[Third Person's PoV]
"All right, what do I need to do?" Maria asked, leaning forward, her expression serious.
"What?" Tony replied, caught off guard.
"You called me because you need a way back, right? So what do we need to build on our end? I'll get Howard to start immediately," Maria said, her tone no-nonsense.
"Mom, it's not that I don't appreciate it, but I'm not stuck," Tony explained with a faint smile.
"You're not?" Maria asked softly, the tension in her voice easing slightly.
Tony shook his head. "I figured this might happen, so I built countermeasures into the system."
Maria's eyes narrowed, her expression darkening. "So, let me get this straight. You knew you were experimenting with something so dangerous that it might get you stuck in another freaking universe, and you went ahead with it anyway?"
"Now, don't get mad…" Tony began cautiously.
"DON'T GET MAD?!" Maria screeched, her voice echoing through the room.
Both Tony and the other Stark flinched slightly, the latter looking as though he were the one being scolded.
"Mom," Tony hissed through gritted teeth, gesturing subtly toward Stark beside him, who remained frozen like a deer in headlights.
Maria forced herself to calm down, her gaze flicking back to Stark with suspicion. Before she could say anything else, the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the moment.
"Maria, are you all right?" Howard's voice called out as he entered the room.
Hearing Howard's voice, Stark stiffened further, his shoulders locking in place.
"I just got off the phone with Tony," Howard continued, stepping up beside Maria. "He said to come and check on you. Then, the next thing I hear, you're yelling—"
Howard stopped mid-sentence, his gaze falling on Tony. "Wait. Tony? Didn't I just get off the phone with you?"
Maria whirled toward Howard, her frustration redirecting. "Forget that! Listen to what our genius son did this time—he got himself stranded in another universe!"
"I'm not stranded," Tony corrected, shooting Maria a glance before addressing his father. "Quantum Temporal Displacement."
"What?" Howard asked, clearly puzzled.
"When I explored the quantum realm, I left a quantum anchor. It ensures I return to the exact time and place I left. The 'me' you just spoke to on the phone is probably the one who has already returned from the universe I'm currently visiting," Tony explained matter-of-factly.
Howard nodded slowly, processing the information, though his expression suggested he had several follow-up questions. Instead, his gaze shifted to Stark. "And who's this? Why does he look so familiar?"
"I was thinking the same thing," Maria added, her attention snapping back to Stark. "He looks like you... but different."
Tony's face lit up as he gestured dramatically. "This is why I called! Everyone, meet Anthony Stark—the me from another universe! Isn't that fantastic?"
"I, uh—it's—um... A pleasure to meet you," Stark stammered, awkwardly raising a hand in greeting.
Tony leaned slightly out of Stark's line of sight and mouthed silently to his parents, "You're both dead in his universe. That's why I called."
Understanding dawned on Howard and Maria simultaneously. Their expressions softened, faint smiles replacing their earlier confusion.
"Well," Howard said, grinning faintly. "How's it going, champ?"
Tony and Maria turned to stare at him incredulously.
"What?" Howard asked, shrugging. "I didn't know what else to say!"
Stark let out a brief smile, shaking his head slightly. Before he could retort, Maria cut in.
"So this is what our Tony is going to look like in the future..." Maria said, studying Stark from head to toe.
"No way," Tony scoffed.
"He wishes," Stark added with a smirk.
They both turned to each other, scoffing in unison before saying simultaneously, "You could only dream of having a face like this."
Howard and Maria exchanged a deadpan look and said in perfect sync, "They're both Tony, all right."
Howard clapped his hands together, his curiosity taking over. "So, if you're from an alternate universe, what's different?! I mean, apart from my son apparently being an old man now~"
Stark's eyebrow twitched. Hearing your father call you old was something else. "I'm not old. I'm in my obvious prime," Stark replied, crossing his arms.
"He sounds just like you, honey—defensive about his age," Maria teased, her eyes twinkling.
"I'm not defensive about my age!" Stark and Howard said simultaneously.
Tony and Maria couldn't help but snort in unison, shaking their heads.
"You still haven't answered my question," Howard pressed eagerly. "What's different in your universe? Do the laws of physics work differently? Is history wildly off? What's it like?"
"Well, for starters," Tony interjected, "this world? It's like the quirkless era in our universe. And we're in the past—like the early 2000s."
Tony then grabbed Stark's arm, and the symbiote shifted a communicator onto his forearm. "Here, talk to them. I'm heading to the bathroom. Explain the differences."
"Wait—" Stark started to protest, but Tony was already out of the area. Stark turned back, seeing Maria and Howard smiling warmly.
"Sorry about him," Maria said, her tone soft. "He means well. He can just be... forceful when it comes to helping people."
"Let me guess," Howard said with a knowing smirk. "He dragged you into this confrontation, didn't he?"
Stark chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah... but don't worry. I know he's a good kid. You've clearly done a fine job raising him. You should've seen how he reprimanded us earlier."
Both Maria and Howard straightened slightly, pride evident in their expressions. After all, who didn't love hearing they'd done a good job raising their child?
Howard's gaze turned sharp as he noticed the complicated look in Stark's eyes. "I take it... you and your Howard didn't have the best relationship," he said gently. "Well, I mean, your father—who's my alternate version in your world."
Stark scratched the back of his head, a small frown forming. "Yeah... our relationship was complicated, to say the least. He found it... tough to show love."
Maria's expression softened, and even Howard looked introspective. "Tough to show love, huh?" Howard said quietly, his voice tinged with regret. "I bet he meant well... but sometimes it's hard to get it right."
Stark nodded slowly. "He did. I know that now. But at the time, it wasn't always easy to see it."
Maria reached out and rested a hand on Howard's arm. "Well, if it's any consolation, it sounds like you turned out just fine."
Stark gave her a small smile. "Thanks. It's... strange, but comforting, seeing you two like this. I can tell you care deeply about your Tony. And that's something I think... my Father probably struggled to show."
…
Meanwhile Tony walked away shaking his head slightly, 'Well that was awkward, I hope I did the right thing there…' Tony pondered to himself.
He quietly made his way inside the barn, and smiled as Nick Fury froze upon seeing him suddenly enter.
"So you're the Stark from another universe" Nick said looking towards Tony suspiciously.
"And you Nicholas Joseph Fury, the master spy, the idea behind the Avengers" Tony smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you face to face"
Nick looked down at Tony's hand and slowly shook it. "I was looking for Stark but it appears that the wrong one seem to have shown up,"
"Just give him a moment, he's talking with my parents," Tony explained.
"As in…" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup," Tony confirmed.
"Would they long?" Nick asked with a stoic expression.
Tony shrugged, "Let's give him a moment, it seems that he needed this"
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