The Stark Tower kitchen was sleek and state-of-the-art, filled with smart appliances and too many unused gadgets Tony had probably bought on a whim. But tonight, it felt... warm. Lived-in. Pepper had rolled up her sleeves, her heels swapped for flats, hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She was slicing vegetables with focused efficiency when she heard the light shuffle of feet behind her.
Harry peeked around the corner.
"Um… Miss Potts? Do you need help?"
Pepper turned, smiling. "Harry, you don't have to—"
"I want to," he said quickly. "I used to cook for my aunt and uncle all the time." His voice was casual, but something behind it made her freeze for just a second.
Pepper blinked, hiding the tightening in her chest. That wasn't old news to her.
"…Of course," she said gently. "You can help. Just be careful, okay?"
Harry gave a small smile and walked in confidently, already washing his hands. Then he moved straight to the cutting board with practiced hands, grabbing a sharp knife and a slab of meat. Pepper moved to stop him — instinct screaming — but paused as Harry began slicing like he'd done it a hundred times.
No hesitation. Clean strokes. Efficient. Quiet.
Pepper's jaw tightened in shock. She nearly dropped the spatula.
From the hallway, Tony wandered in, munching on an apple. "Smells great—"
He stopped dead when he saw Harry working the knife like a professional chef.
"…Is he—? Is that a chef's julienne cut?"
Pepper didn't answer. She just gave Tony a look that screamed: Are you seeing this?
Tony nodded slowly, wide-eyed. "Yep. Definitely not teaching him that."
Harry, oblivious to the concern in their expressions, hummed softly as he dropped the seasoned meat into the hot pan, the sizzle echoing through the kitchen. He moved around the counter like he belonged there, grabbing herbs, stirring, flipping — a quiet, confident rhythm to his movements.
Pepper finally spoke, softly. "Harry… who taught you to cook like that?"
"No one," Harry replied, not looking up. "I just… had to figure it out. If I didn't cook it right, I got in trouble. So I learned. I read the stuff from book and sometimes my aunt would make me watch cooking shows"
Pepper gripped the counter to keep her face from giving away the fury building inside.
Tony, now leaning against the doorway, folded his arms with a heavy sigh. "Kid, remind me to delete the word 'normal childhood' from my vocabulary."
Harry glanced up, a little confused, but Tony shot him a wink. "You're not allowed to be better at this than me. It's humiliating."
Harry grinned small, almost shy grin — as he carefully plated some of the food. "Want to try?"
Pepper smiled, regaining her warmth as she stepped forward. "Only if you make it with me next time."
"Okay," Harry said. "But I get to pick the spices."
Tony raised a hand. "This is how it starts. Next thing you know, he'll be running the kitchen and giving Jarvis a food critic AI module."
From the ceiling, Jarvis chimed, "Noted, sir. I've already logged Harry's seasoning preferences."
Pepper laughed. Harry blushed. And for a few precious minutes, it felt like a real home.
After dinner, the cozy rhythm returned. Tony tossed a fluffy blanket onto the couch while Jarvis dimmed the lights. "All right, kid, movie number two: The Lion King 2. If this doesn't make you cry at least once, I'm sending you to take crying course"
Harry sat cross-legged on the couch, holding a soda can with both hands like it was foreign. "That's real?"
Tony raised a finger. "Movie now. Wizard nonsense later."
As the opening song blasted through the speakers, Tony's phone buzzed with a reminder — Pepper's meeting list.
He groaned. "Duty calls. Be back in twenty. Jarvis, don't let him eat all the popcorn."
"Understood, sir. I will ration it as if it were a gold-backed resource."
"Why are you so dramatic?" Tony muttered as he walked out.
In the hallway, near the elevator, Pepper was waiting, tablet in hand. She glanced up when he joined her.
"He's watching Lion King 2" Tony said before she asked, "which I consider top-tier emotional education."
Pepper didn't smile right away. She glanced down the hall, her expression thoughtful. "Tony… I wanted to talk to you about something."
Tony leaned against the wall, arms folded. "Okay. Hit me."
She hesitated before speaking. "I know you joke around a lot — and honestly, it helps lighten the mood....but Harry…"
Tony's posture straightened slightly.
"…He's not just quiet or shy. He's… hyper-aware. Every movement. He watches our expressions constantly, as if he's trying to guess what we want from him before we say anything."
Tony exhaled quietly. He'd noticed that too.
Pepper continued, lowering her voice. "And the cooking thing? That wasn't a hobby. It was survival. That kind of calm in the kitchen doesn't come from joy, it comes from fear."
Tony's jaw tightened. "Yeah."
"I think he's still coping," she said gently. "He's masking it well, especially around you — I think he doesn't want to be a burden. But that's exactly why I'm worried. He's used to thinking everything's conditional. That love or safety is something you have to earn."
Tony was quiet for a long beat. Then he ran a hand down his face.
"I hate how familiar that sounds," he muttered.
Pepper touched his arm. "You're doing the right thing. You're giving him space and safety. But he needs more than sarcasm and fast food."
"I know," he said. "Believe me, I know. I just… I want him to feel normal first. Let him breathe. Be a kid. Then we tackle the rest."
She nodded, reassured by his sincerity. "We'll do it together."
Tony smirked slightly. "So… what's step one of helping a magical, traumatized British kid adjust to billionaire chaos life?"
Pepper smiled at him. "Let him finish The Lion King… and maybe let him pick the next movie."
Tony gave a mock gasp. "You want me to give up control of movie night?"
"He already survived the Dursleys. He deserves a win."
Tony chuckled, then nodded. "Okay. I'll let him pick. But if he chooses High School Musical, I'm blaming you."
Pepper rolled her eyes and walked away, and Tony returned to the living room — where Harry had fallen asleep again, cuddling the popcorn bowl.
Tony stared for a moment, then gently took the bowl away and covered him with the blanket.
"…Yeah.. we figure this out together... " He mutters watching his baby brother sleep, grab the popcorn bowl and take a seat staying by his side.