Chapter Text
Chapter XXVII
–Promises–
Friday, 28 May 2010
HJS-P’s POV
Harry looked up from his new Stark!tech tablet that Tony had insisted on giving him – one of the enormous gifts the man randomly gave him, and the issue of now being married is that he couldn’t exactly say no anymore – to Tony as the man was pugiling against Happy Hogan while the trio were out of the ring looking at the two and giving inputs. Harry sure hoped Tony hadn’t taken them to watch wrestling when he’d been away.
“The Notary is here. Can you please came to sign your transference paperwork?” Pepper called as she arrived from the corridor.
Harry looked up towards her and smiled as she smiled back. Neither of the two still really believed that Tony had just handed her the company… just like that.
“I’m at half the time.” Tony answered not taking his eyes from Happy as he punched him. “Sorry.”
Harry looked up confused and from the children’s snickering he knew Tony had been the one at fault… again.
“What the hell was that?” Happy asked.
“It’s called an expression artist, something I’ve been trying for three weeks…” Tony started, making Harry snort and Tony looked at him with a glare.
“It’s called dirty boxing, there’s nothing new about it.” Happy argued and Harry gave his husband a pointed look. “Now come on, focus! It’s me your boxing against, not Mr Evans.”
Harry snorted as Tony turned again to Happy. At hearing sound coming from the corridor, Harry turned only for his eyes to grow. Agent Romanoff was there in a white t-shirt, black pants and a folder in hand that Harry just knew that was the paperwork Tony was supposed to sign. Harry stood with a raised eyebrow and approached Pepper, looking sideways to his husband he saw Happy who was facing the corridor notice the woman and point her out to Tony. Harry narrowed his eyes when Tony turned his face to follow her with his eyes.
“I promise you that this will be the only time I will ask you to sign over your company.” Pepper said as Harry put himself between the agent and Pepper.
“What are you doing here?” He hissed under his breath.
“I’m giving Miss Potts the paperwork.” The ginger agent answered. “Now if you don’t mind?” she added and passed through Harry and approached Pepper opening the folder for her to sign. “Need you to sign on this part.”
Harry saw Tony having to have Happy to call him back and hissed, leaving the room. He was so not watching a SHIELD Agent hitting on his husband.
–UNF–
EAS’s POV
“What’s your name, Lady?”
“Rushman. Natalie Rushman.” The woman answered.
“Come to centre. Come into the church.” Tony said not thinking much about it, then turned towards his kids’ bodyguard. “What do you say, Legolas?” He added as Pepper immediately tried to sway him away.
“It’s not a problem.” The woman said to Pepper and started to approach the ring, Legolas following her amused.
“I’m sorry, he’s very eccentric…” Pepper started but Tony tuned her off as the woman entered the ring looking directly at Tony.
“What?” Tony asked, before leaving the ring himself approaching Pepper grabbing the folder, signing them and then looked at Legolas. “Could you give her a lesson?” He said as he walked out the room with Princess – who had previously been by the corner playing - on his shoulder and the trio around him. Not even once he stopped to look behind to make sure if Legolas was actually doing it. He found Harry on the living room, back on his tablet where he was going over the cams Tony had put on the Wizard’s café. “Do you know how sexy you are?” Tony asked his jealous husband.
“Oh really?” Harry asked coldly as the trio snickered and run to their Dad sitting by him.
“Mummy made Clint teach Natalie Rushman and left with us.” Jimmie stated amused.
“Did he now?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as the quartet snickered. “And why aren’t you down there signing the papers and watching him teach her?” Harry turned towards Tony coldly.
“Already signed the paperwork. Now I’m going to take a nice long bath with my beloved husband as our oldest son will do his job and watch over his siblings for a whole hour. Then I’m going to treat you all to ice cream on the beach…” Tony said and at once the trio jumped ecstatic to their feet.
Harry sent him a dead look as Kenai picked Princess from Tony and took his siblings upstairs to their room to play.
“You don’t need me to take a bath.” Harry hissed coldly.
Tony hummed.
“I know. And a year ago I would’ve been making everything possible so Miss Notary become my new secretary. Now? All I want is to have you in my arms.” Tony argued with a shrug, knowing full well what his husband had been thinking.
Even when what Tony had looked at the whole practice section had been Harry the man still thought that it had been the woman and sometimes Tony had to let Harry win in order for his sometimes lack of self-confidence to grow confidant instead of diminishing. The man could be very strong and very powerful so most of the time you wouldn’t notice, but there were small things that his insecurity appeared and principally when it came to love. It was in these moments that Tony could really see the harm that his family had done to him… and not just them but the Wizardry World as well.
“I don’t need you to take a bath… but I need you to reassure myself whom I belong to…” Tony added tauntingly and immediately an angry pair of hands grabbed his sweaty clothes pulling him to the other male as he was kissed angrily and possessively.
Yep, he definitively liked this side of Harry.
–UNF–
Tony looked at Pepper as she reminded him of next day’s Grand Prix De Monaco Historique, while at the same time she showed him three potential candidates for his new secretary. Tony looked the three curriculum over disinterested.
“No. No… and no.”
“You’ll have to choose someone, Tony.” Pepper argued taking the tablet back and, opening another file, she showed it to Tony. “What about this one?” she asked.
Tony looked only to see Miss Notary’s curriculum. He raised an eyebrow at Pepper.
“A huge, big fat No.” He argued, making the woman snicker and take the tablet away. “Besides, she’s SHIELDs.” He added.
“Wha…?” Pepper asked looking up from the tablet. “She is?”
“Why do you think Evans reacted like that?” Tony argued. “He recognised her and tried to send her away but as she didn’t go he realized that she was there on a job… although I have to say: Fluffy couldn’t have gone lower.” He added the last part, icily.
Pepper hummed and took a look at her tablet and then again to Tony.
“Banner told you he is going tomorrow to New York for the magical community to test him?” Tony hummed, looking up. “Lilu really wants to go with him…” the woman added embarrassed.
Tony chuckled.
“She really likes the Doc, doesn’t she?” He asked amused. “Let her go, as long as she’ll be well taken care of at the wizardry community.” Tony answered with a shrug. “And tell you what, I have just the idea for the new secretary.” He added and grabbed Pepper’s tablet immediately hacking into Harry’s phone list numbers and put one on the screen giving Pepper. “Contact her, tell her you know Evans, ask her to send her curriculum. Check it out. If you see it’s good: hire her.”
Pepper frowned but nodded.
“Anything else, Mr Stark?” she asked.
Tony shook his head, standing and stretching his back.
“I’m not your boss anymore, Pepper. No more Mr Stark from now on.” He said amused, making the woman share a smile. “Now, if you don’t mind I have a husband to remind that he is not allowed to go to bed before I do.” Tony added, making Pepper chuckle amused.
“Do remember you have to be ready to leave early.”
Tony grumbled.
“Don’t worry. The quartet already combined with Jarvis, Dummy, You and Butterfingers to wake me and Evans early tomorrow morning.” He groaned. “And no threat that I tried to use to persuade the damn AIs to stop it worked.”
“Well… it’ll be your birthday. They have a right to celebrate it.” The woman said. “Even Jarvis and the others… if you see it like this: they are the quartet’s siblings.” Pepper added amused, before leaving a gaping Tony in the living room.
“And isn’t that an odd thought?” A male voice asked, making Tony turn to his husband. “Four humans being siblings to four robots… no offence meant, Jarvis.” The Wizard added at once.
“No offence taken, Sir.” Jarvis’ voice answered.
Harry approached Tony.
“I wonder how the quartet will manage to move them all to the bedroom but hey… let children dream… our children.” Harry added amused at Tony’s glare.
“Please tell me you didn’t help them bake a cake.” Tony asked and Harry sent him an innocent look at once, too innocent.
“No idea what you’re talking about, Hon.” Harry argued making Tony half-glare at him before the two started to walk upstairs and to Tony’s… their room. “I mean… if you’ll prefer Lilu’s cake of joining all the ingredients she could find together…”
Tony’s eyes grew. He had been forced to eat Princess’ ‘famous’ cakes before. Once had been enough.
“Your help it is.” He said at once, making Harry laugh. “Trust me. Her cakes… are…”
Harry hummed nodding.
“I know. I saw her baking it before offering it to you.” He said amused. “It was just sugar and more sugar. I still can’t believe it that you actually ate that thing with a straight face.”
“Neither can I…” Tony agreed, making the two laugh.
“You always keep your promises, don’t you?” Harry asked as they sobered up and Tony nodded, wondering from where that came from. “Do you remember a promise you made me a couple days ago?”
Tony frowned confused as they entered their bedroom.
“Which one?” He asked, because honestly right now he wasn’t remembering any.
Harry grinned at him mischievous.
“On our first time?”
Tony looked at his lover in confusion trying to understand what he meant. Until it did. Harry’s grin grew bigger as comprehension appeared on Tony’s eyes.
“I remember.” Tony said unsure, still not understanding why his lover was bringing it up.
“I can do whatever I wish to do, right? Anything that I wish to do.” From Harry’s tone Tony immediately knew that Harry didn’t meant it in a dirty way. “Wasn’t it your promise?”
“It was.” Tony conceded. “And you also said I would regret that promise.”
Harry smiled and approached, kissing Tony on lips before moving to his closet.
“If I can do whatever I want, as you promised, then you can’t argue about me deciding about my life, right?”
Tony narrowed his eyes, immediately knowing what Harry meant.
“You can’t possible mean…” Harry peeked at him over his shoulders in an innocent manner. “No…”
“You promised!” Harry argued coldly.
Tony clenched his hands and took a deep breath to calm down. Damn the other male for using his own promise that he had already forgotten against him!
“I want full intel on all the assignments that you receive. I want constant phone calls, you won’t be leaving me with the kids for two months alone without a single phone call again.”
Harry nodded at once a huge smile spreading over his face and he approached at once to kiss Tony on the lips.
“I promise. And I will only take the ones that they really need one of my kind.” Tony grumbled angrily, not quite believing he was actually letting Harry do this. “Did I told you today that I love you and that you’re the best husband there is?”
Tony glared at his younger lover but grabbed his face and pulled him to himself, kissing him again. He was mad at Harry for tricking him into accepting this, but oddly enough he was also proud of the younger male for managing to trick him into an agreement he didn’t want to accept. Every time he thought that he and Harry were going to become one of those old couples who had almost every day the same routine, Harry proved him the contraire. Every single day, Harry proved him that he was perfect for him as the two were anything but predictable. The two kept pushing each other to the limit and at the same time keeping the other interested. And that was better than Tony could ever dream to accomplish with any woman in the world that could give him a child. He already had a child, four actually and he wouldn’t trade them for any other of his own blood.
“We have to get up early…” Harry moaned against his mouth as Tony pushed him against the wall.
“Don’t care.” Tony argued and kissed Harry again, before the other male would make him make any more promises that he didn’t want to make.
–UNF–
Saturday, 29 May 2010
HJS-P’s POV
Harry left the car with the boys and Pepper as Tony was already calling attention to himself from the public, he honestly could never understand how someone could like to be the centre of the attention. As they entered the Hotel de Paris, Harry saw Tony turn to Pepper with a raised eyebrow to which the woman nodded barely moving her head and mumbled something that Harry was certain it looked like ‘she’s here’. Tony stepped back so he could walk alongside Harry.
“Look, whatever happens in the next 20 minutes just go with it.”
“Go with it?” Harry asked.
“Aunt Hermione!”
Harry stopped dead on as his children run to a brushy brown haired woman that was walking their way with a red dress and a huge smile. Harry glared at Tony as the trio hugged the woman. Harry could swear that Hawkeye, which was walking alongside Happy behind them, was snickering at his account.
“Hermione, what are you doing here?” James asked with a huge smile.
“Your ‘Mum’ has hired me as his new secretary.” Hermione answered before approaching Harry and nodding her head at him. “Mr Stark, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Evans…”
“Hermione.”
“If you don’t mind, a photographer from the ACM is requiring to take you a picture.” Hermione asked as a man offered Tony and Harry a drink.
Harry took the drink from Tony as Tony and Pepper smiled for the photographer. He approached Hermione.
“I take it he didn’t warn you?” Hermione asked, it was odd to actually hear someone speaking in British for once that wasn’t computer made.
“No. He is going to hear it… later.” Harry argued. “How’s everyone?”
“Now it’s good, but you missed a lot of things… we’ll talk later?”
Harry nodded and Hermione approached Tony, returning to work. Hawkeye approached Harry as Happy followed Tony and Hermione to mark their table.
“I take it her job was unadvised?”
“Tony is going to hear it later. Pepper as well, the traitor!”
Hawkeye smirked to himself.
“Should I feel pity for them?”
–UNF–
LLS’s POV
Lilu looked while the Healers forced Bruce to turn into the Hulk, he was angry and Lilu knew that he felt betrayed and alone. Running from the room where she could watch him, she run to his cell and entered.
“It’s okay… see? It’s me: Lilu.” Hulk turned to her and picked her around the arms, pulling her up to his height. “See? I’m okay. Everything’s okay. You can calm down.”
There was a moment of silence as the Healers outside started to freak out but then Hulk started to resize and returned back to Bruce who pulled her to his chest.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Princess.”
Lilu grinned.
“Hulk doesn’t hurt me. He is my friend.”
Lilu could tell that Bruce didn’t believe her, but she let him. She leaned her head on Bruce’s shoulder as the Healers entered and spoke with the man. In no time the two were leaving as they walked side-by-side hand-in-hand.
“Where are we heading?”
“The University where I used to work at. I need to find the research so they can help me find a cure.”
Lilu nodded and they took a bus.
“Find a cure… does that mean no more Hulk?” Lilu asked as she frowned, her eyes watering.
Bruce’s eyes grew and he lowered down at once, picking her up again.
“Hey, hey… it’s all good. You’ll still have me.”
Lilu bit the bottom of her lip, feeling her throat tightening.
“Bu…”
“I’ll always be by your side.” Bruce promised.
“Pinkie promise?”
Bruce smiled amused.
“Pinkie promise, Princess.”
Lilu smiled and let her head rest on his shoulder.
“I like Hulk.”
“I know, Princess. I know.” Bruce answered massaging her hair as he said so. “He likes you two. You calm him down and when you aren’t there I feel him looking around for you.”
Lilu closed her eyes.
“I missed you.”
(TBC)
