The first blast hit before Tony could react. The mansion shook violently, glass shattering as walls trembled under the force. JARVIS’s warnings were a distant echo beneath the chaos.

He turned to you, heart pounding, and saw the fear in your wide eyes. But there wasn’t time to explain, to reassure. Another tremor rocked the house, sending you both flying into the wall.

Before your back met the wall, the Mark 42 shot toward you. Tony guided it with a flick of his fingers, encasing you in armor before you could get hurt, not caring about his own safety.

Tony slammed into the wall with a harsh thud, groaning at the impact. “Great… I’m gonna need a full-body massage after this.”

The words left his mouth as a pained hiss, but even as he spoke, the ceiling above his head rumbled ominously. Dust and fragments of plaster rained down, and a massive chunk of concrete broke free, plummeting straight toward him.

Tony’s instincts kicked in—he started to dive aside, but you were faster.

In a blur of red and gold, you moved before he could. The suit amplified your movements, and you crouched over him protectively, letting the armor take the full brunt of the falling debris. The impact sent cracks through the suit, but not a scratch reached him.

When the dust settled, Tony blinked up at you, heart racing. You were on top of him, breathing heavily, your chest rising and falling from a mix of fear and adrenaline. The mask retracted, revealing your flushed face.

“Are you okay?” you asked breathlessly, your voice shaky but full of concern. He stared at you, stunned, his throat too tight to speak for a moment. Then, of course, he found his words—though probably not the ones you expected.

“Woah,” he said, his voice low and filled with awe and a touch of humor. “You can't imagine what kind of ideas you've just given me."