The knocking didn't stop.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
John slid quietly out of his room, Sharingan glowing faintly in the dark. Every sound sharpened — his heartbeat, the creak of the floor, even wind brushing against the windows.
He stepped toward the front door.
Whoever was outside wasn't panicking.
Wasn't in danger.
Wasn't hiding.
Their heartbeat was slow.
Calm.
Too calm.
He approached the door and whispered:
"System… identify."
[Scanning…]
[Identity Detected: Agent Phil Coulson]
John froze.
Coulson?!
Before S.H.I.E.L.D. was public?
Before the Avengers?
Before Iron Man even revealed himself?
What did he want?
John slowly opened the door.
Coulson Arrives
Phil Coulson stood there in a dark suit, holding a thin tablet and wearing his polite-but-unbreakable expression.
"John Reyes?" he said calmly.
John kept his face neutral. "Yeah."
Coulson nodded once.
"Sorry to bother you this late. I just wanted a moment of your time."
John swallowed. "…About what?"
Coulson glanced past him, checking the house without stepping in.
"We've received… reports," he said carefully. "Strange seismic activity. Strange movement patterns. Strange viral music posts originating from one IP address."
John tensed.
Coulson lifted a hand.
"Relax. I'm not here to arrest you."
That didn't make John relax at all.
"I'm here," Coulson continued, "because I think you might be in danger."
John blinked.
"In danger? From who?"
Coulson's expression shifted slightly — concern buried under professionalism.
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Then he held out a small card.
"This number is direct. Not public. Not in use by anyone else. If anything strange happens… and I mean anything… you call."
John hesitated, then slowly took the card.
Coulson turned to leave, but paused.
"And John?"
"…Yeah?"
Coulson gave him a knowing look.
"I don't know what you're involved in. But whatever it is… keep control of it. Before someone else tries to."
And with that, he walked calmly down the street until he vanished into the night.
The Observer Watches Again
The moment Coulson disappeared…
John sensed it.
Observation Haki whispered.
Sharingan sharpened.
He spun toward a rooftop—
—and saw a silhouette crouched low.
Watching.
The same one from last night.
But this time…
It mimicked Coulson's nod.
Perfectly.
Precisely.
Like it was learning human behavior.
John stepped back in fear.
"System… what IS that thing?!"
[Unknown.]
[Behavior suggests adaptive intelligence increasing rapidly.]
[It is becoming… curious about you.]
John's stomach dropped.
This was getting worse.
Much worse.
Morning Comes Too Fast
John barely slept.
When sunlight finally crept through the curtains, he dragged himself up and got ready for school.
He considered texting Sabrina… but she beat him to it.
"Morning 😴 I stayed up practicing again lol"
"Come over after school? Need help with this part."
He smiled despite everything.
He needed something normal in his life.
He texted back:
"Yeah, I'll come over."
Later That Day — Sabrina's House
After school, John walked with Sabrina to her place. She was cheerful as usual, swinging her bag, humming softly.
But she kept glancing at him.
"You look tired," she said softly.
"Didn't sleep much."
"Nightmares?"
"…Something like that."
When they reached her house, she rushed upstairs to "grab something real quick" and told him to wait in the living room.
John sat on the couch.
For the first time all day… things felt calm.
Quiet.
Normal.
He heard soft footsteps above.
A door opening.
Sabrina's voice—
"Oh! Shoot, I forgot my shirt—"
Then another voice:
"Sabrina? You in he—"
A sudden gasp.
A shocked silence.
John's eyes widened.
Oh no.
He ran upstairs instinctively — not using Sharingan, not using Haki — just pure panic.
He reached her doorway—
And froze.
The Embarrassing Moment
Sabrina stood in front of her dresser, mid-change, wearing only a sports bra and holding a shirt she hadn't gotten on yet.
Standing in the doorway was Mike, her older brother, face bright red and eyes wide in shock.
Sabrina shrieked:
"MIKE GET OUT!"
Mike covered his eyes with his hand — badly.
"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE— WHY ARE YOU— WHY DID YOU— OH MY GOD—"
Sabrina threw the shirt at him.
"GET OUT!"
Mike stumbled back, tripping down the hall.
John stood frozen, mortified.
Sabrina turned bright red.
"Oh my god… John… I didn't mean— I forgot you were here— I wasn't—"
He immediately spun around and stared at the wall.
"SORRY! SORRY! I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING— I mean I didn't try to— I wasn't—"
Both of them were red as tomatoes.
Behind them, Mike shouted from down the hall:
"WHY IS JOHN EVEN HERE— AND WHY ARE YOU HALF NAKED— MOM!!!"
Sabrina screamed back:
"IF YOU TELL MOM I'LL RUIN YOUR LIFE!"
John covered his face with his hands.
"This is the worst day ever," he whispered.
But deep down…
He was relieved.
Embarrassed, yes.
Mortified, absolutely.
But for a moment…
Just a moment…
Life felt normal again.
Even if it was chaos.
Even if the world outside was dangerous.
Even if shadows watched him from rooftops.
Here, with Sabrina yelling and Mike panicking, everything felt painfully human.
And John realized something:
He needed to protect this normal life.
No matter what it took.