[3 days later] [Stark Tower]
Tony lined up his next shot, the cue gliding smoothly through his fingers. He squinted, aimed, and with a clean crack sent the cue ball spinning across the felt. It clipped the seven into the corner pocket. Oh, just to be clear, he wasn't using his power at the moment.
He straightened, smirking at the woman across from him. "That's three in a row. You're losing your touch, Raven."
Mystique leaned on her cue, her stance casual. Blonde hair fell across her shoulder, her jeans hugging her frame just enough to be distracting. "It's called going easy on the host," she said. "You get cranky when you lose."
Tony raised a brow. "I don't lose. I strategically underperform for entertainment value."
"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Classic Stark logic."
He chalked the tip of his cue and watched her circle the table. She bent slightly, aiming for a tight corner shot. He waited until she was about to hit, then said, "You know, I've been meaning to ask—why the blonde disguise?"
She paused, glanced up at him. "What, you don't like it?"
"Oh, I like it. You pull it off. But that's not what I asked."
Mystique paused for a moment, then took her shot. The ball hit the side pocket and bounced out. She sighed and stood up straight again. "This form is easy," she said quietly. "It blends in. No one looks twice at a woman with blonde hair and normal eyes. It makes my life easier. There are no stares or whispers."
Tony tilted his head. "You saying people whisper when you're blue?"
"Always," she said flatly. "They look... and judge. They think they're hiding it, but they're not. I can hear it, I can feel it. Every single time I walk into a room as myself, I become a statement. Some admire it, some fear it, some want to put me under a microscope. Either way, I stop being just a person."
Tony leaned on his cue and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I get that."
She arched an eyebrow. "Do you?"
He gestured toward himself. "Come on. Billionaire, genius, came back from death, superhero, and now I'm building houses on Mars. People have been staring at me since I was old enough to hold a screwdriver. I walk into a room and people either want a selfie, a job, or my head on a pike. Depends on the week."
"That's not the same," she said.
"Maybe not," Tony said. "But I know what it's like to be seen before you're understood."
Mystique met his gaze for a long second, her expression unreadable. "You can take off your armor," she said finally. "I can't."
Tony's smirk softened. "Touché."
He made his shot, sinking another ball. "Still, hiding feels like giving up. You've got something unique. Beautiful, even. The real you has a unique charm."
Her lips twitched. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"
"It's not flirting if it's true," he said. "And for the record, I've met a lot of people who wear masks—literal or otherwise. But the ones who stop pretending? Those are the ones who make history."
Mystique leaned her cue against the table, folding her arms. "You're saying I should just walk around blue, scales and all, and expect everyone to be fine with it?"
"Why not?" Tony said. "You think anyone ever told me to stop being myself? Well, they tried. Didn't work. The world catches up eventually. Or it doesn't, and you make it."
She shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. "You make it sound easy."
"It's not," he admitted. "Took me a while to stop caring what people thought. I used to hide from the world all the times behind my experiments and creations. Now I just hide behind cutting-edge nanotech. Progress."
Mystique chuckled softly. "You're impossible."
"Frequently," he said. "But I'm right."
Her eyes studied him for a moment, and something shifted in her face. She set her cue down completely. "You really don't get it," she said. "You hide because you choose to. I hide because I have to. There's a difference."
Tony looked at her seriously. "Is there?"
Mystique transformed to her blue form. Her clothes disappeared as tiny dots like scales covered her modesty. She walked over to Tony and looked into his eyes.
Tony took a good look at her.
Blue skin shimmered under the light, every subtle motion making the scales shift like liquid metal. Her yellow eyes caught the light with an intensity that most people would probably find intimidating. Tony just looked impressed.
"Wow," he said finally. "That's... a serious upgrade from blonde."
'C'mon. Say it. You've never seen me this close. Make that flinch and expression.' Mystique tilted her head. "You still think I'm beautiful?"
Tony grinned. "Beautiful? You kidding? You look like someone crossbred art and danger. Ten out of ten. Would definitely lose three games of pool to again." Well, he had a thing for blue girls. He played Mass Effect and had a thing for a certain blue alien.
She raised an eyebrow. "Flattery? Really?"
"Not flattery," he said, gesturing with his cue. "Observation. Pure science. I'm pretty sure physics took one look at you and gave up."
Mystique laughed, low and genuine. "You're unbelievable."
"Accurate," Tony said. "And since we're already having a deep philosophical moment about identity and self-acceptance, how about we balance it out with something culturally enriching?"
"Like what?" she asked, half amused, half curious.
"A movie," he said casually. "You, me, popcorn, zero world-ending threats. What do you say?"
Her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion. "You're asking me out now?"
"Technically yes. Practically? It's an undercover cultural analysis of human cinema habits. Very serious research."
Mystique smirked. "And what happens if I say yes?"
Tony leaned his cue against the table and crossed his arms. "Then we see if Mystique likes action, comedy, or something with emotionally traumatizing robots."
She smiled faintly. "And if I say no?"
"Then I pretend I was testing your ability to detect sarcasm," Tony said, deadpan. "But between you and me, you saying yes would save me the embarrassment of watching a movie alone and pretending I'm analyzing AI psychology." [To be clear, everyone was busy that day. Tony took a break from his work.🫡]
Mystique shook her head, laughing softly. "You really can't stop talking, can you?"
"Not a chance," Tony said. "So... movie?"
'Haha. He's good.' She sighed but the smile stayed. "Fine. But I'm choosing the film and it's going to be indoor. I need time before... You know... Mentally prepared myself to be me in the public."
'Nice. It's a start. She's smiling more often now. That's a good sign.' Tony picked up his drink and grinned. "Deal. Just don't pick anything depressing."
...
[Mini theatre]
Mystique sat curled on the couch, one leg tucked under her, eyes glued to the giant screen. Mr. Bean winning the trip ticket, and she burst out laughing — a real, unguarded laugh that made her shoulders shake. Tony, meanwhile, wasn't even pretending to watch the movie anymore.
He sat a few feet away, head tilted slightly, studying her with open curiosity. The way she laughed. The way her yellow eyes lit up when something ridiculous happened onscreen. For someone who'd spent most of her life hiding, she looked completely free for once.
After a while, she felt his gaze and turned toward him. "What are you looking at?"
Tony didn't even blink. "You."
Mystique raised an eyebrow, smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You're supposed to watch the movie."
"I am," Tony said. "It's just that the best part of it is sitting on the couch next to me."
She rolled her eyes, but there was a spark in them. "Smooth. That line work on everyone or just mutants with identity issues?"
"Only the interesting ones," he said, grinning. "Look, I don't like sugarcoating things, so I'll just say it. I'd like to date you."
Mystique blinked, surprised for half a second before her smirk returned. "Oh really? And what would Natasha, Yelena, and Sue say if I told them Tony Stark flirted with me and asked me out on a date?"
Tony leaned back, unfazed. "They'd probably ask if you wanted to join the group."
Her laugh came out sharp and amused. "Four women? You're seriously suggesting you could keep up with that?"
Tony grinned wider. "Please. I've got infinite stamina. Comes with the whole genius, billionaire, cosmic-enhanced package."
She shook her head, laughing again. "You're out of your mind."
"Frequently. But I'm charming while doing it."
Mystique nudged his shoulder with hers. "You realize most people would be terrified to say half the things you said to me, right?"
"I'm not most people. So, give it a thought, no rush," Tony said with a warm smile before shifting his attention toward the screen.
---
[Meanwhile...] [Horizon Lab]
The Tesseract began to crumble slowly as Tony's machine continued to absorb the excess energy while maintaining stable molecular destabilization. The absorbed energy was being stored within the adamantium containers for future use.
Tony's plan was simple. Since his evolved body can adapt to the Mind Stone in his head, he should be able to handle the Space Stone, hidden inside the Tesseract. Well, his calculations say so. Plus, he got info from the Mind Stone on how to master the Space Stone.
Hopefully, everything will go as planned. It always has. He'll master the Space Stone and then fuck up Apocalypse.
What could possibly go wrong?
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