Jordan and Jonathan practically sparkled with excitement — their admiration for Tony Stark was written all over their faces.
Malrick spread his hands with a faint smile. "Alright, alright. I won't say another word — not in front of the kids."
The brothers' eyes gleamed like they were staring at a living legend. "So you really are Tony Stark? You're Iron Man!"
Tony grinned and spread his arms wide. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? Come on, kids — autographs, photos, whatever you want!"
Then, leaning closer to Malrick, he muttered, "What's going on here? Has Iron Man's reputation really spread across universes now?"
Malrick only smiled, saying nothing.
Moments later, the boys dashed upstairs, then came thundering back down with a pile of comic books nearly as tall as they were.
"Please sign all of them for us!" Jonathan said breathlessly.
"And sign both names — one as Tony Stark, one as Iron Man!" Jordan added eagerly.
Tony blinked as he looked down at the covers in disbelief.
"Invincible Iron Man."
"Iron Age."
"I Am Iron Man."
"Iron Man Vol. 1."
Every cover bore the familiar red-and-gold armor — and at the top corner, a small logo that read Marvel.
He opened one of the comics and froze. The story inside mirrored his own life — his creation of the Mark I, his captivity, his evolution as Iron Man. Another book featured Spider-Man. Another had Thor and the Avengers.
For a long moment, Tony simply stared at the pages in silence. Then he looked up at Malrick, his expression unreadable.
"So… Marvel's a comic company. Does that mean our entire world is a comic?"
"More or less," Malrick replied lightly, patting his shoulder. At the same time, he subtly used his power to stabilize Tony's mind — the realization could easily have driven a lesser man insane.
After all, there had once been stories of people discovering they were fictional — and breaking apart from the shock.
But Tony Stark wasn't so fragile.
"What's so strange about that?" Malrick continued. "Our world has DC Comics too. You even made a 'Superman vs. Iron Man' movie, remember?"
"That's different." Tony's voice was low, his eyes still on the comic book.
He had heard of the infinite monkey theorem — the idea that random chaos could eventually produce any story. Maybe this was something like that. Still, there was an unsettling feeling in his chest, a kind of existential unease he couldn't quite shake.
After a long pause, he sighed, picked up a pen, and scrawled his name inside the cover. Handing it back to Jordan, he forced a smile.
"Well, I guess my story must be interesting if you like it this much. I should be Marvel's number one superhero, right?"
Jordan hesitated, then looked a little embarrassed. "Actually… in the comics, you're kind of a B-list hero."
Jonathan nodded. "And in some stories, you're even a villain."
Tony froze. "Wait. B-list? A villain? You're kidding me!"
He looked genuinely offended now. "Tony Stark — the most brilliant superhero on Earth — a B-lister?"
"Who's A-list, then? Malrick? Pepper? Banner? Odin?" he demanded.
"Uh…" Jordan scratched his head. "Spider-Man."
"That kid in pajamas?" Tony groaned. "You're telling me that kid is A-list? This universe is officially insane."
He turned to Malrick, pointing an accusing finger. "And what about you? Where do you rank?"
Jordan's expression turned awkward. After a long pause, he said honestly, "I've never heard of a character named Malrick."
Tony burst into laughter. "Ha! You hear that? You're not even on the list! Looks like you only exist in my spin-off comics."
Malrick rolled his eyes. "You're impossible. The TVA said I was the anchor of our reality."
Tony smirked triumphantly. "Yeah, but not as famous as me."
Malrick gave him a tired look. "Are you twelve?"
Tony just grinned, wrapping an arm around both Kent boys. "Come on, kids. Let's check out the rest of these comics. I want to see what kind of circus Marvel's been running without my permission."
Laughing, the three of them went upstairs.
Malrick glanced at Lois and John and sighed. "What can I say? He never really grew up. In our family, I'm definitely the older brother."
---
Later that evening, after Clark returned home, the Kent family sat down for dinner.
It was a simple, cozy meal — steak, fried fish, mashed potatoes, and red wine. Lois had cooked everything herself.
Tony, of course, couldn't stop talking. Between bites, he pulled Clark and his sons into endless discussions about Marvel lore — from the Living Tribunal to Galactus, from Death herself to Deadpool's madness.
Clark seemed genuinely entertained, until Lois cleared her throat with a pointed cough.
Only then did he chuckle and focus on eating his food.
That night, the Kents offered the two guests rooms to stay the night. Jordan and Jonathan gave up their own room for them.
The two Avengers found themselves sharing a not-so-large bed.
Tony lay back with his hands behind his head, gazing at the moonlight through the window. "You know, Malrick, it's been a long time since we slept in the same room."
Malrick didn't even look up from the small device in his hand, still analyzing Kryptonite samples. "Never," he replied flatly.
"What? No way. It feels like it's been ages. You, me, a cozy little bed — real brotherly bonding."
"That's an illusion. You've never shared a bed with me. When I was a kid, you were always too busy bringing strangers home. It was Jarvis and Pepper who looked after me."
Tony blinked, a bit taken aback. "Ouch. That actually sounds kind of sad."
Malrick adjusted the holographic projection in front of him. "So, you're going to talk to John tomorrow about his armor tech?"
"Of course. He's from another universe, like us. No deadlines, no board meetings — just pure innovation. In a few days, I'll have something new."
Tony smirked confidently. "Give me a week, and I'll have an Anti-Superman Armor ready to go. Feeling nervous yet?"
Malrick laughed quietly. "Anti-Superman? You can go up against Clark if you want, but to beat me — you're still twenty thousand years too early."
"You arrogant brat," Tony said, grinning despite himself. "One day, I'll show you the real Anti-Superman Armor."
"By then, I might already be beyond Superman," Malrick replied calmly.
Tony stretched, rolling onto his side. "We'll see about that, Super Malrick. Even gods fall before Iron Man."
He shoved his pillow flatter and grumbled, "Move over, you're taking up two-thirds of the bed."
"You need that much space just to sleep?" Malrick sighed, pocketing his device. "Fine. I'll give you the whole thing."
He opened the window and floated outside effortlessly. "You sleep well, Tony. I'm heading into orbit — I prefer the quiet."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget to turn off the light before you—"
But Malrick was already gone, streaking into the night sky, vanishing into the moonlight.
Jarvis's voice came through the wristwatch. "Sir, Mr. Malrick has already reached lunar orbit."
"That fast?" Tony muttered. "Has he turned into Superman or an owl? The guy used to complain when I brought guests home — now he doesn't even sleep."
He flicked off the lamp, muttering as he settled under the blanket. "First time sleeping on a farm in Kansas… and I end up talking to the moon."
_____
The rate at which I get little to no power stones, lol💀
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