Phew, I almost forgot to update today!
Ugh, this is short, I'm sorry. You'll kind of see where the story is going by the end of the chapter.
The title of this chapter is from Train 'Bruises'
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Marvel
Chapter Twenty-One
You'll Never Guess Who I Saw
"Why don't you ask for a job at SHIELD?" I ask, looking up at Steve.
I'm currently on my back, my head resting on his lap as we hang out in closed off area of the top floor/balcony. The room took the most damage during the battle, but it's currently under reconstruction. Bruce and Tony are in the lab again, working on some science thing probably. Steve has been here for a couple of days already and has proved to be great company. Tony was surprised and a little reluctant of him at first, but quickly got used to having the super soldier around.
He and I have become good friends. Yesterday, we went to the park again and saw Caspian (again. Is he always there? Not that I mind, of course. He's a great dog…) and then walked around the city. He even bought me a hot dog from a hot dog vendor. At first, I was confused, but then he explained that it wasn't actually made of dogs. I was hesitant at first, but it smelled so good that I had to try it. And lets just say it's my favorite food now. Unfortunately, when Bruce found out, he told me that they are unhealthy and that I shouldn't have them too often.
Whenever we're at the Tower and Bruce and Tony are doing science stuff, Steve and I focus on getting the super solider acclimated to the 21st century. I introduced him to Sherlock (we watched all three seasons in one day. By the end of it my head was aching) and now we're in the middle of watching the first season of How I Met Your Mother. Steve agrees that Netflix is the greatest thing this modern era has to offer.
Steve glances down at me in surprise at my suggestion. I give him a dog-smile, but due to my position, my tongue falls and dangles out the side of my mouth. He grins and softly bats one of my paws, which are hanging in the air.
I snuffle and say, "I'm serious! It's a way to get money and they probably need all the help they can get right now."
"Ehh… I dunno, Amity." Steve shrugs, "I don't think I'm really agent material. And have you seen me around computers?"
"Not those kind of agents!" I say, nudging his abdomen with my muzzle, "Not the ones that we saw with the computers in the Helicarrier. I meant, like, field agents. Or maybe you could just go in for the really important missions and then spend the rest of your time here."
Steve has a thoughtful look, but says, "IIII don't think that's a real job."
"Ask." I yawn and stretch, arching my spine so that the back of my head is digging into his lap, "C'mon, Steve. You've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Director Fury will most likely say yes- he'll probably see it as a better opportunity to keep an eye on his favorite super soldier."
He glances up, clearly pondering about it. I watch him eagerly, my eyes sparkling. Finally, he seems to make up his mind, but before he can say anything the elevator dings and Tony and Bruce enter. I immediately flip onto my belly and scramble to my paws, accidentally stepping on Steve's crotch and making him grunt in pain.
"Bruuuuccee!" I exclaim, trotting over to him as he walks in.
Tony frowns as he puts something on the table, "And me! Why do you only get excited about him? Am I not interesting?"
"You are interesting." I say, nudging his leg fondly. Then, I rear up on my hind legs and put my paws on the table, "What's this?"
Tony rolls out a large, thick paper that has a bunch of drawings and writing on it. He taps it and raises his hand. To my surprise, a projection follows his hand and shows an improved version of the Tower.
"We finished the blueprints for the improvement plan." Bruce says, standing beside Tony as they observe it.
Steve comes over and looks at the model, "That's amazing!"
"Thanks, Capsicle." Tony replies, knowing that the nickname irks the super soldier, "All with the power that is science. I'll send this to the builders. Anyway, what have you two been doing?"
"I told Steve that he should ask for a job as a SHIELD agent." I say.
Bruce looks at Steve in surprise, but the super soldier shrugs, "I'm not really sure."
"That's a terrible idea." Tony says bluntly.
"Actually, I think I'll do it." Steve instantly changes his mind, perking up. Tony rolls his eyes while Bruce and I laugh.
"How are you going to contact them?" I ask, looking up at him.
Steve takes out his phone and replies, "Natasha said she put SHIELD's number in here, but..."
"Let me guess- you don't know how to find it." Tony drawls. Steve scowls at him, but says nothing. The genius smirks and takes the phone out of his hands. 10 seconds later, he gives the phone back to Steve and says, "It's ringing."
"Thanks." Steve raises the phone to his ear and walks away.
Once he's gone, I turn to the two and ask, "So now what? Can we go somewhere? I'm bored."
"What do you want to do?" Bruce asks.
I shrug and bend down, stretching, "I don't know, somewhere new. Central Park is fun and all, but it gets a little boring after a while. Besides, I'm hungry. Let's go out for lunch. Like, at a real restaurant, not street food. Where haven't we been?"
"Oh, so many places." Tony says, "You've barely scraped the surface, my friends. Hmm… where to go for lunch…" he looks up, humming in thought, "Ooh! 'Bill's Bar and Burger' is a good restaurant! And it's near the Rockefeller Center- you guys haven't been there yet, right?" Bruce shakes his head and Tony claps, "Awesome! You wanna head on out now, 'cause I'm kind of hungry too?"
"Yeah, sure." Bruce says, turning and tapping the paper that is projecting the plans for the Tower so that the illustration collapses. Tony leads the way to the elevator, but I hesitate.
"Shouldn't we wait for Steve?" I point out. Tony falters a step and makes an uncertain sound in his throat. I frown and say firmly, "We're waiting for Steve."
The genius sighs in annoyance, "Fiiiine." He turns and walks towards the slightly damaged open bar on the other side of the room. Grabbing a bottle of liquor, he says, "I'm gonna have a drink before we go. Want some, Brucie?"
"No, I don't." Bruce says sternly, walking over to him, "And no, you won't." Snatching the bottle and the glass out of his hands, my owner quickly puts them away while Tony pouts. "I'm not letting you drink alcohol before we eat lunch. And before we get into a car."
"You're no fun." Tony sneers sarcastically. However, he doesn't try to disobey Bruce and instead leans against the counter, drumming his fingers impatiently. "How long does it take to ask for a job?" He complains two seconds later.
Bruce sighs, but maintains his patience, "He's barely been gone for five minutes. Give him time."
I sit down, shifting uncomfortably due to an itch in my back. Getting an idea, I pad over to Tony and say, "If you have nothing better to do, then pet me." I rub my neck against his legs, wanting attention. Tony gives me a half smile and kneels down, running his hand down my back. I sigh in satisfaction as my itch is itched and sit down.
Tony pauses in his petting and looks down at his fingers, which are entangled in my pelt. "Your fur is getting long." He states bluntly, then sniffs, "And you need a bath."
"I asked you to pet me, not insult me."
"Potato, potatoh." he snorts and I frown in confusion, "What?" Tony shakes his head, muttering a 'nevermind', and starts playing with the tags on my collar. Bruce comes over and begins to pet me as well. I let my tongue loll out and roll onto my back so that they're both petting my belly. Which, by the way, is the best feeling ever. Everybody needs to get their belly petted before they die because if not then they haven't lived.
"Oh, yeah! Feelin' the love right now, guys." I say and they both laugh. Tony gently grabs my paw and raises it in the air, stretching my leg out. I grunt and pull it back, "No." Seeing that this bothers me, the genius does it again. I wrinkle my muzzle and pull my paw back, saying for firmly, "No." Of course, he does it again. And again. And again.
And does Bruce help me? No. He just watches us with an amused expression, making no move to stop Tony. Jeez, talk about loyal. Sure, he loves him, but that doesn't give him the excuse to betray me. Me!
I let out a snort of annoyance and scramble to my paws, padding away. I half expect them to follow me, but when I glance over my shoulder, I see the two of them just smiling and gazing after me.
I feel my heart soften despite my annoyance. Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh.
Just then, Steve walks back in as he pockets his phone. I perk up at the sight of him and ask, "How'd it go?"
He walks a few more paces before pausing. I notice how he's a little hesitant. "They were actually really eager to hire me." Steve replies, "Apparently they're having a big problem with some rival organization in Europe. They said they were going to assign me to the mission once I've done some necessary training and drilling, which I'll do tomorrow."
"Oh, really? So soon!" I comment, "That's great! I'm sure you can complete it pretty quickly. You are a super soldier, after all."
"That's what they're counting on." He says, sounding somewhat hesitant, "And if the preparations all go well... then I'll be leaving for the mission this week." He says the last part really quickly.
My eyes widen and Bruce exclaims, "This seems to be moving a bit quickly, don't you think?"
"How long will you be gone?" Tony asks and I'm surprised at the genuine concern in his voice.
"Uhh… I'm not exactly sure. They didn't go into too much detail, probably because it's over the phone. But they really need exclusive help, so that's why they're calling me in so soon."
Tony pushes himself up off of the floor and then offers a hand down to Bruce. "If they need exclusive help, then why don't they get Barton or Romanoff?" he says as he pulls my owner up.
Steve shrugs and replies, "Like I said, they didn't go much into detail. I think it was hinted that Natasha is on another mission, but they didn't say anything about Barton."
There's a moment of brief silence. I pad over to Steve and brush against him. "I'll miss you while you're gone." I say, looking up at him.
He smiles and bends down to scratch my head. "Well, I'm not leaving yet," he says, "We still have the rest of the day."
I wag my tail as Tony says, "We were about to go 'Bill's Bar and Burger' for lunch."
"Do you want to come?" Bruce asks immediately in case Tony decided to say something rude afterward.
Steve nods and says, "Yeah, sure. Thanks."
Rockefeller Center is very… lively, to say the least. People are walking everywhere, crisscrossing paths and yet somehow rarely bumping into each other. There's a lot of colorful things and places all around, as well as people playing music on the streets as we pass by. I catch a glimpse of a large expanse of some white stuff with people sliding across it, which Bruce calls an 'ice rink' and the white stuff is ice. I mention that the ice that I see in Tony's drinks sometimes aren't white and he says that this ice is different. I simply roll my eyes and continue walking.
When we reach 'Bill's Bar and Burger', we take a seat outside and the three men order their meals. Tony promises to sneak me some food, but Bruce frowns and says that burgers are unhealthy for dogs and he doesn't want me eating them. When my owner isn't looking, Tony winks at me and I wag my tail.
So now, here I am, sitting underneath the table while Tony subtly slips me some food. The three men chat idly about various things like SHIELD, Tower renovations and things they could add, other things to do in New York, etc. Tony starts really getting into the conversation and forgets to sneak me food. I frown and poke his leg with my nose. He flinches, but a few moments later his hand appears with a french fry in it.
I take it delicately between my teeth and gobble it up. As I chew, I glance at the people passing by on my left side. There's a short fence separating the public from the outside area of the restaurant, but I can still see through it.
Suddenly, I notice a familiar face in the crowd and stand up. Walking out from underneath the table, I rear up on my hind legs and put my forepaws on the fence so that I can get a better view.
"Amity?" Bruce asks from behind me, "What are you doing?"
I narrow my eyes as the person comes closer. It… it looks like-
"Clint!" I exclaim, "Guys, it's Clint!"
"Barton?" Tony questions, but I ignore him and scramble over the fence, "Hey, Amity, wait!"
Clint has already passed by and is walking down the street. I trot after him, but slow down when I notice his behavior. He's glaring at the ground and muttering inaudibly, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows knitted. The archer almost bumps into a man carrying flowers and I decide to catch up to him.
"Clint!" I call out, dashing to his side.
He uncharacteristically flinches and looks down at me. At first, it seems like he doesn't recognize me, but then his eyes lighten and he says, "Oh, uh, Amity, right?"
I wag my tail and let my tongue loll out, "Yeah! How are you doing? Why are you here- shouldn't you be at SHIELD?"
"Hey, it is you!" Steve exclaims as he, Bruce, and Tony catch up to us. We move to the side of the street so that we're not in the way of people.
"Oh, hey guys." Clint says, looking surprised, "What's up?"
"Not much." Tony replies, "We were just having lunch at 'Bill's Bar and Burger', but then Amity spotted you and, since she is so smart, leaped over the fence." He raises an eyebrow at me and I give him a sheepish look.
"I...I wanted to see Clint…"
"Clearly."
Steve turns to Clint and asks, "So, what are you doing here? I thought SHIELD agents stayed on the Helicarrier… or wherever the SHIELD base is now."
"They're using a base in Washington D.C. while the Helicarrier is getting fixed." Clint says, shrugging, "And… uh… I'm kind of on probation right now."
"What?" My eyes widen, "Why?"
The archer looks a little awkward and leans against a pole. "I… uh… it's a thing that all the agents that were under Loki's control have to do. I mean, they're not under control anymore, but everybody has had… after effects. Like, little spasms or panic attacks. So, Director Fury ordered that everyone that was under Loki's control are to be discharged briefly and go to therapy sessions."
"Does that include you?" Bruce asks.
Clint sighs, "It didn't at first. I wasn't getting any panic attacks or spasms and the doctors assumed it was because of my one-on-one treatment from Amity." He looks down at me and I wag my tail, "But then I tried shooting an arrow. I went to the training room, picked up my bow and I was just… instantly smothered in memory from when I was under that bastard's control. I couldn't shoot straight, I could barely get myself to let go of an arrow, so now I'm on probation. And my therapist is an idiot."
"Oh, that's horrible." Steve says, his voice soft, "I'm so sorry." Meanwhile, I'm staring at Clint, an idea already forming in my head.
"Hey!" I say sharply, making the foursome turn to me, "Why don't you come stay at the Tower? I could be your therapist!"
Bruce splutters and stammers, "Err, Amity…"
"What?" I tilt my head in confusion, "Why not? There's no one better than a telepath when it comes to dealing with psychological issues. What's the problem?"
Bruce opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again, only to make an uncertain noise. He turns to Tony, whose expression I can't quite read, and asks warily, "Uhh… I mean, can he…?"
Tony gazes at Clint and then says briskly, "Sure."
"Really?" the archer says in surprise.
Tony shrugs, "Yeah, why not? And while we're at it, why don't we invite all of the other Avengers as well? I mean, Bruce, Amity, and Steve are already staying in the tower and once you come, there's no doubt Romanoff will soon follow." I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not. It sounds like he is, but I think he means what he says.
"Oh." Clint says, sounding slightly confused like I am, "Well, thanks. I'll have to clear it up with SHIELD, but I think they'll let me ditch my crappy therapist for Amity."
"Where are you staying?" Steve asks, "Do you need any help packing?"
"Yeah, thanks. I live on 62st street. It's only a few blocks from here."
Tony shifts and says, "Why don't you three take a cab there? Amity and I will get your room ready at the Tower."
Bruce seems to know that I'm about to get some sort of lecture from Tony because he gives him a soft warning look and says, "Okay, sure. We won't be long." Turning to Clint, he gestures, "Lead the way."
The archer nods and walks away with the super soldier and my owner in tow. Tony walks back to the restaurant, pays the bill, and then heads towards the car. I pad after him, my head held high and absolutely not regretting inviting Clint to stay in his tower without asking the genius first.
I jump into the front passenger seat and Tony starts driving. It's only when we're about halfway back to the Tower that he actually says anything.
"So, is this going to be a thing?" He questions and I look at him, "You randomly telling people that they can stay in my Tower?"
I frown and reply, "It's not random- they need the help. And we know these people…. but to answer your question, yes." Tony sighs and I continue, "Come on, Tony, it could be fun!"
"I'm not much of a team player, though." He pouts.
I arch an eye and say, "Well, what about you and Bruce? You're a team when it comes to science, aren't you?"
"That's different."
"How so?"
Tony lets out an exaggerated sigh, "He's actually cool! Meanwhile, Capsicle can't even operate a flip phone! All Clint will do is shoot arrows and wander around the Tower. And if Romanoff is in there, I will fear for my life." He pauses, and then adds, "If you see her, don't tell her I said that."
"Fine." I huff, "But Clint is staying. Besides, Steve's leaving for a little while, so I can keep Clint busy. And, you know, he won't be staying forever. It's just until his mind gets better."
Tony sighs again, "Okay, okay. I know I'm being grumpy, but it's just…" He wrinkles his nose, "People. Roaming around my Tower while I'm in the lab with Bruce, working on… whatever."
I chuckle and say, "I hope you two aren't getting into any mischief down there."
He smirks, "Mmm, I can't make any promises."
Mmmm, much mischief. Okie dokie, so basically the rest of this story is how Amity gets all of the Avengers to end up in the Avengers Tower. And some other stuff. Amity is my bae.
... yeah, that's about it.
See ya next Sunday!
-Periwinkle Skittles