The Moon, Earth-616150 (1980)
Not named Watcher POV
I shouldn't be able to see you, Reed Richards. But the road you are on is one that I never saw in any other reality.
I can also feel something else as well—Eidolon?! What is this? You shouldn't be here.
I make my way to the Reed Richards of this universe, only to sigh in realization and relief. It isn't him.
It is someone else, but from the same world.
He is concealing his genius behind a facade of normalcy.
He plays a sport mortals call soccer, not only to increase his physical fitness but also because he enjoys it.
Interesting.
Year 1984
I, the Watcher, look bemused at Reed Richards of World-6161650. Little Reed was watching television with the other kids and Aunt Margaret when they found a promotion for the new Stark Expo. He asks, confused, "Who is this old man?" Reed, as a world wanderer, of course knows who he is, but it is the first time he has seen him on TV.
Aunt Margaret gives him a mocking smile and teases, "Honey, that is Howard Stark—the richest and smartest man alive, and the owner of this orphanage."
It's the first time I've seen him shocked. Mortals would call this "a priceless moment."
Aunt Margaret also adds, "He is a friend of mine, too." Reed is about to faint at this very moment from pure shock.
"WOW!" all the kids—and Reed—exclaim.
Reed even asks, "How did you guys become friends?"
"You wish to know? But honey, you all are still too young to learn how this beautiful old lady became friends with that womanizing rich guy."
All the kids look disappointed that they couldn't learn more about their kind caretaker. She pats their heads as compensation.
Year 1988
Reed is finally making his move, I see. He has started his first job as a paperboy. Who would have thought that the smartest man alive would work as a paperboy? Me—I did, of course. This Reed Richards amuses me more and more.
Interesting. My eyes widen in realization. Reed Richards has bought some small supplies from a junkyard and equipment with his first paycheck. In his little box of junk, you could find:
Broken walkie-talkies
Broken cameras with intact lenses
Small cables
Small sheets of metal
An antenna
Small batteries
Two hard disks
What is this mortal trying to create?
He opens two of the three walkie-talkies and the cameras. He takes out the microphone, transmitter, and receiver from the walkie-talkies, studies them briefly, and begins making them smaller. He is creating small bugging devices with tiny antennas. From the cameras, he removes the lenses and crafts small spy cameras, adding SD cards (which he made from the hard disks) to them.
He hides one spy camera in his room and the other in Margaret's room. The bugging devices are concealed in the rooms of Margaret and another caretaker. He uses the antenna from the third walkie-talkie to increase the range of the receiver, allowing him to listen to what happens in those rooms.
He creates spare keys by using mashed potatoes as molds—after stealing the keys, he presses them into the mash. He uses Wood's Metal as the material to infiltrate those rooms.
Year 1990
Reed Richards now leans against his favorite spot—the tree. He looks at ease because, over the past two years, he hasn't found anything linking Margaret or the other caretaker to Hydra in the orphanage. I, of course, knew that.
Now, he enjoys his favorite activity: cloud watching.
"Reed, there you are," Margaret says. She walks slowly for an old lady—69 years old (Author's note: I didn't plan it, but it happened this way). Reed helps her sit beside him. They begin looking at the clouds in pleasant silence. They've done this almost every week since he turned 12—sitting by the tree while Aunt Margaret shares stories from her childhood.
But behold—the story she tells today will change the course of the timeline.
"I'm an old lady now, Reed. I may die in the coming years. However, I would like to tell you a story about Bucky Barnes."
It doesn't show on Reed's face, but I, the Watcher, can see the subtle twitching of his eyes in realization.
"We met for the first time in April 1943. He was the funniest person I've ever met, and his smile was the sweetest thing in the world. We talked almost the entire day. He learned many things about me, and I learned many things about him. I was still naive and wanted to be a nurse, helping soldiers on the frontlines. He—the stubborn fool—wanted to kick some Nazi ass."
"We went on a double date. I brought a friend of mine, and he brought a friend of his—a small, skinny guy with a strong moral compass. Bucky and I hit it off. We danced and had fun—not the intimate kind. Afterward, we visited the Stark Expo. At the time, I wasn't friends with Howard like I am now. He showed us many of his new inventions. By the end, my friend was so angry and embarrassed by her date that she never spoke to me again. Heh."
A small tear—0.003 ounces—rolls from her eye.
"He went to war, and I went to nursing school. We met again in Italy after he was rescued by Captain America. That idiot got captured by the very Nazis he swore to kill. I tended to his wounds, and we kissed. We promised each other to marry after the war... but he died before he could even give me a ring. To this day, I regret not telling him how much I loved him—and still love him. There has never been another."
"You may be bored by this little story, honey, but I wanted to tell you before I leave this world—or before you make the same mistake I did. If you deeply love someone, tell them. Keep them close. And remember—whatever you do, keep the promises you make to your wife or girlfriend."
Reed is speechless. He doesn't—can't—say anything, knowing it would ruin the moment. So, he nods in silent appreciation for her advice. I can see he is on the verge of tears, but he reigns himself in. He leans his head on her shoulder, and they continue watching the clouds in silence.
"Reed, you know…" she begins, her voice slightly cracked but her gaze full of warmth, "I love you as if you were my own child."
Author's Note:
I don't think I fully nailed the Watcher's tone, but it's okay for now. I may rewrite it someday. I hope you liked it!
Now, the college arc begins! (Spoiler alert: He will speedrun it.) But that will come later—my mind is fried after spending an entire day writing this chapter. (Kinda embarrassing.)
I know their relationship might seem sudden, but I don't care—I wanted to include it. :D
In the next chapter, I'll add a poll for the female lead. (I'm leaning toward Sue Storm.)
Haki as an X-Gene? I'm undecided. Someone suggested using magic as Haki, which I thought was a great idea. (I had the same Idea in my drafts but considered giving him the X-Gene because of hot Emma Frost )
Also, yes—I gave a little "cameo" to Eidolon (The Goat of Webnovel). But he won't appear again. I just found it funny to include him. (If you haven't read it, his story is calledMeta Essence Gacha in Marvel.)
Edit: I almost forgot to ask!: How did you guys like my little tech scene? Good? Okay? Should I give it up? I found this way much better than just writing 'he created this and that' and boom - end of scene. I always had in mind during this scene that Peter (Parker) created a time machine with some junk he found, so I thought: why couldn't Reed create mini cameras and bugging devices?
Have a great evening, everyone!