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As programmed, FRIDAY had immediately announced when Harley’s MIT application letter had arrived in the mail. Tony, who was still awake working, had immediately rushed up to the penthouse from his lab to wake up his sons and drag them into the living room.
“Open it, open it, open it,” Tony ushers Harley as soon as he hands him the letter.
“Can we relax, please?” Harley squints at him with a grumble, struggling to keep both eyes open, “It’s 5 am, dad.”
Peter yawns, sitting slumped against Tony’s side. For someone who is not a morning person, Tony is wide awake, grinning with excitement.
“I told you we’d open your letter as soon as it arrived,” Tony reminds him, already whipping out his phone to record, “So come on, open it.”
Harley groans at the phone, “Seriously?” He cringes, fiddling with the envelope, “Is recording this actually necessary?”
“Yes, it is actually necessary,” Tony says pointedly and smiles, “Stephen asked for me to record you opening it so he can see your reaction.”
Harley’s cheeks flush and he scoffs, ripping open the envelope, “Where is Strange, anyway?”
Tony shrugs, “Wong called about a giant eyeball octopus making a mess downtown.”
“Is that what the noise was?” Peter mumbles sleepily, squinting as he watches Harley pull the letter out from the envelope.
Harley pauses, looking at the letter in his hands before he unfolds it and reads aloud, “Dear Harley Stark, on behalf of the Admissions Committee, it is my pleasure to offer you admission to the MIT Class of 2024-”
“WOOO!” Tony bursts out in a cheer, shooting out of his seat to drag his eldest son into a hug, “My boy’s going to MIT!”
Peter’s weight, no longer supported by Tony, squawks with wide eyes when he falls against the couch.
“Ahhhh!” Harley shouts with a groan, squirming in Tony’s arms, “You’re squishing me, dad!”
Peter takes a moment to orient himself before he takes in the scene and laughs, launching himself at the duo, Harley screeching when they all lose their footing and collapse against the carpet.
“I’m gonna die before I even make it to MIT, you guys!” Harley shouts from underneath them as they laugh at his misery.
Despite his faux anger, there’s a hearty grin that sits permanently on his lips, unable to resist the joy and excitement filling his veins, flushing out the anxiety that had been trembling through him of having to wait for this very moment.
~
“Alright, that should be everything,” Harley dusts off his hands after sealing the last cardboard box.
He’d packed up all the necessities he would need during his stay at MIT, but still left a good portion of his bedroom in the tower untouched, since he’d be visiting regularly whenever his class schedule gave him the time.
Peter sits on the edge of Harley’s bed, fiddling with his sleeve, “It’s gonna be really weird not having you around,” He confesses, lips thinning.
“Awww,” Harley coos teasingly, walking over to ruffle his head, “Gonna miss your big brother, Petey?”
Peter scowls and pushes his hand away, “Nevermind, I’m glad you’re leaving,” He huffs before he pushes himself to his feet to drag his brother into a tight hug, “I’m really gonna miss you.”
“Bro, you’re acting like I’m moving across the country,” Harley laughs, squeezing him, “I’m gonna be visiting all the time and I’ll be here for missions when they need me - plus, you can just call or text whenever.”
“Not the same and you know it,” Peter pulls away, wiping at his eye.
“Watch those watergates Pete - there’s gonna be no crying today,” Tony warns him from where he’d been watching from the doorway, a fond twinkle in his eye, “This is gonna be a happy day.”
Peter chuckles wetly, nodding with flushed cheeks.
Harley smiles and gestures to all the boxes, “I’m all packed up,” He announces, “Is Rhodey coming with us on the drive to MIT?” He asks, grabbing his phone from his desk to slip into his pocket.
Tony smiles, his lips stretching into a cheeky grin, which causes Harley’s smile to twist into a frown, apprehension settling on his shoulders.
“What’s that look for?” Harley asks, voice dripping with skepticism.
“Well,” Tony wanders further into the room, an air of nonchalance about him, “I know how much of a pain it was when I had to drag all my shit to my dorm room - my dad wouldn’t let anyone help me; some type of lesson in responsibility or some other bad parenting, I can’t remember - so, I thought, to make your day a little easier…”
Tony then turns, stretching his arms to present the doorframe, just as Rhodey walks in.
“Hey, buddy,” Rhodey grins at Harley, “All set for MIT?”
Tony scowls in annoyance, “Sourpatch, that was not your cue,” He scolds and storms over to him.
“Okay, okay,” Rhodey relents with a laugh and steps out of the way, “Stop poking me already!”
Harley and Peter watch, unsure what’s happening as Tony clears his throat.
“As I was saying,” He sends a sharp look to Rhodey, who rolls his eyes silently, “I brought a little help to make your day a little easier.”
Silently, he gestures towards the door again and Stephen steps into the room, dressed in casual wear, rather than his Mystic Arts robe.
“Hi, Stephen!” Peter grins, waving at him excitedly.
Stephen smiles calmly at them, “Hello Peter, Harley.”
Harley blinks in surprise, “Strange, hey,” He greets, “Uh, what are you doing here?” He asks cautiously, glancing at Tony who winks.
Stephen shrugs casually, “Well, I heard that you were moving to your dorm room today and I thought I could lend a hand.”
He then raises his hands, sling-ring glimmering in the light to create a large portal, leading directly into Harley’s dorm room at MIT. Harley’s eyes widen as Peter gasps.
“Holy shit,” Harley blurts out as Peter runs through the portal, taking a good look around the empty two person dorm before he spins back to look at them.
“This is so freaking cool!” Peter gushes, grin practically meeting his ears.
Rhodey nods, impressed, “Not bad, Strange, not bad at all,” He says approvingly towards the sorcerer.
Stephen smiles pridefully, a bit too proud of himself and Tony snorts, immediately snapping a photo of his expression.
“Delete that,” Stephen scowls at him.
“Never.”
~
Thankfully, Harley’s roommate wouldn’t be arriving until next week, allowing them to take their time as they carried box after box through the portal and into the room.
“I so wish I met you years ago,” Tony tells Stephen as he picks up a box in Harley’s room, “I could’ve moved into my dorm in an hour, tops.”
Stephen chuckles, “You recall that I didn’t always have these powers, don’t you?” He reminds him, amused.
“Shhhh,” Tony shushes him as he passes him, stepping through the portal, “You’re ruining my fantasy.”
Stephen looks through the portal, where Peter is sitting on the floor at Harley’s dorm desk, setting up his PC, and Tony is placing the box on the floor beside him.
“Thanks for doing this, man,” Rhodey smiles appreciatively as he approaches Stephen, drawing his attention to the Colonel, “You really made my nephews day.”
“Tony is special to me, which means his sons are special to me,” Stephen says honestly, “Their happiness matters to me, just as much as Tony’s does.”
Rhodey’s smile stretches into a grin, “You got that right,” He chuckles, “And here I thought I’d have to give you the shovel talk and everything.”
Stephen chuckles just as Harley comes back into the room, having gone for a bathroom break.
“This is probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened,” Harley grins at Stephen as he grabs another box from the floor, “Having a Wizard for a dad is awesome.”
Stephen freezes as Harley walks past them, stepping through the portal without a single glance back. Stephen watches him closely, but Harley doesn’t even seem to realise what he’d said in his excitement, excitedly talking to Tony and Peter.
“Huh,” Rhodey stares at Harley, “Is that the first time he’s called you dad?”
…
Stephen sniffs, wiping the burning sensation behind his eyes and Rhodey laughs, tossing his head back.
“Hey, Woody and Mrs Nesbitt!” Tony calls over to them from within the dorm, drawing their attention to him, “If you two are done having your tea party, we could use some extra helping hands in here,” He says pointedly, gesturing to the unpacked boxes scattered around the dorm.
“Impatient as always, Tones,” Rhodey remarks as he steps through the portal, “I’m getting deja vu here.”
Peter and Harley are sitting together on the floor with the PC between them, as Tony throws a pillow at Rhodey’s head, the Colonel catching it to throw back. Stephen watches them with a fulfilled smile before he steps through the portal to join them.