First Day In
CHAPTER 3: FIRST DAY IN
Tony would pay millions just to see his son look as astonished as he did when he first saw his room. Pepper had officially outdone herself. Harry's room was simply magnificent.
The walls were painted light green with a few wood accents here and there. His ceiling had wood trusses on them and his wooden floor polished to the brim. His canopy bed designed to look like a tent was placed on one corner while a big open play area occupies the other side near a big window. A tiny hammock was attached above one side of his bed and a little nook for reading right on the other. There were more or less 50 stuffed animals ranging from the size of Tony's hand to a stuffed hippo and lion the size of a child littering across the room. Cabinets were overflowing with toys and art supplies. He also had a small study table and a whole lot of books to enjoy. Tony was especially giddy with the number of jungle jeeps and scooters Pepper got his son. He would have the best time teaching Harry how to ride electric-powered cars. His room was big enough to practice on. He'd have to install a jungle gym and playground in the backyard soon. His bathroom and walk-in closet (filled with more than the acceptable amount of clothing) were also jungle-themed.
"All this.. fo' me? Dis too much, daddy. Don' 'serve 'dis many." Harry spoke quietly, gobsmacked at what he saw. He still couldn't believe he had a daddy and now his daddy gave him the best room ever.
"Of course you deserve this, champ. I know you like animals very much so I asked Pepper to build you the best animal-themed room." Harry engulfed Tony's leg in a bone-crushing hug and wiped his tear-filled eyes with his sleeves.
Harry shyly glanced at Pepper under his lashes and gave her the sweetest smile both Tony and Pepper swear we're the best in the world.
"Fank you, Miss Peppe'," Harry whispered. "Fank you, daddy. So pretty."
Tony merely ruffled his hair and bent down to place a kiss on his head.
"You're very welcome, Harry. You are such a sweet little boy. I hope your daddy won't influence you too much." Pepper and Harry giggled at Tony's affronted face.
Tony scoffed and folded his arms at both of them. "I wouldn't dare! My baby will stay little and sweet forever if I had any say in it."
Pepper was a bit surprised at how well Tony interacted with Harry. She already knew that despite the short time since he met the boy, Tony clearly loved him as if he was his the entire time. But seeing him looking at Harry with so much fondness, she realized how different knowing and understanding was at what occurs between Tony and Harry.
"I already had Jarvis order pizza for dinner. It's still quite early so you can check out all your stuff but wash up first and change your clothes. You're wearing too many clothes for California weather." She ordered, mostly towards Tony than Harry.
Surprise was an understatement. Harry never had this much in his short life. He had mountains of toys and clothes and he can't even begin to know what to do with all of them. He doesn't want much anyway. Sure he likes cuddling his snake and penguin but this is a whole new level. Tony bought him a lot of toys and clothes before they came to America and Harry thought those were already too much yet they gave him even more toys, books, and clothing than before. He'd never had a chance to play with the other kids back in England because the others think he was too different and strange. So he learned to keep quiet and be contented with just his Snakey. Now, he had more toys than the whole orphanage. Probably the whole world!
Tony noticed Harry staring at all the toys in his room with eyes filled with both amazement and caution. He bent down to pick up his son and placed him on his hip. "Do you need me to help you change, buddy?" He asked.
Harry shook his head. "Can do it m'self." He was fiddling with the hems of his shirt before shyly asking Tony if he could pick the clothes he should wear. He told him that he didn't know how to choose from all the clothes since he never had to choose before.
Tony agreed but told Harry that he gets to choose next time and that he shouldn't worry about it and that he should just wear whatever he likes. He laid out a little Black Sabbath shirt, a change of underpants, dark blue jeans, a pair of socks, and black converse. His boy would definitely be his mini-me for the rest of the day and it amused Tony to no ends. Harry would be his mini-me for life. If he wasn't sure, he'd probably think he was his biological son. Harry would surely pass off as one. They had the same hair color, both had equally messy hair (though Tony kept his short), they had the same skin tone, and had similar facial structure. But no, Harry wasn't biologically his. He already had him tested for paternity due to the same reasons and it came out negative. He was disappointed at first but then was glad it wasn't positive as he would have technically left his own child be homeless for at least a year if it were the case.
While the three of them ate their pizza slices, Pepper reminded Tony to keep Harry away from his lab unless under strict observation. Even a very well-behaved child like Harry can have accidents inside the lab with the number of lasers and weapons he had kept there.
Tony had a sudden flare of panic at forgetting about all the dangerous equipment he had stored all over the house. "JARVIS!"
Harry jumped at his shout and Tony groaned for forgetting (again) that Harry doesn't mix well with sudden loud noises. He rubbed the child's back as an apology that made Harry relax again.
"JARVIS, locate all the dangerous equipment around the house and send it to my phone. Actually, just locate them all, dangerous or not, bar those inside my lab. I'll have them gone by tomorrow morning."
"Yes sir, right away."
If he hadn't, Harry might get hurt from one then Tony would eat himself alive. Thinking about Harry getting hurt was hard enough for him. What if he got too deep into his work in the lab and forgets to spend time with his son? He does not want to become his father. He wants Harry to have the best life. Yet this lapse made him think if he was really suited for fatherhood or was he just telling himself that. His lifestyle was so different and he was so used to a solitary, carefree life that his house was technically far from child-friendly.
'God, not even a day home and I already managed to screw this up. What am I even thinking? I need to child-proof everything. Even in my lab as I did plan to bring Harry in some time.'
Pepper must have noticed his internal struggle because she gently placed her palm on his cheek before whispering, "You're doing great, Tony. Harry is lucky to have you as a father. You worry too much. It'll be fine. He's a great kid."
Tony sent her a thankful smile and visibly relaxed. All the while, Harry was too engrossed in eating (or battling) his big pizza slice to notice the exchange. He was literally reaching and bending over the plate to bite the food while stabbing a fork at one end as his hands were still too small to hold all the pizza to his face. Tony and Pepper laughed at the child's antics which ultimately lessened the intense atmosphere. Taking pity, Tony volunteered to cut up Harry's pizza into smaller bite-sized pieces so he wouldn't have any more trouble.
Harry who was normally NOT a messy eater made a huge mess of tomato sauce and cheese all over his face. Tony lifted him from his high seat to his lap and wiped all the mess off him, happy that Harry can still act his age despite his unusual behavior and personality.
Harry beamed at Tony, glad that he wasn't mad at the mess he made. He even helped clean him up. "Fank you, daddy." He cuddled close to his chest and breathed in his father's scent. He rubbed his cheek over the arc reactor causing Tony to pull him closer. The events of the day wore the boy too much as he fell asleep once again in Tony's lap.
Pepper ran her hand through Harry's curls and placed a delicate kiss on his forehead before placing another kiss on Tony's cheek. "I have to go deal with an HR problem in the office tonight. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget to drop by the office. You have papers to sign. Oh, and Harry has an appointment with Dr. Mason at 3 pm for his eyes and another with Dr. Sturgis for his shots on Tuesday. You'll take him, right?"
Tony rolled his eyes but nodded. Pepper kissed him again before heading out.
Thinking back, of course he would personally take Harry to his appointments. He'd have to make sure this Dr. Mason guy knows what he's can't have a mediocre optometrist check his son. He already knew Dr. Sturgis since his father was Tony's pediatrician as a child. He already had him signed up as Harry's personal pediatrician. Speaking of, he'd have to have Jarvis set up a schedule on all Harry's medical appointments. And while he's at it, he'll need to set up a daily schedule as well like meals, snacks, naps, and bath time. He wouldn't have a nanny take care of his own son. His parents did it to him and it did not turn out well. The only nanny he liked moved to Canada so he was left to basically drill sergeants as a child. He doesn't want that life for Harry. He'll have Happy watch over him while he's on business meetings or since Harry's usually quiet, he'd just let him sit on a corner to play while he does business.
His thoughts were disrupted as the boy shifted in his lap. Slowly, he stood and went to Harry's room. He gently placed the boy in bed and carefully changed his clothes to dinosaur pajamas. He brushed the boy's hair off his forehead, placed a hand on his cheek, gingerly pressing a kiss, and tucked him in.
"Goodnight, Hare-bear."
Harry sighed and leaned into the hand. "G'night daddy. Love you."
Tony felt like all the good things in his life hit him at the same time with the mere words of a little boy. He would do this for Harry. Nothing else matters now. To be loved by your own son was greater than being Iron Man or billionaire Tony Stark. To Harry, he was just daddy. He didn't have unprecedented opinions and expectations towards him. He didn't love him for the toys and gifts but for the hugs and cuddles and kisses. It made him feel very important and he vowed to make sure his son receive all the love he can give.
"I love you too, baby."