"Wes…" Clarice looked up at Liam with wide, shining eyes, her lips pressed together as if she was trying to gather the courage to say something important. Her fingers tightened slightly around his, and there was a flicker of hesitation in her expression that made it clear this wasn't something casual.
"Hm?" Liam tilted his head, watching her with curiosity as he waited for her to continue.
Clarice inhaled softly, her resolve building.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sudden explosions shattered the moment.
The entire dance floor froze as the music cut off abruptly, replaced by the harsh echo of impact from above. Conversations stopped mid-sentence, and even the orchestra faltered as people instinctively looked up in alarm.
"What… what was that?" Clarice's courage dissolved instantly, replaced by confusion and unease.
Liam's gaze sharpened. Without moving his head, he activated his perception and looked straight through the ceiling.
Two armored figures were clashing violently on the floor above.
Tony Stark.
James Rhodes.
Of course.
A faint understanding crossed Liam's mind as he watched the scene unfold. So Tony had still chosen this moment to hand over the armor. Given the pressure from the military, it made sense. They had been pushing hard for access to the Iron Man technology, and while Tony had no intention of surrendering it, outright refusal would only escalate things.
Rhodes had always been the compromise.
Better for the armor to end up in the hands of someone Tony trusted than to fall into the control of the military.
Still, the situation was messy.
And noisy.
Liam exhaled lightly and withdrew his gaze. "Don't worry about it," he said, his tone casual. "Let's keep dancing."
But before he could finish—
Crash!
The ceiling exploded.
Tony and Rhodes smashed straight through, metal clashing against stone and glass as debris rained down across the ballroom. The elegant setting was instantly thrown into chaos as guests screamed and scrambled backward, trying to avoid the falling rubble.
Liam reacted instantly.
His arm wrapped around Clarice, pulling her close as he redirected the incoming debris with a flicker of force. Shards of glass and chunks of ceiling stopped mid-air or veered harmlessly away from them, leaving the two of them completely untouched.
When the dust settled, Tony and Rhodes stood in the center of the ruined dance floor, their armored forms still radiating tension.
Liam's expression darkened.
"I've got to ask," he said slowly, his voice edged with irritation, "couldn't you two take this outside?"
Rhodes immediately noticed the damage around them and the frightened civilians nearby. His posture stiffened slightly, and a trace of guilt appeared in his voice. "Sorry. Didn't mean to drag anyone else into this."
Tony, however, felt something else entirely.
A chill.
Before he could react—
Liam lifted his hand.
In the next instant, an invisible force slammed into both armored suits.
They were launched backward like missiles, crashing through the shattered wall and flying straight out of the building. A second later, a loud splash echoed from outside as both men landed unceremoniously in the fountain.
Water surged upward, soaking them completely.
Outside, Rhodes blinked in confusion as he pulled himself upright. "What the hell just happened?"
Tony opened his helmet and let out a long breath, his expression complicated. "You think we just flew out here on our own?"
Rhodes frowned, trying to process it.
"That guy in there," Tony continued, jerking his head back toward the building, "he's a mutant. And not a weak one."
Rhodes's eyes widened slightly. "So that's what that was…"
Then he hesitated. "So… are we still fighting?"
Tony stared at him for a second.
"…Are you serious?"
With a frustrated shake of his head, Tony climbed out of the fountain and turned to leave, completely uninterested in continuing the fight. Rhodes watched him go for a moment before activating his thrusters and taking off, the armor Tony had "lost" now firmly in his possession.
Back inside the ballroom, the atmosphere had completely changed.
The earlier elegance was gone, replaced by unease. Guests whispered nervously, their eyes constantly flicking toward the ceiling as if expecting another pair of armored giants to crash through at any moment.
No one had noticed Liam's involvement.
To them, it was just another bizarre accident in a night that had already spiraled out of control.
One by one, people began to leave.
"Wes… maybe we should go too," Clarice said quietly, her voice carrying a hint of worry.
Liam, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. He picked up a piece of cake from a nearby table, as if nothing unusual had happened at all.
"Relax," he said casually. "As long as I'm here, no one's touching you."
Then he held the cake up to her lips. "Here. Try this."
Clarice blinked, then leaned forward without hesitation and took a bite, her earlier tension melting away.
"Hey, Wes. Didn't cause you too much trouble, did I?"
Tony's voice came from behind them.
He had already changed out of the armor and into a clean suit, though his hair was still slightly damp. Despite the situation, he carried himself with his usual casual confidence as he walked over.
Liam glanced at him and rolled his eyes. "You really need me to answer that?"
Tony paused, suddenly at a loss for words.
"…Fair enough."
"Let me guess," Liam continued, setting his glass down. "You just 'lost' your armor?"
Tony dropped into the seat beside him and spread his hands. "He stole it."
Liam didn't even hesitate. "Your armor requires authorization to operate."
Tony's expression stiffened slightly.
He had been caught instantly.
Liam understood exactly what he was doing. Giving the armor away openly would invite endless pressure from corporations and governments alike. But if it was "stolen," then anyone who wanted one would have to deal with Iron Man directly.
It was a calculated move.
"Let's skip the act," Liam said, pouring two glasses of wine and handing one over. "Tell me something. You're not planning to quit being Iron Man, are you?"
Tony looked at him like he'd just said something absurd. "Quit? That's not even a question."
"If you don't," Liam said calmly, "you're going to die."
Tony froze.
"How do you know that?" he asked, his voice dropping.
"I know what's happening to you," Liam replied.
Tony forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. "What, you've got X-ray vision or something?"
For a brief second, Liam almost choked.
But he shook his head. "Do you really plan to die like this? What happens to your armor after you're gone? And what about Pepper?"
That hit its mark.
Tony's expression shifted, the humor fading as the reality he'd been avoiding pressed in.
"…I don't want to die," he admitted quietly. "But I've tried everything. There's nothing that can replace palladium."
Liam took a slow sip of wine, his expression thoughtful. "Are you sure you've tried everything?"
Tony's eyes snapped back to him, hope flashing instantly. "You've got something?"
"I can create substances that don't currently exist," Liam said lightly.
Tony stared at him.
For a moment, the words didn't even register.
Then the implications hit.
"As in… completely new elements?" His voice sharpened, disbelief mixing with excitement.
"If that's what you need," Liam replied.
Tony leaned forward, his gaze intense. The scientific possibilities alone were staggering, but more importantly—it meant he might actually survive.
"Tell me what you want," Tony said immediately. "Money, resources—name it."
"I'm not interested in money," Liam said, waving it off.
Tony frowned slightly. "Then what?"
"I want ten suits of armor," Liam said calmly.
Tony shot up from his seat. "That's impossible!"
"I don't need the core systems," Liam added, completely unfazed. "Just the outer armor. I'll handle the energy source myself."
Tony hesitated.
That was… different.
Liam smiled faintly. Before coming here tonight, he had already made up his mind. If Tony was going to build suits anyway, then there was no reason not to make him useful.
After all, he had plans of his own.
Plans that required more than just raw power.
....
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