Strange Months and Stranger Calls
The months that followed were… unpredictable.
One afternoon, Alex's phone rang.
Pepper.
"Please tell me you're sitting down," she said tiredly.
Alex sighed. "What did Tony do now?"
"He's selling his painting collection," Pepper replied. "To the Boy Scouts."
Veronica's head snapped up.
"…What?"
Alex frowned slightly. "Which paintings?"
Pepper hesitated.
"The ones in the garage. Most of them."
Veronica immediately grabbed the phone.
"The phoenix painting?" she asked sharply.
Pepper checked.
"No. That one's still there."
Veronica exhaled deeply in relief.
"Good," she said calmly.
"Because if he sold that one, I would beat the shit out of my brother."
Somewhere—
In Stark's lab—
Tony Stark suddenly shivered.
"…Why do I feel like I'm about to die?" he muttered.
Training and Proximity
Alex found himself crossing paths with Natalie Rushman more often.
Too often to be coincidence.
Sometimes at Stark Industries.
Sometimes near the gym.
Sometimes just… passing by.
Eventually—
She asked.
"Can you train me?"
Alex studied her for a moment.
"…Fine."
Training was quiet.
Precise.
Alex corrected her stance.
Her timing.
Her breathing.
She learned fast.
Very fast.
And somewhere between sparring sessions and calm instructions—
Natalie started looking at him differently.
More carefully.
More personally.
She noticed the way he never lost patience.
The way he never underestimated her.
The way he always made sure she was safe.
Her feelings grew.
And she hated how natural it felt.
Monaco — Canon Shifts Forward
Tony went to Monaco.
Public.
Reckless.
Smiling like nothing mattered.
Alex watched the broadcast from afar.
"…Here we go," he murmured.
On the track—
Whiplash appeared.
Electric whips tore through the air.
Cars exploded.
Panic spread.
Iron Man answered.
The fight unfolded just like canon—
Metal, sparks, chaos.
Tony won.
Barely.
Alex closed the screen.
"This is only the beginning," he said quietly.
The universe agreed.
Threads Tighten
Across the city—
Carol Danvers continued searching.
In Wakanda—
Shuri refined her models.
In SHIELD—
Fury watched everything.
And at the center—
Alex Ashborn walked calmly through it all.
Unchanged.
Unrushed.
Because storms always came.
And he always endured them.