After returning from Nidavellir, Leon had originally planned to seek out Odin and inquire further about the Life Tablet and the coming of Ragnarök.
Unfortunately, Odin and Frigga had apparently gone off on vacation somewhere. No one could find them.
Left with no choice, Leon and Tony returned to Earth first to report their safety. They would visit again another time.
…
Malibu Mansion.
Clifftop shoreline.
The Bifrost flashed across the sky.
Leon descended while holding Supergiant in one arm and carrying Valkyrie in the other. Just before touching down, he halted midair and hovered.
Behind him, Tony—eyes shut—attempted a dramatic superhero landing.
He plunged straight into the ocean.
Splash!
"Sk—uu—urge!"
"Can you be professional for once? How do you even misalign the Bifrost?!"
Tony rocketed out of the sea and shouted furiously at the direction where the rainbow light had vanished.
The reason?
The one responsible for teleporting them this time was none other than Skurge, the Asgardian "security trainee" who had been practicing for all of two and a half months.
"Tony! Leon!"
It was dusk on Earth. Half the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting golden ripples across the quiet sea.
The moment Leon stepped off the Bifrost, Bast—stationed at Stark Tower—sensed his return.
A portal opened beside the brothers. Pepper Potts strode through briskly, hurrying toward them.
Leon and Tony assumed she was coming in for a warm welcome-home hug.
Instead—
Thud!
Thud!
Pepper delivered two fierce kicks, sending both brothers flying like cannonballs.
They smashed straight through the land-facing wall of the Malibu Mansion.
Off to the side, Supergiant and Valkyrie stared in stunned silence.
Who was this woman? And how was she so terrifying?
After Pepper, Bast stepped gracefully through the portal, dressed in her signature black-and-white maid attire, holding the Mind Stone Scepter in both hands. Arcee (A2 Mode) followed at her side.
After being properly scolded—Pepper tugging their ears like misbehaving children—Leon vanished in a flash and reappeared, sweeping Bast and Arcee into his arms.
He kissed each of them on the cheek, then delivered two affectionate "Leon's Grips."
"Bast, Arcee—I missed you so much!"
"Did you miss me?"
They didn't answer verbally.
Instead, each planted a soft kiss on one of his cheeks.
Warm. Sweet. Decisive.
"Huh?"
"Bast, why hasn't the portal closed yet?"
Leon glanced at the still-open gateway.
Before Bast could respond, a long leg clad in sheer black stockings stepped through.
Leon looked up.
Denim shorts. A fitted, off-shoulder gray sweater.
He didn't even need to see her face.
"Heh."
"Helen!"
"You've… grown again~"
With zero hesitation, Leon tossed Bast and Arcee aside to sit with Supergiant, then scooped Dr. Helen Cho up in a firm Leon's Grip before she could react.
Suspended midair, Helen instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck for balance.
Almost reflexively, she kissed him.
Halfway through, she suddenly remembered—there were other people present.
Rationality returned.
She pulled back, cheeks flushed crimson, burying her face against his chest in embarrassment.
She had originally intended to complain about his disappearance.
Instead, she'd lost the initiative completely.
A catastrophic miscalculation.
…Well. Perhaps only half a loss.
…
Night.
Stark Tower.
All members of the Avengers were gathered.
Dressed in formal attire rarely worn, they toasted and mingled.
Leon and Tony recounted parts of their experience on Sakaar, tactfully omitting any mention of the AllSpark and the Transformers.
Some advantages were better kept quiet.
"...Anyway, we should really thank our Iron Super-Man here," Leon concluded. "Otherwise, Bast would've teleported us back long ago."
"My fault?" Tony replied, utterly unrepentant.
If anything, Sakaar had left him exhilarated. He had evolved. Grown stronger.
"Yeah, right."
"This is insane. You two go partying on an alien planet and don't bring me?"
Rhodey glanced at Supergiant—standing respectfully beside Leon—then at Valkyrie chatting with Bruce Banner.
He was openly envious.
"Next time, definitely," Leon promised with a grin.
After the storytelling and laughter, Steve Rogers approached Leon with a glass of champagne.
"Leon, this may be long overdue, but I still want to thank you for pulling me out of the Arctic."
"And for showing up at the most critical moment—turning the tide against Ebony Maw and the Chitauri."
He raised his glass.
"To you."
They clinked glasses. Steve drained his in one go. Leon took a modest sip.
"It was my responsibility," Leon replied. "I just wish I'd returned sooner."
"Leon, could you come here for a moment?"
Maria Hill, dressed in a fitted gray skirt and heels, lightly tugged at his sleeve and whispered near his ear.
"Excuse me."
Leon finished his drink and followed Hill upstairs—to the rooftop.
Nick Fury was waiting.
Hill had intended to slip away after leading him there, but Leon caught her wrist and pulled her back.
With a casual gesture, he condensed an entire set of crystalline ice sofas.
Leon sat.
Hill was gently guided to sit as well.
He courteously gestured for Fury to take a seat.
Fury merely stood there, feeling the frigid mist rising from the frozen furniture. He shivered.
He strongly suspected Leon was doing this on purpose.
After all, Hill at least had insulation.
"Something you need?" Leon asked casually.
He idly held Hill's hand, absentmindedly tracing her fingers.
It was something he'd always found curious.
Women's hands seemed softer than men's.
Even when slender—bones faintly visible beneath the skin—they somehow still felt warm and delicate.
Soft enough that once he started, it was hard to stop.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 100+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789