⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𝐯. i'll be your summer sun forever

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐁, his stern expression deepening as he observed Ingrid, Bruce and Tony engaged in a conversation.

“What are you doing, Mr. Stark?” Fury's voice cut through the air, laden with frustration.

Tony Stark turned to face Fury. “Uh... kind of been wondering the same thing about you.”

Fury's expression darkened. “You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.”

Bruce Banner quickly interjected. “We are. The model’s locked, and we’re sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we’ll have the location within half a mile.”

“And you’ll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss.” As Tony spoke, his monitor suddenly flickered, revealing a collection of classified files. Tony's brow furrowed. “What is Phase 2?”

Before Fury could respond, Steve stormed in. He slammed a HYDRA weapon onto the table, the impact reverberating through the lab and drawing everyone's attention.

“Phase 2 is SHIELD using the cube to make weapons,” Steve declared, his voice thick with accusation. He then turned his gaze to Tony. “Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow.”

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're..." Nick Fury began, trying to regain control of the situation.

Tony cut him off. "I'm sorry, Nick." He gestured to the computer screen that displayed detailed plans for Phase 2. "What were you lying about?" Tony asked.

Fury's expression hardened. "I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve said.

At that moment, Thor and Natasha entered the lab, their presence adding to the already charged atmosphere. Natasha's eyes immediately locked onto Bruce, her expression unreadable.

Bruce noticed her gaze and his anger flared. "Did you know about this?"

Natasha's response was cold and calculated. "You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?"

Bruce's eyes flashed with anger. "I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed."

“Loki’s manipulating you,” Natasha said, her voice sharp and accusing.

Bruce turned to her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And you’ve been doing what exactly?”

“You didn’t come here because I batted my eyelashes at you,” Natasha retorted.

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy,” Bruce shot back, his voice rising. “I’d like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.”

“Because of him.” Nick Fury pointed directly at Thor.

“Me?” Thor asked, genuinely stunned.

“Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town,” Fury explained, his voice steady but intense. “We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.”

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet,” Thor said.

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you? And you’re not the only threat. The world’s filling up with people who can’t be matched, who can’t be controlled,” Nick Fury said.

“Like you controlled the cube?” Steve asked.

“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war,” Thor explained, his voice grave.

“A higher form?” Steve echoed, his eyes narrowing.

“You forced our hand. We had to come up with something,” Fury admitted.

“Nuclear deterrent. ‘Cause that always calms everything right down,” Tony said sarcastically.

“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?” Fury retorted, his gaze sharp.

“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep…” Steve began, his tone heavy with disdain.

“Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?” Tony interrupted.

“I’m sorry, isn’t everything?” Steve shot back, his eyes locked onto Tony’s.

“I thought humans were more evolved than this,” Thor said, his voice filled with disappointment.

“Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?” Nick Fury shot back at Thor.

“Did you always give your champions such mistrust?” Thor countered, his eyes narrowing at Fury.

“Are you all really that naïve? S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats,” Natasha interjected, her voice calm but firm.

“Captain America is on the threat watch?” Bruce asked.

“We all are,” Natasha confirmed, her eyes steady.

Tony turned to Steve with a smirk. “You’re on that list? Are you above or below angry bees?”

“I swear to God, Stark, one more wisecrack…” Steve began.

“Verbal threatening! I feel threatened!” Tony exclaimed, raising his hands defensively.

“You speak of control, yet you court chaos,” Thor said, his deep voice cutting through the escalating tension.

"It's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we? A team? No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're...we're a time bomb," Bruce said.

Nick Fury’s gaze hardened. "You need to step away."

Tony put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?"

Steve swatted Tony’s hand away. "You know damn well why. Back off!"

Tony came face-to-face with Steve. "Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."

Ingrid, sitting off to the side, nervously bounced her leg as she watched the confrontation unfold.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" Steve asked.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Tony retorted with a smirk. Natasha subtly tilted her head, acknowledging the truth in Tony's self-assessment.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you," Steve countered, his words cutting through the air.

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony replied casually.

Steve smiled faintly. "Always a way out... You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!" Tony shot back, the tension between them palpable.

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds," Steve challenged, his stance defiant.

Ingrid looked up at her father, her disappointment evident in her eyes. "This is what we left Calcutta for?" she whispered softly, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"It'll be alright, I promise," Bruce reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Thor chuckled condescendingly from across the room. "You people are so petty... and tiny," he remarked, his tone mixing amusement with a hint of superiority.

Tony sighed and rubbed his head. "Yeah, this is a team…" Bruce muttered, his voice tinged with resignation.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner and his daughter back to their…" Nick Fury started, only to be interrupted by Bruce.

"Where? You rented my room," Bruce interjected with a touch of frustration.

"The cell was just in case…" Nick Fury started to explain.

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried!" Bruce interrupted.

Ingrid felt her chest tighten at the memory. She didn't see it happen, but the echoes of that night haunted her still. She remembered hearing a gunshot, the sharp sound piercing through the walls of their temporary home. She had covered her ears tightly, trying to block out the terrifying noise, until exhaustion finally claimed her and she fell into an uneasy sleep. The next morning, when she woke up, her father was in the kitchen making breakfast, his demeanor seemingly normal. But Ingrid knew better, even as a child.

Bruce glanced at Ingrid, his expression pained with regret. He knew the impact his transformations had on both of them. He had tried to shield her from the worst of it, but some scars ran too deep.

After a moment of heavy silence, Bruce spoke again. "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. Being the father my daughter deserves. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!"

Bruce's words hung in the air. He looked directly at Natasha, whose usual composure faltered under his intense gaze. Her hand instinctively moved towards her weapon, mirrored by Fury beside her.

"You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Bruce continued.

Natasha and Fury tensed, prepared for any escalation. But before they could react further, Steve intervened with calm authority. "Doctor Banner... put down the scepter," he said carefully, his eyes fixed on Bruce.

Ingrid, lost in her own thoughts and emotions, suddenly became aware of the tension in the room. She looked over at her father, who stood beside her, holding the scepter in his hand. A flicker of apprehension crossed her face as she cautiously stepped away, unsure of what was unfolding.

Bruce looked down in shock to see he was holding the scepter, a sudden realization hitting him as he realized how close he came to losing control. The tension in the room was broken by the beeping sound from a nearby computer, drawing everyone's attention.

"Got it," Tony announced.

Bruce quickly set down the scepter and moved towards the computer. "Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my little party trick after all."

"Located the Tesseract?" Thor inquired, his concern evident.

"I can get there faster," Tony replied confidently, already moving towards the exit.

Steve stepped forward, blocking Tony's path. "Look, all of us—"

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it," Thor interjected firmly, his gaze unwavering.

Tony paused, clearly considering his next move, but Steve wasn't backing down. "You're not going alone!" he asserted, his tone resolute.

"You gonna stop me?" Tony challenged, his voice tinged with defiance.

"Put on the suit, let's find out," Steve countered, his stance firm.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," Tony retorted, his frustration evident.

"Put on the suit," Steve repeated, his determination unwavering.

Amidst the brewing confrontation, Bruce, who had been studying the monitor, suddenly gasped. "Oh, my God."