Dinner Together

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Steve, who had traveled through time, vanished before Kai could say anything. Kai blinked in surprise.

"That was fast."

Natasha walked over. "What's the rush?"

Kai turned to see Tony standing up again, picking up the suitcase. Since his attention had been elsewhere, Natasha had come to ask what was going on and just happened to catch his remark.

"Oh, I was just thinking how quickly this alien invasion was dealt with. Less than half a day."

Hearing Kai's response, everyone started discussing it, then left Stark Tower together.

Even though Kai wasn't fond of Nick Fury, he had to admit that SHIELD was efficient. They quickly blocked off all surrounding roads, keeping civilians away from the battlefield, and immediately began organizing a cleanup operation. Of course, Kai knew SHIELD had their own motives—they'd want to collect Chitauri technology for research.

Still, at least they were handling the mess. That was enough for him.

With the battle over, everyone returned home to rest and prepare for the dinner party the next day.

Kai and Banner returned to the manor, where Samuel immediately came over, eager for details. Kai, not in the mood to talk, casually handed him off to Banner.

As Banner recounted the events of the day, Samuel finally sighed, "That was one hell of a day."

Kai, lying back in a recliner, agreed. Today had been the most exciting day since he had arrived in this world.

Before he knew it, he had dozed off. By the time Banner woke him, night had fallen.

Kai checked the time. "It's late. I need to go tell Grandpa to clear the restaurant for tomorrow's dinner."

After informing Banner, he headed home.

Meanwhile, Tony and Yinsen returned to the villa, landing on the half-destroyed lawn. Pepper had been waiting.

As soon as she saw Tony, she ran forward and threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, Tony, you're finally back safe!"

Tony caught her, one hand on her waist, the other brushing her face before he kissed her.

Fortunately, Yinsen had sensed what was coming and had already gone inside, avoiding being caught in the middle of their reunion.

Steve and Thor, on the other hand, followed Natasha and the others back to SHIELD. Thor locked Loki in a secure room with round-the-clock surveillance.

Once the debriefing was done, Steve returned home. Thor, with no place to go and still concerned about Loki, stayed behind to watch over him.

When Kai arrived at the restaurant, he found Grandpa preparing dishes for dinner guests.

"Grandpa, I've got some friends coming over tomorrow. Could you clear the restaurant for the day? I want to treat them to a meal."

Grandpa didn't hesitate. "No problem. I'll keep the restaurant closed so they can properly enjoy my cooking."

"Thanks, Grandpa. I'll help out too."

The next day, Kai had already shared the restaurant's address with everyone—mainly SHIELD, since Tony and Steve already knew the location, and Kai could pick up Banner himself. The only person he needed to tell directly was Thor.

Then he realized SHIELD already knew the address, and Thor was staying with them. He could just come along with them.

Early in the morning, Kai helped Grandpa with the food prep. As lunchtime approached, he put down what he was doing.

"Grandpa, everything's ready. I'm going to pick up Banner."

Grandpa waved him off, so Kai left to get Banner.

When they returned, Steve had just pushed open the restaurant door.

"Hey, Steve, grab a seat. You're the first to arrive."

Kai gestured for Steve to sit, while Banner struck up a conversation with him. Kai went back to the kitchen to help Grandpa.

Next, Tony arrived in his flashy sports car. Not long after, a black SUV pulled up, bringing several SHIELD agents—and Thor.

With everyone here, Kai began serving the food. A large table was soon filled with dishes, surprising the guests. They hadn't expected such a feast.

Kai waved off their surprise, raising his glass.

"Alright, everyone. We fought together, and we won. Now, we're here again, so don't overthink it. For now, let's just eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves."

Tony immediately joined in, raising his glass. Soon, everyone was drinking and eating, thoroughly enjoying the meal.

As they ate, the restaurant's TV broadcast the latest news:

"While it has been confirmed as an alien invasion, this group—hailed by the public as superheroes—worked together to defeat the enemy. For many, this victory means more than just survival."

"It's great to have them, you know."

"At least someone is protecting us."

"I love you, Thor!"

"And then the aliens went 'boom!' I love the Hulk!"

"I don't know how safe this really is. Feels like the government is hiding things."

"Superheroes in New York? That's crazy!"

"They should pay for the city's destruction."

. . .

Reactions were mixed. Some saw them as heroes. Others were skeptical.

Kai watched everyone's responses, then spoke up:

"Hey, guys. Why don't we make it official?"

They turned to him.

"I mean, why not form an actual team? A group dedicated to protecting Earth from extraterrestrial threats—without interfering in human political conflicts."

This time, everyone agreed.

"But what do we call ourselves?" Tony asked.

Kai smiled. He had already thought of a name.

He looked at them and said—

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