Chapter 22

After what felt like hours of tinkering, tweaking, and muttered curses, Tony finally held up his finished arc reactor with a triumphant grin. The sleek design was slimmer and more refined than the original, its soft blue glow casting light across the workbench.

"Behold, gentlemen—and cloak—perfection," Tony announced, holding the new arc reactor up like a prized trophy.

Stephen, who had been sitting nearby with his arms crossed and a faintly unimpressed expression, raised an eyebrow. "I'll reserve my applause until it actually works."

"Wow, no faith in me at all," Tony said, mock-pouting as he turned the reactor in his hands to admire it. "This baby's going to make the old one look like a caveman's torch."

"Then I assume you're ready to replace the old one," Stephen said dryly, standing and walking over to the workbench.

Tony's grin faltered slightly as he glanced at the arc reactor embedded in his chest. "Yeah… about that. Here's the thing."

Stephen tilted his head, his sharp blue eyes narrowing. "What?"

Tony cleared his throat, gesturing vaguely to the new reactor. "This is a two-person job. One to hold it steady, one to, you know, dig around in my chest cavity and swap it out. And, uh… preferably someone with smaller hands."

Stephen's lips twitched, his smirk sharp and laced with sarcasm. "Smaller hands, you say?"

"Should I mention now, sir, how convenient is that Ms. Potts has just arrived?" JARVIS said.

Tony's head snapped toward the stairs leading up to the rest of the mansion, and sure enough, Pepper's voice could be heard faintly as she approached. "Dinner's here, and you'd better appreciate it, Tony. I had to fight off the paparazzi to get this delivered in one piece!"

Tony's eyes lit up with sudden inspiration as he started taking his shirt off. "Pepper! Of course. She's got small hands, she's got precision, she's perfect for this—"

"Absolutely not," Stephen interrupted sharply, his voice cutting through Tony's excitement like a blade.

Tony blinked, his grin slipping as he stopped unbuttoning the shirt. "What do you mean, 'absolutely not'? She's perfect."

Stephen stepped closer, his expression hard. "You will not traumatize Ms. Potts by asking her to dig around in your chest cavity, Anthony. She's your assistant, not your surgeon."

Tony frowned, gesturing toward his chest. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad. I've done it myself, and look at me—I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Stephen said flatly. "And this isn't about you. It's about her. You don't ask someone to handle something like this unless they're trained for it. Or unless they're someone like me."

Tony raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "And what makes you so special?"

Stephen smirked faintly, holding up one hand. A soft golden light shimmered around his fingers, the familiar glow of his magic illuminating the space between them. "I can do this without fumbling. Or panicking. Or accidentally killing you. That's what makes me special."

Tony opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Pepper walked in, carrying a tray of takeout containers. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes flicking between Tony and Stephen with a mixture of confusion and exasperation.

"Okay," she said slowly, "what's going on here? And why is Tony half-naked?"

Stephen turned to her, his expression calm but mildly annoyed. "We're replacing his arc reactor. He thought it would be a good idea to involve you."

Pepper's eyes widened, her gaze snapping at Tony. "You wanted me to—what? Dig into your chest?"

Tony held up his hands defensively, grinning sheepishly. "In my defense, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Pepper set the tray down on a nearby table, her tone sharp. "Tony, that's not my job. And why aren't you in a hospital for something like this?"

"Because I don't need a hospital," Tony said defensively, gesturing toward Stephen. "I've got the Doctor over here, ready to do it with magic."

Pepper blinked, her gaze shifting to Stephen. "Magic?"

Stephen sighed, nodding. "Yes, Ms. Potts. Magic. And before you ask, yes, I'm qualified. More so than him."

Tony snorted. "I resent that."

Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long sigh. "You two are going to give me gray hairs."

Stephen turned back to Tony, his tone brisk. "Alright. Sit down and stop squirming. This is going to take some focus, as I don't have any tools."

Tony raised an eyebrow but complied, sitting back in the chair and unbuttoning the rest of his shirt to expose the arc reactor in his chest. He glanced at Stephen with a faint grin. "You're not going to poke around in there just for fun, are you?"

Stephen rolled his eyes, his fingers glowing faintly as he conjured a minor spell for more precise telekinesis and another as a diagnostic spell to tell him his vitals. "Believe me, Anthony, this isn't fun for either of us."

Pepper watched from a safe distance, her arms crossed and her expression equal parts worried and curious. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Safer than his idea," Stephen said dryly, gesturing toward Tony.

"Hey!" Tony protested.

Stephen ignored him, focusing on the arc reactor in Tony's chest. The glow of his magic intensified as he reached out, his hands hovering just above the edge of the device. "Hold still, Anthony. This will only take a moment."

Tony grimaced but remained still, his muscles tensing as Stephen's magic began to carefully disconnect the old reactor. The process was precise and almost surgical, the golden light weaving through the wires and components like a scalpel.

"There," Stephen murmured, his voice calm and steady. He pulled the old reactor free, holding it up for a moment before setting it aside.

Tony exhaled slowly, glancing at the empty cavity in his chest. "You know, my heart is beating really fast, like abnormally fast. And I'm suddenly very aware of how vulnerable I am right now."

"Not as fast as it could be, as I'm stopping your heart from going into a cardiac arrest." Stephen smirked faintly, picking up the new reactor. "Welcome to mortality. Now hold still."

With the same careful precision, Stephen guided the new reactor into place, the golden light of his magic sealing the connections seamlessly. The glow from the new device pulsed softly as it activated, its light brighter and cleaner than the old one.

"All done," Stephen said, stepping back and letting the magic fade from his hands.

Tony sat up, glancing down at the new reactor with a faint grin. "Not bad, Doc. Not bad at all."

Pepper let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, shaking her head. "You two are impossible."

Tony grinned, buttoning up his shirt. "You love it."

Stephen rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "If he survives the night, it'll be a miracle."

After checking everything was well with Tony, the three of them—Tony, Stephen, and Pepper—sat around the lab's workbenches. Stephen leaned back in one of the chairs, his arms crossed as he watched Tony fiddle with tools and holograms, while Pepper paced near the workstation, scrolling through reports on her phone.

"Alright," Tony said, breaking the silence. "What's the damage, Miss Potts? How bad is it?"

Pepper paused mid-scroll, sighing as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It's bad, Tony. People are jumping ship. Investors are panicking, stocks are dropping, and the board is furious. They think you've completely lost your mind."

Tony waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, please, they've thought that for years. What's new?"

Pepper didn't laugh. Her tone sharpened. "What's new is that your decision to shut down the weapons division blindsided everyone. No warning, no transition plan. Just a press conference and chaos. People are scared, Tony. They're worried about their jobs, about the future of the company—about the future of you."

Tony flinched slightly at her words, but his grin didn't fade. "Relax, Pepper. I've got this."

Pepper crossed her arms, her expression unamused. "Do you? Because it sure doesn't look like it from where I'm standing."

Tony leaned back in his chair, the faint glow of the arc reactor in his chest catching the light. "I told you, I'm working on a plan. Give me some time, and I'll fix this."

Pepper sighed again, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the old arc reactor sitting discarded on the workbench. "And what about that?" she asked, pointing at it. "What are you going to do with the old one?"

Tony glanced at the old reactor, shrugging. "Throw it away. It's obsolete now. No need to hang onto it."

Before he could reach for it, Pepper snatched it off the table, holding it close as if she didn't trust him not to toss it in the trash.

"Hey!" Tony protested, sitting up straight. "What are you doing?"

Pepper raised an eyebrow, her voice calm but firm. "You're not throwing this away. This thing kept you alive, Tony. It's important."

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's a glorified paperweight, Pepper."

"It's a reminder," she countered, her tone softer now. "Of what you've been through. Of what you've survived. You shouldn't just throw that away."

Tony opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, a faint beeping sound came from the corner of the lab. Stephen's ears perked up at the sound, his gaze shifting toward the source: a squat, slightly battered robotic arm with a claw-like grip. The robot's claw spun excitedly, accompanied by another cheerful beep from a smaller companion robot.

Tony groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Oh, great. Now you two have opinions, too."

Stephen raised an eyebrow, glancing between Tony and the robots. "Friends of yours?"

Tony grinned, standing and gesturing grandly toward the two machines. "Stephen, meet my robotic children. That's Dumm-E," he said, pointing to the larger, more enthusiastic robot arm, "and that's U," he added, gesturing to the smaller one.

Dumm-E beeped again, its claw spinning as it tried to grab the old arc reactor from Pepper's hands.

"Don't encourage them," Tony muttered, but his grin betrayed his fondness for the machines.

Stephen tilted his head, his eyes glinting with faint amusement. "Robotic children, you say? And here I thought you were bad enough on your own."

Tony smirked. "Hey, don't knock them. Dumm-E here may be a little… overly enthusiastic, but he's useful. Sometimes."

As if on cue, Dumm-E accidentally knocked over a nearby canister, sending it clattering to the floor.

Tony groaned, gesturing dramatically. "Case in point."

Stephen chuckled softly, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Charming. I'm sure they're a great comfort during your late-night tinkering sessions."

"They are," Tony said, his voice defensive. He reached out to pat Dumm-E's arm, which beeped happily in response. "And they've got personalities, thank you very much. More personality than most of the board members at Stark Industries, anyway."

Pepper shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips despite herself. "If only the board could see you now."

Tony grinned, turning back to Stephen. "So? What do you think of my little family?"

Stephen tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "They're… endearing, in their own way. Though I imagine they'd be less destructive with proper magical enhancements."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, no thanks. The last thing I need is a magic-powered Dumm-E setting the place on fire."

Dumm-E beeped indignantly, waving its claw as if protesting the accusation.

Stephen smirked faintly, his gaze softening as he watched the interaction. For all his bravado and arrogance, Tony Stark's fondness for his creations was undeniable. And in that moment, Stephen felt a flicker of something he hadn't expected: admiration.