Few Hours Earlier.
The room was loud and chaotic.
Agents gathered around Loki who looked absolutely beaten after his run-in with The Hulk.
He was put in high standard cuffs, eyes green and filled with slight malice even as Thor watched him with a slightly worried look.
Tony stood in his more than run down apartment, by the bar. A glass of whiskey in hand.
Bruce stood next to Steve Rogers as they discussed something, glad Tony had given him something else to wear rather than leave him walking around half naked.
The Widow and Hawkeye giving their reports to some other agents even as Loki was directed out.
The genius though, had a lot on his mind. As it seemed to work a mile a minute, going through everything that had happened.
Was it the fact that aliens existed and maybe, just maybe out there… were actual green men who kidnapped humans for a probe or ten.
Now that was something he should ask Thor, just to be sure.
But that wasn't important right now. What was important, was the fact that his brother might be one of those little green men… and his suspicions all those years back were real.
Granted his father had shared a little about it… but Clark… Clark was—
"MAN IF IRON!"
Thor boomed out and Tony jumped startled, some whiskey spilling.
"Jesus Christ. A little louder, don't you think, point break?"
He mumbled to himself as he cleaned his hand and downed the whiskey.
"Well! If you insist, I shall—"
"Just a figure of speech, bud. Try toning down a bit."
Tony sighed, turning to the half giant god.
Thor beamed.
"Very well! Where is this food place you talked about earlier? My stomach needs sustenance!"
Steve turned away from Bruce, nodding.
"Not a bad idea. And perhaps you could tell us about this brother of yours."
Tony stifled a sigh before walking towards the elevator door.
"Yes, yes. Fine. Let's grab some Shawarma. Maybe then I'd be up to opening up about the baby of the family."
"Didn't look like a baby to me."
Clint mumbled, wincing slightly but Tony ignored him as they all walked into the elevator.
Long day indeed.
"So, you called him Clark?"
Steve spoke up and Tony groaned, munching on his Shawarma.
"Would it kill you to let me eat first?"
He was ignored.
"I know of Clark Kent."
Natasha finally spoke up and the rest of the group turned to her.
"Raised by your parents. You grew up together but he is not a Stark apparently. Something to do with a member of your mother's family? Not exactly on SHIELD's radar. A journalist for the Daily Planet. No criminal activities either."
Tony snorted.
"Well of course he's not on SHIELD's radar. My dearest father made sure of it. He always talked about how Clark was 'special' and how he'd change the world if everyone knew about him."
He rolled his eyes.
"Now I know what he really means. Mind you, I just thought the old man's addled brain was finally catching up with him."
Steve frowned but said nothing.
"So you didn't know about his… powers? What is he exactly?"
Bruce spoke up and Clint cut in, looking at Thor.
"You did call him a Kryptonian. What is that?"
Thor looked up from practically shoving half a Shawarma down his throat.
"Well they are beings much like us Asgardians, just much more powerful. Especially when off their homeworld."
Tony blinked, and he knew he was going the only one.
"Aliens."
Thor frowned.
"Not alien. Much like gods. Much like us Asgardians."
"You're an alien to us, pointbreak."
Tony snarked while Bruce turned to the billionaire, almost surprised.
"You really didn't know about this?"
"Like I said, I knew he was different. Alien god though? Not at all."
He looked back at Thor who seemed to be enjoying his food.
"And what about the rest of these um… Kryptonites?"
"Kryptonian. And… they're all dead."
The atmosphere became grim even as something seemed caught in Tony's throat.
"D-dead?"
A sad look appeared on Thor's face.
"Indeed, man of iron. It happened not too long ago. As I said, they're one of, if not the most powerful beings around. But beings like us can become arrogant with time."
Thor's eyes seemed to dim slightly as he remembered his own past arrogance.
"Their homeworld started to become inhabitable. Something to do with them and resources. A proud people. Even when my father had offered them help, it was turned down. Their world… and everyone in it… destroyed. Beyond reparation."
A sad look appeared on his face.
"Thousands and thousands of years of civilization. Of greatness and power… destroyed in a mere minute. The All-father thought them all dead. Kryptonians keep to themselves, you see… they prefer their planets more than anything else, except perhaps the odd one or two, and even so we have not heard of the existence of any Kryptonian. That is… until now."
His eyes laid on a quiet Tony.
Clark's Apartment.
Tony smirked as his brother stood in front of him, an almost guarded look on his face.
When last had they even sat down to talk?
This was rather very awkward to him.
"What are you doing here, Tony?"
Clark finally spoke up, staring as Tony slowly walked around the rather spacious apartment, eyes moving from the large TV to the ceiling to floor length windows, a hum escaping his lips as he tapped it with a finger, a satisfying smile appearing on his face.
"You created these yourself? That would take a lot of power to break these babies. What did you do? Come on baby bro, tell me the secret."
Clark sighed.
"Tony, just tell me why you're here."
"Fine. So, when we're you gonna tell me you were one of the green men?"
Clark frowned.
"Green men? What are you talking about?"
"Aliens, Clark. Get with the times. When were you gonna tell me? Or was I just not included in all that?"
Tony sounded nonchalant, but Clark could feel the hurt beneath the snark.
He sighed, dropping his messenger bag on one of the sofas, walking into the adjoining kitchen and opening the fridge.
"you can't say that. Not when you weren't exactly in my life when mom and dad died."
The silence was tense, and Clark didn't bother looking behind. He could feel Tony's heartbeat. His breathing, him blinking. The littlest movement. He heard it all.
He grabbed a bottle of chilled water, taking a sip as Tony scoffed out a laugh.
"Okay. So maybe I deserved that one. But why not just come out and say it? I could have… I could have—"
"Helped?"
Clark raised an amused eyebrow.
"Tony, you practically passed my guardianship over to Jarvis once mom and dad died. And let's not forget you didn't exact show up while I was growing up."
Tony frowned.
"You don't know that."
Clark snorts.
"I hear everything, Tony. Everything. Believe me, I know. Besides, Jarvis died when I was what, 18? I didn't need a guardian after that."
"Where were you when I got kidnapped?"
Tony finally cut in.
That was something he'd been questioning all night. He hadn't been able to sleep.
"What, am I not good enough to be saved?"
He joked but he was tense. Clark glanced at him once as he sat down.
"I had no idea."
Tony scoffs disbelievingly.
"I find that hard to believe, Clark. Everyone knew I was kidnapped. The whole world practically mourned my disappearance."
"Believe me, if I'd known, I'd have gone off to find you. But I read didn't. After graduation, I was… basically off grid."
Tony furrowed his brows as he sat on another sofa.
"Off the grid, doing what?"
"Finding out who I was. I always knew I was different. Heck, Jarvis alluded to it a number of times and I wasn't blind to the little 'tests' dad did to me as a toddler."
Tony's eyes widened at that.
"Tests?"
Clark smile wryly.
"Nothing too serious, of course. Just general bodily tests he carried out. Probably to be sure I could function as a human. Before Jarvis died, he showed me the ship I came in as a baby."
Tony leaned forward, a look of interest in his eyes.
"Anyways, using some of the technology found in the ship, j found an old Kryptonian ship that had crash landed here on earth thousands of years ago. And I was able to converse with an AI of sorts in the shape of my birth father. He told me who I was. What I was. How to control my powers. Of course, all this happened after I graduated college. I was in Antarctica for a few, Tony. Believe me when I say I had no connection to the outside world during all that time. I needed a way to control my powers and keep it all a secret."
"Fat load of good that'll do now."
Tony finally said.
"I mean, have you heard what they're calling you? Superman."
Tony scoffed.
"Ridiculous."
Clark smiled at that before frowning.
"Yes well, perhaps that is the least of my problems. I'm being followed by men in suits. Do you know anything about them?"
Tony shrugged.
"Yes well, they're probably SHIELD. Fury probably isn't happy with the thought of a super powered being living under his nose all these years. He probably would have wanted you as a member of his boyband."
"Avengers?"
Clark asked wryly and Tony smirked.
"Hey now. Don't diss it until you try it."
Clark chuckled, and for that moment the two brothers seemed as normal as could be.
"I could have a talk with Fury on your behalf to give you some space. But you do know you'll have to meet with him sometime soon."
"What, so they'll know I'm not a threat?"
Tony shrugged.
"If you need my help, I got your back."
Clark rolled his eyes, watching his brother practically relax into the sofa, acting like this was one of his homes.
"I'll think about it."
Tony finally stood up, patting bus suit as he put down the empty glass.
"Well then, don't be a stranger at the tower now. You are part owner of Stark Industries, you haven't forgotten right?"
Clark snorted as he stood up.
"I still have my trust, Tony. I haven't forgotten."
Tony waved him off.
"Besides, I still need to know about this Kryptonian business. Thor had some information, but not enough."
Clark already expected that. Tony was persistent if nothing.
"We'll see."
Tony walked towards the front door.
"See you around, baby bro. And… it was good to see you again."
And he was gone.
Clark sighed, flopping back down.
"Good to see you too, Tony."
"—Agent Hartley with SHIELD, and I'm here to—"
"My brother's already explained to me. I'll get in touch with Fury. Thanks."
He nodded politely before closing the door on the startled agent whose mouth was still halfway open.
"Thanks."
Clark nodded as he helped the rest of the volunteers clean up one of the streets.
It had been a few days since the Alien invasion and the streets were in disarray.
Bodies of aliens had been one of the first things shipped off by the numerous government jurisdictions. And then the Techs. Dangerous as they were too.
3 civilians had already been rushed off to the hospital after contact with them.
Clark pushed a rather heavy block off the sidewalk, dusting his hands as he straightened his square rimmed glasses.
He heard the footsteps of someone stop right behind him.
"Clark Kent."
The feminine voice spike up behind him and he turned.
Her red hair was let down in a side parting and her eyes were sharp. Her smile rather seductive much like the rest of her, with appreciative looks thrown her way by other civilians.
The Black Widow.
"Ma'am."
She smirked, amused.
"You sound like the good captain."
Clark shrugged.
"It is only manners."
Natasha said nothing, looking at him curiously.
She had no idea how he did it, but if she didn't know about his other identity, she wouldn't have put two and two together, and yet, he and Superman shared the same physique, colors and all.
Perhaps there was something about the glasses?
"So why the 'S' on your chest?"
She absentmindedly brought up and he smiled softly, turning away and going back to cleaning, Natasha following behind him quietly.
"Why the 'S' indeed. Does Fury have any ideas?"
"Fury is not the type to guess about things when he could be acquiring the truth from the source."
"And let me guess. He sent you."
Natasha shrugged.
"Maybe he thinks you're like Tony. He likes redheads. And I tailed him a while back."
Clark snorted.
"Of course you did. So what are your thoughts on the letter?"
Natasha folded her arms.
"The only reasonable answer I thought was it stood for 'Stark'."
Clark tilted his head slightly at that.
"That… wasn't a bad idea, honestly."
"But it's not the answer?"
He shakes his head.
"Not at all. It might look like the letter S, but it's not actually a letter. It's a symbol as well as a coat of arms. The symbol means 'Hope'. And it's the coat of arms for my birth house. The House of El."
"So you know more about who you are. I'd heard Kryptonians were all gone."
"When I was sent here, my parents made sure I'd know where I came from."
"And how did they do that?"
Clark grinned at how nonchalantly she asked. A weaker man would have kept on chattering with her like an old friend.
"I believe that will be staying a secret for now."
Natasha smiled coyly.
"For now indeed."
She opened her mouth to say something else when Clark's head snapped towards something behind her and Natasha tensed, turning immediately, but Clark was already running towards the scene where a boy of about 10-12 years of age sat on the floor, his right elbow grazed and his eyebrows furrowed up in pain.
"You okay, kid?"
Clark crouched and the boy turned to him, glasses slightly askew on his face.
His cheeks burned red in embarrassment.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine! I just slipped."
Clark looked down to see a small and slightly inconsequential piece of alien technology on the boy's lap and Clark smirked as the boy looked down at being caught.
"I was gonna give it to the suit guys, Mr. Really, I was."
Clark chuckled as he helped the boy up.
"Of course, you were."
"Please don't tell my uncle."
Clark grinned, looking at the small piece of tech. Using his X-ray vision, he found that it wasn't dangerous in any way, shape or form. And so, looking around sneakily and jokingly, he put it in the surprised boy's trouser pocket.
"Try not to loose it this time, kiddo."
He ruffled the boy's hair who beamed up at him.
"I won't. Thanks Mr!"
"Kent. Clark Kent, buddy."
"My name's Peter. Peter Parker."
He held out his hand for a shake and Clark took it with a small chuckle.
"Peter!"
The two turned to see a dark haired man probably in his early 30s, waving at him.
"Over here, son!"
Peter turned to Clark.
"Sorry, that's my uncle Ben, we're out volunteering. He doesn't look too happy though. I gotta go."
"Of course. See you around."
The boy ran off and Clark smiled for a moment as he made sure the boys made it to his uncle, and then turned, walking back towards an amused Natasha.
"Who would have thought Journalists don't spend their free time putting their nose in other people's businesses."
Clark smirked.
"What makes you think I'm not doing undercover work right now? Jameson needs to know if the government's planning to cover anything about the tech around here. Wait a few days, your people will be in the papers, being called the worst thing possible in the books."
Natasha snorted, unconcerned as she brought out a card from her back pocket.
"That contains my number. For when you're ready to meet Fury. He's giving you some space. Tony must have something against him for him to actually give you space. But it won't last for long. The whole world's curious about the Avengers and they've sort of fixed you in as one of us."
Clark shook his head with a smile.
"I'm not an avenger. I'm more of an independent kind of guy."
She shrugged.
"We'll see about that. See you around, Kent."
She turned to walk away and he called out.
"It's Clark, ma'am!"
"Of course, sir."
She called back rather sarcastically, and Clark's grin widened, before he turned back to his work, shaking his head slightly.
"What did you get from him?"
"Not like his brother. But they do share the need to help out the little guy."
Natasha said into her phone and Fury grunts.
"Did you give him the card?"
"Yes sir. I get the feeling we won't have any problems with him. But he does seem to prefer his independence than being in a team."
"We'll see about that."
Hi guys!! Soooo...
I haven't abandoned this.
I just have a lot of stories I'm updating.
So, who liked the little cameos here and there? I think little Peter is cute and he'd definitely be curious about alien tech even if he's volunteering with his uncle.
Another Natasha and Clark meeting.
And not forgetting Tony.
We'll slowly dig into Clark's backstory little and little as well as the life he's living.
Next chapter is more Tony and Clark interaction, Fury as well as Daily prophet ish.
