"Tony, love of my life, you know I would do anything for you. I would give you my kidneys if you needed them. But there is no way in hell that I am defending you from Pepper and Rhodey." Harry said with a sweet smile while cooking dinner for everyone.
Tony whined, though he would deny it, and flopped dramatically over the clear section of the kitchen island. "But my love! You said you wanted me to stay alive! You promised me in our vows to defend me from all enemies!"
"Your best friends do not count as enemies, and while they may skin you or try to rend you limb from limb, they will not kill you." Harry chuckled. Life was never boring with his husband. While Harry didn't always approve of Tony's friends' behaviors toward him, especially when Tony had been dying from his arc reactor poisoning him, he knew they were merely worried after seeing his stunts with the aliens.
"Sir. Colonel Rhodes has entered the lobby and is making his way to the elevator." Jarvis helpfully interrupted Tony's complaints of Harry turning traitor against him.
"He's early!" Tony panicked looking for an escape route and considered using Iron Man to fly away until he saw Harry watching him with a pointed look.
"Sit. Take your lecture like a proper adult and if you behave I may have a surprise for you later." Harry commanded and Tony sat down with a pout just as the elevator dinged and James Rhodes stepped out onto their floor.
Harry watched as Tony tried to put on a brave face as Rhodey walked in, but the nervous energy radiating off of him was palpable. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his husband, but he knew that Tony needed to have this conversation with them after his life-threatening reckless behavior.
"Tony, darling, remember to breathe," Harry said while giving Tony's hand a quick reassuring squeeze before turning his attention back to his cooking.
Rhodey gave a quick smile and nod towards Harry once he was standing in the kitchen with them, fully intending a proper greeting later, but his focus was on Tony. Searching him head to toe looking for injuries or evidence of bad coping skills being put into effect.
"Tony." Just saying the man's name seemed to make him shrink in on himself some, causing Rhodey to sigh and release some of his anger toward the reckless man. "I am glad to see you alive and in one piece."
Rhodey could see the approval in Harry's eyes that Rhodey hadn't come in the door berating Tony as he might have once done.
Tony let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Rhodey wasn't going to start yelling at him. "Yeah, well, you know me. Can't keep a good man down," Tony quipped, trying to lighten the mood. But Rhodey wasn't having it.
"You're still not off the hook completely since you failed to tell me you were alive and okay. I was scared shitless when I saw you fly that nuke through that hole in the sky." Rhodey pulled Tony off the bar stool he had been perched on and pulled him into a tight hug.
"If it makes you feel any better Rhodey, Tony didn't call me either," Harry said blithely causing Rhodey to pinch Tony's side.
Tony shrieked (manly shout he would have called it).
"I told you, Tony, at the wedding, you better not mess it up because Harry is the best thing to ever happen to you. You didn't call him either?" Rhodey scolded, half teasing half serious.
Harry smiled to himself, listening to the two men bickering. He knew that Rhodey was the closest thing that Tony had to a brother, and he was grateful that they had each other. But he also knew that Tony needed him, just as much as he needed Tony.
As the night went on, Harry could see the tension slowly dissipating between Tony and Rhodey. They were laughing and joking again, just like old times. Harry couldn't help but feel grateful for Rhodey's calming presence in their lives.
After dinner, Harry shooed Tony and Rhodey off to the living room to watch a movie while he cleaned up the kitchen. As he washed the dishes, lost in his thoughts about the two men in the other room, Harry felt Tony's arms wrap around his waist, pulling him close. Harry leaned back into his husband's embrace, letting out a contented sigh.
"Love you," Tony murmured against Harry's hair, squeezing him lightly.
"Love you too darling," Harry said softly with a grin. He loved when Tony let down all of his public faces to be soft, sappy, and vulnerable with him.
"Any luck getting the Avengers read in on your work?" Tony inquired, swaying slightly as he held Harry, refusing to let go.
"Mmm, I told Hermione your idea. She had several choice words that would have had Ron blushing." Harry mused.
"That isn't a hard task to accomplish. Pretty sure Capsicle might give Ron a run for his money though." Tony chuckled.
Harry pinched him as a silent command to behave. "The UTI has been dodging inquisitions from SHIELD for years. If I read in the Avengers it would mean alerting SHIELD and Hermione would rather play quidditch than let SHIELD into her playground willingly. She also called you stupid and said if you pulled any more suicidal attempts she would alert the rest of the Weasley family to your stunts." Harry raised onto his toes to kiss Tony's cheek before pulling away to finish the dishes.
"Please tell me I get to be there when Hermione meets Fury in person," Tony begged.
"If you aren't I promise to record it. Now go watch the movie with Rhodey. I am going to finish here and then contact some people to discuss the pros and cons of the Avenger Initiative and their clearance allowance." Harry commanded causing Tony to salute him jokingly before returning to Rhodey and watching Star Wars for the 800th time.
Harry is grateful for Rhodey being in their lives if only to keep Tony distracted and occupied while Harry tries to convince stodgy paranoid purebloods that a bunch of muggle superheroes could be trusted with the secret of the wizarding world.
The meeting with Pepper had less tension but way more emotion. As soon as Pepper started to cry, Harry made a quick and hasty retreat leaving Tony at the mercy of Pepper's tears. Harry would handle a lot of things, crying hysterical women was definitely not something he did.
Tony knew he wasn't known for doing feelings, of any kind, but especially the soft lovey kind of feelings. But Harry brought that out of him quite often, among other things he thought he had lost or intentionally squashed over the years.
It was early morning, the sun hadn't even begun to rise above the skyline yet, and Tony lay on his side watching his husband sleep. It felt like a lifetime ago that Harry and Tony met for the first time. When Tony had gone to what was probably at least the 20th charity gala of the year, his only expectations for that night were to donate an obscene amount of money, get drunk, and probably get laid.
But Harry had walked into that gala like a breath of fresh air. Tony had been struck by his beauty, but it was Harry's intellect and wit that had truly captured his heart. Harry had challenged Tony in ways he never thought possible and for the first time in a long time, Tony had felt alive.
Harry was different, with his sharp wit and unapologetic attitude. He didn't care about Tony's fame or fortune, which only made Tony want him more. The fact that Harry turned him down flat out for several months was also both frustrating and appealing. And somehow, despite all of Tony's reservations and doubts, he had managed to win Harry's heart.
As he watched Harry sleep, Tony couldn't help but feel grateful for every moment they had together. He knew that Harry was everything he never knew he needed, and he never wanted to lose him. He couldn't lose him. He knew logically that Harry was quite capable of not only protecting himself but probably able to kick everyone's ass who lived in the tower. But Tony still worried especially after what he saw through the portal he flew into. War was coming, he didn't know when or how, but they weren't ready for a war of that scale. They'd be in the middle of it and Harry would refuse to sit it out. The brave stupid man.
He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Harry's forehead, feeling Harry stir in his sleep. Tony smiled to himself, knowing that he was the only one who could make Harry feel so safe and loved. Harry would rather go days without sleep than try to rest in front of other people.
Tony reached out a hand to brush Harry's hair out of his eyes, admiring the way the early morning light illuminated his features. Harry shifted slightly grumbling, blinking up at Tony with sleepy eyes.
"Morning," Harry murmured, leaning into Tony's touch.
"Morning darling," Tony replied, pressing another kiss to Harry's forehead. "Can't believe how lucky I am to wake up next to you every day."
Harry smiled, the expression lighting up his face. "I'm pretty lucky too," he said, snuggling closer to Tony. "Even if you can be an idiot sometimes."
Tony chuckled, pulling Harry close and wrapping his arms around him. "Yeah, well, I'm your idiot."
They lay there for a while, just enjoying each other's presence and the quiet of the early morning. Tony knew they had a busy day ahead of them, with meetings and missions and all manner of chaos to deal with. But for now, all he wanted was to stay here, with the love of his life, as sappy as that sounded. For Tony, Harry was his home, and he was grateful for every moment they had together.
"The rest of the team should be moving in today." Tony reluctantly broke the peacefully sleepy silence between them.
"I am going to regret letting you move superheroes into my home aren't I?" Harry mused aloud, still not fully awake.
Tony chuckled, rubbing Harry's back soothingly. "Probably, but think of the fun we'll have."
Harry groaned, burying his face in Tony's chest. "I'm going to need a lot of coffee to deal with all of them."
Tony laughed, pressing a kiss to Harry's forehead. "Don't worry, love. We'll survive this together."
Harry groaned. "I know. Just promise me they won't destroy the place."
"I promise," Tony said with a smirk. "At least not completely."
Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. Tony always knew how to make him laugh, even on the toughest days.
"If anyone dares try to insult you in any way, JARVIS will alert me and then I will kidnap them so George can use them to test his new products." Harry threatened grumpily reminding Tony of a disgruntled kitten.
Tony couldn't help but laugh at Harry's threat. "I'll make sure to be on my best behavior then," he teased, pressing a kiss to Harry's forehead. "But I don't think anyone would dare insult me with you around."
Harry huffed, but the playful glint in his eye betrayed his annoyance. Tony knew that Harry would do anything to protect him, and he was grateful for it. "Your superhero 'friends' seem to have less working brain cells than the average person, maybe even less than wizards and witches have."
"I love you," Tony said, feeling the words bubble up inside of him. He knew he didn't say it often enough, but he wanted Harry to know how much he meant to him.
Harry looked up at him, surprised but pleased. "I love you too, Tony," he said, snuggling closer. "More than anything."
Harry smiled, snuggling closer to Tony. "I'll always have your back, you know that."
"I know, love," Tony said softly, running his fingers through Harry's hair. "And I'll always have yours."
They lay there in silence for a few more moments, just enjoying each other's company. Tony knew that they had a lot of challenges ahead of them, but he also knew that they could face anything as long as they were together.
As the sun began to rise, Tony felt a sense of peace settle over him. He was grateful for every moment he had with Harry, and he knew that he would never take their love for granted.
May the Avengers and SHIELD beware pissing off the genius and his badass wizard boyfriend who was just itching for an excuse to wipe SHIELD off of the map.
Gods above, Tony loves that man.