"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE??" I asked while pointing at all three of them.
"That's rude," Tony said.
"There are criminals here, I can feel it," Moonie said.
"Oh hi Peter!" Bruce said.
"...alright, why do all of you know what my school is hosting?"
"News," Bruce said.
"I was just passing by," Moonie said.
"Why don't I know?" Tony said.
...Are they answering honestly or just making excuses?
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Stark, since when did Haw—Lila become an Avenger? I don't remember you saying anything beyond her helping us."
"Oh silly Peter, even if she's not an Avenger doesn't mean she can't be a bodyguard. She's strong enough to hold off enemies and buy me time to suit up or run away," Tony smirked, kicking the head of the guy carrying the stone bench he was sitting on.
Uh... You're acting no different from a villain right now.
"Besides, I came here for a reason too," Tony said, then looked in one direction.
That was where the mutants were gathering.
"The government tasked me with watching over them, and I turned it into a relaxation session," Tony grinned, snatching someone else's snack and eating it happily.
"..." I scratched my head and looked at Moonie.
"What?"
"Which personality are you right now?"
"Marc Spector."
"Oh..."
"Hey, what's with that 'Oh'? Not happy I'm here?"
I turned to Bruce, who was pretty chill sipping his coffee.
...Are they really here to relax? Phew, I thought there was actually some criminal here. (Moonie: Oi.)
"Oh, well then... I'm leaving—"
"Wait," Tony's voice rang out.
"...?"
He immediately attached something to my shirt.
"What's this?"
"A camera. I wanna see your face when you lose, GAHAHA!"
"What?!"
Ughhh... Whatever.
"Peter! So you're here? I've been looking everywhere—" Gwen walked up.
She stopped, looking at the four of them.
"Oh... It's you guys."
"Why does everyone act like we're not welcome? We didn't do anything?" Tony propped his feet on the head of the guy carrying the stone bench.
Oh I wonder why? Why don't you ask your personality?
"Peter, I won't complain about you being a hero... But stay away from these guys. I don't want you turning into the arrogant type like them," Gwen whispered to me.
"I heard that," Tony said.
"OH, WAS THAT QUIET ENOUGH?!"
"Ouch woman, you trying to deafen me?"
"I'm telling you—don't hang out with them too much! If something happens and you need help, they won't come anyway! Avengers? More like Avengo kill yourself!" Gwen tried to convince me.
Why is she suddenly being so logical today?
[Her brain is still normal, right?]
'I didn't ask you.'
"Uh, Mr. Stark, if someone chops off my arm, would you save me?"
"Nah. Too lazy."
"See, Gwen? He doesn't not want to save me—he's just lazy."
[How the fuck did you come up with that?]
Gwen shuddered and glared at Tony Stark, who was smoking and flicking ash into a kid's face.
"Peter! You've been brainwashed! I really need to drag you out of this hero business!"
"Uh, thanks—if you don't need to yell it for everyone to hear."
Hearing that, Gwen looked around.
Everyone was staring at them.
"What are you looking at? I'll blow up the whole school right now," Tony said, making everyone scramble away.
"See? He does care about me."
"HE JUST THREATENED TO BLOW UP THE SCHOOL!!"
Why did the roles suddenly reverse? Gwen being Peter and Peter being Gwen?
"Oh right, Mr. Stark, I have something to report," I raised my hand, making Gwen angry for being ignored.
"Speak, kid," Tony took another drag and flicked the cigarette into another child's eye, making them scream.
"One of the students from my school just went missing—the girl you met the other day when you took her dad."
"Oh... So?"
"Do you have any way to find her?"
Tony thought for a moment.
"I could... But why? What do we gain from saving her?"
"Uh... She's my friend?"
"And?"
"Uh... She's... kind?"
"..." Tony stared at me for a long time, then sighed.
"Kid, you know, being a hero is tough and stressful—and having to talk to people like you makes me feel like a noose would be my salvation. Fine, I'll look for her later. No complaints if I don't find her, got it?"
"Ok!" I smiled and looked at everyone.
This time, everyone was stunned.
Even some nearby mutants—who wanted nothing to do with Tony Stark—froze when they heard him say something unbelievable.
Not because Tony Stark decided to save someone... though that was kind of hard to believe since he never proactively saved anyone during his downtime.
The issue was that he... actually listened to the kid and actually did it. It was extremely hard to believe if you knew Tony Stark's personality.
Were they really that close?
"Uh... Since when did the boss and Peter get so close?" Bruce asked, looking confused.
"Not your turn to ask. Go away and let me rest," Tony put on sunglasses and stretched out to relax.
'We're all extremely curious!!' everyone thought silently.
"Alright, thanks Mr. Stark! Gwen, let's go!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!"
And so Gwen and I left, leaving the Avengers behind.
"...I thought you'd refuse outright? Your personality is basically a villain that needs to be taken down," Marc said.
"What's that supposed to mean? Trying to kill me?"
"Yeah, you're not exactly a saint."
"Heh, adding you to the team was the right call. Now go, let me see if the kid's joining the second sport."
And so the group dispersed, leaving Tony Stark chilling while the guys carrying his stone bench were sweating buckets.
[Bae, is this what people call Character Development?] The AI's emotionless voice rang out.
"Ugh... What now?" Tony started getting annoyed that everyone was asking.
[You don't know? Character Development is when a naive guy gradually becomes more mature and grown-up—just like you, going from hating people to helping a young kid.]
"Shut up, you're talking too much. Helping someone doesn't mean I've changed. Always meddling."
[...Tsundere]
"Shut up."