#590 - Dynamics of all parties

The sun was shining brightly, a rare good weather day, but today, contrary to expectations, it was difficult to feel good. Whether it was the government officials, the police and special agents on surveillance, or the mutants about to be registered, their moods were probably not particularly good.

At least, Peter Parker thought so, because he himself was not in a good mood. He had a feeling that once he stepped out of the house, his peaceful daily life would likely be turned upside down.

Anxious, Peter had emptied his coffee cup, but the little princess he was waiting for still hadn't come out.

"It's been half an hour, Cindy!" Peter called out. "We're not going to a ball, no need to dress up so beautifully, Cinderella!"

"Don't call me that, Mr. Green," Cindy's dissatisfied voice came from the bedroom. After a while, Cindy reluctantly walked out, wearing a white mesh-patterned top and jeans.

"You'll never get a girlfriend acting like that!"

Peter wanted to say a few more words to Cindy, but she preempted him. Hearing his younger sister lecturing him on relationships, even Peter couldn't help but smile wryly.

"You know, Cindy, we have serious business to do today," Peter tried to put on his older brother's authority, but that had disappeared when Cindy was six years old.

"I know, I know," Cindy said, taking small bites of her toast. "Superhuman registration, what's the rush? It'll definitely last more than a day. You know, there are as many superhumans in America as there are rabbits in the fields."

"Since you know, you should eat faster, Miss Rabbit," Peter said, shaking his head helplessly. Whenever he tried to lecture Cindy, she had countless ways to retort.

The key was that she could always catch the loopholes in his words, which everyone in the Parker and Osborn families admired.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Cindy asked, washing down the bread with juice. "Let's be clear, I'm not getting in your car. Your driving skills are even worse than Aunt May's."

"No one in the Parker and Osborn families combined has better driving skills than Aunt May," Peter retorted.

"The company in New York is gone, Mom and Dad, Mr. Osborn, and a bunch of other company matters to deal with, they don't have time to take you. We're walking. The High School Squad's headquarters is located in downtown Washington, not far from our house, a ten-minute walk."

Peter had thought this through last night. He guessed there would be a lot of people registering, and if they drove, they'd probably get stuck in the apartment's underground garage, so walking would be easier.

Cindy had no objections. She'd rather walk than ride in Peter's car. After asking everything she wanted to ask, she sat quietly in her seat, tackling her breakfast, which was clearly more than Peter's.

Watching Cindy eat with ease, Peter couldn't help but ask, "Looks like you don't stick bread to your hands anymore."

"I only did that for the first two days after I got my powers, okay?" Cindy frowned slightly, clearly unhappy with Peter's words.

"Yeah, after solving the sticky hands problem, you broke the doorknob in your room, took off Uncle Norman's car door, and elbowed Harry's ribs."

Peter laughed as he spoke, teasing Cindy as he watched her head lower and lower.

"That technique is more professional than the black guys we encountered when Harry and I played basketball in college."

"He told me I'd get fat if I ate too much," Cindy muttered softly before asking in a normal voice.

"How is Harry doing now?"

"He's doing great, still yelling from his hospital bed about wanting you to join his basketball team, so you can elbow the opposing team's ace out of the game."

Peter wanted to tease Cindy a bit more, since he rarely had the upper hand when they were together, and he wasn't about to give up the opportunity. Unfortunately, fate had other plans...

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

The doorbell rang. Who would be visiting the Parker family so early in the morning? The siblings looked at each other suspiciously, the meaning unspoken.

"Is it for you?" ×2

"Of course not." ×2

A useless telepathic moment. Peter sighed and got up to go to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw an unexpected figure.

"Click!"

"Mr. Howard?"

Peter opened the door, and there was Howard Stark in a well-tailored suit. However, the suit he was wearing now wasn't as formal as before, but rather a fashionable suit with patterns.

Not only that, but he was also wearing sunglasses. Peter, who idolized him, had never seen Howard dressed so fashionably and flamboyantly.

"Hello! Peter!" Howard took off his glasses, raised his eyebrows, and spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture. "Long time no see."

"It's been a few days," Peter said, stunned. "What are you doing here? And dressed like that?"

"I heard from Osborn that your little princess needs a driver, and I happened to be nearby, so I came over. What, aren't you welcoming me?"

As Howard spoke, he put his arm around Peter, causing the latter's brain to short-circuit, and he could only stiffly reply.

"Welcome, of course, but how can I trouble you..."

Just kidding, the Parker Group and the Osborn Group combined couldn't compare to Stark Industries. How could the head of Stark Industries personally come to be Cindy's driver?

"Of course, it's to repay you for what you did at the Midtown High School dance," Howard patted Peter on the shoulder. "Alright, let's not waste any time, let's get in the car."

...

By the time Peter came back to his senses, he was already sitting in the passenger seat of Howard's Rolls-Royce, and Cindy was sitting in the back seat, enjoying a box of donuts that Howard had prepared for her.

Because the front and rear seats were completely separated, Peter could only see Cindy through the small window on the partition in the rearview mirror.

Although he could afford to pay for it, Peter was still afraid that Cindy would spill donut frosting or jam on the car seat, as he feared that would leave a bad impression on Mr. Howard.

"Peter."

Peter, who was focused on watching Cindy, was startled by the voice next to him. He turned his gaze to Howard, who was driving, and the latter's tone had once again returned to that of a leader.

"Don't take Cindy to Hyperion to register," Howard said as he drove. Peter then realized that Howard was driving in the opposite direction from the High School Squad.

"That guy is already crazy. Hide Cindy well, or you can wait for your family to be ruined."