"What the fuck just happened?" Clint blurted out. The archer looked shocked and angry as he stared at the empty space where Loki had vanished.
"That was Loki, was it not?" Natasha asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Everyone was staring at the empty spot where someone that looked awfully like Loki had disappeared from with the Reality Stone.
Well, except Kakashi who could not see currently but he could make out what happened with everyone's reactions.
The Avengers had just fought a brutal battle against Malekith and the Dark Elves only for Loki to swoop in and steal the prize at the last moment.
'It's just one problem after another,' Kakashi thought. He leaned against the wall, exhausted but still processing the new complication. For several long seconds, nobody spoke.
Tony was the first to break the silence. "Please tell me I imagined all of that because I am getting really tired of people appearing out of nowhere to steal some magical glowing rocks."
His voice was filled with irritation. He looked around as if Loki would suddenly appear again. When nothing happened, he let out a long sigh and rubbed his face with both hands. "This day somehow became worse, and I honestly did not think that was possible."
Natasha slowly lowered the pistol in her hand. Her eyes remained on the empty air. "Loki planned this," she said quietly. "He knew we would be too busy fighting Malekith. He waited until the exact moment when our attention was somewhere else." She frowned. "And he got exactly what he wanted."
Clint shook his head. "I really hate that guy." He looked at the others. "Seriously. Every single time we think things are finally over, Loki shows up and creates another problem."
He picked up one of his arrows from the ground and placed it back into his quiver. "I feel like I should start expecting him at this point."
Tony looked at Kakashi and asked, "So, fearless leader," Tony said, spreading his arms, "what is the plan? Because I really do not like the idea of the Asgardian trickster running around with a reality bending stone. Not after what he did with the mind stone and tessaract."
Kakashi looked at him. Well in his general direction since he could not see. "We are not capable to track him right now."
Tony blinked. That was not the answer he had wanted. "So our plan is no plan."
"Our current plan," Kakashi corrected calmly, "is to gather information before making our next move. We need to know what he is planning with the two stones that he had gathered. And whether he is looking for other stones too."
Tony stared at him for several seconds. Then he sighed. "You know, you somehow manage to sound reasonable and annoying at the same time."
Clint snorted. Natasha almost smiled. Kakashi merely looked at him. "I have been told that before."
Tony pointed a finger at him. "See? That right there. You say things like that with a completely serious face. Even though we can see your face, I can tell it is serious behind that mask of yours."
Again, Kakashi simply looked at him. Tony lowered his hand. "I honestly cannot tell if you are joking."
"I cannot tell either," Clint said. Natasha folded her arms. "Focus." Both men immediately became quiet.
She looked toward Kakashi. "What do you think Loki wants with the stone?"
Kakashi became thoughtful. "The Reality Stone can alter matter itself." He looked around at the battlefield. "Power like that is rarely stolen without purpose."
"Great," Tony said. "That sounds comforting."
Kakashi ignored the sarcasm. "Loki is intelligent. He is also patient. He would not risk revealing himself unless the reward was worth it."
Clint frowned. "So we assume he has a plan."
"We assume he has several plans," Kakashi replied. That answer made everyone quiet again. Because they all knew it was probably true.
Tony looked up at the sky. "Thor is going to be furious."
Clint nodded. "Oh, absolutely. I think furious is actually putting it lightly."
Creel said, "We just saved the world from one crazy person and somehow ended up losing."
"We did not lose," Kakashi said.
Tony looked at him. "We kind of did."
"We stopped Malekith."
"And then another guy took the magic stone."
Kakashi remained calm. "The situation became more complicated. That is different from losing."
Tony stared at him. After several seconds, he laughed. "I really need to borrow your optimism someday."
"It is not optimism."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "It is experience." The answer caught everyone slightly off guard. Kakashi's gaze became distant for a moment. "I have failed missions before. I have seen situations become worse after victory. Sometimes problems do not end simply because one enemy has been defeated." His eye moved toward the horizon. "You continue moving forward anyway." The others became quiet.
Tony let out a small breath. "You know, for someone who spends most of his time reading weird books and showing up late, you say some pretty deep things."
"I read many books."
"I somehow feel like that is not the reason."
Then Tony groaned. "I need food."
Clint immediately nodded. "I agree."
"I am serious."
"So am I."
Natasha looked at both of them. "You two are unbelievable."
Clint looked offended. "We just fought an ancient dark elf and his cronies who wanted to plunge the universe into darkness." He pointed at himself. "I think wanting food is a reasonable response."
Tony nodded. "I have burned enough calories to eat an entire restaurant. Let's go eat something Shawarma. I know a good place."
The Avengers headed towards eating some shawarma, forgetting about Loki and Infinity Stones for now.
Before they could leave, Kakashi spoke up. "Are we not forgetting about Jean?"
-----Author Notes---------
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