[Third Person Pov]
Eric was laying on the ground gasping for air, his chest rising and falling unevenly, his eyes half-lidded with pure exhaustion. Sweat clung to every inch of his body and streaks of grime were smeared across his skin as he remained completely unmoving, as if even the slightest motion would be too much for him to handle.
Tony, Melissa, and Momo surrounded him as they crouched down and looked over his condition. "Do you think he's dead?" Melissa asked, tilting her head slightly as she reached out and started poking his arm for any kind of reaction.
Momo glanced over at Tony with a weary and slightly concerned expression. "Don't you think we may have pushed him a tad bit too hard?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty as she looked back at Eric's barely responsive state.
"Nah, he's still breathing, so I say he could go for another round," Tony answered casually while leaning in closer, examining Eric as if he were studying something rather than a completely exhausted person on the verge of collapse.
Everyone stared at Tony like he had completely lost his mind, and that included Eric as well. His eyes slowly shifted over towards him in panic, widening just a fraction despite how drained he was, but he didn't even possess the strength to open his mouth and protest.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Tony said quickly, raising both hands defensively when he noticed the looks he was getting. "Let's call it a day, he can't go on anyways. Look at his bloodshot eyes and the veins throbbing over his temples. It looks like he got a migraine from overusing his quirk. If we push any further he might actually get an aneurysm, so it's best to call it for now. We can continue this tomorrow if he's up for it."
"Poor kid, I almost feel bad for him…" Melissa said, her tone softening as she looked at Eric with a pitiful gaze, watching the way he struggled just to breathe normally.
"Baymax should have some medicine that'll help alleviate his symptoms, I'll go get it," Tony said as he pushed himself up to his feet and began walking off without wasting any more time.
A moment later, Tony returned with a couple of pills and a glass of water in hand. Momo and Melissa carefully helped Eric sit up, supporting his weight as he wobbled slightly, before Tony handed him the pills and the glass.
Eric downed the pills and immediately started chugging the water like he had been wandering through a desert for days. "Thank you…" he gasped out between breaths as he handed the empty cup back, his voice hoarse from the strain.
"There's a shower in the locker room if you need it," Tony said, motioning off to the side.
"I'll take you up on that offer… a shower does sound really nice right about now," Eric replied weakly before attempting to push himself up onto his feet.
The three of them quietly laughed as they watched his attempt, because he looked like a newborn fawn trying to stand for the first time, his legs unsteady and trembling beneath him. Before he could completely lose his balance, Tony and Melissa each grabbed one of his arms and lifted him up.
"Thanks…" Eric muttered in embarrassment, his face heating up slightly as he struggled to put one foot in front of the other, though he somehow managed to stay upright.
They simply watched as Eric drifted away, swaying with every step he took. If a strong breeze had blown through, they were certain it would have been enough to carry him off his feet.
"Honestly, he looks so pitiful I'm starting to feel a little guilty," Melissa admitted awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Maybe we should have gone a little easier on him since it was his first time."
"Bah, don't be overdramatic, he wouldn't have learned anything if we went easy on him," Tony replied, waving her off dismissively.
…
When it came time for dinner, Friday informed Tony that Eric's parents had arrived and were waiting for them. Tony soon appeared, supporting Eric with one arm draped over his shoulders while keeping him upright as Eric practically dragged his feet behind him, barely able to move under his own strength.
"Hello," Tony said, giving a chipper greeting to everyone gathered around the couch, their cups of coffee and tea resting neatly on the table in front of them.
They all stared at the scene with varying degrees of surprise, their eyes lingering on Eric's completely drained state.
"Tony, when I mentioned earlier and warned you not to go off and kill your cousin, you know I was joking, right?" Howard said, his lips twitching as he tried to suppress his amusement.
"What are you talking about? He's clearly alive. Right, cuzzo?" Tony nudged Eric lightly, trying to coax some sort of response out of him.
Eric let out a low, zombie-like groan, his head lolling forward as he failed to lift it properly.
Tony grinned, showing off his teeth as he looked rather proud of himself. "See?"
"What did you do to him?" Leslie, Eric's mother, asked as she stared at her son, concern evident in her eyes despite her composed demeanor.
"I squeezed out his entire potential and made him bring his A game. And I have to say, he clearly has talent worth investing in," Tony replied as he carefully guided Eric over and laid him down on the couch.
"Anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you, Tony Stark," he added politely as he turned his attention toward his aunt.
"Leslie Carbonell, I've heard a lot about you," she said, returning the greeting with a composed smile.
(Present Mic's Voice):
Name: Leslie Carbonell
Quirk: Superpower
Type: (Honestly the Author what to label this quirk as)
Description: Capable of amplifying her muscles to an extraordinary degree, which also results in a significant increase in density.
She wasn't anything like Tony had expected. After meeting Eric, he had assumed his mother would be a meek, somewhat withdrawn individual much like him. However, she carried herself with confidence, a stylish woman with short black hair that reached her shoulders and a strong, commanding presence that naturally drew attention.
Tony discreetly ran a quick search on her and discovered something surprising. Eric's mother was ranked number 10 within the A-rank section of heroes, which was quite an impressive achievement and not something he had anticipated.
After introductions and greetings were exchanged, everyone moved over to the dining area and took their seats. Eric sat between his parents while Tony sat beside his own. Momo took a seat next to Maria, and Melissa settled beside Howard.
Baymax waddled in shortly after, wearing a small chef's hat perched on his head. "Hello, I am Baymax, your personal chef for the evening. Shall we get started?"
"Oh my goodness… that just has to be the cutest chef I've ever seen," Leslie muttered under her breath as she stared at the marshmallow-like figure with sparkling eyes. For all her strength and presence, she had an undeniable weakness for anything cute and adorable.
When the food was placed in front of him, Eric struggled to even pick up his utensils due to the soreness running through his muscles, his hands trembling slightly from the strain of earlier.
After a moment, Eric recalled part of his training and decided to test something out. He placed a hand over the utensils and began to reinforce them with his energy, focusing carefully despite his fatigue.
"What are you doing? Why are you using your quirk? Don't be rude," Leslie quietly reprimanded him, interpreting his actions as improper table manners.
However, both her and Kane's eyes widened almost immediately as the utensils slowly lifted into the air, suspended by an invisible force.
"Oh wow… that worked…" Eric muttered in surprise, clearly not expecting it to function so smoothly.
"Wha—how?" Kane questioned, completely confused. No one understood Eric's quirk better than his parents, especially Kane, who was also a teacher at his school. He knew for a fact that Eric had never been capable of doing something like this before.
"It's going to take a while to explain, but basically thanks to Tony here, I learned I was using my quirk wrong the whole time…" Eric said as he stared at the floating utensils, then began explaining the true nature of his ability. His words left his parents completely speechless, as it was something they never would have figured out on their own.
"How are you making it float? You weren't doing that in training," Momo asked, clearly surprised as well.
"Well, I just thought back to what Tony told me about making something a part of me. I figured if I'm able to fill and reinforce an object with my energy, then manipulating it shouldn't be an issue as long as I still see it as a part of me. And it worked," Eric said, sounding quietly proud of himself despite how exhausted he still was.
Tony's grin widened at that as he leaned back slightly in his chair. "It seems you still have some more energy left to continue training…"
"Oh God no, don't even joke about that," Eric replied with a weary sigh, his entire body practically protesting at the mere suggestion.
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