"Oh my God—Liam, is that a dog?" Olivia gasped.
Fenrir let out a small huff, tilting his head as if deeply offended by the label.
"More like a very big wolf-dog." Liam smirked.
"Oh, Liam! He's beautiful!" Olivia was beyond happy seeing her son had adopted such a beautiful furry creature.
"Co here, sweetheart! Oh, just look at you!" Before he could say anything else, Olivia was already kneeling down, reaching out to Fenrir.
Fenrir, perhaps sensing the overwhelming motherly energy, let out a low, amused growl and stepped forward, allowing Olivia to run her fingers through his thick fur. Mason, though slightly more cautious, let out an approving nod.
"Now this is a proper companion. Big, strong, looks like he can handle himself." He reached out as well, scratching behind Fenrir's ears. "Good boy."
Fenrir let out a pleased rumble.
"He's so soft," Olivia gushed. "Where did you find him?"
"It's… a long story." Liam said.
"We have ti. Co inside already. You've got a lot of explaining to do—and I'm not just talking about your new dog." Mason said. He had already noticed that Liam was wearing gloves. He had never seen his son do that, especially not in the autumn of October.
Liam sighed, but he couldn't help but smile. As he stepped inside with Fenrir close behind, he knew he was in for a long conversation—but for now, he was just glad to be ho.
Liam barely had ti to take off his shoes before Olivia grabbed his arm and pulled him into the living room. Mason followed behind at a slower pace, while Fenrir padded in, sniffing curiously at the furniture.
"Alright, mister," Olivia said, sitting him down on the couch with a firm but affectionate look. "You have so serious explaining to do." Mason settled into his usual chair.
"For starters—where have you been? You're in the sa city, yet you don't visit for over a month?"
"I've been... busy." Liam rubbed the back of his neck.
"Busy with what? You disappeared, barely answering texts, and now you show up with a giant wolf-dog?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"Work. Stark Industries keeps occupied, and I've been... studying a lot." Liam said.
"Studying? Since when do you—?"
"He's always been a bright kid," Olivia cut in. "But sothing tells there's more to it."
"I applied for early graduation." Liam said. Liam's words made Olivia beyond happy. She had thought Liam had dropped out, but knowing that Liam had the certification, made her happy.
"Oh my God—Liam! Why didn't you tell us?!" She imdiately pulled him into a hug.
"Damn. And here I thought you were dropping out." Mason murmured.
"I am so proud of you, sweetheart. But you should have told us!" Olivia said.
"I ant to," Liam admitted. "Things just... got hectic."
"You're working at Stark Industries and finishing school early? That's incredible," Olivia said, beaming. "Tony must think highly of you."
"Kid's got ambition. I respect that." Mason nodded.
Just as Liam was about to relax, Olivia's sharp gaze dropped to his hands. She frowned. "Speaking of which... why are you wearing gloves indoors?"
"It's just—" Liam tensed.
"And what's with your eyes?" Mason interrupted. "You're wearing contacts, aren't you? Do you have bad eyesight?"
Liam stiffened further. He hadn't expected them to notice the lenses so quickly. He had hoped they'd buy the excuse, but clearly, his parents could still see through him—literally and figuratively. His contacts were the color of his original blue eyes, but it seed he still got noticed.
"Liam," Olivia said. "Take off the gloves."
Liam hesitated. He had always known this conversation would co, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to have it yet.
Fenrir, sensing his unease, let out a soft whine and nudged Liam's side with his snout, as if reassuring him that everything would be okay.
Liam hesitated for a mont before slowly pulling off his gloves. As the fabric slipped away, revealing his left hand, Olivia and Mason's expressions shifted from curiosity to absolute shock.
His left hand was no longer flesh and blood. Instead, it shimred with an ethereal glow, the surface shifting like liquid crystal, reflecting every color of the spectrum. Olivia gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Mason's jaw tightened as he leaned forward, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Liam… what the hell happened to your hand?" Mason finally asked.
"Liam…" Olivia whispered. "What… what is this?" Liam exhaled. He had prepared for this mont, but their horrified faces still made his chest tighten.
"It's… complicated," he started. "But the short version? It was an experint—my own experint."
"An experint? At Stark Industries?"
"No. My own lab." Liam replied.
"Your own lab? Since when do you have a lab? And why were you doing sothing dangerous enough to—", she gestured at his hand
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Liam admitted. "I was working on sothing—pushing the boundaries of what's possible. And then… well, let's just say things took an unexpected turn."
"Jesus, Liam. Do you have any idea how reckless that sounds? What exactly were you trying to do?" Mason wasn't happy about it at all.
Liam hesitated. He couldn't tell them the full truth. Magic, other worlds—it would sound insane. So, he stuck to sothing they could understand.
"Advancing energy manipulation, for Marvel," he said, carefully choosing his words. "Trying to find new ways to harness and control energy efficiently. But there was an accident, and…" He lifted his hand slightly. The swirling colors pulsed brighter for a mont before settling back into a steady glow. "This happened."
"Liam, this isn't… this isn't normal. This isn't just an injury—your hand is glowing." Olivia wasn't convinced at all as she felt her son was in so kind of pain.
"I know," Liam said quietly.
"Are you okay? I an, really okay?" Mason asked while Olivia too wanted to know the sa thing.
"Are you okay? I an, really okay?" Liam said.
"And Tony—was he involved in this?"
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