Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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*****

Stark Tower.

Ever since Tony delegated the management of Stark Industries to Pepper Potts, he rarely visited the tower himself.

Naturally, that meant his current assistant, Mike, didn't need to show up there daily either.

On average, Tony only visited Stark Tower once a week, excluding weekends.

Most of his time was now spent either at the Avengers Tower or at home.

That morning, after seeing Clark and Gwen off, Mike glanced at the clock. His expression shifted as he walked to the door.

As expected, standing outside in a sharp suit was Tony.

"Uncle Mike, time for work," he said, lightly sniffing the air as he spoke.

"Give me a minute to change," Mike replied, heading back inside. He pointed at the dining table and said, "Your breakfast."

Finally cracking a smile, Tony's grief at being a boss who had to personally collect his assistant faded slightly.

He'd hired an assistant to help with daily routines and work-related tasks, yet somehow, it felt like he'd brought home a 'lord'.

He couldn't fire him. He couldn't order him around. And now, he even had to fetch him for work…

Truly, fate had cursed him.

Still, there was one silver lining—he got to enjoy delicious breakfasts.

Sitting down at the table, Tony transformed his misery into appetite, quickly finishing his meal before Mike came downstairs.

Rubbing his increasingly round belly, he suddenly thought of Thor and shivered.

The food in Mike's house was just too good. At this rate, he'd soon look like Thor.

But why wasn't Mike's family gaining any weight from eating like this?

As that question popped into his mind, Mike descended the stairs.

In a flash, Mike disappeared from sight. Before Tony could react, the table had been cleared and cleaned spotlessly.

"Let's go, boss," Mike said with a smile, standing at the door.

Tony quickly walked out.

Destination: Avengers Tower.

One perk of having Mike as his assistant was that he didn't have to hide superhero business from him.

Mike drove Tony to Avengers Tower, and the two entered Tony's lab together.

As soon as he stepped into the lab, Tony threw himself into building his Iron Man suits.

Mike took a seat nearby and began scrolling on his phone. Watching Tony get absorbed in his work, he shook his head.

Lately, Tony had been obsessively crafting Iron Man suits.

As his assistant, Mike had very little to do—but he also found it terribly boring, just like being at home.

He wouldn't keep this job long. It was too uneventful.

Suddenly, Tony let out a cry of pain.

Mike looked up to see Tony clutching his chest, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with fear.

"Tony?"

Mike approached. "Is it happening again?"

Tony nodded with difficulty.

Between Mike's fingers, a purification card materialized.

As the card dissolved into sparkling light, a stream of teal energy surged through Tony's body, calming his panic and anxiety.

Tony slumped into his chair, looking drained. "Thanks."

Anxiety disorder.

Ever since the Battle of New York, where he narrowly escaped death, Tony had been suffering from anxiety.

"Let's talk," Mike said, pulling up a chair beside him.

Tony buried his hands in his hair and muttered in anguish, "I've seen a doctor. It's anxiety."

"What are you anxious about?"

"I think it's…" He hesitated. "The Battle of New York."

"The Battle of New York? But we won," Mike said, puzzled.

In the original timeline, Tony's anxiety stemmed from flying a nuke through the portal and nearly not making it back. It left him with no sense of security and a lack of confidence in his own strength.

But what about now?

Tony took a deep breath and said slowly, "That day, I was nearly killed by the Kryptonian. I mean really close. If not for your large-scale healing, Uncle Mike, I would've…"

His face twisted in pain, and his breathing grew ragged.

"So, your obsession with building more suits is… for a sense of safety?"

"Yeah…"

Tony let out a bitter laugh. "Sometimes, I feel like I can only feel safe when I'm inside the armor."

Mike stroked his chin, then suddenly smiled. "That actually reminds me of something I went through once."

"Oh? You had anxiety too?"

"I'm not sure if it qualifies, but… back then, I was definitely scared because my powers weren't strong enough."

After a pause, Mike said, "Those kids were special from the start. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to protect them. So I kept crafting card after card every day, afraid I wouldn't have enough when the time came."

"It's kinda like you building Iron Man suits."

"And how did you overcome it?"

"Overcome?"

Mike thought for a moment. "I didn't. As Clark and the others grew stronger, my symptoms just… faded."

"…"

Tony was speechless. In fact, he felt even worse than before.

"Haha!"

Mike laughed heartily, patting Tony's shoulder. Then his laughter ceased, and he said seriously, "I can help ease your symptoms with some of my abilities."

Tony's eyes lit up with hope.

Mike continued, "But you have to choose—do you want me to fully suppress it with my powers, or do you want me to guide you in facing and overcoming it yourself? The second method will require you to confront your fear."

Without hesitation, Tony replied with determination, "The second one."

He could accept help—but he couldn't accept being dependent.

Mike nodded. A card appeared between his fingers.

Name: Professor X

Character Overview: A powerful telepath.

Note: Let's communicate with our minds.

As the card dissolved into shimmering light, a phantom figure appeared behind Mike, then turned into a beam that merged into him.

Mike extended two fingers and gently pressed them against his temple. An invisible stream of psychic energy flowed into Tony's mind, probing his fears and searching for a path to healing.

Fear of threats. Fear of being powerless.

It had all driven Tony to become overly reliant on his armor—so much so that he couldn't even sleep without it nearby.

Ultimately, it all came down to this: he was just a normal person. Without the suit, he felt like he was nothing.

Sensing this, Mike smiled slightly and spoke directly into Tony's mind.

"Rhodey also has an Iron Man suit. Why isn't he Iron Man? Why is it only you?"

"Because…"

"Because you made the suit what it is," Mike said gently. "Don't let it become a cocoon that traps you."

"You are Iron Man. No one can take that away."

"I… am Iron Man?"

Tony kept repeating the words to himself. A few seconds later, he declared firmly:

"Yes. I am Iron Man."

(End of Chapter)