It was quiet after the waitress brought over their drinks—a water with lemon for Sirius and a fruit juice for Tony, who was still brushing sand out of his hair. Selvig's fingers trembled slightly as he stirred his coffee. Tony noticed immediately, eyes narrowing.
Tony leaned forward, tone direct. "So, Erik—what's the deal with the hammer in the desert? Looks like a lot of fuss for a piece of metal."
Selvig choked on his coffee, eyes widening. "H-Hammer? I don't know what you mean."
Sirius snorted. "Right, mate. You'd make a terrible liar. Like a flobberworm trying to blend in with a Norwegian Ridgeback."
Tony chuckled, grinning at Sirius's ridiculous metaphor. Selvig let out a weak laugh, clearly rattled and confused by Sirius words. Although, He doesn't know if Stark should be involved in this mess.
"Relax, Erik," Tony said, his grin fading into a more serious expression. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on before this turns into some international incident." He can't possibly tell the man about magic, can he?
Their conversation was cut short as the door burst open and Darcy Lewis ran in, cheeks flushed from the desert heat. "Erik!" she shouted. "Jane needs you—oh." She froze mid-step, her eyes widening as she spotted Tony Stark—yes, the Tony Stark—sitting there sipping fruit juice like he owned the place.
Tony gave her his most charming grin and a little wave. "Hey there. Tony Stark. At your service."
Darcy's jaw dropped. "Oh my God. Are you—are you real? Like, actually Tony Stark?"
Sirius laughed, clapping Tony on the back. "Unfortunately, yes," he teased, eyes twinkling. "In all his glamorous, self-absorbed glory."
Tony shot him a glare and kicked Sirius's leg under the table. "Shut it, Black."
Sirius winced dramatically but kept laughing, while Darcy gawked at the whole exchange like she'd stumbled into a soap opera.
"Jane's waiting," she said finally, eyes darting between Tony and Selvig.
Selvig gave Tony an apologetic smile. "Duty calls."
Tony leaned back, arms crossed. "Tell, the boss lady, I'll swing by. We've got some catching up to do."
Darcy blinked at him, then at Sirius, then back at Tony, before darting out the door like she'd seen a ghost. Sirius finishes his drink, he gets up and looks at their way. "Shall we?"
"Of course, my good man" Tony gets up while grab the suitcase and looks at Erik grinning wide. "Lead the way!"
Erik sighs, He leaves unfinished cup of coffee, gets up and leaves with them. Although, It is strange, If Stark was coming here how come it wasn't international news?
---------
Darcy reached the van first, breathless and wide-eyed. She slammed the door open, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Jane! You're not gonna believe who I just saw at the breakfast bar—Tony Stark! Like, the real Tony Stark! I think he's here about—"
Jane, scribbling notes on her tablet, looked up, her brow furrowing. "Tony Stark? Darcy, this is not the time for one of your jokes."
Darcy threw her hands up. "I'm not joking! He's in there, drinking fruit juice with Erik. And—he's got this… uh… super handsome, slightly scary guy with him."
Thor, who'd been leaning against the side of the van, tilting his head curiously, finally spoke up. "Who is this Tony Stark you speak of? Is he a friend of yours?"
Jane shot Thor a quick glance. "Uh, no. He's… well, he's Tony Stark. Billionaire. Genius. Kind of… complicated." She sighed, then turned back to Darcy, voice tense. "Where's Erik? We need to get out of here—"
"Jane!" Erik's voice rang out from the parking lot.
Jane's heart skipped a beat. "Erik—" She opened the van door, slipping outside. Darcy scrambled after her, and Thor followed with a confused but determined expression.
That's when they saw Tony Stark striding confidently behind Erik, sunglasses on, suitcase in hand, with Sirius Black at his side, smirking like he'd just won a bet.
Jane's jaw dropped. Darcy pointed at Tony, eyes wide, grin splitting her face. "See?! I told you, Jane. Tony Stark. Right there."
Tony raised a hand in greeting, flashing that charming, too-self-aware smile. "Hey, Dr. Foster. Long time, no see."
Jane blinked, momentarily stunned. "D-Doctor Stark… what are you doing here?"
Admittedly, It pleased Tony that some people does know his other accomplishments, To see her know him well, It makes him smile wide. Sirius was confused, Tony was also a Healer or something??
Tony gave a half-shrug and a crooked grin. "Heard you might need some help—or at least some backup. Turns out there's a bit of an… unusual situation going on out here." So, he was right, These guys are involved with the hammer.
Sirius frowns. "Unusual's putting it lightly," he drawled. "Feels like every time I turn around, someone's either casting a spell or dropping a hammer."
Thor's eyes narrowed at Sirius's words. "Hammer?" He stepped forward, his entire posture changing as if he were suddenly more alert. "You've seen it?"
Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Wait, hold on—you know about the hammer too?" Okay, who's called the stripper? And a hot one at that?
Thor hesitated for the briefest moment, then nodded. "Aye. It is… important to me. More than you might know."
Jane stared at Tony, her mind racing. "We've… we've been studying it. Erik and I. It's some kind of anomaly—" She stopped, glancing at Erik, who looked like he was about to faint. "it's—"
"—a hammer," Tony finished with a smirk. "Yeah, I saw the satellite footage. And Jarvis gave me a heads-up about the energy readings. But I'm more interested in why no one seems able to lift the damn thing."
Darcy let out a low whistle, eyes darting between them. "Wow. I feel like I'm in the middle of a superhero convention."
"Darcy, trust me—this is barely scratching the surface." He turned back to Jane. "So, Jane—hope you don't mind me calling you by first name, You can also call me Tony—mind filling us in on what you know? And—" he shot a playful glance at Thor—"maybe he can fill us in on why he's so invested."
Jane glanced nervously at Erik and then at Thor. "It's… complicated. But—yes. Let's talk. Maybe we can help each other figure out what's going on here."
Thor inclined his head, his expression turning serious. "I would be… grateful."
Tony grinned, adjusting his sunglasses. "Great. Let's get started. I love a good mystery."