I was just bemoaning elsewhere that there weren't any stories where MA:A Steve meets Howard, and then someone recced me here! This was delightful. MA:IM Howard is so terrible it crosses the line into hilarious for me, and you got that perfectly. His about-face from fawning fan to protective father had me actually laughing out loud- at least he's kind of terrible to everyone, not just Tony? But oh, lord, Howard, you have no ground to lecture from. Frankly, having him turn to stone for a bit is probably the best way the evening could have ended.
Anyway, this was great and I'm glad it exists. <3