"Is S.H.I.E.L.D. throwing a party today?"
"What?"
"Your chest hair is, uh… uh… kind of sexy…"
Natasha commented nonchalantly.
When someone finally paid attention to Fury, the conversation Blaine had been expecting finally appeared.
"Um… uh…"
"Don't ask me what's going on."
"It's you all with bruised noses and swollen faces."
"After all, you're the Avengers—the face of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Everyone looking like this… it's really a shame."
The old fox truly lived up to his reputation. Age makes the ginger spicier. With a single move, he shifted the topic, turning passivity into initiative. The deflection was flawless.
However, when Fury brought this up, everyone turned to look at Blaine in unison…
"Your people—you don't know them?"
"If they won't respond to gentle methods, I can only take some special measures."
Blaine shrugged helplessly and spoke slowly.
Still, after saying this, even Blaine felt a bit guilty. He couldn't exactly say, I just wanted to fight. I thought they didn't like me, so I beat them up on purpose. If he said that outright, there would probably be another fight today…
Not just Blaine—everyone rolled their eyes at the Bounty Hunter's far-fetched excuse. If they weren't completely unable to beat him, how could he act so smug about it?
Even Fury remained expressionless, as if to say: You're powerful. Whatever you say goes. As long as you're happy, we'll believe anything.
"Alright."
"Don't forget the commission. I'm leaving."
With that, Blaine teleported away. He didn't go far, only stepping out onto the submarine's exterior, letting the sea breeze wash over him, feeling the unique charm of the Atlantic. He wasn't enjoying it—he was waiting for Captain America.
"Ah, I have to say,"
"This guy, Fury, really is a very intelligent leader."
"Just this secret base alone—military satellites probably wouldn't find it easily."
After the Bounty Hunter left, the room fell into silence.
"I'm going to change my clothes. You should all tidy up too."
"I'll see you in the lobby in five minutes."
After Nick finished speaking, he grabbed the blanket from the lounge chair and hurried out.
"Well, cough, cough, cough—I'm going to get a cup of coffee."
"I—I'll go as well. Wait for me."
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Vision and Scarlet Witch quickly made excuses and left together.
"So… how's your retirement going?"
"Would you mind going out for a drink with me?"
"Very happy."
Natasha and Hawkeye also withdrew with tacit understanding.
"Rhodey, you were knocked out pretty hard earlier. Can you tell me how you pulled that off?"
"Your idea was great too. We almost stopped you."
"Hey, was it really that good?"
"Oh, shit—you probably don't even know."
The War Machine and Falcon hooked their arms over each other's shoulders and walked away while chatting. Those two really were the most alike.
"Well, your cat armor is pretty handsome too."
"Can I take a look?"
Scott imitated the tone of the others and tossed an olive branch toward T'Challa, also known as Black Panther.
Unfortunately, the awkward part was that T'Challa looked directly at Bucky instead, completely ignoring Scott.
"Well, if you don't want to, I can show you mine."
"Or how about I show you a magic trick? A magic that makes you bigger and smaller."
(Blaine outside: Doing it openly now? Go ahead and copy!)
T'Challa still didn't respond.
"Uh… uh… I'll go get you some medicine."
Scott hurriedly found an excuse to leave. He clearly didn't fit in like the others…
"Excuse me, do you know where the first aid kit is?"
---
"Well, pretend I didn't say that."
After closing the door, Scott stuck his head back in, no less embarrassed than before.
"You're really not going to give up?"
"What is it that makes you so persistent?"
"Sign the agreement and carry out the mission."
"Look at how many innocent people have been hurt."
Finally, Tony broke the silence and spoke to Captain America.
"Don't you have innocent blood on your hands too?"
"Tony, you know… me… I…"
"I can't…"
Captain America still clung to his beliefs, that same stubborn temperament. It was just that his attitude was a little softer than before.
"Hmph!"
Tony couldn't take it anymore and stormed out.
"Mr. Stark—"
'…'
Little Spider-Man stretched out a hand, wanting to persuade Tony to stay, to comfort him. But before he could even stand up, his head spun, the aftereffects of the earlier battle still lingering.
"Hey, kid."
"Do you also think I'm a traitor?"
"A traitor to the Avengers."
"If one day you're faced with the same situation, what would you do?"
Suddenly, without warning, Captain America asked Little Spider-Man this question. Perhaps too much had happened today—brothers turning against each other, even fighting violently. For someone who had lived for hundreds of years, it was all a bit too much to accept at once.
"Uh…"
"I think I'd probably go crazy."
"It's hard not being understood."
"MJ misunderstood me once—although you don't know MJ."
"But when you explain it, or apologize, I think things get a lot easier."
Although Little Spider-Man usually talked nonstop, when it came to matters of relationships, he was surprisingly serious.
What he said may have sounded casual, but to Captain America, it struck deeply.
Suddenly, Captain America looked at Little Spider-Man with intensity, as if he had realized something. He spoke solemnly.
"Son, you must always remember this."
"When the whole world tells you to move aside, you should stand firm like a great tree rooted in the ground and tell them: No. You're the ones who should move."
After saying that, Captain America stood up and walked out.
Five minutes later, everyone gathered in a room resembling a conference hall.
Fury was exactly as Blaine had said—not only intelligent, but also an exceptional leader.
Don't think those five minutes were just time for him to change clothes while letting the Avengers do the same. More importantly, it gave them time to reflect—on why these contradictions had arisen, on how things had come to this point, and to ease the atmosphere enough to begin searching for solutions.
Fury wasn't the kind of commander who only knew how to issue orders. His words carried more weight and authority than a general's. Within the Avengers, he had long been regarded as something closer to family.
So not only did Fury understand their thoughts, the Avengers also understood his good intentions.
"Tell me,"
"How do we solve this?"
"Even I've been grounded."
*************************************
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