"Happy! How could you just hang up on someone? Especially when they mentioned Peter's name!" Pepper scolded, glaring at Happy as he focused on driving.
"I'm sorry!" Happy immediately apologized. "I won't hang up on people so casually again, I promise." Only then did Pepper let it slide.
"Happy, this is bad—Peter needs you," Tony said, taking a sip of wine. However, he didn't press the issue further. After all, Peter had lost his Stark-designed suit, leaving him with only his homemade one.
It made sense that Happy wouldn't take Ned seriously—after all, the call hadn't come from Spider-Man himself, but from some random high schooler.
Meanwhile, Aunt May sighed as she watched Spider-Man struggle with the car's controls. She turned to young Peter Parker. "Do you want to learn how to drive? I can teach you the basics."
"Yes! That'd be great!" Little Peter cheered. He didn't want to end up like his older self, fumbling around not even knowing where the headlights were. That was just embarrassing!
Natasha smirked from the side. "Count me in. I can also teach you how to fly a fighter jet."
"Really?!" Little Peter's eyes widened in excitement. Without hesitation, he hugged Natasha's waist. "Thank you! This is amazing! A fighter jet—so cool!"
—
[Spider-Man, still struggling behind the wheel, shouted, "Hey! Ned! Did you find the headlights?"]
[Ned, flipping through the car manual, finally found the answer. "Uh... the knob on the left side of the steering wheel! Turn it clockwise!"]
["Left! Got it!" Spider-Man twisted the knob, and the headlights flicked on. "Okay! Perfect! Where's my phone now?"]
["He just stopped at an old industrial park in Brooklyn!" Ned updated him, tracking the signal.]
["What? That doesn't make sense! I thought he was planning to leave the city!"]
["Weird, right? Oh! I contacted Mr. Happy! Uh… it seems like he doesn't like you very much," Ned added. "He said he's catching a flight. Taking off in nine minutes! He's surrounded by boxes."]
["Wait—boxes?"] Spider-Man suddenly froze as realization hit him. "Wait, wait, wait! Today is Moving Day! He's planning to rob the plane! I have to stop him!"]
[Without hesitation, he floored the gas pedal, speeding towards the location Ned had given him.]
—
[Meanwhile, at the Stark Industries facility, Happy was making final preparations. "Alright, takeoff in eight minutes!"]
[He walked through the cargo area, checking the manifest. "We've got Tony's old Hulkbuster armor, Steve Rogers's new shield prototype, and the magic… magic… magic… Thor's magic belt!"]
Wanda glanced at Steve Rogers. "Cap, looks like Tony's made you a new shield."
Steve nodded slightly but remained silent.
Bruce raised an eyebrow at Tony. "The old Hulkbuster armor? Then there is a new model. I'd love to get a look at that—so I don't have to fumble around in the old one."
Tony laughed it off awkwardly before nodding. "Yeah, yeah… we'll see."
At the same time, his curiosity piqued. Thor's magic belt? He made a mental note to ask Thor about it later.
—
[As Spider-Man neared the industrial park, Ned warned, "Okay! Slow down! You're getting close! On your right! Turn right! Turn right!"]
[But Peter had no time to brake. He shot out a web to force the car into the turn, but the maneuver went horribly wrong—the car slammed into the roadside railing, flipped over, and skidded along the pavement before coming to a stop.]
[When it finally landed, the side that had scraped against the ground was completely totaled. If Flash saw what had happened to his car, he'd probably faint on the spot.]
["Peter? Are you okay?" Ned asked, worried after hearing the crash.]
["I'm fine! Just keep trying to contact Happy!" Spider-Man groaned as he climbed out of the wrecked vehicle and sprinted toward the factory.]
[Ned grinned. "My pleasure, Spider-Man!" But before he could continue working, the classroom lights suddenly turned on. He looked up to see a teacher staring at him in confusion. "What are you doing here? The dance is downstairs!"]
[Ned froze. He hesitated for a few seconds, his brain scrambling for an excuse. Then, sacrificing himself to protect Peter's secret, he blurted out—]
["Uh... I'm watching… porn!"]
—
"Oh my god!"
"NED! What a true bro!"
"This excuse is absolutely flawless!"
"Hahahaha! The teacher probably had no choice but to believe him!"
The audience watching the broadcast erupted into laughter.
Even Tony had to admit, "I didn't know this little guy had it in him. Gotta say, he's a damn good sidekick."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! That's not an excuse most people could come up with so fast!" Rhodey chuckled, shaking his head.
"I'm starting to like this kid," Tony mused. "Maybe we should keep him as Peter's classmate a little longer."
"Sounds like a plan! But you'd have to get his parents' permission first," Banner pointed out.
"Eh, leave it to me," Tony shrugged. "Ned's got potential. And once his parents realize what kind of world he's stumbled into, they'll probably agree that he needs protection. I'll make sure he sticks around—and maybe even train him to be Peter's assistant."
—
[Back at the factory, Spider-Man carefully lowered himself through the skylight, using his web to hang in place. He scanned the area—empty. No signs of Toomes. Yet.]
[His eyes landed on several computer monitors, still active. The screens displayed surveillance footage of Stark Tower.]
[Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something—Toomes' mechanical wings, lying in wait.]
[Spider-Man swung across the factory, searching for any trace of Toomes. Then, in the distance, he finally saw him.]
["Hey! Surprise! "Peter called out.]
[Toomes, completely unfazed by his presence, greeted him in a calm tone. "Oh! Hey, Peter. Didn't even hear you come in."]
[Peter stepped forward, standing tall. "It's over! I got you!"]
[Toomes, still nonchalant, slipped on his coat. "You know, Peter… I really, really admire your guts. I can see why Liz likes you."]
["Honestly, when you first showed up at my house, I wasn't sure what to think. I was wondering, 'Him?' But now? Now I understand."]
[Peter narrowed his eyes. "How could you do this to her?"]
[Toomes looked genuinely confused. "To her? I didn't do anything to her, Peter. I did this for her."]
[Peter scoffed. "Yeah, sure."]
[In the blink of an eye, he fired a web, sticking Toomes' left hand to the table.]
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