United States of America – Las Vegas – National Honors Gala
The venue was bathed in splendor. Glittering chandeliers, glimmering glasses, and the highest echelons of the military, government, and industry seated below the stage.
Colonel James Rhodes, resplendent in full military dress, stood behind the podium introducing the evening's most honored guest. His voice rang out with solemnity and pride.
"Tony Stark, dreamer, genius, patriot."
"From an early age, the son of legendary weapons developer Howard Stark dazzled the world with his brilliance."
"At four, he built a circuit board. At six, he constructed his first engine. By seventeen, he graduated top of his class from MIT."
"After his father's untimely death, Howard's lifelong friend and business partner, Obadiah Stane, took the reins of Stark Industries."
"At twenty-one, Tony turned his life around and returned to the company as CEO, seizing control of the empire his father built."
"Under Tony's leadership, Stark Industries ushered in a new era: intelligent weapon systems, advanced robotics, and precision satellite strike technology."
"Today, Tony Stark has reshaped the global defense landscape. He stands as the vanguard of America's freedom and strategic interest."
He stopped.
Thunderous applause erupted.
Colonel Rhodes continued:
"As the military liaison to Stark Industries, I've had the honor of working with this true patriot. He's been a mentor, a friend… and sometimes, a handful."
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great privilege to present this year's highest national honor to Mr. Tony Stark!"
Another wave of applause surged across the venue.
Only… the man of the hour was nowhere to be seen.
"Tony?"
Rhodey scanned the audience, clutching the award awkwardly. His gaze landed on a nearly empty round table with just two men seated at it.
Obadiah Stane began to rise, intending to accept the award on Tony's behalf, but before he could even lift his butt two inches off the seat…
Leon beat him to it.
The younger man casually strolled to the stage, already accepting the trophy with an air of practiced arrogance.
Obadiah froze mid-motion and sat back down with a tight, insincere smile, eyes twitching as Leon took center stage.
And with Leon's arrival…
The audience let out an audible gasp.
Because damn, he was hot.
Tall, tanned, and devastatingly charming, with that smirking, devil-may-care swagger that screamed danger wrapped in a designer tux. The kind of man who looked like trouble and temptation rolled into one.
This was Leon Stark, Tony Stark's fraternal twin brother and our protagonist.
Unlike Tony, Leon had drawn the better half of the gene pool. The brothers looked similar, but Leon was unmistakably the more attractive one. By a long shot.
As the second son of Stark Industries, Leon was infamous in elite circles. A certified playboy. A professional hedonist. A connoisseur of decadence.
And this? This was why Colonel Rhodes hadn't included him in the opening speech.
Because apart from his model-tier looks and a decently sculpted gym body (maintained solely to "make new friends without pressure"), Leon Stark was… largely useless.
He was so rich that money was basically his only personality trait.
The only reason he even showed up tonight was because Tony had frozen his credit cards to force him out of the mansion. The excuse? "Get some fresh air. Oh, and grab this award for me."
Otherwise, Leon wouldn't be caught dead at a boring awards ceremony.
Why go to a gala when he could be making friends?
"Oh my God, thank you for saving me, Leon," Rhodey whispered in relief. "I was this close to digging a hole in the stage with my foot."
"Don't mention it, Rhodey."
Leon flashed a grin, then turned toward the crowd, lazily holding up the trophy as he toyed with it in one hand.
"Damn, this trophy is pretty."
Clap clap clap clap clap!
He had barely finished that line before the entire room burst into polite applause.
That was the power of the Stark name.
Even if he swore on stage, he'd probably still get a standing ovation.
Leon raised a hand and the room quieted again.
"Haha, thanks for the love, everyone."
"Obviously, I'm not my brother. But if I were, I'd tell you how honored and delighted I am to receive this award."
"Everyone knows Tony's greatest strength, and biggest flaw, is that when he's working, he forgets to eat, sleep, or breathe…"
Leon spun the tale with ease, improvising his brother's glory like he'd practiced it a hundred times.
Meanwhile…
Tony Stark was, quite literally, doing everything except working.
He was currently in a casino just a few blocks away, throwing dice with a swimsuit model half his age.
After the ceremony, Leon and Rhodes found him right where they expected.
"You ditched your award ceremony to party with a model?" Rhodey grumbled. "They told me you'd be honored to have me present the trophy!"
"And I was," Tony said with a smirk, barely looking up as he rolled again. Then he glanced over at Leon, who was now seated with a girl balancing the actual award between her… assets.
"So… where's my little beaker?"
"Gave it to her."
Leon pointed at the busty blonde now struggling to keep the trophy from falling.
With gentlemanly concern, he helped support her from beneath.
"Feels pretty good."
Tony shrugged with a chuckle, unclear whether he meant the trophy or the woman.
"You two are impossible," Rhodey groaned, facepalming.
His fingers, spread a suspicious two and a half inches apart, did little to hide his amused expression.
Leon and Tony just shared a knowing grin.
Behind them, their beefy assistant-slash-bodyguard Happy Hogan kept a silent but watchful eye on the surroundings, dutifully shielding his bosses from any potential threats, symbolically, at least.
The wild night lasted until 1 a.m.
As they parted ways, Rhodey reminded Tony for the third time:
"Don't forget you have a military demo tomorrow. You can't be late."
"Yeah, yeah," Tony waved him off, then turned to Leon, who was busy ordering takeout even after three full meals.
"Hey Leon, why don't you take my place? You wouldn't want to-"
"Nope. Stop right there."
Leon raised a hand like a traffic cop. "If you freeze my accounts again to force me out the door, I swear I'll slit your throat in your sleep. Pepper won't be able to stop me."
"Noted."
Tony chuckled and said, "You just don't appreciate the art of explosions."
"Explosions, my ass," Leon scoffed. "One day you're gonna get hit by our own missile and we'll see how artistic that feels."
Outside the hotel…
As the two brothers prepared to head home with Happy and their security team, a stunning blonde in business wear and sheer black stockings approached.
Leon's eyes lit up instantly.
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