After a very long and very detailed debriefing, Dean finally was permitted to go home. As he walked along the side of his house- a cozy old Victorian nestled in a suburb just outside of New York- he reached into his bag and drew his cell phone out. It had occurred to him that he hadn't even looked at it since he'd been awakened about the Tesseract. Powering it on, he soon discovered that there were at least twenty missed calls from both of his parents.
Before he could even begin to call his parents back, the phone rang in his hand.
"Hey, Tony," he answered as he slid his house key into the kitchen door and walked inside.
"Just checking in. You are still going to dinner with us tonight, right?"
Dean sighed and laid his bag on the kitchen counter. His cat- a portly orange male named Biscuit- leaped onto the counter and vied for his attention.
"Yeah, just need to shower off all the alien guts."
"Good deal."
Taking a deep breath, he called his mother. The phone only rang once.
"Thomas Dean Allen," his mother fumed. "I saw you on the news."
"Yeah...about that. Sorry I didn't let you know. Things were pretty touch and go there for a long while. Thank you for feeding Biscuit, by the way."
Rosie Allen cleared her throat. "Well, I suppose saving the planet from an alien army is a good enough excuse. So how many did you kill?"
Dean laughed and began to walk through the hallway, past the dining room, and into the den. He was about to sit on the couch but thought better of it. "I lost count," he said with a smile in his voice.
"You sound like your father always did after a mission."
"Is he around?"
"Jack," Rosie called out. "It's your son."
Jack hastily answered the phone. "I can't wait to hear all about this one."
"Trust me, I plan on telling your everything. After I've slept for a week."
Jack's voice took on a serious tone. "I'm proud of you every day, son."
Dean couldn't find the words so he simply told him he loved him.
"Well, there's a very insistent young lady here who is eager to speak to you," Jack said, his voice taking on a lighter tone.
Dean grinned and walked up the stairs, Biscuit trotting along behind him. His niece, Samantha came onto the phone with barely concealed excitement. "Uncle Dean, you didn't tell me that you knew actual superheroes! What were they like? Is the Hulk really that big in person? Does Captain America miss the 1940s?"
As Samantha assailed him with questions, Dean did his best to keep up with her. The precocious ten year old had gravitated toward him at a very early age. Similarly to how he had always longed for his parents to tell him stories of their S.H.I.E.L.D. missions, Samantha now did this with him.
"I will tell you all about the whole thing when you come and stay the night at my place. We'll do movies and pizza."
"And Resident Evil?" Samantha added.
"Yes, definitely. Just don't tell your parents."
"What are they going to do? You're a highly-trained operative," she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
Dean found it hard to argue with her logic. "Now...I am completely wiped out and I've got alien entrails all over me."
"REALLY? You have to save some so I can see!"
Dean laughed heartily at his niece's insistence before promising to have her over soon. He entered his bedroom and looked at himself in the mirror. It was the first time he had actually stopped to assess himself since the battle in New York. His uniform was indeed coated in alien gore, and his face was marked with streaks of dirt and soot. He smelled terrible and his hair, normally worn in a neat part, was askew and matted with dried blood.
"And Thor still kissed me," he said to himself with a big smile.
After peeling off the suit and putting it in a garbage bag, he got into a hot shower and began the ambitious task of scrubbing all of the grime away. As he showered, he absently thought about what he would wear to dinner. Truthfully, all he wanted to wear was some pajamas. Hell, he'd even settle for nothing at all if it just meant crawling into his king size bed and drifting to sleep. The thought of Thor returning banished this idea though.
After toweling off, he went back into his bedroom and tugged on a black and purple jockstrap. Remembering that the shirt he wanted to wear was downstairs in the laundry room, he walked toward his bedroom door.
The door splintered in front of him as a muscular leg kicked through it. He was stricken by broken door and a strong kick to the chest that sent him flying backward and across the room. He looked up to see Kazuhiro framed by the broken doorway. His face was a terrible conglomeration of features Dean was familiar with, but his new wound transformed his countenance into something almost nightmarish. The deep cuts along his cheeks were stitched together. The gigantic smile starkly contrasted with the murderous look in his dark eyes. He looked all the more terrifying for it.
Dean sprang to his feet but Kazuhiro was already moving across the floor. He got low, sliding over the hardwood as he extended his legs again. They kicked Dean's shins, tripping him up and knocking him against the wall. He righted himself just in time to avoid a downward slash of the ninja's sword. He threw a kick at Kazuhiro's side and the terrorist dodged and threw back his sword hand. Dean's screamed in pain as the steel caught his bare chest. He fell back across the floor and felt the hot pain of the wound as blood spilled across his skin.
Kazuhiro approached him and grabbed him by his hair, yanking him up to his knees. "I told you I would kill you." He raised the sword and Dean reached out for his wrist, twisting and pivoting as he swept his leg underneath his feet. Kazuhiro was thrown backward and Dean rose up, throwing his head against his face. The blow pushed them apart.
"How did you find out where I live?" Dean demanded after sparing a glimpse at his chest. The wound wasn't deep, luckily, though it stung.
"From S.H.I.E.L.D., of course. Hawkeye was very helpful when he was Loki's pet."
Before Dean could reply, Kazuhiro sprang forward once more.
An excitement churned within Thor when returned to earth. Loki had been deposited back in the dungeon, and this time it was made certain that the actual Loki was in the cell. Thor had bid his parents farewell before traversing the Bifrost and returning to Midgard. He landed in the street where he and Loki had departed and was met with the sight of disaster relief workers attempting to start the task of cleaning up the city.
His heart swelled at the sight of the mortals working together to attempt to repair the damage Loki's army had wrought. These were a fragile people and yet their spirits could be as unbreakable as an Asgardian. His thoughts went to Dean, his Fair One, and at how strong he had been throughout the battle. Then he thought of that little glimpse of fragility. He longed to see more of this part of Dean. He felt that there was something within him that few had glimpsed; he wanted very much to be among them.
"Quite a mess, isn't it?" Tony called out as he stepped out of the broken entrance to Stark Tower.
"Indeed. But mortals are resilient."
"Sometimes we are. At least, we like to think we are." Tony walked up to him and got a closer look at his thoughtful expression. "Everything alright?"
"Yes. I was just thinking about Dean. You said that you know him well."
Tony shrugged. "I've seen him around. He's a solid guy. Laughs at my jokes. "
Thor followed Tony into the tower. "Well, I am courting him."
"Yeah, kind of noticed that."
"I have never courted a mortal before, and I wish to make him happy."
Tony grinned. "Dude, you keep being as honest and straightforward about your feelings and you won't have any trouble with that. Speaking of Dean, he should be coming around soon. The others are already here."
Dean hadn't left Thor's mind since he'd gone back to Asgard. They still had much to discuss. He wanted to explore this piece of Dean that lay beneath the surface, knowing that it was part of something much larger. As he followed Tony into an unscathed room of the ground floor, he focused on the Dean and how much he looked forward to deepening their connection.
Dean slid across the hardwood floor and landed just at the top of the stairs as Kazuhiro bounded after him. The kick to his core sent him falling down the steps. He arrived at the landing and slammed against the wall before righting himself. Kazuhiro leaped from the top of the steps and Dean sidestepped, driving his leg out in a side kick that saw the ninja stumbling down the stairs to the ground floor. He rushed for Kazuhiro and jumped up just as he swiped his sword at his ankles.
The dance of combat was brutal as the two of them fought their way across the den. Dean was still fatigued from the events of the last two days, and he could feel his energy level waning despite the fight or flight instincts that ruled his every movement.
"You're slower than usual," Kazuhiro observed as he backhanded him across the face. Dean went spinning to the side from the blow and another slice of the sword caught him on his back before he went flying into the sofa and fell to his knees. Kazuhiro stopped and observed the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as he panted and gasped through the pain. "It almost seems unfair to have caught you off guard like this."
Dean stood shakily to his feet. He watched as blood dripped down his chest and from a cut to his thigh he couldn't even recall happening. "It's the only way you could have the upper hand," he spat angrily.
Kazuhiro scowled and rushed him again. Dean ducked and drove his fist upward, striking the ninja in his stomach. While he was doubled over, Dean took his wrist and gave a sharp twist. He felt the bones displace and the sword went clattering to the floor. He threw his knee up, smashing it into Kazuhiro's face. He was thrown backward from the attack, blood streaming from an obviously broken nose. Dean advanced and Kazuhiro ducked and threw his shoulder into him, sending him flying backward over the sofa.
"Looks like I caught a mongoose in my trap," Kazuhiro teased as he retrieved his sword. "I think I'll skin you. Very slowly."
He's playing with his food, Dean thought. Kazuhiro wanted to prolong this and enjoy every second. Dean ignored the pain in his body as he reached for an end table, hefted it up and tossed it at Kazuhiro's face. He went down and Dean lunged for the sword once more. He had to get it out of his hands or he would just keep cutting him up until he eventually bled out. He drove his leg down in a harsh ax kick, hitting Kazuhiro's injured wrist. The ninja howled in pain and moved to push the end table off of him. Dean got to the floor and snaked his legs through Kauzhiro's ankles, tripping him. He rose up and punched the ninja across his face.
"Dean isn't answering his phone," Natasha said as Thor and Tony approached.
"You think something might be wrong?" Steve asked, his face etched with concern.
"I've been trying to get in touch with him and his phone just keeps ringing to voice mail. He should be here by now. Or he would have at least let me know if he was running late."
Clint's face switched from the laid back nature to a more serious one. "I don't like it."
Thor scowled. "Neither do I. Where is his home?"
Dean was vaguely aware of the sound of his cell phone ringing as Kazuhiro landed on top of him and reached for is throat. The strength in his good hand was tremendous, obviously fueled by his survival instincts as well as his desire to kill him. Dean could feel his body getting lighter as Kazuhiro squeezed tighter and tighter.
"Going to kill you!" Kazuhiro hissed through clenched teeth.
Dean looked up into his eyes and knew this was the truth. He was going to kill him tonight. In a final act of desperation, he reached up for Kazuhiro's face and dug his fingers into the wounds on both sides. Kazuhiro attempted to ignore this as he kept strangling him and Dean dug with such ferocity that the wounds were torn open. Kazuhiro attempted to move backward so that his face wasn't as close, but he lost some of his power doing so. Dean was able to gain some leverage. He pressed his legs into the floor and came to a standing position. He wrapped his arm through Kazuhiro's and twisted until he felt the bones give way. He forced his elbow into the socket and yanked backward. Driving his knee up one last time, he slammed it into Kazuhiro's chin and sent the ninja stumbling backward.
Dean fell to his knees and gasped for breath, his throat raw from being choked. His entire body felt like a bruise. Lights danced across his vision as Kazuhiro righted himself and began to shamble toward him, his shattered arm dangling at his side. The ninja began to roar in an amalgamation of anger and pain as he stumbled forward, still intent on murder.
When he was just inches away from Dean his eyes widened in shock. He looked down between them and watched as Dean shoved his own sword deeper into his abdomen.
"I told you," Dean panted weakly. "To keep your eyes open...bitch."
Dean pushed Kazuhiro backward and the entire world went black.