BOOM!
Tony shot straight into the air, hovering several meters above the ground. One more second and his precious armor would've been in pieces courtesy of a certain sword-swinging maniac.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., start a new project file. Code name—Anti-Karl Armor."
"Understood, sir. New file created."
Down below, Karl waved his Ultimate Divine Blade and shouted, "Get down here, you coward!"
Tony shouted back through his helmet speakers, "Come up here if you've got the guts!"
And so they stayed like that—one in the air, one on the ground—hurling taunts at each other for nearly ten minutes until Karl's throat went dry. The man finally gave up, mostly because Tony's armor had built-in loudspeakers and his voice drowned out everything else.
The townsfolk and tourists, on the other hand, had the show of their lives. Everyone already knew that Tony Stark was Iron Man, so instead of panicking, they crowded around taking photos. Some even lined up for autographs.
Tony, of course, was all smiles—signing shirts, posing for selfies, and playing the charming billionaire superhero to perfection.
When the crowd finally dispersed, he plopped back down beside Karl.
"So," Tony said, "when are you heading home? Your little family's been going crazy."
Karl shrugged. "Not like I don't want to. But Hydra destroyed my passport, and my phone's MIA. I can't even call home. If I didn't have a few emergency bills in my pocket, I'd be begging for food by now."
Tony gave him a solemn nod of sympathy—then immediately smirked. "Yeah, you look real miserable. Stuck in a scenic town with a gorgeous girl like Wanda keeping you company. Be honest, you two been… you know…?"
"Get lost! Not everyone's as degenerate as you."
"Hey! I'm not degenerate, I'm passionate! You, my friend, are what we call a coward. Do me a favor—don't ever tell people you know me. I've got a reputation to uphold. I once spent a year dating nothing but magazine cover girls."
Karl rolled his eyes. "And now look at you. Pepper gives you one glare, and you're housebroken. Don't act like you're still the king of playboys."
Tony's face turned a lovely shade of purple. Ever since he'd officially gotten together with Pepper, he hadn't so much as looked at another woman. The reformed bad boy act was real, but still—being called whipped stung his pride.
"You say one more word, and I'm leaving you here. Figure out your own way home," Tony threatened.
Karl immediately clung to his leg with a sheepish grin. "Don't, don't, I was kidding! Come on, Mr. Stark, you're a big-hearted man, don't stoop to my level!"
Tony's helmet eyes flickered blue. "My armor records everything, by the way. That little begging act? Caught in 4K."
Karl's face froze. "You sneaky old bastard!"
He jumped up, fuming. "Don't get cocky! I've got recordings of your embarrassing moments too! Remember the Middle East? I kept everything on video. Guess who's got leverage now?"
Tony's expression instantly darkened. That was not a story he wanted public.
"Nice try. Your phone's gone, remember? No phone, no footage." Tony smirked smugly.
Karl's lips curled into a devious smile. "Ever heard of backups?"
Tony's grin faltered. "…Fine. Let's make a deal. I delete your video, you delete mine. Truce?"
"Deal. But you delete yours first."
Tony did so with suspiciously quick efficiency. "Done. Now yours."
Karl nodded cheerfully. "Sure thing."
Yeah, right.
Karl's inner voice practically cackled. Like hell I'm deleting it. That footage's staying with me till the grave.
Meanwhile, Tony was thinking the exact same thing. Delete? Please. I went to MIT, kid—I keep backups of my backups. You think you can outfox Tony Stark?
Both men leaned back, smug and satisfied, each secretly convinced he'd outplayed the other.
Meanwhile, Wanda quietly finished her coffee, sensing through her Chaos energy that both of them were lying through their teeth.
Tony stood and stretched. "My private jet's already on its way. Let's hit the airport. We'll be in New York in a few hours."
Then he activated his thrusters and shot into the sky.
"I'll be waiting at the terminal! Don't be late!"
He vanished in a roar of turbines, leaving Karl shouting after him.
"You old traitor! What about us, huh?! You know how far the airport is? Tony! You absolute fossil!"
But Tony was long gone, a red-and-gold streak against the horizon.
Wanda rubbed her temples. "You two are like children. Fully grown, yet hopelessly immature."
With no luggage to worry about, they caught a taxi straight to the airport.
At the terminal, Karl barely had time to ask about Tony before a stunning flight attendant appeared.
"Mr. Karl Norman?" she said sweetly.
"That's me."
"Mr. Stark is waiting for you and Ms. Maximoff in the VIP lounge. Please follow me."
They followed her through the private corridor, where Karl immediately spotted Tony lounging on a sofa, legs crossed, chatting up a glamorous woman while nibbling on pastries.
The woman slipped him a small note as she left, winking on her way out.
Karl folded his arms. "Unbelievable. You never stop, do you? I should tell Pepper."
"Pfft." Tony rolled his eyes. "Like that trick still works on me. Nice try."
Hours passed as they bickered and traded insults. Finally, the jet touched down in New York.
After a long nap in the air, Karl opened his eyes to see the familiar skyline outside the window.
At the airport, Gwen and Skye were already waiting—with Pepper beside them.
The instant Karl stepped off the plane, two figures threw themselves into his arms.
"Hey, hey, I'm fine," he murmured, smiling as he wiped their tears. "See? Not a scratch. Nobody in this world can take me down."
Then Wanda appeared behind him, stepping off the plane. Her eyes met Gwen's and Skye's at the same moment.
The air froze. Three pairs of eyes locked—sparks practically crackling in the silence.
Tony took one look at Karl's face and sighed.
"Buddy," he said, patting his shoulder solemnly, "you're screwed."
Then he turned, slipping an arm around Pepper with a grin.
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