Chapter 14: House Arrest, Home Improvement, and a Spy's Surveillance
After the Monaco incident, Tony Stark was effectively under house arrest, his genius confined to his Malibu mansion, his health deteriorating. Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff (still as Natalie Rushman) were now firmly entrenched in his life, ostensibly to help, secretly to monitor. Adam, meanwhile, was back in Queens, enjoying the relative normalcy of his life with Aunt May.
"Oh, this floorboard is just impossible," May sighed, kneeling with a screwdriver, trying to fix a perpetually creaky spot in her hallway. "It's like it wants to creak. It's got a personality."
"Some things just resist change, May," Adam said, offering a sympathetic pat on her shoulder. He watched her struggle for a moment, then, with a subtle mental nudge, activated a wish.
[WISH GRANTED: CREAKY FLOORBOARD SEALS ITSELF PERFECTLY WITH A SATISFYING CLICK. COST: 10 WISH DAYS.]
The floorboard, with an audible snap, settled perfectly into place. May gasped. "Adam! You did it! How did you…?"
"Just got the magic touch, I guess," he winked, enjoying her bewildered delight. "Yeah, the magic touch of a System that hates creaky floorboards and loves happy girlfriends."
[DAILY WISH DAYS ACCUMULATION: +1]
Meanwhile, in Malibu, Natasha Romanoff was meticulously organizing Tony's "junk drawers," which were probably filled with classified tech and half-eaten granola bars. Adam imagined her, perfectly composed, trying to find a hidden listening device.
"Let's make her job a little more… interesting."
[WISH GRANTED: NATASHA ROMANOFF'S HIDDEN STYLUS-CAMERA INADVERTENTLY TAKES A SELFIE OF HER OWN NOSTRIL. COST: 20 WISH DAYS.]
He pictured Natasha, later, reviewing her surveillance footage, only to find a close-up, unflattering shot of her own nostril. Her poker face would probably crack. Just a millimeter. "It's the small victories, you know?"
Tony, meanwhile, was holed up in his lab, desperately searching for a cure to his palladium poisoning, trying to synthesize a new element. Adam wanted to help, but subtly.
"He needs a nudge. A very, very subtle nudge."
[WISH GRANTED: TONY STARK'S LAB COMPUTER DISPLAYS A "FLASH SALE" AD FOR A RELEVANT CHEMISTY TEXTBOOK. COST: 15 WISH DAYS.]
He imagined Tony, mid-frantic research, having his screen suddenly flash with a pop-up ad for a chemistry textbook that contained the exact obscure information he needed. Tony would probably curse, click it away, then later, subconsciously, remember the information. "My work here is done. You're welcome, Stark."
Later that week, he saw Natasha (as Natalie) at a public event with Tony. He approached her, a charmingly innocent smile on his face. "Natalie! Good to see you. Still enjoying your… new hobby? Of organizing Tony's junk drawers, I mean. He tells me you're quite the enthusiast."
Natasha's eyes, usually unreadable, flickered. A tiny, almost imperceptible muscle twitched in her jaw. "It's… a work in progress, Mr. Stiels. A very… challenging work in progress."
Adam simply smiled. "I'm sure it is. Some things just resist being organized, wouldn't you say?"
He walked away, a satisfied smirk on his face. He loved this life. The quiet domesticity, the subtle chaos, the exasperated spies. It was all just… chef's kiss.