A few hours later, Arthur and Tony finally emerged from the workshop looking like two miners returning to the surface after weeks underground—sweaty, dusted in metallic residue, and wearing the exact expression of men who nearly blew something up but pretended it had all been part of the plan.
Tony stretched theatrically, rolling his shoulders as if he carried the weight of global genius on them. "Okay… okay, I have to acknowledge your genius," he admitted, pointing at Arthur as though awarding him an Olympic medal. "If I were arrogant, I'd say it was luck. But since I'm only moderately arrogant, I'll say you managed to impress even me."
"Coming from you, that's practically a poem," Arthur teased, wiping his hands on a towel as he headed toward the kitchen.
They had started fiddling with the Tempad at first, but somewhere along the way they had transitioned to working on Tony's armor.
Tony followed him with narrowed eyes, a blend of suspicion and curiosity. Then his expression shifted—one of those rare moments when his brain completely overrode his mouth. "Anyway… are you sure about that? Are you sure my father really hid something inside that model?"
Arthur opened the fridge and answered without turning around: "Have I ever lied to you?"
Tony raised a brow. "Do I need to answer that?"
"No. But I appreciate your involuntary honesty," Arthur replied, pulling out bottles, fruits, and a few suspicious-looking vials that would terrify any professional mixologist.
Tony leaned forward. "What are you doing now? And if the answer involves more explosions, I'm out."
Arthur set everything on the counter with the solemnity of a priest preparing a ritual. "This, my dear billionaire friend, is the nectar of the gods."
Tony took two steps back. "Okay, now I'm scared. Usually when someone says that, the result involves a blackout, a flood, or social humiliation."
"Relax," Arthur cracked his knuckles and began working—cutting, mixing, shaking with a finesse that looked like he'd learned it studying alchemy. "I haven't named this masterpiece yet, but I guarantee it will be a divine experience."
Tony sat on one of the tall kitchen stools, crossing his arms, watching with the same intensity he'd give a new armor prototype. "Now I'm curious. If it's good, I'll patent it and pretend I invented it."
"If you do that, I'll sue you," Arthur replied without pausing the mix.
Tony lifted his hands. "Fair. But then we settle it in a courtroom ping-pong match. Winner gets credit."
Arthur laughed, shaking the cocktail shaker as if summoning cosmic forces.
A scent began spreading through the kitchen—sweet, fresh, overwhelmingly pleasant, like someone had bottled a sunny beach day and a national holiday into a single drink.
Tony leaned in further. "...Okay, that smells dangerously good. If it tastes as good as it smells, I'm promoting you from accidental genius to official Stark Industries alchemist."
Arthur smirked as he finished the drink with a dramatic flourish—because he never denied himself the chance to be dramatic—and placed the glass in front of Tony like an ancient relic.
"Taste it. Prepare your soul. You're about to reach a higher state of existence."
Tony picked up the drink, analyzing the color and scent like a rare compound. "You know I have a lab to test substances, right?" he said, folding his arms. "If I drop dead, a team of highly paid biochemists will end up studying you."
"If you drop dead," Arthur replied casually, "I'll get rich selling the recipe to Rhodey."
"You son of—"
Arthur raised a finger, demanding dramatic silence. "Sacred moment."
Tony took the glass again, examined it like a volatile experiment… and drank.
"Just drink it already, Tony."
Tony took a sip.
He froze.
Then another second passed.
And then… his eyes widened, like he had just discovered a new subatomic particle made of pure alcoholic bliss.
"...Okay. Alright. I take back half the insults I've thrown at you. This is good. This is criminally good. This should be illegal."
"I know," Arthur said with fake modesty. "I'm amazing."
"Slow down, Narcissus. I still fund half the things you blow up."
Before Arthur could respond, the front door opened and Gwen walked in, her college backpack hanging from one shoulder, fatigue stamped across her face. Saeko launched herself like a red missile, nearly sliding across the floor before jumping into Gwen's arms with a cartoonish hug.
"Gweeen! You're back!" Saeko chirped, nearly knocking the girl over.
Gwen laughed, kissed the top of Saeko's head, and only then noticed Tony Stark sitting on the couch holding a glowing drink and talking with Arthur like two teenagers who had just caused mild chaos.
"Oh! Hi, Tony! I didn't know you were here."
"And I didn't know you had an entrance that makes good people look like protagonists of a K-drama," Tony replied, lifting his glass. "Good afternoon, Miss Back-from-College."
Gwen laughed, confused but accustomed to Stark's energy. "Good afternoon."
Tony stood, took one last sip from the divine drink, and let out a sigh like a man who had regained faith in humanity.
"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and finish our experiments that definitely won't explode—"
"Nothing exploded today," Arthur argued.
"The workshop door is still crooked," Tony replied.
"That was a minor detail."
"—I really need to go now," Tony continued. "But before that…"
He finger-gunned at Arthur twice in the signature 'do the magic' gesture.
"Make me a bottle of that to-go. I want a few people to try it. I want to see their faces."
Arthur laughed, already grabbing bottles again. "I'm assuming this is for Pepper?"
Tony smiled with the guilty pride of someone caught stealing cookies.
"But of course."
"It'll be ready in a moment, you maniac."
Tony pulled out his phone, adjusted his sunglasses, and recorded Arthur with the most arrogant narrator voice possible: "This is Arthur, also known as the official supplier of my new alcoholic religion."
Gwen snorted a laugh. Saeko watched the two like she was witnessing a high-end circus performance.
And Arthur, naturally, struck a pose.
[A/N: I like to imagine Arthur doing a JoJo pose like it's the most normal thing in the world.]
If Tony Stark was going to walk out of there flaunting his cocktails like trophies…
Then Arthur was going to make sure half of them never forgot the taste.
—xXx—
Stark Industries.
The place still smelled like expensive technology, premium coffee, and corporate stress—classic. Tony's former office, now impeccably tidy, officially belonged to Pepper. It was like watching a zoo transform into a library.
When Tony entered, he found a redhead organizing documents with robotic precision.
"Is that the new secretary, Pepper?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Yes. Her name is Natalie Rushman, and she'll be working here starting today." Pepper confirmed with a professional smile.
Natalie looked up and returned the smile politely. Then Pepper noticed the small glass vial in Tony's hand.
"What's that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Whenever Tony carried something tiny and mysterious, there were always two possible outcomes: explosions… or headaches.
"It's a new cocktail Arthur made," Tony said as if presenting a masterpiece of molecular cuisine. "I asked him to make a few extras so I could bring them."
Arthur? Natalie thought, startled at hearing the name from Tony's mouth.
Now that I think about it… Arthur mentioned he knew Tony Stark. How did I forget that? she wondered.
Pepper didn't even have time to argue before Tony grabbed a glass and poured her some, treating it like an official tasting event. And just as she was about to complain, Happy walked in.
"Boss? Pepper? Uh… Are we having a tasting meeting today?" Happy blinked, confused.
Without hesitation, Tony poured another glass, handed it to Happy, and only then served himself. Happy accepted the glass happily—only to immediately hand it to Natalie.
"You can have mine," he said, trying to be chivalrous.
Tony shook his head with a short laugh. "Heh! You're going to regret that, Happy."
Happy huffed, offended. "Tony, it's just a cocktail. I've had this stuff plenty of times, okay? I'm not going to regret letting one go."
Tony lifted his glass, amused. "I want to hear you say that later."
(End of chapter)
Merry Christmas everyone!! I'm a few days late but it still counts haha