A few days after the fight in the basement, the loud music of the party was replaced by the angry voices of politicians.
Tony and Sam were in Washington D.C. They sat in a large, bright room filled with government officials and cameras. The government had seen what the Iron Monger could do, and they were scared.
"Mr. Stark,"
A man in a grey suit demanded loudly.
"The Iron Man is a weapon. You must give it to the government. It is for the safety of the country."
Sam stood right behind Tony. He wore his simple black suit. He didn't speak, but he let a tiny bit of his warm, pink Qi flow into Tony's back. It helped Tony stay calm and focused.
Tony leaned into the microphone. He didn't look scared at all.
"You want my property,"
Tony said simply.
"But you can't have it. The suit and I are one. I am Iron Man. I will not give myself to the government."
The room erupted in shouting, but Tony held up his hand.
"And another thing,"
Tony added, his voice serious.
"Stark Industries is done making weapons. No more guns. No more bombs. We are going to protect the world, not destroy it."
The politicians were furious, but there was nothing they could do. Tony smiled, stood up, and buttoned his jacket. Sam opened the door for him, and they walked out together.
They didn't go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate. Instead, Tony told his driver to stop at a small, greasy fast-food shop.
A few minutes later, Tony and Sam were sitting on the hood of Tony's expensive car. The sun was going down. They were both eating double cheeseburgers.
For a while, it was quiet. The loud, arrogant Tony Stark from the TV was gone. Right now, he just looked like a tired man.
"He held me when I was a baby, Sam,"
Tony said softly, looking down at his food.
"Obadiah was like a father to me. How did I not see it? How did I not know he wanted me dead?"
Sam took a bite of his burger and looked at the sunset.
"Sometimes, the people closest to us stand in our blind spots,"
Sam said. His voice was calm and gentle.
"You trusted him because you have a good heart, Tony. You wanted to see the best in him. That is a strength, not a weakness."
Tony sighed.
"It hurts. It feels like a piece of my life was a lie."
"It does hurt,"
Sam agreed.
"Greed makes the heart muddy. You can't fix someone who wants to stay in the dark."
Tony looked at Sam. He saw the quiet, solid power in Sam's eyes.
Sam didn't want his money, his fame, or his suits. Sam just wanted to protect his friends.
A small, real smile appeared on Tony's face.
"You know, my life is a mess right now,"
Tony said, raising his cheeseburger like a glass.
"I lost my company manager. I have the government chasing me. But... at least I got a genuine friend out of it."
Sam smiled back and tapped his burger against Tony's.
"Always, boss,"
Sam said.
"Now eat up. We have a lot of work to do."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Sam watched Tony finish his food.
Tony looked peaceful. But Sam's mind was heavy.
He remembered the memories from his past life. He knew what was coming.
In a few years, a purple alien named Thanos would come.
Sam remembered the story of Tony holding the Infinity Stones. He remembered the snap.
Tony had sacrificed his own life to save the universe. His human body was too weak to handle the power of the stones, and it burned him away.
"But what if he wasn't just human?"
Sam thought.
If Tony learned to cultivate, his bones would become like vibranium. His blood would flow with Qi.
If he was physically stronger, the snap of the stones wouldn't kill him. He would survive.
Sam made a decision. He wasn't going to let his friend die.
"Tony,"
Sam said, breaking the quiet.
"The Iron Man suit is amazing. It protects you from the outside."
Tony looked at him, wiping his hands with a napkin.
"But?"
"But inside, you are still just a normal man,"
Sam said.
"If the suit breaks, or if a power is too strong for metal to hold, you will break too."
Tony frowned.
"That's why I keep upgrading the armor. Make it stronger."
"You need to upgrade yourself,"
Sam told him.
"I want to teach you how to cultivate."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to sit cross-legged and breathe? Become a glowing monk like you?"
"Yes,"
Sam nodded.
"But you don't have to do it alone. In fact, it's better if you don't."
Sam thought about the balance of Yin and Yang.
"You and Pepper,"
Sam continued.
"You two have a strong connection. I can teach you the art of Dual Cultivation."
Tony almost choked on his drink.
"Wait. You mean... what I think you mean?"
"It is the sharing of energy,"
Sam explained, keeping his face serious but his eyes warm.
"When you and Pepper are intimate, you can exchange your Yang and her Yin. It will make both of your bodies fundamentally stronger. It will help you live much longer."
Tony stared at Sam for a long moment.
He looked at the glowing new element in his chest, then thought about Pepper.
Pepper was the most important person in his life. The idea of protecting her, and making her stronger too, was exactly what he wanted. If the world was getting crazier, they both needed to be safe.
"So, let me get this straight,"
Tony smirked, his old humor coming back.
"You want me to get superpowers by sleeping with my girlfriend?"
"That is the simple way to say it, yes,"
Sam smiled.
"Best doctor ever,"
Tony laughed, shaking his head.
"When do we start?"