[Third Person Pov]
"So your uncle stole your armor, chucked you into the bay, and just took off flying with your suit *and* some of your blueprints?" Spider-Man asked, trailing Tony down the dimly lit stairs of the mansion.
Tony's shoulders tensed, the usual swagger in his step dulled by exhaustion and lingering frustration. "It wasn't just any armor…" he sighed, voice heavy with genuine disappointment. "It was my Magnum Opus. The very first one. The suit I built in that godforsaken cave to escape death and come home."
Peter's masked eyes widened slightly behind the white lenses. "Don't tell me… you upped the specs on it?"
Tony didn't answer right away. He reached the reinforced door to his private basement workshop and began typing in the passcode with practiced precision. He deliberately angled his body to block the keypad from Spider-Man's view, even going as far as using his hand to cover it, he stared directly at Peter the entire time.
Peter's face twitched with irritation beneath the mask. "Do you seriously think if I wanted into your stupid basement I'd need a passcode? I could open a portal right now and walk in whenever I felt like it."
Tony paused for a beat, then let out a short, amused huff. "…Fair point." He finished entering the code and the heavy doors hissed open. "And yes, of course I upgraded it. Why the hell wouldn't I? That suit was the first step toward something greater—something more than just me. I couldn't leave it half-baked."
Peter followed him inside, Aria close behind, the three of them descending into Tony's workshop, which was still functioning more as a garage lined with sport cars. "I would've thought you'd leave it exactly as it was," Peter said, confusion clear in his voice. "You called it your Magnum Opus. Isn't that supposed to mean it was already perfect? If you wanted to improve it, I figured you'd just build a whole new armor."
Tony walked toward the circular platform raised slightly in the center of the room, his footsteps echoing softly. "That *was* the original plan. But then I thought… I should at least polish it up. Give it some shine, you know? Make it presentable for a showcase. And before I knew it, my creative genius took the wheel. If I was going to show it off, why not push it to its full potential? What's the point of displaying something that still felt unfinished? You get what I mean?"
Peter glanced over at Aria, who simply shrugged, offering no help. "Kinda? I guess…"
Aria tilted her head, a small smirk playing on her lips as she looked between the two geniuses. "Sounds a lot like you, actually. Total perfectionist."
Tony stepped onto the platform without denying it. He reached out and tapped a sleek touchscreen beside him. With a mechanical whir, the platform split open, revealing two metallic soles designed to lock into place. He planted his feet firmly on them.
Peter pressed on, watching the process begin. "Even with it upgraded… How the hell did it get stolen in the first place? You're Tony Stark, which should mean you aren't an idiot. I know you had countermeasures in place."
"I did," Tony admitted quietly, eyes lowering as the assembly sequence activated. Red-gold titanium plating began sliding smoothly over his feet, climbing higher. "The security protocols were set at a level that someone like my uncle—Obadiah—couldn't realistically bypass. I never expected him to go full traitor, but I accounted for the possibility."
"He wasn't working alone," Aria said immediately, arms crossed. Peter nodded in agreement, having come to the same conclusion only moments earlier.
"AIM," Peter stated confidently.
Tony raised an eyebrow as the armor continued assembling around him. More plating slid over his knees, then spread across his thighs and calves with precise, mechanical grace. He extended his arms outward as gauntlets latched on, wrapping around his hands and forearms with satisfying clicks. "AIM?"
"Advanced Idea Mechanics, sir," JARVIS interjected smoothly, his voice filling the basement.
Peter and Aria watched as the remaining pieces of the armor locked into place. Gears whirred and bolts tightened with a high-pitched *whrrrrttt* sound that echoed through the workshop. The suit enveloped Tony completely, transforming him from a weary man into the unmistakable figure of Iron Man.
"You sounded pretty confident when you said Obadiah and AIM were working together," Tony noted, staring at the two of them suspiciously, after his recent experience with betrayal he was cautious of everyone, "Why?"
Peter cleared his throat awkwardly, "Because they've collaborated before. They once teamed up to attack and steal from Parker Industries. They even put a hit out on Peter Parker himself." He shifted slightly, still feeling a little strange talking about himself in the third person. "I've seen the two of them together on the news once before. You must know of him—charming kid, really. Incredibly smart, too. One of the smartest out there, I'd say."
Aria slowly turned to look at him and gave Peter a long, knowing side-eye but remained silent, choosing not to comment.
Tony scoffed with disdain, "I wouldn't exactly go calling him charming, more like an insufferable little know it all that's not as smart as he think he is"
The final pieces of the armor assembled with mechanical precision. The helmet frame descended smoothly over Tony's head, locking into place with a solid *click*. The faceplate slid down, sealing shut, while the iconic eye slits ignited with a brilliant blue glow. Over Tony's HUD, a targeting reticle flickered into view, scanning both Spider-Man and Lady Arachnid with quick, analytical sweeps.
"Bwhahahaha!" Aria suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach. "Oh my god, I know *exactly* what you mean! Hahaha! I find that 'kid' pretty damn annoying too. Couldn't agree more!"
Peter slowly turned his head toward her, his masked face completely straight and unamused as Aria continued hunched over, still giggling.
"See? She gets it," Tony said with a satisfied chuckle, gesturing toward Aria. He stepped off the raised platform with heavy, purposeful strides, the armored boots thudding solidly against the floor.
Now fully suited, Tony stood before Peter and Aria, spreading his arms wide in a dramatic flourish. "Alright, enough about the kid. What do you think? I don't think I've ever really gotten a proper second opinion on this armor before."
Peter desperately *wanted* to hate on it—just a little—purely out of spite for Tony's earlier comments. But he couldn't. Deep down, he was straight-up geeking out at seeing the legendary Iron Man suit up close and in person like this. The sleek lines, the glowing repulsors, the perfect blend of power and elegance… it was impossible not to admire. "You know it's great," he admitted with a reluctant sigh. "You're just fishing for compliments."
"Heh. Maybe," Tony grinned beneath the helmet, his voice carrying that signature cocky charm. "Try and keep up, kids."
The thrusters in his boots and the stabilizers in his palms hummed to life with a rising whine. Blue-white energy flared brightly as Tony lifted smoothly off the ground, hovering for a moment before rocketing forward down the winding underground pathway that led toward the exit.
Aria didn't miss a beat. She levitated gracefully from the floor, her own powers carrying her effortlessly through the air as she followed the glowing trail Tony left in his wake.
Peter let out a heavy exhale, planting a hand on his hip while watching them disappear down the tunnel. "They're like excited children, am I right, JARVIS?"
There was a brief, deliberate pause from the AI. "…No comment, sir."
Peter smirked under his mask, then suddenly took off running at incredible speed. He moved low to the ground, almost like he was ice-skating across the concrete, leaving a vibrant trail of crackling electric neon energy in his wake. As he reached the end of the pathway, the electricity surged through the soles of his feet. A powerful repelling force exploded outward, launching him high into the air. He tucked his limbs in tight during the ascent.
Once airborne, Peter spread his arms and legs wide, activating the advanced wingsuit built into his costume. The black-and-blue fabric caught the night wind perfectly as he soared through the open sky. His silhouette reflected beautifully against the dark, shimmering waters of the bay below. Bursts of repelling energy continued firing from his feet in controlled pulses, dramatically increasing his speed and momentum as he steadily caught up to Aria and Tony.
Aria quickly linked the three of them into a shared comms channel, her voice coming through crisp and clear.
"How are you doing that?" Tony asked, his suit's systems already running rapid scans and attempting to analyze Peter's unique flight method. "Hidden boot thrusters of some kind?"
"Never in a million years," Peter scoffed, pure disdain dripping from his voice. "Please don't ever talk to me about boot thrusters."
"…What?" Tony tilted his helmeted head, staring at Peter strangely as they flew side by side.
"Ignore him," Aria sighed, sounding both amused and exhausted. "Mission first. Childhood trauma later."
"You have *childhood trauma* involving boot thrusters?!" Tony asked incredulously, barely holding back laughter.
Peter completely ignored the teasing as he pressed forward, voice turning serious. "You deal with your uncle. Arachnid and I will focus on making sure your confrontation doesn't put any innocent people in harm's way. Sound like a deal?"
The humor in Tony's tone faded away. "Thank you."
Peter blinked, caught off guard. "What for?"
"For letting me be the one who has to take him down," Tony replied, his voice solemn and resolute. His expression hardened behind the glowing faceplate, eyes locked forward with steely determination as the glittering lights of the city drew steadily closer on the horizon.
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