"I don't understand a word you're saying." Stark's face turned a bit odd. He looked back, seemingly unbothered by Solomon's touch, but instead asked about something else. "You're telling me... I have a daughter?" he asked. "Are you saying I have a secret kid? And you somehow know about this? Could it be…"
"Stop overthinking it," Solomon rolled his eyes. "I told you, time doesn't flow linearly. This is something that has already happened—a fact recorded in the Akashic Records. You could think of it as destiny."
"With who?" Stark's eyes shifted nervously, as though he were hoping to hear a specific answer from Solomon.
"With Miss Pepper Potts, of course," Solomon replied, releasing Stark's shoulder and giving him the answer he wanted to hear. "And you even named her after her eccentric uncle."
"Morgan! I know—Pepper's quirky uncle!" Stark took a deep breath. "Is this accurate?" he asked. "I know you can foresee things. I want to know how accurate this is… No, I mean, when should I propose… No, wait, I mean, when will Pepper get pregnant? When will my daughter be born? I like girls, I do—I don't want to be disappointed. You understand? I don't want to be disappointed; I want to be prepared!"
As he spoke, Stark's demeanor grew more flustered, and he even began gesturing wildly. He bombarded Solomon with a torrent of disconnected, illogical questions, finally raising his voice. Realizing his emotions were slipping out of control, he turned away and tried to recall what he'd learned in emotional management classes.
In what he thought was a discreet gesture, Stark wiped at the corner of his eye, and Solomon heard him sniff a few times. Then Stark straightened up, took a deep breath, adjusted his suit, and tilted his chin, returning to his usual nonchalant self. "I don't know how capable you wizards are, but I want to know if what you're saying is true."
Solomon's words had struck a deep chord with Stark. Before the ordeal with Ivan Vanko (Iron Man 2), Tony Stark had held some resentment toward his father. It wasn't until S.H.I.E.L.D. showed him the video tape that he fully understood his father's love. That experience had ignited a desire for family within Stark, one that was strong enough for him to start thinking about asking Pepper the big question. Although he would never admit it, even after creating the new arc reactor, he privately watched that old tape repeatedly.
Stark wanted to believe what Solomon was telling him. He'd seen Solomon perform magic before and knew there were things in this world he didn't fully understand.
"Mr. Stark, I've studied divination," the mage said, tilting his head and placing his wand to his temple, drawing out a thin strand of silvery energy. He wrapped the glowing strand around the wand, then extended it toward Stark's forehead. Stark recoiled instantly.
"What is that?" Stark craned his head back, trying to avoid the wand. Backed up against the door with nowhere to go, he put up his hands in defense, a gesture he usually hated making. "Is this mind reading? I know you do that mind-reading stuff! I guessed it! You can't trick me!"
"If I wanted to know what you were thinking, I would've done it already—and you wouldn't even notice," Solomon replied, holding out his wand. "This is a glimpse into your future life, and the future image of your daughter. Think of it as a small bonus from my other divination work—a gift. This belongs to you."
This was something the mage had glimpsed within the Cauldron of the Cosmos, even seeing Morgan Stark as an adult. But knowing that seeing his future daughter all grown up might be a bit much for Stark, he opted to leave that part out for the sake of his mental health.
After a token resistance, Stark accepted the memory, intrigued, viewing it as a bystander. "Wow!" After a moment, he blinked in surprise and grinned. "I look so old in that—why so many wrinkles? I see Pepper… My daughter is adorable! So little—she's skiing! And she's calling me 'Dad'! You're sure this is my future daughter? All this is really going to happen?"
"If you mean that little girl skiing with Captain America's shield, then yes, you're right; that's your daughter," Solomon nodded. "But I can't answer any more questions, Stark. The fate of the world fractured the moment I was born. I can't say whether a parallel universe might spring up each time you ask me about your future. In this universe, as long as the Akashic Record remains unaltered, your daughter will be born. But if it updates... well, then who knows."
"Parallel universe?" Stark snapped out of his happy reverie. He had a lot of questions: Why were he and Pepper in that cabin? What had happened then? But all his thoughts were drowned out by the new idea Solomon had just introduced.
"That's unproven theory," Stark dismissed the concept, a bit skeptical. "I haven't studied quantum mechanics, but I know enough to…"
"Believe what you will." Solomon opened the door, gesturing for Stark to switch out his slippers and head out. "Time will reveal the answers if you wait. Here's some advice, Stark: if you knew everything in advance, there'd be no surprises in this world."
"Hey, I saw that cake! I bet Pepper's already pregnant and craving sweets!" "Get out! Consultation over!"
"All right, no sweets. I'll pay. Come on, read my fortune one more time! Just one more, I'm begging you."
—
"Did we have guests today?"
Solomon, Bayonetta, and Jeanne were squeezed together on the couch. Bayonetta sat in the middle, enthusiastically spooning bits of dessert from a glass bowl. She was quite pleased with Solomon's dessert-making skills, and after finishing a bowl of wine jelly, she turned toward Solomon, lifted his chin with a finger, and gave him a light kiss on the lips. Jeanne looked displeased with this "reward" from Bayonetta, but with her mouth full of cake, she could only express her frustration with a muffled grumble.
Solomon lazily answered Bayonetta's question, recounting the identity of their visitor, his attire, and Stark's questions. Jeanne, curious about the parallel world idea, listened intently as Solomon used Bayonetta's situation as an example to explain the concept—how, if two worlds were headed in the same direction, they would eventually merge, like two soap bubbles fusing together.
"So, this playboy Tony Stark has a daughter? With that CEO of his company?" Jeanne asked, pointing to the TV. "That's who you're talking about?"
Bayonetta turned up the TV volume, and only then did Solomon notice that tonight's entertainment news headline was indeed, "Stark Industries CEO Rumored to be Pregnant." The news showed a quick street interview of Stark, animatedly repeating words like "Pepper," "pregnant," and "daughter" while even his bodyguard Happy struggled to keep him in check.
Solomon took a deep breath. Judging by the interview's background, Stark had driven straight from here to Stark Industries, where the paparazzi were lying in wait. Evidently, even Happy couldn't hold back the swarm of reporters until security arrived to help him get into the building.
"Tony Stark is keeping the paparazzi fed," Solomon commented, pointing to the TV, where he spotted a familiar face. "Even Luca's there."
"Stark Industries has issued a statement… confirming that CEO Pepper Potts and Chairman Tony Stark are in a relationship… However, Pepper Potts is not pregnant, and she has no plans to start a family at the moment…" The entertainment news channel swiftly aired Stark Industries' announcement. Although it denied Pepper's pregnancy, it confirmed her relationship with Stark, which sent the media and public alike into a frenzy. Solomon didn't even need to check his phone to know Twitter was exploding with the news.
"Are you sure that after saying all this, Tony Stark's child will still be a girl?" Bayonetta asked. "What if it's a boy instead?"
"I'm sure, Bayonetta. It's fate."
"And what about us?" Bayonetta tilted her head and placed her long legs over Solomon's knees, smiling playfully. "I like girls too, Solomon. Do you think we'll have a daughter? When shall we give it a try?"
"Ahem!"
"Cereza! You're crossing the line!"
_________________________
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