Wroom...
Under the cover of night, the roar of a motorcycle speeding by was particularly grating.
The engine's thrumming abruptly ceased. Leon finally ended his hours-long journey, returning to New York from Washington and arriving at his apartment building.
He pushed his silver Yamaha FZ-6N into the garage, then casually tossed the keys, hooking them precisely onto a wall hanger.
His shoes creaked on the wooden stairs, and he could hear the sounds of his neighbors enjoying their delicious dinners.
However, these noises did not interrupt Leon's train of thought.
His trip to the Triskelion headquarters had been extremely fruitful.
Not only had he met the aloof and mature Maria Hill, and flirted with her a bit, but he had also familiarized himself with the Triskelion's environment.
Moreover, while wandering around, he had unexpectedly encountered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientific duo—Fitz and Simmons.
For Leon, this day was undoubtedly one worth celebrating.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly frowned and stopped.
Looking up, he realized he had unconsciously arrived at his apartment door.
However, the faint sound of a heartbeat continuously emanating from inside the apartment, along with the light filtering through the door crack, all pointed to one fact: someone was in the apartment!
In that instant, Leon's mind raced, trying to deduce the identity of the intruder from every clue.
Soon, after eliminating all impossible scenarios, he arrived at the most probable conclusion: "Hydra?!"
As soon as he thought of this, he instinctively reached for his waist, but found nothing.
It was then that he realized he hadn't brought his gun with him... "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. Leon immediately abandoned the idea of running to the garage to get a weapon, instead slowly crouching down and retrieving a paper-thin throwing knife from under the doormat in front of his apartment.
As a new agent, one always needed a plan B or two...
Standing in front of the door, his face serious, Leon gripped the throwing knife tightly in his right hand, while his left hand slowly turned the doorknob, trying not to make a sound that would alert the "enemy" inside.
As he expected, the previously locked door was already open.
With a gentle push, he immediately saw the "enemy" standing in the living room.
At the same time, the other person also saw Leon, his backside sticking out, sneaking in.
With the help of the light, both of them clearly saw each other's faces:
"Leon?!"
"Uncle Phil?!"
Five minutes later...
"Hahahaha..."
Sitting in a dining chair, Leon chewed on a slice of pizza, looking utterly helpless as Coulson roared with laughter.
"Alright, alright, you've been laughing for several minutes now, the pizza's getting cold..." With that, he picked up a slice of pizza and shoved it directly into Coulson's mouth.
Coulson, his mouth full of pizza from his nephew, didn't get angry; instead, he happily took the pizza and started eating it.
"I didn't expect you to be so vigilant. Bringing you into the bureau was truly a wise decision!" Coulson exclaimed, eating his pizza.
"You have the nerve to say that!"
Leon, looking indignant, seized the opportunity to complain: "Who told you to come to my house without contacting me first! I almost threw the throwing knife in my hand!"
After a few jabs at Coulson, Leon remembered to ask about his visit:
"By the way, why did you come to see me without any notice, and even brought my favorite bacon pizza? Did something happen?"
It wasn't that Leon was overly suspicious; it was just Coulson's sudden appearance at his home felt a bit unusual.
However,
It turned out he had overthought things... Coulson looked at the puzzled Leon and then smiled, "What's wrong? Do I need approval to visit my own nephew?"
"Uh... that's true." Leon was speechless.
"It's just that when I passed by the pizza place, I suddenly remembered that you just joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and I hadn't had a chance to celebrate with you yet. So I brought your favorite bacon pizza for a pizza party."
"Besides, I promised your parents that I would take good care of you!"
The last sentence carried a strong sense of determination.
When the topic of Leon's parents came up, a hint of sadness inadvertently flickered across Coulson's face.
Sitting beside him, Leon also gently patted Coulson's shoulder at the right moment, comforting him: "I know, my dear uncle."
Before he transmigrated, Leon's parents had lost their precious lives in a major car accident, leaving the young Leon an orphan.
Fortunately, at that time, Uncle Coulson was by his side, preventing him from becoming a child with a flawed personality.
And after Li Ang replaced Leon, the first person he came into contact with was indeed Coulson.
Three years of living together had long made him regard Coulson as the only relative he could rely on in this world.
Therefore, seeing Coulson lost in sad memories, Leon also felt a deep empathy.
Under Leon's comfort, Coulson quickly recovered and, with lightning speed, transformed into a sympathetic uncle!
"How's work?"
"How are your relationships with your colleagues?"
...A barrage of trivial questions, like a machine gun, spewed from his mouth, leaving Leon overwhelmed.
Leon was completely stunned.
He really wanted to ask Coulson: "Old uncle, have you ever been to Sichuan in China?"
Your face-changing act is instant!
He had no choice; he regarded Coulson as his only relative, and Coulson felt the same way.
So, even though he knew he shouldn't ask so many questions, a deep sense of responsibility drove Coulson from being a kind old man to a nagging old woman.
However, the feeling of being cared for was still very nice.
At least, for Leon, an extraterrestrial who constantly felt he didn't belong to this world, Coulson's concern deepened his sense of belonging.
However, what Leon never expected was that besides caring about his daily life, Coulson also subtly revealed some work-related information.
For example: "You must work hard and perform well; Director Fury has very high expectations for you..."
"Recently, follow Agent Barton closely, learn well, and pick up more Russian. Learning an extra language will be very useful for your future missions..."
"The situation is really unstable lately. In Brazil, the military even dispatched a helicopter squadron to pursue a doctor; in the Middle East, the warlords have been fighting fiercely, and several agents from the bureau who were undercover there were killed in the conflict..."
This information allowed Leon to better understand the changing times and the movements of certain individuals.
For example, a certain doctor being chased by the military.
"Poor Dr. Banner."