Phil looked between them again, then nodded slowly.
"Well," he said calmly, "I guess that explains a lot."
Matt blinked.
"…It does?"
Phil smiled a little.
"You've been smiling more today," he said. "Didn't think I'd miss that."
Matt relaxed—just a bit.
Kora stayed quiet, standing politely, hands behind her back. She looked like she was trying very hard to act normal.
Phil turned to her.
"So, Kora," he said casually, "where are you from?"
Matt's heart jumped into his throat.
But Kora answered smoothly.
"I move around a lot," she said. "Family stuff."
Phil studied her for a second longer than necessary.
Then he nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "I get that."
He turned toward Matt.
"I won't ask questions you're not ready to answer," Phil said. "But next time, try telling me before I walk in with medicine."
Matt scratched the back of his head.
"…Sorry."
Phil chuckled lightly.
"I'll be in the kitchen," he said. "You two can talk."
He turned to leave, then paused at the door.
"Oh—and Matt?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't fake being sick," Phil said with a straight face. "If you want time alone, just say so."
"I wasn't lying," Matt said quickly. "I really was feeling weird today. I mean it… I just told her I am not coming today and she came to check on me."He shrugged and glanced at Kora.
Kora nodded immediately."Sorry to intrude," she said politely.
Phil studied them for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine then," he said. "If you're not feeling well, take the medicine for the headache and nausea."He placed the medicine on the table near the bed.
"Thanks, Uncle," Matt said.
Phil nodded again.
"Alright. I'll be heading to work now," he said as he turned toward the door.
"Okay," Matt replied.
Phil left the room, closing the door behind him, while Matt let out a quiet sigh of relief.
As the door closed, the room finally went quiet.
Kora let out a breath she'd clearly been holding.
"…He seems nice," she said.
Matt snorted softly.
"Yeah. That's Uncle Phil. Calm on the outside… scary smart on the inside."
She glanced at the closed door, then back at Matt.
"I thought for a second he knew," she admitted.
"So did I," Matt said, rubbing his face. "If he ever seriously suspects something, things will get… complicated."
Kora tilted her head.
"He protects you," she said. "I can tell."
Matt paused, then nodded.
"He does. Way more than he lets on."
There was a small silence.
Then Kora stepped closer and lowered her voice.
"So," she said, "what now?"
Matt looked at her—really looked at her—and felt the weight of everything hit him again.
"You're stuck in 2010," he said. "No records. No home. No explanation."
She shrugged lightly.
"I've had worse problems."
Matt smiled despite himself.
"First thing," he said, "we figure out a cover story. Something simple. Something that won't make my uncle curious."
Kora raised an eyebrow.
"You already have something in mind?"
Matt nodded slowly.
"You're my transfer-student girlfriend from out of state," he said. "Living with distant relatives. Nothing special. Nothing worth digging into."
She smiled.
"Sounds boring."
"Boring keeps you alive," Matt replied.
She laughed quietly.
Then she hesitated, looking at him a little more seriously.
"…You're not going to disappear again, are you?" she asked.
"That power has already faded," Matt said. "So even if I wanted to, I can't."
She looked at him, shocked.
"What do you mean it faded?" she asked worriedly. "Don't tell me you don't have your powers anymore?"
"No, no," Matt said quickly. "I still have my powers. I mean the time-jump ability is gone."
She relaxed a little.
"Then explain properly," she said.
Matt scratched his head.
"I found this strange rock," he explained. "It reacted to my powers. It sent me to your time, then jumped me around a few times… until I landed exactly on you. But when we arrived back here, the rock was gone."
He shrugged.
"So I guess I won't be disappearing anymore."
Kora thought for a moment.
"Do you remember what the rock looked like?" she asked.
"Hm," Matt said. "It was white, with a red strip down the middle."
He was knowingly describing the Time Monolith, that way if someone learn of it later, they know he is not lying.
Unseen by Matt and Kora, Phil Coulson stood outside the room, frozen.
When he'd noticed the unfamiliar girl earlier, his instincts had flared. Before leaving, he'd quietly placed a small listening device near the medicine on the table—standard S.H.I.E.L.D. precaution.
He thought might understood who is this girl.
But then—
He heard talk of powers.
A rock.
A different time.
Phil's expression turned weird as he looked at the listening device, wondering if its' broken.
Inside the room, completely unaware, Matt chuckled.
"By the way," he joked, "what year did I accidentally abduct you from?"
Kora laughed softly.
"1983," she said.
Outside, Phil Coulson turned more serious.
Inside the room, Matt whistled.
"Then I seriously have a lot to teach you," he said. "Because I don't think I can send you back."
Kora stepped closer to him.
"I don't want to go back," she said quietly.
"I was going to kill myself there. You saw it. You saved me. You helped me move past it."
She met his eyes.
"I want to be with you. Here. Now."
Matt swallowed.
Then she smirked.
"So once again let me ask… am I allowed to date you, hotshot?"
Matt grinned and nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm not saying no to a free girlfriend."
Kora laughed, pushed him gently onto the bed, and climbed over him, kissing him.
Outside the door, Phil Coulson finally turned off the listening device.
"…What the heck!," he muttered.
"My nephew is dating a girl from 1983."
He sighed deeply.
"This is above my pay grade."
And walked away—deciding to deal with that problem later.
"I need to have an serious talk with him at dinner" Phil mumbled leaving.