'Tis the Season
CHAPTER 21: ‘TIS THE SEASON
Subtle shifting woke Tony up a fraction. He knew there was something special about the day, but early as it was, he wasn't keen on moving away from the warmth the blankets and his boyfriend's body provided.
"Steve. Steve. Too early," complained the brunette as he blindly reached over to wrap an arm around his boyfriend's waist.
Chuckling, Steve took the arm off him and kissed Tony on the head. "As much as I want to stay and cuddle, Harry will wake up soon and I still have to take care of the cookies and milk."
Tony grumbled and whined. "Remind me why we didn't do that last night."
"Because you wanted Christmas Eve sex, sweetheart."
"...oh, right."
As opposed to the loud party and festive atmosphere, the three of them spent the night baking cookies and watching Christmas movies until Harry fell asleep on the couch. While Tony tucked Harry to bed, Steve began taking out gifts from where they hid them and putting them under the tree. They had so many that it took them two hours to finish. Within that time, the couple brushed sly glances and touches with each other, until Tony had enough and jumped Steve on the couch.
Obviously, they forgot to clear the milk and cookies meant for Santa.
It was a bit hard to convince Harry that Santa would send him gifts this Christmas. Tony had to make up something about Santa not knowing where he lived and that maybe his relatives didn't include him in their letter which was why he never got anything for Christmas. Steve, backing up Tony's explanation, offered to help Harry write his letter to Santa this year. Unbeknownst to the child, both were actually hoping to figure out what presents to buy.
Harry was uncertain but he let Steve help him. Because he had everything he wanted and then some, the only thing he asked for Christmas was to be allowed to decorate a tree. This prompted Tony to pack his boys up and they headed upstate the very next day to choose a real Christmas Tree.
And to say that Harry was overjoyed when everyone was invited to the penthouse to help decorate the huge tree was an understatement.
For the next two weeks, Tony did everything he could to keep Christmas interesting for his son. They kept watching Christmas movies and read Christmas books for bedtime stories. Harry, not having experienced a proper Christmas before, was obviously just as excited.
Which brings them to Christmas morning.
Tony reluctantly followed his boyfriend out of bed and into the living room. Steve was already picking up the plate of cookies and the glass of milk from the small table they left them last night. The Super Soldier dumped the milk on the sink and placed the cookies back on the fridge, taking one out for himself.
"How long do you think 'till he's up?" Tony asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
Steve hummed from the counter while munching on one of the cookies. "Soon, I suppose."
Apparently, soon was two minutes later. An excited childish voice rang from the hallway.
"It's Christmas!" yelled Harry happily. "Daddy! Uncle Steve! It's Christmas!"
Behind his cup, Tony grinned while he watched his son jump in place. “Is it? It’s still the 24th, right Steve?” Even Steve laughed when Harry’s face contorted, unamused.
The Super Soldier strode to the boy and scooped him up from the floor. “Daddy’s just teasing, bubby. Of course, it’s Christmas!” Steve turned the child around until they were both facing the living room instead of the kitchen.
“Wow,” gasped Harry softly. Under the tree they decorated was by far the most number of gifts a child ever saw.
Tony moved to stand behind the two and wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist as the man held Harry in his arms. “How about we have breakfast by the tree today so we can open some of them at the same time?”
“For me?” The child stared at his father with awe and longing.
Tony ruffled his hair and Steve kissed the back of it. “Go on and see if you can find yours while I get breakfast ready. I think Santa came in last night. Uncle Steve had to clean up the crumbs he left.” Breakfast was actually just orange juice, toast, jam, and scrambled eggs. It may be Christmas, but 6:30 will always be too early.
When he returned to the living room, Harry was crawling under the tree and pulling out gifts, with Steve crouched behind him accepting them and putting them in their respective piles. They’ve got three so far: one for Harry, one for either Steve or Tony, and another pile for their friends. It was no surprise Harry’s pile was the biggest of them all.
After having opened his own presents during his birthday, Harry was much better in terms of receiving them and not expecting dirty socks or some hanging device. For every bite of his toast and eggs, he was allowed to open one present. Tony and Steve were delighted watching the little boy gasp or squeal at every single one of them.
“Look, daddy! It’s a puzzle!”
Tony laughed and nodded at his child accordingly. It’s the fourth puzzle he opened and Harry’s reaction hadn’t dwindled at all. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered if everyone got him puzzles or keychains for Christmas (what would a 6-year-old even do with keychains?) because Harry would still have loved them.
“Here, bubby, open this one. I think it’s from Rory,” said Steve as he handed Harry a medium-sized box. There really was no question who was it from judging by the purple princess wrapper. Surprisingly, it came with a note, possibly from Rory’s mother, which Steve handed to Tony for them to read together.
Mr. Stark, I apologize in advance if Rory’s gift isn’t exactly to Harry’s liking. She was adamant about it and would not listen when I suggested another. You know how she is. — Emmeline
Tony raised his brow and looked at Steve who was also confused. And a little curious as to what Rory had given Harry.
“Wow.” Harry’s amazed exclamation had both men’s attention. Steve made the first move to peek, given Harry hadn’t fully ripped off the wrapper yet.
“It’s a… baby?” Steve’s baffled expression had Tony quickly take a peek himself.
It was a life-size baby doll. Aurora Vance, his first-grader son’s first-grader friend gave him a baby. No wonder Emme apologized in advance.
“Daddy, I got a baby,” said his son in astonishment.
“Oh, no. No, no, no. I’m too young to be a grandfather.” Tony shook his head gravely. Beside him, Steve was turning red from trying not to laugh. For all he knew, JARVIS was recording everything and sending it to their friends.
“But, daddy. Look,” Harry thrust the fully opened gift to his father, making Tony stare at the blue-eyed doll wearing a baby hat and a nappy. It even had a birth certificate! “He’s so cute!”
“Oh my god, Steve. Steve, I’m a grandpa.” Tony said in horror.
Steve, still red in the face but aware that his boyfriend was having a crisis, pulled Tony to his arms and kissed him on the head. “It’s a toy, sweetheart.”
“A toy with a birth certificate!”
“Huh,” Steve muttered, then turned to their real baby who was already pulling the doll out of the box along with a toy pacifier and baby bottle. “What’s the doll’s name, bubby?”
Harry glanced at Steve and picked up the piece of paper beside it. “Leo. His name’s Leo,” read the 6-year-old. “Leo’s gonna be my baby brother.”
“Oh, thank god!”
“This actually means you have an infant now, Tony.”
“We, Steve. We have an infant. Leo obviously takes after you. Look at those eyes!”
“Daddy? Can we get a crib? And some clothes for Leo?”
“How is this my life?”
**
Tony ordered a complete set of the doll’s accessories including a toy carrier and stroller. Leo was officially Leo Stark-Rogers.
Clint ended up being the godfather.
**
“Let me get this straight,” said Rhodey with a mirthful expression. “Your 6-year-old son received a doll from his best friend, claimed it was his baby brother, and you named it Stark-Rogers?”
Tony glared at his best friend. “It’s better than me being a grandfather. Plus, Leo has blue eyes! He obviously didn’t get that from me.”
Natasha was full-on giggling while Pepper still tried to rein hers. Tony was slowly regretting inviting their friends over for Christmas dinner.
And Steve. His baby-daddy Steve left him alone to suffer while he and Harry introduced Leo to everyone. They even put him in the stroller and had Harry push it around the living room! Harry was so excited about his baby brother and wouldn’t leave the doll for the whole day. He took to carrying it around with him, even during lunch where he personally fed him his empty baby bottle. Tony secretly found it adorable and could not help but imagine how caring of a big brother Harry would be.
“Sweetheart, the baby is hungry!” Steve called from the couch where he watched Harry push back and forth their fake-infant’s stroller. His boyfriend looked so smug and amused at their situation.
“You are so not getting any tonight, darling,” drawled Tony, leveling the blond Super Soldier with a glare, eliciting a loud guffaw from Bucky and Sam. Clint, obviously happy with his designation as Baby Leo’s godfather, took the role at heart and smacked their heads, reminding them to be quiet so as to not wake up his godson.
Tony surrounds himself with ridiculous people. He should start looking for new friends first thing tomorrow.
“New baby aside, how was Christmas morning with Harry? Did he like his other gifts?” Pepper asked, thankfully saving Tony from throwing whatever was in his hands to his boyfriend.
“He did,” answered the billionaire with a warm smile. “He thinks he can make his own Iron Man suit with the toolset you gave him. It was amusing.”
Baby Leo aside, Harry received some cool stuff too. There was the toolset from Pepper, another Hot Wheels car collection from Rhodey, a kid’s camera from Phil and Clint, some books from Sam, a scooter from Bucky, child-friendly video games from Happy, a travel carrier for Dobby from Natasha, Kinetic Sand from Bruce, a New York subway train set from Cedric, and a few other toys and clothes from some of the Ilver students.
Of course, Tony and Steve didn’t let themselves be beaten in their gift-giving. They did have to act as though it was Santa who gave them. Harry got his very first tablet from Santa (a prototype of the Stark Kid’s STEM Tablet Tony was thinking of releasing), a baseball glove (Steve promised Harry he’ll play catch with him in the gym), a set of cartoon animal shirts, magnetic tiles, and a children’s book on Inspirational People.
Tony knew he was spoiling his kid. He talked to Dr. Granger about it and she suggested he cut-off giving Harry gifts outside Holidays or as special rewards. Harry wasn’t a spoiled brat, obviously, but he didn’t want to risk it even though it would be hard for him to not give his baby boy whatever he wanted. Harry didn’t want much, anyway. He never outright asked Tony to buy him new toys or threw a tantrum whenever Tony said no.
It was Harry’s first Christmas with him, so Tony thought a little bit of over-giving was warranted.
"Daddy! Can Leo sleep with me tonight?" Harry asked, tugging on the hems of Tony's shirt. His glasses were a bit skewed so Tony ignored the question for a second to fix his son's appearance.
"By the gods, kiddo, what hurricane passed you?" muttered Tony as he tried to smoothen Harry's shirt as well. "And yes, Leo can sleep with you. He's not actually a real baby, you know that right?"
Harry—Tony only had to blame the Stark genes for the sass—stared at him dryly. "I know. Rory has a dolly too. I told Rory I wanted a baby brother and she gave me Leo. Leo's my brother now."
Natasha, Rhodey, and Pepper snorted in unison.
"Right. How silly of me to think otherwise. Go play with your brother. Dinner will be up in 10 minutes."
"Hey, sweetheart."
Tony smacked his own head. "Oh, what is it now?"
Steve chuckled and wrapped an arm around Tony's waist. "Bucky wanted to know if he and Sam can take Harry out to Coney Island on the 27th."
Sighing, Tony melted on his boyfriend's touch. Coney Island during Christmas break didn't sound too appealing because of the cold and the closed amusement park. But Bucky and Sam were two of the most careful people in the world, so it wasn't like Harry won't be well taken care of.
"Let me think about it first. Not saying no. We'll see how the weather goes."
"Roger that," answered Steve easily and kissed him on the cheek, bidding goodbye to their three friends currently talking to Tony before going back to his best friend to tell the news.
"You're like a proper family now," said Rhodey with a smirk.
"Perish the thought," answered Tony, but the smile on his face was telling a different story.
Moments later, they all gathered around the table for a sit-down Christmas day dinner. It was funny because even though it was Christmas and they should have prepared a better menu, the food in front of them were basically either store-bought or take-outs.
Not that it mattered, really, as everyone had smiles on their faces regardless.
**
Tony ended up saying yes to Coney Island. How could he not when Harry looked so excited about it? The Amusement Park was closed for the winter, but Harry wouldn’t be allowed to ride in most of them anyway. No, what Harry got so excited about was the Aquarium.
But instead of just Bucky and Sam going, Tony decided he’d join them as well. Of course, where Tony goes, Steve follows. In the blond Super Soldier’s defense, he really was planning to join his best friends anyway. Coney Island had always been an important feature in his and Bucky’s childhood. Taking Harry, the little boy he considers his son, to Coney Island would be a dream-come-true. No matter how different the place might be.
So, the afternoon of the 27th, Tony, Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Harry piled into Tony’s Range Rover and headed off to Brooklyn. It was cold out, especially since it had just begun snowing. They all wore warm clothing, but Harry most of all. He looked very adorable in the puffer jacket Rhodey bought for him.
The whole ride had Harry bouncing excitedly in his car seat, Leo and Ron clutched firmly to his chest. With Steve on the passenger seat and Tony driving, it was up to Sam and Bucky to entertain the child long enough to avoid the are we there yet? questions.
By the time they arrived, there were already some winter visitors like them, but only a handful unlike how it would have been if it were summer. It was one of the reasons Tony thought nothing of it when Steve told him Bucky and Sam wanted to take Harry out. With Christmas just a few days ago, there’s hardly any crowd for them. Eerie as the place might be, Tony can definitely see the appeal. Harry clearly does as well, but he used to live in England where it’s mostly gloomy anyway.
“Okay, kiddo, ground rules,” Tony knelt in front of Harry and tugged on his jacket. Harry stared at his father with rapt attention. “You gotta be careful with Leo and Ron. We don’t want to lose them, do we? And you have to stay with me, Steve, Bucky, or Sam at all times. I know there are not a lot of people here now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get lost. Understood?”
Harry nodded accordingly, but Tony had a feeling his son wasn’t truly understanding what he was saying. Sighing, Tony leaned and kissed him on the forehead. “Go wild, kiddo,” he whispered with a smile, releasing Harry to run towards Bucky who already had an offered hand waiting for him.
“He’ll be fine,” assured Sam, placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder as they both watched Bucky lift Harry to his shoulder and Steve happily telling the child of their old adventures in 1930 Coney Island. “Uh—not sure about those two.”
“Kids. Both of them,” commented Tony with a smile.
Tony had never been to Coney Island before, believe it or not. It wasn’t a place his parents would have likely allowed him to go to as a child. And when he was old enough to rebel, amusement parks weren’t exactly on his list. That given, seeing Coney Island for the first time, even when the Amusement Park was closed, Tony found himself smiling. He’d like to take Harry again sometime in the summer. He wasn’t sure his son would love the thrill of the rides considering he was terrified of the plane the first time around, but it’s worth a try.
They first stopped by Nathan’s to get Harry his first-ever New York hotdog. The jury was still out on that one because Harry’s not really a hotdog-kind of guy. He did, however, love the hot chocolate Tony bought him after. They walked along the boardwalk, and though it was cold, the afternoon sun shone amazingly beautiful that day.
And to say that Harry loved the aquarium was another understatement. He spent a long time staring at the colorful fishes and reading information after information. He especially found the shark aquarium incredible, and Tony just about almost offered to put one in his playroom if it weren’t for Steve glaring at him as if daring him to do so. He settled on buying Harry a shark costume instead.
Everything was nice and perfect until they were headed back to the car.
“Tony, there’s a crowd outside,” whispered Steve worriedly. Bucky, also having super-hearing, immediately picked up Harry and wrapped his arms around him for protection.
Tony snapped his head. “What?! Why?”
“I’m not sure. It might be reporters.”
As if on cue, a security officer of the Aquarium approached them with a grim look. Turns out, the press thought Tony’s threats weren’t serious anymore, considering the past few months have been quiet. There were at least ten reporters by the parking lot waiting for the group of superheroes and the famous Stark heir to exit the place.
“Sam and I can go first. I’ll drive the car around so Harry won’t have to face the reporters for more than a few seconds,” said Bucky. “Maybe I’ll scare some away.” He added with an ominous smile. Tony’s eyes lit up in complete agreement with the plan.
“Please don’t,” Steve quickly answered. “Let’s not make the PR team’s job harder than it already is.”
Bucky and Tony’s reactions clearly meant they didn’t want to care, but both just sighed and nodded.
So, while Bucky and Sam deal with the reporters outside, Steve and Tony stayed inside to console the confused and worried 6-year-old. The reporters’ voices were getting louder, especially with two of the Avengers seemingly available to question.
“Daddy? Are the mean people with cameras here?” Harry asked, eyes darting towards the exit.
Tony cursed inwardly and knelt in front of his son. “They are, kiddo. But don’t worry, Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam will come take us home. Okay?”
Though still scared, Harry nodded and raised his arms to be held. Tony quickly lifted him up and allowed his son to bury his head on his neck. Steve stood next to them in a battle position as if ready to strike anytime. For the months the three of them went out together, very rarely do they encounter anyone from the press. Ever since they came out as a couple, tabloids and news stations tried to corner them a lot. But Tony’s threats scared them enough to avoid crowding them whenever the young Stark was around.
It seemed as though they stopped being scared.
Steve’s phone dinged and the blond glanced at it for a second before turning to his boyfriend. “They’re right outside. Security formed a perimeter but they couldn’t make them leave.”
Tony nodded grimly. He placed a hand behind Harry’s head and whispered reassurance when the boy whimpered at the increasing noise. Leo and Ron were dangling on Tony’s back from the tight grip the boy had on them.
Steve dug through Harry’s back and pulled up the hood from his hoodie, carefully arranging it on the boy’s hair to hide most of his face.
“You okay, bubby?” Steve asked softly, taking the doll and the stuffed lion from the child’s hands to free them, allowing Harry to wrap his arms around Tony’s neck.
“I don’t like them, Uncle Steve,” complained the child in his small voice.
Steve kissed the hood-covered head and chuckled mildly. “I don’t like them, too, Harry.”
“Nobody likes them,” Tony commented dryly. “Thank god they haven’t tried anything like this in school or I swear, I’ll be destroying careers left and right.”
“You won’t hear me complaining if you do,” said Steve. “Are you ready?” He asked the child who nodded and buried his head further into Tony.
Steve and Tony conversed silently and nodded to each other. One security officer opened the door for them, immediately intensifying the sounds of shouting. Camera flashes flashed all over, eliciting a whimper from the child.
“Just one photo, Mr. Stark!”
“Harry! Harry Stark! What can you say about your father’s relationship with Captain America?”
“Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers, are you really getting married?”
“Is it true your son was a victim of child abuse?”
“Give us a pose, Harry!”
Tony all but run towards the open car door with Steve following closely behind covering almost everyone’s view on Harry. The questions were running through Tony, but the one on abuse almost got him to stop if it weren’t for Steve pushing him forward to continue moving.
Bucky was on the driver’s seat and Sam on the other side of the car seat, allowing Steve to take the front seat without hardship once he closed the door behind Tony. Harry wasn’t crying, but his grip on Tony’s shirt even though he was being strapped in his seat was firm.
“Jesus Christ, these people are trash,” muttered Bucky under his breath as he tried to maneuver the car through the crowd. Luckily, all of Tony’s SUVs and sedans have tinted windows, making it hard for the photographers to catch a glimpse of the child inside.
“Don’t worry,” said Tony from his seat, one hand carding through his son’s curls and the other typing fast on his phone. “I have Pepper on it. I don’t think they got a picture of Harry.”
The child in question startled at the mention of his name and tugged on his father’s sleeve. “Why do they want my picture?” The green eyes behind the glasses looked so confused, reminding Tony of the reason he didn’t want to raise his son in the environment he grew up in.
Tony turned off his phone and placed it in his pocket. “That’s my fault, kiddo,” said Tony then quickly raised a hand to stop the other three, Steve especially, from protesting. “Those reporters really like talking about me, and when they found out you’re my son, they want to find out all about you, too.”
“They talk to you lots because you’re Iron Man,” agreed the child in easy understanding. “But why do they like talking about me? I’m no ‘venger.”
“They talk to me a lot because I’m Iron Man and because we, Starks, own one of the biggest tech companies in the world.”
“Oh. Are we rich?”
Tony choked, and he knew both Sam and Bucky snorted a laugh, earning them a reprimanding glare from Steve. Tony thought the incredulity was a bit warranted right now, because how on earth had Harry not realized they were more than rich? It wasn’t like he was ever frugal around his son, judging by the mountain of toys and clothes Harry had. They lived in a penthouse in the middle of impossibly expensive Manhattan, for god’s sake.
“Bud, your dad is like the richest man in America,” commented Bucky from the driver’s seat with a chuckle.
Harry’s eyes bugged out as he stared at his dad. “Really? How come I don’t see money? Aunt Petunia always say rich people have lots of money. Like Mr. Grunnings. Do you have an elephant like Aladdin? Is JARVIS your genie?”
“Oh my god,” muttered Tony. “No, Harry, I don’t have an elephant. Do you want one? We can—”
“No buying an elephant, Tony. Where would you even place that?”
“—not buy an elephant according to Steve. JARVIS isn’t genie. He doesn’t even let me make coffee sometimes—”
“That’s because Pepper set your limit to 5 cups a day.”
“—Steve, shut up. As I’m saying, kiddo, I don’t have a lot of cash with me because I usually use a credit card. Like the card I gave you for your snacks and drinks in school.”
Harry’s mouth turned an O-shape, like the idea only came to him. “So, they want a picture of me because I have a credit card?”
Even Steve couldn’t help but laugh at the disbelief in Harry’s tone. No one was saying it out loud, but they were all glad Harry stopped looking so scared and confused from the reporters and photographers.
“You know what, kiddo? I think that’s exactly it.”