To Be An Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D (Marvel)(MCU)

Americans loved their heroes. And Tony knew it.

"What else do you want from me?" he said, gesturing to the cameras. "I showed up. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But I'm done working with this circus."

He turned on his heel. "James, let's go."

James followed him out as flashes popped all around them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they walked out of the hearing, Tony glanced at James. "That speech back there? Impressive. And you're right, the U.S. government really can't afford it."

"This was a setup, Tony. Someone wants the Iron Man suit. They're just dressing it up in patriotism to pressure you into handing it over. But clearly, they don't understand your personality. The more they push, the more stubborn you'll get."

Tony frowned. "You're saying that it's a ploy by someone else?"

"Exactly. But this isn't the place to dig into it."

They got into James's car. Hogan took the wheel of Tony's car, and Tony climbed into the passenger seat of James's car. They hit the freeway, pulling off hours later in a secluded area outside the city.

"There's a Nazi offshoot called Hydra that survived World War II. It's still around. And worse yet, it planted its roots all over S.H.I.E.L.D.," James said bluntly.

Tony blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Nick Fury said it himself: you're not the only superhero out there. Remember?"

"Sure, but are you telling me this Hydra thing is real?"

James reached over. "Give me your hand."

Tony hesitated, then offered it. James closed his eyes. A subtle pulse passed between them. James's heart rate ticked up. Seconds later, he spoke.

"You're wearing the underwear Pepper bought you last week."

Tony choked on his breath. "Alright, alright, don't say that out loud. Everyone knows she's got my entire wardrobe on lock."

"Here's the kicker: palladium poisoning. Your arc reactor's slowly killing you. Left unchecked, you're not gonna last."

Tony's face tightened. "You can read that just from a touch?"

"Among other things." James released his hand. "I can control my own physiology too. My abilities are... Versatile."

"Okay, now I'm definitely never shaking hands with you again."

James continued, "There's more. A certain big green rage monster? He's real too. Not a superhero yet, but more of a walking natural disaster. Covered up, of course."

"I've seen some stuff. Thought it was a hoax," Tony muttered.

"Not a hoax. And Cap? He's alive."

Tony's eyebrows rose. "Captain America?"

"I body-slammed him on my first day at HQ. He wasn't amused."

Tony grinned. "You've had quite the start."

"They tried planting someone close to my dad. Bad move for them. I found out fast and dug deeper. That's how I discovered the Hydra rot inside S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury suspects it too. That's why he's building the Avengers, an external response team. Independent from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control."

Tony's expression turned serious. "And you think this Avengers thing'll work?"

"If we have enough leverage."

Tony rubbed his chest. "Well, any chance you can fix my poison problem with your adrenaline magic?"

James shook his head. "Wouldn't work. My physiology is mutated. My blood won't help you. But S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about your situation. They're working on a solution."

Tony scoffed. "You and I can't fix it, but they can?"

"Don't underestimate them. Remember Cap? That was World War II tech. They've been handling alien incidents since long before we were born. Their science division isn't flashy like you, but it's high-tech."

Tony leaned back. "Alright. One crisis at a time. Let's head out."

They boarded Stark's private jet and flew straight to California.

"I need to solve this poisoning fast," Tony said midair. "You saw me drinking that swamp juice. I'm desperate."

"I'm not your cure," James said, "but I caught something in your memories, something that might help. We'll see once we get it."

Tony groaned. "I really hate that you can do that."

Back at the lab, Tony ran another test. "Toxin saturation: 24%. Lovely. You're seeing this, right? What do you think I should do with Stark Industries?"

"Simple," James replied. "Hand it to Pepper. She's already handling everything anyway."

"You got a point, I've been too busy doing other stuff anyway." Tony muttered.

Right on cue, Pepper walked in. "Tony, did you donate your entire art collection?"

James raised an eyebrow. "Did you really?"

Tony nodded. "It's mine, isn't it?"

"You could've told her first," James said.

"Those pieces took me ten years to curate," Pepper said sharply, with brows crunched up. "You didn't even consult me."

Tony waved her off. "We'll talk later. Besides, I've decided something else. I'm officially naming you CEO. You will have full authority to handle the company from now on."

"What?!" Pepper was shocked by the sudden news.

James chuckled. "Yeah, he's serious. I suggested it."

Tony grinned. "Exactly. You've already been doing the job. But now it's official."

Pepper turned to James. "You're here too, Ace?"

"Yep. Watching your slow-motion love story play out in real-time."

"I'm not feeling well today for such jokes," she deflected. "Caught a cold."

James shrugged. "That's fine. Just know, Tony's only real responsibility now is signing things off. That's all he wants to do anyway."

Tony snapped his fingers. "See? No difference. You already run the place. Might as well have the title."

"But the board—"

"Won't argue," James cut in. "Our stock is nearly maxed out. There's nothing to complain about. Besides, I own three percent now. You've got my vote."

Pepper sighed. "Fine. Let's get to work."