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Black Widow stood up, glanced at Hawkeye, and asked, "So, what do we do now?"
Hawkeye brushed some dust off himself and replied, "Just report everything truthfully. What to do next is their problem."
Yup, he was totally passing the buck—dumping the Jasper situation onto his higher-ups.
Black Widow nodded. "That might actually be for the best."
"What a crappy day!" Jasper muttered as he walked down the street.
"Hey~!" Just as he was complaining, Annie suddenly popped up and wrapped her arms around his. Her full chest pressed tightly against his arm, catching Jasper completely off guard. But he quickly regained his composure.
He said, "Well, fancy seeing you here! Also… you're way too close."
Annie leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "Someone's harassing me."
That's when Jasper noticed—sure enough, someone not far away was watching Annie.
"So what do you want me to do?" Jasper asked. "Go over there and scare them off?"
Annie shook her head. "No need to fight or anything. Just hang out with me for a bit. Unless you've got something urgent?"
Jasper shook his head. "Nope. You got something going on?"
Annie was visibly pleased by his answer. Since he wasn't busy, she could enjoy some time shopping with him. Now, how should she make the most of this? Maybe swing by a lingerie store?
Wonder if that would make him blush.
"Mmm~ I need to buy a few things," Annie said, looking up at Jasper with hopeful eyes.
He didn't reply.
So she started shaking his arm, whining a little. "Come with meee?"
Jasper didn't say anything at first—he honestly just wanted to go home.
"Pleeease?" she pouted, with an adorably guilty look in her eyes.
Annie was already pretty, but with that expression, it was practically impossible to say no.
Jasper sighed. "Fine, alright."
And just like that, the two of them kicked off their shopping spree.
As they passed by a bookstore, they saw Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy laughing and chatting together.
Are those two… dating? That'd explain it.
Jasper waved and said hi to Peter.
Peter gave him a bright, cheerful smile—he definitely had that "new relationship" glow.
But Gwen looked a bit awkward, like she didn't want them to see her with Peter. Was she embarrassed? Or just shy?
Either way, she didn't seem too thrilled, so Jasper and Annie quickly moved on.
As they walked away, Annie commented, "Gwen looked like she didn't want to see us."
Jasper nodded. "Yeah, I don't know why."
After that, Jasper spent nearly two hours walking around with Annie before finally heading home.
The moment he stepped inside, he found a bald man with an eye patch sitting on his couch.
Jasper: "…"
Seriously? Sitting there in the dark like some kind of villain?
Jasper tilted his head and said, "You know I could legally kill you for breaking into my home."
It was Nick Fury—so naturally, Jasper didn't bother holding back. His tone was sharp and laced with hostility.
Fury spoke calmly, "You're not the only special one out there."
Jasper shrugged. "Yeah, I figured. I mean, there's another Spider-Man running around. So what's that got to do with you trespassing in my house?"
Fury considered his words, then said, "Watch your tone. I'm a government agent. If I wanted to, you'd already be dead."
"Heh…" Jasper chuckled. "Then go ahead. Try me."
Before Fury could react, Jasper moved.
BAM!!
Fury suddenly found himself pinned to the wall, Jasper gripping his throat.
"I could kill you right now," Jasper said with a smirk.
Fury could feel the threat. This kid wasn't anything like the model student his school records described—he was dangerous.
But Fury also realized something else: Jasper was smart. As long as no one crossed his lines, everything would be fine.
Fury raised his hands slightly. "You know if you kill me, you'll be in big trouble too. So let's calm down and talk this out."
Jasper loosened his grip and nodded. "Alright. Talk."
"We want you to join us," Fury offered. "Become part of our team. You'll get special privileges and protection."
Jasper shook his head. "Nah. I just want a quiet life. As long as you people stay out of my way, we're good."
Fury didn't give up. "You've got power. You could save lives. Don't you feel responsible? You could help people, but you choose not to. Why?"
Jasper burst out laughing.
"America could save a ton of people too, but you don't see it doing that, do you? Instead, it starts wars. What about Afghanistan? That was all you. You harm others constantly—and now you want me to help you? You think you deserve it?"
His words cut deep. Harsh, but true.
Fury realized there was no convincing him. He stood up and said, "Alright then. Have it your way."
And with that, he left.
Jasper, now alone, immediately started inspecting his place. He was pretty sure those guys planted bugs and cameras.
Sure enough, after an hour of searching, he found three listening devices and two hidden cameras.
Boring as hell.
"He found and removed everything we installed," Black Widow told Fury.
Fury thought for a moment, then said, "Leave him alone for now."
Black Widow nodded. "He's pretty popular with the ladies."
Fury looked at her but said nothing.
But Black Widow continued, "He's even more handsome than the prince charming I imagined as a kid."
Fury's expression darkened.
"Hey Jasper, are you really dating Annie?" Peter asked the next morning.
Before Jasper could answer, Peter added, "She's just using you as a shield, right?"
"…," Jasper stayed silent.
Peter laughed. "It's cool, man. I won't tell anyone."
Jasper gave him a side-eye. "Don't you have anything better to do? Maybe help some old ladies cross the street or something?"
Peter scratched his head. "Hey, I'm human too, y'know. I deserve some downtime."
"Oh, right—here. This is for you," Peter said, handing Jasper a web-shooter device.
Jasper took it and examined it. "Whoa. This looks awesome!"
"....."