As Tony stepped inside his mansion, Stephen still curled in his arms, the familiar hum of the house was conspicuously absent. He frowned.
"JARVIS," Tony called, his tone sharp. "What's going on?"
The AI's response came, but it was distorted, crackling like a radio station just barely out of tune. "Welcome home, Sir." And then—silence.
Tony froze, his grip on Stephen tightening slightly as his gaze swept the dimly lit living room. That's when they saw him. A man stood in the middle of the room, his figure partially obscured by the shadows.
Stephen's ears perked up, and his fur bristled slightly. He let out a low, warning growl. "Tony, we're not alone," he muttered softly, his eyes narrowing.
"No kidding," Tony murmured back, his expression hardening. He took a step forward, his voice turning sharp. "All right, buddy. Who the hell are you, and why are you standing in my house uninvited?"
The man stepped into the light, his presence commanding but calm. He wore an eyepatch, a long leather coat, and a look that said he didn't take kindly to being questioned.
"'I am Iron Man,'" the man said, quoting Tony's infamous words from the press conference. "You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."
Tony raised an eyebrow, his usual cocky demeanor slipping into something more cautious. "And you are?"
The man gave him a faint, almost imperceptible smirk. "Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony blinked, his expression unreadable. "Ah," he said simply, as if Fury had just announced he was the guy delivering the mail. He shifted Stephen in his arms, the cat's tail flicking irritably.
Fury's gaze dropped to Stephen, studying him for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Is that a cat? Or is it one of those Flerkens?"
Stephen's ears immediately perked up, his blue eyes widening slightly. He wriggled out of Tony's hold and gracefully landed on the floor, turning to fully face Fury. "Flerken?" he repeated, his tone sharp. "You've encountered a Flerken before?"
Fury's single eye narrowed slightly, his surprise well-hidden but present. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Why? Don't tell me you know what are those."
"Yes, I've dealt with some." Stephen's tail flicked, his curiosity clearly piqued. "You probably know Goose, as he is the only one that could be on Earth at this time."
Tony looked between the two of them, his confusion evident. "Okay, hold up. What the hell is a Flerken? And who—or what—is Goose?"
Stephen shot Tony an unimpressed look before turning back to Fury. "Goose is a Flerken—a creature that resembles a cat but is far more dangerous. Their mouths hold pocket dimensions, and they're capable of swallowing objects and enemies whole."
Tony blinked, his expression a mixture of horror and fascination. "So… like a cat, but with a black hole for a stomach?"
"Essentially," Stephen said dryly, his attention still on Fury. "You've met Goose, right?"
"Yeah," Fury said, his tone clipped. "And trust me, you don't want to mess with one of those things. Had a… memorable encounter with Goose back in the day."
Stephen tilted his head slightly, as though calculating something. "Interesting. Flerkens are incredibly rare."
"Wait," Tony cut in, holding up a hand. "Are you telling me there's a cat—or a Flerken—running around Earth with a black hole in its mouth? And we're just… okay with this?"
Stephen glanced at him, his expression calm. "Goose isn't a threat. Unless provoked."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Tony asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Fury, clearly uninterested in further Flerken-related discussion, cleared his throat. "We're getting off track here. I'm not here to talk about Flerkens or cats. I'm here to talk about you, Stark."
Tony's gaze snapped back to Fury, his curiosity sharpening. "Oh yeah? What about me?"
Fury's tone shifted, becoming serious. "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."
"Okay, I'll bite. What's this Revenge Initiative?
"The Avengers Initiative is a response to the threats the world can't handle on its own. It's bigger than you, Stark. Bigger than S.H.I.E.L.D. You think building a suit of armor makes you untouchable? The universe has a way of humbling even the most advanced civilizations. There are threats out there you can't even begin to imagine."
Stephen, still seated elegantly on the floor in his cat form, let out an audible sigh, drawing Fury's eye. Tony looked down at the cat, his eyebrows raised. "You've got something to add, Steph?"
Stephen stood, his cloak-like bandana fluttering faintly as he padded toward Fury. When he stopped, his gaze was sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. "Director Fury," he began, his tone even, but laced with an undercurrent of skepticism. "You say the world is bigger than Tony thinks—and you're right—but don't pretend you understand the scope of it yourself."
Fury's single eye narrowed slightly. "Oh yeah? Enlighten me."
Stephen tilted his head, the faintest glimmer of annoyance flashing in his eyes. "It's 2009. Humanity is only scratching the surface of what lies beyond its atmosphere. The only aliens this planet has had any real contact with so far are the Kree, the Skrulls, the Inhumans—a byproduct of Kree experimentation, might I remind you—the Asgardians, the Frost Giants, the Eternals, Deviants, and a handful of Celestials who have left their mark on this world."
Fury's stoic mask faltered, just for a moment. "That's… more than a handful."
"Precisely," Stephen continued, his voice cool. "Most of them are either lying low or don't consider Earth worth their attention. The threats you're so focused on finding 'out there' won't be relevant for quite some time."
Tony crossed his arms, looking down at Stephen with a faint smirk. "So what you're saying is… we've got aliens all over the place, and I'm just now hearing about it?"
Stephen shot him a sidelong glance. "You've been a bit preoccupied with your ego and your weapons empire."
Tony held a hand to his chest, mock-offended. "Ouch, Steph."
Stephen ignored him and turned his attention back to Fury. "If you want to protect this planet, don't waste your time chasing ghosts in space. The real threats are already here, created by humans." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Perhaps even within SHIELD itself."
Fury's face darkened, his expression unreadable as he studied Stephen. "What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything," Stephen said, his voice sharp. "I'm telling you that your organization is compromised and if you don't focus on weeding out the enemy hidden inside, they'll destroy everything you're trying to build."
Fury's lips pressed into a thin line. "Those are some heavy accusations, coming from a talking cat."
Tony snorted, but Stephen's expression didn't waver. "I'm not just a talking cat, Director Fury. And whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. What matters is that you act before it's too late."
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of Stephen's words settling over them like a heavy fog. Tony finally broke the tension, his tone casual but curious. "So, Steph, just how many of these aliens are hanging out on Earth? Should I be worried about someone crashing my next party?"
Stephen gave him a dry look. "Most of them have no interest in you, Anthony."
Tony grinned. "I'm not sure if I should be relieved or insulted."
Fury, however, wasn't amused. He stepped closer to Stephen, his gaze unyielding. "If you're right about my organization being compromised—about all of this—I need more than vague warnings. I need proof."
Stephen's tail flicked, his voice calm but firm. "You'll find your proof soon enough, Director. And when you do, you'll realize that the Avengers Initiative doesn't just need to be about outside threats. It needs to be about accountability. Humanity has always been its own greatest danger."
Fury stared at Stephen for a long moment, his expression inscrutable. Finally, he nodded slightly, as if acknowledging the weight of Stephen's words. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"
Stephen's lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smirk. "You have no idea."
.
As the front door shut behind Fury, leaving the house eerily quiet, Tony turned to Stephen with a look of unrestrained curiosity. He leaned back against the couch, his arms crossed, a faint grin playing at his lips.
"So," Tony began, his tone casual but brimming with questions. "Aliens, huh? Was that what your cult was all about? Defending Earth from little green men and blue-skinned creeps? Or is it more of a 'we come in peace' thing? Are you like the men in black?"
Stephen, still in his cat form and perched elegantly on the armrest of Tony's couch, let out a long-suffering sigh. His blue eyes flicked toward Tony, unimpressed. "Cult?" he repeated dryly. "We're sorcerers, Anthony, not a bunch of robed lunatics chanting to the stars. And no, we don't spend our time worrying about aliens. I only mentioned them to remind your Director Fury that his focus should be on what's happening here, not the infinite void of space."
Tony smirked, clearly entertained. "But you do admit they exist. And you didn't deny that some are here on Earth. So what, is your whole deal about keeping them in check?"
Stephen's tail flicked lazily as he responded, his tone clipped but patient. "The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj don't deal with extraterrestrial threats. We guard against mystical ones—threats that come from realms and dimensions parallel to this one."
Tony frowned, his curiosity deepening. "Dimensions parallel to Earth? Like… what, alternate realities? Multiverse? That kind of thing?"
"Not quite," Stephen corrected, his voice steady. "The multiverse is... complicated. The realms I'm speaking of are connected to this Earth, yet separate from it. They exist on planes of existence that most people aren't even aware of. Some of these realms are dangerous—places of chaos, darkness, or malevolence. The Dark Dimension, for example, or the various planes of Hell."
Tony blinked, clearly intrigued but skeptical. "Hell? Like fire and brimstone, pitchforks and all that?"
Stephen's lips twitched into a faint smirk. "Some interpretations are closer to the truth than others. There are multiple 'Hells,' each ruled by different entities—call them demons, overlords, or tyrants, depending on your perspective. Some are interested in enslaving souls. Others merely seek to corrupt or destroy."
Tony exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, so... demons are real. Great. That's one for the books. And you and your sorcerer buddies—sorry, not a cult—keep them from, what, breaking through and wrecking the place?"
"Precisely," Stephen said, his tone clipped. "Our job is to protect the balance between realms. To ensure that entities like Dormammu from the Dark Dimension or Mephisto from Hell don't cross into this world and turn it into their playground."
Tony whistled low, leaning forward slightly. "And here I thought my life was complicated. So what's stopping one of these demons or overlords or whatever from just waltzing in and taking over? You?"
"Me, and others like me," Stephen said simply. "And the magic we wield. Earth is protected by the Sanctum network—three physical locations in New York, London, and Hong Kong. Together, they create a barrier that shields this world from most interdimensional threats."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Most?"
Stephen's tail flicked again, his gaze sharp. "Nothing is infallible, Anthony. If the barriers were to weaken—or if someone were to dismantle them—Earth would become vulnerable. That's why the Sorcerer Supreme oversees the protection of the realm."
Tony studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, a slow grin spread across his face. "So what you're saying is… you guys are the mystical bouncers of Earth. Kicking out anything that doesn't belong."
Stephen sighed, his ears flattening slightly in annoyance. "If that's what helps you understand it, then yes. We're the bouncers."
Tony chuckled, leaning back again. "You're kind of a buzzkill, you know that?"
"Because I refuse to sugarcoat the truth?" Stephen countered dryly. "This isn't one of your press conferences, Stark. The threats I'm talking about aren't just some PR spin you can deflect. They're real, and they're dangerous."
Tony sobered slightly at that, his gaze dropping to the floor for a moment. When he looked back at Stephen, his expression was more thoughtful. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're around to handle it. Even if you are a pain in the ass sometimes."
Stephen huffed softly, his tail curling around his paws. "And for what it's worth, I'm glad you're starting to take some responsibility for the messes you create."
Tony grinned faintly, shaking his head. "You just can't let me have a moment, can you?"
"Not when it goes to your head," Stephen replied, his tone teasing.
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