Pepper arrived shortly afterward, smiling.
"Good evening, Arthur. What did you think of the party?" she asked.
Arthur poured a Martini for both of them before replying, "Honestly? If I didn't have to be the bartender, I might enjoy it more."
Tony raised his glass, took a sip, and lifted an eyebrow.
"Are you telling me you're better at partying than I am?" Tony asked.
"You're great at building armor and advanced technology, Tony. Leave the drinks and the party to someone who understands subtlety."
"Ouch. Was that poetic provocation, or an insult with a Japanese accent?" Tony raised an eyebrow as he noticed Arthur using a Japanese accent.
"Both," Arthur replied.
Pepper laughed, shaking her head.
Arthur raised a glass of whiskey in a toast.
"But I'll admit it, Tony… your party is memorable," he said.
"Of course it is. After all, I'm the one who put it together," Tony mocked.
They clinked glasses and drank, both wearing amused smiles.
"By the way, I read that new book of yours… what was the name again?"
Tony Stark's voice cut through the ambient noise of the party, sounding more curious than genuinely interested. He slowly swirled the ice in his glass, watching the liquid spin as if it were the center of the universe.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, never stopping his work with the shaker.
"You mean Project Eden? That half-baked sci-fi book, partially inspired by Terminator, that I wrote and that no one but me had the courage to finish?"
"That's the one!" Tony replied with a smug grin. "I have to say, I liked it. But that AI—ARGUS? If I had created it, I can guarantee it wouldn't stand a chance of trying to destroy the world."
Arthur stared at him for a second, brow furrowed.
"Oh, of course. Because if there's one thing you've never done, it's create an AI that got out of control," Arthur mocked.
"Hey, JARVIS doesn't count. He's loyal, elegant, and has great taste in music. He's practically the perfect butler," Tony shot back immediately.
"Yes—until the day he decides you're the problem," Arthur teased again.
Tony raised a finger, wearing a half-smile.
"That's impossible. JARVIS and I have a bond of absolute trust. I'd even put my life in his hands."
Arthur let out a low chuckle.
"And that's exactly what every sci-fi protagonist says right before the AI tries to take over the planet," Arthur said.
Pepper, who had been silent until then, watched the two trading barbs like old friends who had repeated that conversation dozens of times.
She shook her head, smiling softly.
"You two sound like teenagers arguing over who has the smarter toy," Pepper said.
"It's not an argument—it's just a statement of fact," Tony replied confidently.
"Of course," Arthur said, pouring another round of martinis. "You're just used to winning your own arguments."
Pepper let out an amused sigh.
"Have fun, boys. I have some important people to talk to. Try not to turn the bar into a battlefield, okay?"
"No promises," Arthur replied mockingly.
"Good luck with your boring conversations," he added, raising his glass in a lazy toast.
Pepper smiled and walked away, leaving the two behind.
Tony leaned back on the stool, watching Arthur prepare yet another cocktail with a surgeon's precision and the calm of someone who had seen it all.
"You know," he said, "one day I'll understand why everyone you meet either wants to kill you or have a drink with you."
Tony spoke as he remembered a certain talkative mercenary who had attacked Arthur out of nowhere some time ago, only to end up sharing a drink with him in the end.
"Maybe those two things aren't that different," Arthur replied, setting a drink in front of a distracted executive.
Tony laughed loudly.
"Fair point."
---
A few minutes later, Tony stood up, adjusting his jacket.
"Unfortunately, I have to go start my round of tedious conversations. You know how it is—shaking hands, pretending to agree, saying I 'love their work,' and all that."
"Ah, the glamour of being a billionaire," Arthur mocked. "Enjoy your marathon of social hypocrisy."
"And you, enjoy your counter. At this rate, you'll open an 'Arthur's Bar' franchise before the night is over."
"Not a bad idea, though the name would be Babiloni-ya."
[A/N: A small reference]
Tony laughed, pointing at him as he walked away. "Careful, or I'll hire you."
"I already turned you down once and—" Arthur began, but Tony cut him off.
"And you'll turn me down again, I know," Tony replied, disappearing into the crowd.
Arthur simply shook his head, amused, returning to the calm routine of an improvised bartender.
That was when the atmosphere suddenly seemed to change.
A silent energy swept through the ballroom, as if the air had grown heavier, and little by little the conversations began to fade.
The reason walked in through the main doors.
A red-haired woman of striking beauty and a hypnotic gaze advanced with firm, elegant steps. The wine-colored dress hugged her figure perfectly, and the shine of her hair reflected the light of the crystal chandeliers, igniting the room wherever she passed. People instinctively stepped aside.
Arthur paused mid-motion for a moment.
A strong sense of déjà vu flooded his mind.
What a strange feeling… he thought.
Miss Jean, did you just try to read my mind? he asked mentally.
The answer came without sound, soft and far too close.
I can't help it, Arthur. You know I still don't have full control over that power, the redhead replied mentally.
Arthur sighed quietly.
"Ahh… always so invasive."
She smiled faintly as she approached the bar.
"Come, have a seat," he said.
Jean Grey sat down in front of him, resting her chin on her hand.
Her gaze was intense, yet carried a mature calmness.
"Still holding a grudge?" Arthur asked, serving the martini.
"Arthur, you tried to take a piece out of Wolverine. Literally," Jean replied.
"And if I remember correctly, Wade did that too," he answered with a half-smile.
"Fufu~ And Logan split him in half for it. And no, I'm not holding a grudge. Honestly, I think the only one still grumbling about it is Logan," Jean laughed.
"That makes sense. He looked like a furious animal when he was chasing me," Arthur replied.
Jean laughed, shaking her head.
"You deserved it. Completely."
Arthur slid the glass toward her.
"Maybe. But nothing a good drink can't fix."
She took the glass, slowly turning it between her fingers.
How did the two of them meet? Well, that's a story far too long to tell here, but in short, it all began during his time as an assassin.
His employer at the time wanted mutant samples, and Wolverine was one of the targets because of his powerful healing factor.
Arthur succeeded, was hunted down, and nearly killed by Wolverine.
A few months later, Wolverine himself appeared before him—claiming to have come from the future to fix the past—alongside Jean, Professor X, and a few other X-Men, seeking help to deal with a certain scientist who wanted to create a series of robots to capture mutants.
After earning a certain level of animosity from Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. for breaking a contract, Arthur dealt with the scientist and gained the mutants' friendship.
Especially Jean's, who became quite close to him from that point on.
"Changing the subject," Arthur said, lowering his voice slightly, "what about that? Do you still remember our last conversation?"
"You mean the bad situation the mutants are in?" Jean asked.
"Exactly. Any news?" Arthur leaned against the counter.
Jean sighed, massaging her temple with a tired gesture.
"Unfortunately, no. I haven't even had time to talk to the Professor about it yet," she said.
---
(End of the Chapter)