It Only Takes a Second

- XIV -

"However, he did suffer a bit of a relapse..."

Bruce trailed off and Tony felt his jaw clench.

"How bad?" He grimaced, bracing himself for the answer.

"Well," Bruce began grimly. "He- He thinks I'm... him. He thinks I'm his uncle."

*

The room went silent, and the tension that hung in the air could be cut with a knife.

"He...how could he..." Tony paused and took a deep breath to regain his composure. "Is it just you?"

"I think so," Bruce sighed. "He wasn't afraid of Clint, just me."

"Then I want to see him," Tony decided. "I need to make sure he's okay, and I promised Peter that he could come down when Harry was awake because the kid's really freaking out and-"

"Tony," Pepper put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze as she interrupted him. "Take a deep breath."

He inhaled a shaky breath, nodding before he turned to Bruce.

"Can I go in there and see him?"

Bruce nodded, and Tony took a step towards the door and quietly entered the room. Immediately, his eyes fell upon Harry who was curled on the bed with a pillow clutched to his chest.

"Hey buddy," Tony whispered as he approached Harry slowly. He didn't want to frighten the already terrified kid in front of him, and he knew that if he was loud or made any sudden movements, Harry would be scared.

Harry's green eyes widened as he glanced wildly in the direction of the man's voice. But this voice wasn't scary or angry. It wasn't loud and threatening; instead, it was soft and gentle. Familiar.

"Tony?" Harry called softly. He went to sit up, but was immediately hit with a wave of nausea and dizziness, causing him to groan and sink back to the bed.

"Hey, shh. You're okay," Tony told him as Harry began to whimper, and he took a careful seat on the edge of Harry's bed.

"Are you in pain?" Tony looked at the quivering child in front of him with concerned etched across his face. His eyes landed on the thickly applied gauze and bandages that were tightly wound around Harry's forearm. Harry, having noticed that Tony was glancing at his arm, quickly threw the blanket over the bandaging in an attempt to hide it.

"hey," Tony spoke softly with a frown. "You don't have to hide from us. It's okay."

"No its not," Harry cried, "I messed up. I'm so sorry, I mess up. It's okay if you don't want me anymore. I'm sorry."

"Shh, you're okay. Can I touch you?" Tony asked and Harry gave a slight nod before Tony pulled him into his arms. "Harry, there is no way that something like this can make me change my mind about wanting to adopt you. You are always welcome here, and I will always want you. We... I... I love you kid."

"You... you do?" Harry breathed, pulling away from Tony's shoulder wearing a shocked expression. "Even though I screwed up?"

"If people stopped loving others every time the other screwed up, Pepper would be in Timbuktu by now to try to get away from me," Tony teased, giving Harry good hand a light squeeze.

"Nobody's ever told me that before. Not that I can remember," Harry whispered so softly that Tony almost didn't hear. But the words, no matter how quiet they were, resonated with Tony at a volume so high that it was almost impossible to hear anything else.

Nobody's ever told the kid they love him before.

"Well, I'm telling you now, and I can guarantee you that everyone on the team would tell you the exact same thing," Tony brushed Harry's hair out of his face. He was intrigued by the odd shaped scar that marked Harry's forehead, but knew better than to ask. When Bruce had asked what had happened, Harry got skittish and anxious, so they had agreed never to ask again.