"Rhodes, since when was I your ntor?" Tony turned to Rhodes with an amused expression.
"Hey, co on! That was just a speech!" Rhodes replied, throwing up his hands. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" He wasn't about to let Tony turn this into another one of his running jokes.
"Oh! This really breaks my heart," Tony said dramatically. "I thought I had more students. Not that I'd accept you anyway."
Steve Rogers still adjusting to modern ways of speaking, wasn't entirely used to Tony's sarcasm. He looked at Tony with a puzzled expression but said nothing.
—
[Just as Obadiah claid that Tony was too obsessed with work and had skipped the awards ceremony, The Screen shifted—revealing Tony Stark at a casino, happily gambling.]
[Behind him stood Happy Hogan, his driver and personal security, while two beautiful won clung to his sides. As Tony flirted with them, Rhodes suddenly appeared next to him.]
[Rhodes shot Tony a look, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You are amazing! No one else would do things like you! You are amazing!"]
[Seeing Rhodes' displeased expression, Tony imdiately put on an innocent face. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"]
["They told that you'd be honored if I were to present the award!" Rhodes said, forcing a smile.]
["Of course I'm honored! Because it's you!" Tony replied in a mock-serious tone. "So, when do I get the award?"]
["Right now! Please accept it!" Rhodes deadpanned, holding up the trophy and shoving it toward Tony.]
["This… this is too easy! I'm so sorry!" Tony feigned remorse, apologizing again with a completely unserious expression.]
["Forget it, it's fine," Rhodes sighed. He knew Tony disliked formal events, but that didn't stop him from being annoyed about almost losing face in front of the military brass.]
[Then, in true Tony fashion, he casually handed the prestigious trophy to the beautiful woman next to him.]
["Okay, watch closely! This is really… really special! You've never seen anything like it!" Tony grinned, ready to roll the dice. He asked the woman to blow on them for luck, then turned to Rhodes. "Your turn!"]
[Rhodes swatted Tony's hand away. "Not happening."]
[Tony tossed the dice anyway. "Alright! Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes rolled the dice! Look!"]
[The result? A asly two points.]
[Rhodes smirked. "That's just sad."]
["Victory and defeat are common in war!" Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "Even with your help!"]
[Then, the two left the casino. On his way out, Tony casually tossed the trophy to a random staff mber.]
—
"It looks like he doesn't care about the award at all," First Gen Uncle Ben comnted, watching Tony discard the trophy like it was nothing.
"Yeah," First-Generation Spider-Man nodded. Is this what it ans to be a billionaire? He never imagined there were people who would treat an award—sothing others worked their whole lives for—so lightly.
"You better not learn from him, Peter!" Aunt May warned, holding First-Gen Spider-Man's hand. "As a man, you must never forget your roots!"
"I understand, Aunt May," First-Gen Spider-Man assured her. He knew better than anyone that his success had nothing to do with his powers. His greatest strength was his heart—that was what made people truly admire him.
—
[As Tony approached his luxury car, surrounded by bodyguards, a woman's voice suddenly called out.]
["Mr. Stark!!!"]
["Excuse , Mr. Stark! Christine Everhart! From Vanity Fair! Can I ask you a few questions?"]
[Happy leaned in and whispered, Should we ignore her?]
["Let her ask!" Tony turned, flashing a grin at the reporter. "Hi! Yeah! Sure! Ask away!"]
["You've been called the modern Da Vinci! What do you think about that?"]
["That's ridiculous. I can't even draw," Tony replied flatly.]
["Then how about another nickna? 'The Bringer of Death'!"]
["Oh, that one's reliable!" Tony nodded, unfazed. Then, he asked, "Did you graduate from UC Berkeley?"]
["Brown University." Christine corrected.]
["Okay! Miss Brown!" Tony smirked. "Look, this world isn't perfect, and we don't have a choice! The day we no longer need weapons to defend peace is the day I'll start making building materials for children's hospitals!"]
[Christine wasn't buying it. She saw through Tony's rehearsed response imdiately. "You practiced that in front of a mirror, didn't you?"]
["Every night before bed."]
["I can tell."]
["You're welco to watch soti!" Tony grinned.]
[Christine didn't directly refuse. Instead, she smirked. "Only if you answer my questions seriously."]
["Of course! My dad always said, 'Peace is only achievable when your stick is bigger than everyone else's.'"]
[Tony folded his arms confidently.]
["What a profound philosophy!" Christine shot back sarcastically. "Spoken like a true arms dealer."]
[Tony's smirk disappeared. He didn't particularly like his father, but he also wouldn't let anyone insult him so easily.]
["My dad helped defeat the Nazis. He contributed a lot. Many—including professors at your university—consider him a hero."]
["And many others call him a warmonger," Christine countered, unfazed.]
[Tony removed his sunglasses and locked eyes with her. "Tell , are you interested in writing about our breakthroughs in dical technology? Or maybe how we've prevented famine with smart crops?"]
["Because, whether you like it or not, all these advances were made possible through military funding."]
[His expression was serious now. Dead serious.]
["Wow," Christine muttered. "Don't you ever have trouble sleeping?"]
["Depends on who I'm with," Tony said casually.]
[The next second, the two were tangled in bed sheets.]
[Christine Everhart, once mocking Tony Stark, was now rolling around with him. She climbed on top, taking control. Tony tried to flip her over, but they both ended up tumbling off the bed.]
—
"Whoa! That escalated quickly!" Second-Gen Spider-Man whistled, shaking his head. "Was that… normal back in the day, Harry?"
Second-Gen Harry was caught off guard by the sudden question. After a brief pause, he answered, "Uh… no! I an, it's happened before, but not this fast."
Second-Gen Spider-Man raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Really?"
"Yeah! Really!" Harry insisted, exasperated.
—
"Oh man, Tony's love life…" Rhodes chuckled, shaking his head.
The people around him couldn't help but laugh. Everyone knew Tony was a playboy, but seeing it play out like this made it hit differently.
Tony simply shrugged. "Don't be jealous! Not everyone gets to be the target of a beautiful woman's affection!"
What he didn't realize, however, was that Pepper was watching this scene very closely—her eyes narrowed dangerously. If the pen in her hand wasn't made of steel, it probably would've snapped in half.
Christine Everhart, anwhile, looked increasingly uncomfortable. She had initially hoped this encounter would boost her career—but now, seeing it play out in front of the entire world, she realized…
She had lost more than she gained.
She sighed. So things, once done, can never be undone.
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