"So… do you always fly like this?" Pietro asked,his limbs dangling awkwardly in mid-air as Luke drifted forward effortlessly.
"Nah," Luke said. "Only when it's needed."
Pietro glanced down at the tiny buildings far below and swallowed. "Right."
A moment passed before he spoke again, quieter this time.
"…Thanks. For taking care of us. If it was someone else who found Wanda last night… she would have been in a terrible position."
Luke shrugged. "No need to thank me. I have some plans anyway."
Pietro felt his stomach tighten at the tone.
Plans?
Why did that sound ominous?
Why did this guy smile like that?
"…Right," Pietro said slowly. "Can I… know what those plans are?"
He forced the question out, the very clear big-brother instinct firing in his chest. If some strange man planned to get close to his sister, he needed to know.
Luke glanced at him with a perfectly calm smile.
"Oh, you'll know. In the future."
Pietro waited.
Luke added cheerfully—
"Brother-in-law."
Pietro almost fell out of the sky.
By afternoon, Luke had already settled the problem of where they would live.
An island.
Not a metaphorical one — an actual private island, complete with a massive modern mansion sitting comfortably near the shoreline.
White stone walls, wide glass windows, and an open design that let sunlight pour into every room. Behind the house stretched a private beach; behind that, nothing but open ocean.
As long as there was money, almost anything was possible.
Pietro stepped inside first and immediately stopped moving.
The living hall alone was larger than the entire building they'd lived in back in Sokovia. High ceilings, clean furniture, wide open space — everything looked untouched, almost unreal.
"Wow," Pietro said honestly, turning in a slow circle. "This is big."
He walked forward, peeking down a hallway. "How many rooms are there?"
"Seven bedrooms," Luke replied casually. "A proper kitchen. Pool out back. Beach behind the house."
There was also a private bar, along with a long list of other amenities he didn't bother to mention.
Pietro stared at him. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
Pietro rubbed the back of his neck, clearly overwhelmed. "Are we… are we really staying here?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah. One room is yours."
He paused, glanced at the massive living room couch, then added, deadpan.
"Unless you really like sleeping on sofas. That's also an option."
Pietro snorted over himself. "I'll take the room."
***
In the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier,
"So, where is your new player, Fury?" Tony Stark asked.
They were gathered inside the temporary lab assigned to Dr. Banner. Screens lined the walls, each one feeding live data tied to the Tesseract—energy spikes, gamma readings, patterns that didn't sit right no matter how long Banner looked at them.
Banner stood near the main console, eyes on the numbers. Natasha leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching everyone at once.
Steve stood off to the side, quiet but alert. Thor was there as well, tall and still, his presence hard to ignore even when he said nothing.
"He isn't someone I can order around," Fury replied calmly. "His role in capturing Loki is done."
Fury didn't look concerned about Luke's current location. As long as he wasn't making headlines or tearing up cities, that was enough for now.
Tony raised an eyebrow but let it go.
"This meeting isn't about him," Fury continued. "It's about Loki. Why he stole the Tesseract, what he plans to do with it, and where the Tesseract is now."
The room shifted slightly as attention moved.
All eyes turned to Thor.
Thor met their looks without flinching.
"I have no knowledge of why Loki chose Earth," he said after a moment. "Nor did I know he would seek the Tesseract."
Tony tilted his head. "So your brother shows up, steals the most dangerous item on the planet, kills people, and you're saying this is a surprise visit."
Thor's jaw tightened. "Loki's thinking is complicated. He does not act without purpose, but that purpose is rarely shared. Especially not with me."
Fury's expression didn't change. "And how can we be sure this isn't Asgard's way of testing the waters? An invasion by proxy."
He let the words sit. Fury didn't deal in reassurances. He trusted patterns, results, and what people actually did. Gods or not, everyone was a potential risk.
He was cautious with Luke too. Power didn't earn trust. Control and consistency did. Fury had learned long ago that the moment you trust someone completely is usually the moment they prove why you shouldn't.
Thor turned fully toward him. "Asgard has no intention of invading Earth. Midgard is under our protection."
Tony gave a short, dry laugh. "Funny way of showing it. Your brother has committed multiple crimes since the moment he landed on Earth."
Thor's eyes hardened. "Loki's actions are his own. He does not speak for Asgard."
"But he is an Asgardian," Tony said, not backing down.
Thor took a step forward. "Choose your words carefully, Metal Man."
Tony met his gaze. "Otherwise what?"
The room went still.
Steve moved before it could go any further.
"That's enough," he said evenly. "This isn't helping."
Thor straightened. Tony didn't push it.
Fury observed them quietly. This was supposed to be the group that would protect the planet. At the moment, they didn't look like a team—just people with power and no trust in each other.
Then Thor spoke again, his voice steady, but clearly disapproving.
"It was your experiments on the Tesseract that drew Loki to Earth," he said. "If blame must be placed, then it lies with humans who chose to tamper with forces beyond their understanding."
Banner glanced up briefly, uneasy.
Tony folded his arms. "Now that you've brought it up," he said, voice calm but sharp, "I want to know something. Why was S.H.I.E.L.D. experimenting on something that dangerous in the first place?"
The room went quiet again.
Everyone waited for Fury's answer.
*****
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