Superman in Marvel: Multiverse Ascendant

Evening, in the basement laboratory of Stark's mansion.

Tony rubbed his chin, staring at his Mark armor from every angle.

He had been in this state for a long time.

Beside him, Leon struggled to hold back laughter.

"So, why did you dye it pink?" Tony finally spoke, pointing at the now bright pink armor with a blank expression.

Leon immediately straightened up, his smile vanishing as he put his hands behind his back.

"This is a special surprise Jarvis prepared for you," he said seriously.

Stepping forward, he pointed to the chest piece, where the energy core was embedded. A faintly visible inscription circled it.

Leon read aloud, "'Tony has a pink heart.'"

He winked at Tony. "What do you think? Touched? Pink symbolizes innocence and kindness—Jarvis is praising you."

Tony pursed his lips and sneered. "Well, thank you. I never would have thought of it otherwise."

His face darkened as he imagined the "beautiful" scene of wearing this armor again. He could already see his enemies laughing themselves to death before he even fired a shot.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to speak, but the words got stuck, his face reddening slightly.

Leon watched Tony's shifting expressions, barely holding in his laughter.

Finally, Tony turned away, refusing to look at his beloved armor any longer.

"Jarvis, why pink?" he asked the other culprit.

Tony had a deep attachment to his first suit, even referring to it as "her."

"Sir, this was Master Leon's suggestion," Jarvis explained, though his tone carried a hint of silent protest. "He believed you'd be happier seeing the armor repaired and in pink."

"Oh, come on, Jarvis, don't act innocent. You didn't object back then—we all agreed, didn't we?" Leon dragged Jarvis into the mess.

"Master Leon, with all due respect, artificial intelligence does not possess independent thought."

"Only artificial idiots don't have thoughts," Leon quipped. "Jarvis, you always remind Tony that Pepper will be mad when he dates Cover Girls. So why wouldn't you prepare a surprise for him?"

Tony's scowl deepened.

"Enough!" he snapped, glancing helplessly at Leon, who was already laughing. "Don't think I don't know this is payback."

Leon didn't deny it. "So you do know? You realize I had to go back into that cave, right? Is it so wrong that I brought the armor back to you?"

Tony sighed, spreading his hands. "Fine, fine, I surrender. Let's end this here. I'm not mad anymore, so can we move on?"

After over a decade of dealing with Leon's antics, Tony had developed the emotional resilience needed to handle "mischievous" children.

Of course, Tony only saw Leon as mischievous. To others, Leon was a great guy.

For instance, as kids, Leon couldn't stand Tony constantly bringing home new Cover Girls.

More than once, just as Tony was about to make his move, Leon would blast recordings of Tony's sweet-talking from outside the door.

Without fail, the enraged girl would storm out, slamming the door behind her.

Leon would then peek around the corner, waving. "Good night, Tony. Sweet dreams."

Tony would turn red on the spot, grab a pillow, and chase Leon around the room.

The next day, after hearing Tony's complaints, Pepper happily handed Leon some pocket money.

This went on for two weeks.

Then Tony had a custom-built, soundproof bedroom installed.

From that point on, even if Leon was dancing outside his door, Tony could enjoy a Mozart piece and have a peaceful evening.

This kind of "fight" between them had been ongoing since Leon was three. It lasted until he, too, started bringing girls home in high school.

The night Leon first brought a girl over, the two brothers exchanged a knowing smile.

That night, an unspoken truce was formed.

Of course, their battles continued in other ways.

Sometimes Tony made trouble for Leon; sometimes Leon got the upper hand.

Pepper once commented, "These two are just children who never grew up."

"Jarvis, take this armor away and repaint it. Otherwise, I don't want to see her again," Tony ordered.

He waved a hand dismissively. "And get me some materials. I'm making a new suit."

"The conditions in that cave were terrible," Tony muttered. "That armor wasn't up to my standards. Leon, this time, I'll show you that my suit isn't a 'toy.'"

Leon shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll be watching."

At that moment, a few of the lab's mechanical arms rolled over, pushing the pink armor away.

Leon even lent a hand.

He had only done this as a joke—he never expected Tony to actually wear it.

What he didn't expect even more was that, ten years later, during a visit to Tony's suit collection, this bizarre pink armor was displayed front and center.

"Are we starting now?"

Leon turned back.

Tony, true to his word, had already cleared his workspace with a single sweep, ready to begin.

"You're that eager to prove yourself?"

"Watch your words, Leon," Tony corrected. "Tony Stark doesn't need to prove himself. He challenges himself."

"Fine. Just make sure to come up before dinner," Leon called as he headed for the stairs.

"Pepper's planning a family gathering to celebrate your safe return. Ethan and Rhodes will be there."

Rhodes was Tony's close friend in the military. Their bond was strong enough that Tony even handed him a suit in the movies.

"Just us? No problem, as long as I'm not the one cooking," Tony said without looking up.

Since the infamous sea bass incident—where Tony burned the dish beyond recognition—Leon had mocked him endlessly. Tony had since vowed never to step foot in a kitchen again.

By the time Pepper finished cleaning up the press conference mess, she had rushed back to the mansion.

The moment she saw Leon, she hugged him tightly.

"Leon! Oh my God, I couldn't believe it when Tony said you were back! The Mark Spaceship is still floating outside Earth!"

The spaceship Tony built was named the Mark Spaceship.

"And you flew back on your own! That's incredible!"

She stepped back and gasped, patting his chest. "Wow, you're built like a rock now! You're a completely different person from six months ago!"

"If I knew you'd bulk up like this, I would've called you sooner," she muttered guiltily.

Leon quickly reassured her. "It's okay, Pepper. You didn't want to worry me, right?"

"If I weren't as strong as Superman, even if you had told me Tony was missing, I would've been stuck alone in space, unable to do anything."

Tony was like a brother and a father figure to Leon.

Pepper, who had raised him since childhood, was part sister, part mother.

Leon smiled. "Besides, sure, things got rough, but Tony survived. Maybe it wasn't all bad in the end."

"You think so?" Pepper frowned. "I just feel like he's been acting… irrational."

"Maybe you just don't fully understand the new Tony," Leon replied, nudging her toward the kitchen.

"Come on, Pepper, dinner won't make itself. I'll tell you all about Tony's wild adventure."

A few hours later.

Dinner went smoothly, and everyone had a great time.

Tony introduced Ethan to Pepper and Rhodes, welcoming him into their circle.

Ethan would soon join Stark's R&D department, doing the work he loved.

During dinner, Tony also voiced his desire to do something greater for the world.

Unfortunately, Rhodes wasn't on board with that idea—at least, not yet.

...

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