After landing, Tony took Liam to his favorite pizza place. Pepper was too tired and said she would go to the penthouse. Happy took her there, leaving Liam and Tony alone, while his parents also left for their home along with the others.
Soon, Tony and Liam found themselves in a nice pizza place. Since Tony was wearing a hat, nobody noticed him, preventing any commotion. Liam wasn't famous anyway.
As they sat and ordered pizza, they started discussing future projects. After a few minutes, Liam noticed new customers coming in, gradually replacing the previous ones, while their order remained on hold. Liam had always been aware of his surroundings, and when he observed these new arrivals, he sensed something was off.
"Tony, we have company," Liam whispered.
"What?" Tony looked around, confused, but saw no one familiar.
"You'll know soon enough," Liam said, and as predicted, Fury walked in.
"You guys are like flies on a swamp. Just won't leave me alone," Tony muttered. "I told you, I'm not joining your little boy band."
"Nah," Fury said, taking a seat across from Tony while eyeing Liam. Instead of focusing on Tony, he seemed more intrigued by Liam's presence. The fact that Liam didn't react with surprise to his arrival suggested he had expected it. "You told me you work alone. How's that working out for ya?"
"By the way, when I talk to you, should I look at the patch or the eye?" Tony quipped.
"Hello, I'm Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. You must be Liam Woodworth."
"Nice to meet you. Since you're from S.H.I.E.L.D., I assume you already know everything about me. No need for introductions," Liam said, shaking his hand. His words shut down any further inquiries from Fury, given that he was expected to have all the intel already.
As they spoke, Natasha appeared from behind, now clad in her agent uniform. Tony did a double take, clearly not expecting it.
"You're… fired," Tony said, irritated that someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten so close to him.
"That's not up to you," Natasha replied smoothly.
"Tony, this is Agent Romanoff. I assigned her to shadow you—especially after your recent stunts," Fury explained.
"Yeah? Well, I suggest you apologize to Pepper," Tony shot back at Natasha.
"You've been busy," Fury cut in. "Made your girl the CEO, gave away half your stuff to charity, handed your legacy to this kid here, and let's not forget the brilliant decision of competing in the Grand Prix. You're becoming a problem, Stark."
"What do you want?" Tony sighed, clearly losing interest.
"Oh, it's not about what I want. It's about what you've been doing. You went full Rambo in the Middle East for days, and I had to clean up after you. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to keep your mess under wraps? Contrary to what you believe, you're not the center of my universe."
Tony took a long sip of his Coke, slurping loudly.
"You need to get back to work and stop waiting for Mr. Death," Fury added.
"It's Miss Death. Not Mr. She's single, too," Liam corrected, speaking up for the first time.
"What?" Fury looked at him, confused.
"Yeah. Death's a lady, not a guy," Liam said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, whatever," Fury dismissed. "Listen, Stark, I've got enough on my plate. You need to step up."
"I've tried every possible fix. There's no replacement," Tony argued.
"What if I told you you haven't tried everything?" Fury countered before revealing how Tony's father had left him a legacy. This caught Tony off guard, and Fury promised to send him the materials later.
With that, Fury and Natasha left.
"He knew I was an agent the moment we locked eyes," Natasha said as she and Fury got into the car.
"How can you be so sure?" Fury asked.
"No reaction. No surprise. Not even a flicker when he saw me in my S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. I'm not the best at reading people, but I can tell—he knew from the start."
"I checked the traffic footage. During the pier assault, his car left the garage and returned after the attack," Fury said.
"Want me to ask him directly?" Natasha offered.
"No. He's dangerous. I saw what he did. That level of brutality doesn't match someone his age. Physically, he might be stronger than Cap."
"Boss, you think he's a psychopath?" Natasha asked.
"Maybe. But for now, he's on the right side. Let's keep it that way. Assuming Liam is Wraithborn, Phil's close to him. According to Phil, Liam's just antisocial but well-liked, helps everyone, and is a star in his community. So, for now, we keep our distance. No files, just quiet surveillance."
"That's not like you, Boss," Natasha said with a small smirk.
"My hands are tied. The kid's not even legal yet," Fury admitted.
"I guess I'll have to head out soon and wait for this so-called legacy to arrive at my place," Tony said.
"Yeah, you should go. Too much lore drop for one day," Liam teased.
"Ha. I'll be expecting you at the Stark Expo. We can finally show off the full capabilities of the shield," Tony said.
"I'll be there," Liam promised.
-----
The next few days turned into regular days for Liam. But there were also some slight changes. Phil would come often to their garage and though Liam wouldn't go to the garage as much as before as he now had his own place to work upon, he would see his face more often.
And Liam also realized that he was now tailed by someone. Though the person always remained far, but he was there. Of course, a same person wouldn't tail him, as they seemed to change daily. But it was there like a shadow that one couldn't get rid of.