"I don't think he'd think that way—after all, I'm one of them."
Hearing those iconic words, Harry immediately recognized who had arrived.
"Mr. Osborn, you're here too," came the familiar, deep voice. Nick Fury's tone was feigning surprise, but Harry wasn't fooled. He knew well that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence capabilities were unmatched—they could tap into almost any phone line, hijack cameras, and monitor anyone. And with Tony Stark being the son of Howard Stark, there was no doubt that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been keeping close tabs on him. Fury definitely knew Harry was here.
"Hey! Who are you? It's illegal to break into private property—I'm calling the police!" Tony snapped. His patience was gone. First, Harry had made his new armor vanish into thin air, then Jarvis had been hacked, and now someone was barging in and questioning him in his own home.
"I'm Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thanks to Mr. Stark's earlier proposal, that's the department's new official name. But don't bother calling the police—they don't have jurisdiction over me," Fury said as he walked further inside.
Tony lifted his phone, shining its light toward the intruder.
"Ah!" Tony let out a startled yell as the beam revealed Fury's face. "You dare to come out at night dressed like that? You nearly scared me to death!"
Harry chuckled from the side, studying the one-eyed director of S.H.I.E.L.D. under the dim light. The look really was… dramatic.
"What? You agree with me?" Tony turned his phone's light toward Harry, grinning.
Harry only smiled, shook his head, and went back to sipping his drink.
"Mr. Stark, welcome to a much larger world," Fury said evenly. As the king of intelligence, he wasn't bothered by Tony's sarcasm—he simply carried on with his purpose.
As if in response, the basement lights suddenly flickered back to life.
"Sir, the intrusion has been expelled. The system has successfully rebooted," Jarvis' calm voice announced.
"Perfect timing," Tony muttered, clearly displeased.
"This world is much bigger than you think, Mr. Stark," Fury said, looking him square in the eye.
"Uh-huh." Tony's tone was dismissive. He strolled to the wine cabinet, set his glass down, and leaned against it with his arms folded. "So, what's your real purpose here?"
"An invitation."
"Invitation?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Fury said simply.
"Go on then—what's this invitation for? I should warn you, my appearance fees are expensive," Tony said, his smirk returning, though curiosity was now visible behind it.
"Of course." Fury sat down beside Harry.
"And Mr. Osborn," he added, glancing at Harry with his single eye.
"Me?" Harry pointed at himself, genuinely surprised. He already understood Fury's aim—this was about assembling the Avengers. He had expected Fury to come for Tony, but hadn't anticipated being included.
"Mr. Osborn is fully qualified," Fury said without expression.
"Alright, I'm in," Harry said casually. How could he turn down something this interesting?
"Mr. Osborn agrees without even hearing what it's about?" Fury said, momentarily caught off guard. He'd expected resistance, but Harry's easy acceptance put him on alert.
"Fun things are worth joining," Harry replied with a shrug.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Osborn. Now, what about you, Mr. Stark?" Fury turned his attention back to Tony.
"Ah, I'd still like to hear what you're proposing first," Tony said, trying not to look too intrigued. Harry's quick agreement had thrown him off, but he wasn't about to be outmaneuvered.
"Then let me show you." Fury reached into his coat and pulled out a slim folder, handing it to Tony.
Harry glanced at it—the label on the cover read: Avengers Initiative.
"'Superhero team project'? What a terrible name," Tony muttered, flipping it open and skimming through the contents.
"Of course, I'm only here for the initial invitation," Fury continued. "Whether you'll ultimately be part of this plan remains to be seen."
"Oh?" Tony closed the folder abruptly and tossed it onto the table. "Suddenly, I've lost interest."
"I'll give you time to think," Fury replied calmly.
"Nothing to think about," Tony said flatly.
He turned away, then glanced back again, feigning surprise.
"You're still here?" he asked, pointing at Fury's face.
"Alright, I'll take my leave," Fury said, rising to his feet.
"Mr. Osborn, shall we?" he asked.
"Sure, we can go together," Harry said, finishing his drink.
"No, no—just go," Tony waved them off irritably. He was already regretting inviting Harry tonight. Not only had he lost his new Iron Suit, but he'd also postponed his first official date with Pepper Potts. A complete disaster.
"Call me if you need anything, Tony," Harry said, following Fury up the stairs and waving over his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll let you know," Tony replied without looking back.
...
Outside, Harry and Fury exited to find Agent Phil Coulson waiting beside a black car.
"Mr. Osborn, we meet again," Coulson greeted with a polite smile.
"Agent Coulson," Harry said, nodding.
"You remember me?" Coulson asked as he opened the car door.
"Of course," Harry replied.
Coulson got into the driver's seat, with Harry and Fury sitting in the back.
"Mr. Osborn," Fury began, getting straight to the point, "I want to talk about your flying machine."
"You mean my flyboard?" Harry asked, glancing at him with mild amusement.
"Yes," Fury said, expressionless but resolute.
"Business?" Harry asked carefully. Though Osborn Industries was still one of the largest companies in the world, its influence had waned since the failure of the Super Soldier project. If S.H.I.E.L.D. truly wanted the blueprints for his flyboard, he might not be able to refuse—but he could certainly make them regret asking.
"Yes," Fury confirmed.
"Then, happy cooperation." Harry extended his hand.
"Happy cooperation," Fury said, a faint smile finally crossing his face as he shook Harry's hand.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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