Tony rolled his eyes, circling the armors. He ran a hand over his gold-red suit, eyes gleaming. "Honestly, your armor's cooler. Black and gold—subtle yet loud. And no faceplate? Cheating."
James smirked. "You could skip the faceplate."
"And let the media catch me rolling my eyes?" Tony scoffed. "I'll stick to high-tech."
He tapped his armor's chest, where a micro-sun glowed. "Jarvis, start test protocol."
"Activated, sir."
Tony's armor dissolved into nano-particles, enveloping him in seconds. The faceplate's eyes lit blue.
James scanned his black armor, super vision checking every nano-unit. The "S" emblem gleamed. "Yours doesn't need a faceplate?" Tony poked its neck design.
"Nope," James smiled. "My eyes are the best sensors."
Tony grunted. "Fine."
"How's it feel?" James asked, watching Tony inspect his armor like a kid.
"Awesome!" Tony's voice buzzed through the suit. "Energy flows like liquid sunlight!"
James nodded, his armor's nano-particles swarming, fitting him in a second, golden lines glowing faintly.
"Jarvis, run tests," Tony said, raising an arm. "Start with basics."
The lab floor sank, revealing a test arena with targets, obstacles, and mock enemies.
"Old rules: loser buys dinner," Tony taunted.
"You sure?" James grinned.
"Hey, it's different now!" Tony's armor sprouted six micro-thrusters. "Your tech upgraded my systems."
"Let's go."
They launched. Tony fired palm repulsors, blasting three targets, his armor weaving with no inertia lag. "See that? Uru's magic boosted reaction speed—"
He stopped. James hovered before him, every target already sliced by heat vision.
"Not fair!" Tony protested. "You used powers!"
"You said armor performance," James shrugged innocently.
Tony grumbled, rocketing to the arena's far end. "Let's get serious!" His arms unleashed micro-missiles and repulsor barrages.
James vanished, weaving through the barrage at blinding speed.
"Sir, beating Mr. Holden is unlikely," Jarvis noted.
"Shut it, Jarvis, I'm making miracles!" Tony gritted, firing.
Suddenly, the missiles froze mid-air, hitting an invisible wall.
James hovered at the arena's center, eyes blazing gold. "My turn."
He raised a hand; the missiles turned, aiming at Tony.
"Wait! That's not science!" Tony activated defenses. "You're controlling my missiles?"
"Telekinesis," James chuckled. "Wanna learn?"
The missiles self-destructed, flames confined in a perfect fireball drifting toward Tony.
"Give up?" James asked.
Tony's faceplate opened, exasperated. "Fine, dinner's on me. But…"
He grinned slyly. "One more test!"
"What?" James asked, landing as his armor retracted.
"Flight?" Tony suggested.
James's expression quirked. "Sure?"
"Absolutely!" Tony grinned, thrusters flaring as he rocketed through the skylight.
James leaped, breaking the sound barrier, leaving a white shockwave. They streaked through New York's night, trails blazing.
"Jarvis, full-speed mode!" Tony shouted.
"Warning, sir, speed exceeds safety limits!"
"Who cares!"
Tony's thrusters maxed out, his gold-red figure a meteor.
James kept pace effortlessly, glancing over. "Sure you can keep up? How's the noise reduction?"
"Shut it!" Tony snapped. "I'm in the world's best armor!"
"Really?" James chuckled, vanishing from sight.
"Cheater!" Tony's radar scanned frantically, finding nothing.
James's voice came from behind. "Too slow."
Tony spun, finding James hovering, arms crossed, relaxed. "Damn it!" Tony growled. "Jarvis, overdrive mode!"
"Sir, that'll drain energy—"
"Do it!"
Tony's thrusters blazed blue, speed surging, leaving sonic booms. James nodded approvingly. "Not bad."
Then he vanished, breaching the atmosphere into space.
Tony followed, alarms blaring. "Warning! Oxygen dropping! External temperature plummeting!"
"Quiet, Jarvis!" Tony pushed, the armor straining.
Space opened before him—Earth's blue curve, New York's lights faint below. James floated nearby, bathed in sunlight.
"Welcome back to space, Tony," James smiled.
Tony laughed, awestruck. "This is nuts!"
He gazed at Earth, Atlantic waves glinting. "Never thought I'd fly here in my own armor."
James drifted beside him, eyes on the stars. "Just the beginning."
Tony glanced over. "You're used to this view, huh?"
James smiled. "Used to it? No. It's always stunning."
They lingered, savoring the cosmic silence.
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