Ever since the Battle of New York — when Tony Stark carried a nuclear missile into the wormhole and blew up the Chitauri mothership — anxiety had been gnawing at him.
Night after night, he relived the same nightmare.
So, Tony began to wonder if it might be possible to create a planetary defense system — something to protect Earth from another alien invasion.
Of course, for now, it was just an idea.
Still, Tony wanted backup options. The Extremis virus was one of them. Maybe he could refine it — stabilize it — make it safe enough to use for defense.
But deep down, he trusted his own armor more than any biological experiment. The virus was a gamble; the armor was his faith.
And as he glanced over at Kai, lounging in a chair eating chips like it was movie night, Tony couldn't help but smirk.
Sure, the kid was lazy and always mouthing off — but oddly enough, when Kai was around, Tony's anxiety almost never surfaced.
Maybe the little bastard was worth the paycheck after all.
After unplugging the USB drive, Tony slumped back in his chair and sighed, waiting for Steve's arrival.
"By the way," Tony said, glancing at Kai, "Pepper already transferred your salary and bonus this month. Should be enough to buy you an apartment, right? Need me to recommend a place?"
"No need," Kai said casually, stuffing another chip in his mouth. "I'm planning to buy a manor in Manhattan. You know, for the future — when I get a girlfriend and a dog."
Tony arched an eyebrow. "A manor? In Manhattan? You realize how expensive those are, right?"
"That's why I think I deserve a raise, Boss Tony."
"Not happening!" Tony snapped. "You, the king of workplace laziness, will never get a raise in this lifetime!"
"The stingy Grandet himself," Kai muttered, smirking. "The capitalist who deserves to be hanged from a streetlamp."
"Damn you, you little brat! You made more this month than most people make in a lifetime — and that's including the doubled bonus!"
Tony threw his hands up. "You charged me fifty grand for a cheeseburger in Tennessee! Do you know how insane that is?"
Kai grinned. "Worth every penny."
"F**K!" Tony groaned.
Moments later, the Quinjet descended into the damaged manor grounds. Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff stepped out, spotting Tony and Kai still bickering.
"Tsk. You two really get along," Natasha teased as she plugged in a USB and started backing up AIM's files.
"Who said anything about getting along with him?" Tony retorted, adjusting his jacket. Then he noticed Steve's empty hands. "No cheeseburgers? Damn, I actually miss that fifty-thousand-dollar one."
Kai's eyes lit up. "Need another one, Tony? As long as the money's right, I can—"
"F**K, don't even think about it!" Tony cut him off, flipping him the finger as he stormed out toward the Quinjet.
Steve blinked. "What was that about a fifty-thousand-dollar cheeseburger?"
"Don't mind him," Kai said, handing Steve his chips. "That's just Tony being Tony."
Steve declined politely, while Natasha finished deleting the remaining AIM files.
"I already told Coulson I'm taking three days off once we get back," Kai said lazily. "Any word from my Hydra neighbor? I could really use another payday."
"She came looking for you a few times," Natasha replied. "You weren't home."
Kai sighed. "Figures."
"She'll probably act again once you're back," Natasha added.
Then she nodded toward the fake Mandarin actor sitting on the floor. "What's his deal?"
Kai quickly explained. Natasha just shook her head and led the man onto the Quinjet.
Onboard the Quinjet, Natasha detailed her next plan to deal with Alice — Kai's Hydra neighbor.
Steve chimed in with tactical advice. Tony, of course, kept butting in with completely non-tactical ideas, like showing up shirtless to "distract the enemy."
Natasha and Steve both rejected his brilliant plan on the spot.
Offended, Tony announced, "Fine! I'll take my yacht out and invite twelve supermodels. Kai can come along — see the world a little, maybe forget about that Hydra spy next door!"
The plan was vetoed by Steve before it even began.
"Kai might slack off," Steve said firmly, "but he's trustworthy. You're not leading him into that kind of trouble."
Only the poor stage actor seemed to enjoy the chaos, curiously poking around the Quinjet's panels like a tourist.
The Quinjet finally touched down at Stark Tower's landing bay.
Tony and Steve were still arguing about whether a yacht party counted as "life experience" when Tony spotted Pepper waiting for him.
He immediately shut up, straightened his suit, and gave the team a deadly glare — the universal "don't you dare tell her" look.
Then he hurried over, scooped Pepper into a hug, and started whispering sweet nonsense.
Natasha crossed her arms beside Kai, grinning. "Envious, Kai? You're eighteen now — time to get yourself a girlfriend."
Steve nodded. "She's right. Maybe not Tony's yacht-party method, but still... it's nice to have someone."
Natasha smirked. "Steve, didn't I introduce you to half the single women in S.H.I.E.L.D.? Now you're trying to dump them on Kai?"
"That's different, Natasha. I—" Steve stammered.
"They're not right for him anyway," Natasha said with a shrug. "Kai should find someone at college — someone normal."
She winked at Kai, then boarded the Quinjet and took off before Steve could respond.
As the jet disappeared into the clouds, Tony and Pepper were still locked in a cheesy embrace.
Kai and Steve exchanged awkward glances.
"Yeah," Kai muttered, scratching his head. "This got weird fast."