"I lost."
Inside a luxurious mansion on Long Island, New York—
Peter stared at the glass in his hand before downing the contents in one go.
"Men losing to women? That's completely normal," Tony said casually from the side. "You're still young. Plenty more losses waiting for you in the future."
After dealing with Ivan Vanko's incident, Tony had rushed back to the United States at top speed—for the sake of his own life.
And when he arrived at Peter's new residence—
He found the same guy who had been dominating the world just hours ago…
Sitting there, drinking like he'd lost everything.
"You? Saying something like that?" Peter scoffed. "A guy who's never been tied down by any woman?"
He tossed the empty glass aside.
Alcohol did nothing to him now—his accelerated metabolism burned it away instantly.
"Hey, I wasn't always like this," Tony shrugged. "And besides… I am tied down now, aren't I?"
Peter gave him a sideways look.
"I'd actually love to know—what woman managed to hurt the great Tony Stark?"
It didn't fit.
A man who changed partners every week… getting hurt emotionally?
Hard to believe.
Tony coughed lightly.
"Ancient history. No need to dig it up." He waved it off before shifting topics. "You, on the other hand—don't overthink it. Life's long. No need to get hung up over one woman."
Peter stared at him for a second—
Then let out a dismissive snort.
"Don't compare me to you," he said flatly. "Who said anything about heartbreak?"
He leaned back, expression complicated.
"Gwen accepted Felicia."
Tony froze.
"…What?"
"But that's not the point," Peter continued. "What got me… was that moment she cried."
He paused, his voice quieter.
"In that instant, it felt like every defense I had just… disappeared."
"Like I turned into a kid—completely at her mercy."
He didn't mention the conditions he had agreed to.
Better to keep those buried.
Tony stared at him for a long moment.
Then—
"Damn… kids these days really know how to play."
Peter rolled his eyes.
"No. You're just old and can't keep up anymore."
He smirked.
"Why don't you suggest something like that to Pepper? Assuming your back can handle it."
"My back is perfectly fine, thank you," Tony shot back.
…Though a second later, he subtly pressed a hand against his lower back.
Now that Peter had mentioned it—
Yeah.
It was a little sore.
Pepper, who had always seemed so composed and reserved, had apparently been holding back for years.
And now that she wasn't—
Well.
Tony was discovering limits he hadn't known he had.
He cleared his throat.
"Alright, enough nonsense. When's my serum ready?"
"Where's your blood sample?" Peter countered.
Tony handed over a vial.
Peter barely glanced at it before slipping it into his pocket.
"Give it about three days," he said. "Right now, the serum can't be mass-produced in a universal format. It has to be customized based on individual genetics."
Tony nodded.
That much, he had expected.
"Here."
He tossed over a document.
"The share transfer agreement I promised. Take a look. If everything's fine, Pepper will come to Umbrella in a couple of days to finalize it."
To his credit—
Tony honored his bets.
After confirming Ivan Vanko's background—mainly through a call with Nick Fury—and verifying that Peter had nothing to do with it, he accepted the loss without hesitation.
Ten percent of Stark Industries.
Painful—
But manageable.
He still held over fifty percent.
Absolute control remained his.
As for the Arc Reactor technology?
He'd "teach" it.
Whether Peter understood it or not—
That was another matter entirely.
-----
Meanwhile—
Far away, in a small town in New Mexico—
A massive column of rainbow-colored light pierced the sky, stretching from earth to the heavens.
A man with a slightly receding hairline raised his phone, his expression tense.
"Sir, we can't hold them off! We need backup!"
Inside the Triskelion, Nick Fury rested his chin on his hands, looking as calm as ever.
"Calm down, Coulson," he said evenly. "Tell me what's happening over there."
…
On the other end—
Coulson exploded.
"Calm down?! Calm my ass! Just send backup already! If you want to know what's happening, look at the damn feed yourself!"
The transmission switched to live visuals.
Fury watched.
For a few seconds.
Then—
He cleared his throat.
"…Alright. I'll get someone over there. Just… try to hold on."
But he knew the truth.
The world had been in chaos lately.
Ever since the White House attack half a year ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been on maximum alert.
Every region was short on manpower.
There was no one to send.
"…Damn it," Fury muttered under his breath.
Then he straightened.
"Maria, prep a jet. I'm heading to New York."
"And get me Tony Stark on the line."
Stark might not be enough—
But right now—
He didn't have better options.
Relying entirely on mutants?
Even Fury wasn't that desperate.
"Damn it… this is a mess."
--------------
T/N:
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