Whether Peter Parker's spring had sprung, Ronan couldn't say.
But one thing he'd bet on? Peter was smitten.
He didn't spill much in front of Gwen Stacy, but once he hit Stark Tower and his desk, he peeked at
Cindy Moon's pic on the class chat app.
Hm, not bad—blank face, icy vibe.
Still, a solid match for Peter Parker.
Only glitch? Ronan's memory had zero trace of a Cindy Moon.
A movie universe nobody?
Or just a random transfer kid who clicked with Peter out of nowhere?
Puzzled, Ronan fired up the app and shot Martha a message.
He was in for tomorrow's book club.
One, he'd promised Peter he'd tag along.
Two, he wanted a closer look at this Cindy Moon.
New classmate—welcoming her was normal, right?
As he mulled over what book to bring, a jet's roar rumbled outside.
Ronan glanced out.
A quinjet hovered at the top floor.
Avengers' ride—guess the crew was back.
Good news: they nabbed Loki's scepter, aka the Mind Stone's ride.
Bad news: Ronan's slacking time was toast.
"Mr. Ronan, Mr. Stark's waiting upstairs."
"He'd like you to come up and chat."
Sure enough, his computer froze mid-game, and a video window popped up.
Tony Stark's mug filled the screen.
"Hey, Ro—uh, Fantastic Mister, we brought this back."
"Think you should take a look."
Tony pointed at the scepter under scan, winking.
Only he and Steve Rogers knew the full Infinity Stone scoop.
And they weren't spilling that "bad news" to the rest.
Ronan rolled his eyes.
Annoyed Tony wrecked his gaming, sure—but he *did* want to see the legendary Mind Stone.
Three stones down, three to go.
This was Earth's last Infinity Stone in play.
So, with a flick, a Sling Ring portal swallowed him.
Next thing, he's up top—Tony Stark's at a table, dissecting the scepter with Jarvis.
"What, still curious about this thing?"
Ronan gave his wheeled chair a nudge, sliding to the table.
A light tap, a half-spin, and he's facing the Mind Stone.
Tony raised a brow at the slick move.
Showing off on *his* turf?
If he could take Ronan, he'd protest.
"Routine scan, that's all."
"Jarvis says the thing inside's like a computer?"
Tony tapped the Mind Stone's spot, puzzled.
Jarvis' take? He trusted it.
Jarvis was top-tier AI—maybe *the* top.
"Like I said, each stone's got a gig."
"Mind Stone—name says it all."
Ronan shrugged, fine with dropping the real answer.
No one else around, no eavesdroppers.
"So it's got a brain?"
Tony blinked, surprised.
"Dunno about a brain, but I know—"
Ronan cut off.
A figure stepped out from behind.
"Tony, Clint's—"
Black Widow stopped mid-sentence.
She clocked a familiar face staring back.
No—familiar *mask*.
"Hi."
Ronan swiveled, waving at her.
Her hearing his voice locked it in—this was Fantastic Mister.
Reflex kicked in—she reached for her gun.
Then remembered: combat gear was off, left in the locker.
"Hey, hey, chill—everyone chill."
"You're my squad, but he's my buddy too, got it?"
"Let's all cool off—this is my turf."
Tony jumped between them, playing peacemaker.
He'd blanked on Ronan's rocky S.H.I.E.L.D. history.
Outside Steve Rogers, no one knew Ronan's real deal or their ties.
"Buddy, huh?"
"Tony, forgot how he punked you last time?"
Black Widow gaped at Tony's line.
Before this, Ronan had *torched* Tony's pride.
With Tony's ego? Taking that and still calling him a friend?
She thought she'd seen a ghost.
"Uh…"
"It's complicated, but he's helped us out."
"Steve—Steve can vouch."
Tony flagged Steve Rogers as he walked up.
Hearing his name, Steve glanced over, clocking the scene instantly.
"Natasha, he's legit our friend."
"Remember the Tesseract?"
"He nabbed it, handed it back."
Steve clapped Black Widow's shoulder, spilling a "secret."
Her jaw dropped.
The *Tesseract*?
He didn't even flinch at keeping it?
*Huff…*
Black Widow exhaled slow. Betrayal-to-allies flips? Old hat for her.
Enemy-to-friend switches? Seen plenty.
Once it clicked, the shock faded.
"Fine, hate to admit it, but we've got a heavy hitter."
"One who can slam me into a wall and leave me gasping."
She eyed Ronan, grumbling.
Last time they met—Nick Fury's office—he'd pinned her to the wall.
Back then—
"Told you you'd thank me someday."
"Still waiting on Fury's 'thanks.'"
Ronan shrugged.
He'd clocked her once, sure, but also smoked a few Hydra goons for them.
Call it even.
"Alright, cards on the table—no more dwelling."
"I nabbed Ro—Fantastic Mister—for the scepter."
"He knows some of this stuff."
Tony glanced at Ronan, winking.
Subtext: say what works, zip the rest.
"Tony, next time you call me, use my new tag."
"Supreme Sovereign."
"Fantastic Mister's freakin' lame."
Behind the mask, Ronan rolled his eyes.
He was *done* with that nickname.
"Sure thing, Fantastic Mister."
"Let's dig into what this is."
Black Widow jumped in, pointing at the scepter.
Still a smidge salty, clearly.
Ronan smirked—nah, he wouldn't stoop to her level.
"Fine, you wanna know? I'll tell you."
"Anyone else curious?"
---
Ronan didn't expect that minutes later, the OG Avengers would actually assemble.
Well, minus Hawkeye, laid up in med bay.
When he heard Ronan was in, he even joked about medical bills for his busted bones.
Story'd get relayed to him, of course.
"Alright, Fantastic—er, Supreme Sovereign."
"Your lecture's up."
Once everyone gathered, Tony finally switched it.
Ronan scanned the room—apathetic faces, plus eager Steve Rogers and Tony Stark—and sighed.
Might as well—what else could he do?
He started cherry-picking Mind Stone lore.
No name-dropping, though.
These folks weren't dumb—a name alone could spark guesses.
For their plan, Ronan wasn't spilling extra beans.
Even a name.
Mostly, he spun legends, dropping a hint or two.
Like, this rock's not from Earth—came from the cosmos.
A nudge that other space beings wield this stuff.
Only Thor mulled it; the rest didn't care much.
Guess aliens didn't seem *that* tough to them.
Steve Rogers, though, frowned hard.
This stone's tricks were too weird.
He flashed back to Loki's Earth stint—Hawkeye got mind-jacked.
Puppet Hawkeye lost all memory, even turned on them.
And Ronan's tone? Hinted at more he wasn't saying.
"That's all I've got."
"Questions?"
Ronan grinned at the crew.
Really, he just hoped Steve and Tony caught the drift.
They were the plan's gears.
"I've got one."
"How do you know so much?"
Black Widow squinted, curious.
Post-truce, their first real chat.
"Not me—my order's passed it down, generation to generation."
"While regular humans hoard, refuse to share."
"Stuff gets lost, turns to tales."
Ronan shook his head—straight truth.
Kamar-Taj's knowledge hoard? Well-kept, sure, but shared with mages.
Passed down forever, no chance of fading.
Plus, their gig demanded preserving it.
"Fair, I'm good."
Black Widow shrugged, smart enough not to dig into his order.
Ronan wouldn't spill anyway.
"I've got one."
"Fantastic—uh, Supreme Sovereign, sir, you saying this thinks like a human brain?"
Bruce Banner pointed at the scepter's gem, timid.
They weren't tight, and… something in him—Banner—was twitching.
"Can't say for sure."
"Old records don't mention it."
"And back then, no tech like this."
Ronan waved at the gear around, smiling.
Tony perked up—something clicked.
A shiny new future idea.
"Cool, no more questions? I'm out."
"This thing…"
Ronan paused, eyeing their faces.
If he grabbed the scepter now, they'd balk.
Thor too—he came to haul it off.
"Keep it, then."
"Hope it doesn't steer you wrong."
Ronan grinned, waved, and poofed out of sight.
Silence settled post-exit.
They'd just been schooled—by a guy with a weird tie to them.
"Bruce and I'll crack what's inside."
"Hearsay won't cut it—we need raw data."
"So, party prep time."
Tony clapped, hopping up.
He turned, staring at the scepter, lost in thought.
If it's possible… could that gem be the Iron Legion's "brain"?
The more he chewed on it, the more it felt worth a shot.
Ronan never said how to stash it.
Who couldn't take it?
Back at his desk, Ronan quirked a brow.
Tsk.
Subtly, the Mind Stone still nudged Tony's headspace.
So Ultron—or Vision—was that on purpose?
Did it… crave a body?