[Third Person Pov]
“So can I ask, aren’t you ashamed of behaving like a stereotypical villain right now? I mean, you’re clearly smart enough to know better than that,” Tony said while blasting the Mandarin with a powerful repulsor beam from his palms.
The Mandarin countered immediately with a concentrated beam projection of his own from one of his rings. The two beams collided with a brilliant flash of light and energy in the middle of the ruined street, forcing both men to circle each other warily as the clashing forces pushed back and forth between them.
“Maybe,” the Mandarin answered with surprising sincerity at first. Then his expression twisted into a deep sneer. “But nothing will ever beat the humiliation and shame of being only recognized as the bastard of the great Stark Empire.”
The Mandarin gritted his teeth in fury and punched his foot forward, channeling more power into his ring. The beam projection surged, overtaking Tony’s and blasting him backward. Tony’s feet dug deep grooves into the asphalt as he fought to slow himself to a stop.
The Mandarin kicked off the ground and tackled him hard, their fingers interlocking in a brutal contest of strength. “When they’re young, children can be quite cruel. They will do anything to feel superior! Just because of my last name, I was constantly beaten and humiliated. It made them feel great knowing they could treat me like trash and get away with it!”
“Is this the part where we get a flashback to your tough childhood?” Tony scoffed, increasing the pressure of his grip on his opponent’s hands. He curled his fingers back with tens of tons of force, shattering the Mandarin’s wrist with a sickening crack.
The Mandarin grunted and gritted his teeth against the sharp pain, but he didn’t let go. “Laugh about it if you will, but the only person that ever treated me with some decency was your mother.”
…
[Flashback]
“Ughhh!!” A young Wenwu grunted in pain, his arms pinned tightly behind his back as a heavy fist drove deep into his stomach. His long hair fell messily over most of his face, hiding the way his eyes prickled with hot, angry tears.
His hair was suddenly grabbed in a rough fist, yanking his head back painfully. He winced as the sharp pull stung his scalp.
“Let’s see how invincible being a Stark truly makes you,” his tormentor sneered before raising his fist and smashing it across Wenwu’s face again and again.
Blood poured freely from Wenwu’s busted nose and split lip. “Stop—Please—I’m sorry!” he cried out, his voice breaking as he pleaded desperately.
But his begging only seemed to fuel their sadism even more. “What was that? I can’t quite hear you. You shouldn’t speak with your mouth full—!” the tormentor taunted before punching him hard in the mouth once more.
Wenwu collapsed onto the cold floor, curling up and holding his face as tears mixed with the steady flow of blood pooling beneath him.
“Didn’t they teach you any manners?!” the others jeered as they started kicking him viciously—stomping on his back, driving their feet into his ribs and stomach with brutal force.
All Wenwu could do was curl tighter into a protective ball, using his arms as best he could to shield his head and vital areas from the relentless abuse.
“Teacher! They’re over here!!”
The attackers froze and turned toward the side hallway. Maria was standing there, pointing directly at them and shouting loudly.
“Shit!”
“Run!!”
“You better not rat us out!!”
They kicked Wenwu one final time as a warning before scattering in panic, sprinting down the hall as fast as they could to avoid getting caught.
Maria rushed over to Wenwu the moment they were gone and sighed in visible relief. “Thank goodness they managed to buy my bluff.”
She smoothed down her long skirt and crouched beside him carefully. Wenwu stared up at her in a daze, blinking slowly through the pain and tears. Maria gently tucked a strand of her own hair behind her ear and looked at him with genuine concern and worry etched across her face. “Are you okay? Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse’s office so they can look after you.”
Wenwu snapped out of his daze and stared at Maria’s outstretched hand. He subconsciously reached toward it for a moment before smacking it away with a sharp click of his tongue. “I don’t need your help. You shouldn’t be involved with me in the first place.”
He picked himself up with a pained grimace, every part of his body radiating sharp, throbbing pain. Maria watched quietly as he started limping away, one arm pressed tightly against his bruised ribs.
Maria stood up and observed him with a straight, deadpan expression. Without warning, she tapped the back of his knee with her foot. Wenwu collapsed back to the ground in an instant.
“Ughh! What is your problem?!” Wenwu growled from the floor, glaring daggers up at her.
She clasped her hands behind her back and looked off to the side, attempting to whistle innocently. The sound was terrible—she was mostly just blowing air—but she tried her best to appear completely uninvolved. Then she turned back toward him as if noticing him for the first time. “Oh goodness, look at you. You can’t even stand on your own. Here, let me help you,” she exclaimed in great exaggeration, grabbing his arm and draping it over her shoulders to help him up.
“That’s because you tripped me!?” he shouted, only to wince and clutch his ribs again as fresh pain shot through his side.
“That’s because you were being stubborn and slapped my hand away when I was just trying to help you,” Maria pouted, steadily supporting his weight as they moved forward.
“Tsk. I don’t need your pity,” he hissed, kissing his teeth and looking away stubbornly.
“But I’m not pitying you,” Maria replied earnestly, refusing to let go. “I just… I know what you’re going through, and I want to help you. That’s all.”
“What could you possibly know about what I’m going through?” Wenwu scoffed, attempting to pull his arm free.
Maria held on firmly and continued supporting him. He glanced over at her and noticed she was looking down with a soft, bittersweet smile. “Because I know what it’s like to be born from an important family with a rich history and legacy. Of being the outcast of that family and being treated differently because of it—like you don’t truly belong. And those around you don’t let you forget it. They constantly remind you that you’re different from the rest of them.”
Wenwu fell silent as he stared at Maria, caught in a daze. His heart beat strongly in his chest. After a long moment, he looked away, unable to hold her gaze any longer.
“So the reason I’m helping you isn’t because I pity you,” she continued gently, “but because you and I are essentially two black sheep. And us black sheep… we have to stick together and look out for each other, right?” She finished with a beautiful, bright smile that lit up her whole face.
They happened to pass by a large window at that exact moment. The sunlight streamed in and caught them perfectly, making Maria seem like she was practically shining in Wenwu’s eyes.
She suddenly started marching forward with exaggerated steps and let out a playful, “Baaaahh!”
Wenwu stared at her in utter disbelief, unable to process what she had just done. Maria’s face quickly grew hot with embarrassment. She looked down, her hair falling forward to cover most of her features. “Forget I did that, please.”
Wenwu trembled as he tried to hold it in. His lips curled inward, his cheeks puffed out, but he couldn’t contain it any longer. He burst out into loud, genuine laughter. “Hahaha!! Stop! Stop! Bahahaha!! My ribs! Ow! Ow! Hahahahaha!!”
Wenwu slid his arm away from her and leaned heavily against the nearby wall with one hand, the other clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, but this time they were from laughter rather than pain.
Maria stood there holding her skirt tightly in both fists, glaring daggers at him while her face burned beet red. She was completely mortified, though a small, reluctant smile tugged at the corners of her mouth despite herself.