"Wow! He actually resisted the temptation? How surprising!" Scott exclaimed, looking at Spider-Man with a mix of admiration and disbelief. He knew that Spider-Man had always dreamed of joining the Avengers, even boasting to Ned that he was already a member.
"Someone has to help the ordinary people—now that's a line worth remembering!" Sam Sam nodded approvingly. "Only by staying true to your original intentions can you truly achieve your goals. This kid is really something! What do you think, Cap?"
Sam had just arrived here yesterday after finishing his work. Since he was an Avenger , and Tony insisted that the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. should operate independently, he had been brought in by Nick Fury.
"Heh, I bet Stark never expected him to refuse!" Wanda smirked, glancing at Tony. "Just look at his expression—he looks so aggrieved!" Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
"I think Stark is actually proud that Peter turned it down," Steve Rogers said, crossing his arms with a look of satisfaction. "It means the kid has really grown up."
[Just then, the door behind them opened, and Pepper walked in, glancing around before asking, "Where's the kid?"]
[Happy replied calmly, "He's gone."]
["But everyone's waiting!" Pepper looked confused. This wasn't what she had expected at all.]
["He made a well-thought-out choice, and it caught us all off guard," Tony explained, his voice tinged with both admiration and regret.]
[Pepper narrowed her eyes at them and accused, "You two messed this up, didn't you?"]
[Tony immediately deflected the blame. "It was Happy! He told the kid to wait for him in the car!"]
[Pepper instantly turned her sharp gaze to Happy, glaring at him. "Are you kidding me? I have a room full of people waiting for big news! How am I supposed to explain this to them?"]
[Happy opened his mouth but quickly realized he had no valid excuse. He could only accept the blame from his boss.]
["Use your brain, why not, uh…" Tony trailed off before suddenly turning to Happy. "Happy, do you still have the ring?"]
[Happy blinked, momentarily confused. He reached into his pocket instinctively. "I… I…"]
["The engagement ring!" Tony prompted impatiently.]
["Are you kidding me? I've been carrying this thing since 2008!" Happy exclaimed, pulling the ring out of his trouser pocket.]
[Pepper looked stunned, shooting a glance at Happy before turning back to Tony.]
[Tony's eyes twinkled as he smirked. "Perfect."]
["I think I can come up with a better idea," Pepper muttered, instinctively wanting to refuse.]
[Tony, however, looked at her with determination. "Using the ring saves us time."]
[Hearing this, Pepper sighed before stepping forward and kissing Tony. He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "As if we're in a hurry."]
[Pepper, amused, turned to leave while throwing a parting remark to Happy. "You actually kept that thing in your pocket all these years?"]
["Let me get the door for you, dear!" Tony said as he rushed forward like a perfect gentleman.]
["I'll do it myself!" Pepper snapped back, pushing the door open. Tony quickly followed after her. Happy tossed the ring to him with a knowing grin before turning away.]
"He actually thought it was a test? He's overthinking it!" Gwen covered her face, feeling secondhand embarrassment for Peter.
"To be fair, I thought the same thing," Second Gen Peter admitted. "I was sure Tony was just testing him and planning to give him new equipment. I didn't expect there to be an actual press conference waiting!"
"Hahaha! Happy's been carrying that ring since 2008?" Helen made a disgusted face. "That's kind of gross. If George had kept my engagement ring in another man's pocket for years, I'd be furious."
"No wonder Pepper complained," Scott chuckled.
Pepper, who was sitting nearby, suddenly stood up and narrowed her eyes at Happy. "Happy, do you always carry the ring around?"
"Uh… Yeah!" Happy hesitated, but seeing her piercing gaze, he quickly pulled the ring from his pocket and showed it to her.
"Oh my God!" Pepper groaned. "Tell Tony to keep it with him and never let you hold onto it again!"
Happy looked like he wanted to protest but ultimately sighed and prepared to call Tony.
Meanwhile, Rhodey smirked as he turned to Tony. "So, how do you feel about letting Happy babysit your engagement ring? Think Pepper's mad?"
Tony shrugged, but before he could reply, Happy's call came in.
Rhodey chuckled knowingly. "See? I knew she'd be pissed. You'd better go calm her down!"
Tony groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Ugh… What a mess." He turned and trudged upstairs.
[Spider-Man returned home, tossing his backpack onto the floor as he called out, "Aunt May, is dinner ready?"]
[There was no immediate response. Shrugging, Peter made his way to his room. The moment he pushed open the door, his gaze landed on a small bag placed neatly on his bed.]
[It had a note attached: "This belongs to you — Tony."]
[Peter blinked in surprise. Removing his headphones, he called out again, "Aunt May?"]
[Still no response. Assuming she had gone out, he walked over to the bed and picked up the bag.]
[The scene shifted, showing Peter in his Spider-Man suit, standing in his dimly lit room. He held his recovered suit in his hands, feeling its familiar weight before slowly removing his mask.]
[At that moment, a figure emerged behind him.]
[Aunt May stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide in absolute shock. "Oh. My. God!!!"]
[Peter's heart nearly stopped. His eyes widened in pure horror.]
"Wow… how many people know Peter Parker III's identity now?" Otto shook his head in disbelief. "Back in my world, Spider-Man's identity was one of the best-kept secrets. But this Peter? His cover's practically nonexistent!"
"Do you think Aunt May will stop him from being Spider-Man?" Rose asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "I mean, she's always told Peter to avoid danger whenever possible. If she knew he nearly died multiple times, she'd be terrified!"
First Gen Spider-Man shook his head. "No, I don't think she'll stop him outright. At first, she'll probably be scared and against it… but eventually, she'll understand why he does it."
"Yeah, I agree," Second Gen Peter added. "Besides, Peter is Spider-Man. He can't just walk away from it."
Otto nodded in agreement. "No matter the universe, Spider-Man always finds his way back to being a hero."
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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