Chapter 356: Preparations for Civil War
Morning
Peter Parker headed out as usual, while Silas finished breakfast with Aunt May and settled onto the sofa to watch TV.
By noon, as Aunt May was getting up to start on lunch, an unexpected guest arrived at their door.
"You're... Stark?!" May opened the door to find none other than Iron Man himself, Tony Stark.
Tony smiled and extended his hand. "Hello. I'm looking for Peter Parker."
"Peter?" May's heart skipped a beat. "Did he do something wrong? Please, Mr. Stark, believe me, he's always been such a good kid—"
"I know. I'm not here because he did anything wrong. I'm here regarding his grant application." Tony's gaze drifted toward the living room.
Silas, sitting on the sofa, locked eyes with Tony. This was the first time they had met without Silas wearing a mask. Although Tony already knew Silas's identity, Silas had always kept his face hidden behind the demonic mask during their past encounters.
"What grant?" May asked, bewildered.
Tony didn't offer a detailed explanation. Instead, he looked around and asked, "Mind if I come in and sit for a bit?"
"Oh! Of course!" May quickly stepped aside, embarrassed that she had almost left him standing on the porch.
Tony walked into the small house, scanning the living room with a curious eye before casually sitting down next to Silas.
May hurried over. "This is my other nephew, Silas Parker."
"Hello, Silas," Tony said with a light chuckle. He found the situation amusing.
Silas glanced at Aunt May, who was frantically signaling him to be polite. He sighed and reached out. "Hello." After a quick handshake, he went back to his TV. Between keeping May company in the morning and Wanda in the afternoon, his schedule was exhausting.
"He's a bit shy," May said quickly, pulling Silas away slightly and offering Tony an apologetic smile.
Tony shook his head, teasing, "It's fine. It's normal for a 'Masked Boy' to be shy. Why else would he wear a mask all day and night?"
"Huh? Masked Boy?" May looked at Silas in confusion. Silas didn't wear a mask around the house. She couldn't help but privately label Stark as a bit eccentric.
"Silas, mind if I take a look at your room?" Tony stood up, gesturing toward the stairs.
Before Silas could protest, May interjected, "Of course! Silas, show Mr. Stark upstairs. I'll get lunch started. Mr. Stark, you'll stay for a meal, won't you?"
"I'll have to pass. I need to leave as soon as Peter gets back," Tony declined politely.
"Alright then." May headed for the kitchen.
Tony watched her go and whispered to Silas, "I always imagined your aunt would be an old woman. She's actually quite young."
"Surprising, isn't it?" Silas led Tony up to his room.
Once inside, Tony began inspecting the place. He stopped at the computer desk. "Mmm, nice specs on the PC."
"You're here for a reason," Silas said with a knowing smile.
Tony set down a small gadget he was fiddling with and sat on the bed. "The video. It was you, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Silas admitted straightforwardly.
"Why send it?" Tony was significantly calmer than the night before, showing he had managed to regain his composure.
"Don't you want to know the truth?" Silas countered.
Tony was silent for a moment. "If you hadn't sent it, the truth might have stayed buried forever."
"Are you sure?" Silas looked him in the eye.
Tony understood. Even if Silas hadn't sent it, Steve Rogers—the Winter Soldier's best friend—knew.
"Thank you," Tony said, a rare sincerity in his voice. He hated being kept in the dark, and he hated being lied to. What stung most was that Steve knew Barnes had killed his parents and chose to hide it.
Downstairs
"Hey, Aunt May! There's a really cool sports car parked outside!" Peter burst through the door, sounding exaggeratedly excited. He hadn't been being Spider-Man that morning; instead, he had been on a casual date with Gwen Stacy.
"If you go up to Silas's room, you'll be even more surprised," May said, glancing over her shoulder.
"Upstairs?" Peter looked up, then bolted for the steps.
In the room, Tony and Silas were sitting in silence when Peter pushed the door open.
"Holy mother of—" Peter's jaw dropped. He accidentally let a swear word slip at the sight of Tony Stark.
Tony laughed. "Surprised to see me?"
"No, no... I mean, yes!" Peter shook his head rapidly. He couldn't fathom why Stark was in his house.
"I'll head to the next room," Tony told Silas. Silas nodded and turned on his computer to play games.
Tony put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Come on, let's talk in your room."
"Uh..." Peter shot a desperate, questioning look at Silas. What is happening? Silas ignored him.
In Peter's room, Tony immediately noticed the mess. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and the desk was covered in scraps of technology.
"Honestly, you should take some tips from your brother," Tony said, stepping over a pile of laundry to sit on Peter's bed.
Peter gave an embarrassed laugh. "I've been... busy."
"Busy fighting crime?" Tony leaned out the window to look at the view.
"Mr. Stark, why are you here?" Peter asked, feeling awkward. This was the first time he had faced Tony without his Spider-Man mask.
"You look a lot different without the suit," Tony noted, observing Peter's nervous demeanor.
"Is that a bad thing?" Peter lowered his head.
Tony looked at the ceiling. "Do you keep the suit up there?"
"No, I keep it... somewhere else," Peter said, choosing not to mention the Shadow Kingdom.
After a bit of small talk, Tony got straight to the point. He explained the situation with the Accords and Steve Rogers. "How do you feel about it?"
"Cool!" Peter didn't seem nervous at all; he was vibrating with excitement. He was actually going to go toe-to-toe with the other Avengers.
"Definitely a kid," Tony muttered, seeing that Peter hadn't quite grasped the gravity of the situation.
"Hey! I'm eighteen! I'm an adult!" Peter protested.
"Sure you are, Underoos." Tony handed him a phone. "Here. This has the coordinates. 1:00 PM sharp. Don't be late."
Peter took the phone, looking at the blinking red dot on the screen. "Wait, this phone..." He couldn't believe Stark was so wealthy he'd give out a brand-new iPhone just to deliver an address.
"Keep it," Tony said, walking out without looking back.
"Whoa..." Peter turned the phone over in his hand. "The latest model!"
He rushed back into Silas's room. "Silas!"
"What?" Silas said, rubbing his ear. "Keep it down."
"I'm going to fight the Avengers!" Peter threw a punch at the air, mimicking a boxing move.
"Is that so? Congratulations," Silas said, completely deadpan. Peter was so hyped about joining the fray that he didn't even notice Silas's lack of enthusiasm.
Elsewhere
"Captain!" Scott Lang was shaking Steve Rogers's hand with frantic excitement. He couldn't believe he was actually standing next to his hero.
"Hello. I'm Steve," Rogers said, slightly overwhelmed by the man's energy.
"Should I let go of your hand now, Captain?" Scott asked.
"Probably," Steve smiled.
Sam Wilson stood behind Steve. "He got the better of me once, so I figured he was worth a call."
"It was a fluke!" Scott said modestly, trying to give Sam an out.
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