Temporary Suppression

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Looking at Pepper's angry expression, Kai debated whether to tell her about Tony's poisoning. But he reconsidered — Tony hadn't told her, probably because he didn't want her to worry.

Kai decided it was better to wait until Tony's condition improved. Once Tony's poisoning was resolved, the impact of the truth would be less distressing.

So Kai said a few words in Tony's defense:

"It's wrong for Tony to do this without talking to you first. He should've discussed it with you. But maybe he's been in a bad mood lately or dealing with something difficult, so he's using this as a distraction."

Pepper was still skeptical, but her anger softened. She decided to talk to Tony about it later when things were calmer.

Seeing her mood improve, Kai asked, "Where's Tony? I want to talk to him about this and see what he has to say."

"Oh, Kai, thank you! Tony's in the basement," Pepper said with relief.

Kai nodded and headed downstairs.

In the basement, Tony was staring at a half-length portrait of Iron Man, mumbling to himself.

"This is modern art... I'm going to hang it up," Tony muttered.

Noticing Kai, Tony grinned. "Hey, Kai, perfect timing! Where do you think I should hang this?"

Kai glanced around, then pointed to the wall beside the TV. "That spot's perfect."

He walked over, took down an old black-and-white painting, and set it aside. "Put it here," Kai suggested.

Tony followed his advice, hanging the Iron Man portrait in the new spot. Stepping back, he admired his work.

"Yeah, looks great!" Tony declared proudly.

Kai chuckled to himself. *Of course you think it looks good — you picked the spot.*

"Sure," Kai said. "The old painting wasn't much to look at anyway."

They moved over to Tony's console, where Kai spotted a half-empty cup of chlorophyll juice.

Kai smirked and pointed at the cup. "Is that actually good?"

Knowing chlorophyll juice tasted awful, Kai teased, "What, are you on some new green-and-clean health kick?"

Tony caught on and played along. "Yep! Green, healthy, and absolutely delicious."

He picked up the cup, downed the rest, and forced himself not to wince.

"You should try one too," Tony added. "Jarvis, make another one."

"No thanks," Kai grinned. "I know how that stuff tastes. It's... let's just say it's memorable."

"What?" Tony laughed. "You knew how bad it was?"

"Of course," Kai chuckled. "I just wanted to see you drink it."

Tony shook his head. "Okay, okay, you win."

Kai grew more serious. "Actually, I didn't come here to talk about green juice. I've got something better — and far more effective."

He gestured to Tony's chest, making Tony pause.

"You... you know?" Tony asked cautiously.

"Of course. I know you've been poisoned," Kai said firmly. "I came to help."

Before Tony could respond, Pepper entered with some documents in hand.

"The notary's here," Pepper said. "Come sign the papers."

Because of his deteriorating health, Tony had decided to make Pepper the CEO of Stark Industries. The notary had arrived to finalize the transition.

Kai's eyes widened when he saw who the notary was — Natasha Romanoff.

Natasha paused slightly when she spotted Kai but kept her composure. Kai smiled to himself and said nothing.

After Pepper officially became CEO, Tony couldn't help but focus on Natasha.

Even after Natasha left, Tony muttered to himself, "I should make her my new secretary."

"Don't even think about it," Kai warned. "She's not exactly ordinary."

Tony smirked. "Oh, I know. She's *very* special."

"That's not what I meant," Kai said flatly.

"Oh? Then what do you mean?"

"She's one of Nick Fury's agents," Kai explained.

Tony's smile faded. "Wait... you're saying she's with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Exactly. So whatever her reason for being here, it's not just about notarizing papers."

Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Forget her for now," Kai said. "Let's focus on why I came here."

"Right," Tony nodded. "What's this miracle cure you're talking about?"

Kai took out his wand and channeled a pulse of healing magic. A warm light bathed Tony's chest, seeping into his body.

Tony's dizziness and fatigue started to fade, replaced by a surge of strength. He instinctively lifted his shirt and stared in amazement as the dark, web-like veins spreading from his reactor slowly disappeared.

"Oh my god…" Tony whispered.

He grabbed his monitor and ran a test. The screen displayed: Toxicity Level : 0%

Tony's eyes widened. "Kai... why didn't you tell me earlier that you could do this?"

"I figured you'd just say something smug like 'I had it handled,'" Kai teased.

Tony laughed — a genuine, relieved laugh. For the first time in weeks, he felt like himself again.

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