Chapter 5

The three men made their way down to the communal kitchen they used when they had meals together. When they entered the spacious area Harry looked around. All three of the people he met earlier were already there, talking quietly together at the island. They stopped talking when they realized the other group came into the room. Harry raised his eyebrow, wondering if they truly thought they were being subtle.

"We ordered a bunch of pizzas, since I wasn't sure what your guest would eat Legolas," Tony stated as he broke away from the others and walked toward the new group.

Harry took the hand that Tony held out to shake, somewhat bemusedly.

"Tony Stark," the genius reminded.

Harry smiled slightly as the older man as he replied "yes Sir. I remember."

"Call me Tony," he instructed.

"Tony," Harry acknowledged as he looked at the other members in the room, struggling to find something to say.

After a few moments of awkward silence Clint broke in to say they should start dinner. Harry offered a slight smile to his pseudo brother as he forced tense muscles to relax. He allowed the archer to guide him to a seat.

"Water, soda or juice?" Clint asked him as he grabbed two glasses and put ice in them.

"Water is fine for me Clint. I could have gotten it," Harry answered as he moved to stand back up.

Clint looked up from the soda selection, pointed at the chair he had guided Harry into and said "sit. I've got it."

Harry thought for a second before lowering himself back into the seat. He took the glass Clint handed him and took a sip of the cold liquid. He watched as the others settled around the big table. Steve took the seat across from him. Dr. Banner sat on his left and Clint on his right. Natasha sat across from Bruce while Tony sat across from Clint.

"What kind of pizza do you want Harry?" Tony asked as he held a plate.

Harry hesitated, looking over the strange selections of pizza, unsure of what to say.

"Try the cheese and pepperoni," Clint cut in. "You should like those."

"You've never had pizza before?" Steve asked softly, concern in his blue eyes.

"Once I started training I was put on a strict diet. Pizza was not on it. As for before that… Well it wasn't an option." Harry said as he accepted a plate from Tony, who had put two slices of pizza on it while he talked. "Thank you."

Tony nodded to acknowledge the thanks.

Harry waited until everyone had a plate before he turned his attention to his own plate. He picked up the slice with pepperoni on it and took a bite. He glanced up at Clint and nodded slightly as he said quietly "it's good."

Clint just smiled as he took a big bite out of his own deluxe pizza. Harry glanced to his other side to see Bruce eating a veggie pizza. He took a breath before asking softly "What kind of doctor are you Dr. Banner?"

Bruce looks startled for a moment before he swallows his bite of pizza with a sip of his own water. He wipes his mouth on a napkin before answering.

"First of all, I told you to call me Bruce. Second I'm not a MD, medical doctor. I have my Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics. My area of specialty is gamma radiation." Bruce replied.

Harry just looked at him before saying softly "uh, I think that's a little above my pay grade."

Clint cut in with a chuckle as he explained "these two are probably the two smartest men you will ever meet. So don't worry if you don't understand what they are talking about, though both of them are willing to at least try to explain if you want to know."

"Uh, no, uh thank you, but no. My traditional education was kind of… left behind when I was eleven. The school I went to kind of specialize in random subjects that, quite frankly I can't talk about. I tried to keep up with my other schooling but… Yeah. Once they started training me I didn't really see the point anymore. There just wasn't enough time in one day. I had my classes, my advanced classes then my nights were spent training." Harry trailed off as he noticed everyone staring at him.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of something to say. He turned his attention onto his plate, hoping the others would get the hint and stop looking at him. It was starting to make his skin crawl. His shoulders got tighter as the awkward silence stretched on. Green eyes darted up quickly to access the situation around him. Steve was staring at him, brows pulled low in what Harry assumed was anger. Tony was looking at him with a measure of consideration, but also like he was trying to work out a puzzle. Bruce had a similar look on his face but there was more than a touch of compassion. Natasha was studying him like she wanted to dissect him, to read his every thought and motivation. It was her that caused him to sit up straighter, which brought the soldier to the forefront. He would not allow these people to cow him. He was over that point in his life. He met her gaze head on, unflinchingly. He noticed everyone around the table take notice of his reaction. Clint reached out, under the table, and placed his hand on Harry's knee, squeezing slightly. Harry darted a glance at him, assessing his expression. Harry allowed himself to relax again.

"So what did your school teach you, if not the standard subjects?" Tony cut in before taking a big bite of his pizza.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark, as I said, I can't discuss it," Harry replied firmly.

"The name's Tony, not Mr. Stark. I just don't get why you would go to a school where they teach obscure subjects."

Harry set his piece of pizza down on his plate, touched his lips with his napkin and turned his attention onto the genius billionaire. He thought for a few long seconds about how to answer his questions. Harry shot a quick glance around at the others, noting that they were interested too.

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter. The Headmaster of the school was… "friends" with my parents. He was the one who decided that I would be placed with my Aunt and Uncle… For whatever reason he was never challenged on it, even though my parents had made it clear in their will that I was not to go to them under any circumstances. They listed something like eight other people and even an orphanage instead of them. But, he was big name in certain circles so a lot of what he did was overlooked. Anyway, my guardians didn't want to send me there but they weren't given a choice. Granted my name was in the books since I was born and my parents did set up payments before they died… That's just the way things were done there."

Tony let out a sigh, shook his head and stated "He should not be allowed to get away with that. Your family shouldn't have listened to him. They should have made sure you had an actual education," he paused and Harry met his assessing eyes steadily. "If you want to catch up with where you should be, let me know. I'll help you. Bruce will too."

Harry found himself slightly shocked at the offer, not expecting it. He struggled slightly to find the words to respond. Finally, he cleared his throat slightly and replied "Thank you for the offer Mr… Tony. I will probably take you up on that at some point. However, I would not want to impose on Dr… On Bruce."

"You wouldn't be imposing. I would be happy to help. Why do you think you would be imposing on me?"

"T-Tony offered, you didn't… Bruce, you were volunteered. However, if you are sure Bruce and you of course Tony, I will probably take you up on your offer. I will have to find a school that will allow me to study from home. I have no desire to go to school with a bunch of teenagers. That isn't going to happen."

"You are a teenager yourself," Natasha cut in. "Don't you think you should be with people your own age?"

"I may be physically their age but I've seen stuff they've only had nightmares about. I can't relate to them anymore. They certainly can't relate to me. They are kids and while I may be young, I'm no kid." Harry stated firmly.

Natasha started to say something but Steve cut in smoothly saying "I think you're right Harry. You wouldn't fit in with them anymore. You are too mature for them. I don't think you'd get anything out of hanging around with high school kids."

Harry furrowed his brows a bit as he tried to work out what exactly Steve meant. He nodded after a minute, to show he understood. Harry turned his attention onto his food, that was slowly getting cold, and proceeded to eat, knowing that Clint would know that he had had enough of being the center of attention. It was making his skin crawl again. Clint took the hint and steered the conversation onto safer territory, telling Harry about some of the amusing situations they've found themselves in over the years. They finished the remaining food in short order. Cleanup was done quickly as well. Harry somehow found himself agreeing to stay to watch a movie with them. They stuck a DVD in that showed the first part of trilogy about a band of friends trying to save their world from a dark wizard. Harry found himself being sucked into the realm of men and elves and hobbits. When the movie ended Harry just sat there as he thought about the first part of the story he had just seen. Tony saw his expression and chuckled "You'll have to come back and watch the other two. And, just so you know, they were books first. I probably have copies around here somewhere. I'll take a look, unless you want a Stark Tablet, then I can download them for you now."

Harry was, once again, shocked by the offer the man was making him. He thought about what was really being offered here tonight, not the food, tutoring or the stuff but the friendship most of these strangers were offering. He found it hard to wrap his mind around. He forced himself not to fidget as he considered his options. He took a deep breath and went with what his instincts were telling him.

"If you happen to find your copy of your books I'd love to borrow them. Don't go out of your way to find them though. As for the tutoring… If you're sure, I'd appreciate it. Just let me know when you want to start and what you need me to get beforehand."

"We can start in two weeks if you want. Give you some time to find a place to live and move in. Give you time to get settled. We can work out a schedule the weekend before and that'll give us time to get whatever you'll need." Tony stopped talking and really looked at Harry. "I want you to know that you are welcome here whenever you want. You are welcome to stay here until you find a place of your own."

Harry found himself not knowing what to say. He was shocked at the offer, shocked that this man, this stranger was offering him so much. Harry narrowed his eyes slightly as he tried to figure out what he could want from him. Harry was suspicious of strangers being this kind to him. He figured some of it was because of his relationship with Clint. He darted a quick look at his brother, trying to get a read from him on the situation. He found him looking back at him with calm blue eyes. Tony broke in to say calmly "You don't have to make a decision right now. I just wanted you to know that the option was out there. Think about it. It's a standing offer."

"Thank you, Tony," Harry replied, inclining his head. "I'll definitely think about your offer."

Clint, knowing that Harry had reached his limit, quickly made their goodbyes and herded Harry out of the tower. They made the walk to Harry's hotel quietly, each thinking about everything that had just happened. Once they were safely ensconced in Harry's room the younger man turned to the older and said "Clint, I don't even drink but I need one."

Clint just laughed before replying "You aren't starting now."

Harry shot him a look before grabbing them both a bottle of water from the mini fridge and settling on the couch beside him. Harry untied his boots and toed them off before putting his feet up on the coffee table. He allowed himself to truly relax for the first time in hours.

"I like your friends. I'm surprised how… Nice they were. If nice is the right word."

Clint nodded to show that he understood before saying "They are a good group. Tony can be sarcastic, we didn't really see much of that tonight. They've all taken a liking to you."

Harry looked at Clint for several long moments before he laid his head back and closed his eyes.

"I have to find a house. I don't want to rent and I don't intend to leave any time soon so I might as well get a house. What do I even look for in a house?"

"Well, Kiddo, that depends on what and where you want your house to be."

"That wasn't even remotely helpful, thank you," Harry shot back sarcastically.

"So glad I could help," Clint said with a smirk. "but in all seriousness, are you looking for something big, small, lots of land or in the city. You need to narrow it down for me a bit."

"I want something with land, I know that. It doesn't have to be huge but I would like a decent amount of space. I'd like a nice kitchen ideally. I do enjoy cooking and I'd like to be able to do some of that. But I don't know I want to have to travel an hour or more to get into the city. Could I find something like that?"

Clint thought about it for several minutes as Harry sipped his water, giving him the time he needed to think. Finally, he spoke "I don't know exact neighborhoods surrounding the city. You, we, have several options here. We could get on the internet and see what we can find, we could take a drive and see what we can see or we could ask Tony for help. Or a realtor I guess, they should have some options for you."

"Tony is doing so much for me already, would he be willing to help with this too?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"He would have no problem helping you out or he could just have JARVIS find the info for him. If that's the way you want to go I can give him a call and get him looking." Clint replied easily.

Harry hesitated slightly before saying "As long as you're sure he won't mind…"

"If he does he'll say so and won't do it. Tony Stark does nothing he doesn't want to," Clint reassured before pulling out his cell phone and calling the older man.

Clint spent several minutes on the phone and Harry wandered over to the other side of the room and looked out the windows there, not feeling right about listening in on their conversation, even though it was for him. He looked down at the city below him, all the traffic and people and his decision not to live within the city cemented in his mind. It was too busy and noisy. Harry looked up when he heard Clint stop talking.

"He should have a list for us tomorrow morning. I figure we can start looking at places then. Get a feel for what you want." Clint explained easily.

"Thank you Clint," Harry said as he moved over to stand beside him. "This would have been so much harder without you."

The archer simply reached out and wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him close. Clint rested his chin on the top of Harry's head for a minute. Harry wrapped his own arms around the older man and leaned into him. Harry felt Clint tighten his arms briefly before releasing him.

"You've gotten a little taller," he commented.

Harry just chuckled. Shortly after they decided to go to bed, Clint telling Harry Tony would have a list for them early because the genius didn't seem to sleep much. Harry offered the other man the bed but he declined and decided to camp on the sofa instead.

Harry woke to his alarm at six the next morning. After getting ready for the day Harry quietly made his way into the living area to see Clint still asleep on the couch. Harry knew, as quiet as he could be, he would still wake the older man. Clint had trained himself to wake if anyone was near him. Harry watched as the archer's eyes slowly opened and he scanned the room. When the blue eyes landed on him Harry said softly "Go back to sleep Clint. I'm going to get us some breakfast."

Instead of going back to sleep Clint sat up and stretched, arcing his back until Harry heard it crack.

"Nah, while you get breakfast I'll grab a shower, that way we are ready to go when Tony calls." He declined while standing up and doing a few more stretches.

Harry just waved him toward the bathroom as he made his way over to the desk that held the room service menu and the phone.

"You want anything in particular?" Harry called as he perused the menu.

"Nope. You know what I like," Clint yelled back as the shower started again.

Harry figured out what to order for both of them and placed the order. Harry next went over to the counter and started both the coffee maker and the little individual cup hot water maker for his tea. By the time room service got there Clint was out of the shower, dressed and drinking his first cup of coffee while Harry had tea. When the knock sounded Harry started to get up but Clint waved him back down and answered the door himself. He gave the busboy a nice tip on his way out. They had a leisurely breakfast at the small table in the room. As they were finishing up Clint's phone rang. He answered it and had a brief conversation before hanging back up. Harry watched as he fiddled with it some more before he looked up and announced "I've got a list."

Harry handed over the keys to the car, figuring it would be easier to let Clint drive. Soon they were on the road, heading to the first suburb on the list. They passed the time talking about whatever came to mind. As they pulled into the first area Harry looked around him in slight shock at the huge almost mansion houses around him. He turned his wide eyed look on his brother who just laughed at him.

"The one to our left is for sale. Want to go take a look?" Clint asked after he stopped laughing.

"Uh, I guess. I don't want anything this big though. I do like the land it's on though." Harry stated.

The two men got out of the car and made their way up the long, curving drive to the front door. They obeyed the signs that bid them to enter, stating that today was an open house. The foyer was huge with marble floors and towering ceilings. As they were looking around the sound of high heels clicking on the floor started coming towards them. They turned their attention to the middle aged brunette in six-inch stiletto heels striding confidently toward them. She was wearing a tasteful skirt suit and a polite smile.

"Hello gentlemen, my name is Amanda. May I show you around?"

Harry hesitated for a moment then offered his hand to the woman with a smile of his own.

"Yes please. I'm pretty sure this is bigger than anything I want but I'd still love to look around, who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with it," Harry replied.

They spent the next forty minutes wandering this massive house, looking into rooms that were far too formal and almost stuffy for Harry's laid back tastes. At the end of the tour Harry thanked the woman for her time and he and Clint headed for the car to move on to the next place.

"So, nothing that big or ostentatious," Harry commented.

"No, I can't see you living somewhere like that. Like you said, it's too ostentatious for you. You are more laidback and relaxed that this place is. Ready to check out the next area?"

Harry nodded and they moved on to the next area. They spent until well after three in the afternoon driving around looking at different communities and houses trying to find someplace that Harry liked. They stopped to get a late lunch and to discuss which areas they liked and what parts they didn't. After their hasty meal they moved on to the last area for the day. Each plot held over at least fifteen acres of land, most far more than that. But it wasn't so big that you didn't have neighbors. The houses, while big, were nowhere near the size of the first house they toured. The one Harry was looking at was a three story, five bedroom, four bathroom house. It had a chef standard kitchen, a library and a study as well as a fully furnished basement. It sat on twenty five acres of land. It had an in ground pool and a hot tub. The yard was well laid out and manicured. Harry fell in love the first time he saw it.

After they got the tour Harry walked around the outside with Clint. They were taking in the evening air as they thought about what they had just seen. Harry looked at Clint and said "I think I want this one. I love it."

Clint smiled at him as he replied "I could tell. It was obvious, to me at least, the realtor didn't notice, how much you want this place. Are you going to make an offer?"

"I am, but I don't think I'll offer list price. A little lower I think," Harry stated thoughtfully.

Several hours later Clint and Harry were back in Harry's hotel room having a very late dinner. Harry had called Tony to thank him for all of his help and got pulled into an hour long conversation with the man. He had finally let Harry go after eliciting a promise from him that he'd come over to the tower again tomorrow. After that the two men settled down to watch some TV before turning in for the night.

Author's Note: Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed. A huge thank you to my Beta reader. He did an amazing job, as usual. I'll see ya'll next time!

Lynn