Author's Note: ok, ok, no one freak out, this was a requested story by RollingUpHigh and I swear I have no intention of sending anyone on an emotional roller coaster... Although that may happen. This will not be the same as the movie or anything, it's just my version of Iron man's heir so... please Don't kill me.

Disclaimer: I don't deserve to own the avengers, I just don't.

Harley Keener lived an ordinary life, in an ordinary city, filled with ordinary people. Everyday he went to work, came home, ate dinner, and went to bed. Except for Saturdays. Saturdays, he did something different. Yes, this average, dull, twenty two year old man was slightly different. No, no powers, no mutations, but he knew someone like that. Tony stark. In fact, he was his follower, his own little apprentice. No one could know this. If they did, well, who knows who would go after him? SHEILD was always waiting for the day they could take over stark tower, and Harley had to be there to stop them. If anything ever happened to Tony... Harley didn't want to think about it. How could he replace such a man? Such a- Such a genius! He'd asked himself this everyday since he was chosen to be his heir.

He was good at engineering, but it had taken him a LONG LONG time to even work up to the equivalent of his superior, let alone the time it took him to make his own suit. He was obviously considered because of his fathers friendship with Tony, but why of all people would he choose him? Harley didn't know, and perhaps he never would. He sighed and entered the Stark tower. At least his life didn't have to be so dull all the time.

Meanwhile

"Sir, Harley is here for his regular training session." JARVIS announced, showing Tony the man standing outside his building. Sure enough the pale, brown haired man was waiting right outside.

"Ah, let him in then." Tony said, looking up from the holograms in his workshop. Honestly, where else would he be? With a few taps, the holograms vanished, and new ones instantly replaced them. The ones he and Harley were working on last week. They were actually making great progress. Seconds later Harley's grinning face appeared in the doorway.

"Well Harvey, you gonna stand there and smile or are you going to finish your homework?" Tony asked pulling up a few more holograms.

Harley's smile faded slightly. "Yeah, I'm on it. My names Harley by the way." He noted, making his way over to the table.

"No matter how many times you tell me that, I'm still calling you Harvey." Tony replied stepping aside.

Harley rolled his eyes and started working on his suit. Fingers flying, switching codes here and there, adding things, changing things. Not looking up from his work, Harley asked, "So where's everyone today hmm?" Referring to the avengers.

Tony shrugged. "Off saving the world somewhere." He watched Harley's progress in front of him. "No, no the boosters shouldn't center in the base of the foot, they have to be built around the frame, directing it farther away from you and raising the power levels up by 25%. It's a common miscalculation, but it makes all the difference.

Harley fixed it within a minute and continued. "Then how come your not, oh you know, helping them?" He asked.

"I have better things to do. What is this an interview?" Tony retaliated.

"No, I can't be curious? You choose me above any other mutant in the world that could do what I'm doing without even a blink of an eye, yet you choose me to take over for you. Why?" Harley blurted, he needed to know this so bad.

Tony sighed. "Its complicated. I didn't get where I am today with mutations or powers, I got it from here." He pointed to his head. " I just want someone who has the potential to become something good on their own terms like me." He explained.

"Wow, this is Tony stark being modest huh? Shocking." Harley said without even thinking. Now that, was a stupid move.

Tony grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. "This is important whether you think it is or not. To tell you the truth, I don't trust mutants because you never know what they've done or what they will do and I can't have someone like that acting as me. No one knows about you because you're literally all I have and I can't risk that because I already risk my life on a daily basis. It's what I do best. Unfortunately, you never know when I may not be saved my dumb luck and die like I deserve to. I need someone who can be something great by trying, not something that came out of a bottle." You never know when something might happen and then..." He trailed off.

Harley stepped back. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "I wasn't thinking, it's just-"

" Forget it. As long as you know how important you are, then my job here is done."

With that, Harley turned and started finishing up his suit. "One day this will all be yours." Tony muttered. "Will you take care of it?"

"Of course." Harley said, nodding in his direction. "It's all I have that makes me different, I need it." Harley admitted.

Tony nodded and shut down the monitors. "We'll start making your suit next week, I have something I need to do." Tony replied.

"But I-"

"Just go already." Tony muttered closing his eyes. Harley hesitated, but left. Then Tony was alone again. Just like he always had been and that scared the shit out of him. He knew what had to be done, and started working.

"Is it read yet JARVIS?"

"Yes sir." the AI responded. "All we need is your final scan."

"Perfect. I never thought I'd ever come up with anything like this before JARVIS. It's always been a little dream of mine. Too bad I won't be around to see it." He sighed.

If JARVIS physically could, he'd be crying.

Tony 's POV-

I woke up the next morning with a horrible headache. "JARVIS, dim the lights." I ordered and rubbed my eyes. "Don't let anyone in today, I feel like staying in for a while."

JARVIS didn't respond. "JARVIS?" I asked hesitantly. I made my way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. It always helped in the morning. But someone was already there. "Morning Captain."

Steve smiled. "Its Steve, and you aren't surprised to see me?"

"Ah, no. You guys do this all the time. So where's everyone else? Still asleep I bet." I answered sitting down at the counter.

"Um, most of them." Steve coughed and sipped his own mug of... milk?

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well Tony, Clint is in the infirmary due to a few broken bones and bad burns, but everyone else is fine, mostly." He replied.

"Figures. I thought you guys had it under control." I shrugged, making myself some coffee.

Steve beamed. "We did. Their whole base is destroyed, HYDRA won't be bothering anyone for while."

"Yeah, don't bet on that. Those bastards don't know when to quit." I grumbled bitterly.

Steve rolled his eyes. "We took care of them ok?" Then someone spoke out from just beyond the doorway.

"No, he's right." Director Fury strolled in, slapping a file onto the table in front of Tony. "And they're on the move."

So how you do you like the story so far huh? It's not the longest but there's more to it then this, I promise. What is Fury talking about? What is HYDRA up to? And why does Steve refuse to drink coffee? Stay tuned and find out!