Nova lounged comfortably with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, a few empty glasses scattered around from earlier drinks.
The atmosphere was light, casual — and ripe for mischief. Nova's lips curled into a wicked grin as his gaze flicked to Pepper, then settled on Tony with a glint in his eye.
"So, Stark," Nova began, his tone thick with implication, "how many beds did you two break in this week? I mean, an enhanced Pepper? That's a lot of… horsepower to handle. Hope you stretched first."
Pepper nearly spat out her drink, coughing as her face colored instantly, vivid images flooding her mind — especially the one where she accidentally snapped the bed frame in half while on top, riding Tony like her life depended on it.
Before she could respond, Tony gave a smug, self-satisfied smirk, leaning back with the easy arrogance of a man who'd seen and done it all.
"Hey, I'll have you know," Tony started, shooting Pepper a glance, "by the end of it, Pepper couldn't even wal—"
He never finished. Pepper's hand shot out, giving his thigh a sharp squeeze dangerously close to the goods. Tony winced and quickly redirected.
"—walk straight… to the kitchen for a drink. Big night, lots of cardio."
Nova snorted. "Cardio, huh? You sure you didn't pull a muscle or two… maybe sprain a hip?"
"Please," Tony scoffed. "I'm a Stark. My stamina's legendary. Pepper practically needed a cold compress and a neck brace."
Pepper glared at him but couldn't suppress a grin. "You're impossible."
Tony turned the tables smoothly, smirking at Nova. "But what about you, genie boy? Word around town is that blonde bombshell Gwen and that fiery redhead spent the night at your place. You still in one piece, or should I have Happy swing by with an IV and some electrolytes? Two at once? That's a lot of… handling."
Nova raised a brow, lips curling in a predatory grin. "Hmph. Please. I don't need supplements. Those two were begging for mercy before I even got through the opening act. If anything, I should've charged them for the ride."
Before he could get cockier, Pepper's foot found his shin under the table with a sharp kick, making him grunt.
"Alright, alright," Nova laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "No appreciation for performance art in this room."
Pepper smirked. "Focus, genie. Your supercomputer's finished and shipped to that private island you bought — along with the other tech you asked for."
Tony let out a mock sigh. "That supercomputer's one of a kind, you know. After seeing it fully assembled, I was this close to keeping it for myself. A real piece of hardware like that… it's hard to let go."
He winked at Pepper, who rolled her eyes with a smile.
Shaking his head, Tony turned back to Nova. "So that island — it's gonna be your private lab, huh? Gonna fill it with all kinds of tech and toys, I bet."
Nova nodded, grinning. "Yeah. And give it a little time, it'll become one of the most advanced research facilities on Earth."
Tony arched a brow at the cocky claim, opening his mouth to tease, but Pepper beat him to it.
"And what about security? You rejected that top-grade defense system we offered. What's stopping someone from penetrating your perimeter?"
Nova's grin widened, clearly enjoying himself. "Relax. The entire island's going to be sealed beneath a magical dome soon. Trust me — no one's getting in or out unless I want them to. Consider it… selective hospitality."
Tony raised his eyebrows. "So what now — you're trading in light shows, dragon bones, toad eyes, and sacrificial rituals? Please don't tell me magic's real and there's some hidden society out there like those Harry Potter books."
Nova smiled, a knowing gleam in his eye. "Oh, there are hidden magical societies alright. Not as neat and whimsical as in the books… but far more dangerous. And trust me, they've got spells that'll make your Iron Man suit look like a toy."
Tony let out a long sigh and rubbed his face. Just as he opened his mouth to start interrogating Nova, a familiar voice cut in.
"Hey, Nova — you free? I need to make a trade."
The woman sauntered over with a sly grin, her gaze flicking toward Pepper. "Hi, Pepper. You owe me a favor for introducing this genie to you."
Pepper winced, offering an apologetic smile. "Hi, Emma. Yeah, I owe you one. But I… I can't pay it off the same way I did before. Tony and I are, uh, in a relationship now."
At those words, both Tony's and Nova's heads snapped toward Pepper, then to Emma, then back to each other — the unspoken question hanging thick in the air. A beat later, Tony slowly lifted his hands, forming a pair of scissors with his fingers and started snipping them in the air with a smug grin.
Nova burst out laughing while Pepper flushed crimson, promptly reaching over and twisting Tony's thigh hard enough to make him yelp.
Ignoring Tony's antics, Emma turned her attention back to Nova. "So, when are you free? Tonight? I've got a trade to make and something… important to discuss. It's about Shaw's little quest."
At the mention of Shaw's quest, both Tony and Pepper perked up, curiosity etched across their faces. Nova's expression darkened, his grin fading.
Unbothered by Agent Maria Hill pretending not to eavesdrop nearby, Nova spoke plainly. "You don't need to worry about the quest. Three people have already taken it, and I'll personally be joining in — along with my partner."
Emma's brow furrowed. "You should know the kind of enemies you might be dealing with. You… personally getting involved… that's risky."
Nova's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "I'm not worried. I've got more life-saving tricks up my sleeve than you've got lingerie, Emma. And besides… my partner's more powerful than all three mutant leaders combined."
Every pair of eyes in the room widened at that, expressions ranging from curiosity to outright disbelief. Sensing their reactions, Nova chuckled, leaning back with smug satisfaction.
"Relax," he murmured, his voice smooth as silk. "You'll meet her soon enough. And trust me — once you do… things around here are going to get very interesting."
Seeing Nova's smile, they knew that he won't be saying anything more. So Tony changed the topic," Hey Emma, you know that Nova just said that he have more life saving means than your lingerie collection. So can you tell me how many lingerie do you have? You know just so that I can estimate number of his life saving means."
Emma looked at him and said," I can tell as long as you send Pepper to my villa alone...".
Tony shook his head," Nope, not happening unless you invite me too."
Emma just rolled her eyes and turned back and said," Hey Wanda, Jeans and Storm."
The three girls greated Emma and then to other.
Wanda looked at Nova and said," Sirius and Bill's work at mansion is already completed. Magneto and Shaw were very satisfied by their works and decided to have them work on their properties too. They have already discussed with Sirius and Bill, who agreed. So I am here to inform you and for you to inform Harry too. The price have been negotiated, you can see it in the contract."
Nova raised his eyebrow and took the contract from Wanda. Then he ignored eager eyes of others, especially of Maria Hill and directly out the contract in his system space, which surprised Maria.
Nova discreetly looked at Mariaand thought: Spying and working simultaneously without making any mistake, I have to say that she is an spy. Maria an level nine SHIELD agent. Employeed by world council to supervise Nick Fury. So I am somewhat confused about why did she come to spy, afterall she is an high ranking person. Anyway doesn't matter, she is a great eye candy. Altough I have many woman but I my heart is too big to settle for a single woman this early in life. Besides cold attituded, high ranking woman..... Since she is here to spy, let's make it easy for her..
Suddenly he stood and said loudly," Hello everybody!"
Hearing him, everybody quitened and turned to look at him.
Nova smiled," I thank you all for comming to my cafe opening."
Everybody clapped politely, and then Nova continued," To thank you all, I have decided to fulfill any single wish of yours, for free."