Maria Hill glanced at Roy from the side, trying not to stare.
He was calm, impossibly handsome, quietly confident — and undeniably close to Natasha.
A tiny spark of jealousy hit her.
"Lucky Natasha…" she thought.
Meanwhile Steve Rogers stood stiffly with his arms crossed, wearing an expression that screamed I'm the most important man here.
He leaned toward Thor.
Steve: "You said he's your brother. So—how strong is he?"
Thor raised his chin proudly.
Thor: "Roy is the weakest among us… though he is also the smartest. And I am very proud of him."
Steve blinked.
Steve: "Weakest? Then why is Fury bringing a weak person onto the team?"
Maria and Fury both side-eyed him with immediate annoyance.
Natasha didn't even bother hiding her distaste.
With Roy's blessing and new bloodline empowering her, Steve's attempts to impress her were nothing more than irritating background noise.
Natasha's thought:
Roy is a hundred times the man you are. You have no idea who you're calling weak.
Roy had specifically told Fury and Maria not to explain anything about him.
So they didn't bother correcting Steve.
Steve sat down with a smug, self-satisfied expression, thinking he "won the argument."
Nobody cared.
Except Steve.
Lab — Roy Leaves
Inside the lab, Tony examined screens showing the Tesseract's energy fluctuations.
Roy: "I'll be back. There's something I need to take care of."
Tony nodded casually.
Tony: "Try not to break my stuff."
Roy left without answering.
Loki's Cell — Illusions and Truth
The corridor lights flickered.
Inside the prison cell, Loki had already tampered with the feed — looping the footage so no one saw Roy enter.
Loki, seated calmly, looked up with a smirk.
Loki: "What brings you here, little brother? Come to lecture me like Thor?"
Roy paused, genuinely speechless for a second.
Roy: "…No. I came to ask you something."
Loki arched an eyebrow.
Roy: "What did you gain by all of this?"
Loki: "Recognition."
Roy's eyes narrowed.
Roy: "From whom? Odin?"
Loki nodded stiffly.
Roy stepped closer.
Roy: "Loki… what did Odin not give you?"
Loki's hands clenched.
Loki: "He never made me king. I showed him I was better. Smarter. More capable."
Roy asked quietly:
Roy: "Why do you want to be king?"
The answer burst out instantly.
Loki: "So he will finally acknowledge my existence!"
Roy exhaled with a long, tired sigh.
Then he said it bluntly:
Roy: "Loki… are you an idiot?"
Loki's eyes burned with anger.
Loki: "What did you just say—?!"
Roy: "Our parents gave us training. Magic. Knowledge. Safety. A home. Love. Everything we needed. None of it required a crown. None of it needed 'recognition.' They already gave you everything."
Loki's breath hitched.
The weight of Roy's words stabbed straight into the guilt and confusion inside him.
His illusionary smirk faded.
His shoulders sank.
Roy continued, voice much softer now.
Roy: "And compared to you… Odin didn't treat her any better."
Loki's eyes snapped up.
Loki: "Her? Who is 'her'?"
Roy didn't answer.
He simply walked out.
Leaving Loki alone with thoughts that finally pierced the lies he told himself.
Odin and Frigga — Watching From Afar
Far away in Asgard, Odin and Frigga stood before the royal scrying mirror, watching their children speak.
Odin's face softened with a mixture of pride, guilt, and astonishment.
Because Odin knew exactly who Roy meant by "her."
Hela.
The eldest.
Once a ruthless weapon… now completely transformed because of Roy.
Hela, who once thirsted only for conquest, now longed only for freedom, affection, and time with Roy.
Not the throne.
Not war.
Not power.
Odin was still a little jealous that Roy achieved something even he couldn't — changing Hela's heart.
Frigga placed a hand on Odin's arm.
Frigga: "He is our youngest… and perhaps the most extraordinary."
Odin could only nod.
He opened a Bifröst-like projection and stepped into Loki's cell.
Odin Confronts Loki
Loki froze when he saw him.
Loki: "Father… why? Why did you never choose me to be king?"
Odin breathed deeply.
Odin: "At first, I wished to choose between Thor, Loki, and Roy. All three had qualities worthy of a throne."
Loki's eyes widened.
Odin: "But Roy's heart showed me something I had forgotten. Freedom. Compassion. The desire for peace, not power."
Odin's expression softened toward Loki.
Odin: "I wanted you and Roy both to have freedom… not chains. The mistakes I made with Hela must never be repeated."
Loki's breath trembled.
Loki: "…I never knew."
Odin: "Because you never asked."
Odin stepped back.
And vanished.
Leaving Loki staring at the empty space where he stood — shaken, confused, and for the first time… questioning the path he had taken.