To be honest, Nick Fury was bleeding money so badly at this point, he half-expected to get a call from his bank saying his wife had to start paying the bills.
S.H.I.E.L.D. sounded like a powerful, top-tier global organization on paper. In reality? Not so much.
Despite the cool acronym, the government wasn't exactly throwing money at them, and ever since the "Avengers Initiative" was launched, more than a few higher-ups were calling it reckless.
Nick Fury had bet everything on the Avengers. And just as he got the ball rolling—boom. Crisis. Collateral damage. A soul-punching mage demanding payment.
Now he was on the hook for infrastructure repairs and Henry's reward fee.
Fury's jaw tightened at the thought of submitting that budget report. There was no way the higher-ups were covering any of this. He'd probably have to start liquidating assets. Maybe even sell weapons to make up the difference.
Or worse… borrow money from Stark.
The thought alone gave him a migraine.
"I'm leaving," he said flatly, face like thunder.
And with that, he turned and walked off without another word—probably afraid if he stayed another minute, Henry would send him another invoice.
As he got into the car, Natasha Romanoff turned back and laughed. "Henry, you are something else. I've worked with Fury for years, and this is the first time I've seen him this rattled."
Fury—the King of Agents. The master manipulator who always had the upper hand.
And today, Henry had steamrolled him with a smile.
"You have no idea how rare that is," she continued with a smirk. "Usually he's the one cornering people, not the other way around. But you? You made him pay up. I'm impressed."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully pleased about that."
"Of course I am!" Natasha said brightly. "I'm a government agent. He's my boss. Who doesn't enjoy seeing their boss lose for once?"
She folded her arms, grinning from ear to ear like she'd just won the office lottery.
Henry gave a light chuckle. "Fair enough."
But then Tony Stark, who had been mostly silent, suddenly narrowed his eyes in thought. "Hold on a second…"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"…Didn't Fury also invite me into the Avengers?" Tony said. "Shouldn't I be getting paid too?!"
He wasn't exactly hurting for cash, but that wasn't the point. He'd been working around the clock, risking his life, and funding S.H.I.E.L.D tech upgrades. All for free?
Now that he was thinking about it, it kind of pissed him off.
Henry nodded. "Logically, yes. He brought you in, so he should've offered compensation."
Tony stared into the distance. "I've literally given him weapons. Weapons. And I got nothing."
"If you care," Henry suggested, "you should have a conversation with him. You don't have to ask for cash. Maybe negotiate for something else—intel, access, or even gear."
Tony rubbed his chin. "You know, that's not a bad idea. He still owes me something related to my dad's files. And I am still dying from palladium poisoning."
He turned to Natasha. "You heading back to S.H.I.E.L.D? Mind if I hitch a ride?"
Natasha nodded. "Sure. I need to take Dr. Banner back anyway."
With the situation mostly resolved, the agents began preparing to leave. Henry, meanwhile, was ready to head home and resume his magical studies.
Just as she was turning away, Natasha gave him a flirty smile.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Henry. If you're free sometime… maybe we could grab a coffee?"
Henry replied casually, not reading too much into it. "We'll see. Maybe."
Then, with a quick gesture, he opened a glowing portal and vanished.
Back at the villa…
When Henry stepped through the portal, he found Polaris lounging on the couch, watching TV with a burger in one hand.
She jumped up when she saw him. "Master Henry! You're back!"
She pointed to the coffee table. "This is dinner—I brought it for you."
Henry glanced at the table. Fried chicken. Burgers. Fries.
He raised an eyebrow. "You just bought all this?"
Polaris nodded. "There's also milk, bread, and frozen food in the fridge."
Henry stood silently for a moment.
She tilted her head. "Is… something wrong?"
"…Are you planning to feed me this every day for the next few months?"
Polaris blinked. "Um… is that a problem?"
Henry sighed.
Right. This was New York. Fast food and frozen junk were the default diet.
It wasn't that he hated burgers, but… several months of this?
"I need real meals. Rice. Vegetables. Balanced food. If you can't cook it, order it from outside."
Polaris looked sheepish. "I… don't really have the money for that."
Henry paused. "Wait. You don't have any money?"
"Not enough for restaurants," she said honestly. "People don't exactly hire mutants. Especially not a wanted one."
Henry blinked. "…You're wanted?"
"Kind of. The Mutant Association's been hunting us down. I haven't taken any jobs in weeks."
Henry sighed again, rubbing his temples.
"Where did your money come from before this?"
"My friends and I had... channels," she said awkwardly. "Not legal ones. But it was survival. Katelyn though, we've been laying low."
"…Fine," Henry muttered. "I'll cover food. But only my portion. You're still on your own."
After all, her role here was technically punishment. He wasn't running a charity.
Polaris nodded quickly. "Deal."
Henry pointed toward the side table. "The money's in the box Natasha sent over. Grab what you need for groceries."
She saluted playfully. "Yes, Master Henry!"
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