MARVEL: THOSE YEARS I WAS UNDERCOVER IN S.H.I.E.LD

"Hey man, don't leave me hanging like that!"

Tony Stark leaned forward, staring at Grimclaw, who was casually sipping a drink on the sofa. With a mix of impatience and curiosity, he asked, "What does this have to do with my dad and Aunt Peggy?"

Grimclaw set his glass down, his usual smirk fading as he spoke. "One of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. was Mr. Howard Stark, along with Ms. Peggy Carter."

Tony raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Your father, Howard Stark, and your mother, Maria Stark, had only one child—you." Grimclaw continued, his voice steady. "And Ms. Peggy Carter practically watched you grow up. So if anything were to happen to you, do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. would just sit back and do nothing?"

Tony leaned back, processing the information.

"But don't worry," Grimclaw added. "Once this situation is handled, you can go back to being a billionaire playboy, living your carefree life as usual."

"If nothing unexpected happens, then S.H.I.E.L.D. and you will have nothing to do with each other for the rest of your life."

Tony Stark blinked, then slowly nodded. "That… actually makes sense."

His eyes lit up with an idea, and he smirked. "But wait—if my dad helped create S.H.I.E.L.D., just like he did Stark Industries… doesn't that mean I have the right to inherit S.H.I.E.L.D. as well?"

He leaned in, waggling his eyebrows. "Hey, if that's the case, then shouldn't you be treating your future boss with a little more respect?"

Grimclaw didn't even hesitate.

"You're overthinking it."

Before Tony could finish his thought, Grimclaw cut him off mercilessly.

"Just because Howard Stark was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't mean you have the qualifications to inherit it."

He looked Tony up and down, unimpressed.

"A self-absorbed, reckless, cynical guy like you has no idea what S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for."

"Oh, and according to your file, you're also incredibly narcissistic."

Grimclaw scoffed. "If you were to inherit S.H.I.E.L.D., I can't even begin to imagine what kind of disaster that would be for the world."

Tony Stark was stunned for a second—then burst out laughing.

"Haha! I'll admit, that assessment is… painfully accurate."

He grinned, clearly unbothered by the harsh words. "But hey, I appreciate the honesty. And suddenly, I have two uninvited guests in my house!"

Tony glanced down at the orange Grimclaw had handed him. He instinctively took it, then caught himself and waved it away.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't like people handing me things."

Instead, he grabbed another orange from the fruit bowl.

"But I guess I don't really have a choice here, do I?"

Tony shot Grimclaw a knowing look.

"You can refuse, but that won't change anything."

Grimclaw smirked as he peeled his own orange.

"Figures."

Tony rolled his eyes before shaking his head. "Alright, fine. But for my dad's sake, can you do me a favor?"

—

Thirty minutes later.

"There she is. Pebble, you've gotta help me with this one."

Tony draped an arm over Pepper Potts' shoulders the moment she stepped into the room. He gave her a sheepish grin. "Honestly, there's nothing I can do about this guy."

He gestured toward Grimclaw, who was calmly eating a sandwich.

"If you can somehow get rid of him, I promise I'll give you a raise."

Pepper sighed, giving Tony a pointed look before turning to Grimclaw with a polite smile. She extended a hand.

"Thank you for personally coming to protect Tony, Mr. Grimclaw. On behalf of everyone at Stark Industries, we really appreciate your efforts."

"You're welcome," Grimclaw replied, shaking her hand. "Though I have to say, you've got your hands full taking care of this guy."

Pepper let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Tell me about it. He's like a child who never grew up. I always have to coax him into doing things."

There was a hint of something deeper in her gaze as she glanced at Tony.

Tony, completely oblivious, simply rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. I shouldn't have answered my phone and told you about all this."

He turned back to Grimclaw. "I'm heading to my lab to work on my latest invention. So, New York's S.H.I.E.L.D. branch boss, are you planning to stick to me like glue?"

"This is my mission," Grimclaw said simply. "So no, I won't be leaving your side."

Tony groaned. "Of course."

—

Originally, Grimclaw had planned to assign two S.H.I.E.L.D. field agents from the New York branch to watch over Tony. But given Tony's connections—being the son of Howard Stark and the nephew of Peggy Carter—he had another idea.

Tony had urged to inherit a part of S.H.I.E.L.D.

And after hearing his reasoning… Grimclaw decided to stick around.

Not because of Tony's insistence.

But because, truthfully, he was pretty curious about the Iron Man suit.

And even more so… the hidden weapon slung across his own back—the Magic Spear—was even more intrigued.

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