Men were idiots that were ruled by their egos, Nate decided as she watched the pissing contest between Thor and Tony—Steve was at least trying to stop them.

They did realise that they had left Loki—their prisoner and no.1 enemy at the moment—alone and unattended, right?

Tony was meant to be a genius and Thor couldn't be that stupid, could he? She had read about his prowess in battle so Thor certainly knew better than to leave a prisoner unguarded—then again said prisoner was his brother so perhaps his love blinded him?

Nate frankly didn't know, and found she didn't honestly care at that moment.

They were in the middle of a forest in Europe, the cube was nowhere to find, Tasha was still pissed that Barton was AWOL, their prisoner could escape at any moment and her brother thought this was a good time for a pissing contest with a god? Really?

It seemed that you shouldn't let a man do a woman's job.

The men were distracted from the second budding cage-match when Loki was thrown between them and smashed into the earth.

Three heads looked up as Valkyrie descended almost gently down to the ground, placing one armoured boot on Loki's back with enough force that he grunted as he tilted his face out of the dirt.

Valkyrie's face-plate shifted up and folded down so her head was free for them to see, the completely unimpressed look fixed on her face was visible to each of the men's suddenly sheepish gaze.

"Idiots." Nate scorned, ignoring the affronted looks on both Thor's and Tony's—having lifted his faceplate when he saw her—faces. "What is one of the most important things to do when dealing with a prisoner?"

The three men were silent as they watched her with sheepish eyes.

"Captain?" Nate prompted.

"Not leave the prisoner unattended." Steve answered as he tried not to cower under the sharp glare that she was levelling them.

Steve had learnt quickly that Nate could be scary when she wanted to be. And he could tell that she wanted to be at that moment.

"And what did you three idiots do?" She asked, scanning them with hard eyes before pinning her gaze on to Tony. "Tony?"

"Left him unattended." Tony answered sourly before he tried to defend himself. "It was his fault—He pointed childishly at Thor who glared at him—he took our stuff! And started the fight!"

"Only because you were being insufferable." Thor shot back at Tony.

"Big words for a man wearing his mother's drapes." Tony mocked back.

"Enough." Nate ordered in such a sharp tone that made Thor snap his mouth shut immediately. "We're all going back to the jet with the prisoner and we will head back to S.H.I.E.L.D as peacefully as your egos can allow us."

They didn't argue as Nate finally took her foot of Loki's back and hulled him up by the back of his jacket. They just meekly followed the armoured woman as she dragged Loki—ignoring his curses and such as she did—to where Tasha had landed the jet.

Idiots, the lot of them.

Returning to the carrier was spent in silence, and while Loki was being lead to his cage and Tony to deal with the damage done to his suit, the rest went to the bridge.

Thor seemed impressed when Nate's Valkyrie's suit folded down and off her body before forming a case at her feet.

"I'm Nate." Nate introduced herself to Thor before she thumped into the chair beside Captain.

"Thor." Thor gave a nod of respect to the female warrior.

Loki's words heightened the tension between them before Tony came in and brought his own type of tension to the mix.

The banter of science words that was exchanged between Tony and Bruce made Nate smile.

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony declared in an almost mocking away as he strutted closer to Bruce.

"Is that what happened?" Steve asked, confused.

Nate gave him a smile filled with sympathy as she placed a hand on his arm, unaware of the narrowed gaze that Tony fixed on the two of them—mind whirling as he noticed the fondness between them and his mind clicked unpleasantly as Fury strode in and began talking.

"No!"

Tony became aware he had interrupted something when startled gazes turned to him, but he didn't care as he pulled his sister—HIS LITTLE SISTER—away from the Captain.

"No way in hell." He told as he took her shoulders, ignorant to the way that everyone was staring at him and how Steve stood up to protect the petite woman from the obviously mad man. "I forbid you."

"You forbid me?" Nate spluttered as Tony lightly shook her. "What the hell?"

"You can't! He's much too old for you!" Tony protested, a wild look appearing in his dark eyes as he darted a dark look at Steve.

"He's physically the same basic age as me really." Nate pointed out when it clicked what—or rather who—he was talking about. "And it's not really your decision."

"Like hell it isn't!" He near-shouted as he shook her again. "I'm your brother and I forbid you!"

Bruce was the only one that was surprised by that, and Bruce wondered why he was really that surprised. It made more sense really.

"Really? You're pulling the brother card?" She asked him—torn between amused and annoyed. "I'm twenty-six!"

"He's meant to be in his nineties! Or, you know, dead!" Tony said.

"Wow, you take blunt to a whole new level." Nate was almost amazed. "He's standing right next to us."

"Don't care." Tony dismissed. "I forbid you."

"You're over-reacting, we're only friends." Nate protested.

"Friends don't have that look in their eyes when they smile at and touch their friend!" Tony's voice went high as he gestured with one hand. "I know, Pepper gave me that look. I gave Pepper that look. You're giving Cap that look and he's giving it back!"

"Excuse me." Fury decided to cut in. "But we have other things more important than your family drama. Stark if you would help Banner find the cube, we would all be on so grateful."

Tony shot a look towards Nate that clearly said it wasn't over, darted another dark look at Steve, before he left with an amused Bruce.

Tempers were close to breaking as tense grew and words became nastier, everyone was brought out of their angry-daze when a loud and sharp snap echoed through the air before loud curses followed.

Nate was gripping the wrist of her left hand tightly as she danced slightly in pain with curses flying out of her mouth.

Steve looked very guilty, despite the fact that she had been the one to hit him, and tried to help her.

Tony blocked him as he gently held his cursing sister's wrist.

"You punched Captain America in the face for me." Tony sounded extremely touched and a bit gleeful as he led her Bruce, who had fished some bandages from somewhere, and began to wrap her hand firmly.

Nate just tearful glared at her brother, dearly regretting what she had just done.

Because her hand was still being bandaged by Bruce when the tracker beeped and moved with him towards the screen, she went flying with both Tasha and Bruce when the carrier exploded.

As she smashed her head on the metal when she landed and felt darkness grip her sight, she wished she thought to keep a helmet on—she was always being knocked out at the worse moment and she hated it.

Hulk liked Nate, had liked Nate since she had meet Bruce's stare without a slightest bit of fear or caution, and had liked her more when it came clear that she was the metal man's sister—a man that much like his sister, didn't fear Bruce and provoked him to show his trust in both Bruce and Hulk.

So when he caught a glimpse of her lax form when he was hunting for the redhead—that had annoyed Bruce and with the smell of fear—well he was distracted and concerned.

He had just gently scooped her up, keeping her cradled in one of his large arms, when Thor attacked.

It was hard to fight the god while being careful of the fragile woman in his arms, but Hulk made do. He had to protect the woman who had looked at Bruce with trusting eyes.

Hearing a feminine groan when he had smashed Thor through a bunch of crates made him peer down as unfocused dark eyes glanced up at him, blood sticking her hair to her small face.

"Bruce…?" Nate groaned out, blinking once in confusion. "Oh, Hulk."

There was no fear in her eyes, no fear in her scent, and she trustingly drifted back to unconsciousness in his arms.

So in return, Hulk kept her safe or at least he tried too.

Being shot at by a plane just made him angrier especially when one bullet hit the arm that was cradling Nate, which lead him to attacking said plane and then falling with Nate still cradled in one of his arms as he fell with a roar.