Phoenix in The Marvel

Stark Industries - Simulation Room

As Tony quickly opened the door and burst in, the first thing he noticed was the heat in the air.

The cool, balanced atmosphere of the room, which should be cool and balanced, was completely disrupted. The artificial snowflakes had already melted, and the simulation systems were sounding alarms.

And of course, Orion was flying right in the middle.

Luckily.

And the flames sputtered.

The little creature glided quickly just below the ceiling, shooting orange-red flames into the air with every movement. The floor was nearly scorched and the holographic walls were beginning to blacken.

Tony scratched his chin for a moment.

"Great. Our little friend is making a personal effort to make this room go to hell."

Just then, Jarvis' voice echoed.

"Sir, simulation stability has dropped to 45%. Please accelerate or else..."

BIP!

A new warning appeared on the screens:

 Simulation Stability: 39% Energy Damage: 92%* Crash time: 12 minutes 14 seconds

Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Whoa, okay. This is getting out of hand."

And Orion turned and looked at Tony as if nothing had happened.

And at that moment -

He opened his mouth and let out a new flame.

Tony quickly dodged it by jumping to the side.

"HEY! What are you doing, you little monster? I'm not your food supply!"

Orion hovered in the air and looked down at Tony. Like he was playing a game with him.

Tony took a deep breath and put his hands on his waist.

"Okay, okay. Listen to me, okay? Can you stop with the flame thing for a while?"

Orion's head tilted to the side. Her small eyes sparkled with curiosity.

And then...

The flames erupted again.

Tony rolled over, this time jumping to the ground.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

The simulation systems went haywire. The walls began to shake, the holographic projections distorted.

Jarvis' voice came back. "Sir, if this continues..."

"I know, Jarvis!" Tony cut him off. "I know, I know! I'll figure it out!"

At that moment, Orion made a happy circle in the air and let out a cheerful 'chirp'.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'll eat your squeak, you little disaster. But here you're BURNING EVERYTHING."

Orion dove down quickly, as if he thought Tony's yelling at him was a trick.

And he landed on Tony's shoulder.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Oh. Wait, that's good."

But then he realized.

Orion's feathers were still hot, glowing with flames.

"Oh, no."

And of course his jacket was on fire.

"SERIOUSLY?!"

He quickly removed his jacket and threw it to the ground. Orion spun around Tony and flapped his wings excitedly.

Tony took a deep breath, put his hands on his head and closed his eyes.

"Okay. Tony. You can do this. You're a genius. You're one of the smartest men in the universe. Find a solution."

He opened his eyes and turned to Orion.

"Orion, my friend, do me a favor. STOP FOR A MINUTE."

Orion stopped in midair. Then he blinked.

And this time...

It gave off a warm but harmless light.

Tony held his breath for a moment.

These flames... they were different.

They didn't burn.

It just took all the heat out of the air and seemed to... calm the atmosphere.

The walls of the simulation stopped shaking.

The temperature slowly returned to normal.

Jarvis' voice was heard.

"Sir... I believe you've stabilized the situation."

Tony folded his arms across his chest and looked at Orion.

The little bird looked at him innocently.

Tony took a long breath and nodded.

"You've been able to do this all along, haven't you?"

Orion said happily.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Of course you could."

But then... he stopped for a moment.

He watched Orion.

This tiny creature... It was truly extraordinary.

And even though it had brought chaos to Tony's world...

Strangely, he felt he needed it.

Tony took a deep breath and leaned forward, his hands on his knees.

So much chaos in such a short time... He could break his own record.

Orion hovered in the air and stopped in front of Tony, still happy and energetic.

Tony narrowed his eyes.

"You know, we need to have a serious talk about you."

Orion tilted his head to the side and looked at him.

"Specifically about your uncontrolled flame-throwing habit."

Jarvis' voice echoed at that moment.

"Sir, the clothes you're wearing are badly damaged, would you like me to prepare a suitable replacement for you?"

Tony looked down. His T-shirt was torn to shreds and even his pants were full of burn marks.

Slowly he raised his head.

"Jarvis, do you really not know what the problem is?"

Jarvis continued as if nothing had happened. "I'm trying to figure out if that's a rhetorical question, sir."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to change and take Orion down to the private section of the office, it's too sensitive for this little flamethrower."

Then he turned to Orion and wagged his finger menacingly.

"You're coming with me, fire-breathing problem."

Orion said 'tweet' happily and landed on Tony's shoulder.

Tony sighed. "Yes, yes. I know you're very sweet, but you're still giving me trouble."

And then, with quick strides, Tony left the simulation room.

Stark Industries - Tony's special floor

Tony's private floor was one of the most secret parts of the company. Very few people had access to it.

At the moment only Tony and Orion were inside.

Tony went into the bathroom and took off his burned clothes. Orion, meanwhile, hovered over the shelves, looking at everything with curious eyes.

"Don't light that."

Orion circled a lamp.

"Don't light that one either."

This time Orion landed on the papers on Tony's desk.

Tony squinted at him as he dried his hair with a towel.

"The minute you burn those papers... I'll microwave you like popcorn."

Orion quickly closed his beak and walked away from the table.

Shaking his head from side to side, Tony went to his locker and grabbed a new black t-shirt and comfortable pants. He quickly put them on.

Just as he turned to the mirror to fix his hair, he felt something strange behind him.

Orion was... strangely quiet.

Tony frowned and turned around.

And at that moment-

A golden light surrounded Orion.

Tony froze.

"Jarvis... are you recording this?"

"Sir, I am recording, but... the energy level is getting higher and higher."

Tony took an involuntary step back.

Orion's small body began to shake. The flames were glowing, this time more intensely than ever.

And then...

Suddenly the flames burst from his body.

The room filled with golden light.

Tony blinked and raised his hands. It was as if a wave of energy swept over everything.

And a few seconds later...

The light slowly faded.

Tony opened his eyes.

And he stayed where he was.

Because Orion was gone.

In Orion's place... there was a boy, about 2-3 years old, with bright red hair and eyes that seemed to shine like gold.

And the boy... was looking at Tony, stunned.

Tony was breathing slowly.

And finally, he opened his mouth.

"Oh, great."

"Now I'm a father."

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