"Hello!"
Gwen listened as Hawk introduced the new title for the first time to an outsider, her face beaming with a smile that was almost overflowing. She extended her left hand towards Sharon with a smile.
Don't ask why it's not the right hand.
Because that six-carat purplish-red diamond engagement ring was on the ring finger of her left hand.
Every girl, after being proposed to, can't wait to show it off to the world.
Gwen was no exception.
Of course.
If a woman, after being proposed to, has no updates in her social circle and doesn't mention it to anyone, there's only one possibility.
She doesn't love you.
When Sharon saw Gwen extend her left hand, she immediately noticed the six-carat purplish-red diamond ring on her ring finger. In a flash, she understood why Hawk went to the Moon.
After all, NASA's database is also within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database.
While Sharon's mind was racing, she shook hands with Gwen and immediately gave her congratulations.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Gwen's face showed a happy smile, then she pondered Sharon's surname and curiously asked, "Carter, this surname..."
The Carter surname isn't particularly famous.
But it occupies a page in this world's World War II history because this surname appeared alongside Captain America, Steve Rogers, and played an important role in Captain America's life.
Because Captain America's girlfriend bore the last name Carter.
Sharon didn't deny it, nodding honestly, "Yes, Peggy Carter is my aunt, and I'm her niece."
Having the last name Carter isn't something to hide. Rather, it's something that makes her very proud.
Gwen suddenly understood.
"Then your visit here today..."
"To find Hawk to learn about something."
"Alright then, you two chat, I'm heading to the backyard."
Gwen, upon hearing that, smiled slightly and didn't stay to interrupt their conversation. After giving Hawk a peck, she headed towards the backyard.
She planned to tinker with her backyard garden again.
The past was the past.
The present is the present.
Before, she helped Hawk set up the backyard garden as his girlfriend, but now she's Hawk's fiancée.
Let's put it this way.
Just moments ago, while showing off the engagement ring she could wear out to her mom Helen in the bedroom, she stood behind the master bedroom window looking down at the backyard she used to find satisfactory. But the more she looked, the less appealing it seemed.
So she decided to reorganize it.
Hawk turned his head to glance at Gwen walking to the backyard, then looked back at Sharon, who had settled back on the sofa, and said with a smile, "I assume I don't need to explain."
Sharon nodded, then gave a bitter smile, and looked at Hawk, "But Hawk, what you pulled last night really scared a lot of people."
This is just because the Five Good Men are now focused on Wakanda.
Moreover, from a certain angle, it was Hawk who helped the Five Good Men discover Wakanda's true nature, which was secretly developing while receiving U.N. relief food.
The most important point.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director and Commander Maria Hill vouched for Hawk at a Security Council meeting related to Hawk.
Alexander Pierce also supported Maria Hill.
Hawk can't be coerced but can be persuaded.
The last person who tried to coerce Hawk was Thaddeus Ross.
He now has grass growing on his grave.
And Maria Hill?
It's precisely because Maria Hill didn't choose a tough stance but rather approached Hawk with a relatively equal and understanding attitude that Hawk helped Hill break Wakanda's barrier.
The United Nations' scientists have already verified that if it weren't for Hawk's help, they wouldn't be able to break this barrier within ten years without the use of non-massive nuclear weapons unless Wakanda voluntarily removed it.
So...
For now, the Five Good Men have a friendly attitude toward Hawk and have accepted Maria Hill's recommendations. It's for this reason that, ever since Hawk returned from Africa, no one has disturbed him, not even when he was in London City.
But yesterday, Hawk's sudden flight over Earth still gave them a scare.
This is why S.H.I.E.L.D was so eager for Sharon to rush to Hawk's place, even when she was on vacation.
Sharon now knows the reason.
The diamond meteorite discovered by NASA on the Moon was undoubtedly the reason Hawk went to the Moon last night at one hundred percent certainty.
Sharon could already imagine the expressions that would appear on those bigwigs' faces once she reports this reason when she returns.
It will definitely be interesting.
Sharon thought to herself.
Hawk chuckled, looked at Sharon, and reiterated his earlier response, "I have no interest in changing Earth, so if they don't trouble me, I won't trouble them."
That's the truth.
One hundred percent the truth.
After all, he can now traverse the stars even without the Holy Armor. The only reason he's still on Earth is simple.
His home is here.
New York City is his comfort zone, his sister is here, and his fiancée is here.
Sharon listened to Hawk's response, nodding again.
"I will relay this message back."
"Thank you."
"I should get going now."
Sharon then stood up from the sofa, glanced at the time on her watch, and gave a wry smile, "I still need to go to the airport to pick up Thor and his girlfriend later."
Once again, all agents with codenames in S.H.I.E.L.D. have been sent to do field work in African Wakanda.
This leaves her as the only one with a connection to Thor. If asked, it's because she's Peggy Carter's niece, and Peggy Carter was Captain America's former lover, and Captain America fought alongside Thor.
Sharon was curious about how this relationship got tangled up, but the commander had already decided, and she couldn't resist, so she had no choice but to accept it.
Hawk also got up from the couch, and as he prepared to see Sharon off, he heard that Sharon still had to go to the airport to pick up Thor, which reminded him of something, and he chuckled, "You'll be busy from now on."
Sharon looked at Hawk curiously.
Hawk didn't hide it. He decided to inform S.H.I.E.L.D. ahead of time, so they wouldn't come knocking every day.
At that time, both he and S.H.I.E.L.D. would be annoyed.
So he told Sharon about how he arranged a battle with Thor in London City, and that Thor was going to settle on Earth from now on, estimating that the two would often go to the cosmos for battles in the future.
The expression on Sharon's face gradually became intriguing.
Very intriguing.
Finally.
After listening to Hawk's information, Sharon nodded, "Alright, I'll report this matter too."
Hawk smiled slightly.
Meanwhile, Gwen, who had just observed her fiancée and the guest from the couch in the backyard, walked back in. After Sharon bid her farewell, Gwen saw her off at the door.
After a while.
With Gwen formally considering herself the hostess, she stood at the door, watching as Sharon drove away from Palm Street before she closed the door, turned back to the living room, looked at Hawk, and talked about how she had just shared a humorous six-carat engagement and wedding story with her mom, Helen, upstairs.
"Did you give Howard a piece of diamond ore?"
"Yeah."
"Howard was showing it off in the morning, and Mom put it away, saying she'd give it back to him when he gets married."
Gwen put on a serious face, trying hard not to laugh.
Hawk met Gwen's eyes, filled with suppressed laughter, and silently chuckled.
Indeed.
Regardless of East or West, mothers are all the same.
However, Hawk didn't mention giving a diamond to Helen.
Even though he had some, when he went to the Moon last night, he took back all the diamond meteorites from the crater.
But…
Having it is one thing, but he couldn't give it to Helen.
It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was that he couldn't.
A future son-in-law giving a future mother-in-law a diamond?
Think about it.
Is this appropriate?
It's inappropriate, even if he gave the diamond to Gwen for her to pass it to Helen; it's still quite inappropriate.
Because diamonds have been marketed by capital so much that their meaning has solidified.
Diamonds represent love.
The bigger the diamond, the deeper the love, so Helen's diamond could only be given by George.
Speaking of which.
George.
Hawk had a thought and looked at Gwen.
"Has George's headache improved?"
"Mom said Dad's head hurts even more."
"..."
Poor George.
Still, it's the same.
Giving Helen a diamond is inappropriate, and the same goes for giving one to George. It's also quite inappropriate.
So Hawk felt that the only thing he could do for the time being was silently mourn in his heart for his future... no, his prospective father-in-law.
Oh, and there's Peter.
Gwen wasn't only sharing her engagement excitement with her mom Helen; her best friend Mary was naturally also among those she shared it with.
After learning about Hawk's proposal to Gwen, Mary first screamed enthusiastically and then demanded in the group that Hawk treat her.
Hawk agreed.
And then…
When Mary saw the six-carat purplish-red diamond engagement ring on Gwen's left ring finger, she couldn't help but be envious to the point of no return, although she didn't show it much, her eyes occasionally glanced at Peter sitting next to her.
Peter felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Under the Spider Sense, the hair on his arms bristled every ten seconds.
After dinner.
Gwen and Mary walked hand in hand in front.
Hawk and Peter followed behind as usual.
He took a fist-sized, round item wrapped in newspaper from his pocket and tossed it directly to Peter.
"Here."
"What is this…"
Peter instinctively caught it, opened it to look, and then quickly rolled the newspaper back up, trying to return it to Hawk.
"No way, I can't take this; it's too precious."
"It's just a useless rock."
Hawk looked at Peter, who was trying to return the item to him, and laughed, "You're my friend. Do you think the friendship between us can't compare to a useless rock?"
Peter shook his head.
"Of course not."
"Then just accept it!"
Hawk decided firmly, then put his arm around Peter's shoulder, walking toward the restaurant door while saying, "Instead of worrying about this worthless rock's expense, you should be worrying about the cost of getting this worthless rock polished."
After all, what he gave was the raw stone.
Not the finished product.
...