Christ I'm a horrible author. So this was supposed to be a nice happy chapter to celebrate having this account for over year (I opened it on February 29, 2016) but it turns out that was a loop year, and I got really lazy and busy. Bla blah, normal excuses, HOLY CRAP IVE BEEN WRITING FOR OVER A YEAR WOW DOES TIME FLY. I hope you guys enjoy this, major Stony feels happening.
For once, Jackie was waking up peacefully, and not after having blacked out. The room was still dark as she became aware of her breathing and her body. The surface she was on was soft and warm, her whole body in a cocoon of blankets. She could hear a faint mewing through her half-asleep daze. She sat up, flicking her hand so her phone would come to her. 10:49, not bad. I really should use that ability more. She just hadn't because the author is an idiot and forgot Jackie had that power.
Jackie felt a light pressure on her leg and smiled as her vision focused. A small black mass made its way over to her awaiting arms, rubbing itself up against her and making small sounds.
"Hey there, Flagpole," Jackie cooed, scratching the cat behind its ears, causing it to laughed a bit. Flagpole had been a stray, until Jackie found him and snuck him in the tower. The others didn't seem to really notice, they'd just absentmindedly pet him and go along with their day. He was black with one blue eye and one brown, which was very rare. Jackie rolled off the bed, landing on her hardwood floor and startling the cat. She stood up, rubbing her eyes and moving towards a full body mirror. Her hair was a mess (she really thought she should cut it), she was in yesterday's clothes (who has time for pjs?) and socks. She shrugged, as there was a good chance Clint would be wearing much less.
"Good morning, Ms. Lee," the robotic voice of Jarvis rang from the ceiling.
"Hey. Anything?" Jackie asked, brushing off some lint.
"No, Miss. Your day is free," Jarvis responded. Jackie sighed in relief, as she usually had some errand to run. As she opened her door (more like it opened for her), she was hit with a sweet smell. She smiled, piecing together that Steve had probably made pancakes, which were only made for special events. She made her way down the hallway, wondering if Nat was awake yet. But when she reached the redhead's door, Jarvis informed her that "Ms. Romanoff isn't in her quarters". So Jackie shrugged and climbed a flight of stairs to the second floor, where the kitchen was. After that cardio exercise, pancakes sounded like the best thing in the world.
When Jackie finally reached the kitchen, she peaked her head around the wall, looking around. She almost squealed. Steve was standing next to the stove, unconsciously flipping pancakes. Tony stood beside him, ranting on about something that Jackie wouldn't hear. But that didn't really matter. The two were chatting happily, which was rare. Usually, Steve was scolding Tony, and Tony was down in his lab. It must be the pancakes, Jackie thought. She tapped into the genius's heartbeat, sniggering when she heard it going about 1,000 mph. Why does he get so nervous and excited? Maybe it's… no. No way.
"Holy shit, he made pancakes!" Jackie was shoved to the side. She laughed as Clint dashed into the kitchen, ruining the moment.
"Good morning to you too," Steve grumbled, picking up a plate loaded with the goods. Clint's eyes glazed over as he stared at them. Jackie rubbed her arm, walking into the kitchen.
"Sorry I was in the way of your pancakes," she muttered sarcastically, causing all three men to quickly turn their attention to her. Tony smirked like he knew something she didn't, which was never good.
"Sorry. You okay?" Clint said halfheartedly.
"I'll live," Jackie replied, watching the pancakes. Steve's pancakes really were amazing, and the bastard knew it. He carried them into the main dining room, which was also odd, as usually the team would just find a corner in the kitchen and eat there. It must be a really special occasion.
"If there aren't pancakes out there, someone's getting shot," a voice called from the hallway.
"Nat's awake," Clint said cheerily, trying to reach for a pancake without Steve noticing. However, the super soldier did, and Clint's hand was smacked away, causing everyone to giggle.
"Hell yes," Natasha mumbled as she waltzed into the room. Jackie giggled at the blush that spread across the men's faces. Per usual, Natasha was wearing only a tank top and sweatpants. She had a predatory look on her face, causing everyone to take a step back. Especially Clint. A few months back, he had taken the last pancake. His hair "mysteriously" turned pink for a whole month. Moral of the story is: don't fuck with Natasha's pancakes.
"Hello," mumbled a lighter voice. Bruce walked in, rubbing his eyes and repositioning his glasses. The whole team was here, all brought together by Steve's wonderful cooking.
"Can we eat it now?" Tony begged, bouncing a bit. Everyone's mouths were watering at this point.
"What's the magic word?" Steve- teased. I- what is happening here? I have some serious interrogation to do later.
"Please," the whole group chanted together. Steve sighed, gesturing to the plate. And the stampede of super heroes shuffled over to their already-set plates, grabbing as many pancakes as they could. By the time they had sat down, Clint already had a pancake shoved in his mouth.
"Does anyone even say grace these days?" Steve mumbled.
"Alright, uh, I thank whoever taught you how to make pancakes…" Jackie started, trailing off.
"Ahd to Amerca!" Clint sputtered out.
"For the amount of freedom crammed into these pancakes," Natasha added, drowning her plate in syrup.
"You can smell the righteousness," Bruce mumbled, timidly eyeing the syrup bottle that Nat was draining.
"You guys are horrible," Steve chuckled, cutting into his food. Jackie flicked her hand, causing another bottle of syrup to fly from the fridge. It really was a useful skill that the author hopefully won't forget about again. She poured a decent amount out, glancing at the bottle Natasha was still draining. Jackie slid the bottle over to Bruce, nodding at his mumbled "thanks". She cut into the thick, buttery food, picking up the piece and placing it in her mouth. It was literally the greatest thing she'd ever tasted. Even though she was definitely a waffle person, nothing beat Steve's pancakes. The rest of the group had already taken their first bites, and were savoring the taste.
"What's the special occasion, anyways?" Jackie asked, leaning back against her huge chair. She saw Clint choke a bit at her comment. Meanwhile, Natasha, Steve, and Tony all had mischievous looks on their faces. Bruce just kept his head down.
"What, I can't just make pancakes because I felt like it?" Steve asked, though his facial expression said otherwise. Jackie's eyes narrowed. Everyone looked suspicious.
"Hm, okay?" Jackie mumbled. Everyone was sniggering at this point, even Bruce.
What the hell?
"Shit!" Jackie yelped, jumping over Clint's leg. She stumbled and fell, landing awkwardly. She scowled at Clint's laughing. Everyone had been acting very odd ever since breakfast, all smiling and snickering. Clint just kept watching her, as if waiting for her to figure something out. Speaking of Eggplant, he was holding out his hand. Jackie took it, pulling herself up while pulling him down. He yelped in surprise as he hit the floor.
"Yeah, you're welcome," Clint mumbled sarcastically, getting up.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Jackie apologized, laughing a bit. Clint had that look again, like he was expecting something.
"What are you guys hiding from me?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"We're not really 'hiding' anything. You just haven't figured it out yet," Clint replied, dusting himself off.
"Okay. Give me a hint," Jackie demanded.
"Uh, um, hold on," Clint stood for a few seconds, his lips pouted out as he thought. "Oh! Okay, so, uh, give me a number between 1 and 12."
"Seriously?"
"Just do it."
"Okay, 3."
"Right," Clint snapped his fingers, "so then multiply that by 3."
"That equals 9," Jackie answered, wondering what this had to do with anything.
"Hm, okay, uh. And what does that number sometimes mean?" Clint pushed.
"Uh, you're a 9 'cuz I'm the 1 you need?" Jackie questioned. Clint snorted a bit.
"Oh, oh! Okay! Okay I've got it," Clint started ranting. Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Ehem, 'Go shawty, it's Sherbert Day!'"
"Huh?"
"You know, Sherbert Day!" Clint tried again.
"What do you-" Jackie's lungs deflated completely. Clint smirked as the wheels turned her head. "Oh. Oh. Oh shit. Jarvis, what's the date?"
"September 3rd, 2012. Happy birthday, Miss Lee," the robot answered.
"Oh."
"Is it bad we were relying on you forgetting your birthday?" Clint asked.
"Probably?"
Jackie swiped through her phone, smiling to herself. Vivian had just hung up, having to go do some chores. She looked around, taking everything in. It had been almost two years since she first got her powers. Since she was ass blasted head first into the world of superheros. And now, she finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She had a family.
Speaking of them, everyone had wished her a happy birthday after she figured it out. She felt so stupid, forgetting her birthday for the second time in a row. Natasha had sparred with her for the first time, and Jackie had done surprisingly well. I mean, she was down in about ten seconds, but Clint had seemed surprised she'd lasted so long. Tony had dragged her down to the lab to help him with a few minor experiments, even showing that he had put her name in the keypad. Oh, that reminds me. I think it's time a do a few experiments of my own.
Rolling out of bed, Jackie clicked off her phone and threw it on her pillow. She made her way out of her room, quietly sneaking through the halls. She spotted Clint, who was sprawled out across the couch.
"Hey, where's Steve?" Jackie asked from across the room.
"Uh," Clint looked focused, his face scrunching up for a second. "He's… oh! He's down in the lab with Tony."
"Great, thanks," Jackie called, turning towards the stairs. She slid down them before Clint could ask anymore questions. Landing on the bottom floor gracefully, she made her way through more hallways, eventually coming up on the glass wall. She spotted Tony, who was crouching down next to a car. Steve was at the opposite end of the room, standing with his arms crossed. The two looked like they having a light conversation. Jackie thought for a moment, before moving her hand slightly. There was a small yelp from upstairs, and seconds later, a small gadget came flying down the hall. Jackie had snatched it from Tony's desk as an excuse to go into the lab. She giggled at Clint's grunt of annoyance, moving her hand to knock on the glass. The light noise seemed to startle Tony a bit, causing Steve to giggle- do guys giggle? Does Captain America giggle?
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Jackie called as she entered the lab after punching in her key code. Tony seemed to send her a glare, before looking down in confusion. "I accidentally pocketed one of your children."
"Oh, yeah. I've been wondering where that went," Tony mumbled, standing up. Jackie sent the gadget at him. He caught it, tossing it on the car he'd been working on.
"That looks new," Jackie noted. The car looked like a vintage, but shiny and clean, painted with a light blue color.
"Yeah, it was a gift. She's a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL," Tony bragged. Jackie raised her eyebrow.
"Things really have changed," Steve commented wistfully, eyeing Tony's other cars with interest. The whole lab must've seemed like a wonderland. He picked up his water bottle, swishing it peacefully.
"Who do you have to know to get that as a gift?" Jackie asked, latching into Tony's heartbeat. It seemed steady enough.
"I know a guy. I helped him with a few problems," he answered vaguely.
"Nothing illegal, I'd hope," Steve commented. Jackie noted how the other brunet's heart sped up just a tiny bit.
"I can't promise that," Tony flashed a grin, flipping a wrench in his hand. "Eh, he had some rough competition, and I owed him a few favors. Long story short, I had to bail him out of jail-" his heart was starting to beat faster. As he spoke, he looked as though he was contemplating something. "Plus, we dated."
"Wait, what?" Jackie suddenly asked, having been so focused on his heartbeat. She could hear Steve practically choking on his water.
"Hah! You should see your faces. I love my life!" Tony was yelling triumphantly. He was grinning smugly, though Jackie could hear his heart racing. That had to have taken some guts. She turned to Steve, watching him with skeptical eyes. She knew he was from the 1940s, a time when anything other than heterosexuality was frowned upon. God help him if he responded negatively. Tony seemed to realize this too, and Jackie was starting to go deaf from the thumping.
"I'll admit, I did not see that coming," the blond said finally, setting his water bottle down. He laughed. "You guys are probably expecting me to yell."
"More hoping you won't," Tony responded truthfully, and Jackie suddenly felt like she was invading. She glanced back and forth between the two men. She turned back to Tony, who was watching her with a slightly worried expression. She gave him a thumbs up, smiling cheekily.
"Sorry, I'm an awkward, insensitive teen who doesn't know how to human," she apologized. "If it's any consolation," might as well go for it, "I'm ace."
Now it was Tony's turn to be awkward. "Sorry, I'm an insensitive genius who doesn't know how to human," he mocked. Steve looked thoughtful. "Yo, Cap. Ace is when-"
"No, I know what it is," he cut him off, smiling at the two. "I'm not as naive as you guys think. My mom raised me to believe all people are equal, so I'm not going to start spraying you two with holy water and throw bibles."
"I appreciate that," Tony responded, smiling again.
"Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go to sleep. Have fun, and remember, the walls are thin," Jackie winked at Tony, who visibly flushed. The blond sent him a confused look, causing Jackie to giggle to herself as she left. Not naive my ass, she thought as the glass door closed from behind her.
"Ship it," she heard a Clint whisper from behind her. Jackie jumped on reflex, slapping him on the shoulder for startling her.
"OTP," she whispered back. They both laughed, looking at the two men, back in their conversation. Out of that whole experience, Jackie had learned three things.
One, she was always right.
Two, never judge a person by their respective time period.
And three, Captain America giggles.
When you're so desperate the plot rides on a car. Yeah, enjoy the peace for now, Jackie... You're in for hell. I mean...
And now, appreciation.
Thank you to those of you who are still here.
Thank you to those who have taken time to review and help me develop my writing.
I've gotten so much better thanks to you guys.
So...
No Tony Stark in a dress here (the walls are thin), STAY GAY MY FRIENDS!
review? criticism?