"You're still just as stubborn. Look at that beard you're so proud of—it's practically turned into weeds."
"And you're not much better," Tony shot back, smirking. "Didn't know my brother had taken up walking around shirtless like he's starring in a fitness ad."
They didn't yell. Neither ever did.
But bickering like this had become second nature.
Tony actually liked it.
It felt like family—something rare in his life.
In this world, Malrick was all he had left.
"And next time, try a more believable excuse than 'I heard your voice in outer space.'" Tony snorted. "What, did you forget sound can't travel in a vacuum? You graduated less than a year ago, genius."
He added, in full scientific sarcasm, "With my level of literacy, I could spot that lie in less than a second."
"I'm not lying," Malrick said calmly. "Something… changed. I didn't come back early because of Pepper. She never contacted me. Maybe she didn't want me to know how bad things were."
"But I did hear you. You called my name—and I heard it in the spacecraft. It's one of my new abilities."
Tony blinked. "Your abilities are absurdly unscientific… Sound needs vibration. It doesn't travel far—and especially not in space, where there's nothing to carry it."
Malrick only smiled. "Well, I've awakened a lot of unscientific things lately. I'll need you to test them for me later."
As he spoke, he studied Tony carefully.
Even without advanced tech, he could see the shrapnel embedded dangerously close to Tony's aortic valve. His expression darkened.
"Tony, you look terrible. Those bastards must've put you through hell."
He frowned. "The shrapnel's near your heart—your arteries are at risk. The magnet you're using can only delay the inevitable. It's like walking around with a knife pressed against your chest... ready to plunge at any second."
Tony was stunned by his younger brother's intensity. For a second, he was speechless.
Then he gave a dry chuckle, trying to brush it off. "This? Please. It's nothing. I was planning to break out tomorrow anyway. But now that you're here, we don't have to worry about Yinsen getting caught in the crossfire."
Tony suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Yinsen! Crap—I forgot. He's been quiet this whole time."
He turned quickly, only to see Yinsen standing a few steps away, arms folded, calm and quietly amused.
"Oh. You're already here," Tony muttered, looking a little embarrassed.
Yinsen—balding slightly, vest-clad, unmistakably an engineer—had clearly been there for a while.
"I couldn't sleep," he said mildly. "Actually, I came in right after this young man fell through the ceiling."
Tony coughed awkwardly, then turned to Malrick.
"Yinsen, meet my brother—Malrick Stark. Malrick, this is Yinsen. He saved my life."
The two men shook hands.
Malrick nodded. "Didn't think Tony could make friends in a cave. You must've been taking care of him. With his injuries, he wouldn't have lasted without someone helping."
Yinsen tried to wave it off. "No, I just—"
"There's no need for false modesty," Malrick interrupted. "You saved Tony. That makes you my friend too."
He turned toward the cave entrance. His tone sharpened.
"Now it's time we send those thugs outside exactly where they belong."
Yinsen hesitated. "Maybe we should come up with a plan first? Their firepower's serious."
"Plan?" Tony cut in. "Forget planning."
He strode over to a bulky suit of armor gleaming in the shadows.
"Look, Malrick—this is my masterpiece. Took me months. Even if you hadn't shown up today, Yinsen and I were gonna blast our way out tomorrow."
Malrick eyed the crude armor and shook his head slightly, amused.
"Keep your toys for later. I'll take point. You two follow behind."
"I haven't exactly spent the last six months sunbathing."
"Toy? Unbelievable," Tony muttered. "You never appreciated great engineering. You were a C-average student."
"So until you understand how magnificent this armor is, maybe stay quiet and let me show off properly."
Malrick chuckled and placed a hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Maybe your little suit is impressive, but just so you know—I flew back from orbit wearing these pants."
Tony's eyes widened.
From space. Barehanded.
And those pants? Not even singed.
Tony understood what that meant—and it humbled him more than he liked.
"You—you flew back just like that?"
"Exactly," Malrick grinned. "So trust me. All you need to do is follow my lead."
He paused, glancing at Tony's chest.
"But before that... there's something I need to fix."
Tony blinked. "Fix what?"
Malrick didn't answer with words.
He simply placed one steady hand on Tony's shoulder—and his other hand blurred for a fraction of a second.
Tony felt a strange sensation in his chest. For a brief instant, the pain flared—then vanished.
"One, two, three… a dozen in total," Malrick murmured. "Still amazed you survived this long."
Tony instinctively touched his chest.
Then he looked up—and saw Malrick's open palm.
Resting in it were dozens of tiny, bloodstained metal fragments.
"What the—how—?"
"Relax," Malrick said. "I just removed all the shrapnel. I'll leave these with you—as a souvenir. A reminder of what you survived… and how you finally grew up and started taking responsibility."
He pressed the fragments into Tony's hand, then turned toward the cave door.
It had taken less than a microsecond.
Malrick's bio-force field had stabilized the shrapnel, and his fingers had sliced through Tony's skin with precise micro-incisions.
He used heat vision to cauterize and seal the wounds instantly.
The entire process happened so quickly that Tony barely noticed.
Now, as he stared down at the fragments and back at his chest—shirt riddled with holes, but no blood—he was speechless.
"This… this is insane…"
Malrick had already started walking.
"Let's go," he said over his shoulder. "It's time to leave."
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