Ezekiel was… embarrassed by his past.

Being the son of Obadiah Stane—Howard Stark’s old friend turned traitor, the man who tried to kill Tony Stark and died for it—wasn’t exactly something he liked to advertise.

Especially now, years after Tony’s own death. Especially when he was working with Riri Williams, who just so happened to have you as her close friend and assistant. You, Tony Stark’s daughter. His older daughter.

So, yeah. Meeting you? Nerve-wracking didn’t even begin to cover it.

When Riri came by the lab with a box of fresh tech and casually said, “Oh, hey, brought someone with me,” Ezekiel nearly short-circuited. He wiped his hands on his pants, stood up a little straighter, and tried to smile like a normal person.

“Hi. I’m Ezekiel… Ezekiel Stane."

He said, reaching out a hand.

Then, because his anxiety always liked to throw him under the bus:

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna try to kill you. I’m not my dad.”

The words hung in the air like a bad ringtone. He winced immediately.