"Arthur, could you give a hand here?"
Tony tried not to raise his voice too much, but just enough for Arthur to hear him.
He hated admitting it, but... this kind of situation was more than a little embarrassing.
The fewer people who knew, the better.
Soon enough, a dry, firm response ca:
"Ruby, let him go."
Arthur’s voice echoed through the room, laced with that irritating calm that always made it sound like he already knew exactly what was happening.
"How many tis do I have to tell you to warn before you pull this kind of stunt?" Arthur muttered afterward, sounding less like soone addressing an AI and more like a father scolding a child.
Tony’s eyes widened inside the helt.
’Wait a second... was it Ruby who hacked into my armor system?’
’She’s really that advanced?!’
A beep rang inside the helt, and suddenly a familiar voice returned:
[Sir, sothing forced offline.]
"JARVIS?!" Tony nearly jumped inside the armor.
That wave of genuine relief sounded as if he had just reunited with a long-lost friend.
[I’m restored. But I must confess, sir, I’ve never experienced anything quite like that.]
The armor began responding normally again. Tony let out a deep breath and lifted the faceplate, savoring the fresh air on his face. Finally, he could look Arthur in the eye.
There stood the man, calm, arms crossed, with Gwen, Jean, and of course Ruby — the culprit behind his digital humiliation — by his side.
Arthur sighed, slowly uncrossing his arms as if carrying the weight of the world’s patience. He turned his gaze to Ruby, who still wore that innocent expression that only made things worse.
"Ruby... I told you to stop overdoing it," Arthur said in a calm but reproachful tone.
Ruby tilted her head, almost as if incapable of understanding why what she had done was so wrong. Gwen bit her lip to hold back a laugh, while Jean simply shook her head with arms crossed.
Arthur then turned to Tony, raising a hand in apology.
"Sorry about that, Tony. She tends to be... intense. So ti ago, soone tried hacking into my computer to steal drafts of my book."
"Let’s just say... Ruby didn’t take it well. She tracked the poor guy down and... completely wrecked his life. Both online and offline."
The room fell silent for a mont. Gwen sighed heavily, while Jean frowned — clearly unsurprised, but disapproving.
Tony blinked several tis, trying to process.
"When you say wrecked... what exactly do you an?"
Arthur shrugged, as if describing the most mundane thing in the world.
"Bank accounts frozen. Academic records compromised. Social dia reduced to ashes. Search history exposed. The guy can’t even buy a bottle of water online without landing on a watchlist. Oh... and apparently even his dog ended up in a shelter because he couldn’t pay the condo fee anymore."
"My God..." Tony muttered, staring at Ruby with a mix of fascination and terror. "You built... an AI with an overprotective mom complex."
Ruby smiled as if she had just received the highest praise.
[Thank you, Mr. Stark.]
"That wasn’t a complint!" Tony snapped, throwing his hands up.
Arthur let out a long breath, rubbing his forehead.
"That’s why I keep telling her to warn before acting. Ruby protects too much... but not always in a proportional way."
Gwen folded her arms and gave Tony an amused look. "Now you understand what we deal with every day."
Jean added dryly: "Consider yourself lucky. This ti it was just your armor."
Tony opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, unable to co up with a proper coback. At last, he just sighed long and hard.
"Okay... okay. I admit it. I’m officially scared of your AI. And maybe just a little impressed too."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, looking half satisfied, half exhausted.
"Trust . You’re not the only one."
"Forget it, co on in, Tony," Arthur said invitingly.
"With pleasure," Tony replied.
But before he could take the first step, Arthur lifted an eyebrow and pointed at the armor.
"Think you could take that off first?"
"Oh, right... fair enough."
With a sigh, Tony opened the armor’s chest plate. The panels retracted with a chanical hum until he finally stepped out, stretching his arms like soone freeing themselves from a shirt that was way too tight.
Arthur and Tony went inside first, with Jean following. Gwen and Ruby, however, lingered for a few monts, curiously inspecting the armor up close.
Gwen tilted her head and gave the tal chest a light tap.
The clang echoed down the hallway.
"I’ll admit, it’s sturdy..." Ruby comnted, wrinkling her nose. "But it’s also bulky. And it looks... outdated."
"Outdated?!" Tony spun around, indignant, before muttering under his breath: "This is cutting-edge technology, young lady."
Ruby just shrugged as if it were nothing and followed Gwen inside.
---
In the living room, the mood was more relaxed. Tony threw himself onto the couch, still a bit annoyed, but quickly found comfort in the cookies Arthur had set out. He grabbed one without hesitation and bit into it, chewing like a man desperately trying to replenish his dignity with sugar.
"Arthur," Tony began, still chewing, "Has Ruby leveled up?"
He narrowed his eyes, watching the girl now happily chatting with Gwen. "I could see... emotions in her."
Arthur chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"As expected of you, Tony. One glance was enough for you to notice."
"So I was right." Tony pointed at him with the cookie.
"Yes. It happened recently. To be honest, I’m still struggling with it... mostly because she insists on showing up at the worst tis."
Jean arched an eyebrow, arms crossed. "Like when you’re in the shower, for example."
Arthur cleared his throat and looked away. "Exactly those tis."
Tony’s eyes widened before he burst into loud laughter.
"You’re telling your AI turned into a certified busybody? Ha! Arthur, I knew this would happen sooner or later. It’s like giving a teenager unlimited Wi-Fi and consciousness."
Ruby, who had clearly overheard, shot him a sharp look.
[I heard that.]
Tony raised his hands in surrender. "No offense, sweetheart. You’re amazing... but still, a little terrifying."
Arthur sighed, leaning back in his chair, now looking at Tony more seriously.
"So... why exactly did you co here?"
Tony brushed the cookie crumbs from his hand and straightened his clothes as if preparing for an important speech.
"Actually... I’m here because you called first."
He would never admit he had really co just to show off his new armor — not after what happened.
Arthur blinked, confused. "?"
"Yes, you! Man, you text , then ghost , and now you’re looking at like I just crashed your barbecue uninvited. Seriously, can you write this down sowhere? Like: ’Today I’m inviting Tony Stark — genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.’ That way you won’t forget."
Arthur stayed silent for a few seconds before finally rembering. "Ahhh... right. I know what this is about. Co with ."
He stood up, but before he could take a step, Gwen and Jean also moved, clearly wanting to follow.
Arthur raised his hand, serious — almost solemn.
"You two... stay right there."
The girls exchanged puzzled looks, surprised by his tone.
"This is a sacred mont. A mont... for the boys."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "For the boys?"
"Exactly!" Arthur crossed his arms like soone who had just declared a universal law. "A quality ti only we poor n can truly understand."
Gwen raised a finger. "You basically just described a ten-year-old boys’ club."
Tony cleared his throat deliberately. "And yet, it’s still the most productive part of the week."
Arthur made a dramatic gesture, pointing toward the kitchen. "You two stay here and keep an eye on the house."
Resigned but amused, Gwen and Jean sat back down, laughing at the situation.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain , try to throw those pathetic power stones at . Let’s see if even your insolence can amuse a king."
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