On The Edge. | Steve Rogers.

four.

Present day. 

Issac hadn't realized how long they had been talking until he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He felt eyes on him and turned to meet the apathetic, calculating but intrigued gaze of who he assumed was Loki. The man was surrounded by eight heavily armed agents, cuffed and still in his foreign armor. Despite having been apprehended, he wore a pleased smile, looking almost happy or smug in his newfound imprisonment. Issac shared a glance with Bruce, both slightly worried about having Loki on the ship with them. There was a silent conversation, both coming to the conclusion that Loki definitely had a screw loose. Or five. 

They both made their way back to the main control room where the others were waiting. Natasha and Steve were both sitting at the table, still dressed in their combat suits, while a man dressed in similar attire to Loki stood listening to the security footage of Fury interrogating the man in question. This must be Thor. He'd heard the stories and read the reports, a mysterious hammer landing in the middle of the desert, so heavy that nobody could lift it. It was something out of the legends. Also, S.H.I.E.L.D wasn't very comfortable with weapons of unknown origins falling through the atmosphere completely unaffected. Then there was the man who fought off nearly all of their men in order to get to this hammer. At first they brushed it off, considering he was drunk or perhaps even on some sort of drugs. Then, days later the hammer disappeared, being wield by the same man who was unable to lift it as he conjured lightning bolts and took out a large, metal creature that had nearly leveled a small town on his own. 

Issac couldn't help but eye the man curiously. While Loki's expression was dark and his eyes were cold, Thor's were warm, displaying the deep emotion he felt for this planet and its people as much as he claimed. His blonde hair was a  bit lighter than Steve's and hung loose around his shoulders, matching the stubble growing on his jaw that only added to his slight ruggedness. Issac's gaze wandered slightly to Thor's exposed arms, letting his thoughts wander for a moment before someone clearing their throat quickly startled him back to the present. 

He paid little attention until another person joined them in the room. There was no misplacing the face he'd seen plastered on practically every American billboard and magazine relating to business, mechanics, and engineering for the past two years. Tony Stark walked alongside Coulson, who looked borderline exasperated by his never ending mouth. The man was finally able to pull away when Tony began talking with the other Avengers, giving Issac a chance to approach his friend and colleague with an unhappy expression.

Coulson was able to read him like a book by now, letting out a small sigh.

"It's only until this mess gets sorted out." He mumbled so only Issac could hear. "Then you can all go home."

The younger man just mumbled something under his breath, crossing his arms and listening but not making sense of the words Tony and Bruce were exchanging. It was all science talk, but not normal science, complicated, astrophysics and nearly incomprehensible equations unless you had an IQ above 140. Issac considered himself smart enough, but this was way out of his league.  

"Finally, someone who speaks English!" Tony breathed, sounding more than pleased as he went to introduce himself to Bruce.

"Is that what just happened?" Both Steve and Issac mumbled simultaneously, frowning and turning towards each other with confused gazes afterwards.

Issac sighed heavily through his nose, watching as Bruce and Tony eventually left to work on tracking the tesseract. He glanced at Tony's back as he disappeared down the hall, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from visibly scowling in his direction. He sent one last glance over his shoulder to the remaining 'Avengers' in the room before turning on his heel, disappearing in the opposite direction of the two scientists.

Coulson found him about an hour later, sitting by one of the windows that gave him a clear view of the world below. He paid no attention to the presence behind him as he stared down at the illuminated city below. He wasn't entirely sure where they were right now or what country they were over. The city below was smaller, definitely not a major city he knew of. They were probably still in Europe, but were heading towards the U.S by now.

Coulson waited, giving Issac a chance to speak first before clearing his throat.

"Do you plan on sulking here all night?" he asked, a playful tone in his voice.

Issac glanced at his reflection in the mirror. The man stood calmly, hands resting in the pocket of his unwrinkled slacks. His uniform looked as impeccable as ever, not a crease or line from folds in sight.

"Maybe." He mumbled begrudgingly. He knew he was being just a bit petulant, but he didn't care right now.

The older man let out a small sigh as he moved to sit beside him, folding his hands in front of him as he too stared down at the city getting ready to wake up for the day below them, completely unaware of their presence. It almost made Issac laugh. Almost. 

"Do you think this is how gods see us?" Issac asked quietly after a moment, not looking at the other.

"Maybe." Coulson hummed softly. He knew the other well enough to tell when he needed to be forcibly pulled from his bad moods, and when he just needed someone to sit and talk with him for a bit.

"What's the point of this stupid project anyway?" Issac furrowed his eyebrows slightly, turning his head in Coulson's direction but not quite looking at him. "Just...bring a bunch of people together and expect them to play heroes? Half of them can't even act like adults and get along with one another, how are they supposed to go out and save the world as a team?"

"And you are?" Coulson hummed. His tone remained playful, but they both knew his words held no bite and meant no harm.

Issac sighed heavily. "It just seems so forced. So..." he trailed off, simply shrugging his shoulders when he couldn't find the words.

"Issac," Coulson's serious tone forced his gaze to shift towards him. Coulson was still staring out the window, looking down at the city below. "This project was designed so S.H.I.E.L.D wouldn't have to resort to more...oppressive, destructive measures. It was designed in the hopes that maybe if we had a form of defense, a human form of defense strong enough to protect this world, society would be able to sleep peacefully at night. We would be able to sleep peacefully at night without worrying when the next threat would strike and what it would be." he finally turned his gaze away from the window. "A group of extraordinary individuals brought together to keep the world a safer place."

Issac made a bit of a face, looking down and nodding slowly. Coulson placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"That includes you, whether you believe it or not, you were picked as a candidate for more than just your abilities."

"I don't need your sappy words of reassurance." Issac rolled his eyes, but he was struggling to fight back a small smile.

They turned their gaze back to the window, watching as the sky began to turn pink on the horizon with the rising sun. They sat there in comfortable silence for an undetermined amount of time until their comms crackled to life.