Prove You Have A Heart

Chapter 20

Tony woke slowly, which surprised him; usually his brain jolted him awake with all the sensitivity of a slap to the face. He then realised that he wasn't at home, and he wasn't alone, and smiled to himself when it clicked whose bed he was in. Harry was still fast asleep, curled up on Tony's chest with one hand over the Arc Reactor, as if protecting it. It still amazed Tony; no one had ever treated the Reactor the way Harry had before. He'd slept with people who refused to touch it, and people who seemed a little too into it, but Harry was the only one who treated it as if it were a part of Tony himself, and a part to be cherished. He kissed and caressed the metal the same as he did the skin, and seemed to enjoy listening to it humming. If it meant having Harry curled up on his chest, Tony wasn't going to argue.

He very quickly became aware of an urgent pressure in his bladder, and grimaced; so much for not waking Harry. Attempting to shift the younger man off him, he swore when Harry cracked an eye open, frowning at him. "What's the matter?" he asked groggily, pressing a barely-there kiss to Tony's chest.

"Bathroom," Tony explained, and Harry nodded in understanding.

"Door on your right," he replied, shuffling off Tony's chest and cuddling up with the pillow instead. Tony reluctantly rose from the bed, padding across the room in his boxers to the bathroom, relieving himself quickly and hurrying back to the bedroom. Harry was more awake when he returned, and smiled happily at him, eyes soft with sleep. "Morning, gorgeous," he murmured, pulling Tony into a kiss. Tony grinned, kissing back eagerly. He still wasn't used to that, having his Evan back, being able to confidently say that he loved the person he was sleeping with. It was a novelty for him.

"Good morning, beautiful," he replied, crawling back into bed and pulling Harry into his arms. "What time are your friends coming over?"

"Not until the afternoon," Harry assured, head resting on Tony's muscled shoulder.

"Oh, good," Tony sighed, making Harry snort. "I guess we have to get up before the kid wakes up, huh?" Harry nodded, reluctantly emerging from under the covers, and wandered through to the bathroom.

"Shower's big enough for two, Tony!" he called behind him, and Tony immediately bolted out of bed, following.

.-.-.

By lunch time, Tony was pacing the living room, and Harry had given up trying to get him to calm down. He could reassure Tony as much as he liked that Ron and Hermione were fine with him, but he was still nervous. If Harry's friends hated him, he was screwed. "Relax, love," Harry murmured, hands gently massaging Tony's shoulders. "They're not going to murder you." The doorbell rang, and Harry grinned, even as Tony's stomach churned. "Back in a sec," the Brit murmured, kissing Tony's cheek and darting off. Tony could hear the commotion in the hallway as Harry greeted his friends, and forced himself to calm down. He was Tony Stark, damn it; nothing made him nervous. Except, apparently, meeting his lover's best friends.

"Come on through to the living room, you can meet Tony," Harry said brightly, and Tony squared his shoulders, plastering on his confident facade. Ron and Hermione walked in behind Harry, and Tony's eyebrows rose at the little girl in his lover's arms. He hadn't been told about that. "Ron, Hermione, this is Tony. Tony, meet my best friends, Ron and Hermione. And, of course, little Rosie," Harry added, grinning as he tugged playfully on one of the girl's fiery red curls. Tony had to admit, she was adorable.

"Oh my God it's like Pepper as a kid," he declared, making Harry snort and roll his eyes. "Pleasure to meet you." Tony held out a hand to Ron, who shook it firmly.

"We've heard many things about you," Ron told him, and Tony winced.

"All bad, I assume?" he replied wryly. Ron laughed, and Tony moved to bring Hermione's hand to his lips.