The almost obnoxiously loud buzz went through the city of San Fransokyo, the neighboring city of San Francisco. Its source screeched through city streets and back alleys as its driver silently cursed at himself for being late. He figured it wasn't much, 10, 20 minutes top. Still this was a big deal for the young man. A first for him and his nerves were getting to him in a way he wasn't used too.

Still, the now former sidekick of Batman wasn't really too concerned. This project was something he had yearned to have for years. The Justice League, and The Avengers also frankly, were the supreme leaders in being heroes for billions. However both were fairly exclusive clubs. If you were to get into either group. That meant not only you had something special, but that special something has been honed to perfection through years of training and practice. Nightwing had felt honored to be a part of something like that. However one could make the perfectly valid argument he was only a part of it because of his mentor. Batman wanted the man formerly known as Robin to stay by his side, who the Hell was crazy enough to say no?

Still, young heroes are popping up out of the wood works like crazy. Some of them have gotten personal funding or some other mysterious source to handle their business (Heck this city itself had a hexagon's worth protecting it). Still many of them didn't have the luxury of places to go or training to get that didn't involve live targets with live ammunition. Batman himself had helped with the recruitment but his ideals and Nightwing's clashed more than once. Bucky Barnes and Iron Lad were a big one. The both of them had deep connections to The Avengers. A group who though not active in pursuing the Justice League, weren't exactly buddy buddy with them either. ESPECIALLY after that whole superhero registration business. That went down about as smooth as a jar of salt onto an open wound. Still Nightwing knew Bucky personally and respected him enough to willingly give him a chance as the group's trainer. Knowing full well Bucky was going to whoop some asses into shape.

Iron Lad on the other hand... Nightwing had met him a few times. As rich socialite kids are one to do when their parents hold big fancy parties like Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark have in the past. While Iron Lad seemed on board of the idea Nightwing knew it was probably not for any respectable reason. Still, he knew Iron Lad had firepower that would help in the long run, plus he personally had plenty of time to whip the rich brat into not being such a douche. Especially considering the tiny little fact that when Tony Stark finally signed off on his son being in the Teen Titans program, there was a part of the contract that allowed Nightwing and Bucky to use physical force as a means to keep Howard in line. Nightwing smiled to himself, so happy his lawyers got that part put in having dealt with the little shit themselves.

The other big sticking point for Batman and Nightwing was in Loki. Though truthfully neither of them were particularly happy about the idea in general. Loki's past clashed with theirs countless times, and it barely ever pretty. Still Thor believed Loki was a changed man after everything that had happened between them. Did Batman or Nightwing believe it? Batman's intuition led him to think so enough to hesitantly agree, Nighting didn't quite as much. So as much as the young hero didn't like the idea of the god of trickery on the team. There wasn't anything he could do about it anymore. For now all Nightwing could do was trust the one man he knew in his life he could never really trust before.

The rest of the team was... interesting... to say the least. A fighting robot master, a mythical creature, a young martial artist from a faraway magical land, an alien fresh off the spacecraft, another alien posing as a pop singer. The group had some seriously weird elements going for it. It was an experiment after all. One with many different combustible elements in it. Hell the last thing he remembered from being in the Justice League HQ last was Clint, Peter, Barry, and Kyle all chuckling at Clint's joke about how Nightwing was about to babysit an insane asylum. A bit stinging in the zinger department, but sadly Nightwing knew it wasn't far off from the truth either.

After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, Nightwing had the secret door open to the new base's underground garage. The place was woefully empty besides the elevator up and some humming incandescent light. As Nightwing's heavily modified motocross bike zipped into a parking position the engine was killed and the bike kicked upright. Nightwing removed his helmet, which he wore with his mask underneath. Though he had planned on eventually showing the team his secret identity as a means of trust, he wanted to make sure first it wouldn't backfire on him in a horrible manner. As Nightwing put his helmet into a locker in the garage his transmitter earpiece gave the buzz that there was a call coming in through the encoded private line. “Nightwing here.” He started simply enough.

“Master Grayson, Batman wanted me to call to make sure you made it to the new base alright.” The slightly Britished twinged voice of Alfred, the family butler. Always gave Nightwing a calming effect. Still Nightwing smirked, even after the bird has flown the nest...

“Yeah I was a little late with all that stuff back at the airport but I'm fine.” Nightwing noted as he cracked his knuckles and made his way to the elevator. “Has Batman started getting any leads on what happened?”

“He has been... roughing up some hooligans around the shipyards Master Grayson. Apparently Joker hasn't told many people what he was up too tonight, not even his men.”

Nightwing grimaced as he pushed the button to close the elevator door. This wasn't like Joker as although he was naturally nuts, he usually made it a habit to keep his men controlled and organized on plans. So why he wouldn't even tell his guys about stealing a small aircraft? “Alright tell Batman to keep me updated on what's going on alright?” Nightwing responded as he waited for the lift to arrive to the main floors.

“Sir, Master Wayne has instructed me to ensure you focus on your new project, he plans on taking care of Joker himself. In the meantime he instructed me to make sure you start focusing on... ahem... running the young insane asylum out there.”

Nightwing chuckled to himself, forgetting that Batman, through all the gruff and anger, actually did have a funny bone in there somewhere.

~~~~~

The building, from the outside at least, looked like it was barely hanging on in this December night. The sign out front seemed like it was going to fall down at any moment, the bricks were discolored and what color was on them was peeled and cracked. If this was all some elaborate hoax, than credit due to the designers or whoever was in charge of this place.

Still, as the trickster god looked up at the building, holding a single black duffle bag strapped over his shoulder. Quietly Loki scratched the side of his cheek. “Hardly the most fitting living quarters I suppose...” He quietly muttered to himself. It had been a week ago he spoke with his brother Thor. Joining a young hero initiative seemed like a strange idea, after all, Loki isn't really young except in his current form.

Stepping in Loki was impressed by the very spacious living quarters that were hidden inside, if baron of anyone else at the moment. The main room had numerous couches in front of a rather large flat screen TV. It laid above a glass surrounded room that had a platform leading into it. Seemed to be attached to the roof by the looks of things. There was a large looking kitchen with attached dining room. And on the other end of the large building all of the living quarters to each of the members, Loki put his bag away into what was labeled as his. Rather sparse at the moment but Loki could only figure as much. Still Loki in his time on the roads hadn't had a bed he could rest in reliably for some time. Loki felt the nice sheet in his hands before with a sigh he gently let himself lay down. The wonderfully comfortable mattress let Loki finally relax for the first time. Things felt great, peaceful in that moment in time.

Soon enough Loki heard the others pouring in through the front door. There was a brief moment when Loki thought about going in and introducing himself. Being hospitable to the people he now had to have watching his back. 'Hmm, probably not wise just yet...' Loki thought to himself. 'They don't really know me yet, the new me. I'd probably be attacked before I had a chance to say anything...' Sighing at the realization Loki just laid onto his bed for a bit longer. He probably should of thought this all through a bit more.

So this is Christmas...

Festive music wafted through the air as snow fell lightly. The sounds of shoes scraping the icy sidewalk filled the atmosphere as people hurried through to cold to get where they were going. One man, however, didn't seem in a hurry at all. He walked with his shoulders slightly hunched, wearing a dark brown, leather coat with a white star on either shoulder. His boots didn't scrape the ground. In fact, he walked in a way that made almost certain of it. Under each arm, he held brightly wrapped boxes.

Bucky didn't have much in the way of friends or family, but what he did have, he held dear. He'd spent most of the day shopping for gifts for the two most important people in his world: Natasha Romanov and Steve Rogers. Natasha was pretty easy to shop for; he knew her almost as well as he knew himself. Hell, maybe even a little better. A necklace with a personal message engraved into a heart, a set of festive unmentionables that he had mostly gotten as a joke...mostly, and a handgun that he had modified himself. Jewelry, lingerie, and weapons.

Steve was a harder nut to crack. What do you buy for the man who wants nothing? Cap had told him several times that Bucky didn't need to get him anything this year, but dammit, this was his first real Christmas back in the real world, and he was going to do it right. He didn't really count last year; spending the holiday with the Sub-Mariner wasn't exactly what James would call joyous. Still, he had respected the Captain's wishes for him to not spend too much money and got Steve a goofy holiday sweater. He would wear it; Bucky knew he would.

His boots sloshed through the slush as he approached his temporary living quarters. The headquarters these kids had wasn't the fanciest, but James had definitely lived in worse places. His presents balanced precariously as he freed one hand to open the door. The inside of the base was warm and lit up with Christmas decor. A tiny tree sat on a table off in the corner, tinsel was hung here and there, and some joker had taped a piece of mistletoe above the doorway.

James set his presents down on the table before shrugging off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack. The leather was slightly wet with melted snow. His left arm gleamed in the light as it moved, completely silent and surprisingly natural. If it weren't for the fact that it was obviously made of metal, one may not have noticed that Captain America 2.0 was an amputee. Bucky reached his flesh hand up to rustle the melting snowflakes from his brown hair. He sniffed, his nose slightly red and runny from spending too long out in the cold. The man walked quietly yet casually down to hall and to his own living quarters.

Bucky's room had about as much personality as a rock. The walls were bare and it was almost devoid of decoration. It was clear that this place was not thought of as his home. He stepped out of his boots as soon as he was inside the door and bumped it closed with his socked foot. James pulled off his jeans and replaced them with his much more comfortable sweatpants. Had he any less shame, he probably would have changed into a tank top to complete his 'I don't plan on leaving the house any time soon' look. Instead, he padded back out as he was and headed for the kitchen.

Bucky turned the stove on and set a cast iron skillet down on the eye. While it heated, he went to the pantry and began pulling out pancake ingredients. The box of instant pancake mix that sat on the top shelf went completely ignored. James didn't consider those real pancakes. Just because the rest of the modern world liked their food pre-made didn't mean he had to. It only took a few minutes for him to mix up the batter and start cooking. One had to wonder where a guy that spent most of his growing life on an army base learned to make decent food.

Pancakes quickly began to pile up on the plate he had set to the side. He made far too much for just himself, mostly because he had a feeling that the smell of food would draw the kids from the woodworks. It typically did.

So...this is the mortal world?

The sounds of strange music drifting through the air and the constant scrape and shuffle of moving bodies, the bright, incredibly demanding sight of advertisements on every corner for a thousand different things, even the smells, car exhaust and street food and restaurants and garbage and who knew what else all threatened to completely overwhelm the senses of one smallish boy. It was a whirl of brand new sensations that he had no previous point of reference for and he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or throw up.

In fact, the only thing even vaguely familiar to Daniel Thomas Rand-Kai was the chilly, fluttering touch of snow against his skin. The snow had been just as cold on the morning he had been cast out from the unchanging city of K'un-Lun, perhaps never to return. He had thought that all of Earth was as empty and bleak as the mountainside he had first emerged on, yet here were more people milling through the streets at one time than he'd ever seen in his entire life. Oh, to be sure Danny had heard stories of the vast urban sprawls of the country in which he'd first emerged that dwarfed even these places, but he had no real chance to see it for himself before that strange man had shown up to retrieve him. An ally of his former mentor Lei-Kung the Thunderer, who had brought Danny aboard some bizarre technological flying machine to this city only a short time ago. Here according to that man, he would serve out his banishment and work with others to perhaps earn a reprieve.

But at twelve-years-old in a brand new world, Danny's mind wasn't exactly on his punishment. In fact, he was so immersed in all of the novel experiences he was having on his short walk to his new home that he didn't even notice the numerous stares he was attracting. In K'un-Lun his costume of bright yellow-and green, the bandanna-mask wrapped around his head and the bold and stylized dragon insignia on his shirt were marks of honor meant to proclaim his identity to the people, but they did perhaps look a little out of place in an American city. Regardless, Danny was too busy staring at everything else in shock and amazement to notice the eyes on him. Only years of rigorous training and a highly developed sixth-sense saved him from bumping into the crowds as they mutually gawked.

Danny's wonder was even more enhanced as the dilapidated old building he had been instructed to enter revealed its' interior to be a brightly decorated room filled with odd yet cheery-seeming designs and objects the meaning of which he didn't exactly grasp. He didn't bother to shiver or brush the snow off of himself as he entered despite his outfit not exactly screaming warmth, the meditative techniques he'd learned since his earliest days serving to keep him plenty warm. That is until a peculiar smell broke his focus. He let himself be drawn to the source instinctively, making a note to investigate the sounds of splashing nearby later. He paused curiously outside the kitchen doorway as it came into view, then slipped inside unable to resist the unmistakable aroma of home-cooking.

It had been a long time since he'd eaten, and as he identified the metal-armed man and the disc-shaped source of the scent he was almost tempted to snatch some of the food off of its' plate. But he still had some honor, or at least he desperately tried to tell his aching stomach so. Instead, he worked up as much nerve as he could and tried his best to introduce himself to the man with the metal arm, still unsure of himself despite his tutoring in English among other languages.

"I...am called Iron Fist! I am honored to be in your home! I have not eaten, may I please share your food?"

Thus did the future champion of K'un-Lun begin his introduction to the heroes of Earth, hopefully begging for food like a puppy.

Lightyears away, a few weeks ago...
Several red and silver giants stood in a room, awash with golden light from a thousand stars outside. Eight of them stood at the walls, though two in particular stood opposite a holographic projection. The taller of them held his hand out as the hologram shifted to a blue planet.

"Mobius... behold. For this is Earth. Sol-3, watched over by our successors in the Green Lantern Corps and its own heroes..."

The shorter giant, barely reaching to the other's chest, looked over the hologram. "It's home to the... humans, right?"

"Precisely. Many other races call Earth home, though. By interacting with them... I believe you will find something invaluable."

"Something invaluable?"

"Something that anyone who carries the title of Ultraman must possess... Something only YOU can discover. Just like Tiga and the Ultra Brothers did long ago."

"Then... then I can learn what it means to be Ultraman." Looking at the other giants in the room, Mobius returned his gaze to the horned giant and saluted. "...With your permission, Father of Ultra, I'll be off!"

The Father of Ultra nodded and held out a small scepter, an Ultra Brace forming on Mobius's arm. "First, you should speak with the officer we have permanently stationed on Earth- Ultraman Tiga. He and his friends will help you settle in. Now... Go, Mobius! Go to this wondrous planet, and discover that which only you can learn! Discover what it really means... to be an Ultraman!"

---

Here and Now
Mobius wished someone had told him Earth would be this cold. Even with the flight jacket that Tiga and the rest of GUTS had given him, he was shivering. On top of the jacket, he was using a human form. And snow! Snow was a bad sign on Planet Ultra. It usually meant that a Margodon or something was getting close... but at least he was almost to the location Tiga gave him. He had two rather large duffel bags with him- clothes that woman who always hung out with Tiga gave him, and most of his stuff from his room at the Ultra Garrison. Well, shrunk down, but it was still his collection of monster encyclopedias, movies, and some gifts his friends had given him before he came to Earth. It even had one of Galaxy's favorite action figures in it.

He pushed open the door and looked around, still shivering. The inside... was an acceptable cold. It didn't make him fear for his life. And... there was that smell. Like someone was cooking with sap. He liked that smell. But for now, he was going to put his stuff down an- Well, for now the rumbling in his stomach said he was going to get some of that cooked sap. Most of what he'd eaten with Tiga involved curry, and while that WAS delicious, he figured it would be best to get used to a lot of earth cuisine. A lot of aliens ate tree sap, so this would probably prove a tasty delicacy. With that, Mobius entered the kitchen and looked at the bottle of syrup, picking it up and smelling it... before starting to drink straight from the bottle.

As night fell on the city, the sun dipping behind the skyline, the elaborate statue on the base's roof began to quiver. The statue, perched on the edge and looking over with a nasty snarl, depicted a winged creature. A gargoyle. Legend said that gargoyles were used to frighten away bad spirits. Legend also said they were supposed to come alive at night. In most instances, that legend was wrong. However, there were the rare few...

The stone cracked away, revealing flesh underneath. The creature came to life, stretching it's arms and wings upwards with a roar, eyes glowing into the night. Then it dropped into a crouch and peered curiously over the edge of the building as someone walked inside with presents in their arms. Was that Mr. Barnes? Artus would catch up in a bit; right now, he needed to stretch his wings.

The gargoyle leaped over the edge, spreading his leathery wings to catch the wind beneath them. He rose up into the snowy sky, looking down at all the bright lights and holiday wondered. Every year for as long as he could remember, the humans would decorate for the Christmas holiday. Artus loved it. The lights, the singing, the gift giving. He wondered what he would give his new teammates...Maybe he should go meet them first.

After a short flight, he turned around and headed back. The air was getting cold and his wings were forming icicles. He banked down and landed gracefully on the stoop of the base, pushing the door open to embrace the warmth inside. The gargoyle whiffed at the air. Was that pancakes?! He scuttled quickly to the kitchen to investigate. There were a couple new faces there, one whom was drinking the maple syrup straight from the bottle.

"I don't think that's how you-" Artus began, only to be cut off by Mr. Barnes.

"Hey, knock that off! You'll rot your teeth out, kid." Bucky snatched the bottle from the new kid and set it down on the counter. He turned to the boy beside him, who looked all of ten years old, and flipped a stack of pancakes onto a plate for him. Isn't there an age limit for this team? he wondered. "Hi, nice to meet you. Honored, yeah, sure. Call me James. Or Bucky. Whichever." He droned, seemingly uninterested in conversation.

James turned to flip the pancake he was currently cooking, then looked at Artus. The gargoyle was dripping melted snow all over the kitchen floor. The instructor took a deep breath in and let it out. In hindsight, when it came to babysitting, James Barnes probably wasn't the best choice.

"Here," Bucky handed Artus a plate of pancakes. "Go show the new kids how this works."

Artus saluted. "Yes, sir!" He took the plate and escorted the two new recruits to the kitchen table. Artus perched on his haunches in one of the chairs, his tail laid across one of the arms and hanging down. "See, you put the syrup on the pancakes, and sometimes powered sugar too." Artus demonstrated by drowning the pancakes in syrup.

So…This is it?

As the hustle and bustle of the city streets marched on underneath him, a lone suit hovered above frozen city. Inside the suit a boy, no older than sixteen, stood contemplating the building that he was supposed to meet his new teammates at.

”There is no way that this is supposed to be our new hideout…”

<According to the coordinates provided…>

…I know what the coordinates say JARVIS…it’s just…REALLY??”

Deciding he had no other choice but to put take stock in the dilapidated structure and walk in. As JARVIS began telling him the falling altitude numbers, Howard couldn’t help but think of the conversation that led him to join a team of fledgling heroes. As he was working on his designs on Kang when yet another of his dad’s snappy comebacks had pushed him over the edge. Howard remembered going through the SHIELD database and looking through file upon file until he came across the Project Teen Titans file, seeing the perfect opportunity to show his dad that he was better than ‘The Invincible Iron Man’.

JARVIS’ calm warning that he was approaching the ground brought Howard out of his introspective thought just in time for him to land in true ‘Iron Man’ fashion, with a crater in a city sidewalk. As the everyday citizens stopped and gawked at the man in the high tech suit that just fell from the sky, Howard blew them off with a simple wave as he walked into his new base of operations for the time being. Walking inside, Howard was pleasantly surprised at the interior of what he just a moment ago considered to be not even worth his time. Signaling the suit to eject him, Howard stepped out of his suit and allowed it to stand on its own in the middle of the foyer. As for his own person Howard was dressed in the finest designer clothes with the latest sunglasses as he stared out over the teammates that had already arrived, a slight grimace washed over his face,

’This is what they have me working with?’

Quickly dismissing the thought, Howard turned to his suit and began talking to JARVIS,

”JARVIS, start setting up a remote uplink to the house, I can’t have you glitching out because of the distance. Also see if you can find a place to set up a workshop I need to be able to have a place to work if I’m going to be staying here.”

<Already found a suitable location sir and will begin setting up a mobile location here.>

”Thank you JARVIS…”

It was then that Howard finally noticed the new and improved Captain America cooking pancakes in the spacious kitchen provided. A big s**t eating grin spread across his face and Howard couldn’t help but think,

’Now this is going to be fun…’

”Hey there Bucky…still using that worn out piece of Soviet trash for an arm I see?”

As night fell on the city, the sun dipping behind the skyline, the elaborate figure on the base's roof began to quiver. The statue, perched on the edge and looking over with a nasty snarl, depicted a wingless creature. A gargoyle. Legend said that gargoyles were used to frighten away bad spirits. Legend also said they were supposed to come alive at night. In most instances, that legend was wrong. However, there were the rare few-

"ACHOO!"

Then again...

Kurt snuffled as he wiped at his purple nose, watching the people below with a mixture of want and shame for wanting. He could be at Wayne manor in moments, helping with the newbie orphans, maybe even be a teacher now as nightwing had been to him. But as much as it felt like home after years, it didn't feel right, it wasn't where he was needed.
"ACH*bamf*
He disappeared an a cloud of smoke just before the gargoyle emerged. Reappearing several stories down into a familiar place that was far more occupied than it was when he left. There was smoke and brimstone and snot as he landed on a table bench by his tail.
*Bamf*-CHOO!"

Bucky ran out of batter and finished up the last pancake, setting it on top of the mountain he'd created. He pulled a plate down from the cabinet and got about four for himself. He went to the pantry to dig around for some cinnamon. When he came out, he found himself looking down at Stark Jr. . James scowled internally, but his face remained the same.

Despite the things that had happened to him over the years, and despite whatever he may think of himself, Bucky hadn't changed much. He was still the same cocky son of a bitch that he was as a teenager, over playing his odds and rushing headlong into danger. Although he would never admit it, he was fairly similar to one Tony Stark. Maybe that was why he hated the man so much. From the moment James saw Stark on a newsreel, behaving with his usual flair, he'd decided that they would never get along. And then Steve died.

The superhero Civil War hit everyone hard, but the death of the first Captain America had all but broken James. He was already lost, confused, trying to find a place in this strange new world, and then one of the few familiar faces he had left, one he still considered his best friend, was shot down like a dog. Bucky hadn't even gotten the nerve up to go talk to him yet, and maybe that was what hurt the most. And to top it all off, despite Rogers's death, Stark was still deadset on enforcing the damn law that killed him. As far as Bucky could see, Tony Stark had killed Captain America.

So of course, at the time, it only seemed reasonable that he killed Tony Stark. Then again, at the time, he hadn't been a very reasonable man. Stark was lucky enough to walk away from their encounter. That was the same day that he guilt tripped James into becoming the new Captain America. It seemed to work out OK: Bucky got a job that kept him busy, Steve eventually came back to life, and Bucky avoided the hell out of Stark whenever he could.

But now, here sat the man's son, who, as far as James knew, was very much like his father. James knew he should withhold judgement until he knew for himself; he owed the kid that much. After what happened to his grandparents... He had to remind himself that that was no one's fault but the Russians'. Still.

"Actually, this is my fourth arm," He said, balancing his plate on one hand as he went over to the table. Losing his left arm was something of an Olympic sport for James. "SHIELD designed it."

Mobius looked confused when Bucky snatched the syrup away. He proceeded to do a low bow. He looked like a puppy who'd been caught next to a mess, really. This wasn't the first such incident either- he'd downed a bottle of soy sauce when Tiga was introducing him to Earth food. That had been kind of gross. But at least there was context for his mistake this time.

"My apologies, sir! But when we went through survival training on planet Buffalo, we were told that most aliens who consumed sap would either drink or chew it for sustenance!"

He suddenly stood, however, and saluted to Bucky.

"My name is Mobius, and I'm a Space Ranger with the Ultra Garrison! Are you the commanding officer?"

Danny sat balanced in a modified lotus-position on a chair, observing the general goings on in the room. He was being taught how to consume these strange flatcakes by a creature that looked like one of the more bizarre roof decorations back home, an older boy who claimed to be an alien had just drank reduced tree sap like water, and another had come in with just about the most arrogant aura he'd ever seen coming off of anyone who wasn't Brother Davos.

Obviously all of this was going to take even more getting used to than the bustle and the craziness of Earth in general, so for now he took a breath and let all of those concerns go, focusing instead on the food in front of him. He wasn't sure he trusted the syrup after an alien had been drinking it, but considering it was traditional it was probably rude not to use it so he poured some on. The lack of any proper utensils for eating them was troubling though. Improvising the best he could he picked up a knife and began slicing his stack of cakes with quick, precise motions, then stabbing the little sections with the knife and eating them that way.

It was like enlightenment if the Buddha-nature was made of candy. If the path of worldly temptation was lined with challenges such as these, he was going to have to rethink his travel plans a little. In fact if he hadn't been trained to handle worse shocks before this he probably would have fallen right out of his chair. Even the fact that this place was technically his punishment for his transgressions dimmed in the face of pancake-based distractions. In fact he was beginning to think that it might not actually be so bad if life was going to be like this.

"Excuse me, roof-decoration-man! Are these flatcakes something you eat often?"

"More like babysitter," Bucky muttered under his breath. Then he decided to give an actual answer. "I guess? Maybe? I'm kind of just here to show you guys how these things work, I don't think I'll be leading any of your missions." He handed the kid, Mobius, a plate of pancakes. Across the table from him, Artus was eating his like syrup tacos. The gargoyle's hands were too big and clumsy to hold a fork and knife.

Artus tilted his head at Danny. "My name's Artus, I'm a gargoyle." Although he still guess the other boy was halfway correct. He did decorate the roof sometimes. He looked back at his pancakes. "Yeah, we have them pretty often. Mr. Barnes makes them about once a week, I guess."

"Kid, what'd I tell you about the 'Mr. Barnes' thing? Call me Bucky, everyone else does." Being called 'Mr.' anything just reminded James of how old he was. God, so old.

"Yes sir, Mr. Bucky," Artus said, completely earnest.

Howard listened as Bucky carried on about his arm design and how many times he had his arm replaced, to be honest Howard wasn’t really listening. Even though Howard was only six Howard distinctly remembered his dad staying up long hours when he was pushing the Superhero Registration Act, it was the first time he had seen his dad actually take anything seriously outside of his suit. Unphased by the stares of those around him, Howard continued to hammer Bucky about his arm,

”Ah, no wonder it looks like garbage. You know I could make you a better design…you know, one that actually works.”

JARVIS’ calm voice came through over the Bluetooth headset,

<”Sir, the preparations you’ve requested are complete and the equipment you had brought over is set up down in the workshop.”>

”Thank you JARVIS…go ahead and take Kang down there and I’ll be there in a bit.”

Looking back at the table Howard finally decided to address his new teammates, after all, if he was going to be working with them he might as well get to know them.

”So what’s new Ralph Macchio, weird kid, and…weird…demon looking thing?”

Howard plopped down in the first available chair and propped his feet up on the table, grabbing a pancake from the stack as he did.

"Hnnnn..." Staggering into the room was a being that could only be called disheveled- and that was putting it mildly. A young woman in a crumpled set of striped pajamas with her brown hair sticking up in weird angles and eyes so squinted that it looked like she was staring into the sun was skillfully stumbling about the dining area with all the grace of a zombie, though one that was good enough to maintain a set course to the table. Grabbing a chair and her plate with the required eating utensils (which strangely were chopsticks of all things), one undercover space cop known as Shion Arita began flipping a sizable amount of the flapjacks onto her own plate as she silently half listened to the conversation.

Uncorking a jar of jam that she snatched from the fridge and plopping it next to her, the girl then rolled up the topmost breakfast food with her chopstick and dunked it in the fruit preserves before chomping away on it with obvious relish. As she ate more edibles in that strange manner, one could see her slowly waking up. Her narrowed and pinched eyes slowly opened up, her hunched back began straightening, and her hair somehow began to regain shine and luster while falling down into smooth waves as opposed to the bed head she had earlier. After swiftly consuming her eighth and final layer, the pop star had regained full mental and physical equilibrium.

Now looking as fresh as a daisy, the alien policewoman leaned back and hefted a sigh of relief as she patted her still taut stomach and flashed a thumbs up. "My compliments to chef." The currently brunette woman said with a brilliant smile, turning up her more personable persona even as she shifted her clothes to something that would fit the working day. With a brief golden wave that flashed from her neck to heel, the sleepwear on her soon turned into a fashionable yet comfortable looking blue hoodie and shirt thrown over casual jeans. "Also if anyone here loses a body part, my ship has a biorganic tissue regeneration tank that can regrow the entire limb. Federation knows how many times I needed a giant hole patched up in my body." The peppy girl said in a tone like she was discussing the time of the day and not after superpowered fights that involved liberal loss of substantial body mass.

It was the first time Nanoha had ever been to the US. She wasn't sure if she'd be going back after returning home when her work with the superheroes there was over, but for now, well, she was going to experience all of this. It looked like the US was really into Christmas, to say the least... Nanoha liked that! It was pretty, next time she talked to Fate she knew she was going to ask for the other girl to teleport here and see the decorations herself. They'd already met a few times since Nanoha arrived in the US, but they hadn't gone out to see the decorations yet. The building she was approaching, however, hardly looked like it was so nice. But that didn't indicate anything at all! Appearances didn't always mean much, Nanoha knew! Clutching her bag in her mitten'd hands, she approached the door and headed inside. As she peered inside, it was immediately clear that she was correct. Appearances hardly meant anything in this case. Within was a spacious living area, it looked, well, to put it simply, really really nice!

Pigtails bobbing, Nanoha hurried inside, looking around. So this was where she was going to be staying while she was in the US... well, there was no doubt that it was going to be a good place to meet the others! ... Speaking of the others, she could smell something amazing... it smelled like pancakes coming from the kitchen. Quickly slipping off her winter coat, and her mittens and other winter gear, the young girl headed for the kitchen and headed on in. Her eyes were greeted not only by the preparation of pancakes, but also a large number of older people, in their teens. A girl, some boys(one of whom had blue skin and stuff, but that didn't matter)... Nanoha decided it was time to do the obvious and introduce herself.

"Hello!" she began, cheerfully, flashing a bright smile to the others. The TSAB translator she had been given ensured that she would receive communication in Japanese, and others would hear her and understand as if she was speaking their language, "My name is Takamachi Nanoha, I've been sent as a representative from the Time-Space Administration Bureau! I hope we can be friends!"

Feeling the top of the weathered book's worn but still intact leather cover. Loki sighed to himself quietly as he put away the last ancient spell book from his native Asgard. Sure he might have only brought a duffle bag with him, but using some crafty magic that allows for putting things into a portal he could hide in the bag. He was able to bring with him an impressive assortment of not just books but clothes, and a few trinkets that he had found on his exodus with Thor he rather liked.

Looking around the room Loki gave a small smile in satisfaction. The place wasn't much, but it was home now, something he hasn't had in some time. So for Loki's sake sticking with this project is worth it if for nothing else than an actual roof over his head for once. Though as he started to unwind he could hear and smell all the things that were going on in the nearby kitchen. The waft of maple and sound of talking made it seem like his new teammates were all quite enjoying themselves over hot pancakes. Loki fancied the idea of going and joining them, as he hadn't eaten much that day. He finally decided against it.

'Not sure how they'd feel about the god of trickery just showing up for hotcakes....' Loki thought to himself amusingly.

As Loki slowly began to pull off his shirt he stopped at a sudden and random breeze hitting his back. He paused, quickly realizing what was happening as he smirked, letting his shirt fall back down over him. “You know, they have this thing called a front door, I'm not sure how common it is in Gotham but you should try it.” Loki said aloud as he slowly turned, his theory being confirmed as Nightwing stayed crouched at Loki's now opened window.

Nightwing made a small smirk himself but for the most part kept his serious composure out ward. “Not really my style...” Nightwing replied, flipping forward and landing right in front of Loki, which garnered a faint impressed 'Hmm' from the Asgardian.

“You know, I think I have a funny feeling I know what this is about Nightwing.” Loki quickly started into. Seeing as the topic was clear Loki didn't feel the need to delay the discussion. “Look, I know my actions in the past have been... unfounded...” Loki's pause showed his own personal embarrassment of the subject. “Plus I know I'm not exactly someone who can just be trusted. However I am a different man than the one you fought so many times Nightwing. If you can believe that right now, or not, really doesn't matter. Once we actually get into business I intend to prove it.”

Nightwing paused, a little surprised by the perceived forwardness. Still remembering the topic at hand Nightwing wasn't about to just go off of what Loki said. “Even so Loki, you seem smart enough to realize that frankly. ...I wouldn't have even let you know about this project, let alone be a part of it. If Thor wasn't so eager about the idea.” Nightwing stepped forward, face to face with Loki who didn't even blink in Nightwing's focus. “What I want to know is, what did you and Thor do during those three months?”

Loki sneered at the question. “That's none of your business. I may have had my problems with him, and as naive as he can be, Thor is still my brother.” Already Loki began to have second thought about things as he wasn't okay with anyone needling him about those months. He knew why Nightwing wanted to know, but he wasn't about to talk about such a personal experience.

“Sure, Thor's a good guy.” Nightwing nodded a little, still maintaining complete eye contact with Loki. “You've been able to get lies past him in the past though. Hell you've been able to get lies past just about every superhero in the world. So talk all you want about how it was just family business. I don't buy it.”

Loki gritted his teeth slowly, wanting nothing more than to rear back and deck the member of the bat family. Still he refrained himself, having to remember that Nightwing was looking out for the others. “I don't doubt you believe that Nightwing. However those three months did a lot for me, no for US. I had wounds that took decades to heal that were soothed by those three months. Now I know my word doesn't mean a damn anymore, but it is all I have now. So like it or now I intend to gain yours and the trust of everyone else through whatever means necessary. Now if you'll excuse me Nightwing, I would like to get an early night's rest.”

Nightwing and Loki quietly gazed hard into one another, no flinches, no blinks from either man. Finally Nightwing gave a quiet nod to Loki, stepping aside the Asgardian and going to the door. “I'll give you all the benefit of a doubt you want Loki, but realize this...” Nightwing glanced back over. “If you so much as think about backstabbing this team. They won't even be able to identify your body with dental records...” With that Nightwing left, Loki just looking on silently.

When Bucky was done with his dinner, he took his plate and put it in the sink. He stood behind the counter for a bit, watching the kids interact. Artus was licking syrup off his hands, the other kids were introducing themselves and chattering. Weren't there supposed to be two more? He knew Nightwing was supposed to join this little cabal, but he might have gotten held up by some bank robbery or something. It was the second absentee that concerned James. He'd been told in advance that the Asgardian trickster god, Loki, would be gracing their presence. New and improved, apparently. Bucky had never met the old Loki, so he didn't have any person beef with the guy. Not so much could be said for the rest of the Avengers.

Bucky silently headed out of the kitchen to see if anyone was lurking around the house. He managed to catch a glimpse of blue and black out one of the windows. What the hell was Dick up to now? James paid it no mind as he headed upstairs. His own room was at the end of the hall, somewhat separated from the rest. As he walked towards it, he noticed light coming from the bottom of one of the kids' rooms. Perhaps that was their missing god of chaos. Bucky paused, debating. He could either let it go, let the kid deal with his own problems, and keep walking. Or he could be Captain fucking America for once and do the right thing. He took in a breath and slowly let it out, then knocking lightly on the door.

"Hey kid, erm, Loki. There's dinner downstairs; you're welcome to it. Nobody around here bites." Or at least, not that he was aware of.

Loki quietly examined the contents of a small chest he had placed up into the bookshelf his room had. Having now just finished inventory of his personal belongings. Deep down he was still hurting a bit on the inside from meeting his new found captain. The trust issue existed as he knew, but he didn't realize the severity of things until he had Nightwing practically breathing death threats down his throat. Hopefully the rest of the team wasn't going to be so disconcerting.

Speaking of, hearing the knock at his door Loki faintly recognized the voice as Bucky Barnes peeked into the room. He had never met the young once sidekick to Captain America, but he had met his mentor plenty of times. Loki gave a faint smile to the man. "Sorry I already ate on the way over..." Loki tried to politely say. "Plus its not so much me worrying about them... 'biting' as you put it. Its more me worrying about my presence around them." Carefully Loki extended a hand out to the man, making sure to not use the hand that would be gripping Bucky's rather fierce looking metal arm. "Loki, God of trickery."

Bucky leaned casually against the doorframe and held out his flesh hand to shake the young man’s. “Bucky Barnes, new Captain America. Still getting used to that title.” He tilted his head slightly as he looked the boy up and down. He didn’t look like a malicious god. He was just a kid. Of course, Bucky had been ‘just a kid’ at one time, too. He knew better than to judge a book by it’s cover.

“If you’re worried about the whole ‘past you being evil’ thing, don’t sweat it. Take it from a guy who knows, it doesn’t help to dwell in your past. You can either sit up here and stew in your regret, or you can go downstairs and start with a clean slate.” James probably knew better than any what it was like to have regret over past action. Even before the Winter Soldier years, he’d suffered survivor’s guilt. When he can Steve would rush into battle with a platoon of men, only to be the only two who survived…

He believed that, if someone truly wanted to change, they should be offered at least one chance at redemption.

Loki gave a faint smile at Bucky's advice as he retracted his hand, having given Bucky a small bow as they shook, a typical gesture in Asgard Loki has never managed to shake. "Suppose so, still I was planning on going to bed early tonight as it was a long trip out. I suppose I can start that clean slate tomorrow." Loki told Bucky as he came up to close the door. "Look forward to working with you, if your mentor is anything to go by I'm not sure if I should be looking forward to your training..." Loki said with a sly smirk.

Bucky let out a laugh. “Steve? Bah, his training is sissy stuff. Guy’s gone soft over the years.” He smirk spread across his face, a joker’s glint in his eye. “Just wait, I’ll show you what a real training session is like.”

James was joking of course, mostly. He did have experience in training soldiers, both for the American army, and for…other people. He supposed teaching these kids how to kill people wasn’t very appropriate. But aside from that, how different could it be?

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then. Try not to get into trouble; makes me look bad.” With that, James turned and headed off down the hall to his own room. Speaking of training, he should probably hit up the gym before bed. Bucky always slept better after a workout.

As Bucky though started to go into his room he could hear reading aloud as Nightwing had helped himself onto a seat, reading a love letter Bucky had left on his nightstand. "Oooo little love bird aren't you two? I didn't realize Black Widow had that kind of feelings in her." Nightwing teased as he got up from the chair, tossing the letter back over to where it was as he came in for a hug on Bucky. "Hey man you holding up alright so far?"

“What are you doing in my room, you little shit,” Bucky said, halfway defensive, halfway endearing. He snatched the letter and stuffed it into his nightstand drawer. It was something Natasha had left him, telling him about how proud she was of him and yadda yadda. It was the mushy kind of things that you would expect from two lovers. Not two assassins.

He smiled as he turned back and excepted a one-armed hug from Dick, using his other hand to effectively noogie the younger man’s head.
The first time they had met may not have been under the best circumstances, but Bucky had grown to befriend the boy wonder. Dick reminded James of himself when he was younger. He had yet to figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “I’m holding,” He said once he released the boy. “I just keep my head down and keep working, you know how it is.”

That was a bit of an understatement. Bucky’s idea of ‘holding out’ was thrusting himself head first into missions and not giving himself long enough to worry about anything else. He was an army man, born and raised. He coped in the only way he knew how: fighting.

As finally Dick pulled his mask off, stuffing it into the pocket of his suit's jacket. He gave Bucky a pat on the shoulder as his other hand went to fix his hair's mangled state after the noogie. Their friendship was certainly a weird one, as neither Batman or Captain America have ever seen eye to eye. Yet the both of them had histories that had familiarities to them, themes. Still having someone around who at the very least could put up the best fight outside of Batman himself was a great thing for Nightwing, competition was getting softer by the second.

"Yeah, I would've gotten here sooner but things got a bit crazy at the airport when I was trying to leave..." Dick took a seat back onto the chair he had sat in eariler. "Joker stole a small aircraft, Batman's looking into it but his men are out of the loop about this from what I can guess. I had planted a tracker on it but I haven't been able to pick up his signal yet." Nightwing sighed, between this and worrying about the team he had a lot on his plate. Still this was the name of the game and he knew that going in. "Either way I had to take a different flight out to San Fransokyo and drive over to here. Just got here not that long ago."

Bucky shrugged. “Business as usual. I’ve been here for a couple days. Steve and others wanted me to take a break. They think I’ve been working too hard. I say that’s a load of bull, but when Steve Rogers tells you to take a vacation, what can you do?”

It wasn’t a secret that Bucky was incapable of defying the other Cap’s orders. He respected Steve, a lot. It didn’t help that the man was almost always right. About pretty much anything. So if he wanted James to take some time off to play patty cake with a bunch of newbies, then that’s what he’d do.
He didn’t think it was worth mentioning that SHIELD had been very avid about having him there, keeping tabs.

“So how’s old Bats doing, anyway? Still got that permanent scowl?”

"Just the same as usual..." Nightwing replied shaking his head. "So something I was meaning to ask you, Loki. I saw you going into his room... what do you think about it?"

Bucky frowned. He couldn’t say he didn’t see this coming. He understood Dick’s concern, but he stood by his belief that people could change if given the right motivation. “I think he deserves a second chance,” He said, folding his arms loosely. “You seemed to think I did.”

Mobius took the pancakes, pouring a lot of syrup over it before picking up the fork and knife. He still had a lot of rations in his bag, including some C-Pin 929 the Fantonians had given him on the way to Earth, but he was saving that. Despite its strange texture and taste, he really liked the genetically engineered foodstuff. When Nanoha's translator broadcast in Ultra, though, he snapped to attention... before noticing it was coming from a small humanoid girl.

"Oh... a translator. I must admit I wasn't aware Earth had technology that advanced!"

He tried to hide the fact he was going immediately back to the wondrous disks of bread, trying not to seem disrespectful... but dangit, he was hungry.