The serum Steve had taken in the 40s had made him a truly advanced specimen of the human race. He was the perfect soldier – kind but firm, polite, strong, strategic, capable of following orders but not blindly. And Steve was thankful that the serum had helped him do things he had wanted to since he was a kid. But it was on days like this that he truly enjoyed some other improved aspects of his mind and body. It had been a few days since he had last seen Harry Potter but he could remember everything about him clearly – his eyes which looked even more beautiful up close, his voice which sounded like music with that accent, his hands which were slightly calloused but strong.
He had been watching the man helping out for some time that day but hadn't found out he was the same as the guy from the coffee shop until he caught him. He had spent the last few days at the Hellicarrier helping Agent Coulson complete paperwork because the rest of his team was too lazy to do it. He didn't enjoy paperwork either, he was pretty sure no one did but there was a certain order to things and he didn't like shirking his responsibilities.
He was going to the Stark Tower today, which Tony had now named Avengers tower. It was still an ugly monstrosity and he still thought Tony had no taste but he was a generous man who was allowing all of them into his home so Steve would keep his mouth shut. He was wondering if he should text Teddy and ask him about his father, the wonderful Harry Potter who definitely did not look old enough to be Teddy's father when Natasha entered his room carrying a three piece suit, "This is what you're wearing tonight. If you want I'll take it to the tower, we're all getting ready there. Stark's brother has arranged everything. The press conference is in 4 hours. So hurry up."
"I'll be there on time. Wait what? Stark has a brother? Since when?"
"He's not actually his brother. He is Howard Stark's grandson, Tony's half-nephew but they prefer to be called brothers."
Steve was pretty sure he was gaping like a fish. He had known Howard quite well and he was not the kind of person who went around having kids.
"How?" Natasha was looking extremely amused at his reaction but he didn't care about that. He was busy having another crisis. His friend Howard if he had been alive would have been old enough to have a grandson who was close to Tony's age. It seems every day brought some or the other information that Steve could really do without.
"I don't know all the details but Howard had an affair with a married woman who had a daughter. Stark's brother is her son. He became the CEO of the company once Stark decided to focus all his time on the arc reactor technology. He's got two kids and the rest of the information about him is classified. Only Fury, Hill and Coulson have clearance."
"What has he done for this information to be classified?"
"I don't know. It's classified."
Steve liked to think he was a gentleman but he really wanted to wipe the smirk of Natasha's face. Instead he settled for rolling his eyes.
"I'll see him today anyway. I'll be at the tower in an hour."
"Don't count on it. He tries to stay away from all this superhero business. I'm staying at the tower and I've only seen him once when he came to visit with his kids. Apparently he hates the tower." Natasha said and walked out of the door.
"At least one Stark has got taste." Steve muttered to himself.
Steve was ready and waiting in the common kitchen in the tower for the rest of the team to arrive. Bruce was ready but was doing some strange breathing exercise he had learnt in jungles of India. Steve really liked Bruce – he was a kind, gentle, intelligent man and the Hulk was extremely useful in battles but the man loved the things he had learnt in jungles too much. Steve had reached the tower starving and hoping to meet Tony's elusive brother but had ended up eating some bamboo dish Bruce had learnt about in the jungles of China and either of the Starks were nowhere to be seen. Among the Avengers only Natasha had met the other Stark and getting any information she didn't want to give out of her was impossible so Steve had focussed on eating the Bamboo Rice Soup thing without showing his grimace. He had even complimented Bruce on his cooking skills which while good definitely didn't suit Steve's palate.
He was about to ask J.A.R.V.I.S where everyone was when none other than Harry Potter stepped out of the elevator, looked at him and smiled.
"Harry? Harry Potter? What are you doing here?"
Harry looked a little confused but there was definitely amusement in his eyes when he said, "I'm here to escort you all to the venue of the conference."
"But how? Are you Tony's driver?"
Harry looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to answer his question or burst out laughing when an annoying and familiar voice said from behind him.
"I know you've been a capsicle but even you should be able to recognise a Roberto Cavalli tux. This is my brother, Harry Stark."
"Harry Potter." Harry was looking at Tony with fond exasperation.
"Why you won't change your name to Stark I don't know. Everyone wants to be a Stark."
"I am a Stark. I am also a Potter. Anyway, where is everyone else? We need to be there in half an hour."
"Wait, you're his brother?" Steve said as everyone started entering the room. He didn't want to insinuate his disbelief at the situation that handsome, helpful Harry Potter could be related to Tony Stark but he was sure he did because Harry looked amused and Tony looked like he wanted to throttle him.
Before Tony could say anything Harry said, "I grew up in England. My parents died when I was a baby so I didn't know about my mother's family history. I found a few documents when I came of age and contacted Tony. And since he doesn't want to look like an old man in front of all the ladies I get to call him my brother Tony instead of Uncle Tony. Now let's go guys. Steve I'll talk to you later." Harry smiled at him and walked into the elevator. Steve was about to follow him but was stopped by a hand on his elbow.
"How do you know him?" Tony asked him.
"I met while we were cleaning up after the battle. I can't believe Howard has a grandson."
"He even has great-grandsons now." Tony smiled and they walked into the waiting elevator together.
Harry had spent the whole day after the battle either sleeping or eating take away while lounging in front of the TV with Tony. It was almost night time now and he had just taken a shower and was going to pick up the kids when he started thinking about Steve again. It had been a long time since he had been attracted to someone. While he did have the occasional one night stand, he didn't want his children's' lives to be unstable so he had refrained from bring any of them home.
After Ginny and he had gotten married and discovered three years and a kid later that they were much fonder of their own gender they had decided to stay together for a while and see if they could be content with having affairs while maintaining a good marriage. Harry was pretty sure he would always love Ginny- beautiful, fierce, funny Ginny who had given him a wonderful son and had adopted Teddy like her own without a single complaint but he was pretty sure they had only gotten married because he wanted to be a part of her family and she wanted to be with someone who understood what Voldemort being inside your head felt like.
He had been content with the status quo but then Ginny had fallen in love with one of her teammates from the Harpies and they had separated amicably and happily. Things had been strained at the weekly Weasley dinners for a while but once everyone saw that the only people who were not awkward were those who had actually separated things had gone back to normal pretty fast. Ginny had gone back to travelling with her team again and James stayed with Harry most of the time with the Weasleys and Ginny taking him in whenever he wasn't free.
He had quit the Aurors and had shifted to New York to help Tony whenever he could besides managing his own investments as he wanted a job where he got back home safe for his two sons. Since then he had become the CEO of Stark Industries, a company and family he was proud to be a part of because they had initiated a lot of positive changes in the world.
He apparated to his house in a all-wizard locality in New York which was great for him because no muggle reporters could follow him here when he heard two boys running down the stairs and George following him at a more sedate place. He had asked the three of them to stay there once he had spoken to Jamie yesterday and told him he would come back to pick them up.
"Dad!"
"Hello boys! Ready to go meet Uncle Tony?"
"Is he fine dad? They keep replaying his fall on the telly."
"I told you yesterday Jamie, he's perfectly fine and wants to see both of you. Are you packed? We'll be staying at the tower tonight."
"Yes." James fist bumped the air, "I missed J.A.R.V.I.S!"
"Of course you did. Let's go now."
When they apparated to his room in the tower he saw Tony sitting on his bed. The boys pounced at him and three of them formed a doggy pile. Sometimes he was sure Tony was the younger of them both. When he had first met Tony he had took an instant liking to him, he was funny and sarcastic and never serious and he didn't talk about wars or dead people or rebuilding a society. But over the few months he had stayed at Tony's Malibu place to get to know him and get away from the wizarding world he had discovered Tony was a lot like him, he just hid it so much better than Harry had ever been able to.
One stormy night, six months after he had first met Tony and a particularly bad nightmare later he had been drowing his sorrows in the alcohol Tony kept in his house when the man himself sat next to him. They drank all night and Harry told him things he had never told anybody – how he wished he had discovered he had a family earlier, how hard it had been to live in a world where he was praised one minute and criticised the next, how hurt he had been when he had found out he had been just a pawn to Dumbledore, a loved pawn maybe but a pawn nonetheless and how he logically knew he wasn't responsible for all the deaths he had seen but still saw those faces in his nightmares. Tony had been quiet the whole time and talked but then he had started talking about his father, Harry's grandfather and how he wondered if things would have been different had Harry lived with them since he was a baby, how he hated the fact that he had no one in his life who was loyal to him only – Pepper while a wonderful woman was still on Tony's payroll and Rhodey was a great friend but still answered to the US Military. He talked about how he had given up on trying to make lasting relationships and that the only thing the gave his a sense of purpose now working and designing for Stark Tech.
Over the next few months they had often spent nights together, getting drunk and talking and Harry had slowly healed enough to be able to see Hogwarts and the Burrow and Grimmauld Place without breaking down. He had gone back to England but visited Tony regularly and decided to build a life in the States after his divorce. And boy was he glad he had otherwise he wouldn't have been there when Tony was kidnapped. He had had half the mind to go to Afghanistan and search for Tony himself when the Army couldn't find him for a month but had hired some less than legal mercenaries George knew. In the end Tony had proven why he was a genius and gotten out of there. Thankfully his hired help had found him in the desert and deposited him in the nearest Army base. He wondered why he was being so introspective when he saw blue eyes flashing in his mind again. He really needed to get laid if a five minute conversation was throwing him off like this.
"Come on kids get up! I'm making pancakes for dinner."
"Blueberry Pancakes!" Tony shouted and Harry resisted the urge to hit him. The kids followed Tony out of the room like little ducklings. Harry sighed. Time to get back to his three kids.
The second time Harry met Steve he was looking extremely handsome and adorably confused. Harry wanted to pinch his cheeks. Or kiss him. Yes, he did want to kiss him. He mentally shook his head and focussed on trying to get the Avengers to the press conference. Despite the fact that these people had saved the city, a lot of people were not happy with them and the politicians were capitalising on this. Harry hated politics. No matter where he went, people remained the same. Wary of power, willing to change their minds at the drop of a hat and believing their leaders like little sheep. It disgusted him but he had learnt to control his temper over the years so he put on his most charming smile as they entered the conference room. Agent Coulson and Pepper were standing next to the stage and handed him cue cards. Tony would never follow anything written on any card and the rest of the Avengers just had to sit and look pretty. The cards were well detailed and meticulous. While Harry had never fully approved of Pepper and Tony's relationship as she wanted him to give up the Iron Man, something that was an essential part of his personality he was sure he had never met a more competent woman. Pepper handled Tony's life wonderfully and Harry was glad she helped him out so much. He walked to the podium and there was silence. Harry Potter rarely gave interviews so when he did most of them listened.
"Good afternoon everybody. I'd like to thank you for coming here today. A few days back our city faced something none of us had ever imagined we would have to. There was chaos and a lot of lives were lost but if there is something about human nature that we should be proud of it is that we are resilient and willing to fight for our survival. These men and women behind me may be the ones who fought the aliens and ensured our city would stand but every other person out there who helped someone reach shelter or consoled a crying child should be proud of themselves. I'd like to hand over the mike to Tony who will answer five of your questions. So ask good questions."
"Mr Potter, are you associated with the Avengers?"
"Considering one of them is my brother I would say I'm associated with them, but I know nothing about the Avengers or their future lifesaving endeavours. I'm thankful to them for saving our city and am here simply as the CEO of the company in whose building this conference is being held. Thank you."
He walked off the podium before any follow-ups could be asked and saw Steve looking at him. He gave him a small smile which was returned and focussed on Tony. Harry had always been a little bit in awe of how Tony handled the paparazzi. He revelled in their attention, told them exactly what they wanted to hear without actually saying much and ended up getting the numbers of most of the female reporters who interviewed him. He had often wondered if he would be similar if he had actually grown up as Tony's brother but stopped that thought before it went too far. He was glad he had Tony and he would take meeting him at 17 over never meeting him anyday.
The Avengers, Harry, his kids and Agent Coulson were sitting in the common dining room in the tower after having Chinese takeaway. None of the Avengers except Tony liked public places so they had decided to relax at home. James was hanging from one of Thor's biceps who was enjoying the awe filled looks from his son and lapping up all the attention. Teddy was talking to Coulson about his work at S.H.I.E.L.D. Sometimes Harry wondered if his kids would grow up with a complex as they were surrounded by people who regularly risked their lives for others. Harry had mostly given up his saving people thing and the Weasleys while war heroes tried to maintain a low profile but one visit to Diagon Alley and the kids would see how thankful the public was to them. Harry still didn't pay a single knut at Quality Quidditch Supplies, no matter now expensive the broom he bought was. He had tried hiding the money in the shop once but the next day the same broom was delivered to him again and the owner refused to take money so he had stopped bothering. It's not he flew too much these days anyway.
He was busy watching Teddy talk the ears off Coulson who was trying to look unaffected and polite but looked like he was a minute away from pulling his non-existent hair when Steve came and sat next to him.
"Hi Steve."
"Hey. I'm sorry I looked so confused before we left."
"Don't apologise. Even people who've known me for a long time have a hard time believing I'm related to Tony."
"You both are rather different."
"Not much. Tony just has a bigger ego and a more open mouth."
Steve laughed and Harry felt his heart beating a little bit faster. He really was a handsome man. But the thing that attracted Harry the most were that his eyes were kind.
"So how are you adjusting in the 21st Century?"
Steve smiled sheepishly, "Not well. The only thing I've learnt properly is how to operate my phone. That too, because of your son."
"My son?"
"Yes I met him in a coffee shop I go to and he helped me out when he was waiting for you."
"Oh. Oh! You are that Steve, he hasn't stopped talking about you. He really enjoyed the listening to the things you told him about the army. I would never have made the connection."
"He's a good kid. Doesn't look a lot like you though."
"He's not my biological son. His father was one of my professors and my father's best friend and decided that I would be Teddy's godfather. His parents were killed and his grandmother died a few years later so I adopted him."
"James is yours then?"
"Yes. Though he doesn't look a lot like me either, gone after his mother that one." And then for reasons he did not want to question right now he quickly said, "We're separated."
Steve was blushing and Harry was wondering if he was uncomfortable with the idea of divorce. It must not have been common in the 1940s. He wondered how Steve would react when he discovered Harry was gay and probably had a crush on him. He would have to get a handle on his feelings; he did not want to give the poor man a heart attack.
"You should come to the park with us on Sunday. James likes to feed the ducks and Teddy enjoys the little bit of greenery we can find in the city." And there went getting a handle on his feelings. Why did he have to invite the man?
"And you?"
"I just like to sit down and read a good book."
"It'll be nice to get out. I've spent the last few days stuck at the Hellicarrier and even before that I rarely roamed around the city."
"Great. I'll see you on Sunday then. Come on boys, time for bed."
"Aww dad! I want to play with Thor!"
"Thor is not going anywhere buddy. You can play with him tomorrow."
"Actually Friend Harry I shall be leaving for Asgard soon. Perhaps day after tomorrow."
"See dad, he's leaving soon and if I don't play with him he'll be sad when he leaves."
Harry had never thought Thor could give puppy eyes but they were surprisingly effective. "Fine, but bed in an hour."
"Yes dad! Thanks! Come on Thor we'll watch Frozen."
Harry watched them walk towards the couch, sighed, wished everyone a good night and went back to his room before he did something stupid. Like asking Steve out on a date.
