Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Another Universe
[Third Person's PoV]
Seeing all the weapons aimed at them, Melissa instinctively raised her hands in surrender, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Tony... where the hell did you drop us off this time?"
Across the room, a man with a star-spangled shield stepped forward, lowering his guard slightly. "Everyone, stand down!" Steve Rogers commanded, his voice firm yet cautious. "They're just kids!"
Reluctantly, the group of heroes lowered their weapons, though their suspicion remained palpable. None of them let their guards drop entirely.
Clint Barton narrowed his eyes at the pair, his hand still resting on his bowstring even though the weapon hung at his side. "Who are you, and what were you doing flying around in that ship?" he asked, his tone sharp.
Melissa glanced apologetically at the Avengers, then turned to Clint, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Wait, who are we? You don't know who we are?"
Natasha Romanoff folded her arms, lifting a brow in skepticism. "Should we?"
Melissa gestured toward her companion, her tone incredulous. "Not me specifically, but come on, you must recognize Tony, right? Tony Stark? CEO of Stark Industries?"
For a moment, the room was silent, the Avengers exchanging baffled looks. Then, in the back, Tony Stark—their Tony Stark—nearly choked on his drink, coughing as he processed the words.
Melissa, noticing the awkward tension, sighed and tried to backtrack. "Look, we'll pay for the damages, okay?"
While Melissa scrambled to defuse the situation, Tony was practically vibrating with excitement. In his mind, a chibi version of himself was doing cartwheels, screaming: 'THE AVENGERS! HOLY GUACAMOLE!'
Rhodey glanced toward Tony Sr. with a raised brow. "Tony... do you have a secret kid you forgot to mention?"
Tony Sr. shrugged nonchalantly, clearly unimpressed. "Eh, could be. I've had my fair share of wild nights. The possibility's there." He turned his sharp gaze on the newcomers. "But listen, just because you call yourself Tony Stark doesn't mean you're me—or that you get to claim you're the CEO of my company."
"What?" Melissa gawked at him as though he'd just lost his marbles. "What are you even talking about?"
Tony Sr. jabbed a thumb toward himself. "There's only one Tony Stark around here, and you're looking at him."
Melissa's face paled. Slowly, she turned to her Tony, dread creeping into her voice. "Tony... where the hell are we?"
Tony rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Pretty sure we're in... another universe."
A shocked murmur swept through the room. Bruce Banner hesitantly stepped forward, his curiosity piqued. "Wait, did you just say another universe?"
"Yeah," Tony confirmed, nodding. "We were exploring the Quantum Realm, and... well... might've accidentally torn a hole in the space-time continuum."
"The Quantum Realm?!" Bruce's eyes lit up with excitement, his scientific mind immediately racing. "Are you telling me it's real? And you've been exploring it? I thought it was just a theoretical construct!"
Steve frowned, his confusion only growing. "Uh, care to explain, Doctor Banner? The rest of us aren't exactly following here."
Bruce launched into a brief summary of the Quantum Realm, its theoretical implications, and the challenge of proving its existence.
When he finished, Tony Sr. pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself. "So let me get this straight. You're saying the multiverse exists, and in your universe... you're me?"
Tony smirked. "From my perspective, you're me."
"Nope," Tony Sr. shot back with a scoff. "I'm the original. You're the copy."
Tony crossed his arms, a teasing glint in his eyes. "You wish you were me."
Tony Sr. glared. "I don't like you."
"I'll get over it," Tony retorted with a smug grin.
Natasha chuckled, shaking her head. "This is rich. Tony finally met his match: himself."
Clint, still skeptical, gestured at the newcomers. "Wait, so we're just supposed to buy this whole alternate universe thing? We're gonna need more proof than that."
Tony Sr. studied his younger counterpart, then shrugged. "Honestly, I believe it. The kid looks just like me when I was his age."
"You wish you looked this good," Tony quipped.
"You know," Clint interjected with a smirk, "he could just very well be your kid. Narcissism does seem to run in the family."
Steve leaned forward and began to interrogate Tony. "What are your parents' names?"
"Howard and Maria Stark," Tony answered without hesitation.
Natasha rolled her eyes. "That's common knowledge. Ask him something only your counterpart would know."
Melissa shook her head. "That wouldn't work. We live in an alternate universe, so what's true for your Tony might not be true for mine."
Turning to Tony Sr., she asked, "Are you Iron Man in this universe? Or is that not a thing here?"
Steve's frown deepened. "Wait, you're already Iron Man in your world?"
Tony Sr.'s interest was clearly piqued. "Huh? You're already making suits? What Mark are you on?"
"Mark 43," Tony answered proudly. "You?"
Tony Sr. grinned. "Same. Got it on you?"
Tony smirked. "Never leave home without it."
"Guys, please," Melissa interjected, exasperated. "Can we focus on finding a way back home?"
"Relax babe," Tony assured her. "We've got the Quantum Anchor. We can leave anytime."
"That doesn't make being stranded in an alternate universe any less freaky," Melissa muttered.
"We're not stranded if we have a way back," Tony said with a proud smirk.
Thor, meanwhile, raised his mug, clearly growing bored. "Now that we've settled that these two aren't hostile, let us continue the revelry!" He turned to the newcomers with a wide grin. "Worry not, smaller Stark! We, the Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes, shall aid you in your quest to return home!"
…
The group was gathered around a couch, Tony and Melissa seated prominently in the center of attention.
"You're THE actual Thor? Like, the Thor from Norse mythology?" Melissa exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"In the flesh," Thor replied proudly, a slight smirk on his face.
"So, let me get this straight," Clint interjected, still processing the conversation. "You live in a world where everyone is born with a superpower?"
"Yes, and as I explained, they're called quirks," Tony said, nodding.
Tony Sr shook his head in amazement. "A whole world of superheroes… And you were born without a quirk? To keep up with people who had them, you built the Iron Man suit? That sounds exactly like something I'd do." He shot Tony a grin.
Steve, however, had a thoughtful expression as he crossed his arms. "I'm not sure how I feel about this superhero school idea. It sounds like you're training kids to be soldiers and sending them into battle."
Tony met his gaze calmly. "No one forces them to become heroes. They make that choice themselves. And remember, we live in very different societies. What seems strange or wrong to you might be perfectly normal where I come from."
Steve nodded after a moment, his frown softening. "Fair point."
Tony Sr. clapped his counterpart on the shoulder. "Alright, enough talk. You haven't shown us your suit yet. Come on, let's see it."
Tony smirked and rose to his feet, motioning for everyone to settle down. "Alright, alright. If you ladies insist,"
Standing before the group, Tony spread his arms. A shimmering pool of slime-like material formed at his chest, morphing into the distinctive shape of the Stark Reactor. The substance spread across his body, hardening into a gleaming, steel-like armor. His mask slid into place with a metallic snap, his eyes glowed red, and repulsors materialized on his palms.
"Whoa!" Clint exclaimed, leaning back in surprise. "That's incredible!"
"Is that nanotech?" Tony Sr. asked, his fascination evident.
"Nope," Tony said, grinning under the mask. "Nanotech was so last year. My Mark 39 was nanotech. This? This is a bio-organic suit. Built it myself."
Bruce sat up straighter, his curiosity piqued. "The suit's alive?"
"More or less," Tony admitted with a shrug, his pride shining through.
"Nobody likes a showoff," Tony Sr. quipped, though the smirk on his face betrayed his amusement.
"You're one to talk," Rhodey said, shaking his head in mock exasperation.
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