Millionaire, playboy, philanthropist—these labels swirled in Alex's mind as he and Phil Coulson rode the elevator to the top floor of Stark Tower, each descriptor painting a vivid picture of Tony Stark's larger-than-life persona.
Their mission was clear: convince Tony Stark to join the Avengers Initiative, a task that felt daunting given Tony's reputation as a man who embodied the ultimate fantasies of wealth, genius, and charisma, his free-spirited nature and billions in fortune making him a figure of envy and admiration.
Yet, Alex knew from the pre-apocalypse Marvel films, wildly popular across the globe, that beneath Tony's cynical, carefree exterior lay a deep sense of responsibility, forged in a terrorist cave where a boy became a man, his heart of steel driving him to protect the world.
Ding! The elevator chimed crisply, its doors sliding open to interrupt Alex's racing thoughts, revealing a scene that caught them off guard.
Tony Stark, in his forties, stood with a champagne glass in hand, his arm around a stunning woman, the air thick with a romantic ambiance that made their arrival feel like an unwelcome intrusion.
"Ahem…" Phil coughed awkwardly, realizing they'd arrived at an inopportune moment, his discomfort palpable as he shifted on his feet.
"Oh, great, party crashers," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes at Phil and Alex, his tone dripping with irritation, as any man might feel when interrupted during a private moment with his partner.
"Hi, Phil," Pepper Potts greeted warmly, her smile directed at the familiar agent still lingering near the elevator, her poise unshaken by the awkwardness.
"Is this Iron Man?" Alex murmured, his eyes fixed on Tony Stark, seeing him in person for the first time and unable to resist studying the man whose mortal body and brilliant mind rivaled gods.
A heart of steel, a mortal's courage, standing toe-to-toe with deities—fans before the apocalypse had hailed Tony as a hero who built his legacy with wit and resolve, from risking his life to save the Avengers' airbase to carrying a nuclear bomb into enemy territory.
In battles against Thanos, Tony's courage shone, nearly snatching the Infinity Gauntlet if not for a teammate's misstep, a testament to his strategic brilliance and fearless heart.
"Hey, who's this guy? Why's he staring at me like that? I've got a girlfriend, and, newsflash, I don't swing that way," Tony quipped, his voice tinged with unease as he misread Alex's intense gaze, his words sharp and playful.
Tony's comment darkened Alex's expression, a spark of annoyance flaring as he took a deep breath to quell the urge to retort, instead extending a hand with forced civility. "Hello, Mr. Stark, I'm Alex. We might be teammates soon."
"Nope, I don't do handshakes with random guys," Tony shot back, dismissing Alex's gesture with a smirk, his words laced with a biting edge that likened Alex to an unwelcome stranger.
Tony's dismissive tone, calling Alex a "random guy" rather than a man, echoed Loki's earlier scorn, grating on Alex's nerves like a deliberate jab meant to provoke.
Though Alex was familiar with Tony's sharp-tongued nature from the films—mocking Bruce Banner's transformations or clashing with Captain America—he found the real-life barbs far more infuriating, testing his patience in ways the screen never could.
"I've heard your steel armor is impressive, Mr. Stark. Care to show me what it can do?" Alex challenged, his voice steady but laced with defiance, unwilling to tolerate Tony's attitude and eager to prove his own worth.
In his mind, Alex figured a quick lesson in humility might earn Tony's respect, a chance to demonstrate that strength commands attention, even from a billionaire genius.
"Alex, let's not escalate," Phil interjected, stepping forward with a strained smile, trying to defuse the tension, though he sighed inwardly, knowing Tony's knack for riling even the most level-headed.
Tony's provocations often sparked tempers, and while Alex was generally easygoing, few could stay calm under the billionaire's relentless verbal jabs during a first meeting.
"Feisty, huh?" Tony remarked, his eyes narrowing as he sized up Alex, intrigued by the agent's boldness, unused to officials challenging him directly, especially when most coveted his armor through schemes and politics.
"Alright, let's see what the Avengers' new recruit's got," Tony said, his tone cocky as he raised his hands, the bracelets on his wrists flashing as a sleek red case shot from a nearby room, transforming into his iconic steel armor that enveloped him in seconds.
"Tony, stop this nonsense—we don't have time for games," Pepper urged, her voice firm as she tried to rein in her partner, alarmed by the escalating standoff.
"Relax, babe, three minutes tops, and I'll send this guy packing," Tony replied, his confidence unshaken as his helmet snapped shut, the suit's eyes glowing with a menacing hum.
Phil and Pepper tried to calm Alex and Tony, but both men were set on their course, their stubborn resolve rendering persuasion futile in the heat of the moment.
Alex believed that to earn Tony's respect, he needed to showcase his strength, knowing that only equals could stand eye-to-eye with someone as proud as Stark.
Likewise, Tony was eager to test the Avengers' recruit, curious about Alex's abilities and keen to gauge the strength of SHIELD's mysterious new initiative.
"Bring it!" Tony taunted, jets flaring beneath his feet as he launched toward Alex, his armored fist swinging with the force of a battering ram.
"Here we go!" Alex's eyes sharpened, his focus locking onto the charging Iron Man as he activated his metal-manipulation ability with a subtle wave of his hand.
An invisible force seized Tony's armor, redirecting his trajectory mid-flight, sending Iron Man veering off-course to crash into the tower's wall, the impact punching a jagged hole through the sleek interior.
"Steel through and through—perfect for bending to my will," Alex muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips as he watched Tony's armored form struggle amid the debris, his control over metal proving a formidable match for the billionaire's tech.
In the tales of the X-Men, the mutant Magneto wielded the extraordinary power to control metal, not merely directing its movement but, at its peak, reshaping its very form with a mere thought, bending steel and iron to his will like clay in an artist's hands.
Having copied Magneto's genetic ability years ago, Alex, though still far from the master's level of mastery due to his relatively brief time with the power, had begun to tap into its potential, his control over metal growing sharper and more intuitive with each passing day.
For Tony Stark, the invincible Iron Man, his strength stemmed from his advanced steel armor, a marvel of engineering powered by his genius, yet fundamentally composed of metal—perfectly within the grasp of Alex's burgeoning ability, a fact that tilted the scales decisively in his favor.
The raw power of Tony's armor, capable of unleashing thousands of pounds of force, might overwhelm lesser opponents, but Alex's metal manipulation could redirect and restrain it, preventing Tony from unleashing his full might with the precision he was accustomed to.
As Tony charged toward Alex once more, his jets roaring, Alex's subtle gesture summoned an invisible force that tugged at the armor, veering Tony off-course to crash into the wall beside him, the impact sending cracks spiderwebbing through the sleek surface of Stark Tower's interior.
Undeterred, Tony scrambled to his feet, his armored fist swinging toward Alex with relentless determination, his confidence unshaken despite the earlier mishap.
Yet, the punch, aimed squarely at Alex, was deflected by Alex's unseen power, the metal of Tony's gauntlet twisting under an intangible grip, veering harmlessly aside as if guided by an unseen hand, leaving Tony's attack futile.
This was restraint in its purest form, a dynamic where one power nullified another, allowing the seemingly weaker to triumph over the stronger, a principle Alex had seen in other worlds—like the One Piece plane, where Luffy's rubber body countered Enel's lightning with devastating effect.
Here, Alex's metal manipulation perfectly countered Tony's steel armor, rendering Iron Man's formidable strength ineffective, much like a storm trapped in a bottle, unable to break free.
Tony's armor, though continually upgraded to face cosmic threats like Thanos in later battles, was, in this moment, completely at the mercy of Alex's ability, his attacks unable to land no matter how fiercely he pressed forward.
Fists, elbows, even his entire armored form lunged at Alex, but each move was redirected by Alex's power, the metal bending to his will, leaving Tony's assaults as ineffective as a breeze against a mountain.
From a distance, Alex stood calm and unmoved, his feet rooted to the spot, while Tony's armored figure seemed to whirl around him in a futile dance, each attack diverted before it could connect.
"What kind of bizarre power is this?" Tony muttered within his helmet, his mind racing with frustration as he realized he hadn't so much as grazed Alex's clothing despite his relentless onslaught.
"Could this be the metal control he mentioned?" Phil observed, his eyes lighting up with realization as he watched the one-sided skirmish unfold, recalling Alex's earlier description of his abilities.
Though Alex had spoken of his metal manipulation, seeing it in action—effortlessly neutralizing Tony's cutting-edge armor—was nothing short of astonishing, a testament to the power's potential when wielded with skill.
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Author's Note
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