[Third Person Pov]
The moment Tony stepped out of the room with his mother at his side, he barely had time to process what was happening before Melissa's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"Tony!!" she cried out.
Before he could even react, Melissa practically launched herself at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him in a tight embrace and clinging to him as if letting go wasn't an option. Tony let out a surprised laugh, instinctively steadying himself as he caught her.
"Careful now," Maria warned, her voice firm but warm. "I know how worried you were about him and everything, but he just woke up."
Tony glanced over at his mother with a weary but amused grin. "I'm not as weak as you think I am," he said lightly. "I could pretty much lift a car over my head if I really wanted to."
"If you tried that, I'm grounding you," Maria replied instantly, not even a flicker of a smile crossing her face.
Tony sighed, rolling his eyes just a little. "I wasn't going to. I was just trying to reassure you that I'm fine and that you don't need to worry so much." As he spoke, he adjusted his grip on Melissa, one arm wrapping securely around her as she continued to cling to him without shame or hesitation.
Almost on cue, the Pokémon Tony had brought with him—or perhaps created—suddenly stirred as they sensed his presence. One by one, they rushed toward him, surrounding him in a small whirlwind of movement and noise.
Gible latched onto his legs with surprising strength, hugging him as if afraid he might disappear again. Beldum hovered nearby, circling Tony's head in the air with quiet whirs, while the two Eevees darted around him excitedly, tails swishing as they ran in playful loops.
Maria stopped short, staring at the collection of creatures with wide, curious eyes. "Tony… just what are these things?" she asked carefully, reaching out to gently rest a hand against Beldum's metallic body. "Melissa couldn't really explain them. She just called them one of your many… oddities."
Tony straightened slightly, pride clear in his posture. "Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful world of Pokémon," he said, a grin tugging at his lips, "and all it has to offer."
Meanwhile, Melissa simply snuggled closer to him, clearly unconcerned with how affectionate she appeared in front of her future mother-in-law.
As Tony began explaining what the creatures were, the group slowly made their way through the house, eventually heading toward Howard's location. Long before they reached him, they could hear his voice echoing through the hallway, loud and sharp with irritation as he spoke into his phone.
"He's currently resting. I told you already," Howard snapped. "He'll receive his medals of honor and valor when he's feeling more up to it! And if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath on him appearing in person—just send it through the mail or something!"
Tony and Maria exchanged glances before both quietly snickering. Tony gave Melissa a gentle pat on the back, and although she clearly didn't want to, she reluctantly slid down from him, staying close at his side instead.
They stepped into the room just as Howard ended the call, only for the phone to immediately start ringing again.
"Motherfucker!!" Howard roared, his frustration finally boiling over.
"Howard!" Maria scolded, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Sorry, sorry," Howard muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lowered the phone. "But I've had this thing glued to my ear for hours. I'm getting absolutely sick of it."
"Why not just ignore it?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes as he glanced pointedly at the still-buzzing phone. "Or reroute the calls somewhere else. We literally have employees for this exact reason." He genuinely couldn't understand why Howard was stressing himself out over a problem that, to him, had an obvious solution.
"Because some of those calls are from presidents," Howard replied sharply, rubbing his forehead as if he could physically massage the headache away, "and some are from S-Class heroes."
Tony snorted. "Not to sound arrogant or anything," he said dryly, "but have you forgotten what your last name is, sir?" He tilted his head, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "You're a Stark. People are supposed to be careful not to be rude to you, not the other way around."
Howard blinked, his finger hovering over the accept-call button as the phone buzzed insistently in his hand. He paused, visibly considering it. "I mean… when you put it like that…"
"FRIDAY," Tony said aloud, not even bothering to look around, "I trust you know how to handle the situation in place of this fool over here."
Not even a second later, the ringing abruptly stopped.
Howard's shoulders slumped as the tension drained out of him all at once. He released a long, tired sigh. "Thank you," he muttered. "I genuinely thought I was going to go mad."
Maria leaned closer to Tony and lowered her voice, though not quite enough. "He was so worried about you that he couldn't really think straight," she whispered. "He was using the calls to distract himself before the worry became too much."
"Maria," Howard protested immediately, shooting her a look. "Spare me some dignity, please. I can hear you."
She rolled her eyes in the exact same way Tony had earlier. "He's your son," she said plainly. "Why are you embarrassed that you were worried about him?"
"It's not exactly that I was embarrassed…" Howard muttered, looking away. He rubbed the back of his neck before eventually glancing back at Tony. His expression softened, the irritation melting into something quieter and far more genuine. "So… how are you feeling? Everything all right?"
Tony grinned and tugged down the collar of his shirt. "I got a sick scar as a consolation prize," he announced proudly, puffing out his chest so Howard could see it more clearly.
Howard let out a huff that turned into a snort before shaking his head. He reached over and ruffled Tony's hair affectionately. "I'm just glad to see you're alright."
"Okay, no—don't be gross," Tony said immediately, batting his father's hand away as he tried to fix his hair back into place.
"I'm your father!" Howard exclaimed in mock offense. "How dare you call your father's affection gross. Come here!" He spread his arms wide, clearly intending to pull Tony into a hug whether he liked it or not.
"Touch me," Tony said flatly as he took a defensive stance, "and I'm throwing you to the ground."
Maria and Melissa watched in disbelief as Howard and Tony immediately started wrestling like overgrown children. Their hands locked together as they pushed back and forth, each trying to overpower the other. Howard managed to pull Tony into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles against the top of Tony's head, only for Tony to twist free and reverse the position, forcing Howard into an awkward and undignified submission hold.
Maria had one hand braced against her lower back while the other instinctively supported her now visibly pregnant stomach.
Melissa and Maria looked at each other, silent for a moment, before releasing a perfectly synchronized sigh. Together, they turned their attention back to the scene in front of them—the two men they loved acting like complete idiots—and despite themselves, neither of them could stop the fond amusement from creeping into their expressions.
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