When Pepper, Wanda, and Gwen came out carrying desserts, salads, ice cream, cookies, and other snacks, Master Tony at the barbecue stand was already sweating buckets, grilling nonstop.
Of course, this wasn't over the campfire. The bonfire was there for light, or more accurately, for atmosphere. Tony was grilling on a proper grill.
By now it was completely dark. Once the sun set, the nature reserve had no lights at all, so looking out from Tony's house showed only pitch blackness.
He did have floodlights on the roof, but at a bonfire party, what lighting could beat the glow of the flames? Even so, his yard also had some auxiliary scatter lights. They weren't too bright but illuminated the area just enough.
"Come on! Eat up! Try the skills of a genius grill master!"
After Tony finished cooking, he dropped two large bundles of skewers onto a tray. Everyone eagerly grabbed some.
Lorien took a bite and was pleasantly surprised.
"You didn't secretly practice on your own, did you, Tony?"
"Of course." Tony raised his brows proudly. "I'm a genius everywhere—even at grilling."
"...."
For a moment, both Lorien and Stephen were speechless. Proving you're a genius… with barbecue? How pointless.
Stephen rolled up his sleeves.
"Let me try."
He walked over, pushed Tony aside, grabbed a bundle of skewers, and started grilling.
"...."
Now it was Lorien and Tony's turn to be speechless. Who fights over the spot of grill master?
To make sure Stephen didn't ruin the meat, Tony stayed nearby to supervise. Soon the two were standing on opposite ends of the grill, each cooking their own batch. They chatted as they worked, even swapping tips as if it were some grand exchange of wisdom.
Lorien shook his head helplessly at the sight. He left them to it, walked over to the table, and sat down beside Wanda.
Pepper was tearing strips of meat with her hands. Gwen ate more like she was handling skewers. Wanda, as always, was the most elegant, eating slowly and gracefully.
When Lorien sat down, Wanda leaned over and held out a piece of grilled meat to his lips.
"Ah~"
Lorien opened his mouth, took a bite, and nodded in satisfaction.
Then Gwen offered him some meat too, leaving him no choice but to take another bite. Pepper, watching this, chuckled.
"Your lifestyle is truly enviable."
"What's there to envy?" Wanda shook her head. "We're just striving to coexist through cosmic eternity."
She said it with a smile, casting a meaningful glance at Lorien.
Pepper: …
Why hadn't she ever been this smooth-tongued before? Now that Lorien was here, suddenly she knew how to speak sweetly?
It wasn't just Pepper. Gwen, never one for romantic words, couldn't help rolling her eyes at Wanda. Sickening.
...
Under the night sky, the flames of the bonfire flickered and crackled as the wood burned. The gathering continued with laughter, food, beer, milk tea, and stargazing.
Wanda, Gwen, Pepper, and Lorien sat together, chatting between bites. Mostly it was the women talking, while Lorien listened with quiet amusement, chiming in now and then when pulled into the conversation.
Meanwhile, grill masters Stephen and Tony were locked in their so-called "battle of geniuses," competing to see whose skewers tasted better. They even made three rules—no magic for Stephen, no tech for Tony. Just pure "talent."
Lorien had to admit, it was actually fair. A little childish, sure, but fair.
But then again, what man is ever purely mature? That's just a facade, a kind of armor. When the mask drops, like now, who wouldn't want to simply do what they enjoy? Even if it's just on a whim.
And so, scenes like this—Lorien would rather see more of them than never again.
...
After an hour or two of this so-called grilling competition, contestants Stephen and Tony finally presented their finished dishes to the judges: Pepper, Wanda, Gwen, and Lorien.
Each judge took two bites from both, then gave their scores.
And the final winner was... Tony.
"Woo~~~"
Tony let out a triumphant whistle at the announcement.
Of course, Stephen wasn't discouraged. He simply wiped his mouth and said,
"You're something else."
Lorien chuckled at the remark. But seeing Tony's smug expression, he picked up another skewer, eating as he spoke.
"Tony, Stephen's barbecue isn't bad—actually, it's pretty tasty. Half the reason you won is because you've got more grilling experience than him. If you two started from scratch, who knows if the result would be the same. You get my point, right?"
Lorien's words cut straight through. Tony stopped laughing.
Stephen, however, just smiled as he went to wash his hands. His expression seemed to say, I was only humoring you. You didn't really take it seriously, did you?
Tony fell silent. He knew he had the advantage of experience. Of course, everyone had worked hard—it wasn't a big deal.
If grilling were really a skill, then both of them were still at the beginner stage. The real difference would come later, with effort and talent. Winning or losing in a single night didn't mean much. The process was just the process; the true victor only appears at the end.
But really, this was just a small matter.
Competition between men is common. If I lose here, I'll just find another place to win.
...
Tony glanced at Pepper. Then at Lorien. Finally, he looked at Stephen, who was walking back, and grinned.
"Stephen, my wife's about to have a baby. Lorien and his partners are probably planning for the same. You're the only one still single. When are you going to find a partner?"
Stephen: …
Tony's words completely floored him. He opened his mouth but had no idea how to respond.
It was a direct critical hit.
He looked at Tony, then at Lorien. They weren't wrong. Of the three men here, two already had partners. Lorien was practically a role model. Only Stephen was left with no prospects at all.
He fell silent.
Seeing him so stunned, Tony quickly patted him on the shoulder.
"Ahem, it's fine. Didn't you already have someone in mind before? Come on, I'll admit you're almost as handsome as me, and you're the Sorcerer Supreme. Finding a girlfriend shouldn't be hard, right?"
Truth was, Stephen wasn't lacking in any way. He just carried too much responsibility and had no time. But people are emotional beings.
What would be the point of bringing Lorien into the Marvel universe if he didn't get together with Wanda and Gwen? Might as well not come at all. Or die outright.
Otherwise, what's the point of getting stronger? For world peace? For divine blessings? He's not that selfless.
"Tony's right. Give it a try. Trying costs nothing and won't hurt you."
Lorien said this while resting a hand on Wanda's shoulder.
"But if you never try, you'll never know. And maybe one day you'll realize your mistake was not being brave enough."
His meaning was simple: if something has no cost, you've got nothing to lose.
It's like asking a girl on the street for her number.
What's the cost? What do you really lose?
Worst case, she says no. Maybe if you ask too many times, you get thirsty and buy a bottle of water.
If she rejects you, fine. But if she gives it to you, you've gained something. You don't lose a thing. Not even a hair.
Either way, at least you've got a result. But if you don't even dare to try, you'll never get one. And later, you might regret not being brave enough back then.
What if she would have said yes? What if she became your girlfriend? What if things just worked out like that?
Love requires courage. You can play with my feelings, I don't lose anything—I didn't invest. But money? That's different. Don't cheat me out of that, because earning it is hard.
Stephen understood what Lorien meant.
"So no matter what, I should meet them first to find out, right?"
"You've got it." Lorien nodded approvingly. "If you won't even meet them, how could there be a next step? You don't ask her out for dinner—how's anyone going to end up at your place later playing board games?"
Stephen got it. He even remembered Wong's meaningful words before he left. Thinking back, it seemed Wong had picked up on Christine's mood at the time and reminded him for that reason.
Now that he'd sorted it out, Stephen nodded firmly.
"Alright, I'll make my move tomorrow."
"That's the spirit, Stephen."
Seeing him finally take action, Tony clapped him on the back, then grabbed a beer from the table and pressed it into his hand.
"As long as you dare to act, there's a 99% chance this works out. Let's celebrate early!"
"Don't jinx it," Stephen said with a wry smile, clinking glasses with the others. "I haven't even seen her yet. It might not work."
"Stop overthinking it." Tony tapped his beer, then raised it high to the group.
"To Stephen's early victory!"
"To the joy of the bonfire party!"
"Let's drink!"
Lorien lifted his beer.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers~!!!"