Everyone is Here

---

Unexpectedly, Coulson and Natasha returned from abroad half a day earlier than Kai had expected.

Since Tony had sent the message, Coulson and Natasha immediately boarded a plane and flew back without delay. The moment they landed, they headed straight for the manor.

So, on the afternoon of the next day, just as Kai and his team were finalizing the details of their plan, Coulson and Natasha arrived.

"Coulson, you're back already?" Kai asked as he spotted them.

"We flew back as soon as we got the message," Coulson explained. "Wasn't this mission supposed to be critical? We figured the sooner, the better."

"Right, makes sense." Kai nodded and led them into the living room.

Inside, Coulson and Natasha saw all the Illuminati members seated in an orderly fashion. Coulson immediately realized that this was bigger than what Tony had hinted at in his message.

His suspicions grew stronger when he spotted Nick Fury sitting among them. Clearly, this matter involved a much larger scope than he had initially thought.

Just as Coulson and Natasha were about to report their time abroad to Fury—

A sudden gust of wind blew through the room.

Coulson frowned. "Why is there such a strong wind indoors?"

Before he could process it, a voice shouted, "Pietro, give the wallet back!"

"Oh, fine," another voice answered, sounding nonchalant.

Coulson turned, and to his shock, two children—a boy and a girl—had somehow appeared in the room.

The girl had scolded the boy, and the boy, looking reluctant, stepped toward Coulson. With a sigh, he pulled out a wallet and handed it over.

Coulson blinked. Wait. That was his wallet.

He hadn't even noticed it was missing.

As Pietro turned away, he muttered, "I just wanted to check what he does for a living. Not a big deal."

He shot a glance at Wanda, only to find her giving him a firm glare. Seeing that, Pietro immediately straightened up and decided to stay quiet.

Coulson looked down at his wallet. His ID had been removed but placed back—just not in its usual spot.

Deciding that reporting to Fury could wait, Coulson turned to Kai instead. "Natasha, go ahead and brief Fury. I need to have a chat with Kai about these two kids—especially the one who took my wallet."

The rest of the team had already spent two days in the manor, which meant they had gotten to know Wanda and Pietro before Coulson.

Through Kai's introduction, everyone had learned the siblings' story and even commended Kai for taking them in.

At first, Wanda and Pietro resented Tony. If Kai hadn't intervened, they would have happily used their powers to get some form of "revenge" on him.

But Kai had taken the time to explain the truth: Tony had never personally approved the sale of weapons that had harmed their people. That decision had been made by Obadiah Stane.

More importantly, Tony himself had been a victim of the situation.

Even after hearing this, Wanda and Pietro were still skeptical. So, Kai pulled up actual records, showing them undeniable proof. Only then did they start to believe him.

Still, while they no longer harbored outright hatred for Tony, they preferred to avoid him. They were much friendlier with everyone else.

That changed when they learned something surprising—Pepper had personally handled their schooling, identity documents, and even their daily necessities. Ever since Kai had brought them back, she had quietly taken care of everything, never once changing her efforts despite their initial hostility.

This realization made the twins reconsider their stance.

Pepper had been nothing but kind to them, and as a result, their attitude toward her softened. And since Pepper was so closely connected to Tony, their attitude toward him naturally improved as well.

This shift was something even Kai and Pepper hadn't expected.

Tony, however, was baffled.

He wanted to say, 'I'm the heir to the Stark empire, and you're the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, yet you're acting this cautious because of two kids?'

But before he could open his mouth, he caught sight of Pepper's expression.

Sensing danger, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he followed Pepper's advice and patiently worked on improving his relationship with the twins.

To his surprise, it worked.

Over time, Tony and Wanda discovered they actually had some common interests. Their conversations, though rare at first, became more frequent and natural.

Seeing this, Pepper smiled.

She hadn't wanted Tony and the twins to remain at odds. Now, thanks to Tony listening to her guidance and Wanda listening to Kai's reasoning, things were improving.

Back in the present, Coulson turned to Kai, ignoring Nick Fury's curious gaze.

He looked at the two children before him and asked, "Kai, what's the story with these two? And how did I not even notice my wallet getting taken?"

He deliberately chose the word took instead of stole—there was no need to create unnecessary hostility.

Kai knew Coulson had been away on a mission under Fury's orders, which was why he was out of the loop.

But now that Coulson had directly come to him for answers, Kai had no choice but to explain.

Besides, everyone else already knew. Coulson would hear about it sooner or later, so it was better to just tell him now.

__________