Mysteries On Marvel

Eren quickened his pace toward the two figures waiting by his doorstep. Recognizing the taller one, he greeted warmly:

"Pepper, why didn't you come inside?"

Pepper Potts held up a key, a puzzled look on her face. "I tried, but my key doesn't work anymore. Did you change the locks?"

Eren blinked. "Change the locks? No, I didn't… Wait!"

He paused as realization dawned.

This must be Little Oddball's doing.

Scratching his head awkwardly, he explained, "Sorry about that. There was a break-in last night—a cultist sneaked into my room and left some creepy spider specimens to threaten me. I updated the house's security overnight."

Pepper's eyes widened. "A cultist? What happened?"

Before Eren could respond, the shorter figure beside her, none other than Tony Stark, interjected with exaggerated impatience:

"Hey, hey! Ladies and gentlemen, can we not have this riveting conversation out here on the street? There's a wounded man present—maybe show a little concern for me?"

He gestured dramatically toward his chest, where faint traces of blood hinted at his recent ordeal.

Eren caught sight of curious onlookers sneaking photos with their phones. Reluctant to attract more attention, he relented, "Alright, let's go inside."

Walking up to the door, Eren said aloud, "Open!"

The door responded instantly, swinging wide open.

Tony raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with condescension. "Voice-activated doors? Really? Kid, that's about as secure as a screen door on a submarine. There are dozens of ways to bypass a system like that. If you don't want your house cleaned out while you're sleeping, I'd suggest upgrading to a proper security system. Something like the Stark Industries smart defense suite—it's the best on the market."

Pepper shot Tony a sharp look. "Tony!"

Tony raised his hands in mock surrender, zipping his lips theatrically.

Pepper turned back to Eren, concern etched on her face. "As rude as that was, Tony isn't entirely wrong. Voice-activated systems do have vulnerabilities. Are you sure it's secure?"

Eren chuckled. "Don't worry, Pepper. My house is a lot safer than it looks."

He gestured for them to enter, leading the way.

As Pepper's heels clicked across the threshold, Tony attempted to follow—but the door abruptly swung halfway shut, nearly smacking him in the nose.

"Whoa! What the—?" Tony staggered back, clutching his chest dramatically.

Inside, Eren smirked. Little Oddball must be giving him a hard time.

Muttering curses under his breath, Tony managed to squeeze through the still-open half of the door.

But just as he stepped inside, the other half slammed shut with a deafening bang, making him jump again.

"See? Told you this system's trash!" he grumbled, his frustration spilling over.

Eren ignored him, walking into the living room to fetch coffee. Returning with two mugs, he handed one to Pepper.

"Pepper, what brings you here so early?"

Pepper accepted the coffee gratefully, setting down her bag and retrieving a glass jar. Inside was the familiar pink origami crane.

"I came to return this," she said. "Honestly, if I hadn't seen it fly across half the globe to find Tony with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed something like this was possible."

Eren smiled, taking the jar. "There are things far more amazing than this little crane. You'll see one day."

Tony's eyes locked onto the origami crane.

So this is how SHIELD found me, he thought.

Ever since learning about the crane's role in his rescue, his curiosity had been eating at him. If not for Pepper's vigilance during their return to New York, he would've taken the crane apart to investigate its mechanisms.

Unable to resist, Tony finally spoke up:

"Hey, kid, what's the deal with that crane? How does it work? What powers it?" He leaned forward, his tone laced with skepticism. "Don't give me any of that magic mumbo-jumbo—I don't buy it."

Eren handed Tony the other coffee and smiled. "Magic mumbo-jumbo, huh? What makes you so sure?"

Tony snorted. "Because magic doesn't exist. It's all smoke and mirrors—tricks to fool people who don't know better."

"Is that so?"

Eren's smile deepened. Locking eyes with Tony, he activated Dread Gaze.

(End of Chapter)

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