Chapter 29

The past couple of days had settled into an almost predictable routine: Tony tinkered obsessively with the Mark II, using the act of building as a way to de-stress and distract himself from the corporate tensions with Obadiah and the board. Stephen alternated between researching mystical healing techniques and ensuring Tony didn't work himself to death. Now that Stephen had decided to use his human form more around the mansion, the two of them had fallen into a rhythm that was almost domestic—albeit with plenty of snark and chaos thrown into the mix.

But today marked a significant milestone: the Mark II was finally ready for its first test flight.

Stephen leaned casually against a workbench, his arms crossed as he watched Tony step into the gleaming suit. The Mark II was a marvel of engineering, its polished silver surface reflecting the bright lights of the lab.

"JARVIS," Tony called, his voice brimming with excitement. "Are you there?"

JARVIS's smooth voice replied, "At your service, sir."

Stephen tilted his head, his sharp blue eyes glinting with faint amusement. "You might want to rethink that phrase, JARVIS. Serving Anthony sounds like a full-time punishment."

Tony shot him a look as he slid his hand into one of the gauntlets. "You're hilarious, Steph. Keep it up, and I might start charging you rent for staying here."

Stephen smirked, unfazed. "Considering I heal your injuries, feed you actual meals, and make sure you sleep, I think the rent is already paid."

Tony rolled his eyes but didn't argue, his focus returning to the suit. "Alright, JARVIS. Engage heads-up display."

"Check," JARVIS replied.

"Import all preferences from home interface."

"Will do, sir."

Stephen pushed off the workbench, stepping closer to watch as Tony's suit powered up. "You know," he said dryly, "I feel like I should be taking bets on how badly this is going to end."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Tony muttered, flexing his fingers as the suit's systems calibrated. "You're like my own personal cheerleader, only more sarcastic."

"It's a talent," Stephen replied smoothly, his tone deadpan.

"Alright, what do you say, JARVIS?" Tony asked, grinning.

"I have indeed been uploaded, sir. We're online and ready," JARVIS reported.

"Can we start the virtual walk around?"

"Importing preferences and calibrating virtual environment," JARVIS replied.

Stephen circled around Tony, inspecting the suit with a critical eye. "It's sleek," he admitted. "Far more refined than the metal monstrosity you built in the cave. Though I assume the HUD is more advanced than the 'duct tape and prayers' approach you used back then."

Tony smirked. "HUD's state-of-the-art. I'm talking thermal imaging, enhanced targeting, you name it. It's a masterpiece."

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "And the landing systems?"

Tony hesitated for half a second before muttering, "Still working on it."

Stephen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course you are. Well, I'll admit, it's impressive."

"'Impressive'?" Tony repeated, glancing at Stephen. "Come on, give me more than that. I just built the most advanced piece of tech in the world."

Stephen yawned theatrically, his voice dry. "Congratulations. You've built a shiny, wearable midlife crisis."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Ignore the peanut gallery, JARVIS. Let's start the virtual walk-around. Do a check on control surfaces."

"As you wish," JARVIS replied, the hum of the suit's systems filling the lab as holographic readouts scrolled across Tony's heads-up display.

Stephen crossed his arms again, watching intently. Though his tone remained dry, there was a glimmer of admiration in his gaze. Tony's ability to push the boundaries of possibility—no matter how reckless—was undeniably impressive.

"Test complete," JARVIS reported. "Preparing to power down and begin diagnostics."

"Uh, yeah, tell you what," Tony said, his grin widening. "Do a weather and ATC check. Start listening in on ground control."

Stephen's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're not planning to actually fly that thing right now, are you?"

Tony glanced at him, his grin positively mischievous. "What's the point of building a suit if you're not going to fly it?"

Stephen sighed, already bracing himself for the inevitable disaster. "You're going to break something—possibly yourself."

Tony chuckled, flexing his hands as the repulsors hummed to life. "Sometimes, Steph, you've gotta run before you can walk."

"Or fall," Stephen muttered under his breath. "I'm going to regret letting you live through that cave escape."

Tony ignored him. "Ready? In three, two, one…"

With a roar of energy, the suit lifted off the platform, hovering briefly before shooting upward through the retractable panels in the ceiling.

"Great," Stephen muttered, sitting back down with a sigh. "This is either going to be brilliant or catastrophic." 

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May 15th - 2009

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High above Malibu, Tony's grin widened as he soared through the sky, the Mark II responding to his every command.

"Handles like a dream," he said aloud. "Alright, JARVIS, let's push this baby to the limit. What's the SR-71's altitude record?"

"The altitude record for fixed-wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir," JARVIS replied.

"Records are made to be broken!" Tony said, his excitement palpable as he pushed the suit higher.

Back in the lab, Stephen leaned against the workbench, his arms crossed as he stared up at the open ceiling. "He's going to regret that," he said flatly.

JARVIS's voice filtered through the lab's speakers. "Sir, there is a potentially fatal buildup of ice occurring."

Stephen sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Called it."

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The suit's systems began to freeze, frost forming on the HUD as Tony lost control.

"We iced up, JARVIS!" Tony shouted as the suit stalled, sending him plummeting toward the ground. "Deploy flaps! Break the ice!"

Stephen tensed slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing as he listened. He didn't interfere—he'd promised himself he wouldn't—but his fingers twitched faintly, as though preparing to cast a spell, and the Cloak of Levitation was preparing to fly and rescue Tony at any moment.

At the last second, the suit powered back up, and Tony narrowly avoided crashing into the cliffs.

Finally, Tony hovered above the mansion, his voice breathless with relief. "Kill power."

The suit immediately powered down, and Tony, intending to land gracefully on the roof; instead plummeted through the roof, crashing through the piano and landing in a heap on top of one of his cars in the workshop. 

Stephen sighed heavily, walking over to the wreckage with deliberate slowness. Dummy rolled over, fire extinguisher in hand, and sprayed Tony with foam.

"Thanks, Dummy," Tony muttered, coughing.

Stephen crossed his arms, staring down at Tony with an unimpressed expression. "Well, that went exactly how I expected."

Tony groaned, pulling off the helmet. "You're not even a little impressed?"

Stephen smirked faintly. "Impressed you didn't die? Yes. Impressed by the landing? Not so much."

Tony laughed weakly, waving Dummy away. "Fine. I'll work on it."

"You'll work on a lot more than that," Stephen said dryly. "Starting with fixing the piano."

Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah. First things first, though. That was incredible."

Stephen rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Just try not to kill yourself before you've finished fixing the suit and do me a favor, Anthony. Next time, try not to destroy half the house."

Tony grinned. "No promises."

Stephen sighed, already dreading the next flight test. This man is going to be the death of me.

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Tony shuffled around the workshop, one hand holding an ice pack to his head, the other clutching the half-empty cup of coffee Pepper had left earlier. His steps were slower than usual, deliberate, as though every movement reminded him of the crash that had left him sprawled across a car and covered in fire extinguisher foam.

Stephen leaned against the edge of a workbench, arms crossed, his piercing blue eyes tracking Tony like a hawk. He didn't say anything at first, simply watching with a look that could only be described as patient disapproval. Finally, as Tony sat heavily on a stool, Stephen broke the silence.

"You look terrible," he said, his tone dry.

Tony glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were supposed to be my emotional support sorcerer."

Stephen smirked faintly, though his gaze didn't soften. "Support doesn't mean coddling, Anthony. Someone needs to remind you that you're not indestructible."

Tony set the ice pack on the workbench with a groan. "I'm fine."

"You fell through the roof, smashed a piano, and landed on a car," Stephen pointed out, his voice calm but sharp. "Fine isn't the word I'd use."

Tony tilted his head, his lips curling into a smirk. "So you were worried about me."

Stephen arched an eyebrow. "Worried? No. Annoyed? Absolutely."

Tony leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Admit it, Steph. You care."

Stephen sighed, stepping closer. "Sit still," he ordered, ignoring the comment as he reached out to place his hands over Tony's forearm. A faint golden light began to glow around his fingers, spreading warmth through Tony's skin as the bruises and scrapes on his arm began to fade.

Tony watched him quietly, his smirk fading as the glow illuminated Stephen's focused expression. Up close, there was something… grounding about him. The way his eyes narrowed slightly in concentration, the way his touch was firm but careful, like he was used to fixing broken things. For a moment, Tony forgot the ache in his head, his attention wholly on the man standing in front of him.

But as quickly as it began, the healing stopped. Stephen stepped back, crossing his arms again. "That's enough."

Tony glanced down at his arm, noting that while the worst of the injuries were gone, a faint ache still lingered. "Uh, I don't mean to complain, but aren't you supposed to fix me up completely? I'm pretty sure that's what magic is for." 

Stephen shook his head. "No. You can live with the rest."

Tony frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because pain is an excellent teacher," Stephen replied simply. "If I healed you completely, you'd be back in that suit tomorrow doing something even more reckless."

Tony leaned back, studying Stephen with a mixture of irritation and admiration. "You really know how to ruin a guy's fun, don't you?"

Stephen's lips quirked into a faint smirk. "I'm only doing it for your own good, Anthony." 

For a moment, the room fell quiet, the hum of the lab's machinery filling the space. Tony's gaze lingered on Stephen, his mind replaying the crash and the way Stephen had immediately stepped in to help. He didn't say it out loud, but there was something oddly comforting about having someone who could call him out on his recklessness—and still be there to pick up the pieces afterward.

Stephen, noticing the lingering stare, raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Tony shrugged, his smirk returning. "Nothing. Just trying to figure you out, Steph."

"Good luck," Stephen said dryly, turning away to give him space.

As Stephen moved back to his spot by the workbench, Tony's attention shifted to the small package Pepper had left earlier. He picked it up, peeling off the sticky note that read From Pepper and setting it aside.

Opening the package, he found a stack of notes, schematics, and the old arc reactor in there. His expression sharpened as he flipped through the pages, ignoring the arc reactor as he began murmuring aloud to himself. "Notes. Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing is the probable factor."

Stephen tilted his head, stepping closer. "Icing? As in the suit malfunctioning mid-flight?"

Tony nodded distractedly, still scanning the notes. "Yeah. When I pushed the altitude, the whole thing iced up. Almost turned me into a Stark popsicle."

Stephen hummed thoughtfully. "While that image is mildly entertaining, I assume you're planning to fix the issue?"

"Already working on it," Tony replied, setting the notes aside and turning to JARVIS. "JARVIS, connect to the system core. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy from the Seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio. Got it?"

JARVIS's calm voice replied, "A very astute observation, sir. Perhaps, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems as well."

Stephen raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching with faint amusement. "Planning interplanetary travel, are we?"

Tony glanced at him, his grin returning as he leaned back against the workbench. "You never know. Records are made to be broken, right?"

The holographic display in front of him flickered to life, showing a sleek new design for the Mark II's exoskeleton. Stephen stepped closer, his sharp eyes scanning the display.

"Gold titanium alloy?" Stephen asked, his tone curious.

Tony nodded, gesturing to the hologram. "Lightweight, durable, resistant to ice buildup. Perfect for high-altitude flight. Plus, it looks cool."

Stephen hummed thoughtfully, tilting his head as he studied the design. "It's impressive. I'll give you that. Though I assume you'll be testing it again soon?"

"Damn right I will," Tony said, his grin widening.

Stephen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just… try not to destroy anything this time, alright?"

Tony chuckled, reaching for a tool on the workbench. "No promises, Steph. No promises."

As Tony returned to tinkering, Stephen moved back to his own stack of research, but his gaze occasionally flicked toward Tony. There was something about the way Tony threw himself into his work, the sheer intensity of it, that reminded Stephen of his own past. Once upon a time, he'd been the same—relentlessly focused, driven by the need to push boundaries and achieve the impossible.

But watching Tony now, Stephen couldn't help but feel… protective. It was a strange sensation, one he wasn't entirely comfortable with. And yet, he couldn't deny the pull, the quiet urge to make sure Tony didn't burn himself out—or worse.

Tony, oblivious to Stephen's internal conflict, glanced up from his work and caught him staring. "What's on your mind, Steph? You're not planning to lecture me again, are you?"

Stephen shook his head, his expression unreadable. "Just wondering how long it'll take for you to prove me right."

Tony grinned. "About what?"

"That you're impossible," Stephen replied smoothly, turning back to his research.

Tony laughed, the sound echoing through the lab. "Takes one to know one."

Stephen didn't respond, but the faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. Despite everything, there was something undeniably endearing about Anthony Edward Stark. And while Stephen wasn't sure what to do with that realization, he knew one thing for certain: life with Tony was never going to be boring.

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