Wow you guys! Thanks for all of the new reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them. So this chapter is a fun little "get to know you" sort of thing between Clint and Josie. This will hopefully answer any and all questions you have about Josie. If it doesn't, then please tell me and I will make sure I answer your questions to the best of my abilities. So enjoy and don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!
Chapter 6: Breakfast and Conversation
8 o'clock rolled in early the next morning as Josie blinked her hazel eyes open and simply stared at the alarm clock that was playing the radio softly. "Another day at Stark Tower, it's hard to believe I've been here a couple weeks already," Josie said sleepily before raising herself onto her elbows and shutting off the alarm. "And no one knows who was after me, as usual," she grumbled before finally sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. "Time to get cleaned up and then start on breakfast," she said through a yawn as she stood up from her bed. Her pjs making hushed noises as she moved to the attached bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair and teeth. Her usually tamed waves were a total mess that made Josie simply shake her head tiredly before going and wetting it down and combing it. "What a mess," she mumbled as she looked at the slight indents on her face from the pillow. She threw her hair into a high ponytail and put on a headband to hold back her straight bangs away from her face. With her routine done and she was considerably more awake, she moved over to the foot of her bed and put on her slippers. She paused at the door and looked down at her pjs before shrugging her shoulders and walked out. "They've seen me in worse," was all she said as she walked to the communal kitchen.
She continued to stretch out her arms and neck as she walked into the kitchen and dining room before jumping slightly in shock when she spied Steve calmly reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. "Morning, Josie," he said with a smile at the slightly shocked woman.
"This is new. For the past two weeks I've been the first person in here," Josie said as she padded her way over to the super soldier.
"I figured I'd help make breakfast today. After all, can't keep Clint waiting," Steve teased as he peered around the side of his paper. Josie stuck her tongue out in a childish display causing Steve to give a chuckle. "You do realize that he's totally milking this right?" he asked as he folded up the paper.
"Oh I know, but I don't have the heart to tell him he's being a dork. Besides, I gave you breakfast in bed three days ago after you were stabbed in the leg by some random terrorist," Josie said as she gathered the ingredients.
"Yeah and I told you didn't have to because I was already healed enough to walk without an issue," Steve said with a smile. Josie simply shrugged as she grabbed the mixing bowl.
"Healed or not, you still deserved it. I'm going to be doing the same thing to anyone else that's seriously injured," Josie explained with a "duh" kind of tone. Steve simply shook his head with a smile as he grabbed the bacon to start frying it.
"Yeah but Clint only had cuts and bruises as well as a dislocated shoulder. Nothing that will prevent him from moving," Steve said. "Just admit it, you like him," Steve said with a smirk as Josie blushed lightly.
"No, I just enjoy spoiling you guys because no one else does," Josie said before frowning. "Ok so Tony has no problems spoiling himself but that's beside the point," she said with a giggle. Steve joined in with a few chuckles before simply smiling. "Plus I like cooking for you guys," she said with a smile. "My roommate never really cared about the 'domestic' stuff as she put it," Josie said as she put air quotes around domestic. Steve nodded in understanding.
"Clint punched a doctor yesterday," were the first words the two in the kitchen heard from a surprisingly awake Bruce Banner as he strolled in. Josie froze mid blending with a shocked look on her face. "Apparently the doc has been giving him and Natasha problems since day one of him working there, saying that they were too much trouble sometimes. I guess Clint got tired of it and almost broke his nose," Bruce said as he walked behind the two and grabbed himself a cup of coffee.
"That doesn't sound like something Clint would do. I thought he'd have more self-control then that," Josie said with a confused look on her face. She bit her lower lip lightly before meeting the narrowed gaze of Steve.
"Does Director Fury know of this?" Steve asked as he returned his attention to the frying bacon. Bruce nodded his head yes. "Which means we'll be getting a visit from him," Steve said with a small sigh.
"Do you know what the doctor said to make Clint punch him?" Josie asked as she took out a perfectly cooked waffle from the waffle iron. Bruce simply shrugged before walking over to the table to take his seat. "I'll ask when I drop off his breakfast I guess," she said with a shrug before going back to the waffles. Steve and Josie worked harmoniously in the kitchen and in no time the table had three different kind of waffles set out with bacon and eggs as well. By the time the last large serving plate was put down, Tony, Thor, and Natasha all walked in and smiled.
"You're going to spoil us Josie," Natasha said with a smile as she took the cup of coffee she was offered.
"I don't mind that in the least," Josie said with a smile before fixing two plates of food. "Hopefully by now I won't have to wake up Clint," she said with an exaggerated sigh as the others laughed.
"He's been coming for breakfast so I don't think you will. Though he may play possum just to get you to wake him up," Tony said with a cheeky smile. "Maybe you should try a kiss this time. You know like the prince does in Sleeping Beauty," Tony said with a laugh.
"Personally I'd throw a bucket of water," Bruce said with a shrug. "And Josie doesn't need to be kissing him," he growled. The others simply smiled in humor at the protective man. Josie watched the whole thing with suppressed giggles before she walked out and headed towards Clint's room.
"Clint, come open the door, my hands are a bit full," Josie said through the door. A small amount of shuffling could be heard before a solid thud of a body sounded and a few cuss words were thrown out. "See this is why you should clean your rooms," Josie teased after Clint opened the door rubbing his forehead lightly. "Sheesh, it's messier then the last time I was in here," she admonished before following the half asleep man back to his room where he promptly fell face first back on the bed. "Lazy much?" she teased as she maneuvered through the room.
"Between the pain of my shoulder and the irritation of the cuts on my back I got little to no sleep last night. So keep your witty remarks to yourself," Clint mumbled through the pillow before he turned his head to the side to look at Josie. "Nice pjs," he commented.
"Hey, I happen to like ducks thank you very much," Josie said before carefully putting the loaded breakfast tray down. She then proceeded to poke Clint in the side to get him to move over. "So why did you punch a doctor?" Josie asked as she sat on his messy bed on one of her legs. Clint groaned before sitting up and leaning against the headboard.
"Idiot has been giving me and Nat hell for months, figured I'd show him that he needed to keep his mouth shut," Clint said as he scrubbed at his face. He put his hands down only to have a shirt land squarely across his face. "What the hell?" he asked as he took the shirt off his face to see the blush on Josie's cheeks.
"Put a shirt on you goof. I will not have breakfast and conversation with a shirtless man," she said with a small smile. Clint shook his head before pulling the shirt on over his head.
"And here I thought you liked me shirtless," he teased before grabbing the plates off the tray and handing one to Josie. Josie stuck her tongue out with a giggle before grabbing the plate.
"There's more to the doctor punching and I know it," she said after taking a bite of her blueberry waffle. Clint rolled his eyes and finished his mouthful of egg.
"He also said he wouldn't mind if I got flatten by the Hulk," he said like he was commenting on the weather. Josie threw him a confused glance before going back to her breakfast.
"Why would he say that?" she asked.
"Because Bruce said that if I hurt you I'm going to have him and the other guy to deal with," Clint said with a shrug before he winced at the twinge his shoulder gave. "So is that like permission from him or do I have to actually ask him out right?" Clint asked a shocked Josie.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to play ignorant. Clint raised an eyebrow over the rim of his coffee mug that just screamed he knew she was playing. "That's the equivalent to getting permission, yes," Josie said with a sigh as she stared at her glass of juice.
"Come on Jojo, you and I have been flirting long enough for you to know that I like ya," Clint said as he set aside his empty plate and took hers. "So what'cha say?" he asked as he leaned down to look her in the eyes.
"Jojo?" she asked with a smile. Clint smiled back before nodding his head.
"Yep, and only I can use it," Clint said as he leaned back against the head board. He watched in amusement as Josie looked around his room with a frown before she got up and moved to his closet. "What are you doing?" he asked with a smile. He knew how much messes bothered her, but he couldn't help but smile at the slight wrinkling of her nose when she was annoyed at something.
"Why do you even have hangers if you never use them?" Josie asked as she looked in the empty closet.
"I use them when I remember or have the energy to clean," Clint said with a shrug.
"Well guess what, you have the energy to clean, so let's get to it," Josie said as she flashed him a smile before throwing another shirt at him. "Do you even know what's clean and what isn't?" she asked in a teasing tone. Clint got up from the bed and quietly walked over to the small woman who was too busy picking things up to notice him. He reached down and grabbed her around the shoulders and under the knees, causing a startled squeak to escape from her throat. "Clint!" she said loudly in shock.
"This isn't your mess to clean little lady, so why don't you just," Clint started to say as he walked over to his bed with Josie in his arms before he unceremoniously dropped her onto it, "have a seat and play 20 questions with me," he said with a satisfied smirk before turning around to finish picking up his clothes and putting them in the hamper. "So what's the situation with your parents? Dead, mentally unstable, never were around, alive and well?" Clint asked as he moved to the scattered boots lying around.
"They're alive and well. I just don't have the best of relationships with them that's all. I wanted to go traveling with Bruce and they wanted me to stay at home," Josie said with a slight frown. "I haven't heard from them in a few years. I know they're getting my letters, but apparently they don't care," she said with a small shrug as she picked at the comforter on Clint's bed.
"Hey, I didn't mean to bring up something bad, Jojo," Clint said as he kneeled in front of the bed.
"It's alright, time heals all wounds," Josie said with a smile at the nickname. "So what did you do before joining the mysterious S.H.I.E.L.D?" Josie asked.
"I was in the circus as a trick shooter. Trick Shot, my mentor, took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew. My brother, well he didn't like that I was the one being mentored so he left the circus. And then my mentor turned out to be a thief. And like they say, the rest is history. The next thing I know I'm getting recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D," Clint said with a simple shrug. "What's your favorite thing to do?" Clint asked as he plopped down next to Josie.
"I like to sketch when I have free time. My degree is actually in art," Josie said with a smile.
"Can I see some of your work sometime?" Clint asked in interest. He smiled when Josie nodded her head yes with a giggle.
"Other than archery, what do you like to do?" Josie asked as she moved one of the pillows to her lap to lean her elbows on it. Clint took a few moments to actually think about it before coming up blank.
"I don't really know. Whenever I have free time I'm at the range practicing," Clint said with a slight frown. "Maybe you can help me find something else to do," Clint said while looking straight at Josie.
"I wouldn't mind helping you with that," she said as she looked straight back before averting her eyes at the intensity in Clint's blue grey eyes. "I believe it's your turn," she said softly.
"Where would you like to go for our first date?" He asked as he laid down and put his hands behind his head. "And everything is an option, Jojo," he added as an afterthought.
"Umm…" Josie said as she tried to think of places she's wanted to visit since she came to live in New York with the Avengers. "I can't decide," she said with a laugh as she realized there were so many places she wanted to see. Clint laughed out right at her answer before reaching out to tug on Josie's wrist and bring her down next to him. She eeped quietly before rolling onto her side to face Clint.
"Well how about I surprise you then," Clint said as he rolled over to face her. "I'm sure I can think of something fun for us to do," he said with a smirk.
"Just as long as it's not a bar, I'm not much of a drinker and bars always make me nervous," she said with a serious tone. Clint nodded his head in understanding.
"Which reminds me; how old are you?" Clint asked when he realized that he didn't know her age. She covered her mouth to try and stop the laughter from bubbling forth before she just quit trying.
"I'm 22," she said through her laughter. "Now how about I get your age there mister," she said with a bright smile.
"God I feel like a cradle robber now. I'm 33," he said with a groan as he rolled onto his back to scrub at his face with hands. Josie just kept laughing before she leaned up on her elbow to look at Clint's covered face.
"If it makes you feel better, my grandparents are 11 years apart in age and they're still together," Josie said with a cheeky smile. Clint moved a couple of his fingers over so he can look at her between his fingers before rolling his visible eye.
"Oh that makes me feel so much better. I'm amazed I wasn't just flattened in the first place," Clint said before removing his hands to flop his arms out to the side and stared at Josie. "But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so I'm just going to enjoy our time together," he said with a smile.
"Well that's good. But you have a room to finish cleaning and I'm still in my duck pjs, so I'm going to take the dishes back to the kitchen and then go get dressed," Josie said as she sat up and reached to grab the breakfast tray before arms around her waist pulled her backwards. "What?" she asked after she got over the minor shock.
"I'll get the dishes. And wear something comfortable, we're going out today," Clint said before kissing her cheek and letting her up. Josie blushed a brilliant shade of pink before nodding her head and walking out. Clint let out a whoop of joy after he heard the door close. He fell back onto the bed and simply smiled before getting himself up to finish cleaning. "Today's going to be a good day," he said to himself.
Wow this is a long chapter. And I didn't get as much personal stuff in about Josie as I hoped to. But there's always the date chapter so I guess that works. So I need your guys' opinions. Should the date go off without a hitch or should I have it be interrupted? Let me know what you think in your reviews or message me your ideas! Thanks!