Legal Disclaimer: My work is my own creative intelligence and property, but I do not own the original source material it stems from (I wouldn't be writing fanfiction if it was). The opinions and interpretations of characters reflected in my stories may not follow what is portrayed from the source material. Please don't sue me, I'm a stay at home mom.
Summary: Tony and Harry learn how to be a family now that they are back home safely within the walls of Malibu Point Mansion.
Rated: K
Genre: Family
Competition/Challenge Block:
Written For: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3); Hogwarts (Term 14)
Hogwarts: Ravenclaw; A.8 - Celtic Studies #: Rags to Riches!AU
Word Count: 3,859
Warning: Overwhelming/Overstimulated Situations; References Medical Condition
Author's Note: Well, this was supposed to be posted sooner, if not shortly after, the prologue chapter. I feel a little bad trolling you all a bit on that, so please forgive me. I had a little bit of a burnout after writing a lot within a very short period of time for one of the forums I am a part of. I rarely do this effectively and efficiently with my special project pieces that take more time, research, and detail ordinated notes and timelines. They dropped a fun game that I really enjoy participating in, and I had started writing this for that, but the prompt expired before I could finish.
I had a little bit more planned here before posting, wanting to add in the meeting with Wakanda, but I didn't want to drag it out too much, so here it is! The official sequel to What Dreams Become! I hope you enjoy whatever comes out of this, as I have a lot of new paving to lay down as we enter into Iron Man 2 territory. Figuring out how to handle Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer is going to be a feat... as well as the Stark Expo and Tony's palladium poisoning. There are a lot of things to cover and I only project around 10 chapters—12 if you include the prologue and epilogue that will included here to tie in the first Avengers movie as well. So these chapters will be fairly long and will change perspectives from Tony and Harry.
I will do a proper proofread later, so I apologize in advance for any errors found within this piece. If Tony seems off near the end, I promise there is a reason. I hope it isn't too out of character, but I think he would be more serious about the situation here to want get snarky in the exchange with the Wakandians. I can't have him be reckless and self-destructive like he was in canon, but I can still have him be pushy and bossy and reckless in other ways in order to find a way to save his life, right?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And I greatly appreciate your patience with my slow, sporadic updates!
This Life Before Us
Friday, January 1st, 2010
Tony led Harry into the foyer of the house, allowing him to take in his surroundings in his own time. It was like watching a skittish deer cautiously surveying the land for predators before settling into a grazing session while he was the bird in the tree that would aid in warning him of danger. The quiet was almost deafening to him, but was patient in allowing Harry to be the first to speak up if he wanted or needed to.
JARVIS must have analyzed the situation and also remained quiet to not startle him and must have notified the other of the same thing. Tony knew they would be eager to see him, but they could wait just a little bit longer. Harry moved so quietly over the polished marble-tiled floor, a feat he still found difficult to do himself even in his most comfortable sneakers. Harry eventually circled the living room before roaming back toward Tony who still stood near the entrance.
"You have a waterfall in your house," Harry commented, pointing to the waterfall glass wall that separated the curved stairs to the second floor.
Tony chuckled, glancing over at it. "I do."
Harry fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, turning his head every which way as he took in the vaulted ceilings, the glass pane wall that overlooked the ocean, the balcony, and the opening that led into the kitchen once more. He could tell he was getting overwhelmed so he stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Would you like to see your room? Get cozy and maybe a nap? Jet lag is a killer for me," Tony suggested, directing them toward the stairs.
Harry gave a grateful nod just as Happy came in behind them hauling their suitcases, heading for the elevator while they went up the stairs. Harry was fixated on the waterfall wall as they climbed, captivated by how the light danced through the water and glass that it ran over. Once on the balcony, Tony guided Harry down a wide hall, stopping in front of one of five doors in the space.
He opened the sleek black door, revealing the large bedroom that had its own miniature living room positioned in the corner along with a reading area. There was a false wall the bed rested against, and on the other side was more than any child would ever need for closet space. The bathroom had no door, instead it was open to the bedroom on the opposite side, only presenting the double sink and large mirror. One direction held the lavatory and the other had a large tub tucked in a corner with a walk-in shower beside it.
Tony figured it would be a bit much for a kid to handle, but it was the closest to his room in case he was needed, and it was the second biggest bedroom in the house. Harry deserved his own space, after all. Rhodey certainly won't object to his guest room being stolen by a kid.
The room made Harry look even smaller once Tony really thought about it, hoping that it actually wasn't too much for him to handle. Happy came in seconds later, placing Harry's luggage near the closet space for unpacking and, just as quietly, excused himself to deliver Tony's to his room. While Harry walked around the room, Tony took the liberty to pull out the lemon yellow weighted blanket and therapeutic gel infused pillow with matching pillowcase and placed them on the bed, giving the flat grey duvet and white sheets some life that were already on it. He would have to consider more lively color choices to eliminate the sterile look. Even the soft grey paint on the false wall, though pleasant in its own way, seemed dull in comparison with the pop of color.
He even pulled out the photo he gifted Harry and placed it on the nightstand, turning it so it faced the bed like how he placed his to be the first thing he saw every morning.
At least the dark oak wood accents on the bed frame and matching chairs and loveseat in the corner offered some contrast with its multi-layered shades of deep browns. He'd be certain to have Harry put his own personal touch on everything when he became more comfortable with… well everything, really.
Coming from the bathroom, Harry appeared almost robotic as the exhaustion of the week caught up with him. He approached the bed and gently sat on the end of it, looking from his blanket to Tony, blinking slowly and sleepily. He was still carrying the lion plush gifted to him from Mrs. Zabini and Mrs. Tonks, Tony was glad it brought him such comfort.
"Doing okay?" Tony asked, not quite sure on what to do right this second.
Should he leave Harry alone to rest? Should he stay and help Harry work the bath and hangout in the room until he finished before leaving him to rest? Showing him the entire house would be way too much to process and take in right now, wanting to keep his world small for the time being until he was more comfortable and ready for it, but Tony couldn't deny that giving Harry the tour of the lab was one he was most excited to show him.
Harry squinted some, glancing toward the wall of windows briefly. "It is a bit bright."
"Ah. That is an easy fix. J?" he called, not taking his attention from Harry.
There was no delay on the request. Harry and Tony watched as the windows tinted right before their eyes and a large cream curtain was quietly pulled over a portion of the window with no help. The overhead lights also dimmed some, offering a much more tranquil atmosphere.
"Wow," Harry said in complete awe. "Your JARVIS did all of that?"
"Yeah." Tony paused for a beat. "You want to say hi to him?"
Tony watched Harry tilt his head some, eying the space around him briefly before catching a glimpse of a blue flashing dot on a black orb in the ceiling by the door. Harry gave a brief wave toward it.
"Hello, JARVIS."
"Evening, Haridard," JARVIS replied softly. "Are you settling in well?"
It was a kind gesture for JARVIS to ask Harry this, Tony knew he was constantly tracking the kid's vitals and sending reports on his analysts for him to look through.
"I… I think so," Harry said, looking at Tony briefly. "But please, just Harry is fine."
"My apologies, Harry," JARVIS responded.
Harry didn't know what to say to that, and instead offered a sheepish nod in thanks.
"I am sure it will take some time to adjust to him, so I want you to know you are welcome to excuse JARVIS from your room at any time," Tony explained, "He will be available in the common areas at all times as well."
"Okay." Harry paused, allowing the weariness to cloud his eyes.
"It has been quite a day. How about we wash it all off, get into some PJs, and settle in with some dinner and television to knock out to?" Tony suggested, stifling a yawn of his own in the process.
Harry agreed to it and gathered some pajamas and followed Tony into the bathroom, observing the taps as he turned and adjusted them to get that perfect temperature before filling the tub. He gestured to the soaps on the shelf and clean towels, washcloths, and loofahs. Everything was grey and white, something he didn't fully pay attention to until now. How boring. Harry placed his clothes on a bench beside the tub and the special shampoo and conditioners the barber instructed him to use to keep his hair along with written hair care instructions for the hair type.
"Thank you," Harry whispered, reaching a hand into the water to test it, "for not sending me back…"
Tony didn't know what to say in return, feeling that wave of guilt pulse in the depths of his chest didn't help matters. He took way too long to realize Harry's existence, resulting in one too many years of him suffering at the hands of the Dursleys. Based on his contacts back in London, the court threw the largest book they could at them in a second hearing that completely went over the additional charges Tony had placed on them, and even though Andromeda censored herself carefully on the results he knew it was not a pretty ending for them.
He gave Harry a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Don't mention it." Turning off the taps then, he tucked his hands in his pockets and made a half-turn toward the exit. "I'll leave you your privacy. Take your time. I'll be just next door if you need me, just have JARVIS notify me."
Harry nodded, smiling softly as he took his glasses off and sat them on the counter. Tony excused himself and left the room, slipping into his own room just a few feet down the hall. Closing the door behind him, he let out a deep sigh, feeling the exhaustion hit him immediately as well. He pulled out the small device he modified to test his blood toxicity levels—the Heavy Metal Detector or HMM—and pressed his finger into the finger shaped pad and waited for it to do its thing.
Seven percent.
The red number flashing before his eyes was ominous and threatening. He hadn't checked it since before the trial, and even then it was so, so much lower. It was almost enough for Tony to call Pepper and have her cancel the entire Expo to avoid the stress, but on the same coin the reason he was hosting one was a desperate attempt to find an alternative source to help contain this poisoning. The chlorophyll concoction had helped a ton in slowing the percentage climb, but in the last week he'd barely drank it due to everything else that had gone on.
One thing is for certain, Tony's life had drastically changed overnight, and all of it for the better. He wasn't going to allow his own life-saving invention to kill him.
He pulled out his cell phone to send a quick text to Happy asking if he could grab some pizzas for dinner before letting out a heavy breath. He was feeling the exhaustion, which wasn't a common feeling.
"Sir, I have completed both Harry's and your health scans and sent them to you," JARVIS announced, pulling Tony back to the present. "Though I find your declining health troublesome, Harry also requires extensive medical exams. I would prioritize an optometrist appointment for him as it appears the glasses he wears are generic drugstore reading ones offered in the highest strength that does not require a prescription."
"That certainly won't do," he said, grimacing at the revelation yet not exactly all that surprised. "Already looking for a child-friendly doctor to address it?"
"Naturally, Sir. I will provide the information shortly. As for you, I advise you to prepare your chlorophyll drink immediately and increase the daily intake to three times daily alongside your meals."
Tony rubbed at his eyes, feeling the stress burning behind them. He had shoved everything aside to prioritize the case needed to gain guardianship of Harry. It was well worth it. He was glad that Andromeda and Claudia had pushed his documents through to officially have him as a citizen of the United Kingdom as well as America, even providing a passport. Tony didn't bother asking how they managed to push and process all of that so quickly and legally—they assured him of it—but could hazard a guess on saying magic was involved. Which made for a funny anecdote to tell, too, because it wasn't technically a lie.
Moving towards the desktop computer setup on the far side, Tony quickly jumped right into processing data and digital experiments with a vibranium container for the ARC that he wasn't able to do in London. JARVIS made it easier for him to file through the best results with varying combinations of other elements, and of course his ARC tech was still the best answer despite the massive drawback. Vibranium was still his best shot to prolong the inevitable, and it will have to do for the time being.
"Any chance we could get a hold of a Wakandian representative?" Tony asked, looking over the data of the new ARC prototype.
"It is late there. Receiving a reply may not happen for several more hours," JARVIS pointed out, still processing the request. "I will notify you when they send a response."
Tony eyed the screen in front of him, resting his chin on a fist. "I wish this option offered better results than what I already have," he confessed.
"As do I, Sir," JARVIS admitted, "but it is the best we have to work with for the time being. It will slow the poisoning by twenty-five percent, which is a considerable amount with your newfound status as a guardian."
"Yeah," he said in agreement.
It was an incomplete puzzle, but a step forward is something to work off of, at least. Now if the Wakandians were willing to cooperate and understand the crucial need for their precious resource everything would be peachy. Finding out where the shield's material came wasn't an easy feat when its birthplace didn't want to be found, but luckily for Tony, his father's connections had had some use after all. Discovering the few ounces of vibranium recovered from a vault at an Intelligencia base the military infiltrated was what paved the way for the experiments on the metal that now made up of Steve's shield, but no one decided to look further into it then that.
Luckily for Tony, he had his research binges that lead him down the invisible and very complex paper trail of the Intelliencia organization to discovering Marcel Klaue, the great-grandfather to the current and currently at large Ulysses Klaue, who had somehow smuggled the vibranium from Wakanda and eventually cost him his life as a result, keeping his prize stowed away for decades until its rediscovery. Of course, knowing such information had its risks, but he was quite good at keeping secrets, even ones that were literally killing him.
"Sir, I believe Harry is finished in his room. Shall I order takeaway for you both?" JARVIS gently interrupted Tony's crazy trainwreck of thought.
"No need. I actually have Happy bringing back some pizzas." Tony abandoned the desktop to meet Harry out in the hall.
He was wearing a pair of the new pajama's Tony ordered for him. They weren't anything amazingly special, a simple classic white-and-navy blue striped pants and shirt, but they were soft and comfortable looking, they even mostly fit Harry, making him look less small and frail at the very least. Tony made a dozen and one mental notes to ask the pediatrician when he came back for a proper routine check over the kid. Which wouldn't be for a couple weeks yet, wanting ample time for them both to settle and grow comfortable with one another.
"Do you like pizza?" Tony asked, leading Harry back down the stairs and toward the living room. "Happy should be back any minute with a couple different varieties."
Harry shrugged slightly, clutching at the stuffed lion. "I don't know," he said in a small voice.
Tony refrained from grimacing at the reply. The pang of guilt resonating again. This poor child was denied a lot, growing accustomed and adapting to be timid, withdrawn, and dismissed. Tony had a strong feeling that these roots ran much deeper than he could see right now, and learning how to help without triggering something negative was going to be a wobbly road. Food was the first step, he needed Harry to know he wasn't going to be denied it, showing that his gorging was unnecessary as well as not exactly healthy, either.
"Well, if you aren't a fan, we have other things to try."
They nestled onto a couch together, and Tony took a moment to scan the room, resting on a table by a window facing west where a menorah sat with unlit candles due to his sudden trip to London over the holiday. He'd completely forgotten about the holidays entirely, always finding far more important things to busy himself with, but never seemed to forget Hanukkah and lighting the menorah left to him from Ana. It did harbor one of several fond memories of the Jarvis', after all.
"Happy New Year, by the way," Tony said.
Harry looked at him, somewhat puzzled at first by the statement before deciding to reply. "Happy New Year."
"New year, new life, where we will never be truly alone again. What do you think of that?" Tony smiled softly at the thought, resting his gaze on Harry's forehead where the dark streaks of his scar ended.
Harry slowly returned the smile, his green eyes brightening from the thought. "I like it."
Dinner came and it turned out Harry favoured the cheese pizza. Simple yet still delicious, Tony liked it as well, but also made sure to take a slice of the veggie supreme he also favored, usually ordering a half-and-half of both. Good news was there would be some leftovers to pick at for another meal, and Happy even got an entire pizza on his own since neither Harry or Tony was keen on the pepperoni one. Seemed like they shared a lot more than meets the eye.
Harry fell asleep on the couch as they watched an animated movie, prompting Tony to carefully carry him to his new room and tucked him in. Quickly checking the room's temperature, he had JARVIS keep a dim light on from the closet as well as the restroom so it wasn't too dark for Harry in case he woke up in the night. He also made sure the windows were at their darkest tint and the curtains drawn in, thinking it may be a little jarring to wake up to seeing water and cliffs first thing in the morning.
Satisfied with his child-proofing, so to speak, he slipped downstairs into the lab, eager to tinker with something and say hi to Dum-E, U, and Butterfingers. The boys were naturally very excited to see him with the assault of beeps, boops, ticks, hugs, and chirps. They kept the lab spotless and organized things, just in time for him to mess it all up again looking for tools and parts, but for the moment the sentiment was lovely, and Tony smiled at how well his boys did to occupy themselves for the week. He couldn't wait for Harry to meet them, knowing they would get along splendidly.
He was working on a new prototype of the Iron Man suit, and it was still far from perfection. Of course, it came after he found a way to make it more portable and compact into the size of an inconspicuous suitcase, the ideas were never ending. It would give him something to do with his hands while his mind was busy sorting through compatible energy sources to use and upgrade the ARC tech with that wouldn't kill him. It was becoming quite an anomaly. An obnoxious, irritating one.
"Sir, I have received a not-so helpful response from Wakanda. They are acting obtuse to your inquiry," JARVIS announced over Tony's music, forwarding the reply to Tony's inbox. "How would you like to proceed?"
Tony didn't even skip a beat, still tinkering with one of the wrist sensors that would be a key element to summoning a suit from anywhere. "Ask them how their search for their wandering trader is going and see if they'd like a pretty solid tip on his whereabouts and see if they will sing a different tune."
"I should have known that is why you searched for Klaue. At least it isn't as troublesome as anticipated," JARVIS said.
"Such little faith in me, J. It hurts my feelings," Tony said, pouting with mock hurt. "I am not that desperate to resort to criminal activity. I just unknowingly got out of the field."
"My apologies, Sir. Though, if it is of any consolation, I would not have completely objected to the proposal with your health on the line."
Dum-E made an odd noise from nearby, not leaving Tony's side since he set foot in the lab. Tony gave the bots arm a gentle pat of comfort, silently telling him everything was fine.
"Tell the Wakandian rep where they could potentially find Klaue. I am sure they'd be very interested with his clientele in Germany, too," Tony said, moving past the grim subject. "Of course, make sure they are very well aware he is quite skittish and has the ability to disappear if an environment doesn't sit right with him. Though, they should be well acquainted with that by now considering."
"Certainly, Sir. I'm sure they will quite enjoy the sarcasm," JARVIS said equally as snarky.
"If I wanted to make friends I'd invite them for tea," Tony muttered, leaning heavily back in his seat.
It didn't take very long to get a more welcoming response. "Sir, you better get the kettle on. A Wakandian representative wishes to meet with you at your earliest convenience."
"Perfect. I like their punctuality." He sat upright, turning one of the armlets in hand, lazily inspecting it. "Arrange it as soon as possible."
"And what shall we have Harry do in the meantime?" JARVIS inquired.
Crap, he forgot about Harry. He chewed the bottom of his lip as he thought, wondering if he would be alright hanging out with Happy for a little while when he is in the meeting. This had him wander into the mess he pushed back and onto Pepper as well, who will start knocking on his door any day now wanting to play catch up and meet Harry. There were quite a few people he wanted Harry to meet, well, six wasn't quite a lot, but a lot to him. The bots would most likely come very soon, but he needed to make sure they won't get too excited and potentially scare Harry. Rhodey was obvious, he was excited for his honeybear to meet Harry, and Mama too. She'd spoil him silly. Tony could only hope Harry would love his self-knit together family as much as he does.
"Uh, Happy can hang with him, I suppose," Tony said, nodding in self-confirmation. "Yeah. They'll be fine for a while."
This had him wonder how Harry was doing up there. "Harry alright?"
The A.I. was quiet for a brief moment. "He stirred momentarily, but is in REM sleep."
Hopefully it stays that way. Glad that he felt safe enough to settle, or just too tired to allow the anxiety to override it, anyway.
"They say they can meet here tomorrow at noon. Shall I confirm?"
"A lunch party. Great."
He had no idea what to have catered for that. Maybe they'd be partial to Indian cuisine.