Marvel's Omniversal Traveler

The soft, familiar melody of 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' gently echoed throughout Alex's house, each delicate note resonating off the walls. However, it wasn't the orchestral rendition most were familiar with. It was a simpler version, played solely on the piano.

Every now and then, a note would falter slightly or cut short abruptly, breaking the gentle rhythm momentarily. Nevertheless, the music continued to flow.

His house had changed. Well, maybe it was Alex who had changed, even if it was just a little.

He was still a mess. He still felt the pressure, he felt the paranoia and anxiety. But now he had an anchor to reality. It was silly, but it was all he needed. To think his anchor had only crossed paths with him by chance.

As his hands went on autopilot, he took a moment to glance around the room.

The once chaotic house, cluttered with random scraps of electronics and scribbled notes, had gradually transformed. The fifteen whiteboards he'd impulsively purchased were now neatly organized, their surfaces wiped clean and ready for whatever new obsession overtook him next.

Taking up a hobby had clearly worked wonders, at least for his sanity, and now, here he was, at peace behind the piano keys. He'd also tried guitar and violin, but both left his fingers sore since he still wasn't used to the strings, so he'd left them behind.

Perhaps it was a childish reason to drop the instruments, but he was learning to entertain himself. Plus, he needed to keep his hands in top condition whenever he worked on any of his new projects.

That excuse was as good as any in his mind.

However, picking the piano over the other two did have a surprising benefit, one that he was enjoying now. Looking up from the sheet music, he could see it, or rather, her.

In the spacious yet minimally furnished living room, Tandy moved effortlessly to the tune he played. Her movements were graceful, fluid, and each step was perfectly timed despite his occasional slip-ups. A radiant smile illuminated her face as she spun and stepped lightly across the polished hardwood floor.

She was talented, he had to admit. Dance had never interested him much in the past, but something about watching her had changed that. Or maybe he was biased simply because it was Tandy.

Alex sighed softly, fingers slowing a bit as he watched her. He felt conflicted, even if he didn't quite show it on his face.

Their relationship was complicated.

They didn't have to be complicated, but for both their sakes, Alex had firmly kept their friendship as just that, a friendship.

After their accidental meeting, Tandy had become surprisingly attached. However, Alex didn't mind that. Her presence was comforting, even necessary at times. They spent most of their free hours together, quietly supporting each other in ways neither fully acknowledged. Her cheerful chatter kept his stress and paranoia in check, and his constant company eased the abandonment issues she carried.

Issues she probably didn't even realize she had.

It made sense, considering what she'd been through. Her father had left early, leaving her and her mother. Though, at the very least, he had given them a house and a load of money before vanishing. And her mother, a beautiful, successful, but perpetually distant woman, had remarried quickly. Not that it stopped her from enjoying the attention of other wealthy men.

She was a model, a very famous one, which meant that most of her time was spent going to parties and doing some "networking." 

With her mother constantly away and with her strained relationship with her stepfather, she had begun to feel more and more alone. That loneliness manifested clearly in her need for Alex's presence, practically moving into his home just to avoid the silent emptiness of her own.

That closeness, though comforting, was also the very reason Alex kept his distance. Tandy meant far too much to him to risk complicating things further. The last thing he wanted was to feel like he'd taken advantage of her vulnerability. It was easier, safer, just to stay as they were.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

Truthfully, they both fed each other's issues, and Alex knew it. Her constant presence soothed his anxiety and paranoia. She was his anchor to reality, making him overly reliant on her company. Perhaps it was odd that he got attached so quickly and easily, but he quite literally had nothing in this world. No connections, no friends, not many hobbies, no real purpose other than wanting to survive. So it made sense why he got so attached to the first person who enjoyed and craved his presence.

Similarly, his dependable friendship only reinforced her dependence on him, keeping her fears temporarily at bay but never truly resolving them.

Maybe the real issue was his own indecision. It wouldn't be the first time he had pushed a problem off into the ever-so-convenient "later."

"Alex~" Tandy said playfully, spinning lightly across the room before gracefully stopping next to him. She nudged his shoulder gently, her voice teasing. "What are you overthinking now?"

"College," Alex replied with a soft chuckle. "Only a few weeks left. Honestly, I feel like I should probably be studying right now."

"Ah, that," Tandy answered, rolling her eyes fondly. "I already told you, you're overthinking it. College is where you're supposed to learn stuff, not beforehand. Besides, you already spend half our time together studying."

Before he could argue, Tandy tugged lightly at his sleeve, pulling him away from the piano. Alex reluctantly stood, shaking his head even as he smiled at her persistence.

"And don't even give me your usual 'I gotta stand out' speech." Tandy interrupted quickly, raising an eyebrow knowingly. "Trust me, you'll stand out just fine."

Alex sighed, following her over to the couch. She bounced onto it lightly and immediately grabbed the remote, switching on the TV.

"Isn't it a little early for movies?" Alex asked, sinking into the couch beside her even as he pretended to protest.

"Did you forget already? That nerdy guy you wanted to watch is giving his speech today." She reminded him, yawning as she grabbed a blanket and curled up. "Wake me up when the boring science stuff is over."

Rolling his eyes with a soft smile, Alex took the remote and began flipping through channels. Richards' speech wouldn't begin for another half hour or so, leaving him with plenty of time to kill. He landed absentmindedly on a news channel, tempted to follow Tandy's lead and drift off to sleep, a habit he'd unintentionally picked up from her.

But any sleepiness evaporated instantly as a news anchor's voice filled the room.

"CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, was rescued today following a successful military mission. Stark was discovered wandering the desert at approximately 1 p.m. local time and recently arrived back in the United States. We will soon go live to Stark Tower, where he's expected to deliver an official statement."

Alex froze, his heart skipping several beats as he absorbed the words. For a long, tense moment, he held his breath.

And then, slowly, he exhaled, releasing tension he hadn't realized he'd been holding onto. To his surprise, a quiet laugh slipped out.

He'd spent months dreading this moment, unsure as to the chaos that would follow once Stark took on the title of Iron Man, yet now that it was here, he felt strangely calm.

Leaning back in his chair, Alex stared absently at the ceiling, eyes drifting shut as he allowed himself a brief moment of peace.

But, as always, it didn't last long.

"Tandy… the ghost is at it again." He called out, a forced chuckle masking the slight tension creeping up his spine.

"Hm?" She mumbled sleepily, cracking an eye open as she stirred on the couch. "Ghost? Oh, right, the ghost. I told you we should've called that exorcist lady off the internet. She had great reviews."

"Montesi?" Alex instantly replied, shaking his head firmly. The name sounded familiar, familiar meant dangerous, and his paranoia was too deeply ingrained to risk it. The last thing he wanted was actual demons or wizards knocking on his door. At least, not until he could make heads or tails of magic, which, given everything on his plate, wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Sure, it might sound stupid, especially considering he was probably already being haunted in some weird, paranormal way, but if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that interacting with the supernatural only drew it closer. He could deal with an occasional chill down his spine; what he couldn't handle was demons casually strolling in and out of his life.

"Honestly." Alex sighed, shifting gears as he tried to move past his own anxiety, "I've been thinking about just moving out. I checked around, and I can easily afford something smaller, closer to Empire State."

"Hm…" Tandy murmured quietly, finally sitting up with a slightly conflicted look on her face. "I don't think you should move, though. I mean, it's… it's a good neighborhood. If you really want, I can even handle the exorcist myself. You wouldn't even have to be here."

Alex felt his chest tighten slightly. He knew exactly what she was worried about. Smiling softly, he reassured her gently. "If I get a new place, it'll have two bedrooms. Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily. I'll still be here whenever you need me."

"Yeah, yeah." She said quietly, rising slowly to her feet and stretching. Despite his words, uncertainty lingered faintly in her voice. "Anyway, I should head home before anyone notices I'm gone."

She waved briefly, slipping quietly out the door before Alex could say anything more.

Watching her go, Alex let out a long sigh, feeling his earlier good mood slip away entirely. 

"At least she didn't overreact this time." He muttered, shaking his head and pushing himself up. "Maybe I should just hire a group therapist." He added dryly, walking toward his lab with a humorless chuckle.

He'd planned to take the day off entirely, just relax with Tandy, maybe play some more piano, but seeing Stark back on the news meant he needed to buckle down again. There was no more room for distractions.

Stepping into his lab, Alex reached for a dark pair of welding goggles and pulled thick protective gloves onto his hands. Carefully, he picked up his newest prototype from its stand.

Originally, Alex had planned to create something modeled after Stark's arc reactor, the smaller one he wore on his chest. But it didn't take him long to realize that particular ambition was out of reach, at least without proper schematics.

But his experiments hadn't been for nothing.

His search for an arc reactor had morphed into something different. Something that was his own. And perhaps he would have to thank Tandy for this, too, since she helped organize him and stopped him from wasting too much time on simple things. Without her, he probably would have overthought everything and would only be a fraction of the way here.

Using the basic theory of some of the fuel sources in his original world, Alex began to experiment with different ways to make his own battery, and in the end, he had succeeded, at least partially.

It wasn't as advanced as Stark's creation, no, Alex's prototype was different. It ran on Zero-Point Energy Extraction. Or, well, a really, really, and he should reiterate, a really early version of it.

It was something his father had accomplished in his original world, and thankfully, Alex had taken the time to study how it worked. Now, he wasn't able to recreate it perfectly due to the technology and materials available to him, but even this was a miracle.

The core sat in the center of the room, encased in a makeshift containment unit built from salvaged lab equipment and reinforced alloys. A dull green light pulsed from its heart, slow, steady, like the breath of something alive but sleeping. It was crude. Ugly, even. Nothing like the sleek, compact beauty of Stark's arc reactor.

But it worked.

Not through fusion, not through arc plating or high-energy plasma loops. His method was different. A whisper of something deeper, quantum fluctuations, the energy of empty space.

"A trickle of zero-point energy." Alex whispered as he looked at the core. It was barely a sip, and even that required insane precision to maintain. The quantum cascade array he'd built from synthetic sapphire could only stabilize the harmonic resonance for a few microseconds at a time, but that was enough.

If he wanted to use the energy for prolonged periods of time, it was only enough to light a bulb. Enough to recharge a phone. Enough to prove it was real. 

But if he wanted to focus the energy for longer, he could generate a far more impressive display of power, even if it was only for one shot.

Efficiency-wise, he figured he'd be lucky if it produced even a fraction of the energy Stark's reactor could. Maybe even that was optimistic, given he had no actual reference. Still, it was enough to be useful, and more importantly, it had potential.

"Aether Core, prototype version 1.22474487139," Alex muttered under his breath, chuckling slightly at the name. He had promised to only move on to version two once this version showed some results. So now, whenever it wouldn't work, he would just add another random number to the end of the list.

"Alfred, start recording," he called out, glancing toward the corner of the room. A salvaged camera flickered to life, connected to the hacked motherboard of his old vacuum cleaner. Alfred wasn't a true AI, not yet. But with enough voice triggers and some creative wiring, it did what it needed to, respond to commands, log data, and capture every glorious and catastrophic failure for future review.

"After original testing, Aether Core version 1.2247448713 proved unstable and tragically annihilated my favorite gauntlets," he narrated dryly, holding up the new prototype for the camera. It pulsed faintly in his gloved palm, humming with soft, quantum resonance. "This here is the follow-up. In theory, it should safely produce at least one proper laser discharge without catastrophic failure. Hopefully."

He moved carefully across the room, placing the Aether Core into a housing unit vaguely shaped like a weapon, which was pointed over to several layered walls of metal. It was oversized, clunky, and riddled with exposed cables, nowhere near battlefield-ready. But this was only a proof of concept. Proof that it could power something.

"Preliminary calculations suggest the discharge could temporarily incapacitate enhanced beings," he added, connecting the final lead with a quiet snap. "To precisely what extent remains uncertain. The optimistic goal is to at least stun someone with Captain America-level durability."

The weapon thrummed faintly as the Aether Core engaged, the glow at its center intensifying. Light shimmered through the exposed seams in the casing, casting sharp shadows across the walls.

"Note: camouflage needs significant improvement. Current visibility is unacceptable. Ventilation requirements prevent full sealing. Additional refinement of the coolant system is also necessary if I want this thing to stop sounding like an overcaffeinated lawnmower."

He took a few steps back and pulled a heavy lever. Metal shutters groaned as they slid into place, forming a makeshift blast shield between him and the weapon. He took one deep breath, and then as he exhaled, he reached for a small button next to him and pressed it.

The weapon pulsed brightly. Gears spun. Motors whirred.

And then, nothing.

The light dimmed, the hum faded, and silence filled the lab. Alex let out a slow, frustrated sigh and stepped out from behind the shielding.

"Experimentation failure," he said flatly, his voice filled with disappointment. Another misfire. Another dead end. "Alfred, add a 5 to the version number this time."

But then the gun whined.

The noise rose sharply, and before Alex could even blink, a vivid green beam tore from the barrel, slicing clean through the metal shield in front of it. The steel glowed red-hot at the edges before collapsing inward with a hiss of smoke and molten slag.

Alex froze, one foot raised mid-step, goggles slightly askew.

"...Huh," he muttered cautiously.

He waited a few more seconds. Nothing else happened. The glow inside the housing dimmed to a soft flicker, the hum stabilizing to a gentle purr.

He moved closer, slowly, like someone approaching a sleeping tiger. The casing was still hot, but intact. Carefully, he opened it and retrieved the Aether Core. It vibrated faintly in his hand, but otherwise showed no signs of instability.

It hadn't cracked. It hadn't overheated.

A slow grin began to stretch across his face.

"This one didn't melt," he said, voice rising with cautious triumph.

Then, louder, more certain this time.

"This one didn't melt."

With exaggerated caution, Alex placed the Aether Core onto his workstation and flipped up his goggles, striding confidently toward the smoldering remains of the metal sheet. It had melted cleanly, a perfect, precise hole carved straight through. A crude test, sure, but undeniably effective.

"Yeah, this will definitely work," he said, excitement bubbling just beneath the surface. Turning back to the camera, he gave a rare, satisfied grin. "We have our winner. Alfred, end recording."

The camera light blinked off with a soft click.

Sliding back into his seat, Alex pulled his goggles down once more and hunched over the Aether Core. As tempting as it was to celebrate, he needed to confirm stability before he got ahead of himself. The last thing he wanted was for this version to join the growing pile of melted components and ruined gauntlets.

He dragged a flickering monitor closer and scanned the error logs. A single line stood out, plain, blunt, and irritatingly simple.

"Too much juice, huh?" he muttered, lips twitching in amusement.

The output had overloaded the gun's internal capacitors, causing the weapon to stall until the charge bled off enough to fire. Ironically, the elaborate rig he'd set up to monitor and regulate power flow had caused the delay. Still, it was a solvable problem, and that meant progress.

If he could refine this tech further and integrate it with some of his other prototypes, he'd finally have something reliable. Something real. A defensive system, maybe even a small power grid. Hell, even the ghost haunting his house might think twice before messing with him.

He wasn't aiming for an Iron Man suit. Not yet, anyway. Concealed gear was more his style, quiet, compact, functional. His goal wasn't heroics, or fame, or even recognition.

He just wanted to be safe.

With an alien invasion somewhere on the horizon, and the universe throwing curveballs like it was bored, safe was a luxury he couldn't ignore.

Sure, he could always run. Pick some quiet place and disappear. But that was just trading one unknown for another. Staying in New York gave him something solid, something to watch for. And well, someone too.

"Better love story than Twilight." He muttered to himself as he shook his head. He couldn't let himself be distracted by idle thoughts.

He wasn't going to whisk her off to some tropical island and pretend the world wasn't on fire. They were just friends anyway. Friends with a shared history, sure, but not some epic romance. Still, the idea of lounging in the sun while everything else exploded was… tempting. Terrifying even.

But maybe it was also just part of being human.

Lost in thought, he nearly missed the small red indicator blinking urgently on the monitor beside him. Someone important was calling.

"Probably just Tandy," he sighed, briefly debating ignoring the call to continue working. Yet curiosity got the better of him, and he finally reached over, picking up his phone.

Alex froze when he saw the caller ID.

He hesitated for only a second before answering, forcing his voice steady. 

"Uh, hello, Miss Potts? I just saw the news. I'm glad to hear that Tony Stark made it back safely; honestly, I was pretty worried about him."

"Whoa, careful kid, you'll make me tear up." An unmistakably male voice answered, confident, casual, and distinctly familiar.

"Stark?" Alex asked, momentarily speechless.

"The one and only," Tony replied smoothly, chuckling before suddenly sounding distracted. "Pepper, seriously, stop, I don't need the hospital, I'm fine. Anyway, kid, Pepper's booking you a car. Come on down to Stark Tower. I owe you a drink."

"Tony, he's a minor, and you're—" Pepper's voice sounded exasperated in the background, followed by muffled rustling and Tony's dramatic complaints.

"Unbelievable. Kidnapped by terrorists, then assaulted by my assistant, I'm starting to miss the cave," Tony grumbled dramatically before focusing back on Alex. "Just get ready, kid. I'll see you soon."

Before Alex could even open his mouth to respond, the line abruptly went dead.

"What…the actual hell?" Alex muttered, staring at the phone in bewilderment. "What'd I even do?"

He glanced suspiciously at the Aether Core beside him. There was absolutely no way Tony or anyone else could know about his experiments. Mentally running through the past three months, he couldn't recall a single moment that would've drawn Stark's attention, especially enough to warrant an immediate meeting. That was, without considering the fact that he had been in a cave for the past three months.

Hell, he'd barely spoken to Pepper since their initial interaction. Sure, they'd briefly exchanged a few emails, but nothing significant enough for Tony freaking Stark himself to call him personally.

"Right, so… carpe diem," Alex whispered, shaking off his hesitation as he hurried around his lab, grabbing tools and hastily organizing his scattered inventions. If Stark wanted to meet him, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity, this might be his only shot, after all.

He scanned his clothes quickly, pulling out the fanciest suit he owned before cringing. 

'What am I thinking? I'd look ridiculous showing up at Stark Tower dressed like some businessman.' With a sigh, he settled for his second-best option, simple, smart casual clothes that wouldn't make him look pretentious, but still respectable enough to not embarrass himself.

Then, without wasting a moment, he ran to organize a few of his most presentable gadgets into a briefcase. 

Then, he paused for a few moments, staring at the Aether Core with a complicated expression.

If he brought it to Stark, he would be guaranteed his attention. It was a prototype, sure, but it was already showcasing signs of becoming something incredible.

But then he would risk other people finding out about it, too. Obadiah Stane would probably throw him in a cave, too, if he found out about it. But, in the end, Alex decided to take a leap of faith.

After a tense few seconds of hesitation, Alex steeled himself. He had come too far now to hesitate. This was his shot, his golden opportunity to finally make real progress. He could continue toiling away quietly in his makeshift lab, or he could tap into the immense resources Stark Industries had to offer. If he backed down now, he'd regret it forever.

Exhaling deeply, he carefully removed the Aether Core from its pedestal and packed it safely into a second briefcase. Right on cue, the shrill chime of the doorbell startled him slightly.

Outside his door stood a crisply dressed driver who greeted him with practiced politeness. Alex offered a hurried greeting in return and followed him quickly to the sleek black sedan waiting by the curbside. As he slid into the plush leather seats, anxiety took hold again, making his chest tighten.

Was he doing the right thing? Why did Stark want to meet him? What if this was a trap? What if he stumbled over his words and messed up his opportunity?

Oddly, he felt infinitely more anxious now compared to the first time he'd set foot in Stark Tower. Back then, he'd been cool as ice. Almost too calm. He couldn't help but envy his past self, untouched by the overwhelming realization that this was actually real, and not some strange dream or game.

'Or maybe my mind really did fracture with all the Multiversal Travel,' Alex mused bitterly.

"We've arrived. Mr. Stark is waiting for you," the driver announced cheerfully, pulling Alex from his spiraling thoughts as they stopped outside a private entrance.

"Ah, thank you," Alex replied distractedly, stepping out of the car and gripping the briefcases tighter as he spotted Pepper Potts waiting patiently by the elevator. A surge of relief mingled with his nerves upon seeing her familiar face.

Pepper had a clearly concerned expression on her face, though the moment she laid her eyes on him, that expression gave way to one of surprise followed by a gentle smile.

"Alex? Wow, I almost didn't recognize you," she admitted warmly, eyes quickly appraising him from head to toe. "I'm glad to see you've been taking care of yourself."

Giving her a nervous smile in response, Alex nodded as he took both his briefcases.

"Yeah, well, your advice helped a lot, Miss Potts. Thanks again," Alex answered politely.

"What's all this?" Pepper's eyes fell curiously to the briefcases he held tightly in each hand as she pressed the elevator call button. 

"My resume, you could say," Alex replied sheepishly, offering a half-hearted chuckle. "Honestly, I didn't really know why Mr. Stark wanted to meet me, so I figured it'd be safer to bring along something to show."

Stepping into the elevator together, Pepper shook her head, a slight sigh escaping her. Her smile faltered slightly, replaced with quiet concern. 

"Sorry if this feels sudden," Pepper began, her voice softening as the elevator rose quietly. "Everything has been a bit of a whirlwind today, actually, the past few days. I'm not sure if you caught Tony's speech earlier, but… let's just say he knows how to get attention."

Alex nodded slowly, curiosity flickering in his eyes. Pepper glanced at him and gave a small, reassuring smile.

"Remember when you first came by Stark Industries? You mentioned the Arc Reactor, and you brought it up again in our follow-up conversation. Let's just say that it left an impression on Tony. Keep this a secret, but it was thanks to the Arc Reactor that Tony was rescued. And Tony feels like if it weren't for you, he might not have been able to escape."

"Because of me?" Alex asked, somewhat incredulous. 

"Tony just wants to express his thanks." Pepper said, somewhat unsure of her own words. "I'm not entirely sure as to how to explain it, but you can count it as a good thing. And I promise you, if you feel uncomfortable, just signal me, and I'll step in."

Alex nodded, thankful but no less nervous as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the penthouse. The panoramic windows framed the glittering Manhattan skyline, but Alex barely noticed, his attention immediately drawn to Tony Stark lounging on a sleek leather sofa, a glass of whiskey in one hand and half-eaten cheeseburger casually gripped in the other. In front of him stood a tall, bald man with a neatly trimmed beard.

"I get it, Tony, I'm thrilled you're back, trust me. There wasn't a single day that went by without us worried sick," Obadiah said, his voice carefully composed despite the strain behind his eyes. "But coming home and immediately tossing gasoline on everything we've built is reckless. Slow down, take a breath, hell, give me a breath. Let's just talk through this calmly."

Tony swallowed the last bite of his cheeseburger, pausing briefly before flashing a casual grin. 

"Yeah, yeah, Obie. We'll handle the details later. Right now, I've got company."

Obadiah stared at Tony for a long second, the tension visibly draining as he stepped forward, pulling Tony into a brief but firm hug. He murmured something too quietly for Alex to catch, then straightened, offering a forced but still genuine-looking smile.

"Alright, Tony. Rest up, I'll swing by tomorrow afternoon. We'll hash it out over pizza."

"Sounds great," Tony replied smoothly, giving Obadiah a quick nod. As the older man finally exited, Tony turned his attention to Alex, eyes immediately sparking with curiosity. Standing, he set the whiskey glass down and extended a hand casually.

"Tony Stark." he introduced himself, even when it clearly wasn't needed.

"Uh, Alex Montclair?" Alex answered, somewhat hesitantly.

Tony laughed sharply, eyes crinkling with amusement as he shook Alex's hand firmly. "That a question or an answer, kid?"

"Answer," Alex replied hastily, a bit embarrassed. Tony simply chuckled again and gestured toward the sofa.

"Sit down. I've got a pretty long to-do list right now, but buying you a drink's definitely up there."

Alex hesitated, feeling his pulse quicken until Pepper's gentle touch on his shoulder steadied him. She leaned in slightly, speaking in a low, reassuring voice.

"Remember, Alex, you don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with. Just wave me over if you need to, I'll be right over there." She flashed him a kind smile before retreating toward a nearby table.

Drawing in a steadying breath, Alex forced himself to relax as he sat down, placing his briefcases carefully at his feet. Tony casually poured another glass of whiskey, pushing it toward Alex with a playful smirk.

Alex stared at the drink for a second, thoughts racing frantically through his mind.

'This might calm the nerves, right? But getting drunk is obviously a horrible idea… then again, refusing Tony Stark might come across worse.' He internally groaned, suddenly wishing he'd spent more time socializing with more people rather than spending most of his recent days tinkering with gadgets or simply hanging around with Tandy. Maybe his people skills really were getting rusty. At least when it came to strangers.

Glancing briefly toward Pepper, who was watching carefully from her seat, Alex finally made a decision. He picked up the glass, drew in another shaky breath, and promptly downed the whiskey in one swift gulp.

Instantly, regret filled his chest, alongside the scorching burn of alcohol sliding down his throat. His face twisted involuntarily, his entire body recoiling as he desperately fought back a coughing fit. He felt his cheeks flush hotly as Tony immediately burst into laughter, the billionaire clutching his chest and shaking his head with delight.

"Oh, kid. That stuff's meant to be sipped, you know, this isn't some cheap tequila shot." Tony chuckled warmly, pouring another glass and setting it in front of Alex once again. "Still, points for enthusiasm."

Alex stared at the refilled glass apprehensively before meeting Tony's amused gaze.

"Uh… thanks?" he replied uncertainly, embarrassment now evident in his voice.

Wow, he really was painfully awkward.

 'Okay, enough,' he mentally scolded himself, straightening his posture and meeting Tony's gaze firmly. First impressions mattered, especially with someone like Tony Stark.

Tony leaned back comfortably, swirling the whiskey in his own glass. After a thoughtful pause, he smiled knowingly.

"So, Pepper tells me you're interested in the Arc Reactor," Tony began casually. "And apparently, weaponry too, like your old man. Listen, kid, take it from me: weapons aren't what they're cracked up to be. You don't want that kind of blood on your hands."

He leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp with a sudden seriousness, the casualness momentarily slipping away as he looked at Alex.

"But anyway, I'm curious about you. Pepper's been talking my ear off, but I'd rather hear it directly. So, tell me about yourself."

Beta Reader: @Basilisk, @Kiyan Tribe.

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