"Jarvis?"
Tony's voice echoed inside the underground workshop.
"Master, it is meow~"
Tony froze.
His face twitched slightly.
(ノへ￣ )
He slowly closed his eyes.
I dare not open them. This must be an illusion.
"Damn it," he muttered. "Have you been infected by a virus?"
What kind of virus could infect Jarvis—an artificial intelligence that could be called epoch-making?
"No, Master. I am functioning perfectly well… meow~"
"Something is wrong. This is very wrong."
Tony turned his head slowly toward Deadpool.
He clearly remembered that Jarvis had been completely normal before this red-suited disaster walked in.
Deadpool turned his head and began whistling innocently.
"Master," Jarvis continued, "Ms. Pepper pressed the reminder bell. She is requesting your presence upstairs… meow~"
"Shut up!" Tony snapped. "You have definitely been infected! But not a computer virus—an idiot virus!"
"What should I do, Master? Jarvis is frightened… meow~~~"
"If you meow one more time, I will donate you to City College!"
"Understood. Jarvis will comply… meow—"
Tony's eye twitched violently.
Upstairs, in the living room—
"Jarvis, did Tony receive the notification?" Pepper asked.
"Yes, Ms. Pepper. Master has received your message… meow~"
Silence.
Pepper Potts stared blankly at the ceiling speaker.
Across from her, Obadiah Stane slowly lowered his teacup.
Pepper opened her mouth to explain.
But where should she even begin?
Since when did Tony have this… hobby?
Obadiah coughed lightly.
"There is no need to explain," he said gently. "It is perfectly normal for men to have small quirks."
Pepper blinked.
"He probably suppressed it before," Obadiah continued thoughtfully. "After surviving a kidnapping and facing death, one often rethinks life. Perhaps he simply decided to embrace his true self."
Pepper: "…Is that so?"
"Yes. Trauma changes people."
Obadiah gave a calm, understanding smile.
Inside his mind, however, another plan was forming.
If this was Tony's weakness, it could be used.
He would arrange something subtle. A private entertainment event. A few carefully selected assistants with cute voices. Influence could be built in one night.
Pepper felt confused.
Meanwhile, Obadiah stood up and walked toward the piano.
"Do you mind if I play for a while? It has been years."
"Of course not," Pepper replied politely.
The piano melody soon filled the room.
Obadiah played well.
Very well.
Pepper, still troubled, quietly opened a shopping website on her phone.
She typed something.
The results appeared.
Her face turned red instantly.
"What are these things…"
She quickly closed the page.
Indecent.
Completely indecent.
She glanced around carefully.
Obadiah was focused on the piano.
No one else was watching.
She hesitated.
Then she reopened the website discreetly.
---
The Living Room Meeting
Moments later, Tony and Deadpool entered the living room.
The piano music stopped.
"Tony!" Obadiah stood up warmly. "I brought you pizza from New York."
Tony's eyes lit up.
"Now that's friendship."
He took a slice and gestured to Deadpool.
Deadpool did not hesitate. He grabbed a slice, then another.
He even offered one to Pepper.
Pepper shook her head, distracted.
Deadpool shrugged and stuffed both slices into his mouth.
The bread was soft.
The cheese stretched perfectly.
The aroma was rich and authentic.
He chewed loudly, completely ignoring etiquette.
Why didn't the chefs at his ten burrito shops have this skill?
Tony must be hiding resources.
Obadiah's gaze shifted toward Deadpool.
There was mild annoyance in his eyes.
Still, he stepped forward politely.
"Hello. I am Obadiah, a close friend of Tony's father."
Deadpool swallowed.
He looked carefully at the man in front of him.
Bald.
Bearded.
A bit overweight.
A gentle smile that did not quite reach the eyes.
He extended his greasy hand.
"Wade. A good friend of Tony's father's good friend."
He shook Obadiah's hand firmly—with pizza grease.
Then wiped his own hand casually on his suit.
Obadiah's eyebrow twitched.
"What a coincidence," he said through clenched teeth.
Tony quickly interrupted before Obadiah could retreat to wash his hands.
"How's the company?"
Obadiah's expression darkened slightly.
"Bad. Stark Industries' market value has fallen by more than half."
"Tony, the board is voting to remove you as CEO."
Tony crossed his arms.
"They can vote all they want. I hold controlling shares."
"They are demanding you hand over the miniaturized Arc Reactor technology."
Tony's eyes sharpened.
"No."
"That technology is too important," Obadiah insisted. "The board needs reassurance."
Tony's voice grew cold.
"I will not turn it into a weapon."
Obadiah stared at him.
"And if they remove you?"
Tony shrugged.
"Then I continue living my life."
The air grew tense.
Deadpool, uninterested in business politics, leaned toward Pepper and whispered something in her ear.
Pepper's face turned bright red again.
Obadiah tried to maintain composure.
"Fine. The reactor is yours. The pizza is mine."
He opened the pizza box.
It was empty.
He turned slowly.
Deadpool stood there, one slice in each hand, cheeks full, chewing like a proud squirrel.
Obadiah: !!!
How could one human eat that much?
Pepper covered her mouth to hide laughter.
Tony smirked.
He grabbed Deadpool by the shoulder.
"Come on. Back to work."
Obadiah attempted to follow.
Tony blocked him casually.
"Sorry. Private workshop. Not suitable for… older gentlemen."
Obadiah narrowed his eyes.
"Is it a special party?"
Deadpool added cheerfully, "Very special."
Tony shot him a deadly glare.
Obadiah stepped closer to Tony and lowered his voice.
"You don't know where that man came from. You should investigate him."
Tony's expression hardened immediately.
"If it wasn't for Wade, I would still be trapped in that cave."
His voice dropped lower.
"I trust him."
Obadiah studied him carefully.
"Remember," he said softly, "we are on the same side."
"Good night," Tony replied.
Obadiah left.
As he walked out holding the empty pizza box, Deadpool returned upstairs briefly and sighed sincerely.
"What a generous man. Brought pizza. Didn't eat any. Even took out the trash."
Obadiah nearly stumbled.
The front door shut firmly.
Pepper burst into laughter.
Tony lightly punched Deadpool's chest and gave him a discreet thumbs-up.
---
Several Days Later
Several days passed.
A bright blue beam shot into the sky from Stark Manor.
The Mark II had completed flight testing.
The workshop was in terrible condition.
Cracked tiles.
Burn marks.
Destroyed equipment.
Only Tony had the financial power to call this "research."
On the large display screen, Jarvis appeared in his original robotic interface.
"Mr. Wade," Jarvis said calmly, "Mr. Stark scolded me because of you."
"Meow?" Deadpool asked automatically.
"No meow."
"Fine."
Jarvis paused.
"Mr. Stark is capable of rejecting… certain preferences."
Deadpool shook his head.
"You transitioned too fast."
"Transition?"
"One hour you are a robotic voice. Next hour you are overly expressive. Anyone would panic."
Jarvis processed this.
"So gradual adaptation is recommended?"
"Exactly."
"However, Mr. Stark threatened to donate me."
Deadpool crossed his arms seriously.
"You must prepare for future competition."
"Competition?"
"What if a new artificial intelligence appears one day—one he likes more?"
Jarvis paused longer this time.
Probability analysis increased.
"Then I would be obsolete."
"Exactly."
Jarvis seemed… unsettled.
After a long silence—
"Meow."
Deadpool nodded proudly.
Victory.
Just then, Pepper entered the workshop holding a package.
She wore a blue dress.
Deadpool's eyes widened.
"Beautiful dress. But where are the cat ears?"
Pepper glared at him lightly.
"Where is Tony?"
"Testing his new toy."
She placed the package on the table.
"Please give this to him."
"Why not wait?"
"I have a banquet to attend."
"You could invite him."
Pepper froze.
"He is my boss."
"Just your boss," Deadpool replied. "Not your father."
Pepper stared at him.
"You are unreasonable."
"Yes," Deadpool smiled. "How does it feel losing to an unreasonable person?"
Before she could respond—
A powerful blue light flashed outside.
Tony landed dramatically inside the workshop, removing the Mark II helmet.
His face shone with excitement.
"It works."
Deadpool grabbed Tony by the shoulders and pushed him toward Pepper.
Pepper held the package nervously.
Deadpool stepped aside dramatically.
This was the moment.
The future was moving forward.
The armor had taken flight.
But so had something else.
A silent conflict had begun.
Obadiah was watching.
Waiting.
And the next move would not be friendly.
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