"The next ability… well, that's it. It's already been tested, Tony." Malrick spread his hands casually.
"That's it?" Tony perked up, his back straightening as if he'd just heard great news.
He zood in on the chart on his computer. "I was expecting at least a full page of abilities."
"A whole page? Co on, that's a bit much." Malrick floated over toward him.
"Why not?" Tony said with mock astonishnt. "I rember you claiming you had all of Superman's abilities. I thought you were about to reverse ti or heal wounds with heat vision or sothing."
Malrick landed and raised a brow. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't have powers like that."
"You said you had all of Superman's powers," Tony insisted. "I still rember that smug look you had in the garage."
Malrick sighed. Caught by his own exaggeration.
In this world, there was no Man of Steel version of Superman like the one Henry Cavill portrayed—his benchmark at the ti.
Instead, this universe seed to have its own hodgepodge of portrayals—so wildly overpowered.
"Okay, I take it back," Malrick admitted. "I don't have every Superman ability. Just the powers of a typical Kryptonian."
"Superman's as strong as he is because he's the protagonist in a comic book. His fellow Kryptonians aren't anywhere near his level."
"And neither am I." He walked over to the console, scanning the data. "Don't be fooled by how fast my power's growing. I think I'm approaching my limit."
Tony leaned forward, intrigued. "Really? That actually makes sense. A species capable of reproduction shouldn't have infinite potential."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We could build a model to estimate your growth curve. Try to predict your ceiling."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Malrick said. "But I'll need your help with the next few tests."
"You got it." Tony gave a small nod of approval.
Malrick smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Tony."
"Now let's head ho. We've still got a basent to rebuild."
Tony groaned. "Don't remind . Just picturing Pepper's reaction makes want to disappear."
"How about this: You take care of Pepper, I'll take care of the basent."
"Not exactly a deal I like, but… fine."
---
Later that night…
Malrick exhaled a freezing breath onto the final patch of wall, solidifying it instantly.
He wiped the cent dust off his hands onto his jeans and leaned back against the wall, admiring the basent.
It looked completely new—smooth walls, fresh paint, polished floors. You'd never guess it had been a war zone earlier.
Superpowers had their perks.
With everything done, he headed upstairs.
Once outside, Malrick casually stripped off his jeans and dove straight into the pool.
After a dozen laps, he surfaced, brushing wet hair back from his face. Leaning against the pool's edge, he looked up at the stars.
The night air was cool, and the waves from the coast added a calming rhythm.
Droplets ran down his skin, highlighting every sharp muscle line like a sculpture co to life.
"Exhausted already? Congrats—you've officially been promoted to the Stark family's in-house contractor. No more renovation bills."
Tony's voice ca from behind.
"This is a one-ti thing," Malrick replied without turning. "Next ti you wreck the house, you fix it."
Tony handed him a glass of red wine. "Then you deal with Pepper. She just left—ranting the whole way about how I do nothing but cause trouble. Said I should get back to work."
"She's not wrong," Malrick laughed. "What kind of CEO hides out at ho every day? That company's going to collapse at this rate."
Tony swirled his wine. "Maybe I've got a bad influence around."
"Watch it. I'll find a successor before you ever do." Malrick smirked, taking a sip.
Their conversation tapered off into silence.
Only the gentle splash of water and the whisper of the night wind remained.
A few minutes later, Tony dove into the pool as well. After a few laps, he floated beside Malrick, both of them watching the sky.
"Malrick…" Tony began, hesitating.
"Spit it out, Tony. You've never been shy before."
Tony exhaled. "I just think… maybe it's ti we had a real talk. Just us."
"What brought this on? Is this so kind of brotherly intervention? You scared by what I did today?"
"You scared , yeah. But not like that." Tony's voice was calm, thoughtful. "It's just… your power's way beyond what I imagined."
He took a sip of wine. "You punched with the force of 3.6 million tons of TNT. That's not human. That's beyond anything anyone can counter."
"Not even ." He looked Malrick up and down. "You're not just strong. You're too strong. Anyone else witnessing what I did today probably wouldn't be able to sleep."
"But you can?" Malrick asked, eyebrow raised.
"Of course. I'm your brother!" Tony said with a grin. "You could've peed on when you were two and I'd still take you to prom."
"I'm not afraid of you being powerful. I'm proud of you."
Malrick could tell he ant it. Tony didn't lie—he didn't need to. And his tone now was softer than usual, almost… vulnerable.
"I know you, Malrick. You've never been soone who flaunts power, money, or status."
"These past eighteen—almost nineteen—years, you've never abused your gifts. That's rare. Trust , I know."
He gave a half-smile. "So… what's next for you?"
There was a fatherly edge to Tony's voice now. A genuine concern that his younger brother might lose himself in newfound strength.
Malrick recognized it. He also knew it ca from a place of love—not judgnt.
He was quiet for a mont, watching the stars shimr overhead.
---
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