…
In the blink of an eye—
Leon was back in his familiar bedroom at the Malibu Mansion.
It was already the next morning.
Christine, thoroughly exhausted from the previous night, lay sprawled across the bed, fast asleep.
Leon got up and didn't bother waking her.
That was one of Christine's best qualities—strong self-management. When she woke up, she'd clean up after herself. Pepper wouldn't have to deal with any "mess."
Leon didn't go to Tony immediately.
Instead, he stopped by Stark Tower to check on Dr. Helen Cho, but she was deep in a critical phase of developing the Regeneration Cradle and had no time for him.
Leon had Arcee discreetly provide her with a few forward-looking technical hints to speed things up, then headed back to his own office to conduct a surprise inspection of Sharon Carter's work.
By the time that was done—
It was afternoon.
Leon returned to the Malibu Mansion and found Tony in his workshop—his so-called "man cave"—repairing the damaged Mark V suitcase armor and adding a few design tweaks.
While the Mark V had performed poorly overall, it remained Tony's only truly portable armor. As an emergency deployment system, it still had value.
After all—
It had lasted long enough for Leon to arrive.
Even someone as quick to upgrade as Tony didn't mind giving it a second chance.
"Hey, Shield Kid," Tony called out without looking up, tapping the Arc Reactor embedded in his chest—the device that kept him alive and was slowly poisoning him.
"You didn't come see your big brother first thing this morning. I'm feeling a little neglected."
"Oh, come on," Leon rolled his eyes. "Shield Kid is ancient history."
He stepped closer and knocked lightly on Tony's chest reactor.
Clang. Clang.
"What's your toxicity level now?"
Tony's forced grin froze.
He glanced toward the workshop entrance to make sure Pepper wasn't nearby, then sighed.
"I don't know how you found out… but fine. It's over 60% now."
"Give it a month, maybe less. I'll be upstairs having a chat with Mom and Dad."
He shrugged, trying to appear casual.
"Leon, I only have one request. The company doesn't matter. Just take care of Pepper."
He paused.
"And if you 'take care' of her in a certain way, I'll—"
He stopped himself, then placed a hand heavily on Leon's shoulder.
"Whatever she wants to do, let her. But you—you are absolutely not allowed to make a move on Pepper. Got it?"
Leon burst out laughing.
"Big brother, what kind of person do you think I am?"
"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist," Tony replied instantly.
"…Okay, fair."
Leon shrugged.
The fact that Tony said it so sincerely felt oddly wrong. Normally he'd lace it with sarcasm.
That meant—
Tony truly believed he was dying.
Leon stopped joking.
With a snap of his fingers, Arcee appeared in Partner Mode, currently using a Tifa-like holographic projection for aesthetic disguise.
From her eyes, a 3D holographic model materialized—
A futuristic cityscape.
The same miniature model once shown in Howard Stark's archived presentation about the future.
"You remember this, right?" Leon asked.
"Obviously," Tony said. "I just played Dad's old footage at the Stark Expo."
"Good."
Leon nodded.
"Then tell me—how do you permanently cure palladium poisoning?"
Tony exhaled slowly.
"Replace palladium with a new element."
"I've tested everything on the periodic table. Nothing works."
"There's no solution."
"Maybe," Leon said calmly, "you haven't tested everything."
Tony frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Why limit yourself to existing elements?" Leon asked. "Are you telling me Tony Stark can't create a new one?"
Tony's eyes flashed briefly—
Then dimmed.
"In theory? Yes. Practically? I don't have time."
"You do."
Leon's tone sharpened.
"In fact, this is exactly the right time to open the shining path to the future."
"By your own hands."
Tony straightened.
"Keep talking."
"Dad once said the Arc Reactor was only a stepping stone," Leon continued. "He was preparing to launch a new energy revolution—one that would leave every competitor behind."
"But the technology of his time wasn't advanced enough. So the project was shelved."
Leon gestured to Arcee.
The holographic city began stripping away buildings one by one—
Until only a spherical lattice structure remained.
A geometric core.
Tony stared.
"…My God."
"That's a new element."
He turned sharply.
"Wait. Why did Dad tell you and not me?"
Leon smirked.
"Should I remind you what you were like back then? I was just a flirt."
"You were a walking chemical hazard."
Tony winced.
"…I changed."
"After Mom and Dad died," Leon replied quietly.
Silence fell.
After a long moment, Tony punched Leon lightly in the chest.
"You idiot. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have been planning my funeral."
Leon raised both hands innocently.
"You didn't ask."
Tony stared at him—
Then laughed.
"You're still holding that grudge? Petty."
"Someone started it," Leon shot back lazily.
"Alright, alright. My fault."
Tony waved it off.
If they really kept score—
They'd both lose.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789