It Only Takes a Second

- XXXI -

*Three Weeks Later*

"That was a good session," Steve said encouragingly, giving Harry a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"He's right, you did really well today," Tony smiled, walking down the stairs to where the two were standing near the exit of the gym.

Harry gave them both a tired smile, still breathing heavily from the difficult PT session that Steve had just helped him through.

"How are you feeling?" Tony asked, handing Harry a towel, which he gratefully accepted and began swiping at the sweat on his face.

"Sore, if I'm being honest. And tired- this one took a lot out of me," Harry sighed with a small wince. "But it feels good to be getting back to normal."

"I'll bet," Tony replied with a nod. He glanced up at Steve and motioned towards Harry and at the door with his eyes, before glancing back at Steve and hoping that the man received the message.

"Hey Harry, I'm going to try to get a quick workout in really quick, but I'll see you later, okay?" Steve spoke, acknowledging Tony's gestures.

"Okay, have fun on your date with Bucky later," Harry smiled. One of the nice things about having PT with Steve (and sometimes Bucky) three to four times a week was that he and the super-soldier(s) had a lot of time to talk about things, and their relationship had really benefitted from it.

Steve gave him a fond smile and another soft shoulder squeeze, before turning and heading towards the storage closet where the boxing bags were kept.

"Hey kiddo, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tony asked, turning his undivided attention to Harry.

"Sure, but can we get out of the gym? It's boiling in here," Harry replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, of course. We can go up to the penthouse," Tony opened the door and ushered Harry through, before they made their way down the hall and into the waiting elevator.

"What's going on? Is everyone alright?" Harry asked, taking a drink of his water. PT was getting easier as he progressed further in his recovery, but it was still difficult, as well as physically and emotionally draining.

"Everyone's fine, but I just wanted to talk to you about something," Tony began, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself.

Over the past three weeks that they had been in New York, everyone's focus had been on Harry's recovery. It was their top priority, and Harry had been doing so well recently, both physically and mentally, that nobody wanted to interrupt that.

But the time had come, and something had, inevitably, come up. And now, Tony had to tell Harry about it.

Tony shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "So, Pepper and I have to fly back to England this evening, and we're going to be there for the rest of the weekend. It's three days, but I know that's the longest we've been apart since became a part of the family."

Harry's hands grew clammy and he felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster, breath growing shallower.

"Why?" Harry asked fearfully. The last time Tony said they were going to be making a quick trip to England, it took three weeks for them all to get back, and Harry was still recovering.

"Relax son, it's alright. We've just got to take care of some legal things for the lawsuit with your aunt. It's nothing major, but we don't need you there for it yet. And when we do, we'll meet here, in the Tower. No more travelling to England for you until the trial- if the case goes that far. For all we know, Pepper and I could get your aunt to drop all charges this weekend, and it could all go away."