Chapter 7
After a quick chat with Jarvis at the gate, he drove through and parked in front of Tony's ostentatious home. He tried the doorknob but found it locked. In response, Harry began banging on the door with both fists. "LET ME IN! LET ME IN!" he shouted and began kicking the bottom of the door while thumping loudly on it with the sides of his fists. A few seconds later, a panicked-looking Pepper Potts opened the door with wide eyes.
"Harry!? What in the world …"
"Sorry, Pepper. I was just trying to annoy Tony," Harry chuckled as she breathed heavily with her hand over her heart. "Is he in?" he asked with a boyish smile on his handsome face. Pepper's eyes narrowed into slits before huffing.
"Yes, he's in," she said, turning her attention from him and examining the door. "Oh, look, you scuffed it!" she declared as she leaned down and examined the bottom part of the door.
"It serves him right for not greeting me in a timely manner. Where is he anyway?" Harry asked. Pepper sighed and stood up straight.
"He's still having his morning coffee. It's a bit early for social calls, you know?" she stated, eyeing him up.
"Yeah, I know. I wanted to see him before he went to work. He asked me to bring him something," Harry told her as he stepped past her and walked into the fancy house.
"Oh? And what is that, pray tell?" she asked, closing the door behind them. Harry turned and gave the pretty woman a once-over. She looked quite smart in her feminine business attire. Her gray pencil skirt was tight enough to show off her delicate curves, and her white blouse was unbuttoned far enough to show just the beginning of her cleavage.
"It's top secret, but Tony wants to take it to market. I don't want to toot my own horn, but you're looking at the world's next trillionaire," Harry smiled smugly. Pepper snorted humorously.
"What I'm looking at is another deviant playboy who's taking advantage of Tony's generosity," she said with a cute smirk as she placed her hands on her hips. Harry sputtered in protest.
"Generosity?" Harry snorted. "I'll have you know the last two times we went to that gentlemen's club, I paid for everything. As far as I'm concerned, Tony owes me his firstborn child."
"Good luck with that," Pepper chuckled as she led him to Tony.
As he suspected, Tony was in the living room, looking tired and disheveled. His eyes were half-closed, his hair was messy, and he wore a wrinkled bathrobe. He slowly nursed a cup of coffee while the morning news played on a massive flat-screen television. Harry guessed that his TV probably cost more than the average person's car.
"Tony, we have a guest," Pepper announced as she sat down to finish her own coffee. The coffee table was filled with various foods. There was a platter of freshly-sliced fruits, a plate of crispy bacon and eggs, and a wicker basket filled with different pastries. Tony perked up when he saw Harry.
"Harry! Sit down and take a load off. Go ahead and eat. It'll just go to waste otherwise," he said.
"Don't mind if I do," Harry replied, snatching the untouched plate of bacon and eggs. He immediately began scooping eggs into his mouth.
"Hey! That plate was mine!" Tony protested as he watched Harry devour his food.
"You snooze, you lose," Harry said, chomping down on a piece of bacon. Tony glared as he watched Harry eat his greasy goodness.
"I was waiting for it to cool down," Tony replied.
"It's the perfect amount of warmth," Harry told him as he swallowed. Harry looked around for a napkin, and when he didn't see one, he wiped his greasy fingers on his trousers.
"Don't wipe it on your pants," Pepper exclaimed, scandalized.
"Oh, sorry," Harry apologized and wiped his hands on Tony's expensive suede couch cushion.
"Not on the couch either!" Pepper squealed and stood up. Tony burst out laughing at her panicked look.
"Relax, Pepper. All the grease is already on my pant leg," Harry chuckled and smiled at her. Pepper huffed and walked toward the kitchen.
"If you need a napkin, just ask," she said over her shoulder.
"She's going to strangle you some day," Tony chuckled, shaking his head.
Harry opened his bag and pulled out a small, brown cardboard box. "There are thirty of those Hangover Cures in here, individually bottled into single-use doses," he explained, handing it to Tony.
"Excellent. I'll run some tests on them today," he said, setting the box on the coffee table.
"I saw the news last night," Harry suddenly stated.
"Oh?" Tony asked nonchalantly, and Harry nodded.
"It seems some lunatic was flying around LA in a metal suit. It got everyone riled up," Harry told him.
Tony whistled incredulously. "What an age we live in," he said, causing Harry to snort.
"Be careful with that, Tony," Harry suddenly sounded serious. "I don't know what you're planning, but if you do something crazy like I think you're going to do, then it's going to be dangerous."
Tony suddenly got quiet, as if he were thinking hard. "I know what I'm doing," he finally said, not denying the accusations.
"I hope so. If you find yourself in some hot water, I can pull you out, but I can't if you end up dead … so be careful," Harry told him right before Pepper walked back into the room. She strolled up to Harry and handed him a napkin. She then handed him a glass of orange juice. Harry smiled handsomely at the pretty woman. Before she could pull her hand away, Harry gently gripped her fingers and guided her hand to his lips. He kissed the top of her hand like a gentleman. "Thank you, Miss Potts."
Pepper's cheeks flushed pink, and she suddenly got a bit shy. "You're welcome, Mr. Potter," she said before returning to her seat, flustered.
"Stop hitting on my personal assistant," Tony huffed, causing Pepper to blush harder. "Now, finish eating my breakfast and get the hell off my property," Tony said. Harry chuckled and finished Tony's exquisitely cooked bacon and eggs while he finished his coffee.
Metal and Magic
Harry spent most of the day trying to find a suitable home to rent, but he eventually got tired and settled on staying in a hotel for a few days. He left most of his stuff in his rented car and dropped the rest off in the room. Harry then made his way to the hotel's roof and transformed into a raven. He flapped his wings and shot off into the sky.
Sometimes he enjoyed just flying around while his human emotions were dulled from his animagus form. He would fly around for a while, stop, and perch when tired. He did this until the sun had already set. He was on his last flight of the day when the sound of police sirens caught his attention. Harry banked to the right and glided several blocks before he spotted the disturbance. Two men were running from a bank while several police cars pulled up, lights and sirens blaring. The man in front was lugging a large duffel bag that appeared heavy. Harry thought he saw some kind of mist escaping the bag, but he wasn't sure. It only slightly shocked him when one of the men pulled a gun and blindly fired behind him. The bullet struck the windshield of one of the cop cars, punching a hole straight through and creating a spiderwebbed shatter that radiated away from the hole. The cops didn't take this lightly. They immediately began firing back as the two men jumped into a getaway car. Most of the bullets missed, but he saw two hit the car's trunk, one hit the right tail light, and another shattered the rear window. The car roared to life, and the wheels began to spin and squeal. A cloud of white smoke erupted from the wheels as they spun out. A second later, they were hauling ass down the street with the cops hot on their heels.
Normally, Harry would have never been able to keep up with the cars moving at top speed, but this was Los Angeles. Even at night, there was more than enough traffic to keep them from reaching those speeds. From his vantage point, Harry saw that the lead car was trying to make it to the freeway, where it could try to outrun the police. It ripped through an intersection, causing a motorist to slam on his brakes and swerve to the side, trying to avoid a T-bone collision. The SUV jumped the curve and plowed right into a light pole. The bank robbers didn't seem to care about the danger they were causing. They dipped between cars, cutting off motorists while nearly causing even more wrecks. Then the traffic became too heavy, they pulled to the left and started going against traffic. The cops continued to follow, but they pulled back, likely finding the criminals' actions too dangerous. Thankfully, Harry didn't need to worry about that. He flapped his wings harder, closing the distance. The car then swerved back into the correct lane of traffic and pulled hard to the furthest right lane. Their damaged tail light shattered when they clipped a white luxury sedan trying to get on the freeway.
As they got on the on-ramp, Harry made his move. He tucked his wings and shot down toward the car. Aiming for the back, Harry unfurled his wings just as he flew through the broken back window. He transformed back into a human, sitting uncomfortably on a pile of broken safety glass.
"Watch out! You nearly hit the fucking side!" the passenger cursed his friend's poor driving as he looked out the side window. They were indeed very close to the safety wall.
"Are they still behind us?" the driver asked, sounding nervous and more than a little stressed. They just left the on-ramp and were now on the freeway. The engine revved, and they began moving faster. The passenger looked over his left shoulder, and his eyes widened when he found Harry sitting there. Harry smiled and silently waved when he was spotted.
"Who the fuck are you?!" he sputtered, suddenly looking very angry.
"What are you talkin' abou… HEY!" the driver shouted as his friend pulled out his handgun.
BANG!
Harry threw his head to the side at the last second to avoid having an extra hole put in his head. The pop instantly made his ears ring, and he wasn't the only one. The driver screamed out in pain and accidentally jerked the steering wheel to the left. The car swerved to the left and side-swiped a pickup truck with a loud crunch. The gun-totting passenger leaned into the back, trying to get a good shot at Harry, but he was too quick. The Elder Wand suddenly appeared in Harry's hand, and all it took was a quick flick for the man to be disarmed. The gun slipped from his grip, and he yelped while comically trying to catch it from the air. It bounced off his palm, tumbled backward, and hit the middle console. BANG!
"YEEEAAAAOW!" the driver screamed. "You shot me! Oh, god, you shot me!" he accused his friend. Harry saw that he had been hit in the right forearm. At that moment, he decided it might be best to leave. These two idiots would kill all three of them if this carried on any further.
"But I didn't …" the passenger began before Harry stunned him in the face. The passenger slumped forward, completely unconscious, while the driver tried to avoid crashing into another car. Harry pointed his wand at the dashboard and fired a very powerful Piercing Hex. The hex punched a hole straight through the dashboard, right through the engine, and even tore a chunk out of the road beneath them. The car jerked hard and sputtered a few times before the engine cut off. By then, Harry noticed flashing red and blue lights. He turned and looked out the back window. The cops were only twenty feet away. Harry grabbed the duffle bag from the back seat and apparated away, leaving the two idiots on their own.
Harry appeared in his room in the house he had just left. It was the first location that came to mind. That would need to be rectified since popping into someone else's home probably wasn't a good idea. Luckily, the house was still empty. Harry dropped the duffle bag on the bed and opened it up. It was loaded with bundled stacks of bills. Unfortunately, they were all splattered with hot pink paint.
"Exploding dye pack," Harry said out loud. That was the mist he saw coming from the bag when the robbers left the bank. He remembered the packs from movies and TV shows when he was young. The packs would go off when a radio signal was sent, covering the money with permanent dye and leaving it useless. The goal was to cover the offender as well, making it easier for the authorities to identify him. From what he remembered, the dye was supposed to be almost impossible to remove. "Let's try magic," Harry said.
He pointed his wand at the mess, and it began siphoning the dye straight from the bills and inside the bag. When the inside was clean, he did the outside, the bed, and the little bit that got on his hands. Once done, it was all sparkling clean. Harry turned the bag over and dumped the cash on the bed. He easily found the fake bundle of bills and vanished it. He looked over the money and guessed there were tens of thousands of dollars there. His first instinct was to keep it, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. He didn't know a lot about Muggle money, but he did know that they could be tracked by the serial numbers on each bill. That was very risky for the relatively small amount of cash. Besides, he didn't need the money and could devise a better way to earn some when needed. Harry levitated the cash back into the bag and cleaned it of his fingerprints. He conjured some gloves and picked the bag up. Harry then went into the backyard, transformed into a raven, and flew off in the direction of the bank. It took him a good while to pinpoint the area, but when he finally did, spotting the bank was easy. There were still cop cars out front with their lights flashing. Harry landed on the roof of the building next door to the bank. He didn't know if there were cameras on the bank's roof and didn't want to risk it. He transformed back into a human and chucked the bag over the side, in the direction of the police. He quickly transformed and took to the sky. Harry circled overhead and saw the police looking in the bag. With his good deed for the day done, Harry found a safe place to transform before apparating back to his hotel room.
Metal and Magic
Coulson sighed as he walked to his boss's office. Fury had been getting more and more irritable over the last week. As far as he was concerned, no progress was being made. In reality, very little progress was being made, so Coulson could understand his irritation. He reached the door and knocked. "Enter!" Fury barked from the other side. Coulson entered, and Fury motioned for him to sit down.
"It looks like we've got something else to worry about," he stated as he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. He popped the top and downed more than the recommended dosage.
"Sir?" Coulson asked.
"It seems there's someone flying around in a metal suit, causing havoc. They killed a bunch of terrorists in Gulmira, Afghanistan, earlier today before destroying their military equipment. The council isn't too pleased with this turn of events, and I can't say I feel any different. We can't have some lone wolf traveling the world and taking matters into their own hands," Fury filled him in.
"And what does the council want us to do about it?" Coulson asked.
"They want the technology for themselves," Fury told him. Coulson snorted.
"Big surprise," he simply stated.
"They'll have to get in line. The Air Force was the one to discover this, so there's no way to keep it a secret. They're already pushing hard to take charge of this new tech … assuming they can find who has it."
"And what do you think, sir?" Coulson asked.
"It would be a useful tool to have in our arsenal," he confessed.
"If only we knew who made it," Coulson replied.
"I have a feeling we do," Fury answered him. Coulson looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Who has a beef with the Ten Rings? Who had a particularly shit time in Afghanistan? Who has the technical know-how and resources to design and build something like this?" Fury asked.
"You can't mean …" Coulson said, shocked by the turn of events.
"Tony Stark," he nodded. "Barton saw something streak through the sky as it left Stark's mansion. He thought Stark was testing a new missile or a rocket-powered drone. It wasn't until after I heard the reports that I knew what it was."
"So what do we do? Should we bring him in?" Coulson asked.
"That's the dilemma," Fury responded. "Right now, I'm the only one who has put two and two together. If we bring him in, the council will know within minutes, and I don't trust them to do what's right."
"So, should we wait?"
"I need to think it over and decide the best course of action. For the time being, put multiple agents around Stark's home. Make it discreet and keep it off the books. Only use the agents I've personally vetted. I don't want this getting back to the council. At least not yet."
"What about Harry Potter? Do you think he's somehow connected to this?" Coulson asked.
"I'm not sure. The timing is very suspicious. Tell Romanoff to speed up her plans. We need to know what he's up to and what his connection to Stark is."
Coulson nodded. "I'll make the call. Is there anything else?"
Fury shook his head while pulling a file from his desk. Coulson knew he had just been dismissed. He got up while pulling out his phone. He made the call as soon as the door closed behind him.
Metal and Magic
The following morning, Harry's phone began to ring. He checked the caller ID and smiled. "Hey, Natalie," he happily answered the phone.
"Hi, Harry! How come you haven't called me?" she playfully asked.
"I've been a bit busy lately. You know, house hunting and such, but I'm free today if you want to meet up," Harry told her.
"I'd like that. I was planning on going to the beach, if you want to join me," she suggested.
"That sounds great. When do you want to meet up?" he asked.
"I can pick you up in an hour," she said. Harry thought about it for a second. While he didn't particularly like the idea of this group knowing where he was living, he didn't plan on staying long anyway.
"Harry?" she called out, making sure he was still on the line.
"That sounds good. I'm staying at the Regency Hotel on Beverly," he told her.
"I know the one," she happily stated. "I'll be there in an hour."
"I'll be waiting," Harry said with a smile.
"I'll see ya!" she chirped.
"Bye," he chuckled and stuffed the phone in his pocket when it cut off. He went down to the lobby and visited one of the hotel's shops. Being in LA, of course, they sold beach supplies. Harry purchased a pair of swim trunks, a pair of windbreaker pants, a pair of sunglasses, and a couple of large beach towels before going back to his room. Harry stripped down and put on the trunks before sliding the windbreakers over them. He then put his shoes back on and finished it off with a white t-shirt. Harry checked himself in the mirror and nodded. He then conjured a small duffle bag and placed his towels and wallet inside. With nothing left to do but wait, Harry flopped on the bed and turned the TV on.
Metal and Magic
Natasha pulled up to the hotel and was about to call him when she spotted Harry exiting the front door with a bag in his hand. He appeared to be ready to settle in while waiting for her. She gave the horn a short blast, smiled, and waved when he looked over at her. He smiled back and walked over to her. Natasha rolled down her window and called out to him. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," he joked, walked around the car, and jumped into the passenger seat. When the door banged shut, she put the car in drive and pulled out. Harry tossed the bag into the backseat and settled in.
She received a call from Coulson the previous night. His instructions were clear. They needed information, and they needed it soon. This put Natasha in a bit of a pickle. For situations like this, she preferred more of a slow burn. It was much easier. However, with no other choice, she would have to become more aggressive.
"I know a great spot. There are fewer tourists since it's a bit out of the way," she happily stated.
"That's good. How have you been? I can see you got your car fixed," Harry responded.
"Yeah. I had a bad fuel pump, but I got it changed. Outside of not having my car for the day, I've been pretty good."
The duo chit-chatted as Natasha drove to her supposed favorite spot. She parked the car in the back lot of an Italian restaurant, and when Harry looked at her confused, she pointed to a patch of long, dried brush. "There's a path there that will lead us down to the shore. It's a bit rocky, so be careful where you step," she warned him.
Natasha had actually learned about this spot during her last mission in Los Angeles. She was glad to have a reason to visit it again. "Come on. Follow me," she said as Harry grabbed both of their bags.
She led him through the brush and onto the rocky path that led down an incline. They took it slow so they didn't accidentally twist an ankle. When they reached the shore, there were only a few people around. Further down the shore to the right, she could see many more people enjoying the morning sun. Thankfully, this area was a bit of a walk from all the food stands and souvenir shops, so most people didn't bother. "Hey, this is nice," Harry said as he stood next to her. The breeze was stiffer than normal, which made the water a little rougher.
"I told you it's great!" she smiled at him. "Bag, please," she said. Harry handed her her bag and dropped his on the ground. Natasha pulled out one of her towels and spread it across the sand. Harry did the same. He kicked off his shoes and socks and pulled his pants down, revealing the swim trunks he had on underneath. He then pulled his shirt over his head. Natasha took a brief moment to check him out before removing her own clothes. She wanted to make sure he was watching. When she was sure he was looking at her, she pulled her t-shirt over her head, revealing her bikini top. She could feel her large breasts jiggling around and providing him with an erotic show. It was exactly what she wanted. She kicked off her shoes and dropped her shirt into her bag before unbuttoning the short jean shorts she had been wearing. Natasha tugged them down her thighs and let them drop around her ankles. She bent over to pull them from her feet, making sure Harry could see her breasts dangling. She intended to use every advantage she had. Covering her lower half was a bikini bottom, a size or two smaller than she would usually wear. The back was wedged between her pillowy cheeks, and the front hung low on her hips. She internally smirked when she saw Harry checking out her mostly-exposed body.
"Enjoying the show?" she teased him. Harry looked up at her and smiled.
"Best show I've seen in a while," he teased back, making her laugh. She sat down on her towel and reached into her bag. Pulling out a bottle of sunblock, she squirted some onto her palm. She rubbed her hands together and began applying it to her smooth legs. Harry dropped down onto the towel next to hers and rested the back of his head on his folded arms. He closed his eyes, crossed his ankles, and sighed. This was the opposite of what she wanted. Luckily, she had a plan.
"Can you rub some of this on my back?" Natasha asked with a cute smile on her pretty face. Harry opened his eyes and saw her holding out the bottle of sunblock. He smiled at her and sat up.
"Sure!" he said, taking the bottle from her. Natasha beamed and lay face down on the towel. She turned her head and rested the side of her face on her hands. She then smiled to herself and reached behind her back. She found the string holding her top together and pulled it. She moved the strings away, leaving her back completely bare. Harry placed his hands on her back and slathered the cool cream over her smooth skin. Her breath hitched when she realized he was not just rubbing it into her skin, but massaging her muscles at the same time. She had to admit, it felt really good. It had been too long since her last massage.
"That feels good," she hummed when he reached her shoulders. He finished way too soon for her liking.
"There you go," he said before applying some to his skin as well.
They lay next to each other for a while, talking and joking, before Natasha sat up. "Oops!" she cried out as her untied top nearly fell off her chest. She pressed her arm to her breasts just in time to save her modesty. That wasn't planned, but she considered it a happy accident. With most of her breasts exposed, Harry's attention was now fully on her. She turned her back with a smile. "Can you tie me up, please?"
Harry did just that, and she smirked when his fingers lingered on her skin. Once tied, she pushed herself to her feet and held out her hand. "Let's go swimming," she suggested.
"Alright," Harry said and got to his feet. He took her hand, and she led him into the water. As soon as they were thigh-deep, a large wave crashed over them, nearly knocking her down. Harry wrapped his arm around her, keeping her upright. She took the opportunity to press her body against him. The cold water had her nipples hard, and she subtly rubbed them against his bare chest.
"Thanks for saving me," she smiled at the handsome young man. He smiled back at her.
"No problem," he chuckled, keeping his arm around her. His hand was on her hip, and she could feel his fingers lightly caressing her soft skin. Natasha stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed his lips. She was pleased when he kissed her back. After pulling away, she smiled sexily at him and pulled him further into the water, where they splashed and played around. This was only the beginning of what she had in store for him.
Chapter 8
Harry felt "Natalie" jump on his back, drape her arms over his shoulders, and wrap her smooth, shapely legs around his waist. Her large breasts were firmly pressed against his back, and he could feel her warm, pleasant breath against his neck.
"So you want a ride back to shore?" Harry amusedly asked. Natasha smiled, leaned forward, and kissed his cheek.
"Yes, please. I'm pretty tired," she told him. They had been splashing around in the ocean for over an hour, so it wasn't surprising that she would be tired.
"Alright … Hang on," he told her and began making his way back to the beach. Large waves hit them from behind as Harry carried her piggyback. She was rubbing all over him, making the front of his shorts especially tight. When they reached their laid-out towels, Harry set her on her feet. Natasha sat down on hers and stretched her body out. She looked very sexy lying there in the sun. The sunlight glistened off the beads of water scattered across her pale, sexy skin. Harry took another few seconds to appreciate her beauty before lying on his own towel. Natasha grabbed her sunglasses and put them on.
"The water's rough today," Harry stated as he lay down with a sigh. "I'm gonna be sore in the morning."
"Poor baby," Natasha teased good-naturedly and turned to look at him. He could see a cheeky smile on her pretty face. "Do you need me to stay over and help nurse you back to health?" she teased. Harry chuckled.
"I wouldn't say no to that," Harry teased back. "People complain about the healthcare in this country, but I'm guessing none of them had had you as a nurse." Natasha laughed and rolled onto her back. Her breasts bounced around in her tight bikini top, drawing his gaze once again. Harry's eyes moved down her toned belly and over her barely-hidden mound. Her wet bikini bottom clung to her skin, and Harry could see the exact shape of her womanhood. His eyes traveled further down and over her sexy thighs. He wasn't sure if she knew how hard he was checking her out, but if she did, she obviously didn't care.
They spent another hour lying there chatting while catching some sun. They then returned to the water where Natasha did her best to keep his cock as hard as a rock. More than once, she threw her arms around the back of his neck and furiously made out with him. Her full lips were incredibly soft, and he discovered that she was an amazing kisser. She even moaned into his mouth when his fingertips tickled her spine as they crept down her soft skin. He didn't want to move too fast and offend her, so he kept his hands on her wide, fleshy hips, but Natasha seemed hell bent on testing his resolve. Her tits were mashed into his chest, and he could feel her hard nipples poking his skin. Natasha then broke her latest kiss and dragged her tongue across his lips. Not content to let her have all the fun, Harry leaned in and sucked her tongue into his mouth. He tickled the bottom of her tongue with his, making her shudder and moan into his mouth. By then, he threw caution to the wind and slid his hands down her hips and onto her wide, jutting ass. Seeing that she wasn't about to pull back and smack him, he squeezed her thick cheeks and greedily groped her mostly-bare ass. Not only did she accept his lustful behavior, but she pressed harder against him and ground her ass against the palms of his hands.
Her cheeks were so smooth and warm, and he loved how pliable her flesh was when he squeezed them. Though there was a lot of sexy flesh on her bottom, he could feel that her ass was quite toned, and he could tell she worked out. Natasha broke the kiss and leaned her head in. Her lips found his neck, and she began sucking on it while her tongue tickled his skin.
"Boy, you're quite the woman," Harry chuckled at her saucy behavior. He squeezed both of her cheeks and pried them open slightly before letting go and allowing them to snap back into place. He then gave her wet bottom a soft smack.
"Mmm," she hummed into his skin. "You don't know the half of it."
Harry then lifted her by her bottom and kissed her again. Natasha didn't seem to mind one bit. In fact, she wrapped her legs around his waist and began grinding her crotch against his stomach. Their revelry was ruined when they heard hooting and hollering from the short. They broke the kiss and looked toward the beach. Two college-aged men were walking down the beach with beers in their hands. It was clear they weren't hollering for him. They wolf-whistled one last time before they walked out of earshot. Harry shook his head and chuckled.
"It seems I'm not the only one who appreciates your curves," Harry teased her. Natasha smiled and rolled her eyes as Harry set her back down on her feet.
"It's the price you pay for being a young, attractive woman in LA. Luckily for you, I'm letting you do more than appreciate my curves," she teased him back and ran her soft hands up his forearms as he played with her hips. His fingers brushed over the tied strings on her hips, and all he could think about was how much he wanted to pull those strings and free her of the small triangle covering her crotch. He obviously kept himself from doing so. A public beach wasn't the place for it. "How about we go get some food? I'm starting to get hungry," she said. Harry smiled and nodded.
"Sure. I'm hungry as well," he told her. Natasha smiled back and gave him a soft kiss. She then took his hand and held it all the way to the beach, where they put their clothes back on and loaded up her car.
They went to a nearby burger joint and ate their fill. After they were done, they decided they had had enough of the beach for the day. Natasha drove him back to the hotel and pulled up to the front. "You can come up if you want," Harry told her as he ran his hand up and down her thigh. "It's still early."
She was obviously some type of spy or something, but seeing as she hadn't killed him yet, he saw no reason to keep her at arm's length. Natasha smiled happily and nodded. "I think I will. I can use a shower."
Truer words had never been spoken. Harry felt grimey from the dried seawater on his skin, and there was sand in every crack and crevice. He guessed she was suffering the same fate. "Great! The parking lot's over there," he said, pointing to the right side of the hotel. She pulled back onto the street and turned into the parking lot's entrance, where she parked. Harry exited the car and grabbed his bag.
"Grab mine too," she said as she opened her door. "I've packed a change of clothes."
Harry did as she asked and grabbed her bag as well. With both bags in hand, Harry led her into the hotel and up to his room. He fished out his card and jammed it into the electronic lock. When the lock beeped, he pushed the door open and let her in. He was quite glad that all of his stuff was locked safely in his car. He only had a bag with some clothes, toiletries, and money in his room. Harry dropped the bag onto the ground, and Natasha put hers on his bed. "This is a pretty nice room," she said, looking around. The hotel room was spacious, featuring a large flat-screen TV and a big, comfortable-looking bed. The view was pretty good as well. He could see the beach in the far distance.
"And it's priced accordingly. I'll go broke if I stay here too much longer," Harry joked, fishing some clothes out of his bag. Natasha chuckled and turned to him, smiling cutely.
"Would you mind if I showered first?" she asked, turning on the charm. She reached out and grazed his forearm with her delicate fingertips. "I really need to get all this sand off of me. It's driving me crazy."
"Of course. I have some soap and shampoo here in my bag if you want," he said, going through his bag and pulling them out. "I'm sure it's better than whatever's in there." Natasha gratefully accepted his offer and took the bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from him. She held them in her arm and stepped up to him.
"Thanks. I won't be too long," she smiled and kissed him sweetly on the lips. She pulled away before he could deepen it. She winked at him as she walked to the bathroom, her wide hips swaying with every confident step. The shorts she wore made her ass look extra good, and by the time the bathroom door closed behind her, he was hard again. He heard her turn the shower on, and he sighed and stood there, not wanting to get sand all over the bed. Instead, he grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. He was still flipping through the channels fifteen minutes later when the bathroom door opened. He turned and saw Natasha step out with a towel wrapped around her curvy body. The tops of her breasts were spilling out of the towel, and the bottom of the towel barely reached her upper thighs. A second towel was wrapped around her head, keeping her wet hair in place. She smirked when she saw him so blatantly checking her out.
"Hit the showers and cool off while I put on some clothes," she teased, dragging her fingertip down his chest. Harry chuckled and shook his head.
"Sure, Natalie. I'll make it quick," he said, scooping up his clothes. Harry took them into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. As soon as the door closed, Natasha went into her bag. She opened a secret compartment and pulled out several electronic listening devices. All were battery operated, which wasn't ideal, but unfortunately, she didn't have the time to wire them into a better power source. She placed several of the bugs around his room, in places he hopefully wouldn't find. She then quickly dug through her bag and pulled out her garments. Natasha knew that she shouldn't be taking things this far this quickly, but she had little choice. She needed to be around him as much as possible to get the information she needed. When she held out her choice of attire, she smirked. There was no way he would send her away after seeing her in these. She dropped her towel and quickly dressed.
Metal and Magic
Harry turned the shower off and wiped the water from his face. He stood there for a few seconds, letting as much water drip off of him as reasonably possible. He then stepped out and grabbed a white, fluffy towel from the rack. After drying himself off, he put on a pair of boxers, a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt before trying his best to tame his wild hair. Once done, he left the bathroom and stepped into the room. He could hear her flipping through the television channels just as he had been doing while she was showering. When he turned the corner and saw the bed, his eyes went slightly wide. Natasha was lounging on his bed wearing a very thin, silk camisole top, a skimpy pair of panties, and nothing else. It was more than obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra. Her nipples were incredibly stiff and poking through the thin top. She looked at him and smiled.
He stopped and thought for a second. He found it strange that she would have these sexy clothes in her bag if she was just planning on going to the beach. A fresh pair of panties … yes, but a camisole top? Not likely, Harry thought. That meant that she had packed them for a reason, and the only logical reason was that she had planned on seducing him and getting him to invite her back to his place. If that was her plan, it had worked to perfection. He still wasn't sure why she wanted to be here so badly, but he was sure he would figure it out in time. In the meantime, he certainly wouldn't let such a good opportunity go to waste. Natasha had a very sexy look on her face when she patted the spot next to her. Harry smiled back and got on the bed next to her. She then turned the TV off and set the remote aside.
"I hope you don't mind that I'm wearing so little," she said, drawing his attention to the fact that so much skin was exposed. She then rolled over and straddled his lap. She leaned over a bit, and the low-cut top she wore hung down even lower, exposing more of her glorious cleavage. The neckline hung so low that he could almost see her nipples. "It's more comfortable," she cheekily added, rocking her hips so her big, dangling tits would sway. Harry placed his hands on her waist and slid them up her sides. His hands crept underneath the bottom of the loose top, and his fingers tickled every rib along the way. He noticed that she didn't react. She either wasn't ticklish at all or had excellent self-control.
"I definitely don't mind," he assured her, lightly dragging his short fingernails down her spine. Natasha shuddered and pressed harder against his crotch. Harry was blatantly hard, and he knew there was no way she didn't feel it. Harry's hands moved around her sides, and he let his fingers explore her slim belly. Natasha closed her eyes and basked in the pleasure of having her delicate skin played with.
"That feels good," she breathily stated as she began to roll her wide hips. He had to admit, she looked incredible as her hips rolled back and forth. She placed her hands on his pecs and supported herself with her arms as she teased his cock through his shorts. Harry moved his hands back up her sides, and this time, his fingers brushed the sides of her breasts. Natasha didn't protest. Instead, she encouraged him by moving her hips faster. Harry took the chance and slid his hands up her belly and cupped both breasts. They were so soft and warm, and they spilled out of his hands. Natasha started breathing heavily, and her pale cheeks began to grow pink. He lightly flicked his thumbs over the hard, crinkled tips of her nipples, making the sexy redhead shudder. "Keep doing that," she demanded softly while grinding on his cock.
"You like that, huh?" Harry asked in a teasing manner while he toyed with her nipples. He could feel that her skin had broken out in goosebumps.
"I love having my nipples played with," she truthfully admitted. "They've always been sensitive." She particularly liked the way he lightly pinched and pulled on the tips. He was neither too rough nor too gentle, and it was making her pussy tingle pleasantly. She could tell the crotch of her panties was a bit damp. She could feel the thin fabric clinging to her pussy lips.
"They're so soft," Harry said, flicking his thumb over them while caressing her perfect tits. Natasha answered him by leaning down and kissing him. Her mouth opened, inviting him in. Harry removed his hands from her breasts and moved them down to her ass. He loved how thick and juicy her cheeks were. He would squeeze them all day if she allowed it. He discovered she was wearing a thong, and the string was hidden between her two pillowy cheeks. His fingers crept down into the crack of her ass, and he palmed her cheeks and spread them apart.
Natasha moaned into his mouth while wondering how far she should take this. She was already grinding her panty-covered pussy against his erection. Granted, he was wearing clothes, but still …
As attractive as she was, Natasha rarely had the time to indulge in carnal delights. She was constantly traveling the world while on one mission or another, and that didn't leave much time to have a social life. Sometimes she thought she was wasting the best years of her life, and she only hoped that she wouldn't regret it someday. Her current mission was a bit of a blessing, she thought. Harry was a pleasant fellow, and she found his appearance pleasing. He was a good kisser, and he was obviously talented when it came to pleasuring her body. 'It wouldn't be so bad to give in once,' she told herself. Even so, she knew it wouldn't be a smart idea to fully give in right from the start. They were supposed to be on a first date after all. Natasha gasped when her clit rubbed against his bulge, and his finger rubbed against the string that was barely covering her asshole. She could feel an orgasm approaching, and she didn't want to miss out.
'I can't remember the last time I came,' she thought as she pushed down harder and mashed her panty-clad clit against his cock. If she couldn't remember, then it was already far too long, in her opinion. Harry tickled the bottom of her tongue, and every time he did that, it made her pussy throb with need. She was finding it difficult to keep a clear head. Her instincts were to pull his shorts off and ride his cock to completion, but she had to resist. Then his fingers slid underneath her thong and brushed against her wet slit. Natasha squealed into his mouth and bucked her hips. The crotch of her panties suddenly got a whole lot wetter. She collapsed forward and lay her head against his chest. She didn't realize that her ass was sticking up like a bitch in heat. Her breathing was ragged and lustful, and she couldn't stop her body from shaking. His fingers didn't stop there. They slid all the way up her slit and bumped into her swollen clit. Natasha whimpered hard, and Harry responded by rubbing circles around her little bead, using her own wetness as lubrication. Natasha bit down on his shirt and cried out as the orgasm crashed over her. Her body trembled badly, and she closed her eyes as the wave of wonderful pleasure washed over her. Harry then slid his fingers back down her slit to relubricate them, and then moved them back to her clit. "Please, Harry!" she gasped and flinched away. "It's too sensitive!" she pleaded, her breathing almost uncontrollable.
Harry chuckled and pulled his hand from her pussy. He moved it back to her ass and held it like he owned it. Natasha remained on top of him, sucking in deep breaths as the orgasm slowly tapered off. She didn't realize that she had slid her hand under his shirt and was caressing his chest until the orgasm finally faded into just a wildly tingling pussy. By then, she saw no reason to stop. "You're pretty talented with those fingers," she said, yawning and snuggling into his chest. There had been too many days when she had only gotten a few hours of sleep a night. The exhaustion was finally starting to catch up with her.
"I aim to please," he joked, which made her chuckle. Harry's hand moved to the back of her neck, and he gently played with the small hairs at the base of her hairline. It felt really good, and she couldn't stop herself from mewling cutely. She also couldn't stop herself from drifting off. She yawned one last time as her brain started getting hazy from tiredness. His heart was beating loudly, and the sound soothed her as she gave in and succumbed to her sleepiness.
Metal and Magic
Natasha was jolted from her sleep by an annoying sound. She heard it again and tried her best to ignore it. She was warm, comfortable, and didn't want anything to interrupt her much-needed sleep. Thankfully, the noise finally stopped, and she smiled and snuggled deeper into the comfortable warmth. Then, the damn noise started again. Her eyes fluttered open, and she groaned. "Sorry," she heard a male voice say. It took a second to remember who it was.
"Harry?" she asked sleepily. A hand moved under the back of her top, and she felt warm fingers caressing her skin. The sensation made her body tingle pleasantly.
"It's my phone. Hold on," he answered and rolled her off of him. Natasha huffed, annoyed that her comfort had been violated. She rubbed her eyes and watched him get off the bed. Looking through the window, she could see that it was late in the afternoon, and she had likely been sleeping for at least a couple of hours. Harry grabbed his phone and answered it.
"What's up, Tony?" he asked. Natasha was immediately on alert. In all likelihood, he was talking to Tony Stark, and she listened carefully. "Uh-huh," Harry said, listening. "That's cool. Alright … Keep me up to date. Later," he said, and ended the conversation. Harry then walked back to the bed and set his cellphone down on the bedside table. He climbed back on the bed, and Natasha took her place by his side. She scooted closer to him, and he slid his arm around the back of her neck. Snuggling into him, she moved her hand under his shirt again. She didn't know why she liked doing that so much.
Pretending to be falling asleep, Natasha asked through a yawn, "Who was it?"
"My friend Tony," Harry answered, playing with the soft skin of her shoulder.
"Mmm," she mumbled as her hand crept lower. "I hope it wasn't anything important." Her fingers played with his stomach.
"Not really. He was just keeping me informed about some tests he was running. We might go into business together," he told her. Unbeknownst to her, Harry was watching what he was saying. He was sure she knew he was talking about Tony Stark, and he didn't want to accidentally give too much away. Even so, he felt it was okay to tell her about the business thing. If it went through, it would all be public anyway.
"That's interesting …" she said, suddenly sounding a bit more awake. Her hand slid down the front of his shorts. "What kind of business?" Harry couldn't stop the small smirk from forming on his lips as her hand found his rapidly inflating cock. It seemed his darling Natalie was quite eager to hear all about it. As her fingers glided over his shaft, he knew this would likely be the best interrogation of his life.
Chapter 9
Harry walked into his hotel room and set his bag of food on the table. A burger and fries had become a staple in his diet as of late. He pulled the curtains back on his balcony window, revealing the night sky and hundreds of lit-up windows. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels, trying to find the local news. When he found it, his eyes widened in shock.
" … looked like two robots fighting! They tore up the street and wrecked a bunch of cars," a middle-aged woman said to the cameraman, pointing over her shoulder. In the background, Harry saw quite a bit of destruction. The battle had left a trail of twisted metal and shattered glass in its wake. "Whoa!" someone shouted, and when the camera panned over, it showed what appeared to be two missiles flying straight into the air.
"We highly recommend that everyone stay clear of Stark Industries. The streets look like a war zone and …" the reporter stated, but Harry wasn't listening by then. He spun in place, a sense of urgency driving him, and disappeared from his hotel room.
He appeared in an empty alley near the Stark Industries building. His nose wrinkled from the sudden smell of stale piss and garbage. With a swift motion, he transformed into a raven, his human body contorting and reshaping until he was a sleek black bird. Harry took off into the air and quickly spotted the carnage on the ground below him. Wrecked cars and trucks littered the street, and several fires burned, casting the scene in an ominous orange light. A loud metallic bang drew his attention away from the disaster zone, and Harry flew higher to investigate.
As he reached the necessary height, Harry spotted a normal-sized man in metallic red and gold armor. He instantly knew this was his idiotic friend. His hunch was immediately confirmed when the faceplate slid upward, revealing Tony's stupid face. The faceplate immediately snapped shut when a monstrously large metal hulk landed behind him with a bone-shaking thump. A punch was thrown, and Tony spun through the air and landed roughly ten feet away. He slid to a stop on his feet and attempted a flying punch, but the hulking metal monster quickly wrapped him up in a bear hug. Harry had just dove to step in when flares began flying out of Tony's suit in every direction. Harry cawed loudly, temporarily blinded by the bright lights. He banked hard and let a wind current carry him higher into the air. He could hear fighting going on below him, but white spots filled his vision, leaving him unable to act.
After a minute or so, his vision began to clear, and he heard a violent explosion from down below. He looked down and saw Tony dangling from a broken skylight, and there was a very bright, bluish light emanating from down in the building. The large, metal hulk turned out to be a suit of armor as well. The front was opened up, and an old bald man was sitting inside. He had his arm stretched out before him and was firing missiles at Tony's dangling body. This was his time to act.
Harry tucked his wings in and swooped down, directly at the exposed portion. Coming in fast, Harry flipped his bird body, transformed mid-flight, and kicked the man straight in the chest with both feet. He apparated away and reappeared on his feet right between Tony and the other metal monstrosity. "Harry?" Tony asked in confusion.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the old man screamed in pain, and the gargantuan suit flailed its arms. He then coughed loudly and gasped for breath. He looked straight at Harry with pure hatred. "You broke my ribs, you little shit!" he shouted with a gruff, pained voice.
"A thousand apologies," Harry chuckled. "I meant to kick you in your big, ugly face."
"ARRRRRGGH!" he growled and pointed his arm directly at Harry. A large missile popped up from his tree-trunk-sized forearm, but Harry was more than ready for it. The Elder Wand appeared in his hand, and as the rocket ignited, Harry casually flicked the wand. The missile broke free of its launcher and tumbled over the side. It exploded against the suit's side, sending it tumbling to its left. The loud clanking and scraping made Harry's eardrums hurt, but the pained scream that followed was like music to him. Unfortunately, the metal suit was back on its feet faster than Harry could blink.
"Now you're going to get it!" the old man snarled, and Harry saw that the right side of his face was pockmarked with shrapnel and caked in blood. The front plate snapped shut, and the man yelled in fury. It lunged forward with both arms outstretched. Harry definitely didn't want those hands getting hold of him. He knew those metal arms would turn him into paste with just the lightest squeeze.
Harry disappeared right before he would have been trampled. He appeared right behind him and swung his wand forward. A golden lasso of light erupted from the tip of the Elder Wand, and he could practically feel the wand vibrating with euphoria. The wand loved battle. It craved it. It was almost an extension of Harry's body, and he barely had to think about what he wanted before the Elder Wand acted on his wishes.
Golden light lit up the entire roof of Stark Industries as the lasso streaked forward. It hit the stumbling suit directly in the back and wrapped itself around its torso. Harry pulled the wand back, tightening the grip on the metal beast's back. As it tightened, the golden light dug into the metal, bending and tearing it and creating a terrible sound. The hulk turned around and blindly swung in his direction, but Harry was too far away for him to make contact. Harry pulled the wand hard while lifting it up. The beast was pulled high into the air, and Harry could hear its synthesized scream as it tumbled head over heels. Harry jerked the wand downward, and the suit slammed into the concrete roof with a deafening bang. Pieces of concrete shot out in every direction, some of them hitting Harry. The metal man sat up and twisted his arm around the golden light. He then pulled with all his might while his arm sparked and smoked from being in contact with Harry's magic.
"Get over here!" he shouted, and Harry's feet slid across the roof. Harry tugged in the opposite direction, and the arm groaned as the metal stressed. It was starting to glow from the heat being produced. Even as Harry pulled his hardest, the suit was simply too powerful, and he began sliding again. Harry concentrated and gave his wand the slightest flick. A lightning bolt surged through the rope of golden light and struck the arm, causing it to explode. Red-hot shards of steel rained down, and Harry was luckily spared when the tension was cut and he tumbled backward.
He fell on his butt and rolled backward into a standing position, his wand at the ready. "You piece of shit!" the old man cried out and flipped the chest plate up, exposing his head and torso. At the same time, his one good arm swung upward, and an attached mini-gun began spinning. On instinct, Harry twisted his wand and jabbed, conjuring a large shield of magically reinforced metal. With his body completely covered by the shield, Harry winced in pain as the bullets began flying. It sounded like a hundred hammers were beating on the shield every second. Though he couldn't see the impact of the bullets, he could still see the sparks flying out from all sides, and he could definitely feel the vibration. It seemed to go on forever, and he was too deafened by the constant noise to notice the metal beast slowly making its way over to him.
Metal and Magic
Obadiah Stane kept his gun blazing as he slowly crept over to the annoying little pissant. He coughed roughly, and he felt warm liquid roll down his chin. He knew that wasn't good. He likely had some internal damage from getting walloped in the chest. He needed to end this fast. His head was pounding, and every breath felt like a knife in the gut. The flash of the tracer rounds were blinding, and he could barely see when he finally reached the large, round piece of metal protecting the young man. 'How the hell is he doing all this?' he asked himself. 'What kind of technology is he using, and how can I get my hands on it?' He was obviously working for Tony. Had Tony shared some new tech with him? Had he been holding out? A million questions flooded his mind as he cut the gun and grabbed the top of the shield. "Got you!" he declared and pulled the metal shield out of the way. He was met with an empty stretch of roof. No one was there. "What the …?" he asked, confused.
Suddenly, the metal shield was yanked from his grip and rocketed forward. It slammed right into the front of his mech, and the edge of the shield caught him in the face. Stane cried out as a large gash was sliced into his forehead, and blood began dripping down his face. Then, a very powerful force rammed him straight in the middle of his back. Stane tumbled forward and hit the ground face-first. As he pushed himself up with his one good arm, he heard the gears grinding and felt them slipping. He then felt another violent collision with his back, and his suit began beeping. "Shit," he hissed. It was the warning alarm. His suit was nearly to the point of being non-functional. He only had one choice. He needed to get the fuck out of there. He pressed a button and activated the thrusters. His chest plate closed, protecting him from what would surely be a rough landing. The thrusters at the bottom of his boots roared to life, and he immediately became airborne.
Metal and Magic
Fire and intense heat burst out from the bottom of his feet, forcing Harry to take a step back. He had to shield his eyes from the blinding light. Slowly, the metal monster began lifting off the ground. Harry narrowed his eyes. "Where do you think you're going, baldie?" he called out.
Harry swung his wand, and an amethyst colored chain of magic flew from the tip of his wand and wrapped around one of his ankles. The iron beast stopped rising, and the thrusters roared even louder. Harry struggled to keep him from flying away, and beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead. "Will you just give it up, runt!" the old man shouted in his robotic voice. His body slowly turned to face Harry, and he began raising his arm.
"Take out the Arc Reactor!" Harry heard Tony shout from behind.
"The what?!" Harry asked loudly over the roar of the thrusters.
"The glowing circle on his chest!" Tony shouted back.
Just as the mini-gun on his arm began spinning, Harry vanished the chain and pointed the Elder Wand straight at the glowing circle. With barely a thought, Harry summoned it straight from his chest while the armored suit began to rise again. The entire circle screeched terribly as the metal tore from its mount. Sparks flew out, and electricity crackled as it was yanked out while the old man shot high into the air. Harry watched as it flew straight up another hundred feet before the thrusters sputtered and died. The hulking armor suddenly stopped rising and slowly began its descent. Head over heels, it tumbled downward, and Harry swore he heard panicked yells as it dropped out of sight. Far below, he heard a loud crash followed by a dozen or so car alarms going off. Harry took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He snatched the glowing circle from the air and examined it. He discovered that the circle was just the outer cover. He flipped it around and pulled out a much smaller device that was glowing pale blue. It had a bundle of wires sticking out of the back. Harry dropped the bulky cover and examined it closely.
"Don't mind me!" Tony called out. "I'm hanging in there!"
Harry snorted and walked over to Tony. When he got there, he saw Tony hanging on for dear life. Below him was a long drop with some kind of large machine radiating light. "You may want to hurry. I don't think I can hold on much longer!" Tony winced.
"Alright … Hold on," Harry said, getting into a better position. Tony looked down and called out to Pepper.
"We're okay, Pepper! Don't press the button!" he shouted, though it was difficult to hear over the loud noise the large machine was making.
"Press the button?!" Pepper shouted back from below. "But you'll die!"
"DON'T press the button!" Tony corrected her in panic.
"Okay, Tony! Pressing the button!" she shouted back. It was a true comedy of errors. Instantly, the machine began producing a low-pitched rumble, and a surge of energy raced toward them. Tony looked at Harry with wild eyes.
"If you're going to do something, you better do it now!" he shouted over the deafening noise. Harry didn't need to be told twice. He flicked his wand, and Tony's armored body levitated from the broken skylight. Harry grabbed his wrist, and they vanished just before a pale blue sky beam of energy shot upward and pierced the clouds.
They instantly appeared back in Tony's house. Harry stumbled while Tony's inoperable suit made him lose balance. He fell over and crashed right through his insanely expensive coffee table, spreading pieces of wood, metal, and glass across the floor. Harry looked down at Tony, and the older man groaned. "You alright?" Harry asked. First-time apparitions were always tough on the body.
"Do I look alright?" he groaned again while his severely damaged suit sparked in various places.
"About the same as always," Harry chuckled.
"Help me out of this five-hundred-pound anchor," he winced while trying to move. "And after that, we need to have a talk."
Harry sighed. "Yeah, I suppose we do." Harry flicked his wand, and the damaged suit disappeared from his body. It appeared right in the middle of the living room, hovering in the air. It then dropped loudly to the ground, and a piece shot away from the mangled pile and hit one of his very large windows. It cracked loudly and shattered a second later. Both men flinched from the thunderous sound of shattering glass. Tony shakily got to his feet and looked at the broken window. He then looked at the rest of the mess.
"A perfect end to the day," he sighed before grabbing his chest. The light in his chest was flickering. Tony tapped it with his fingertip, and the light went out. "This isn't good."
"Hey, that kind of looks like my new souvenir," Harry said, holding up the brightly glowing Arc Reactor in his hand.
"Give me that!" Tony yelped and snatched it from his grip. He quickly took off his shirt and removed the thing in his chest. Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust when he saw a large, metal-plated hole in his chest. It was also dripping goo.
"That smells!"
"So I've been told," Tony dryly retorted as he reached in and grabbed some wires. He then connected the Arc Reactor and slid it into the casing. Once done, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"If you're done playing with your puss-filled hole …"
"It's not puss. It's an inorganic plasmic discharge …"
"Yeah, yeah," Harry responded, waving away his gross explanation.
"So, Harry … Would you mind telling me exactly what in the hell you are?" Tony asked, crossing his arms.
Metal and Magic
"You're from a different reality?" Tony skeptically asked. Harry nodded.
"You came here in a portal?" Again, Harry nodded.
"And you can do magic?" Harry sighed.
"I've already told you three times. Yes," Harry reminded him.
"Just making sure," Tony said as he paced around his partially destroyed living room, rubbing his chin in thought. "I find this all very hard to believe," he sighed, shaking his head.
"Didn't you see me doing magic on top of the roof?" Harry asked.
"Possibly … but I did hit my head a few times, so I might have been hallucinating," Tony told him, rubbing the side of his aching head.
"Well … What about this?" Harry said and transformed into a raven right before Tony's eyes. His eyes grew to the size of saucers as he watched Harry waddle around on the ground. Harry then began flapping his black wings, and he flew up and landed on the top of the couch.
"Harry? Is that really you?" Tony asked in shock, leaning in to get a better look. The bird cawed loudly at him. "Don't poop on my couch," he quickly added. Bird Harry turned to the side, lifted his bottom, and began shaking his tail feathers. "STOP!" Tony shouted in panic. Harry immediately transformed back into a human, sitting on top of the couch with his feet on the cushions.
"Relax, idiot," Harry snorted in amusement.
"This is all real, isn't it. I haven't gone crazy?" Tony asked, scratching his head in wonder.
"The crazy part remains to be seen, but yes, this is all real," Harry answered him.
"So that's how you were able to find me and bring me back … with your magic?" Tony correctly deduced.
"Yep," Harry nodded. "Magic and a bit of detective work."
"So what kind of other stuff can you do? How did you bring us back to the house in an instant, and why did it feel like I was being sucked through a straw?" Tony asked, eager to hear more.
"I'll go into a further explanation later, but shouldn't you try to contact Pepper first? She's probably already declared you dead and is in the process of transferring your assets to herself."
"Oh, yeah! Pepper … I forgot," Tony remembered and went straight for the house phone.
Metal and Magic
"I am Iron Man."
The entire crowd went nuts with reporters jumping to their feet and yelling out dozens of questions. Harry rolled his eyes and turned the television off. "Dumbass," he snorted.
He got up from the bed and stretched with a loud yawn. He then grabbed his bag of salt and vinegar potato chips and enjoyed a midday snack. Tony had stated last night that he would come up with a reasonable and rock-solid explanation for the events of the previous night. Hearing him bumble through the press conference was amusing to watch. Unfortunately, he ended it with a very big bang. Confessing to being a superhero on national TV was something Harry never would have done. 'Tony's his own man, and he can do whatever he wants,' Harry reminded himself as she crunched down on the salty treat.
Still, Harry knew this was going to bring a lot of heat on him. A very big target was now painted on his back, not only from his enemies but from the government as well. He only hoped that Tony was aware of this. Harry grabbed a can of soda and cracked it open.
Roughly half an hour later, his Stark Industries cellphone began ringing. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Tony. "Hey, Tony," Harry greeted the moron.
"Did you see the press conference?" was the first thing he asked.
"I did," Harry answered.
"Well … What did you think?"
"I think it's risky and dangerous," he truthfully said, the weight of Tony's decision hanging heavy in the air. He then heard Tony sigh.
"You aren't the only one. I kind of just blurted it out on a whim," he confessed, his voice carrying a hint of vulnerability. Harry chuckled and shook his head. That sounded like something he would do.
"All you can do is prepare for what's to come," Harry told him and took a swig of root beer.
"I suppose," he replied, the tension in the air palpable. Harry heard a lot of talking going on in the background. "Anyway, I've got to go. Meet me at the house tonight. I've got some things I want to discuss."
"I'll be there. Later," Harry confirmed.
"Later," Tony replied, and the line went dead. Harry tossed the phone onto the table and went back to relaxing on the bed.
Later in the afternoon, Harry drove down to Malibu, and when he pulled in, the gate automatically swung open for him. He pulled up to the house and got out. No sooner than he had, Tony met him at the front door. Tony looked tired.
"Long day?" Harry asked as he walked up to him.
"Very long," Tony replied, going back into the house and leaving the door open.
"Where's Pepper?" Harry asked, not seeing the strawberry blonde woman anywhere.
"She's still at the office. As you can imagine, my confession caused a bit of an uproar, and she's trying to smooth things over with the investors," Tony chuckled. "She's less than pleased with me right now."
"I'll bet," Harry said. "So … What is it that you want to talk about?" Tony led him down into his lab, and Harry saw that he was already designing a new version of his "Iron Man" suit.
"Remember when you said that I should prepare for what's coming?" Tony asked him. Harry nodded. "Well, I thought about that before I even called you."
"That's good. What are you going to do?"
"I was thinking … You know how you're looking to buy a new home?"
"Yeah. What about it?" Harry asked.
"Why don't you just move in here for the time being?" Tony asked him. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" was all Harry could ask.
"A couple of reasons," Tony stated, tapping his fingers against the workbench. "First, I'd like to study this power you have. It could be very useful for what I'm trying to do, but the main reason is security. You're right about one thing. My decision to tell everyone is dangerous, and having you around could come in handy. You handled yourself pretty well against Obadiah."
"I dunno," Harry answered in a sing-song voice. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea.
"C'mon!" Tony happily encouraged him. "Think about it. This house is huge, and you don't even have to pay rent. I've got tons of cars you can use, so you can send that disgraced hunk of metal you drive around back to the scrapyard. I've got a bunch of crap you can experiment with," he said, sweeping his arm across the lab to show off the multi-million dollar equipment he had. "Besides, the chicks love a Malibu mansion," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "You'll get more action than you know what to do with!"
"Hmmm," Harry said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Chicks, huh? … Alright, I'll do it! But just as a favor to you," he added. His decision had nothing to do with the promise of many hot women.
"Awesome!" Tony exclaimed happily and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "I have a feeling this will be the start of a beautiful friendship," he joked.
Back at Stark Industries, Pepper Potts shuddered, but she didn't know why.