"You lied to me Dad!"

It had been so hard for Howard not to fight back, not to let everything out on the table, when those words came exploding out of Tony. He had lied to Tony? Tony was upset with him for building a "weapon"? Who exactly built a flying weapon arsenal? Who wore that weapon arsenal, fighting criminals? Who lied about it every single day, never once thinking about how Howard would feel if he had to pry that stupid armor off of his son's dead body?

He had allowed himself a moment's breathe before answering, "Tony…"

When Tony ran out of the room, the father mentally cursed. Whatever his son was up to, it was more than likely Iron Man business. Iron Man business that he was running into with anger clouding his mind. The fact that one of his scientist called in about unmarked Stark technology out in space didn't ease his mind any because he had a feeling that he knew exactly who sent it out.

Later when he entered the final temple, Howard could never describe how he felt the moment when he saw Iron Man on his stomach, begging Mandarin to come to his senses. That was Tony, begging with Gene. Despite his kidnapping, Howard couldn't hate Gene. He immediately sensed a great grief and duty within him that reminded him all too much of , at that moment, he raised his weapon at the armored Gene without a second thought. He'd do anything to protect his child…

When Tony saw him, he tried lying to his face. Again. But Howard had had enough.

"Cut the charades, son."

"How- How did you know?"

How could he not know? It was his job as a father to know. At that moment though, there wasn't really time to talk with Tony alone. Gene still had to be taken care of and then there had been War Machine (Rhodey) and the purple and silver female iron person (who he later found out was Pepper, who then decided to call herself Rescue).

All in all, after they got home that evening, Howard wasn't sure why Tony seemed so surprised when he told him that they needed to have a "chat," man to man and, more importantly, father to son. The father took a deep breath as his son looked up from his Gameboy he had just gotten out to play, his bright blue eyes wide and nervous. The young man reluctantly put the game down, giving his attention to the challenge ahead.

"How about we go down to the lab?" Howard added, taking the Gameboy. "We can keep our hands busy as we talk. How does that sound?" It would be certainly better then Tony fidgeting on the living sofa, trying not to look for escapes from the unavoidable discussion as it was happening.

Nodding Tony got up and followed him to the family lab. Howard watched as his son automatically went to his area and prepped it for work. Such a normal scene for him, yet something about this was different. Tony was tense and uncertain. Tony usually kept calm and posed. Now all his emotions were showing through, raw and was painful to watch. Howard finally just went to his area of the lab and started to look over research and notes. Really, what was so nerve wrecking? Hadn't he already assured Tony that he wasn't going to make him quit being Iron Man? That he had known all along?

Howard couldn't push it too hard though. He had made his intentions and expectations clear. Tony had followed. Howard was now trying to give Tony some breathing room. Tony had to be the one to start the actual conversation. Father and son worked in silence. Howard could hear the scratching of pencil on paper, the banging of the hammer, the hum of power tools. Every now and then he looked up and saw that Tony's almost clumsy actions had now calmed into the steady rhythm that Howard was used to in Tony's work ethic. He bit his tongue to refrain from saying anything. Tony had to be the one to talk…

"What do you want to know…?"

Finally, finally Howard heard the open and honest invitation. It wasn't Tony's normal strong and confident tone of voice (it was softer and still wavered a little with nerves) but Howard would take it.

"Everything."

And so, with everything set off to the side, Tony talked and Howard listened. As hard as he tried, the father couldn't stop himself wincing. His tongue was probably bleeding a little from biting it so often. It was one thing to suspect and know of Tony's battles, it was something else altogether to hear about them from Tony's perspective...

"Wait, it was Whitney who poisoned me?"

Howard hadn't expected that. Thinking back to what a sweet little girl the young women used to be didn't much up with the so called villainess Madame Mask.

Just another young life that Howard Stark had a hand in changing one for the worse. If only he hadn't made that mask. Something about his face must have shown his guilt because Tony quickly interrupted his thoughts.

"Dad, don't. Just don't. It's not your fault that people started to sneak in your locked vault without any thought to the consequences," Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. "I don't know what Obadiah was thinking. Honestly, so much of Whitney's issues are related to him never being a father to her. I tried to help but, well, you know how I am. She's in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody now."

"So Arthur Parks and Whitney Stane get hold of my unfinished tech and become villains…" And you get caught up in my ring obsession and become Iron Man, Howard silently added. Out loud he asked, "Anyone else I should know about?

"Do you count my grandson from the future using future Iron Man tech? Or perhaps Technovore…you know what, nevermind. Oh and of course you know all about Stane's Iron Monger…"

"Grandson?" Howard said, trying to hold back his disbelief. Why not? Both he and Tony have seen crazier things.

"Ah yeah, Pepper had dragged me out shoe shopping that day. Suddenly this Iron Man wannabe pops up out of nowhere and introduces himself as my grandson…"

"Shoe shopping?" Howard repeated, piecing parts together from a previous story he heard from a certain red head.

"Yeah and Technovore was a virus I created to beat this other villain…"

"You created a virus?"

Tony kept going. "And then Ghost stole my Iron Man specks and out comes Titanium Man and Iron Monger… just to name two. My point is Dad, your tech isn't the only tech that got misused and abused. Mine has been too. I get what you're feeling and it sucks."

"Yeah, it does." Howard agreed, mainly because he didn't know what else to say. "You know Tony, S.H.I.E.L.D. has an eye on you."

"Yeah, I have been told..."

"Does that bother you?"

His son shrugged. "If it did, I shouldn't be Iron Man. Does it bother you?"

"About as much as you fighting crime while wearing an armored version of the tin man… meaning yes-"

"People count on me Dad…"

"Tony, I know…"

"And now that Gene has all the rings, and he can do anything in the universe! Someone has to be there to stop him!"

Howard sighed, "And why do you think that someone is you? There's the police, there's S.H.I.E.L.D, there's the C.I.A..."

" Because you said the technology we make should be used to help people," Tony interrupted. "And when I first used the suit I created to save lives, I made a choice."

Howard had been afraid that his words were going to get thrown back into his face one of these days and ever since he found out about Iron Man, he had guessed it was only a matter of time...

"The truth is, Dad," Tony continued, a hard and determined look in his eyes as he looked straight at his father, " I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one." Howard gawked as pieces of the Iron Man suit zipped right past him and assembled itself around his son, so that only his helmet was left to don. Tony caught said object in his armored hands and rested it in his lap. "Even before Extremis, when I put on suit it became a part of me like a second skin..."

"The man makes the technology, Tony." Howard corrected, still trying to absorb the scene in which he just witnessed. "The technology doesn't make the man."

"I know."

"Do you?"

When the young man didn't reply, Howard placed a firm hand on his shoulder and brought him closer to himself so that they had to make direct eye contact. "Just remember what I have said alright? I understand you've made your choice; you are Iron Man. And Tony, I- I am proud of you, son. "

Tony's blue eyes widened at the unexpected words and hugged Howard , who quickly returned the gesture of affection. "Thanks, Dad."

"Just please, no more secrets."

"I'll try."

That was the best Howard was going to get, that he knew. For now, it was enough. "So exactly what are you working on, son?"

Tony's grin was suddenly wide and a familiar sharp sparkle, that Howard has longed to see since he returned home, at last came into his eyes for a moment. "It's just some upgrades for the Mark 2 armor. Do you want to see it?"

AN: And yes, there is a quote in here from the movie Iron Man 2. :)