"Peter, Peter! Come here and tell me—do I look okay in this?"
The Parker household was unusually noisy this morning. Aunt May was yelling from her room.
Peter yawned, a little helpless, and made his way over.
In front of the full-length mirror stood a voluptuous Italian woman, striking poses with exaggerated flair. Her skin was fair and smooth like a peach—one could almost imagine squeezing it and seeing juice drip out.
Okay, maybe not the best way to describe his beloved aunt, but honestly, that was the first thought that popped into Peter's head when he saw her.
"Aunt May," Peter sighed, "I told you, it's just Tony Stark. You don't need to go all out like this."
"Just Tony Stark?" Aunt May's voice jumped several octaves as she turned to him in disbelief. "That's not what you said yesterday! You looked like you were about to bounce off the walls. And don't think I didn't hear you tossing and turning all night!"
"Uh…" Peter was at a loss for words.
She wasn't wrong. If this had been the old Peter, the idea of a visit from Iron Man himself would've had him bouncing off the walls for real.
This was Tony Stark, after all— Genius. Billionaire. Iron Man. Avenger. The kind of man who seemed plucked straight out of a comic book, all bright lights and shining armor.
And Peter? Just an average kid from a middle-class family, not particularly popular at school.
A prince visiting a peasant—it was only natural for the peasant to be excited.
But after last night's strange fusion with Shadow Spider-Man, Peter had changed. Not just physically—he felt sharper, stronger—but mentally, too. He'd gained knowledge, perspective… and a quiet, growing skepticism toward capitalists like Stark.
With Shadow Spider-Man's logic and deductive reasoning now part of his mind, Peter was 95% sure that Tony Stark had discovered his powers and that's exactly why he was coming today.
In fact, he'd already pieced together much of what might be going on.
A month ago, the Sokovia Incident had rocked the world. The Avengers had narrowly stopped Ultron's doomsday plan. But despite that, rumors spread online claiming that Ultron had been Stark's creation in the first place.
Sokovia's fall, the millions displaced, the countless deaths and destroyed homes—many saw these as Stark's doing.
Sure, Stark Industries had paid generously for recovery efforts. They built shelters, deployed medical teams, even provided free pharmaceuticals developed by their own labs.
But no amount of charity could erase the blame.
In the past, Peter had fervently defended Iron Man online, getting into heated debates with people who attacked him.
But now? Now he wasn't so sure they were wrong.
Of course, not all of these critics were acting out of genuine concern. Some were clearly fishing for attention, clicks, or using it as an excuse to attack Stark and his empire.
Some even called for Stark to open-source his tech for "public safety," a move Peter saw as dangerous. Those technologies would just be snatched up by opportunists and hoarded for selfish gain.
Thankfully, Tony Stark wasn't dumb enough to fall for that.
Then came clue number two.
A few weeks back, in a place called Lagos, the Avengers' attempt to stop terrorists led to the destruction of a building and civilian casualties.
Public panic soared.
Not long after, at Vienna's LHG Building, a summit was held to draft the Sokovia Accords—an agreement to limit the Avengers' freedom of action. They would only operate when deemed necessary by official channels.
But disaster struck again. The day the accords were signed, terrorists bombed the LHG Building. Twelve people were killed, including King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Over seventy more were injured.
The government blamed James "Bucky" Barnes, the infamous Hydra assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
But conspiracy theorists weren't buying it. They suggested the attack was retaliation by rogue Avengers unwilling to sign the accords.
Old connections were dug up—Captain America and Bucky had been close friends since World War II. Everyone knew that.
And interestingly enough, Cap was absent the day the accords were signed.
He had a motive.
For Peter, it all added up. What had started as a theory now had proof: yesterday, a video surfaced of Captain America, Bucky, and a man in black armor brawling in the streets of Germany.
Captain America was now a criminal.
The internet exploded with anti-Avenger sentiment, especially toward Cap, who went from national icon to public enemy overnight.
Which brings us back to today.
Peter had narrowed it down to two possibilities for Tony Stark's visit:
One: Stark found out about Peter's powers and wanted him to sign the Sokovia Accords—basically put him on a leash.
Two: On top of that, with Captain America gone rogue, Stark needed new allies to hold the line—and Peter was on his list.
Peter mulled it over.
If that were the case… what should he do?
"Hey, Peter? Earth to Peter?" Aunt May waved a hand in front of his face.
Snapping out of it, Peter smiled. "You look amazing, Aunt May."
"Really? I thought so too!"
—End of chapter—
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