Hearing that familiar voice, both of them turned their heads to look behind them.
"Nick Fury, you came to Tony Stark's party too?" Magneto asked with a smile when he saw who it was.
Nick Fury was just about to speak when the woman standing beside Magneto began to shift her form. In moments, she transformed into an exact replica of Nick Fury—down to the clothing and facial features.
Nick Fury gave her a cold look and said, "Mystique, if you ever transform into me again, I guarantee it will be the last time you shapeshift."
Mystique, feeling threatened, was about to attack Nick Fury, but Magneto raised his hand to stop her. The two of them slowly lifted off the ground and began to fly away.
"Nick Fury, we will meet again," Magneto called out.
"No, I'd rather not see you two at all," Fury shouted back, watching as they flew away, disappearing from his sight.
Up in the sky, Mystique glanced at Magneto, "Why didn't you let me kill him? If he dies, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be thrown into chaos. It would only benefit us."
Magneto looked at the naive Mystique and replied, "If Nick Fury were that easy to kill, he wouldn't be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"But he was alone just now!" Mystique protested.
"No, he had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s weapons with him."
Back on the rooftop, Nick Fury pressed a button on his earpiece. "Hill, you can stand down all the weapons now. Being aimed at by your own people isn't pleasant."
On the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, all the weapon systems had been locked onto one location. After receiving Fury's command, Hill ordered all weapons to stand down.
"Sir, it's over. But next time, this is too dangerous. Magneto is not someone to be taken lightly."
"He's afraid of dying too," Fury said as he stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking towards the brightly lit party before turning to leave.
In his earpiece, Hill's voice continued, "Sir, JARVIS has already hacked in. We can access Tony's home directly."
"Good, let's wait for him there. Parties aren't my thing."
Back at the party, the guests were unaware that they had just narrowly escaped a deadly situation. As the music ended, the party was winding down.
Alan held Gwen's hand as they returned to the bar, each taking a sip of their drinks.
"Alan, it's getting late. I think I should head home," Gwen said.
Alan glanced at the time. Indeed, by now, George was probably heading home as well.
"Alright, let me take you home," Alan offered.
Gwen nodded, but she looked longingly at her dress. "Before we go, shouldn't we return this to Happy?"
"What are you talking about? This dress is yours now. I've already had your clothes from the store sent to your house," Alan replied. "You should wear this home tonight."
Gwen beamed with joy, "Really? But it's so expensive."
"But it's worth it. You look like an angel tonight," Alan said.
"So, in the future, would you prefer to call me Spider-Woman or Angel-Woman?" Gwen asked, getting closer to Alan, her face lifted as she looked seriously into his eyes.
The alcohol seemed to be taking effect, making her bolder in front of the crowd.
Alan was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Gwen to be so daring under the influence of alcohol.
But how should he answer? Spider-Woman or Angel-Woman? Aren't they both her?
In that moment, Alan regretted not having learned more romantic lines. He suddenly understood the phrase, "When the time comes, you'll regret not having studied more."
Seeing Alan's confused expression, Gwen didn't get angry. Instead, she found it endearing, enjoying how flustered he was. It was the first time she'd seen him like this, and she liked it.
"You can take your time thinking about it, my boy," Gwen said with a smile.
Alan smiled back, "Alright, my girl."
The alcohol, the music, the atmosphere—it all came together perfectly.
They gazed into each other's eyes, seeing their reflections in one another.
In the next moment...
A gentle kiss.
This beautiful moment was naturally witnessed by countless guests around them. Pepper Potts looked at Alan and Gwen, then glanced at Tony beside her.
Suddenly, the fact that Tony had invited her to dance in front of everyone tonight didn't seem all that special anymore.
The other women at the party, seeing Gwen, also felt a pang of envy. As women, they could deeply sense the genuine emotions being exchanged between Alan and Gwen.
Professor X and Jean Grey, observing Alan, both sensed the deep and sincere bond between Alan and Gwen through their telepathic connection.
"It seems that this girl is very important to Alan," Professor X murmured quietly.
On the other side of the room, Rhodey, who was flirting with someone, saw what was happening. For some reason, he suddenly started clapping and cheering, "Woohoo~~~"
Instantly, all eyes in the room turned toward him. But Rhodey didn't seem to notice. Being a soldier who usually hangs out in rough places, his instinct was to cheer in situations like this. He didn't realize that this was a moment that called for silence.
Standing next to him, Yinsen discreetly stepped a few feet away, as if to say, "I don't know this guy."
Gwen, who had been so caught up in the moment that she forgot about everyone around her, was jolted back to reality by Rhodey's clapping and cheering. The alcohol in her system seemed to evaporate instantly, and she quickly turned away from Alan, stepping out of his embrace.
Alan was also irritated.
Damn War Machine! Next time you wear Tony's armor, I'm going to beat you up, and I won't hold back.
Gwen then realized that everyone else had stopped what they were doing and was now watching them. That meant everyone had just seen her kissing Alan...
Gwen's face turned bright red, like an apple, and she felt her cheeks burning.
"... Alan, let's go home quickly," she stammered.
Alan chuckled. After being teased by Gwen earlier, it seemed like he had finally regained the upper hand. "Isn't it a bit too soon to leave...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Gwen grabbed his hand and started running towards the door, pulling him along with surprising strength. It was then that Alan remembered just how strong Gwen had become.
From behind, Rhodey added, "Don't worry, we didn't see anything."
Gwen's face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Tony and Pepper walked up to Rhodey.
"Hey, Tony, Pepper. That young couple was pretty amusing, huh?" Rhodey said, completely oblivious.
Pepper rolled her eyes. Was this guy really that clueless?
Tony, being more direct, said, "Now I understand why you've been single for so many years."
This remark was overheard by many around them, who all turned to look at Rhodey with amused expressions.
Who would've thought... Is he really that inexperienced?
Even Pepper looked at Rhodey in disbelief.
Feeling embarrassed, Rhodey quickly tried to change the subject. "Music!" he shouted.
The DJ hadn't reacted yet when Rhodey took over the controls and randomly selected a song, turning the volume up to the maximum. Then he grabbed Tony and led him towards a quieter area.
At Gwen's doorstep.
Alan helped Gwen out of the taxi.
"We're here, Gwen. See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, bye. See you tomorrow."
With that, Gwen quickly ran into her house. Sitting in the car earlier, the more she thought about what she had done at the party, the more embarrassed she became. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in. It was so mortifying.
Watching Gwen run into her house, Alan thought for a moment, "Hmm... I really need to find a bigger place."
"And maybe a nice car too."
Alan pulled out his phone. "Red Queen, order me an Audi R8."
"Yes, Master."
"By the way, did you find the house I asked for?"
"Of course. The floor plans and designs have been uploaded to your computer."
Alan smiled, "Go ahead and handle it. The main thing is to make sure all your functions are fully utilized."
At this point, living arrangements are just about size and scenery. Alan had already given the Red Queen specific requirements, but the key was ensuring she could operate like JARVIS. Otherwise, it would be a waste for an AI like her to be confined to a phone or an old laptop.
"Alright, let's go home."
Meanwhile, Gwen had just arrived home. Leaning against the door, she couldn't stop touching her face, which was still warm from the lingering heat.
Just then, George, who had heard her come in, walked out. "Gwen, you're back?"
Clang!
The coffee cup in George's hand dropped to the floor.
"Oh my God, you really look like an angel."
Seeing Gwen in her evening gown, George didn't hold back his praise. Although Gwen had worn evening dresses to various school events before, nothing she'd worn in the past could compare to the elegance and quality of the dress she had on now.
George, being a father who adored his daughter, was already contemplating throwing out all the other evening dresses in her wardrobe. From now on, she could just wear this one.
Hearing the commotion, Gwen's mom also came out... but when she saw Gwen, she was so surprised that she accidentally dropped the object in her hand, which landed squarely on George's foot.
"Ah!"
George yelped in pain.
Gwen quickly snapped back to reality. "Dad!"
"No, don't come over!" George immediately raised his hand to stop his wife from rushing to him.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Gwen asked, hastily checking herself to make sure she hadn't scared George.
George quickly pointed to the floor. "There's coffee on the floor. Don't get your dress dirty."
At the dinner table.
Gwen had already taken a bath and changed back into her usual pajamas. The evening gown was now carefully hung up on a hanger by George himself.
Gwen had just finished telling her parents about how Alan had bought shares in Stark Industries and received an invitation to the party.
However, even Gwen didn't fully grasp the sheer amount of wealth Alan now controlled with his Stark Industries stock. Naturally, the dress was something Alan had picked out from a clothing store.
Of course, Gwen left out the most exciting parts of the evening. If George knew, he might storm out right then and there to find Alan. After all, doting on his daughter was more than just talk.
In the eyes of any loving father, all young men close to their daughters are enemies.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to personally take this dress to the best dry cleaner in city," George said as he sat down at the table. The more he looked at the dress, the more perfect it seemed. Especially when Gwen wore it—it was even more perfect.
Gwen quickly responded, "Dad, I'll take it myself."
George waved his hand. "I'll take care of it. I'll even use my director's title, so they'll clean it extra carefully."
Gwen and her mom both froze.
Didn't you say you wouldn't use your position to pressure people?
"Gwen, you must be tired after a long night. Go get some rest."
"Alright, I have things to do tomorrow."
After saying goodnight, Gwen headed upstairs to her room. Her mom looked at George, then glanced at the evening dress again.
As she stood up to head to their bedroom, she muttered to herself, "How can the difference in taste be so big?"
George: "???"
Lying in bed, Gwen closed her eyes, but all she could see was the scene of kissing Alan.
"Don't think about it! Don't think about it!"
Gwen pulled the blanket over her head, but eventually peeked out to look at her phone. "Red Queen, is Alan home yet?"
The Red Queen, awakened by the command, replied, "Yes, the master is taking a bath. Would you like me to call him for you?"
Hearing he was in the bath...
Gwen's mind immediately flashed back to Alan's physique when he was on the treadmill...
"No, that's okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Red Queen!"
"Goodnight, Miss Gwen."
At Alan's house.
Alan had just finished his bath and checked the time. He walked into his room and looked at the Pokémon egg, noticing that a couple of tiny cracks had already appeared on the shell.
According to his calculations, it should successfully hatch the day after tomorrow.
Since his hair wasn't fully dry yet, Alan walked out to the balcony to let the wind dry it. While he was out there, he noticed a few shadowy figures downstairs, sneaking glances upward.
"Still haven't given up, S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
With just a glance, Alan lost interest. Once his hair was almost dry, he sat down on his yoga mat to continue practicing his powers.
Meanwhile, downstairs.
A small-time thug was hiding in the shadows, surrounded by a few others like him. As they watched the lights go out in Alan's house, one of them made a small signal. The others nodded in understanding before they all quietly withdrew from the area.
In a dark, small room somewhere.
The sound of punches and kicks echoed throughout the space.
One of the thugs who had been watching Alan's building earlier lightly knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
The thug entered to find a middle-aged man, battered and bruised, sitting there. At another table, a burly man covered in tattoos was counting money.
"Dammit, if you'd handed over the money earlier, you wouldn't have had to get beaten up."
"What's the situation with the guy Alan, Kingpin told us to watch?"
...
*P.S.: To answer some questions—Why didn't the protagonist tell Gwen? Because he's keeping it hidden, quietly helping from behind, which adds to the nurturing aspect.
As for the Pokémon inside the egg, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.
Alright, back to sleep!!!