As for whether Peter Parker's spring had finally arrived, no one really knew.
Anyway, for several days after that, Peter Parker bolted out of school faster than Ronan himself.
No one knew what he went off to do.
Anyway, what Ronan cared about most right now had nothing to do with that.
Because the thing he'd been eagerly awaiting had finally come to pass.
Tony Stark called, inviting Ronan to a celebratory dinner that night.
According to him, the dinner would have a big turnout, including some high-profile socialites, so Ronan could show up as his true self.
And Ronan's identity was all set—he'd be a minor shareholder of Stark Industries.
Sure, it was only 0.1 percent, but that was still a decent chunk among individual shareholders.
Oh, forgot to mention, those shares were Tony Stark's last payment to Ronan for his "treatment fees," plus a little thank-you bonus.
After all, Ronan had gone through "hell and back" to pull Tony Stark out of that soul-draining state, so no matter how you sliced it, Tony owed him some gratitude.
The shares might look small, but given Stark Industries' terrifying market value, Ronan had already achieved financial freedom.
Just sitting back and waiting for the annual dividends was enough to let him kick back and live like a slacker.
With a legit identity in hand, Ronan naturally wasn't about to say no.
Besides collecting his shares, there was one other thing he was pretty curious about.
Namely, whether he could lift Thor's hammer.
—
Of course, Ronan drove to Stark Industries right on schedule.
The party was already buzzing with people.
Among them, the full Avengers roster was scattered around, chatting with folks nearby.
"Yo."
"Look who's here."
"My dear partner, my stellar nephew, Ronan."
The second Ronan stepped into the party, Tony Stark got the memo.
He strutted over with exaggerated flair, grinning as he pulled Ronan into a hug.
"Chill, gotta stay chill."
"This is the best excuse for you to show up as yourself."
After whispering that, Tony Stark couldn't wait to let go of Ronan.
Ronan kept a smile plastered on, but his eyes? Pure murder.
That damn Tony Stark, taking advantage of him like this—guess it really proved the old saying.
Three days without a beating, and he's climbing the walls.
"If I remember right, my mom called you nephew too, huh?"
"Tony."
Ronan shot back with a smirky grin, hitting him with a soft-but-sharp jab.
Only three people there knew Ronan's real deal: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor, who was off to the side bragging.
The other two got drawn in by the little exchange.
"Hey, good buddy, long time no see!"
Seeing Ronan roll in, Thor's eyes lit up, and he was the first to charge over.
You gotta know, Ronan had bailed him out more than once—heck, he even helped him take down the Dark Elves.
Plus, that time in Asgard? The two of them got smashed together and had a blast.
So yeah, their bromance was pretty solid.
"Thor, it's been a few days, and you're looking even buffer."
Ronan gave Thor's chest a playful pound—nothing polite about it, just facts.
He could feel it: Thor was stronger than the last time they'd met.
Guess the whole Ragnarok prophecy thing had lit a fire under him, pushing him to train harder.
"Your nephew seems pretty tight with Thor, huh?"
Bruce Banner watched the scene, a little surprised.
"Uh…"
"Maybe they've got similar vibes, so they click."
Tony Stark tugged at the corner of his mouth, tossing out a half-baked excuse.
Because he still remembered how he'd found out Ronan's real identity—Thor let it slip.
Otherwise, he wasn't even sure if Ronan could've kept him in the dark forever.
Black Widow, meanwhile, flicked her eyes over and didn't think much of it.
She didn't catch any familiar vibes off Ronan—no spy scent—so he probably wasn't an agent or anything.
As for Steve Rogers, he traded a subtle glance with Ronan, unnoticed by the rest.
They got it. No words needed.
With Tony Stark and Thor leading the charge, Ronan blended into the party quick.
He even spotted Dr. Helen Cho from South Korea and Maria Hill, ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent extraordinaire.
The former was drop-dead gorgeous, though who knew which parts were factory original?
The latter? Ronan barely knew her.
Truth be told, Ronan wasn't super into these kinds of shindigs—his real passion was eating, eating, and more eating.
Good thing Tony Stark's parties were top-tier.
The food here? Practically the best of the best.
And it was all cooked fresh by chefs, not some cold buffet nonsense.
While everyone else was busy schmoozing, most folks didn't bother hitting the food area.
So, it turned into Ronan's personal paradise.
The chefs were thrilled someone was actually eating—gave them a chance to flex their skills.
Ronan ordered a steak, then a lobster, and told the chef to freestyle a few more dishes.
With his appetite, this was just an appetizer.
Top-grade ingredients plus top-grade chefs? The food was unreal.
Sure, there was some fancy fluff in there, but the seafood? Absolute perfection.
Ronan savored his gourmet feast, couldn't care less about mingling.
He chowed down for nearly an hour straight.
"You don't seem too into this scene, huh?"
That's when Steve Rogers plopped down beside him.
"Not that I hate it, just don't see the point."
"Most human socializing is pointless—like right now."
"If I talked to them as a Stark Industries shareholder, they'd probably kiss up, saying I'm some young hotshot."
"But after tonight, how many would even remember my name or my face?"
Ronan sliced off a chunk of beef and shoved it in his mouth.
To him, this kind of event was good for one thing: scoring some tasty grub. That's it.
Steve Rogers chuckled, waved a hand at a waiter, and grabbed two drinks from the tray.
"Drink?"
Steve Rogers asked with a grin.
"You know I'm not legal yet."
Even as he said it, Ronan wiped his mouth with a napkin and picked up the glass.
"I might be an old fossil, but my first drink? I was younger than you."
Steve Rogers winked, clinking his glass lightly against Ronan's.
This usually straitlaced Captain had snuck a drink or two in his youth.
Makes sense—who didn't have a wild phase?
Even now, Steve Rogers wasn't exactly ancient.
Ronan shrugged and took a slow sip.
"What do you think of our team?"
Steve Rogers set his glass down, voice low.
He meant the Avengers crew.
Ronan's hand paused mid-cut, but he recovered fast.
"Pretty solid."
"You've got a spy ace for intel, a brawler for close combat, and plenty of long-range firepower."
"If this were a game, I'd say you need a healer next."
Ronan grinned, then stuffed his mouth with more beef.
But Steve Rogers shook his head.
"I want the real talk."
His voice was heavy.
"Plenty of people can give you real talk—why me?"
"I barely know most of them, don't even get their personalities."
Ronan glanced at Steve Rogers, mumbling through his food.
Steve didn't say a word, just stared at Ronan, like he was waiting for the "real" answer.
After a bit, Ronan swallowed his last bite and set down his utensils.
He sighed, turning to Steve with a hint of exasperation.
"I know what you're getting at, but all I can say is they're good people."
"Just, if I had to sum up where you're at now with one phrase?"
"A scattered mess."
Ronan finally laid it out straight.
Sure, they'd survived an alien invasion and teamed up to take down a Hydra base, snagging the Mind Stone in the process.
On paper, they should've been a killer team.
But most of the time, they were just doing their own thing.
They were a long way from a real unit.
"Looks like this time, you're actually giving it to me straight."
Steve Rogers didn't get mad—he laughed.
Seems he and Ronan were on the same wavelength.
"So, what's the deal? You came over here, asked me this, for what?"
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"Remember that thing I asked you about before?"
"Joining the Avengers."
Steve Rogers finally spilled his real goal.
"Join you guys?"
"I remember saying I've got my own duties."
Ronan frowned—he didn't expect Steve Rogers to bring it up again.
Back then, he'd figured it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, not something Steve took to heart.
"But joining us doesn't mess with your duties, right?"
"Plus, if you've got trouble on your end, we'd pitch in where we could."
Steve Rogers kept pushing.
"Then tell me—why do you want me in?"
Ronan wasn't getting it.
Real talk, with the Avengers' current firepower, they could handle most Earth threats fine.
If a cosmic invasion popped off, Ronan and the Kamar-Taj crew wouldn't just sit it out either.
Their base was on Earth, after all.
"Simple. Sometimes, you're the only one who can rein Tony in."
"He's too reckless sometimes, and I can be too cautious. But you? You're different."
"You're right between us—rational, but with some fire."
"Sometimes, I think you're so rational it's almost scary."
Steve Rogers shook his head, flashing back to that one time.
If it'd been Steve Rogers controlled by Dormammu, and Tony Stark got wind of it, Tony wouldn't have asked for help—he'd have gone solo.
If Steve had been the first to know, he'd have cooked up some airtight plan before moving.
The former might've gotten himself killed; the latter might've been too late by the time the plan was ready.
But Ronan? He'd handled it just right.
"Nah, Steve, you're hyping me up too much."
"Back then, I kept it simple. I knew I could fix Tony's mess solo."
"But I needed an official guy to clean up the aftermath."
"I'm not some mastermind like you think."
Ronan shook his head. He'd just wanted Steve Rogers to deal with the fallout.
He wasn't dumb, but he wasn't some genius way above normal either.
Like that one deadpan glasses guy said—maybe the peak of mortal smarts?
Probably not even that.
"But—"
Before Steve Rogers could keep going, Thor popped up behind them.
Thor slung his arms over both their shoulders, leaning in with his full weight.
"Hey, good bros, what're we talking about?"
Thor looked pumped.
"Just some random stuff."
"Everyone else take off?"
Steve Rogers smiled, dodging the topic.
By now, the place was nearly empty.
"Yep, time to switch spots."
"The party's pretty much wrapped."
"Next up's our private bash time."
Thor clapped their shoulders, nudging them to follow.
Ronan threw a helpless glance at the leftover food and waved at a waiter.
The waiter nodded and walked off.
Ronan and Steve Rogers trailed after Thor.
"Steve."
Ronan figured he owed him an answer.
Steve Rogers looked over.
"I'll join the Avengers, but not now."
"At the right moment, we'll fight side by side—and it feels like that day's not far off."
Ronan grinned, giving Steve Rogers a non-answer answer.
Steve Rogers blinked, then got it.
"Cool."
He smiled, slowly stretching out his right hand.
Ronan couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, extending his own right hand.
A promise.
Sort of—
Bang!
New York suburbs.
Two figures—one big, one small—dropped out of midair.
They got up, a little roughed up, and scoped out the surroundings.
"No doubt, this is New York."
"Suburbs, though."
A woman's voice piped up.
"Yeah, it's New York alright, but which parallel universe?"
"More than that, I wanna know who's the Sorcerer Supreme of this universe."