Tony Stark was worse than a kid in a candy store. Carol had invited him aboard her spaceship to poke and prod at the alien technology, and the man was practically giddy. He was currently lying on his back and getting up close and personal with the engine. Something blue dripped down onto his shirt and he paused for a moment. When his skin didn’t immediately start burning or smoking, he shrugged it off and continued his work.
It was still slightly strange to be befriending these alternate versions of the people he knew and loved back home, but there was also something therapeutic in it all. His friends were dead and gone, courtesy of Ultron. Unless Vallo saw fit to bring them all here, which he highly doubted, these people were the closest he would get to them again. He enjoyed getting to know them, and seeing where their personalities and stories crossed and diverged with his own.
Tony poked at something that gave him a good zap of energy. His arm shook from the force of it, and he blinked a few times, slightly dazed. Maybe a small breaktime wouldn’t be too bad of an idea.
He pushed himself out from under the engine and sat up. His hair slightly disheveled, and more of the blue stuff he hadn’t noticed dotted his shirt. “Some of that stuff bites,” he chuckled and pushed himself up to his feet.
Carol had set Lena and Tony up with permissions to enter Mar-Vell’s cruiser ages ago so they could come and go as they pleased. She had no particular interest in the ship here in Vallo; it couldn’t actually break through the atmosphere, and it was too huge for her to have any interest in just flying it around for funsies. She’d considered, for about half a second, living on it. But she was comfortable at Morningside with Emmeline. She doubted her girlfriend had any desire to live on a spaceship - she’d come out with her to check it out after it got here, but it wasn’t exactly what one would call homey.
So, she’d basically offered it up for research purposes so her scientifically-minded buddies could utilize the Kree’s tech however they wished. She didn’t even care whether or not she was there because it was typically just information-based perusing. But after she’d made the offer to let Tony cannibalize it for parts, she’d decided to come with him on his next visit. Last thing she wanted was for Tony to get electrocuted on her ship when she wasn’t around. She’d feel bad about that, and she didn’t relish the idea of telling Pepper she’d let her husband get destroyed by an alien spaceship.
And it was a good thing she’d made that call, since this was apparently the day he had chosen to fiddle with the cruiser’s engine. She could hear the sizzle when he got zapped and got up from where she’d been sprawled out in the Captain’s chair to crouch down beside him and make sure he lived to see the light of day. She stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head at him when he emerged.
“That’s the Kree for you,” she replied with a shrug. “Can’t make it too easy to take them down. On the plus side—” She headed back over to the Captain’s chair, tapped a series of buttons on the left arm, and a holograph appeared before them. “I finally found the blueprints.”
Forget kid in a candy store, Tony Stark was a kid in the middle of FAO Schwarz. His eyes lit up as the holographic blueprints were projected in between them. He pushed himself (mostly gracefully) to his feet and made his way closer. “At this moment, you are currently my favorite Captain. Don’t tell Steve.”
His eyes slid back and forth over the blueprints, trying to take in as much as possible all at once. “This ship really is quite a beauty. You’re sure you don’t mind me messing with it? I mean, I’m not sure it would actually stop me at this point if you did change your mind. But you know, just so we’re on the same page.”
Carol playfully rolled her eyes at the way Tony’s face lit up. A little alien tech and he acted like he’d died and gone to heaven. This stuff was his bread and butter, of course - it made sense that he’d get excited, and she was glad someone was able to appreciate it. She could run this ship without breaking a sweat, like any good Kree soldier, but she didn’t need it anymore.
“Firstly, I’m clearly the superior choice, so of course I’m your favorite.” Her chest puffed out proudly and she winked at her friend. She had nothing but love and respect for Steve, but come on. She wasn’t going to pass up on the chance to be a showoff. “Definitely telling Steve, too. He’s got to up his game if he wants to beat me out.”
Reaching out with one hand, she tweaked the blueprint so it would mimic what he was actually seeing; it had been facing her, not him, and she didn’t want any misinterpretations. She was really trying to minimize the pathways to electrocution as much as possible.
“Secondly, I’m sure. Seriously. I love this ship, but I have no use for it here. It won’t get anyone out of here, and it’s too big for the sort of battles we deal with.” She was better off out there on her own when big trouble came along. It was just faster, simple as that. Maneuvering the ship would take way more time and effort. “If any part of this thing can help make life better for Vallo, then that’s what I want. And that’s what Mar-Vell would want, too. Trust me.”
Her mentor would be proud to be making a difference. Carol knew now how badly she’d wanted to make up for what the Kree had done to the Skrulls and so many others back in her day, all in the name of essentially being the superpower of the universe. She had spent years trying to set things right, and she considered this just another part of that. Giving back to a place that had given them so much felt right.
“If Steve gives me ‘The Eyebrows of Disappointment,’ I’m blaming you, Danvers.” No one could give disappointed expressions better than Steve Rogers - it didn’t matter what universe he came from.
Tony nodded his thanks to her as she flipped the blueprints around so he could study them more closely. He did stop for a moment, however, as she commented on making life in Vallo better. He gave her a genuine smile. “It absolutely will. I can promise you that. I have every intention of giving as much as possible to this place, and there’s a lot here that I can use.”
Carol rubbed her thumb and index finger together, playing the world’s tiniest violin for Steve and his Disappointed Face. She had to admit it was effective, though. She hadn’t been on the receiving end of it herself, but she’d seen it turned on others and the guilt it inspired was truly legendary. Fitting for the guy named after America.
“I trust you,” she told Tony. “Which, by the way, is exactly what I told Peter when he asked if he should work for you. So, if he reaches out to make an appointment with you, don’t make me eat my words,” she joked. She knew he wouldn’t. She’d liked and trusted Tony back in her world - ego and all - but this version was even calmer and more put-together. It would be harder to put effort into not trusting him.
If it was even possible, Tony’s face lit up even further. “Aww, you put in a good word for me with Petey? I have to admit, when I introduced myself to him, I shamelessly slipped science into the conversation to tempt him into working with me right away. Clearly it worked. Point, Stark.”
“It half-worked,” Carol protested, reaching out to shove at his shoulder. She wasn’t about to let him get too cocky. “He’s extra cautious about everything, which I get. He’s here without anyone from his world. I think he really only likes me and Em because we feed him day in and day out.”
Tony chuckled as she shoved him. He could have moved out of the way, but it was all part of the banter. He gave an overdramatic grunt. “So defensive, Mama Bear. I promise to take good care of my future protege. Cross my heart.” He made an X gesture across his chest with the engine part he still held in his hand.
“Yeah, yeah,” Carol scoffed. She wasn’t concerned he’d do anything wrong by Peter. She meant it when she said she trusted him. But she was concerned about Peter in general. He may be nineteen and technically an adult, but he was a child. Maybe there were some Mama Bear instincts kicking in. “Don’t be so annoying. I’ll help your wife suffocate you with pillows for being so egotistical.”
“For the record, she threatened to suffocate me if I let being a billionaire become the largest part of my personality again. Not my ego. Besides, if you off-d me, who would you have to help you torment Stephen?”
Carol waved a dismissive hand at that correction, but she had to give it to him on that last point. “It would be less fun without you,” she conceded. Their group chat was one of her favorite things lately, especially while Stephen was still dragging his feet on the big proposal, despite their constant nagging. “Fine, no suffocation. Now get out of my face and try not to get any more blue stuff on you.”
“I promise nothing, Danvers.” Tony grinned and saluted her with one of the parts before crawling back under the engine. He was definitely going to end up covered in blue stuff before he’d finish.