Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Look daddy! I’m Iron Wizard!”

Harry smiled at his son, “I see that. Is that your plan for when you grow up? Become a superhero?”

“Yea!”

“And how are you going to do that?”

Teddy stopped running around and walked over to stand in front of Harry, a contemplative look on his sweet face. After a moment, he grinned brightly.

“I’m gonna do real good in school and then work for Stark Innumstries, and me and Dr. Stark are gonna be bestest friends and I’m going to be Iron Wizard.”

Harry laughed, “I believe its Industries, pup.”

“Yeah. Indumastries.”

“So, you’re going to be an Avenger?”

Teddy shook his head and frowned, “Nuh-uh. The ‘Vengers are mean to Iron Man.”

Harry tilted his head, “How do you know that?”

“Daddy Remus. He said they were mean and Dr. Stark needed me an’ you.”

Harry tried not to sigh. Even dead, Remus was a meddler. Making a mental note to speak to the man later, he smiled down at his son.

“Are you and Iron Man going to start your own team then?”

“Yup. And you daddy. We are gonna be the Fighters.”

The 4-year-old scrunched his nose like he was smelling steamed broccoli, “No. Oh! The Proke-protor-protecho-protecors!”

“Protectors?”

“Yeah! Me, an’ Iron Man, and daddy. And War Ma-shin!”

“I like the way you think, kid.”

Harry jumped up from the bench he’d been sitting at and tugged Teddy behind him. When they had gotten to the park, he had made sure to cast some muggle repelling charms. He was confident in his casting ability but standing there, in all his glory, was Tony Stark himself. Teddy peeked around Harry’s legs and he could hear the small boy gasp.

“Daddy. Daddy its Dr. Stark.”

Harry looked down, “I see that pup. And what do we do when we meet someone new?”

Teddy stepped around him and held out his hand.

“Hello Dr. Stark. My name is Edward Remus Lupin Potter. Ev’yone calls me Teddy. Daddy calls me Pup sometimes. Unless I’m in trouble. And Aunt Luna calls me Punkin. And Aunt Hermione calls me Bear.”

Teddy’s brows drew together as he continued, “And Uncle Draco calls me Brat but he’s really nice about it. And Uncle Nev just calls me Teddy. Daddy says he used to call me Mandrake cause I was really loud when I was littler.”

He took a deep breath and was about to continue but Harry put his hand over his mouth.

“Alright pup. I think that’s good.”

Teddy nodded and Harry dropped his hand.

“You can call me Teddy, Dr. Stark.”

When FRIDAY had told him that there was an anomaly in Central Park, Tony wasn’t sure what he was going to find. She was certain that it wasn’t a threat but he wanted to check it out nonetheless. He wasn’t expecting to see the handsome man and adorable boy. There was no anomaly that he could physically see but FRIDAY told him that he passed through it. As he got closer, he heard the boy talk about Iron Man and War Machine being on a team with the boy and his dad. Tony was all about being on a superhero team with his best friend and it would be no hardship to get close to the man and his cute kid.

After a lengthy introduction, Tony shook the kid’s hand.

“Hello Teddy. Since we’re going to be teammates, you can call me Tony.”

Teddy’s unusual amber eyes grew wide and he looked back at his dad.

“Daddy. Me an’ Mr. Tony are friends now!”

The other man laughed, “It seems that way.”

The man was even more beautiful when he laughed. The joyful sound hit Tony deep in his gut. It has been a long time since he felt such a visceral reaction to someone.

“So. Teddy. Can you introduce me to our other teammate?”

Teddy frowned up at him, “But you already know War Ma-shin doncha, Mr. Tony?”

Both Tony and Teddy’s dad laughed.

“I think he means me, pup.”

“Ooohhhh. Mr. Tony, this is daddy.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at the other man, who now had a fierce blush. He held out his hand.

“I feel like I’m a bit old to be calling you that.”

The other man stuttered and took his hand. “Uh. Harry. Harry Potter.”

"It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."

Harry shook his head, "Just Harry, please.

Tony's smile widened, "Harry then. May I take you both out to lunch? Y'know, to discuss this new team?"

Chapter Text

     Harry quietly shut the door to Teddy’s room.  It was nearly two hours after the four year olds normal bed time but after meeting his “bestest friend,” Harry couldn’t get him to settle.  Thankfully, it was Friday so he wouldn’t have to try and wake up a cranky kid for daycare.  He plugged in his electric kettle and turned it on so that he could prepare a cup of tea.  There were still too many things on his mind so sleeping was currently out of the question. 

     He needed to talk to Remus, not just about what he’d told Teddy but he had a very strong suspicion that the man also knew why Tony was able to get through his muggle deflection ward.  First though, he needed to pen a letter to his contact at MACUSA and see about putting a rush on the request for permission to inform Tony about the existence of the wizarding world.  Harry sighed, he needed to see about including James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, and Happy Hogan while he was at it.  The three of them were Tony’s family and it was wrong to force him to keep the secret from them.  On the other hand, while Tony didn’t say much regarding it, Harry could tell that he didn’t hold any familial feelings towards the current Avengers.  There was some bitterness and strain when they were briefly discussed.  This made Harry feel like his initial decision regarding them was the correct one.

     None of team may have known about the magical world but MACUSA kept a close eye on the super powered; and because Harry had a bit of a “saving people thing,” he wanted to know who he may have to deal with if his help was needed.  The files MACUSA had on Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton and SHIELD itself were not the least bit flattering.  The file on Wanda Maximoff had turned his stomach.  The way she used her magic to manipulate others would have impressed the Death Eaters. Sam Wilson was currently a non-issue although MACUSA noted that he was a bit of a “yes man” when it came to Rogers.  So, given what he knew of The Avengers and Tony’s feelings about them, Harry was quite happy to stand by his desire to continue to keep them in the dark unless absolutely necessary.

     When it came to Bruce Banner though, Harry had a bit of a soft spot for the man.  The issues the doctor faced reminded him so much of Remus. If given the chance, Harry wouldn’t mind working with him.  Hermione even had ideas that could help him become comfortable with the Hulk.  The scientist was currently missing, although Harry believed that MACUSA knew where he was at and he had a sneaking suspicion Tony did also.

     Once the kettle signaled it was ready, Harry poured the hot water into his cup.  As it cooled down, he summoned a pen and paper to write his note.  His falcon, Leopold, flew from his stand when he saw his Master writing, and waited patiently.  Harry signed his note, placed it in an envelope, melted wax on the flap and pressed his lordship ring to it.  Once it was dry, he looked at his watch.  It was early enough but Harry didn’t think he’d get an answer tonight. He handed the letter to Leopold, “Please take this to Director Samantha Greene.  No need to wait for a reply.”  Leopold gently took the letter in a claw and nipped his finger affectionately.  Once the falcon was gone, Harry picked up his tea and headed to the library to talk to Remus.

     When Harry briefly held onto the Deathly Hallows, he expected nothing to come from it because he did not have all three simultaneously for very long and the only one he ever planned to keep permanently was the cloak.  Imagine his surprise when days after the final battle, he woke up with all three Hallows sitting next to his bed and Remus standing over him.  After way too much screaming that Harry will never actually admit to, he calmly listened to Remus as he explained exactly what happened.  Despite his brief time with the Hallows, he was now the Master of Death, which came with a few perks.  The main one being that the bindings that had been put on Harry by Dumbledore (and wasn’t THAT a shock) were broken, giving him full access to his magical core and making him quite powerful.  He was also much more difficult to kill and could probably be considered immortal. 

     Harry’s favorite part of him being the Master of Death actually had very little to do with the Hallows themselves.  After Teddy’s birth, Remus and Tonks had decided to get a magical portrait done.  The artist had finished Remus’ image a few days before the Battle of Hogwarts.  When the pair realized that it would likely never be completed, they made the decision to use old blood magic.  If they both died, the magic would activate and essentially pull Remus’ magical core into the painting.  Harry’s powers, combined with their sacrifice, not only allowed the ritual to be completed but had an unintended side effect.  Remus’ painted likeness was able to communicate like any other magical painting but in addition, a nearly corporeal Remus could visit the physical world.  He couldn’t be further than three meters from the painting but could stay for a few hours at a time, was able to carry messages to and from “the other side”, and didn’t have the same discomfort shades that appeared via the resurrection stone had.  This happy accident gave Teddy the opportunity to get to know his biological parents in a way that he otherwise wouldn’t have.

The young wizard entered the library and took a seat on the couch across from Remus’ painting.

     “Hello Harry!  How are you this evening?”

      “Don’t play coy with me, Remus.  Get out here.  We need to talk.”

The man materialized onto the chair that had been placed beneath the painting.  Harry rolled his eyes at the faux innocence on the older man’s face. 

     “So, care to tell me what you meant by Tony Stark needing Teddy and me?”

     “Not sure what you mean.”

     “You’re a terrible liar.”

Remus grinned, “It’s nothing bad, Harry.”

     “I didn’t think it was Remus.  But he was able to walk through my ward today and I need to know why.”

Remus sighed, “Do you remember how distracted I was when you first brought me here?”

Harry nodded.

     “Well, the reason why I was distracted was because I kept seeing this thin red light attached to both you and Teddy but it also trailed behind you.  I asked around on the other side and was finally able to get an audience with the Fates.  After some hemming and hawing on their part, they explained everything to me.”

Remus leaned forward slightly.

     “Destiny isn’t set in stone.  Soulmates don’t exist in the way romance novels tell us.  But, the Fates explained that when two people who can be “soulmates” are in a position where they can cross paths, that red light will appear.  Normally, only the Fates can see it.  But the combination of your powers and the ritual allowed for me to see it also. So, I followed it.”

     “You were actually able to?”

Remus nodded, “I could follow it while I was on the other side and I found the end.  When I wasn’t here, I spent time watching Tony Stark.  He’s a good man.  Reminds me of Sirius and James.  But those people, those Avengers, they are not good.  They are cruel and hateful.  I came back after a visit and I was venting to myself.  I didn’t realize Teddy was in the room and he overheard me.  I didn’t actually tell him that Tony needed you both.  He just – kind of inferred that on his own and I didn’t disagree.”

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

     “I’m guessing this connection is the reason why he could get through my wards?”

Remus shrugged, “Maybe?  It would make sense.  Would you like me to find out?”

Harry thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

     “No. At least, not right now.  If I had thought that he could be a threat to Teddy, then I would probably want to find out how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Remus leaned further over, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands.

     “So…what’d you think?”

The younger man laughed, “You’re a gossip.”

     “We all have to get our kicks somehow.  You and I both know everyone will harass me when I get back.  If I don’t have gossip for them, they’ll whine, then I’ll have to come back here and whine to you.  Nobody wants that, Harry.”

He rolled his eyes, “He was nice.  Very nice.  He took us to lunch and didn’t ignore Teddy at all.  He didn't talk down to him or treat him like a baby.”  Harry gave a small smile, “He’s handsome and funny.  He's intelligent but he never once got frustrated when Teddy or I asked him questions so we could understand what he was talking about.”

Remus grinned as he saw a light blush creep up his honorary godson’s neck and color his cheeks.

     “Shut up.”

     “I didn’t say anything!”

Harry narrowed his eyes, “But you were going to.”

As Remus laughed, Harry tucked his feet onto the chair and pulled a throw over his shoulders.

     “Okay, tell me everything you saw while you were stalking Tony.”

Chapter Text

Tony knew he was going to be questioned by his friends when he got back to the tower.  His Platypus had called while he was at lunch and FRIDAY had taken it upon herself to let him know that Tony was unavailable because he was “busy enjoying lunch with a man and his son.”  Tony was 99% certain she purposely worded it so that it sounded like he was on a date.  He would have been annoyed if he wasn’t so damn proud of her.  When he entered the lobby, he reached out to FRIDAY as he made his way to his private elevator.

     “Baby girl, are they in the penthouse?”

     “Yes Boss. And I already let them know you were on your way.”

Tony sighed but couldn’t help but smile.  He knew that his friends were just curious since he hadn’t shown interest in anyone, let alone dated anyone, in a long time. Not that he was dating Harry.  Although, Tony was definitely not opposed to it.  The man was gorgeous, clever, funny, and just the right amount of sarcastic. And Teddy…that kid!  Tony couldn’t help grinning at the thought of the boy.  He’d been around a lot of kids before but all of them just wanted to talk about Iron Man and other superheroes, which Tony was completely happy to talk about. Teddy though, Teddy asked him questions about himself.  Not many kids his age cared about Tony Stark.  It gave the older man a funny feeling deep in his gut.  Before Tony could get too lost in his thoughts on Harry and Teddy, the elevator doors opened.  He laughed as all three of his friends turned towards him simultaneously.

     “Hello meerkats.  Have you seen my friends?”

The three of them grinned and Tony made his way to the couches, flopping down next to Rhodey.  The other man immediately put his arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulled him into his side.  Pepper and Happy sat on the opposite couch, cuddled together with a soft quilt over their legs.  They all sat in silence, Tony refusing to be the first to speak.  Finally, Rhodey growled softly and poked his friend in the side, causing him to laugh.

     “Tell us about this date!”

     “It wasn’t a date!  We literally just met shortly before lunch.”

Tony explained how he met Harry and Teddy.  He grinned as Happy all but cooed over the thought of the four-year-old claiming to be Tony’s friend and future teammate.

     “So he knew who you were?”

     “Yes, and before you start getting too concerned –.” Tony paused to pull his wallet from his pants pocket.  He removed a business card and sat up so that he could hand it to Pepper, “He is the owner of LJ Evans, LLC, which owns PEBL Publishing, PEBL Toys & Games, and is about to open up a café called Nymph’s Tea and Cakes.”

     “FRIDAY has already started looking into him.  He’s old money from London.  Lord of two families.  He goes by Harry Potter-Black back in the UK but just Harry Potter here.”

Before Tony could continue, the TV turned on and showed a photo of Harry and Teddy from the park.  Apparently, FRIDAY took screenshots via his glasses.  The photo was from when they had just started talking.  Harry was standing there, a hand protectively on his son.  Teddy was peaking around his dad’s legs.

     “Well, he’s certainly good looking.  Good job, Tones.”

Tony didn’t blush because he was a grown ass man, but he poked his friend in the side, starting a poking fight that was ended when Pepper threw a pillow at them.  Unfortunately, this just started a short lived pillow fight.  Once the four settled again, Tony sighed.

     “Despite being really open about himself, I’m still pretty certain he’s hiding something.  Maybe hiding is a strong word.  More like he was skirting around a truth.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him and Tony shook his head, “I don’t think it’s anything dangerous.  I mean, we spoke briefly about the Avengers and I certainly did the same thing.”

Tony rearranged himself, ending up with his head on Rhodey’s lap.

     “He seems weary.  Reminds me of me the first few years after Stane.”

Rhodey combed his fingers through his friend’s hair, drawing a soft sigh from the man.

     “Are you going to see him again?”

Tony smiled, “I really hope so.”

Hours later, after a nice dinner of homemade carbonara, Tony was finally alone again.  He contemplated going to the workshop but decided that a quiet evening on his couch was much more appealing.  Especially since he hadn’t actually slept in approximately 40 hours.  While he relaxed and watched some nature show on the television, he dodged a few calls from Rogers and Romanoff and tried not to get sad about not hearing from Barton.  His feelings about the other man were complicated.  Before Ultron and Maximoff, Tony would have said that Clint was quickly becoming one of his best friends.  Now though, now the man couldn't even look at him without glaring.  Tony wanted to hate him but he still held out hope that things would change.

He shook his head.  Nothing good would come out of dwelling.  He grabbed his phone from the coffee table and worked on sending a text to Harry.

     My friends think we should date.  I wholeheartedly agree with them.

Tony quickly deleted the message.  He could hear Pepper’s “Tony, no.” in his head even before he finished typing.

      Thanks for taking the time to eat lunch today. It was a lot of fun.

There.  That was simple.  Not too forward.  Not too pushy. He returned the phone to the table and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch over him.  He wasn’t sure how long he was lying there but he was nearly asleep when FRIDAY caught his attention.

     “Boss?  Harry has sent a message.  Would you like me to read it?”

     “No, I’ll get it.”

Tony picked up the phone and ignored the small ball of excitement and nerves that burned in him.

     I’m sure that I should be the one thanking you.  We both had a lot of fun also.  Teddy will be talking about it for weeks.

     Maybe, if you’re not too busy, we can meet up again sometime?

He grinned.  Harry wanted to meet up again!  Sure, he was probably just being friendly.  But maybe there was a chance it could be more.

      I would definitely be open to meet up again.

Tony paused.  He should take the chance.  He was known for being daring. He was Iron Man for fucks sake!

      Maybe we can also meet up for a date?

Across town, a half awake Harry Potter dropped his phone on his face.

Chapter Text

     Harry sunk deeper into his tub, enjoying the heat and silence.  He had nothing scheduled until later in the afternoon and Teddy was at daycare so he decided to spend the morning indulging in some much needed self-care.  Normally he would have kept Teddy home with him since he would be working late but Tony had volunteered to pick him up and take him back to the tower.

     Harry couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the other man.  Telling him about magic had gone a lot easier than he expected. He had been so afraid that Tony would kick him out and never speak with him again.

**Flashback**

     He knew he was rambling.  He had faced dragons and Death Eaters and bloody Voldemort but for some reason, he was rambling himself into a panic attack.  Was that even possible?  It felt like it was possible.  There was a buzzing in his ears.  Was he even making sense anymore?  Merlin, he wanted this to work so badly. Both their schedules had been full for the past three days since they met but they'd kept in contact via texts and phone calls. Once Harry had agreed to a possible date (but never mentioning that he had to heal his bruised nose after dropping his phone on his face), the flirting between the two of them had escalated. Harry had been attracted to the older man from the start but talking to him just made that attraction grow tenfold.

     “Harry!”

Tony’s loud voice brought him out of his state and Harry knew he was blushing.

     “I-I’m so sorry.  I don’t know what happened.”

Tony took a step forward.

     “Between FRIDAY observing your vitals go crazy and your very confusing run on sentence, I’d say nerves got the best of you.  But, I think I got the gist of it.  You are part of a small community of magical beings.  You stay hidden because of the witch trials.  You have your own government and carry a wand.  You and Teddy and I’m assuming your friends are all magic users?”

Harry blinked.  Tony was smiling and that seemed like a good sign.

     “Yes.  Yea. I’m a wizard. Teddy, Draco, and Neville are also wizards.  Hermione and Luna are witches.  Because of how strict our governments are, I had to get permission to tell you and your family.”

Tony’s smile widened and he tilted his head towards the couch before walking over to sit.  Harry followed him.  Tony turned his body towards Harry, purposely allowing their knees to touch.

     “Somewhere in your explanation, you mentioned me not having the best experience with magic.  And you’re right, I haven’t.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t understand that magic can be a good thing. Hell, I even understand how mind magic can be helpful.”

Tony took Harry’s hand in his, rubbing his thumb along his knuckles.

     “I want to get to know you and being magical doesn’t change that.  When I met Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper, I just knew that they would be always be an important part of my life.  Call it a sixth sense or a gut feeling.  Whatever.  All I know is that feeling has given me family.  I trust it.  When I met you and Teddy, I felt that.  I don’t know what’ll happen months or years from now but what I do know is that I want to continue to get to know you.  I want you and Teddy in my life.”

Tony took a deep breath, “I think I made it pretty clear that I am very attracted to you.  We just spoke about it briefly over text but I was serious about going on a date.  I'm sure you've heard about my playboy ways. My dating history isn't great. I'm definitely a flirt and that probably won't change but I want more than that with you. I don't want casual. And maybe I'm wrong but I think you feel the same way.”

Harry couldn’t help but grin, “You’re not wrong at all.  I really want to get to know you more and I definitely would like to go on a date.  Hopefully several. I don't do casual and I'd really like to see where this thing between us will go.”

The other man squeezed his hand, “Hell-fucking-yes.”

They were sitting in silence, holding hands and grinning at each other when Harry suddenly jumped up.

     “Oh! I have books for you all!”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of items.  He placed it on the coffee table and waved his hand over them, turning them back into full size.

Tony had to fight the urge to automatically start touching everything.  Harry turned back to him and smiled.

     “These are sets of books for all four of you.  The History of Magic focuses mostly on the UK but there are some bits about other magical communities.  There is also The History of Magic in the US and the last one is the latest version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Harry held up four thick envelopes, “These are from the Magical Congress.  Letters from the government, pamphlets.  Just a lot of things they would normally give non-magical parents of magical children or someone marrying a magical person. I've been also told that when you all are ready, you are welcome to visit MACUSA and I have blanket permission to take you into our magical shopping area.”

He put the letters down and grabbed one of the black velvet bags that was sitting with the books.  He pulled out a necklace with a half dollar size medallion on it.

      “I made this. One for each of you.  It has a mild shield and will let you know if someone has tried to use magic on you.  We had samples of both Maximoff’s and Loki’s magic so I was able to put stronger shields on it to protect you specifically from them.  Only you or someone you give permission to can take it off and only those who know about it will be able to see it.”

Harry handed the necklace over and Tony turned it in his hands before slipping it over his head.  Before he could say thank you, the medallion started to slowly glow with a sickly red light.

Tony’s hands began to shake, he was very familiar with that color of magic. 

     "Tony?  Tony?  I’m going to take my wand out and I’m going to need to point it at you.  The medallion is pulling magic out of you.  I’m going to remove the magic from the medallion and put it in a vial so that I can take it to the authorities.  Is that okay?”

Tony gave a small nod, trying to focus and not have his own panic attack.

Harry used his wand to syphon the magic and place it in the vial he had made using a glass he had summoned from the kitchen.  It took a minute but once Harry was done, he put in the stopper and placed the vial and his wand on the table.  He sat back down and took Tony’s hands in his own.

     “Hey, how do you feel?”

Tony licked his lips, “Lighter?  I thought I was going to have a panic attack but once you started taking the magic, everything felt lighter.”

Harry nodded, “I could feel the viciousness of the magic.  Have you been having nightmares or anything lately?  Maybe felt depressed or constantly on edge?”

     “Yea.  I mean, I’ve had nightmares since Afghanistan but they’ve definitely gotten worse.  I just thought it was PTSD.”

     “It may have amplified your PTSD.  I’ll have to get it examined but I’m pretty certain it was meant to hurt you.”

Tony nodded, “It was Maximoff’s magic so that doesn’t surprise me.  I need to call Pep, Happy, and Rhodey.  We need to give them theirs.  Make sure she hasn’t gotten to them.”

**End flashback**

     Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey had taken to magic just as well as Tony did.  Thankfully, the three of them were free of Maximoff’s magic (and quite pissed off to learn that Tony hadn’t been).  The five of them had spent the evening together. Harry loved watching the friends interact with each other and didn’t even mind the three in-depth shovel talks he received. 

Tony and Harry had gone on several dates over the past month and two nights ago, they made their relationship official.  Now they were making plans for a get together so that Tony’s friends could meet both Teddy and all of Harry’s friends. 

An alarm brought Harry out of his thoughts.  Time to get out of the tub and start getting ready for a busy day. 

Tony smiled at the woman sitting at the front desk of the daycare.

     “Hello.  I’m Tony Stark. I’m here to pick up Teddy Potter.”

The woman stared at him, mouth slightly open.  Tony was used to it but he was really anxious to get Teddy to the tower to start inventing.  Teddy had been in the lab a few times already but they had yet to work on any projects and Tony was ready to start teaching him things.

  He sighed and knocked his fist against the counter, scaring her out of her stupor.

     “Teddy Potter please.”

The woman blushed and nodded, typed something into the computer and then stood up.

     “I’ll go get him for you, sir.”

Tony frowned slightly.  He’d have to make sure to talk to Harry about the security of the place.  He knew that he was famous but they should have looked at his ID.

Moments later, as Tony was walking around the lobby looking at the photos, he heard an excited voice.

     “Tony!”

He turned around and knelt down, holding his arms open for Teddy to run into them.

After giving him a big hug, Tony stood back up.

     “You ready to do some science?”

     “Yea!”

     Tony took Teddy’s backpack and put it on his own shoulder, taking Teddy’s hand after he did so.  The pair walked hand in hand to the tower.  Teddy’s daycare was only two blocks away and Harry’s protections ensured that they would go unnoticed until they got to Tony’s home.  He had been laughing at Teddy’s current story and smiling down at him when the boy stopped both walking and talking.  Something had caught his attention and Tony followed his gaze.  They were just outside the glass doors of the tower and Tony could clearly see Rogers and Barton standing at the opposite end of the lobby, far away from the security guard, the only other person currently there. 

     Tony steeled himself for the conversation he didn’t want to have, especially in front of Teddy.  The boy squeezed his hand three times and Tony looked down at him again and squeezed back.  They walked through the doors and headed to the elevator.  A small part of him was hoping the two men wouldn’t notice but the “Tony!” that came from Rogers told him he wasn’t that lucky.  He waited, forcing the two angry men to come to him.

     “Rogers. Barton.  What can I do for you?”

     “Tony, you need to come back to the Avengers.”

Tony shook his head, “Nope.  Not gonna happen Cap.  I’m turning over a new leaf and gonna stop doing too many things that make me unhappy.  Can’t get out of most of the things Pep makes me do but in my spare time, I can choose not to be around people who make me miserable.  That’s you all, just in case you weren’t aware.  You have funding and the compound.  You don’t need me around.”

Rogers sighed, “Tony.  You are happy there with us.  We are your family.  The Avengers are your life.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Pretty sure I know how I feel better than you do.  What’s this really about?  I know damn well you all don’t want me there, you made that more than a little obvious.  So what is it?  Finally realize that without my credit cards and generosity, things aren’t as easy?”

Tony had been mostly joking but the red flush that crept up Rogers’ neck told him that he wasn’t far from the truth.  He shook his head.

     “You have enough money in the Avengers account to last for the next five years.  That is enough time to find others to fund you after that money runs out.  I know the supposedly non-existent SHIELD pays you a salary.  Do what millions of people around the world do and pay your own way. Get jobs. Whatever. Just leave me out of it.”

Tony tugged Teddy gently to get him to start walking again.  Just as he went past Rogers, the man gripped his should hard, making Tony flinch.

     “Now is not the time to let your ego get in the way.  The world needs the Avengers.”

     “The world has the Avengers.  Now, let go of me.”

Rather than listening, the other man simple rolled his eyes.

     “You are being -.”

     “Hey!  Tony said to let go and he didn’t even say you could touch him anyway.  Con-consent is important.  And he said no.  And no means no, even for Captain America.”

Tony couldn’t help but feel amused at the small kid angrily staring down Rogers, one hand on his hip as he did so.

     “Why don’t you shut up kid?  This is Captain fucking America and you need to show him respect.”

Teddy’s eyes immediately welled up and his lip quivered as he stepped back, tucking himself into Tony.  He wasn’t used to anyone talking to him like that.  He was a good boy!  He especially didn’t think Hawkeye would be like that.  He’d watched lots of videos of all the Avengers and Hawkeye always seemed just as nice as Iron Man and War Machine.  He thought Hawkeye was friends with Tony and he wasn’t around because they were mad at each other.  Sometimes Teddy got mad at his friends but they always made up.

Tony looked at Barton in shock before bending down to pick Teddy up, turning slightly to shield the young boy.  He kept an eye on Barton the whole time. Before all this shit started, when he had been slowly bringing Clint into his small circle of friends, he had told Tony how much he loved kids.  Especially those like Teddy, full of sass and cleverness.  For him to talk to a kid that way was more than a little out of character.

Rogers quickly dropped his hand from Tony and looked slightly panicked as he stepped in front of Barton.

     “I can see you are still not ready to talk about this like a grown up so we will go.  C’mon Clint.”

Rogers dragged the other man away and Tony just stood there for a few moments, watching them leave.  Something was definitely wrong with Clint Barton and Tony was going to figure out what it was.

Teddy sniffled into Tony’s neck, bringing him out of this thoughts.

     “Alright kiddo.  Let’s get upstairs and start sciencing, okay?”

He felt the boy nod and Tony headed to the elevator.  Once inside, he rubbed Teddy’s back, hoping to bring him some comfort.

     “FRI?  Did you get the whole thing?”

     “From multiple angles, Boss.”

Teddy lifted his head and looked up at the camera.  He wiped away his tears and gave a small smile.

     “Hi Ms. FRIDAY.”

     “Hello Little Man.”

Once out in the lab, Tony put Teddy down.

     “Remember our rules?”

Teddy nodded enthusiastically, seemingly already over what had happened.

      “Okay.  Go say hi to the bots.  I think they missed you.”

Teddy walked (because there is absolutely no running in the lab, even if Tony does it) to where the bots were whirling excitedly.

     “Boss?”

     “Yes baby girl?”

     “I think you should see something.  I put it on your tablet.”

He walked to the desk and picked up the tablet.  There was a still from the video that FRIDAY had recorded.  It was the perfect image of Clint’s face.

      “Fucking hell.”

The still was taken from the moment Teddy was talking to the Captain.  Clint’s eyes were a very distinct red.

      “Maximoff has him.  And I think at least Rogers knows.  FRI, send a text to Pep, Rhodey, Happy, and Harry.  Give them the rundown of what happened.  Send them the video.  See if they can all come for dinner.  Also let Harry know that Teddy is okay.  He was a little scared but he’s fine now.”

      “On it boss.”

Tony put down the tablet and turned to watch Teddy giggling with the bots.

      “You want to start working on a gift for you dad, T-Bird?”

Chapter Text

            An hour later, the alarm Tony had FRIDAY set went off, startling the both of them.  Though he would have loved to spend hours working on different projects, he had to remember that Teddy was only four and didn’t need to be cooped up.  Tony stood up and stretched his back out.  Teddy looked up at him and smiled.

            “Do you think daddy will like it?”

Tony ruffled the boy’s hair and looked at the robotic wolf they had created.  It was a simple little thing.  Tony had programmed it with a rudimentary AI, allowing it to prowl across Harry’s desk.  In addition, he had Teddy record a few messages so that any time Harry ran a finger down its back, a message would play.  Tony also ensured FRIDAY would also be able to connect to it in an emergency. 

            “Boss?  Colonel Rhodey, Happy, and Boss Lady have arrived at the tower.”

            “Thanks baby girl.  T-Bird, you ready to meet my family?

The boy gave a vigorous nod and held out his hand for Tony to take.  He laughed as he let Teddy drag him to the stairs.  Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey were just coming out of the elevator when Tony and Teddy walked through the stairwell.  He smiled at them as they met in the living room.

            “Teddy, this is Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, and James Rhodes.  Guys, this is Teddy Potter.”

The four year old stood up a little straighter as he walked over to Pepper first.  He stuck his hand out and she shook it.

            “Hello Ms. Pepper.  Tony said that you are in charge of his life.  Daddy says that Aunt Hermione is in charge of his life too.  Do you also keep Tony outta trouble?  Cause that’s what Aunt Hermione told Aunt Luna her job was.”

The boy dropped her hand and shrugged, looking adorably confused, “I just thought she was in charge of the book makings stuff.”

Teddy looked down at Pepper’s feet and then back at her with a big smile, “I like your shoes.  They’re very pointy.”

Pepper couldn’t help but laugh at the kid.

            “Thank you very much Teddy.  It’s nice to meet you.”

Teddy turned to Happy and held his hand out again.

            “Hi Mr. Happy.  Tony said you taught him how to box?  He said you’re really, really good at it.  I don’t know what box means.  I have lots of boxes in my room.  I keep my toys in them.”

Happy blushed, “Uh, boxing is a way of fighting.  It’s punching.  A way to protect yourself but it’s also a sport.”

            “Ohhh!  Fighting and protecting.  That’s really neat.  Can anyone learn?  It’s important to protect yourself innit? I’m gonna to be a superhero someday so I should know how to do that, right?  Can you teach me?  Uncle Draco said that I should have the best and you taught Tony and that means you’re the best right?”

Happy blushed more, “I – I don’t know about being the best but if your dad is okay with it, I can teach you.”

Teddy hopped onto his toes excitedly.

            “Thank you Mr. Happy!”

Rhodey wasn't prepared for the wide eyes and complete look of awe that was directed at him.  He'd seen that look on kids before, but it had always been directed at Tony.

            “Colonel Rhodey.  It’s soooo nice to meet you.  Tony said that you’re really smart like him.  And you went to M-uh-M E T…?”

Teddy looked back at Tony and the man smiled.

            “MIT kiddo.”

            “Yea! MIT!  You went to MIT with Tony.  Daddy said that’s a real hard school and only people with super good grades can go.  Imma go like you and Tony.  I can do it.  I can already add and subtract lots and lots of numbers and I can count to 100 already and my teacher said that that’s really good.”

Rhodey laughed, “Yea, that is really good.  You're off to a very great start.”

Teddy beamed at the praise and turned to Tony.

            “Can I color now? Can Ms. FRIDAY sit with me?”

Tony nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket.  He pressed a few keys and handed it over.  Teddy carefully took it into his cupped hands and gently held it up to his mouth.

            “Hi Ms. FRIDAY!  Tony said we can color together!”

Instead of hearing her around the room like normal, FRIDAY’s Irish lilt came from the speaker on the phone.

            “Sounds excellent little man.”

Tony had gotten the idea of having FRIDAY talk to Teddy during one of his visits to Harry’s home.  He and Harry had been talking and Teddy’s interest in the book he’d been thumbing through had been waning and none of his toys were amusing him.  So Tony brought up his baby girl on his phone so that Teddy could speak with her.  They became quick friends and Tony was fairly certain his girl would burn the world down for the boy.

Teddy quickly made his way to his favorite place, not noticing the smiles the adults were giving him. Tony had acquired a child size table and chair and had set them up near one of the large windows.  Next to it was a large basket that held coloring books, drawing pads, crayons, and a few toys Harry had brought over.  Teddy pulled a drawing pad and crayons out from the basket and set the phone down on the table.

            “Ms. FRIDAY, I think we are going to draw instead.  Is that okay?”

After she gave an affirmative, Teddy began to draw and tell her about his day.

Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy all made their way to the couch.  Once everyone was comfortable, Rhodey turned to him.

            “Tony said…Tony said…Tony said…Tony said…you’ve got a pretty big fan there, Tones.”

Tony couldn’t help grinning, “I think he’s my favorite, Platypus.”

            “Don’t really blame you.  He seems like a little firecracker.  Adorable as hell.  Already almost as tall as you are.”

Tony scoffed while his friends laughed.  When they all settled, Rhodey put his arm around him.

            “Well Tones, what are we gonna do about Barton and the merry band of idiots?”

            Clint sat on the shore of the lake he’d created in his mind.  He’d given up screaming weeks ago.  No one could hear him so why should he continue to waste the energy?  He had thought Loki ravaging his brain had been bad but at least then it had been like he was asleep.  He had no memory of being mind-controlled.  This time, he could see and feel everything.  He was trapped in his own body.  In order to deal with it, he created this mindscape.  A lake he’d remembered going to when he needed to get away from the other circus folk.  He made sure he spent some time watching what was going on but for the most part, he sat at his lake.

The only good thing about his situation was that his “friends” weren’t aware that he was conscious.  They spoke about him as though he was just a piece of furniture.  Allowed her to force him to…

No. No he wasn’t going to think about that right now.  No good came from the train of thought.

            Since they didn’t realize that he actually knew what was going on, they had no problem allowing him to go with Steve to the tower to confront Tony.  Clint was positively giddy when he realized where they were going.  Unlike the other so called heroes, he knew exactly what Tony was capable of.  He was well aware that Tony’s AI was everywhere and he also knew that there were at least 10 cameras in the lobby alone.  If Clint could just get Wanda's magic to flare during the visit, at least one camera would be able to catch it and FRIDAY could let Tony know.  And if there was one thing that would make Wanda's magic to go crazy, it was Tony Stark.  Once Tony knew what was happening, Clint had no doubt that his friend would be able to help.

            At the tower, Clint heard himself curse at the adorable little boy Tony had with him.  If he had control over his own body, Clint would have cooed at him as he stood there, hand on his hip, staring down Captain America.  It broke his heart to see the fear and sadness in the kid’s eyes after his unkind words.  As he watched Tony pick the boy up and look at him, Clint saw the moment Tony realized that something was wrong.  He could see the calculating look in the older man’s eyes before Steve stepped in front of him.  For the first time in weeks, Clint felt hopeful.

He'd been sitting here for a few hours now, just hoping Tony had enough information to help him.  Doubt crept into him but he pushed it down.  He needed to keep hold of the faith he had in his friend.  Clint was so deep in his thoughts, he jumped when a voice called to him from behind.  He turned and saw a somewhat familiar man walking towards him.

            “Hello Mr. Barton.  My name is Harry Potter.  I am Tony’s boyfriend. Boyfriend? Lover? Partner?  Yea, partner is good.  Uh-yes, I’m Harry.  It has come to our attention that Ms. Maximoff has you under mind-control.  I’m here to fix that.”

            “How are you here?”

The man rubbed the back of his neck.

            “Well, I’m a wizard.  I have magic and I used it to come here and speak with you.  I’m very sorry about having to enter your mind but I wanted to ensure you knew what was going to happen.  You’ve had two individuals use their powers on you without permission and I wanted to at least explain everything beforehand.”

Harry sighed, “Although, I had to enter your mind without permission anyway.  So, I’m probably not any better than them.  But I promise I mean no harm.”

Clint stared at him for a moment and gave a small smile, “You did enter my mind without permission but if Tony sent you and you’re here to help, I can definitely forgive you.  So, how are you going to get the magic off of me?”

Harry stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a strange charm on a chain.

            “I’m going to place this on you and it’ll remove any magic.  I used one on Tony and while it doesn’t hurt, it can be disconcerting.  You are under a full body bind and a silencing spell just in case you react badly during the removal.  As the magic leaves you, I’m going to siphon it into vials for the authorities.  Are you able to watch what is happening outside of your body?”

Clint nodded.

            “Excellent.  I think being able to see what's going on will help you in the long run.  After it’s gone, I’m going to give you two potions.  One to heal your mind of any damage that may have been caused by Loki or Maximoff and the other is a dreamless sleep.  Sleeping will help the healing and you could probably use the rest.  They are going to taste absolutely foul but I promise it’ll be worth it.  Do you have any questions?”

Clint thought about it for a moment, “What will happen after the magic’s gone and I take the potions?”

            “Well, if you’re amendable to it, I’d like to take you to the tower.  Tony already has a room made up for you.  Unless there is somewhere else you’d like to go?  You won’t be staying at the compound that's for sure.  I currently have the room in, essentially, a stasis.  Once I drop it, Maximoff will know that you are no longer being controlled.”

            “How will you get me out?”

Harry smiled, “Magic of course!  I will use a portkey to take us to the tower.  Um…Tony likes to call it teleportation.  It's, not fun.  Trust me, you'll be glad that you'll be asleep for it. I also have two friends that will be laying a false trail.  When the camera recordings are viewed, they’ll see you climb out of the window, run across the compound, and get into a vehicle that will be going to Port Authority.  Do you know if you have any trackers on you aside from your phone?”

Clint nodded, “They put a tracker in my arm.  I don’t think there are any on my clothes.  Would you be able to look?”

            “Yes, of course.  I promise, once we are done, they will not be able to find you unless you want them to.  The charm that I’ll be using to remove the magic will also shield you from magical attacks from Maximoff or Loki in addition to hiding you from them.”

Clint let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  He was going to be safe. He gave Harry a small smile.

            “Alright.  Let’s do this.”

Harry grinned at him and Clint suddenly realized why the man looked familiar.

            “Are you related to that boy Tony was with?”

Clint didn’t think Harry’s smile could get any wider.

            “Yep.  That’s my son, Teddy. How’d you know?”

Clint’s face fell, “Your hair and eyes are similar but when you smile, there is a lot of resemblance.”

Clint couldn’t decipher the slightly confused look on the man’s face so he just powered through his apology.

            “I-I’m so sorry. I hurt his feelings so much. I think I really scared him. I’m sorry.”

Harry shook his head, “Once we realized what was going on, we spoke to him.  We told him that you were hurt and explained things in a way a four year old would understand. I promise you that he is fine and he’s really looking forward to officially meeting you.”

The archer closed his eyes in relief and felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.  When he opened them again, Harry was standing up and holding out his hand.  Clint took it and allowed Harry to pull him up.

            “Is it okay if I give you a hug?  You look like you could use a hug."

Clint nodded and Harry held him tight for several moments.  The younger man took a step back but kept his hands on Clint's shoulders.

            "I'm going to leave your mind now.  You do what you need to do so that you can watch everything. Soon, we will be talking in the real world.”

Harry left Clint's mind and was back to standing over the bed.  Luna, who had been packing up the man’s things while Harry was in Clint’s mind, was now sitting on the bed next to the archer.

            “All done?”

Harry rolled his shoulders and smiled at her. 

            “All done.  You?”

She nodded at him, “I found a few trackers on some of his clothes but I removed them.”

Harry thanked her, “There is also one in his arm.  I think I’ll short-circuit that one for now and have Tony remove it when we get to the tower.”

He turned back towards Clint, who was now glaring at them both.  Harry could see the red flaring in his eyes so he quickly pulled the necklace out and placed it on the prone man's chest.  Clint watched the red magic seep out of him but was surprised to see the teal magic come next.  He had been expecting the bright green that signified Loki's powers.  As more of the magic left him, he could see the familiar green swirled with the bright blue and wondered what it meant.  For Harry, the bright blue magic that was so thickly entwined with Loki's made sense.  The Scepter had played a vital role in Loki's plans and since studying the Battle of New York, Harry had suspected the Alien God wasn't completely under his own control.

As the magic left his body, Clint felt like he was a new piece of electronic equipment and layers of protective film were being removed.  His mind cleared and he knew that he was crying but couldn’t stop.

When Harry was done, he removed the silencing charm and body bind.

            “How are you feeling?”

Clint wiped the tears from his face, “I don’t think I’ve felt this good since before Loki. Maybe longer.  I-I can’t thank you enough.  I’ll never be able to repay any of you.  All I can offer you are my skills.”

Harry smiled gently at the man, “You owe us nothing, Clint.  If you feel the need to pay us back, then I ask that you live a good life.  Be happy.” He paused for a moment and snorted, “And maybe nod and smile when Teddy talks your ear off.”

In the early morning hours, Wanda Maximoff woke up from a deep sleep.  She was disoriented for a moment, trying desperately to figure out what was going on.  As she stretched her magic out, she grew cold when she realized what had happened. 

She lost him.

Wanda screamed in rage.

Chapter Text

           Tony was writing notes down on his Stark Tablet (still silently sad about being told he can’t call it the Stark-let) when movement from the bed caught his attention.  He looked up and watched Clint turn his head, their eyes met and Tony smiled.

            “Morning, Legolas.”

            “M-mornin'.”

Tony put the tablet down and stood up.

            “You’ve been asleep for about 15 hours.  Harry has a charm on you and knew you’d be waking soon so he’s making you some food.  Is it okay if I come over there and help you sit up?”

Clint blinked a few times and then nodded.  Tony walked over and carefully helped the other man into a seated position, pulling the blanket back over his lap.  He then grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and held the straw to Clint’s mouth.

            “Drink some but take it slow.”

He sipped the cool water, trying not to chug it down, however tempting it was.  When he was done, Tony placed the cup back down.

            “Can I sit on the bed with you?”

            “Yeah.  Why do you keep asking for permission?”

Tony sat down and shrugged, “You’ve had someone else controlling you.  Making all your decisions and choices for you.  I just want to make sure you know you have options again.”

Clint swallowed thickly and felt tears pooling in his eyes.  He hadn’t cried this much since he was a kid.  He opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.  Tony patted his hand.

            “It’s alright Clint.  You’re going to be okay.  We will get you through this and Harry has a few therapists that you could go to.  Find one that you like and talk everything out.  I’m finally seeing someone.  Harry and all his friends see someone.  Hell, even Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy see someone and they are probably the most mentally healthy people I know.”

Before Clint could attempt to say anything again, FRIDAY spoke up.

            “Boss, Harry is heading back over with breakfast, is it okay for him to come in?”

Tony looked at the archer and received a quick nod.

            “Yea, Baby Girl.  Have him come right in.”

An hour later, after Clint had eaten his porridge and fresh fruit, Harry performed another scan to ensure he was healing.  Once the wizard was satisfied that Clint was physically okay, he excused himself but promised he’d return the following morning.

After he was gone, the two friends sat in a silence for a bit before Clint cleared his throat.

            “Can you call Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy and tell them to meet us in the living room?  There is some bad stuff that I need to tell you and I think you’ll need them here.”

Tony raised an eyebrow but nodded.

            “FRIDAY, call them and ask them to come over as quickly as possible.”

He turned back to Clint, “Why don’t you shower and change and come out when you're ready?”

It wasn’t long before Clint was sitting on the couch with the other four.  Tony sat next to him with Rhodey on Tony’s other side while Happy and Pepper sat together on the loveseat.  

Tony took Clint's hand in his and gave it a squeeze, “Take your time.”

He took a deep breath, “I was packed and getting ready to leave after Rogers said he was adding her to the team.  I just couldn’t stand by as our supposed leader let someone who freely and happily fucked with peoples’ brains into our lives and on our team.  And I don't care how much he claimed she changed, she was fucking Hydra and I have no doubt that she knew exactly who she was working for.  More importantly though, she absolutely loathed you.  It didn’t make sense to add her to the roster.  You are more important to the Avengers than some mind-raping brat.  As I was walking out, they were all in the common room discussing the Winter Soldier.  They were talking about finding him and bringing him in.  I was gonna go but –,” Clint paused, biting his lip and swallowing hard, “But Maximoff asked a question and when it was answered, there was no way I could let it go.”

Clint took another deep breath and tightened his hand around Tony’s. “She asked if you knew what was going on.  Rogers said no and Wilson asked what she meant and Rogers – Rogers said that the Winter Soldier, that Bucky Barnes, had a mission in December of 1991.”

Clint saw both Rhodey and Tony stiffen and Pepper put her hand over her mouth.  Happy pulled her closer and buried his face into her hair.

            “What – what are you saying, Clint?”

            “Barnes caused the accident and murdered your parents.  Rogers and Romanoff found out during the data dump and they were never going to tell you.  They were planning to use your money and equipment to find Barnes and then force you to house and finance him, all while never telling you what he did.  I made myself known at that point.  I told them how fucked up they were.  I told them that Hydra would be proud of them.  Said a bunch of stuff that wasn’t very flattering.  Then I told them that they had an hour to tell you or I was gonna do it myself.  Probably shouldn’t have said that but I was so pissed.  That’s why Rogers allowed her to use her powers on me.  Romanoff let it happen because she’s been angry at me for becoming your friend.  I think Wilson let it happen because he enjoyed the free ride and got to feel important ‘cause he was friends with Captain America.  She wanted me as her boyfriend.  Like I was some kind of prize or something. I-I’m so sorry.  I’m sorry I couldn’t fight her.  I’m sorry about your parents.”

            There was no chance for Tony to stop his own tears.  He had been blaming Howard for killing his mom since he was told about the accident.  Tony had always assumed that Howard had been drunk when it happened. Now though, now he learns that not only had it not been Howard's fault, it was actually murder.  They had been murdered and the “Epitome of Truth and Justice”, Captain Fucking America himself, was determined to hide the killer and make Tony support him. 

            Tony kept a tight hold on Clint’s hand because he didn’t want his friend to think he did anything wrong but it took all his power not to curl into himself.  Rhodey wrapped his arms around him and began to murmur into his ear but all Tony could hear was a loud ringing.  His chest tightened and breathing became more difficult.  Before he could succumb to a full blown panic attack, Rhodey pulled him onto his lap.  Tony gripped Clint’s hand tighter, refusing to let go and forcing the man to stay close.  Pepper and Happy moved from their spots and squeezed onto the couch. Happy sat beside Rhodey before pulling Pepper on his own lap.  They both reached over to touch Tony, letting him know that they were there.

            Clint slipped his hand out of Tony’s and quickly wrapped his arms around him when he let out a low whimper.  A part of him thought that he should feel awkward or uncomfortable.  He hadn’t been around Tony in months and while they were close friends before the witch got a hold of him, they weren’t “cuddle on the couch” close.  This felt right though.  This felt like a real family.

            Hours after Clint had broken his news, Tony finally found himself alone again.  His friends had wanted to stay but Tony was insistent that they go to their own homes (or room).  He had definitely needed them and would always be grateful that Clint had him call them over.   They all would have stayed with him if he'd asked, ignoring their own needs while doing it, but Tony couldn't allow that to happen.  They were all very drained and needed to decompress in their own ways, which is why he had them leave.

Now, Tony was in his bed, exhausted from all the emotions he had been forced to deal with.  He had been 100% certain that he wanted to be on his own but the longer he lay there, the more he realized that there was one person he really did need with him.

            “FRI? Can you call Harry?”

The call was answered on the first ring and Tony pulled his blanket tighter around himself.

            “Hello Tony.  How are you?”

            “Are you busy?”

Tony could almost hear Harry’s frown as he avoided the question.

            “Not at all.  Teddy is having a slumber party with Hermione and Luna so I was just going over some story notes.  Do you need me?”

Tony wanted to say no.  He wanted to say that he was okay and just wanted to say hello.  Instead, a desperate “Yes” came out of him.

            “I’m going to apparate into your living room.”

            “Okay.  FRIDAY will show you to my room when you get here.”

It wasn’t long after the call disconnected when Tony heard the familiar popping of apparition followed by quick footsteps.  The door slid open and he lifted his head up.  He wasn't surprised to see the concerned look on Harry’s face.

            “Oh darling.  What happened?”

Harry approached the bed as Tony lifted the blanket.  He slipped off his shoes before climbing in next to  him.

            “Would you like me to hold you or would you prefer to hold me?”

           Rather than answering, Tony took Harry’s right arm and pulled it around him as he turned to his side.  Harry tucked his left arm under the pillow and moved as close as possible to the other man.  He placed a few soft kisses on his head before settling with his chin on Tony’s shoulder. The soft sniffling told Harry that Tony was crying and he had to fight the primal urge to demand to know who had hurt him so that he could ensure it never happened again. Harry wasn't surprised by his own feelings.  He was quickly falling in love with Tony and he was always protective of those he loved.  When Tony was finally able to explain what had happened, Harry was even more furious and wanted nothing more than to get up and seek vengeance for him. Harry was pretty certain Tony wouldn't appreciate that though.  So, rather than upsetting the man even further, he maneuvered the both of them so that Tony was on his back and Harry was leaning on his arm, allowing them to be able to look each other in the eyes.  Harry gave him a quick, chaste kiss before speaking.

            “I am so, so sorry, Tony.  I can’t say that I know exactly how you feel but I do understand betrayal.  I am here for you and will support you in any way I can.  Is there anything I can do for you right now?"

Ton was silent for a few moments and then reached up to touch Harry's cheek.  

            “Kiss me and stay the night?”

Harry smiled and replied with a quiet but enthusiastic “absolutely” before kissing him, pouring every feeling he had for him into it.

           Natasha Romanoff was an opportunist.  Her only goal in life was ensuring that she was taken care of and that those she considered "hers" always stayed by her side.  That was why she’d been so angry that Clint was getting so close to Stark.  Clint was her best friend.  He brought her into SHIELD and she did everything she could to ensure that he put her above everyone else.  She had, on several occasions, sabotaged his relationships with other women.  It wasn’t that she wanted him outside of friendship, she just needed to make sure his attention was always on her.  She needed to always be his priority.  Natasha had thought living in the tower would be beneficial but it didn’t occur to her that Stark and Clint would get along so well.  Clint had been pulling away and she hadn’t been able to figure out how to fix it without it being obvious.  Wanda had come along at the perfect time and she didn't even need to be manipulated.  The woman was obsessed with the archer and it didn't take a lot for Natasha to add fuel to that fire.

           The former Russian spy had thought everything was perfect.  Clint was where he was supposed to be and she even allowed him to "date" Wanda.  Steve continued to be easy to manipulate and Sam never said no to anything Steve asked of him.  They had the compound and plenty of money and best of all, Stark was gone.  He had been staying out of the spotlight and she was sure he was wallowing in self-pity.  Natasha had been thrilled with how well her plans were going.  Then the unthinkable happened.  Wanda had woken them all up with her screaming and they quickly discovered that Clint had figured out how to break the mind magic.  He had left the majority of his belongings and a short note stating that he wanted nothing more to do with any of them.  He also warned them that if they tried to find him, he would lay their secrets bare for all the world to see.  Natasha was quick to bring up the compound's cameras and watched as he left the property, jumping over the fence and getting into a dark SUV.  She was able to track him via street cameras and saw him get dropped off at Port Authority.  He, unfortunately, never showed up on any cameras there.  Forcing Natasha to admit that he had successfully gotten away from them.

           “Nat?  Do you think he’s going to Stark?”

Natasha looked away from the laptop she had been working on.  She’d been trying to hack into Stark’s network but kept finding herself in different honeypots. For a brief moment, Natasha wondered if she had been allowed into the system every other time but quickly banished that train of thought.  It just wasn’t possible.  Stark may be smart but she was definitely smarter.  There was no way he’d be able to keep her out.  Steve stood in the doorway, looking around Clint’s room as he waited for her to answer.

            “No.  I think he’s heading to somewhere in Europe.  He has several contacts in Luxembourg and Poland so it wouldn’t surprise me if that was where he was heading.  I’ve put out some feelers.”

            “Do you think you should do that?  His letter said he’d tell everyone everything if we tried to find him.”

Nat smiled, “He won’t know we are looking for him, Steve.  Clint is good but I’m better.  We will find him and then Wanda can use her magic again.  She’ll just need to work on getting more powerful so that he won't be able to break it.”

Steve nodded, “How do you think he broke it this time?”

She shrugged at him, “I don’t know.  Wanda is young so maybe she just couldn’t hold it for such a long time and it weakened more while she was sleeping.  How is she by the way?”

Natasha didn’t actually care how the younger woman was but she knew she needed to stay friendly.  Manipulating Steve was easier when the man saw you as “family”.

            “She’s as okay as can be.  Sam is sitting with her.  She’s really hurting. I can’t believe Clint would break her heart like that.”

It took all Natasha’s training to not roll her eyes at Steve.  He was the one that ordered Wanda to use her powers on Clint.  How could the man honestly think that Clint actually loved her?  She may have let Wanda use him but Natasha was the only one that Clint should ever love.  Rather than mentioning any of this to Steve, she stood up from the desk and stretched.  She couldn’t do anything more about Clint until her contacts got back to her and she was just getting frustrated with Stark’s network so it was time to change her focus for now.  Natasha always had plans and ideas in her head and there was one she was really looking forward to implementing.

            “Let’s go see Wanda and Sam.  We should focus on getting Tony to talk to us and I think I have an idea.”

            “Oh good!  I’ve tried making appointments through SI but haven’t had any luck.  What are you thinking?”

Natasha gave him her best smile, “Remember that kid you were telling us about?  The one with him at the tower the day you and Clint went there?  I think it’s time we go through him to get to Tony.  It should be easy because really, what kid doesn’t love Captain America and the Avengers?”

Steve didn’t normally like getting children involved in things but if using the kid helped him get Bucky back, then sacrifices needed to be made.  He smiled back at her.

            “Maybe this will be good practice for Wanda.”

            “Great idea, Steve.”

Chapter Text

     Santipur has always held a special place in Bruce’s heart.  His mother had told him stories of her travels before she had married Brian and the ones she’d told him about Santipur were always his favorite.  When he became an adult, this city was the first place he came to.  Now, any time he needed to mentally regroup, he returned.  He technically owned a small home on a small piece of land just on the outskirts but it was under his friend Tej’s name to ensure anonymity.  He always took the most convoluted route when he returned. It helped ensure people like SHIELD couldn’t track him -- unless he wanted them to. 

     Bruce was quite good at evading and hiding.  He learned young and his dealings with General Ross just made him better.  When SHIELD originally found him, he had actually allowed it to happen.  Fury, Coulson, and Romanoff weren’t as sneaky as they liked to believe, which meant that Bruce noticed their stalking as soon as it had started.  SHIELD had been an open secret within the scientific circles that he was part of and his curious mind wanted to know more. So, he let Romanoff “catch” him and played the part of the timid doctor nearly afraid of his own shadow.  He may not have been a spy but Bruce was quite skilled at hiding his true self.

     After “putting up a fight,” he let Romanoff take him away and had to admit that he enjoyed the fact that the all the agents were scared of him.  Even Romanoff was afraid, though she tried to hide it.  All of SHIELD believed that he had zero control of the Hulk, which was definitely true in the beginning, but with the help of Tej, he and Hulk now lived cohesively.  They were two halves of the same whole and they both had to learn to live with each other.  Bruce just found it much more advantageous (and fun) to let people think that he was a loose cannon.  It meant people normally left him alone to do his thing.  Only three people had ever been able to see the real him: Tej, Betty, and Tony. 

     Never in a million years did Bruce ever think he’d be friends with someone like Tony Stark but they got along like a house on fire.  There was never a moment where the billionaire was afraid of the Hulk.  Tony was a kindred spirit and the only person outside of Tej and Betty that Bruce would willingly lay down his life for.  Even if it didn’t seem like it, given the way he took off without saying anything.  It wasn’t until three months after he had left the US, as he was walking through one of his favorite markets, that he realized just how bad he had fucked up his friendship with the other man. 

     An old newspaper, dated a few weeks after he’d made it to Santipur, caught his eye.  The front page had a large photo of Tony walking out of the United Nations building in Manhattan.  The article was discussing how he had been cleared of any fault regarding the creation of Ultron.  It also discussed how Tony was no longer working with the Avengers.  Bruce shuffled to the side of the road and sat down hard, leaning against a wall, gripping the paper in both hands.  When he had left, he had just wanted to get the hell out.  Between Ultron, the witch using her powers on him, Thor attacking Tony, and Romanoff shoving Bruce off the cliff, he was forced to remember that inside of him wasn’t just the Hulk. There was also still a scared little boy who watched his father kill his mother. He had panicked and had been on autopilot until he had crossed into West Bengal.  In the weeks that he’d been here, he never once thought about what Tony was facing.

     Bruce had never felt so ashamed in his entire life.  He knew that if he explained everything to Tony, the man would forgive him instantly.  A part of him wanted to stay in Santipur because he didn’t deserve that forgiveness.  The other part of him knew that staying and hiding was wrong.  He was only doing it because he couldn’t deal with things, not because it was in the best interest of anyone else.  He stood up and dusted himself off, placing the paper back where he’d found it, and rushed towards home.  Bruce knew that Tej kept a fully charged satellite phone at his place.  He wasn’t sure where the man got it from but Bruce had a strong suspicion it would have several numbers in it and all of those numbers would get him in contact with one specific person.

     For once in his life, Bruce was going to stand up and willingly fight.  He always considered himself a pacifist so he always left the fighting to Hulk.  This wasn’t a time where Tony needed the Big Guy though.  This was a time for a friend, a science bro.  Bruce may have fucked everything up for months but he was going to go back and be that friend.

     Despite everything that happened, Tony had never been angry at Bruce.  Hurt? Yes, definitely.  But never angry.  He understood why Bruce acted the way he did.  He knew Bruce’s history and he knew everything that had happened before, during, and after Ultron.  He knew what both Maximoff and Romanoff did to him.  Since Tony was never mad at Bruce, he continued to watch out for him.  He kept tabs on all the Avengers but Bruce’s tabs were much friendlier. It was probably wrong of him but Tony had made contact with both Tej and Betty.  He just wanted them to know that, if they or Bruce ever needed help, he’d be there for them.  Tony had even provided them both with satellite phones so that they could always contact him. 

            “Boss?”

            “What’s up, Baby Girl?”

            “Dr. Banner is on the line for you.”

Tony stopped what he’d been working on and looked up at the camera.

            “Really?”

            “Yes Boss.  He’s calling from Santipur.  Would you like me to put him through?”

Tony nodded, “Yea.  Yea, put him on.”

There was a few moments of silence and then a click that let Tony that Bruce was on the line.

            “Dr. Stark?”

            “Brucie-bear!  I thought we were past the whole Doctor thing?”

            “I-I wasn’t sure if…”

     Tony interrupted him, “I’m gonna stop you right there, Bruce.  I won’t lie.  I was hurt but I totally understand.  Nothing has changed though.  You are still my science bro and you still have a home here whenever you’re ready.”

            “Tony…”

            “Bruce…”

Neither spoke for a moment.

            “Bruce.  It’s time to come home.”

Tony couldn’t see him but from the sound of Bruce’s sigh, he could imagine the other man was letting go of a lot of tension. 

            “Yea, okay.  I have some things to take care of beforehand and I’m going to take a roundabout way but I should be home in a few weeks.”

            “Already got a floor ready for you.  Take care and let me know if you need anything and I’ll see you soon.”

            “See you soon.”

     Tony was still riding high on the fact that Bruce was going to be coming back home when FRIDAY interrupted him again about an hour later.

           “Boss? Harry would like to know if he could come in because he had something he wanted to discuss with you.”

He turned around in his chair and saw Harry standing on the other side of the glass door that lead to his lab.  His stomach gave a small swoop when the green eyed man smiled at him.  If he kept smiling at him like that, Tony was going to have no choice but to admit that he’d fallen in love with him.

            “Let him in, Baby Girl.”

He reached over to wipe his hands off on a towel as Harry made his way towards him. 

            “Hey gorgeous.  What can I do for you this fine afternoon?”

Tony wiggled his eyebrows and secretly hoped Harry never lost the blush that would show up every time he complimented and/or flirted with him.  As Harry moved closer, Tony grabbed him around the waist and pulled him between his legs.  Harry laughed and put his hands on Tony’s shoulders to steady himself.  Tony captured his lips and Harry seemed to melt into him, just like he always did.  The kiss deepened and they only separated when they both needed to breathe.  They rested their foreheads against each other and enjoyed the comfortable silence.  After a few moments of just holding each other, Tony kissed Harry’s nose and pulled back slightly.

            “As much as I would love to have had you come down here just to make out.  And make no mistake, I would absolutely love that and you should definitely do it, FRIDAY said you wanted to discuss something.”

Harry blinked a few times, head still fuzzy from the kissing. 

            “Oh. Yes.  Well, it was more of a question from Teddy.  His birthday is coming up and he was wondering if he could have it here so that FRIDAY and the Bots could celebrate with us.”

Tony grinned at him, “He wants my kids to be at his party?”

Harry nodded, “Of course.  You are all his very best friends.”

Tony was pretty certain his heart was going to burst.

            “Yea.  Yea he can have the party here.  Who else does he want to show up?”

            “He’d like Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy to be there.  And you of course.  Plus Hermione, Luna, Draco, and Neville.”

            “Doesn’t he have any friends his age he wants to come?”

Harry shook his head, “He doesn’t really have friends at daycare.  The place is still pretty new and the majority of the kids are either younger or older than him.  The older kids are only there as part of the after school program.  There is a little boy that Teddy really likes playing with.  He’s seven and he’s there three days a week.”

As someone who had been in a similar position growing up, Tony understood what Tony was dealing with.  “Did Teddy ask him if he could come?”

He shook his head again, “No.  I spoke with his Aunt when I saw her during a pick up and asked her if he could come. She said he would have loved to since he adores Teddy but Peter goes on a camping trip with his Uncle every year and Teddy's birthday happen to fall during that time.  When I let Teddy know, he understood and just asked if we could save Peter a piece of cake."

            “It doesn’t make him sad that no kids his age will be there?”

            “No.  He will have another party when he gets to England and he has plenty of kids his age there.”

Tony was slightly taken aback, “When are you all going to England?”

Harry looked surprised and then slightly embarrassed.

            “Oh. I guess I forgot to tell you.  Every year after his birthday, he spends a week with his grandmother, great aunt, and other family and friends.  Last year was our first year here so I went with him but this year, he wanted to go on his own.  So, Draco, Nev, Hermione, and Luna are taking him there and I will take a week off for a little stay at home vacation.”

A salacious smirk slowly spread across Tony's face.  He pulled Harry close again.

            “What would you say to me taking a week off also?  Clint is on his own floor now so you could come here and we can vacation together?”

There was no way Harry could hide the blush that turned his face bright red.

            “Well, I have to admit that I was kind of hoping I would be able to persuade you to do something like that.”

Tony leaned in, lips hovering over Harry’s, “We. Are. Geniuses.”

The men kissed, both anticipating what a week alone would bring.

     Tony looked around his living room.  He and FRIDAY may have gone slightly overboard with their decorating.  In their defense, they’d never decorated for a child’s birthday before so this was a new experience.  He was ashamed to admit that he was a little nervous.  Not only did he want Teddy to have a good time but his friends and Harry’s friends were going to be meeting for the first time and he needed them to like each other.  He sighed and straightened out the custom robot napkins he had gotten made. 

     The elevator doors opened and the Iron Man suit, piloted by FRIDAY, stepped out with DUM-E and U rolling out behind her.  The two bots were chirping excitedly.  Tony grabbed the hats and bows he’d set aside for them.  He placed a red pointy birthday hat on DUM-E and a yellow one on U.  He stuck the bows on them and they both chirped even louder and twirled.  Tony turned to FRIDAY and taped a hat and bow on her also.  He stepped back and admired his work.

            “Can you get some pictures of the three of you, FRI?”

            “Of course, Boss.”

     When she had decided to power the suit for the party, she had also decided that her voice would only come from the suit (though she still had full control of the tower).  She had said she wanted to give Teddy a great experience but Tony was pretty certain she was doing it so she could give the little boy a hug.  Whatever her actual reason, Tony was very much okay with her decision.  By the time FRIDAY and the bots moved further into the room, the elevator had made a trip down and back up again.  Tony looked up and smiled as Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy stepped out of it, all carrying gifts.  They looked around and Tony could see the stupid smile on Rhodey’s face.

            “Shut up, Platypus.”

Rhodey laughed, “I didn’t say anything!”

            “You were thinking it though.  I just wanted to give Teddy a nice party.  It’s just gonna be us, Harry, and his aunts and uncles so it should be special.”

Pepper frowned, “He doesn’t have any friends coming?”

Tony shook his head, “Harry says he only has one local friend but he wasn’t available this weekend.  All his other friends are in England so he’ll get to see them next week.  Apparently, he goes back there after his birthday and will stay for a week so he can get time with his grandmother and other aunts and uncles.  Plus cousins and friends.”

            “Does Harry not go with him?”

            “He did the first four years.  This is his first year on his own and Teddy’s really excited about it.”

Tony’s friends grinned and this time Happy spoke up, “So, just going to be you and Harry for a whole week, huh?”

Tony absolutely did not blush at the implications.

            “It’s been discussed.”

He turned to Pepper, “That being said – I will be taking a week off work starting on Monday.”

Tony turned up his nose, spun on his heel, and walked towards his kids.  Ignoring the laughter from his friends as he did so.

     One thing Harry was happy about was that Teddy didn’t really remember the days of the week yet.  Currently, the little boy just thought that his family was going to be meeting Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, FRIDAY, and the bots for the first time.  While that was indeed true, there was also a birthday party waiting for him.  The six of them were heading to Tony’s floor and Teddy was regaling his aunts and uncles with stories about his time with Tony when the elevator doors opened.  Teddy stopped speaking and turned, getting ready to loudly greet Tony.  Harry watched his son’s mouth drop open.  He turned to look up at his dad, eyes wide.

            “Is this for me, daddy?”

Harry knelt down and pulled Teddy into his arms.

            “All for you, pup.  Happy birthday.”

Teddy hugged his dad and then let go, running directly to Tony.  The man was fully prepared and grabbed the five year old, lifting him up and bringing him into a hug.

            “Happy birthday, T-Bird.”

            “This is the best birthday ever.  Thank you.”

     The party was in full swing and Tony stood with an arm around Harry’s shoulders, watching their friends interact.  They had meant for all of them to meet before this but the timing never worked out.  Both of them were very relieved that everyone seemed to be getting along really well.  As Tony just allowed himself to enjoy the moment, he felt an elbow to his ribs.  When he looked down, Harry made eye contact with him and tilted his head slightly.  Tony looked to where he indicated and couldn’t help but grin.  Rhodey was sitting next to Hermione on the couch, they were both turned towards each other, knees barely touching.  The years of being Rhodey’s best friend made Tony an expert on the other man’s tells.  Others may not be able to see it but Tony knew his friend had already developed a bit of a crush on Hermione.  While he didn’t know Hermione as well, the blush on her cheeks made him think that the feeling may be mutual.  Tony placed a kiss on the top of Harry’s head and pulled him into a hug.

            “Guess we can say that bringing our friends together is a success.”

Harry looked up at him and kissed him soundly on the lips before wrapping his arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.

            “Agreed.”

     It was forty-five minutes after the party started when Clint walked out of the elevator. He’d been staying on his own floor for the past few days, mentally preparing himself for the party.  He hadn’t been around more than two people at a time since his revelation about Tony’s parents and he was hoping he wouldn’t have a panic attack.  Tony had told him he didn't need to attend but he didn't want hide any longer.  He also wanted to apologize to Teddy.

     Clint paused and took in everything around him.  Tony and Harry were near one of the windows, hugging and whispering to each other.  Rhodey was sitting on the couch with a woman who Clint figured was one of Harry’s friends.  Pepper and Happy were talking to two other men and the woman he’d met when she and Harry saved her from the compound.  Lena? Lana?  Luna!  Her name was Luna and she was gorgeous.  Clint shook his head, even if he was ready to date, she had seen him at his worst and he doubted she’d ever consider him.  Not after what he’d done.  Clint sighed and turned his head towards the little boy giggling as Tony’s bots circled around him.  Teddy must have felt Clint’s eyes on him because he lifted his head and their eyes met.  The little boy gave him a big smile and rushed over.  He stopped a few feet in front of Clint, hands clasped together.

            “Hi Mr. Hawkeye sir.  Daddy said that someone hurt you really bad but you’re all better now.  I’m sorry you were hurt and I’m really, really glad you’re okay now and gladder that you’re here!”

Clint squatted down, placing the gift he’d gotten on the floor next to him.

           “Thank you.  And I want to apologize for scaring you when we first met.  I didn’t want to.”

Teddy’s smile grew, “It’s okay! I forgive you. Are we friends now?  Can I hug you?”

Clint laughed, “Yes, we are friends and I think a hug would be awesome.”

The boy launched himself forward and hugged him tight.  Clint laughed again and held him.

            “Happy birthday by the way.”

Teddy pulled away, “Thank you!  This is the best birthday ever ever!”

A look Clint couldn’t really understand crossed the boy’s face.  He looked over at Luna and back at Clint.

            “You’re my friend now and you’re a boy.”

Clint nodded slowly.  Teddy took his hand, urging the man to stand and started tugging him towards the group of adults.  As they were walking, he spoke loudly, getting everyone’s attention.

            “Aunt Hermione told Aunt Luna that she needed a boy friend.  You’re a boy and my friend so you can be Aunt Luna’s boy friend!”

Clint and Luna both blushed while Harry just shook his head as he also walked towards the group himself, wanting to be closer just in case Teddy became too rambunctious for Clint.

            “Teddy, what did I tell you about eavesdropping?”

            “You said it was rude but I didn’t do that, daddy!  Aunt Hermione was talking where little ears could hear her.”

Harry snickered and turned to Hermione, who was still on the couch but now refusing to make eye contact with her friend.

            “Aunt Hermione is that true?”

Hermione finally looked at him and gave a sheepish smile, “I was in fact talking in front of little ears.”

Teddy nodded, “See daddy!”

Harry closed his eyes briefly before opening them and smiling, “Well, okay.  But we really need to talk about not repeating everything you hear.”

            “Okay daddy!”

Teddy finally stopped in front of Luna and took her hand, putting it in Clint’s, “Aunt Luna, this is Mr. Hawkeye.  He can be your boy friend.  He’s really nice and can shoot a bow real good!”

            Tony looked over at Clint, who was now a very bright red.  He was a bit afraid that the man would take off because of the attention but, to the surprise of everyone (and Tony was pretty certain the man himself was even surprised), Clint snorted and then broke into a loud laugh.  He dropped Luna’s hand and swept Teddy into his arms, hugging him close.

            “You’re the best, kiddo.  The absolute best.”

     Wanda and Steve were sitting at the kitchen island when Natasha came in. She put a piece of paper in front of Steve as she sat down.  He read it over, and while it wasn't much, it did give them important information.  They now knew the boy’s name was Teddy Potter-Black and they knew he went five days a week to a daycare not far from the tower.  Wanda looked over Steve’s shoulder and then looked back at Natasha.

            “What about his parents?”

Natasha took a bite of an apple and chewed before answering.

            “His dad is some guy named Harry.  He works at a publishing company.  Not significant and won’t be a problem.  No mother to speak of.  He’s apparently got two aunts and two uncles that will occasionally pick him up but they are also unremarkable.  The kid is going to be gone for a week but back next Monday.  Figured we could shoot for the Wednesday after he gets back. I’ve looked into those that work there and the woman who runs the front desk on Wednesday’s seems to be very pro-Captain America, at least according to her social media.”

The other two nodded.  Steve looked sad for a moment.

            “Sam didn’t seem keen on being involved.”

Natasha shrugged, “That’s fine.  He can be in charge of taking care of the kid when we get back.  Not everyone has the stomach for things like this, even if they are necessary.  As long as he doesn’t get in our way, I’m okay with him not going.  The way I see it now, you and I will grab him.  I have something that’ll put him to sleep for transportation.  When we get back, Wanda can use her magic and Sam will babysit until Tony finds out what happened and make his way here.”

     The two nodded again and Wanda entwined her arms around Steve’s and leaned her head on his shoulder before smiling.  She was looking forward to taking something important away from Stark and if she happened to use too much power on the brat and killed him, well…she was just a kid and didn’t have control of her powers yet.  A part of her felt bad for what the boy’s family would go through but this will teach them to pick better people to expose children to. No matter what happened, Steve would understand and protect her.  After all, she couldn’t help but be emotional when it comes to Tony Stark.  He was the one responsible for ruining her life.