Magically Marvelous
Chapter 8
"Hey! Watch it, jackass! I almost fell off!" Tony called out as Harry pulled hard to the side to avoid a large flock of birds.
"You don't have to yell, moron. I can hear you just fine," Harry told him while rolling his eyes. "And watch where you put your hands. I don't swing that way."
"AAAAACK!" Tony cried out and removed his hands from his savior's waist. He heard the man chuckle happily at his disgust. "By the way, where are we going?" he asked, stuffing another piece of beef jerky, that he had bummed from the man who refused to give his name, into his mouth. It was the best thing he had tasted in weeks.
"We're just crossing the Pakistan border. We'll be in Delhi in around twenty minutes," Tony was told.
"Delhi?" he asked, confused. "Why Delhi?"
"Because the people I work for have a base of operations there. They'll get you back to the US easily enough."
Harry's eye twitched as he sat there and listened to Tony Stark talking his ear off non-stop. Once he got home, he would remember to add an ejector seat to his bike. He was already daydreaming of shooting Stark high into the air as he happily flew away. "Can I use your phone?" he heard Stark ask.
"Why?" Harry asked. The air was a little more pleasant since leaving the mountains of Afghanistan. Harry would have said that the ride was very enjoyable if not for the annoying billionaire that he was babysitting.
"I want to call my personal assistant, Pepper Potts. The poor woman is probably distraught. If she doesn't hear about my miraculous escape soon, she may never recover."
From the files that he had read, Harry knew Pepper Potts to be more than just an assistant to Stark. She was one of the few people who could actually stand to be around him for more than half a day. She also happened to be one of the very few real friends that he actually had.
"Just wait until we get there to use the phone," Harry said.
"But we're just sitting here, and you're so boring, and you refuse to tell me anything about …"
"Oh, my god will you please shut up? Here!" Harry said, handing over his SHIELD-issued satellite phone. Hopefully, that would keep the man-child distracted long enough for them to make it to New Delhi. Not wanting to take any chances, he hit the Dragonfire Booster and laughed as Stark cursed him for almost falling off again.
Magically Marvelous
When they were near, Harry touched down and deactivated the Invisibility Booster. "We're almost there," he told him.
"Okay … Alright … I said alright! … Okay bye, Pepper," Tony said and turned off the phone. He passed it forward, and Harry took it from him and put it in his pocket. "It's about time," Stark complained. "I'm ready to go home."
Harry sighed knowing that Fury would probably be mad if he shot Stark. He drove the last couple of miles and pulled into an empty garage. Harry turned off his bike and hit a button on the wall. The garage door closed, sealing them in. He then pulled out Yinsen's Transfigured body and placed it on the ground. With a wave of his hand, it turned back into the stunned man. Another wave of the hand had Yinsen groggily waking up. As Stark stooped down to help his friend, Harry walked up to the door and banged on it with the side of his fist. Immediately, the door opened, and several SHIELD Agents came into the garage and grabbed the two men. "Wait a minute! Where are you taking me?" Stark called out as they were dragged back into the building. When the door shut behind them, Harry pulled out his phone.
"Fury," his boss answered.
"Stark's been dropped off," he told him.
"Good work. The Agents will handle them until I arrive." Fury was already halfway to India and would be arriving within another couple of hours.
"Are you sure that you don't want me to erase Stark's memory? I can go back as long as you want. Seven, eight years … I don't mind abusing my powers in this case," he said. Harry was looking forward to a bit of payback.
"I want to talk to him first. If we can't come to an agreement, I may call upon your talents. In the meantime, you're free to use your discretionary funds to catch a plane from New Delhi or make your way back however you see fit."
The phone call cut off. Harry rolled his eyes and put the phone away. Fury was a man of few words. Seeing as how he was already in India, it wouldn't hurt to spend a couple of days there exploring what the country had to offer, Harry thought happily. He'd earned it after spending the last hour with Stark. He opened the garage door and threw his leg over his bike. Starting it up, he roared out onto the streets to see the sights.
Magically Marvelous
Natasha stood outside of his door and arched her back. Her latest mission had ended in a fierce bar fight, culminating in her getting hit in the back with a pool cue. She learned a valuable lesson. No matter how well trained you are, getting hit with a pool stick hurts like hell, she thought through the pain. Hissing as the muscles in her back stretched, she straightened up and opened the door.
"Not bothering to knock I see," she heard the familiar English accent. This actually brought a smile to her face. Though she would never tell him, she had missed her friend.
"Why mess with tradition?" she chuckled and walked up to him. She hid the smile when he hugged her. Unfortunately, his hand touched a particularly tender spot, and he felt her body jerk.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Workplace accident," Natasha told him. "You think I should report it to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?" she joked as Harry helped her take her thin jacket off.
"I don't think OSHA has guidelines for our type of work," Harry told her as he lifted the back of her t-shirt. Natasha didn't even bother rebuking him for pulling such a stunt. "That's one hell of a bruise … Baseball bat?" he asked.
"Pool cue," she corrected him.
"Sounds about right. Want me to take care of it?" he asked her. Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"What can you do about it?" she asked him. In response, he got up and went into his small bathroom. He came out with a small, glass bottle with a screw-on top. "What's that?"
"One of my special creations," he told her and tossed her the bottle. Knowing that if he was going to be putting his health at risk on a consistent basis, he was going to need something to soothe his aches and pains. Obviously, he no longer had access to the necessary ingredients to create magical potions, but through trial and error, he discovered that he could take some regular ingredients and basically soak them in his combined powers.
He created a magical sink that he would pour copious amounts of his magic into. The sink would keep his magic contained for the most part. It would slowly drain away, but he would top it off every day. He needed to get rid of his excess power every day anyway, so it was the perfect solution. Putting normal plants and animal parts inside of it, he found that they would develop strange, magical properties after a few days of soaking. So far, he hadn't made much … only a mediocre version of the Pepper-Up potion and his newest creation, which was almost as good as the original magical version.
"And that is …?" she asked skeptically and unscrewed the top. She took a few sniffs and wrinkled her nose.
"A bruise-removing cream that works well down to the deep tissue," Harry explained as he took the bottle back.
"It doesn't smell that great," she responded, still looking at the bottle in his hand.
"Does any topical cream smell great?"
"Good point. Alright fine … I'm scheduled to spar with Clint in a couple of days, and it would be nice if I wasn't impaired. But if this is a trick of yours to feel me up again …" she said, shaking her fist at him. Harry rolled his eyes.
"If I wanted to feel you up, I would just do it and suffer through the consequences," he told her before slapping her blue jean-covered ass. A loud smack and her slightly pained squeal made him laugh. He laughed even harder when he ducked underneath her sudden punch.
"I shouldn't have taught you so well," she grumbled as he helped her to the couch.
"Just shut up and sit down," he told her. She huffed and followed his directions. Natasha sat down and turned her back to him. She waited as he was messing with the bottle. The back of her shirt lifted up, and his hand slid up and over her injured area. She gasped and jumped a little.
"That's cold!" she shivered. It was strange … As soon as the cream hit her skin, her whole body felt as if she was pushed out of a warm house and into sub-freezing temperatures. She actually began shivering as goosebumps erupted all over her arms and legs.
"Give it a second," he told her. Just as he said, after a quick moment, the absurd coldness faded away and her body began to grow warm. It wasn't a warmth that was overbearing. It was pleasant, like coming back into the house and sitting down in front of a roaring fire. The goosebumps on her body faded away, and she closed her eyes. His hands were working her back expertly, sliding up and down her smooth, oily skin. She actually felt the pain beginning to dull. As the minutes passed by, the pain lessened until she could barely feel it. Natasha wasn't sure how much time had passed. At the moment, she didn't care about anything except how good it felt while Harry was massaging her back. Suddenly, his fingers drifted to her sides. Natasha didn't deny him. She let his hands climb up her body and over her ribs. She tried really hard not to squirm. It was only her expert training that kept her from letting him know just how good it felt.
Suddenly, she felt the same power that she did back on the beach. It was as if every nerve in her body was stimulated to only feel pleasure. Moaning deeply, she arched her back as his hands moved onto her slim belly. She bucked when his fingers accidentally tickled her belly button. Her panties were completely soaked through as she rubbed her thighs together. Collapsing backward, her back hit his chest, and she tilted her head back and rested it against his broad shoulder. Her beautiful eyes fluttered as his hands climbed up her front. His fingertips were just dipping underneath the cup of her bra when she leaned in and lightly kissed his lips. That soft kiss was followed by a much deeper and more passionate kiss.
It had been too long since she had time to spend with a man that knew what he was doing. She hadn't been opposed to the thought of going to bed with Harry. He was good-looking and charming, but the best part was that he knew what she did for a living because he was doing it himself. He knew better than to demand a regular relationship. With how each of them worked, there was no way that that kind of relationship would last. Perhaps when she was a little older and ready to settle into a much less stressful line of work, she would think differently. The idea of having a willing partner ready to take care of her needs with no questions asked certainly was intriguing. The only problem was that she didn't want to seem too eager. They were training partners and even partners in the field on occasion. Not only that, but she was also his superior. While they technically had the same Clearance Level in SHIELD, she still was ahead of him due to her experience and seniority. It was very important for him to respect her. Thankfully, by then they had developed a solid friendship that she greatly enjoyed. She was starting to think that it might be time to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Natasha moaned into his mouth when the door to his place was suddenly kicked open.
"DID YOU MISS ME?!"
At the same time, both Harry and Natasha whipped out their guns and began firing in the direction of the door before the voice could even finish his sentence.
Magically Marvelous
Tony Stark screamed like a girl as he dove to the side. Bullets pierced the wall where he had been standing only a fraction of a second before. "Stand down! It's me … Tony!" he cried out in panic while his heart was hammering in his chest.
'Maybe it wasn't the best idea to barge into a secret agent's home unannounced,' he suddenly thought as the gunfire stopped. 'Oh well. Live and learn.'
It had been a couple of weeks since he had been dropped off unceremoniously at SHIELD's office in New Delhi, India. He had been quickly pulled away into the back to be checked over and debriefed. That obviously took longer than he would have liked. They were particularly interested in the Arc Reactor which was implanted in his chest. He had to go through several hours of pokes and prods before he had been able to talk with someone in charge. Director Fury, as he called himself, had spoken with him for quite a while. He wanted to know everything that had happened since his capture. Stark told him as much as he could. He did, however, leave out the important fact that Stark Industries' weapons were being stockpiled by the terrorists. He wanted to take care of that little oversight on his own.
After they had talked for a while, Tony agreed to keep his mouth shut about SHIELD in exchange for his continued freedom. Within a couple more hours, he was on a plane back home. During his flight, he began searching for the man with the strange powers that had pulled him from that cave. As he looked up from the ground, he saw the man looking down at him with an annoyed expression.
"Long time no see," Tony smiled.
Harry sighed and pulled Natasha aside. "How's your back?" he asked her when they were out of earshot from Stark. Natasha stretched her back to test it out.
"A lot better," she told him honestly. Harry grabbed the bottle and put the cap back on. He gave it to her.
"Keep it. Rub some more on tonight before bed. I'll handle Stark," he told her. Natasha nodded and leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"We'll talk later. I'll call Fury and let him know about the knucklehead," she whispered. Harry replied with a silent nod and watched as she walked off. As she passed Stark by, he tilted his head and checked out her ass before turning back to him.
"You've got taste … I'll give you that much," Tony said as he invited himself in. He looked around Harry's small place. "On second thought …"
"What do you want, Stark? And how did you find me?" Harry asked him, annoyed at being cock-blocked. He knew that Fury hadn't spilled the beans about him.
"Finding you was easy. Your phone is a model made by Stark Industries," Tony said.
"Yeah … So?" All military and government phones were made by Stark's company.
"Remember when I used it to call Pepper? Before I called her, I used it to download a trojan horse. A piece of malware that would let me track you down," he added at Harry's confused look.
"After I figured out where you were, I needed to find out who you were. Hacking into SHIELD's mainframe was easier than expected … Harry Potter," he smirked. Harry actually chuckled.
"When Fury finds out …" Harry shook his head.
"Let's just hope that he won't. Especially since I hacked into his personal files as well. Alpha Level clearance secrets certainly are fascinating," he smiled as he went over to Harry's bottle of whiskey and popped it open. Not seeing a glass, he put it to his lips and took a deep swig. He pulled a face. "Cheap whiskey is always so bad," he said before drinking some more. Harry snatched the bottle from his hand and put it back on the shelf.
"So … Magic huh? … What's that about?" he asked. Harry pinched the area between his eyes.
Magically Marvelous
The following day, Harry pulled some ingredients from the magical sink to test them out. He already had another bottle of the bruise-removing cream brewing. Brewing stuff and testing ingredients in his home wasn't the smartest thing that he had ever done. It was especially dumb considering that he was still tired from trying to avoid many of Tony's questions the previous night. Tony refused to believe that he actually had magic. To him, there had to be another explanation, one that could be quantified and measured. However, Harry wasn't keen on having himself experimented on.
For some reason, Fury didn't want him to wipe Stark's memories. The Director was vague in his reasoning, but that didn't matter. Fury was the boss. Harry didn't really care anyway. He had long passed the age where he actually cared about keeping magic a secret. There were no Aurors or Obliviators here. There was no Ministry of Magic or International Confederation of Wizards. There was no one there to stop him. If he outed himself and things became too much, he could easily lay low until things cooled down. As such, he wasn't bothered by Stark knowing about him, other than the fact that the billionaire wouldn't leave him alone
He suddenly had an idea and pulled out his phone. Dialing up a number, he waited until someone answered. "Stark … How about we make a deal?"
Magically Marvelous 8