…
The next morning.
When May woke up, she instinctively checked her phone.
"Oh—shoot!"
"It's already noon?!"
"Peter! You're supposed to be at school!"
She scrambled into her clothes and rushed out of the bedroom—
Only to find Peter already wide awake in the living room.
Not just awake.
Chasing a cat.
A pitch-black cat with sleek, flawless fur.
Or rather—
Being toyed with by one.
Peter was already dusty and disheveled from lunging attempts, while the cat moved with effortless grace, dodging every grab before lightly leaping onto his head.
"Meow~"
(Human cub, you're too slow. Try again in twenty thousand years.)
"Alright, that's enough," Leon said lazily.
"Picking on kids at your age?"
He casually pinched the back of Bast's neck and lifted her up, placing her on his shoulder before running a smooth hand down her fur.
"Purr~"
Bast instantly melted into a contented rumble, tail curling upward.
"Mr. Leon, I want to pet her too," Peter said hopefully.
"Better get your own cat one day," Leon chuckled. "This one's special."
"Then I'll get a pure black one too!"
Leon blinked.
…Was this where Peter's future aesthetic preferences started forming?
"Peter!" May hurried over, stuffing books into his backpack. "You still have school!"
"Do I really have to go now?" Peter asked, hiding behind Leon.
He'd assumed oversleeping meant a free day.
"Of course you do!"
May tried to grab him—
But Peter performed a perfect "King of Qin circles the pillar" maneuver around Leon.
"Mr. Leon, help me!"
Leon stepped in smoothly, placing himself between them.
Then, without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around May's waist and brushed a quick kiss against her lips.
"Relax," he said lightly.
"One skipped day won't ruin him."
"As long as he can read and do math, play should be his main job."
"And honestly—"
"Even if Peter grows up completely useless, my assets are enough for him to waste ten lifetimes. He doesn't need to treat school like a lifeline."
"B-But—"
May flushed bright red, words tangling in her throat.
"Whoa~" Peter's eyes sparkled. "Aunt May, does that mean I'm getting an uncle?"
"Peter!"
She shot him a warning look.
Leon raised a finger to her lips.
Because—
At that exact moment—
Arcee had just informed him of something interesting.
Last night, a hammer had fallen from the sky.
No one could lift it.
Locals were calling it the "Hero's Hammer."
If someone could pick it up, they would supposedly ascend to legend.
The story had already gone viral.
Leon smiled faintly.
"May, why don't we take Peter on a short trip instead?"
"Uncle Leon, are we going somewhere fun?!" Peter immediately caught on.
"How about New Mexico?"
"Yes!"
Anywhere but school.
May sighed.
"…Fine. Do whatever you two want."
Truthfully—
She didn't want the time to end either.
…
New Mexico
S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites had detected an unidentified object entering the atmosphere the previous night.
Severe electromagnetic interference prevented precise tracking.
But once the "Hero's Hammer" rumors spread online, S.H.I.E.L.D. locked onto the location immediately.
Agent Phil Coulson arrived first in his upgraded flying car, "Lola."
At the scene—
An elderly man had chained the hammer's handle to his pickup truck, trying to tow it.
The truck bed had nearly torn off.
The hammer hadn't budged.
It sat at the center of a twenty-five-meter crater, as if the crater itself had been carved by its fall.
"Sir, I've found it," Coulson reported over the phone.
"Motherf—" Nick Fury's voice growled from the other end. "Are aliens just dumping their trash on Earth now? If I ever get the chance, I'm sending our nuclear waste right back to their backyard."
"Sir, I believe this situation exceeds Agent Barton and Romanoff's capabilities. We may need to contact Mr. Leon—"
"Hey, Coulson. Looking for me?"
Coulson froze.
Leon stood behind him—with May and Peter in tow.
"Mr. Leon. And these are…?"
"May and Peter," Leon replied calmly. "My family."
He held Peter in one arm, May close with the other.
A picture-perfect trio.
Coulson didn't comment.
He briefed Leon on everything S.H.I.E.L.D. knew.
After listening, Leon waved dismissively.
"I'll handle it. None of you are his match."
"…His?" Coulson echoed.
Leon didn't elaborate.
In a near blink, he and his companions were at the crater's edge.
The old man was still fiddling with his damaged truck bed.
Others stood nearby, eyes fixed on the hammer.
But Leon approached the old man instead.
"Need a hand, old friend?"
Before the question fully left his mouth, the truck bed was already reattached.
The old man stared, then gasped.
"Homelander! I'm your biggest fan!"
He dramatically pulled open his shirt—
Revealing a faded Superman logo underneath.
Leon's eyelid twitched.
He didn't correct him.
Instead, he signed his name across the wrinkled Superman emblem.
…In a way, that counted as victory.
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