Then suddenly, the clouds around the Quinjet began to darken. A deep rumble spread through the sky as lightning flickered inside the forming storm.
Loki, tied up on the floor, stiffened at the first crack of thunder.
His expression shifted — not fear, exactly, but unmistakable discomfort.
Tony noticed immediately. "What, you scared of lightning?"
Luke gave him a flat look. "Tony, you really need to brush up on Norse mythology."
Tony blinked. "Why?"
Luke pointed lazily at Loki. "You've got the trickster god here. Now tell me — if your family troublemaker shows up after causing chaos everywhere… what does the family usually do?"
Tony hesitated. "Beat his ass and drag him home?"
"Correct." Luke leaned back. "And his brother just arrived to do exactly that."
"Thor?" Natasha asked, eyes widening.
She still remembered the mess Thor caused during his little "visit" to New Mexico — the shattered S.H.I.E.L.D equipment, the destroyed agents' vehicles, the tornado, the hammer incident.
Definitely not someone she wanted storming onto their aircraft.
Luke nodded. "Yep. Thor, God of Thunder."
As if summoned by the name, a massive clang echoed through the Quinjet.
A second later, the rear hull of the Quinjet was violently pried open from the outside — metal bending with a screech.
Wind roared into the cabin, whipping everyone's hair and clothes.
A tall figure dropped inside — armor gleaming, red cape snapping behind him, Mjolnir crackling faintly with leftover lightning.
Thor's eyes locked instantly onto Loki.
"Loki."
Tony's helmet snapped down with a metallic click as he stood to block Thor's path.
"Alright, Point Break," Tony began, stepping forward, "your little brother isn't going anywhere. He's got something of ours, and until we get it back, you can't just—"
He didn't finish.
WHAM.
Mjolnir hit him like a truck.
One clean swing — not lethal, just enough force to swat Tony out of Thor's way. The armored genius flew backward, smashing into the interior wall with a grunt.
Before anyone else could react, Thor marched forward, grabbed Loki by the collar like a misbehaving cat, and leapt straight out of the Quinjet.
Natasha stared, gripping the controls harder as the Quinjet shook. With the back hull torn open, the airflow kept throwing the jet slightly off balance, forcing her to wrestle it steady.
Luke let out a tired sigh. "Well. That happened."
Natasha shot him a look. "That's all you have to say? We just lost Loki. If something happens to him, you're not getting the Tesseract."
Steve stepped forward, bracing himself against the turbulence. "We need a plan before we go after them. Now we're dealing with two gods — rushing in blindly isn't smart."
Tony didn't seem to agree.
"I have a plan," he said as the repulsors charged beneath his boots.
"Attack."
And with that, he blasted straight out of the jet.
"Well, I'm going down. I have to check on something," said Luke as he stood up.
The only reason he hadn't made a fuss when Thor grabbed Loki was simple — if they started fighting inside the Quinjet, the whole aircraft would've been blown into scrap metal in seconds.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped toward the open hull…
…and jumped.
Captain America looked at the open hull, grabbed a parachute, and tightened it across his back. Then he readied his shield in his hand, settling it into place with that familiar, steady determination on his face.
"Cap, this isn't a fight for humans," Natasha said, trying to keep her voice steady while managing the Quinjet's balance. "We're dealing with gods. I say we stay here."
Steve paused for half a second, meeting her eyes.
"I know," he said quietly. "But the human in me doesn't agree."
It wasn't bravado. It was just Steve being Steve.
He stepped toward the open hull.
Then he jumped.
***
Thor landed hard in the forest clearing, Loki tossed onto the ground like a bag of laundry.
Loki stood slowly, straightening his coat with that same detached elegance he always used to hide irritation.
Thor stepped toward him, voice already tight with anger and hurt.
"Why?" Thor demanded. "Why didn't you come home? Why let us mourn you? We thought you dead — Father thought you dead. And this is where you choose to be?"
Loki's expression twitched, just a crack.
"Home?" he echoed softly, with almost a laugh. "I fell for your precious glory. You and Father might have mourned… but what do I matter to you now?"
Thor grabbed Loki's armor and pulled him close, eyes blazing.
"You matter because you are my brother."
A cold smile curved Loki's lips. "I am not your brother."
"You took lives," Thor pressed, ignoring the barb. "Why attack this world? What quarrel do you have with the humans?"
Loki's smile sharpened. "Because they are easy to rule."
Thor's grip tightened. "Then you miss the point. You think yourself above them—above everyone."
Loki's voice softened, cruel and calm.
"And you still believe in love and family. How quaint."
Thor stared at him, frustration and grief mixing in ways he couldn't hide.
"You should have returned. You should have come home."
Loki looked away. "I had no home."
The words hit Thor hard — a visible pause, a heartbreak he didn't know how to answer.
That moment became the opening for everything that followed.
Because right then—
WHOOSH—
A red-and-gold blur slammed into Thor like a meteor.
Tony Stark hit him full-force, driving him straight through a tree.
Splinters exploded everywhere as both gods tumbled down the hill.
Luke landed lightly on the broken trunk nearby, hands still in his pockets.
A few moments earlier, just before jumping out of the Quinjet, Luke had dispelled the ropes around Loki — not out of kindness, not out of trust, but because he didn't want to miss this drama.
He genuinely wanted to see how these two brothers handled their reunion.
And judging from the scene in front of him?
It was every bit as dysfunctional as he expected.
"Well," he muttered, watching Thor and Tony vanish into the forest, fists already swinging,
"Looks like they started round one without me."