"You mean Steve has been watching me for over two months?" Tony sat up in shock, still weak from his injuries.
It seemed he had turned into a monkey under Steve's careful surveillance. Although he hated to admit it, it was the truth.
"The Captain meant well," Rhodes explained.
"He knew you were in danger, so he kept an eye on you while making sure you stayed safe. Now that you're out, I can see how much you've grown."
Rhodes' calm words carried weight. He had a solid relationship with Steve, and the halo of trust around the Captain only made Tony feel both grateful and annoyed.
Tony reflected on the past two months. He had built a small Arc Reactor from scratch in a cave using rudimentary materials and successfully constructed the Mark I armor. It all felt surreal.
"Steve… that bastard… took women to the hotel to have fun while I was lying here receiving treatment! What a jerk!" Tony cursed under his breath, secretly admiring Rhodes' handsomeness for being around to explain things.
Rhodes shook his head with a smirk. "It's not a big deal. You'll be back to full strength soon. By the way, it seems you've been removed from the board of directors recently. You'll have to handle that yourself."
Rhodes had risen from private to major because of his prior connection to Tony and now served as Stark Industries' liaison.
At that moment, Coulson walked in. He smiled warmly. "I am Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark."
"Oh, you were on the plane!" Tony had a sharp memory and recognized the man's honest demeanor. "What's going on?"
"We recovered your armor scattered across the desert and have sent it back to you," Coulson explained.
"We sincerely invite you to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and become a member of the Avengers."
Tony paused, absorbing the weight of the words.
"The Avengers are an alliance of super-powered individuals. All their actions are backed by S.H.I.E.L.D., and they can receive full support. It's legal, justified… and Captain America is one of them."
Tony's eyes widened. "Steve's joining too?"
Originally he had wanted to refuse, but the opportunity to explore a top-secret organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. was too tempting to pass up.
Coulson didn't explain Steve's involvement explicitly—it was because Steve's girlfriend, Hill, was the deputy director.
Naturally, she ensured his participation. Without that, Steve, with his laid-back personality, might have put in minimal effort.
"As a spy organization, shouldn't you have intelligence to share?" Tony asked. "I want to see the full picture."
"It will be shared according to your agent level," Coulson said with a smile. "Director Fury will personally introduce you to the details once we return."
"And what level is Steve?" Tony asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"The Captain is tentatively rated level six," Coulson replied honestly.
"Then I must be at least level six!" Tony insisted. He couldn't let himself be lower than Steve.
Coulson smiled, choosing not to mention that Steve's girlfriend Hill was a level nine agent—something even flattery couldn't overcome.
Meanwhile, Vice President Obadiah Stane panicked upon learning Tony had survived.
His plan to exploit Tony's desperation and seize control of the board was now in jeopardy.
After confirming with the terrorists via phone, Stane composed himself. No one had discovered him yet; his disguise remained intact.
"Just a few weapons," he muttered. "I can silence them, find an opportunity to strike, and they'll be gone without a trace."
Meanwhile, the New York media went into a frenzy as news of Tony's survival spread. Reporters rushed to the scene to get first-hand accounts.
On the plane back to the U.S., Tony glared resentfully at Steve.
Steve shifted left; Tony followed. Steve moved right; Tony mirrored him.
"What are you doing? I've already asked Happy to schedule a date with a Playboy cover model for you!" Steve said, exasperated.
"You've been watching me for three months! Can't I just glare at you for a while?" Tony snapped.
"Without these three months, would you have become Iron Man?" Steve picked up a copy of Playboy and began reading.
"In that sense, you should be thanking me."
Iron Man—the name suited him. Tony's experience gave him two major ideas.
"What if I shut down the company's international weapons division?" he asked.
Steve looked at the magazine with a neutral expression, unconcerned.
"You've got an Arc Reactor at home. New energy sources are profitable. Shutting down a weapons line isn't a big deal if the project is lucrative."
Tony considered it. Cutting off arms sales would reduce military contracts and anger the board.
Morally questionable? Maybe. Profitable? Less so—but he felt guilty seeing people die from weapons he'd helped manufacture.
"Tony, don't mess with me!" Rhodes warned.
"Haha, let him handle it. With a new suit like this, he'll deal with Tony in the future anyway," Steve said, bowing slightly in mock helplessness.
Tony frowned, feeling manipulated. "You seem awfully clever."
"The Super Soldier Serum strengthens not only your body but your IQ," Steve explained, pointing to his head. "But even I can't compare to you."
This sudden humility left Tony speechless—a secret middle-aged satisfaction that needed no words.
"Fine… I'll close the weapons division when we return," Tony resolved.
Seeing those who protected him die because of his own weapons had left him deeply guilty.
Guilty.
Guilty.
...
Author's Note
Hello, readers! Welcome to my second Webnovel account.
My first Webnovel account is Shadow_demon_007, where I uploaded 20 fanfics. Due to Webnovel's upload limits and rules, I created this second account so I can continue uploading more fanfics for you all.
Please also check out my first account, where many of those 20 fanfics are available. Some of them are already fully completed, and I have uploaded those completed fanfics on my Patreon
👉 patreon.comShadow_demon_007
On Patreon, you can find
Fully completed fanfics
Three free fanfic available for readers
Another free fanfic coming on next month
I sincerely hope you enjoy my works, and I truly appreciate all your support.
Thank you for reading and supporting me!
— Shadow_demon_007