Archive of Our Own ^beta

Harley Keener was a dead man walking, and he knew it.

Tony really only had one rule when the billionaire let him move into the Avengers Compound from Tennessee- other than don't destroy the world- and that had been "keep your horny, teenage hands off my daughter".

For the first few months it had been easy. Penny Stark had been elusive- either at school, hanging out with her friends or off somewhere with the Avengers. He'd seen glimpses, a flash of long brown hair, a giggle, a yell of her name. She seemed to keep odd hours for a seventeen year old.

It was four months before they met. Harley burned himself in the lab, and he'd gone up to the Medbay to find the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen on one of the beds, chewing on a red vine and chatting a mile a minute to the doc.

He'd been captivated, even if she had looked a bit of a mess. Her hair was thrown back in a messy ponytail, purple bags under her eyes and he could see the dirt clinging to her skin. But her eyes were wide and chocolatey, and her smile lit up the room.

It took Harley Keener one second to develop a deep, heart-racing crush on Penny Stark.

Then, for whatever reason, she was everywhere and she was perfect.

It took a week for him to fall in love with her.

To fall in love with the sass and the brains, the kindness and the wit, the fighter and the Hello Kitty pyjamas, the cheering in horror movies and the dancing in Disney films. He saw her in the backpack thrown carelessly onto the floor, the Crispy M&Ms in the shops, and he saw her when the sunlight hit just the right places to make the world stunning. He watched her every moment they were together, and delighted in the blush on her cheeks when he called her darling. He revelled in every laugh, smile and hug she gave, pulling himself back before he could do something Tony wouldn't like.

Then she kissed him.

It had been quick, too quick, but the taste of her candy floss lip gloss had lingered on his lips and her breath mingled seamlessly with his and he broke.

She had been about to walk away, convinced she had misread the signs, when he pulled her back for their second kiss. Deeper this time, his arms wrapped around her and her cute, dainty hands curled in his shirt.

There had been a date, then another, and another, all behind her father's back, until Penny had introduced him to her friends as her boyfriend. He had become "Harley, Penny's boyfriend" and he loved it.

They had lived in bubble of secret kisses, making out in dark corners and joy until Tony asked what had gotten him so distracted one day.

They started being more careful after that.

Fortunately, they were home alone a lot. All the responsible adults they lived with travelled to other continents regularly, so, much to Harley's relief, they didn't have to wait too long between making out shirtless on their beds.

Then they had sex. It was a first for both of them. There had been a lot of fumbling, and laughing against each other's mouths, but once they figured out a few kinks and really got going... It had been intense. Harley had discovered she really liked it when he paid attention to her hip bone, and Penny had found out he loved it when she pressed her nails into his skin. There was more fumbling when Harley tried something he'd read about, but it had been worth it when her legs spasmed around him, cheeks flushing bright red and her pupils blew wide.

When the Avengers returned from their mission Harley had barely been able to look Tony in the eye. How could he? Not when he had spent the weekend in bed exploring with his daughter, his "horny, teenage hands" all over her, and with the memory of being surrounded by her heat very fresh in his mind.

Thankfully FRIDAY loved Penny enough to keep their little adventure a secret when Tony had asked how they had behaved.

It was another year before Tony found out the truth. To say the least, he wasn't a fan of the 'Harley-and-Penny' thing like everyone else. He seemed to crack a little when Harley gave him a long speech about how in love he was with Penny.

It was four years until Tony grudgingly let it happen, and a year after that Tony had walked his daughter down the isle.

(He was slightly miffed Penny had taken Harley's last name.)

(He forgot about it once they introduced him to their first born: Benjamin Anthony Keener.)