"I did some digging on you," Tony said confidently, leaning back on the sofa like he owned the place. "An orphan from an orphanage, calls herself Skye, top-tier hacker skills… Stark Industries could really use someone like you. So, what are you waiting for?"
His tone was full of smug certainty — after all, who could possibly refuse Stark Industries?
"Hey—hey—hey! You just got back, and you're already stirring up trouble. Now you're trying to poach my assistant? Believe it or not, I'll personally ship you back to the Middle East!"
Lucas walked in just in time to catch the whole exchange. Though he knew Tony could never actually steal Skye away, the guy was blatantly trying to poach someone right in front of their boss. That was crossing the line.
Tony glanced over at him with a smirk. "Kid, aside from your assistant, you really have no taste. Look at this place — it's so outdated it hurts. You call this one of New York's 'luxury apartments'? I'd call it a museum."
From Tony's perspective, this antique-filled space was hopelessly unfashionable. He was a man who lived and breathed tech aesthetics — sleek, minimal, futuristic.
"You don't know crap," Lucas said flatly, brushing him off as he walked toward the bar counter.
"Pepper, what would you like to drink?" he asked, deliberately skipping over Tony.
"I'll have that Fairy Berry Tea from last time," Pepper said warmly, clearly at home here. She and Skye had hit it off surprisingly well on their first meeting — so well that despite nearly a decade of age difference, the two chatted like lifelong friends.
Lucas poured her a glass and handed Skye a chilled white peach juice.
"Hey! Hello! Rude much?" Tony huffed, waving his hand. "You've got a handsome, charming billionaire standing right here, and you choose to ignore me? I want that peach drink from before — the one from the cave!"
He sounded more like a spoiled kid than a genius inventor. Ever since returning home, Tony had scoured the world trying to find the brand of that peach juice Lucas had given him in the cave — and failed. Not one even came close to matching the taste.
"Be honest," Tony said, taking the chilled bottle from Lucas. "What brand is this? I'm buying the company."
Lucas chuckled. "Secret recipe. One of a kind."
"Seriously? Then I'll invest," Tony said without missing a beat. "Right now. I'll have Pepper wire the money. I'll handle all the equipment and production — this flavor will crush every juice brand on the market."
The billionaire waved a hand like it was pocket change — and for him, it was.
Lucas shook his head. "Forget it. Not interested. Can't be mass-produced anyway."
He wasn't lying. He did like money, but he liked not working even more. Setting up a factory? Managing production lines? No thanks. Besides, it's not like he was short on cash — not after how much Stark Industries stock he'd quietly scooped up.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Then pack me up a few crates of your stuff when I leave. I'll send a truck over. Name your price — I'll make it worth your while."
Now that got Lucas's attention. "You said it yourself!"
"Ha! Look at you," Tony snorted. "You've clearly never seen real money before."
Lucas resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course the rich brat didn't get it — for him, money was just numbers on a screen.
"Alright, seriously — what are you doing here?" Lucas asked. "You come waltzing in, mock my place, try to steal my assistant, and now you're raiding my fridge?"
Tony shrugged, sipping his drink. "You told me to drop by sometime, didn't you? So… I dropped by."
"You've got the time to hang out, but not to deal with the chaos at Stark Industries?" Lucas said incredulously.
Tony waved it off. "Just a little turbulence. Lost some money, that's all. I'll earn it back in no time."
He sounded utterly unconcerned. In truth, his focus had shifted — he'd started diving deep into studying the arc reactor in his chest, planning to pivot Stark Industries toward clean energy.
And for once, Lucas couldn't argue with him. The man's vision was ahead of its time. Energy had always defined human progress — from fire, to oil, to electricity. The next frontier would be clean, sustainable power. Tony's miniature reactor could solve most of the world's energy problems — it was renewable, efficient, and nearly pollution-free.
Sure, it required rare metals, but aside from that? It was the future.
With a technology like that, even if Stark Industries' stock hit rock bottom now, Tony would inevitably bring it roaring back. His real wealth wasn't his company — it was his mind.
Still, watching him lounge around like this, Lucas couldn't help but think, How the hell did this irresponsible guy ever become Iron Man?
In truth, Tony really was here to unwind. His research had hit a bottleneck — he was close to a breakthrough, but something was missing. So he'd come hoping Lucas's "magic nonsense" might spark a new idea.
Of course, Tony Stark's pride wouldn't allow him to ask for help outright. Fortunately, Pepper knew him too well.
"Actually," she said gently, "Tony's research has stalled a bit. He thought a change of scenery might help… maybe get some inspiration."
Lucas grinned. "Ohhh? So the great Tony Stark finally hit a wall, huh? Come on then — tell me what's got you stumped. I could use a good laugh."
Tony's expression darkened like a storm cloud. He stood up abruptly, clearly about to storm out.
"Relax, relax," Lucas said quickly, trying not to laugh outright. "Tell me what's going on. Maybe I really can help."
Tony crossed his arms. "Fine. I'll give you a chance to kiss up to me properly."
He took a breath, then began explaining. "It's mostly control issues with the armor. The response times aren't syncing the way I want — weapon deployment delays, flight system lag, energy distribution problems… small things, but they add up. And right now, I can't fix them."
Lucas leaned back with a knowing smirk. So that's what brought Iron Man to my door.
"Sounds like someone's armor could use a little… magic touch," he said, half teasing, half serious.
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