.....
Morning light spilled across the Parker household, and Ethan was already awake, sitting at the desk by the window with a notebook open. Pages filled with sketches, little diagrams, and hastily scrawled notes covered in coffee stains.
Income streams. Investments. Low-risk startups. Stark Industries trajectory.
He tapped his pen against the page. He wasn't from this world originally, but he knew enough about how things played out here. Stark Industries would eventually shut down its weapons manufacturing, shifting into energy, tech, and innovation. Anyone with foresight who invested early would see massive returns.
But that required capital. And right now? Ethan Parker's net worth was… lunch money.
Downstairs, Uncle Ben's voice carried through the thin walls. "Rise and shine, geniuses! Breakfast isn't eternal!"
Ethan smiled faintly, tucking away the notebook.
Breakfast Conversations
Peter looked worse than yesterday—dark circles under his eyes, his hair sticking in seven directions. He winced as he sat, like his muscles were sore. Ethan didn't need to guess why. Swinging around Queens at night was taking its toll.
"Long night?" Ethan asked casually, passing him orange juice.
"Library research," Peter said quickly.
Uncle Ben raised a brow. "What, did you wrestle the Dewey Decimal System into submission?"
Ethan snorted. Peter kicked him under the table.
Aunt May placed pancakes down. "You boys both need rest. Ethan, you're up too late scribbling in that notebook. Peter, you look like you've been through a washing machine."
"I'm fine," Peter mumbled, then perked up. "What about you, Ethan? You've been writing all the time. Another story?"
"Not exactly." Ethan poured syrup carefully, keeping his tone level. "I'm thinking about… starting something. Making money."
That got Ben's attention. He leaned back in his chair, smiling wryly. "What, the next Wall Street hotshot?"
"Not like that," Ethan said quickly. "Something small. Side income. Maybe programming a game. You remember that mobile craze last year with those simple puzzle apps? People made a fortune off something anyone could code in a week."
Peter blinked. "Wait, you code?"
"I learn fast," Ethan replied with a shrug. "Figured I should put it to use."
Ben folded his arms, his expression thoughtful. "I like where your head's at. Just remember—money's a tool, not a goal. Don't lose sight of why you want it."
Ethan met his uncle's eyes and nodded. "I know. I just… want to be prepared."
Prepared—for the future, for the chaos he knew was coming.
Midtown High – Lunchtime
Peter was half-asleep at their table, face buried in a textbook. Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Did he even blink today?" she asked, sitting down across from Ethan.
"Running on fumes," Ethan said, smirking. "But hey, he still has time to nap on his physics homework."
Peter mumbled without lifting his head, "I'm listening."
"Sure you are," Gwen teased. She turned back to Ethan. "So, you're really serious about this game thing?"
"Yeah." Ethan pulled out his notebook, flipping to a page filled with doodles of pixel birds and obstacles. "Simple mechanics. Easy to play, addictive. The kind of thing people pick up between classes or on the bus."
Gwen studied the sketches, intrigued. "You're not bad at design. What's the name?"
Ethan paused. "…Still working on that."
Peter finally raised his head. "So basically you want to make money off people's boredom?"
"Exactly."
Gwen laughed. "That's… brilliant, actually."
Peter frowned. "But coding's hard. And even if you finish, you need hosting, marketing—"
"I'll figure it out," Ethan said firmly.
Gwen tapped her pen against the table. "I could help. I'm decent at art and graphics. Might make it look less… blocky."
Ethan looked at her, surprised. "You'd really help?"
"Of course. Beats doing another lab report with Peter."
"Hey!" Peter protested weakly.
The three of them laughed, the kind of easy laughter that made the stress of the day melt away.
After School – Brainstorming
Back at the Parker home, Ethan set up his laptop at the dining table. Gwen joined after convincing her dad she was working on a "study project." Peter hovered awkwardly, torn between joining in and sneaking out for another rooftop adventure.
Uncle Ben peeked in with a mug of tea. "What's this, then? The Parker Tech Lab?"
"More like the Parker–Stacy startup," Gwen corrected with a grin.
Ethan turned the screen to show the basic code of a bouncing ball prototype. "It's rough. But with some polish, we can make it fun."
Ben whistled. "Well, don't forget me when you're billionaires. I'll settle for front-row tickets to the retirement tour."
May called from the kitchen, "Don't encourage them, Ben!"
Laughter rippled again.
As Gwen and Ethan worked side by side, the hours passed unnoticed. She sketched sprites while he coded mechanics. Occasionally, their shoulders brushed, and Ethan felt a warmth he tried to ignore.
Peter excused himself eventually, muttering about "late-night studying." Ethan caught the lie but let him go.
When Gwen finally packed up to leave, she smiled softly at Ethan. "This… is fun. We should do it again tomorrow."
Ethan nodded, meeting her gaze. "Yeah. Tomorrow."
Night Reflections
Later, alone in his room, Ethan stared at his notes. Beneath the game sketches, another page waited:
Stark Industries – Weapons Division projected closure. Invest post-incident. Stark Expo upcoming.
He tapped the pen against the paper. He couldn't stop what was coming in the big picture—but he could prepare. Position himself, his family, so they'd never struggle again.
Through the window, he caught sight of Peter's shadow leaping across rooftops under the moonlight.
Two brothers. Two futures.
Ethan clenched his jaw and turned back to his notebook.
Time to build mine.
✨ End of Chapter 4 ✨