Howard Stark Meets The Avengers

Tony Rogers-Stark deserves all the hugs

So...... This is the second to last chapter. And the last one will be posted tomorrow. 

I'd just like to tell you all that I checked the comments and I've  been smiling The whole day. So thank you to you guys for making my week. Love you all. ❤❤❤

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Saving Howard purposefully huffing and puffing, the room descend in an awkward silence after the fiasco.

Maria still had a hand over her cheek, as though she still couldn't believe someone would slap her. Howard sat back down and reapplied the  compress.

It was Steve,  unsurprisingly,  who spoke first.

"Howard-" he backtracked "Tony -" he stopped again. 

"Why do you two act like you hate him" he decides to ask.

"Who the brat? We don't act like we hate him. " Howard bit out.

"Then what do you call the way you've been acting? He's. Your. Son. And you're calling him a brat. " Steve says sounding anguished. 

"He is a brat. Do you even know how many times he came to my lab? I don't have the time to be taking care of someone like him. " Howard replied a bit louder this time. 

"He's your son Howard.  He's a child,  that's what you're supposed to do with children. You're supposed to spend time with them. You're  supposed to love them. Look at Tony,  he's three and he's afraid of you. He needs your support and you're letting him down."

"Don't try the whole righteous thing Steve. You don't know what it's like to be a father, the whining,  the talking,  and the crying!  God, he's a Stark. He's not supposed to cry! -"

"Howard he's a child! Of course he's supposed to cry. - "

"And you know what a child is supposed to do, do you? "

"I do actually.  I have a son. A son I raised maybe not right after his parents died, but I was there to take care of him. And I can say with utmost confidence that three year old kids should not be told crying makes them weak in any way!"

The voices of the two men rose steadily throughout the conversation. 

Howard faltered when he heard Steve had a child. Before he could say anything else however,  he was interrupted. 

"Sir, I should inform you that boss is currently entering the elevator to come to your location." The  Smooth voice of Friday warned them.

The team grimaced.

"Should we- " Pepper ventured.

"Nah, I don't think we could stop him from meeting them if we tried. " Rhodey shook his head already calculating how to handle the fallout.  Tony has been dry for years, but they could give him a little leeway just this once if he did want to drink.

Natasha nodded decisively to herself and got up walked pass Howard's couch that was facing away from the elevator, And stopped in front of it.

Tony was typing rapidly on his phone when the doors opened. He stepped out and nearly ran into Natasha.  He stopped himself before he could. And stared at her.

"Hey Nat, were you getting on the elevator? " he asks already taking a step back to get out of her way.

She grabbed him before he moved away,

"No waiting for you actually. "

"Uh- ok, what do you need? Something wrong with the widows bite? Or one of your other gadgets?  Fri said Peter was home already, you could have taken it to - what are you doing?" he asks as Natasha wraps him in a hug.