"I'd like to see anyone stay composed, Tony, after discovering people from comic books are sitting in their car!"
Ignoring Tony's teasing, Happy answered with a pained expression before stepping out of the vehicle.
The owner of the car they had rear-ended noticed the luxury vehicle and, after a brief conversation with Happy, agreed to settle the matter without any trouble.
Happy paid the damages out of pocket. After all, he had money, and Tony Stark had even more. The other driver happily accepted enough compensation to replace the car with a better one.
When Happy returned, Tony was waiting with a bottle of liquor.
"Tony, you weren't lying to me, were you? I paid for that myself, not through company funds or insurance. If the people in this car aren't who I think they are, I'm taking a serious loss!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Happy eagerly examined the passengers.
His eyes landed on Bruce first.
"It's really him. That intimidating presence somehow makes people uneasy and reassured at the same time. That's definitely Batman!"
Then he turned toward Clark, swallowing nervously.
"And you... wow. Just looking at you makes me feel like everything will be alright. That's Superman."
Finally, Happy looked at Lex.
He stared once.
Then twice.
As Lex waited expectantly, Happy frowned.
"But... why do you have hair?"
"So I really am supposed to be bald? Why is everyone obsessed with my hair?!"
Lex ran a hand through his carefully maintained blond hair, looking utterly depressed at the thought of someday losing it.
Axel and the others burst into laughter while Happy started the car again.
They chatted along the way, and before long they reached their destination.
Moments later, sitting around a simple table under the curious stares of countless customers, Lex slapped the tabletop in disbelief.
"So you dragged us all the way here, caused a traffic accident, and your grand idea was... Burger King?"
He looked at Axel in disbelief.
"You're Tony Stark. Your fortune might even exceed mine, and you're treating us to burgers? Couldn't you cook something unique to your universe? I wanted to try something like braised Skrull. I'm genuinely curious about Skrull biology."
"Cut the crap."
Tony answered with an annoyed gesture before grabbing the burger Happy had brought him.
Taking a huge bite, he spoke while chewing.
"As you said, none of you are hurting for money. Even the poorest among us... Clark. I'm still getting used to saying that name."
He shrugged.
"What is there that people like us can't eat?"
Tony paused before turning toward Happy.
"Go tell everyone here I'd like to treat them to a Michelin three-star dinner on the Champs-Élysées. Ask them to leave the restaurant for a while."
"Got it."
Happy nodded and quickly handled the arrangements.
Before long, the Burger King had been emptied, leaving only the employees behind.
Only then did Tony continue.
"As I was saying, people like us can enjoy delicacies from almost anywhere, maybe even from other worlds. That dragon in Gotham probably isn't native to Gotham at all. The more I look at it, the more it reminds me of something from a familiar universe."
"You have Monster Hunter games too?"
Clark asked with obvious interest.
Before Tony could answer, Happy nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Wait, a Monster Hunter dragon? Which one?"
His eyes sparkled.
"Tony, you know I love video games, and Monster Hunter is one of my favorite series! You actually saw one? Can I see it too? Which monster is it?"
Everyone looked toward Axel.
Axel swallowed a bite of his burger before smiling.
"When Ciri and I traveled through the Monster Hunter universe, we captured a Valstrax."
Happy's eyes lit up instantly.
"Valstrax! Boss Axel, that's incredible!"
Every Monster Hunter fan dreamed of seeing the Silver Winged Wyvern in person.
Seeing Happy's genuine excitement, Axel simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"When you have time, I'll take you and Tony to Gotham. You can see it yourself."
"Really? Thank you, Boss!"
"I'm your boss, Happy!"
Tony knocked on the table with an annoyed expression.
Then he looked at Axel.
"Axel, pay attention. Happy works for me."
Axel laughed.
"Of course. Every Batman has an Alfred, and every Iron Man has a Happy."
Tony's face darkened even further.
Suppressing the urge to argue, he continued.
"Enough. Back to the point."
He looked around the restaurant.
"This Burger King means something special to me."
His expression softened.
"To you, my life might just be another comic book story. But to me, after escaping Afghanistan in the Mark I armor and finally setting foot back in New York, all I wanted was a burger."
He smiled faintly.
"My assistant bought me one, and I sat on the steps of Times Square eating it. It was the best meal I'd ever had."
"I'll probably never experience that feeling again, but I'll never forget its taste."
He raised his burger.
"So we're not just eating burgers."
"We're sharing one of the most important memories of my life."
With that, Tony took a dramatic drink of cola.
Bruce nodded in understanding.
"I know the feeling."
"After traveling the world, joining the League of Assassins, and finally returning to Gotham, the only thing I wanted was food from a small taco shop near Wayne Manor."
He smiled bitterly.
"But unlike you, it had already closed."
"I later invested in another taco shop at the same location, but it never tasted the same."
Bruce looked at Tony.
"You died much earlier than I did, but your life burned brighter than mine. You experienced more joy, and your ending was far more meaningful."
He raised his cup.
"Unfortunately for you, that sacrifice probably won't happen this time."
Everyone clinked their drinks together.
As Axel enjoyed another sip of cola while Happy sat nearby looking utterly bewildered, the front door of the restaurant suddenly opened.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
Four familiar figures walked inside.
Steve Rogers raised both hands awkwardly.
"So... I got a new suit."
"What do you think?"
Everyone immediately looked toward him.
Bruce and the others had never met Steve personally, but Captain America's uniform was unmistakable.
Clark instantly stood up and hurried over.
"You're Captain America, Steve Rogers!"
His excitement was impossible to hide.
"I grew up reading your comics. Besides the Justice League, you were always my favorite hero."
Steve smiled awkwardly while shaking Clark's hand.
"I appreciate that... but you look familiar."
Clark smiled.
"Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself."
"I'm Clark Kent."
Steve froze.
His eyes widened.
"Oh my God... I remember!"
"You're Superman!"
"I grew up reading your comics! You inspired me to join the Army!"
"I never imagined I'd actually meet you!"
He excitedly shook Clark's hand over and over.
Clark looked equally confused.
"My comics existed before World War II?"
"They had to!"
Steve answered without hesitation.
Behind him, Nick Fury rubbed his bald head as he watched Captain America and Superman enthusiastically fangirl over each other.
Walking forward, he greeted the remaining group.
"Long time no see, Axel, and to our unexpected guests."
"I'm Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I..."
"Wow."
Lex interrupted him.
"So your universe really embraced diversity that much? Even Nick Fury went from being a white man to a black one."
He gestured toward the empty seats.
"Come on, sit down."
Nick accepted without hesitation.
Natasha Romanoff casually sat directly on Axel's lap.
Bruce sighed with an amused smile.
"I knew Axel wouldn't change."
"Don't worry. I won't tell Selina."
Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"So Catwoman is Axel's official wife?"
Without waiting for an answer, she stole the half-eaten chicken wing from Axel's hand, finished it herself, then leaned comfortably against him.
Nearby, Clint Barton rolled his eyes.
"Axel, after you disappeared with Deadpool, we spent a long time investigating you."
"We couldn't find a single trace of your background."
"The same was true for Deadpool."
"Our entire understanding of reality nearly collapsed."
He sighed.
"But after eliminating every impossible explanation, only one remained."
"You and Deadpool are almost certainly visitors from another universe."
"We just never imagined that universe would be the DC Universe."
"We thought you were aliens or travelers from another dimension."
Twenty minutes earlier, after listening to Axel's conversation through surveillance devices at Stark Tower and recordings from the taxi driver, Clint had nearly lost his mind.
Nick Fury wasn't much better.
Taking a fried chicken drumstick, he bit into it before speaking.
"Lex's comment really surprised me."
"I've joked before that maybe someday someone would turn my life into a comic book, just like Captain America's."
"I never imagined another universe already did."
"And apparently I'm white there."
He spread his hands helplessly.
"That's one of the funniest things I've ever heard."
Looking at Axel, he laughed.
"I spent quite a while preparing for your return."
"But now?"
"Nothing is funnier than discovering my comic book counterpart is white."
He finished the drumstick before continuing.
"Can you imagine it?"
"A white Nick Fury while I'm still black?"
"Maybe we were both black originally."
"One day we saw an advertisement that said, 'Become white for only seventy-five dollars.'"
"I only had fifty."
"The other Nick had a hundred."
"So he said he'd try it first and lend me the remaining twenty-five afterward."
Nick grinned.
"He came back white."
"So I asked him, 'Hey, can I borrow the other twenty-five dollars now?'"
Nick paused dramatically.
"He looked at me and said, 'Get lost. Go find a job.'"
He shrugged.
"And that's probably why I'm still black."