SHIELD
Tony was wary of working with SHIELD.
“We've had eyes on you for a long time.”
“You and nearly everyone else on the planet. I live for the spotlight.”
“And yet, somehow, you manage to keep some very big secrets. I think you should know that we know.”
“Yeah? And just what is it you think you know?”
“You've been hiding a child.”
“So? I'm not comfortable sharing the spotlight with my son. I keep him hidden away for his own safety.”
“You've taken great pains to keep him hidden.”
“And I've already stated my reasons why, so why are you so curious?”
“We have reason to believe that he isn't yours. Enough evidence to launch a full investigation into how you acquired him, the legality of it. You could face jail time and he could be taken away.”
“What? You think I abducted him? He's my kid. Maybe I haven't sorted out all the paperwork, but he's mine. No one is taking him away from me.”
“DNA says otherwise.”
“You got a sample of his DNA?” Shit. “And you tested it against mine?”
“Hate to break it to you, if you didn't already know. He's not your son.”
“Not biologically, but I made a promise. I made a commitment. I'm raising him as my own, and God help you or anyone else that tries to get in the way.”
“On the contrary, Mr. Stark. If you're willing to work with us, then we can help you 'sort out the paperwork.' Unless you plan to keep him hidden away for the rest of his life.”
“So, where did you get him?” Coulson asked. He tried to make the question sound casual, conversational.
“The way the other guy acted, I thought you guys had this all figured out. Are you telling me that you don't already know?”
Coulson wasn't half as big a jerk as the other agents. He seemed like an actual person, as laid-back as super secret spies can be. “You're a very smart guy, Mr Stark, and an incredibly lucky one. If I were a betting man, then I would say you managed to cover your tracks fairly well.”
“Wow. You really don't know.”
“Which isn't to say that nobody at SHIELD knows. Maybe I just haven't been fully read in. Access to your file is on a need-to-know basis.”
“Well that's reassuring and also not.”
“Are you afraid that someone is going to come looking for the child?” Coulson's question was a little more pointed this time. Tony didn't answer and that was answer enough. “I want to assume that you had good reasons for taking him.”
“I was saving him,” Tony said, his tone resolute. The shift in Tony's tone made Coulson question whether or not that was true.
“Saving him from what?”
For a second it looked like Tony might actually tell him. He clearly felt the need to justify his actions, which meant they probably weren't easily justifiable. Instead Tony said, “That is on a need-to-know basis.”
“We're going to want access to his medical records.”
“Ha! Nice try, but his medical records are between me, him and his doctors.”
“We want to make sure he's being well taken care of.”
“And I can assure you he is. You're just fishing for more information. Your superiors probably don't even care what happens to him as long as it gives them leverage to manipulate me.”
Well, he isn't entirely wrong. “That may be true, but as for the agents tasked with managing you—as an asset—we may be more forgiving of your mistakes if we felt reassured that you weren't... oh, what's a polite way to say this?”
Tony looked horrified and disgusted and like he wanted to punch Coulson in the face for even almost suggesting—
“I'm not a pedophile.” Tony hated the implication. He hated it so much. "Fine, alright, you can talk to Harry. He can tell you that he feels safe and I've never done anything to hurt him.”
“Anything aside from abducting him?"
“I told you, I'm protecting him."
Tony prepares Harry for the interview/interrogation
“Okay, kiddo. Here's the rundown. Agent Coulson is going to talk to you."
“What do you want me to say?"
“I want you to be honest about almost everything."
“Almost... so what am I not allowed to say?"
“I just... I need you to be really vague and deflect as much as you can if he tries to get answers about, well, you know..."
“No, I don't know. That's why I asked."
“Just don't tell him that I kidnapped you, and don't talk about Norman. Definitely don't mention your old name. And don't tell them anything that might make it sound like you're in danger or that you don't like it here—worst case scenario is that they take you away. Best case, you get to stay and feel really stupid and sad."
Harry bites his lip. He doesn't like lying to people.
“They don't care about you anymore than Norman did. You have your uses, but beyond that... whether you're happy or not... it's immaterial.
“Hi. Tony tells me your name is Steve."
“Yeah, but I like my middle name better."
“Your middle name, and that is—"
“Harrison, but you can call me Harry."
“Alright, Harry. Did Tony tell you why I want to talk to you today?"
“Yes and no."
“What exactly did he say?”
“He told me to act dumb and speak slow so that you can understand me.”
/
“You look like a smart guy. Smart enough to know that this is what's best for me. This is my home now. And you're wasting your time if you want me to talk about what came before, because I can't go back and I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with Tony.”
/
“And you don't even care about me, so why should I tell you anything? I have no reason to trust you.”
/
“I prefer talking to Natalie.”
“Natalie? Is that one of your—”
“She's another super secret agent, like you, except she's actually good at her job.”
“You're not here for me. You're here for Tony. You're just trying to decide what to do with me. My best case scenario is that things stay the same. Worst case is that you incompetent suits decide to change things.”
“Tell me more about the worst case. What do you think will happen? What would change?”
“You'll take me away from Tony, but you can't send me home because I know too much and you can't make me not tell anyone what happened, and you don't want to put Tony in jail.”