It Only Takes a Second

- LIX -

"Harry? Harry, come on kiddo, I just want to talk," Tony called, entering the, what appeared to be, empty kitchen.

A soft sniffling came from around the corner, near the back door that lead out to the alleyway with the dumpster.

"Hey kid, what's going on?" Tony's eyebrows furrowed as he knelt down beside his son. He already knew the gist of what had happened, but he felt that it was important to get Harry's side of the story before providing any input.

Harry glanced up at his dad with red-rimmed eyes that were brimming with tears. He shook his head as he looked back down at his hands, almost in an ashamed manner.

"I'm being so stupid," Harry whispered, the words taking Tony by surprise. Quickly, he recomposed himself and positioned himself so that he was right in front of Harry.

"Why do you say that?" He questioned gently, using the crook of his finger to tilt Harry's chin up.

"I knew that Peter wasn't out at school, but for some reason... I just didn't think he would introduce me as anyone other than his boyfriend. He... he didn't even tell the truth about me being your son."

Tony sighed. He knew that they weren't going to be able to protect Harry from the media forever, but it wasn't just the media he was worried about. He wanted to be able to protect Harry for the rest of the world-- something that would become way harder once they announced that the Tony Stark had adopted him.

"Harry..." Tony began, but Harry just shook his head.

"I understand. Peter's not out at school, so he couldn't say I'm his boyfriend. You're still trying to protect me, so he couldn't say I was your son. I get all of it... it just still hurts to feel like-like I'm just some random person who appeared in both of your lives. Some random person that could be tossed aside at any moment.... I guess, being a boyfriend and a son makes me feel a lot less disposable," Harry admitted.

Tony grasped Harry's hands in his own. "You are not disposable, do you hear me? You are the most precious thing in the world to me, and I love you. I don't want you to ever have to doubt your worth, just because other people don't know that you're my son, or know that you're Peter's boyfriend. It doesn't matter what other people think because we know the truth. We know you, and we love you."

A lump formed in Harry's throat, suddenly rendering him unable to speak.

"I think Peter wants to talk to you, would you be up for that yet, or do you still need a bit?" Tony asked softly, brushing away a run-away tear on his son's cheek.

"I... can you tell him I'm not mad at him? I just... I think I need to take a walk. Get some fresh air and clear my mind," Harry replied quietly, voice cracking a bit.

Tony bit back a frown at the idea of Harry walking the streets of the city alone. He knew that this was a good neighborhood, but it was still New York City, and anything could happen.

"I'll be okay, dad," Harry assured, reading the apprehensive look that had appeared on Tony's face. "I just to have some time to self-reflect."

"Do you still have that app on your phone?"

"The one that's not a tracking app, but can tell you where I'm at in case of an emergency?" Harry gave a small smile. "Yeah, I still have it."

"Hey now, I'll have you know, it's a safety feature, not a tracking app. It'd only be a tracking app if I used it to track you, which I don't, because I trust you."

"Or because I'm never out of anyone's sight," Harry bantered, raising his eyebrows.

"Didn't you have a walk you wanted to go on?" Tony gave him a playful shove towards the door. "Just try to be back before dark, okay? Call me if you need anything."