Marvel: As Security Guard

'Strategic Homeland Blah Blah Blah… seriously, what a ridiculously long name.'

Shaking his head, Phil Coulson arrived at the New York division of their agency, ready to deliver his latest report on Tony Stark's attack and escape. His audience? None other than Nick Fury.

Fury stood by his office's massive floor-to-ceiling window, hands behind his back, surveying the agents below. Not that he was paying attention to them—his mind was on Coulson's report.

Specifically, on one seemingly unremarkable man: Shane Hunter.

According to their intel, Shane was just an ordinary guy. No military background. No special training. Nothing extraordinary. And yet, he had built an impressive career as a bodyguard.

Even stranger, at the peak of his success, he'd chosen to step away from it all—retiring quietly to take a low-profile security job at Stark Industries.

Then, out of nowhere, he accepted a private request from Pepper Potts, traveled alone to Afghanistan, and somehow managed to rescue Tony Stark.

On paper, the evidence was clear: Shane hadn't directly assisted in Stark's escape. But Fury had access to… other sources. And according to them, Shane Hunter hadn't actually been in Afghanistan for the past two months.

So, where the hell had he been? And how did he know exactly where to find Stark?

There was something off about this man. A secret he was keeping.

"Call Agent Romanoff back," Fury ordered, still watching the agents below. The overhead lights reflected off his smooth, bald head, making it gleam like a freshly waxed bowling ball.

"Understood, sir," Coulson responded. He assumed Fury wanted Natasha back to monitor Tony Stark. He had no idea that Fury's real interest lay elsewhere—on the least eye-catching name in his report.

---

Since Tony had decided he didn't need a personal bodyguard, Pepper had no choice but to exchange contact info with Shane. Just in case.

With his temporary gig over, Shane returned to his apartment in New York. As he unlocked the door, the one next to his suddenly swung open.

"Hey, Shane! Long time no see!"

A warm, pleasantly surprised voice greeted him.

Turning around, he saw the owner of the voice—May.

Today, she was dressed casually in an orange tank top, layered with a lighter long-sleeve shirt, paired with blue jeans and black heels. A delicate necklace rested against her collarbone, disappearing into the soft curve of her chest. Her chestnut-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, carrying a faint, refreshing scent.

After her initial excitement, May quickly realized—her outfit was way too plain today.

'Shit. If I knew I'd run into Shane, I would've at least put on some makeup before going out!'

"Hey, May. Yeah, it really has been a while—three months, actually. How have you been?" Shane smiled at the beauty in front of him, feeling his mood lift a little.

"Same old, same old. You know—taking care of Peter, working, the usual." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "What about you? You've been gone so long I almost thought you moved away~"

There was even a hint of grievance in her tone.

"If I ever moved, you'd definitely be the first to know," Shane said gently. "I was away for work—had to go somewhere far, so it took longer than expected."

Hearing the words you'd be the first to know made May's heart beat just a little faster.

"Did everything go smoothly?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"More or less."

"That's good to hear."

A short silence fell between them. The air grew thick with an awkward, unspoken tension as they simply looked at each other.

"Uh... I…"

"Um… you…"

They both spoke at the same time, then stopped just as quickly, exchanging cautious glances.

"You first?" Shane smiled, gesturing for May to continue.

"I… I have to go pick up Peter. You know, school's almost out," May pointed toward the hallway, but her eyes never left Shane.

"Ah, right. You should hurry then, don't keep Peter waiting too long." Shane glanced at his watch—it really was about that time.

"Okay, I'll get going then. See you…"

As May walked toward the exit, she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, stealing another glance at Shane before waving goodbye.

"See you."

Shane turned back to unlock his door, but he caught the faint sound of her footsteps hesitating. He didn't need to turn around to know her gaze was still on him. Even after stepping inside, he could feel her stealing one last look.

'Sigh~ Being too handsome really is a hassle…'

---

Meanwhile, at Tony Stark's mansion in California, a brand-new Arc Reactor was already installed.

The kidnapping had been a wake-up call.

For the first time, Tony fully realized how fragile he was in the face of real danger.

All the money, status, and power he had? Completely useless when it truly mattered. If those terrorists hadn't needed something from him, he'd probably be six feet under by now—having an unexpected family reunion with his parents.

That was why he had made up his mind—to improve and perfect the armor project he had started in the cave.

Because power armor is a man's romance!

The first person he thought of was his good friend, James Rhodes. Excited, he went straight to the Air Force base to invite him to join the project.

He didn't even get the words out before being completely shut down.

As soon as Rhodes heard the project wasn't for military use, he immediately cut Tony off, leaving with a disappointed expression.

What Rhodes didn't realize was that his rejection stung Tony more than he let on.

After everything Tony had been through, he no longer knew who to trust.

And so, as he buried himself in research and development, somewhere across the country, a new tenant was moving into Shane's apartment building.

---

"Hello~"

Shane had officially started his job at Stark Industries a few days ago. Recently, he'd been diligently clocking in every day—because, well, work is work.

That morning, as he was about to head out, he noticed a few burly movers carrying furniture in and out of an apartment down the hall.

Hearing the commotion behind her, a woman supervising the movers turned around to greet him.

She wore tight black jeans and a brown leather jacket, her curly hair casually tied up. Flashing a bright smile, she looked at him and said, "Hi."

Shane returned the greeting while his mind raced. 'Why is she here? Could it be… they've already found me?'

"I'm Natalie. Natalie Rushman. Just moved in."

Hearing that name, Shane instinctively lowered his gaze.

'Mmm. Yep. No doubt about it.'

"I'm Shane Hunter. Just call me Shane. I live over there," he said, pointing to his door. "If you ever need any help, feel free to ask."

The two chatted briefly like normal neighbors before Shane excused himself, saying he had to get to work.

As she watched him leave, Natalie pulled out her phone, spoke two words, and hung up.

"Target engaged."

At the same moment, as Shane stepped out of the building, the corners of his lips curled up.

'So, they really are coming for me.'

===

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