally and child-like that I forget he’s been through what most adults hadn’t. Wishful thinking, I know. I’ve been looking into child therapists based in New York that dealt with abuse and neglect. So far, I’ve got none that I’d trust with my kid’s well-being.”
“I can help!” Steve quickly offered, “I’ve been looking into therapists myself. The ones in SHIELD are shit, it turns out. I have a contact. His name’s Sam, but he works with vets. I think he might know good ones. I trust him.”
A genuine smile crept onto Tony’s face. “I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”