Tony was smart.
He'd taken advantage of Rook Tanner's lack of a place to stay, closing a deal before Rook could find other options, securing him as his personal bodyguard.
Right now, all Tony saw was Rook's strength and his potential access to alien tech.
But in time, he'd come to realize just how brilliant this decision was.
Even Iron Man's origin story would end up tied to Rook.
After all, the original Iron Man storyline had already been completely disrupted. Tony was supposed to be kidnapped by that terrorist group and held captive for three months, eventually building the first Mark I suit to escape.
Now? That whole plotline had vanished.
Tony hadn't even been injured, so no one paid any attention to the incident.
It was as if the whole thing had been quietly erased from history.
The next morning, Tony personally drove Rook to Stark Tower.
Technically, Rook was supposed to be the bodyguard, but somehow Tony ended up as the driver. Quite the reversal.
That was one odd job setup.
Rook had actually wanted to drive, but the moment Tony asked if he had a license and Rook said he only had an alien ID, that idea was immediately shut down.
Tony wasn't about to let his own bodyguard get him killed in a car crash.
At the company entrance, they bumped into Happy Hogan.
Happy cast a sideways glance at Rook, looking clearly irritated.
He probably already knew Tony was hiring Rook as his new bodyguard.
"Hey, what can you even do?" Happy sneered, stepping forward to provoke him.
Before Tony could step in, Rook casually reached out, grabbed Happy by the shoulder, twisted his hand, and sent Happy flying across the room.
Before Rook's arrival, Happy had been both Tony's driver and bodyguard, so it made sense he'd feel threatened. Picking a fight felt like a way to reclaim some pride.
Tony buried his face in his hands. He was too slow. His new bodyguard could lift an armored truck without breaking a sweat, let alone a regular person.
"Happy, you okay?" Tony asked, clearly concerned.
His relationship with Happy wasn't just boss and employee. Happy was one of the few people Tony genuinely trusted.
Happy groaned in pain. He was just a regular guy, with basically no combat ability. That hit hadn't been light.
Rook snorted coldly. "Don't provoke people if you can't back it up. That was me going easy. If this were a lawless zone, you'd already be dead."
And Tony believed it.
Rook wasn't bluffing. He was dangerous. Which was exactly why Tony wanted him close. Because if someone else hired Rook to kill him one day, who could stop it?
Tony helped Happy up and urged him to rest somewhere else, then turned to face Rook directly.
"Look man, you know this isn't some no-man's-land, right? Could you tone it down a little? Happy's a friend of mine. And remember, you're my bodyguard," Tony said, frowning.
He was trying to sound firm, but he was a little nervous. This felt like scolding a post-rampage Hulk, probably not a great idea.
Rook stared at Tony silently for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, you're the boss. But I'm hungry."
Tony let out a quiet breath of relief. As long as Rook was willing to give him some face, that was enough.
"Let me finish some things, then I'll take you to eat. Seriously, who's working for who here? I'm starting to feel like your babysitter."
He even had to prepare clothes for Rook this morning before they left the house.
Was he really expected to take care of everything, meals, clothing, housing, daily needs?
Rook tried not to laugh. He wasn't that unreasonable. Aside from giving Happy a little warning earlier, he was actually pretty easy to get along with.
It's not like he was some mindless beast. Even as a Doomsday variant, he retained full intelligence.
He was a rational person, not a walking rage bomb like the Hulk.
So Tony's worries were a bit over the top. If Happy hadn't gone out of his way to start something, Rook wouldn't have done anything.
Still, Tony was understandably cautious. If Rook ever lost control and blew a hole in Stark Tower with some freak energy blast, it'd be game over.
After making sure Happy was fine, Tony led Rook into the private elevator that went straight to the top floor.
Tony's office was at the very top. Eventually, he'd even convert it into a living space and start staying there more often.
Today, they had two objectives.
First, Tony, irresponsible as he often was, still had to report in. He had recently gone on a business trip and needed to give the board, especially a man named Obadiah, an update.
Second, he had to sign the contract with Rook.
Officially, the contract stated that Rook would serve as Tony's personal bodyguard, with a monthly salary of $100,000.
But unofficially, their agreement was far more complex.
The real goal was to provide Rook with a valid legal identity. With this contract, he'd be officially recognized within Stark Industries and could move freely throughout the building.
And more importantly, this was Tony personally vouching for him.
The authorities were bound to remain suspicious of Rook. By signing this contract, Tony was essentially tying his own name and reputation to Rook. If anything ever happened and Rook was accused of being a spy, Tony would share the blame.
Of course, Rook wasn't a spy. But that's how it would look to the world.
"Alright, wait here for a bit. I'm just gonna go have a few words with the board," Tony said with his usual lack of formality.
Because Rook had saved him, Tony had never gone through the trauma that would've forced him to grow. So right now, he was still the same flirty, flamboyant playboy he'd always been.
That kind of growth, those moments of desperation, the lessons learned in a cave, none of it had happened. And probably never would.
"So I'm partly to blame for that, huh?" Rook muttered to himself.
With that, he casually pulled out Tony's chair and sat down in it like he owned the place.
Seriously, what kind of bodyguard acted this cocky?
Just then, the door opened.
Pepper Potts walked in, dressed in a sharp office outfit, holding a stack of folders.
"Tony, wait, why are you here?"
She blinked in surprise. Sitting in Tony's seat wasn't Tony. It was Rook Tanner.
Rook was lounging comfortably, legs crossed, leaning back in the chair. He looked completely at home, as if he was about to prop his feet up on the desk next.
Pepper stared at him, her expression a mix of confusion and annoyance. There was something about his attitude that reminded her of Tony, carefree, self-important, doing whatever he wanted without a second thought.
Meanwhile, Rook was also sizing her up.
Because, well... she was pretty.