Again, I hope you're enjoying the story. Thanks for following, marking as a favorite, and reviewing, otherwise I'll think I'm the only one reading it, LOL. I hope you enjoyed the small glimpse of Tony and Pepper and their relationship. Don't worry, they'll be back, and there will be female bonding time with Mikayla and Pepper later in the story. Now we turn our attention to Maria and Nick...I hope you understand my take on the duo, for lack of a better term Mikayla's godparents...
'Who's Friday?' She thought to herself as she continued eating slowly so she wouldn't upset her stomach. "I really don't need another retching episode, like that wasn't embarrassing," she mumbled to herself. "I'd like to call Misty to let her know what's going on, but my phone's back in my apartment, probably burned to a crisp or damaged beyond repair." She sighed, then drank some more juice. She heard a knock at her door and turned around to find Maria Hill. "Hey, come on in."
"I come bearing gifts," Maria said as she set several bags and boxes on Mikayla's bed. "Pepper called me. I knew your sizes and various things you might need, so here I am. Plus, Nick wanted to know how you were doing. He's been worried." After she set her deliveries down, she came over to the table, patted Mikayla on the shoulder, and sat down in one of the empty chairs.
"Feeling better, overwhelmed, and frustrated. What a combination, huh?" She chuckled. "Healthwise, I feel much better. I'm overwhelmed by all the love and care I've received. Frustrated because I want to know who the hell bombed my apartment and wanted me dead." She filled Maria in on what Clint had discovered.
"We'll get to work on that on our end. We still have contacts with local authorities. I'll reach out to them and see what I can find. What else do you need? What else can I do?"
"Some new glasses and contacts would be great, along with a cell phone. I can see you brought clothes, which is wonderful because I have no idea whose clothes I'm wearing." Mikayla looked down at the sweatshirt and sweatpants she was given.
"Those are mine, babe," Clint announced as he returned. He nodded to Maria as he sat down in the other empty chair.
"Which would explain why I could fit a thigh through these sleeves. What do you do, lift tree trunks when I'm not looking?" Mikayla got up and went over to the bed to go through what Maria had brought.
Maria chuckled under her breath. She'd wondered the same thing many times. She knew he kept up a rugged training schedule, being privy to the physical and psychological profiles of the agents; how he felt insecure and was driven to one-up everyone because he didn't consider himself special, believed he had to work at least twice as hard as everyone else on the team. That internal drive is what gave him his outstanding physique Maria had admired from afar. It pleased her to no end that he and Mikayla were dating, though it was going to make many female (and several male) agents upset…and cause bets to be lost. She believed Coulson would approve of the relationship, knowing Barton would bring Mikayla out of her shell and Mikayla would give him a stable influence outside of the agency.
"I feel like it's my birthday or Christmas," Mikayla said as she sat down among the packages.
"Remember what you asked for earlier?" Mikayla nodded. "Take a look in that blue bag."
Mikayla grabbed the bag and opened it, pulling out a cell phone, several pairs of glasses, and sets of contacts. "Maria, you are a miracle worker. Thank you!"
Maria stood up. "You are welcome, Micki. I'll let Nick know how your recovery's going. Let us know if you need anything else."
"I will, thanks, and tell Nick thanks." She watched as Maria left the room. "So, did you get something to eat?"
Clint nodded. "There were still some pancakes left, so I grabbed those." He took a drink from her coffee mug. "Why does Hill get to call you Micki?"
"Damn, I was hoping you wouldn't catch that. When my uncle first introduced me to Maria and Nick, he called me Micki. He did it as a joke, he knew I never liked that nickname. It always inevitably led to being called Mickey Mouse. I tolerate it from them and from Edna, and you saw my reaction when you called me that. I can give you a repeat if you'd like."
Clint smirked. "I rather enjoyed that response, so, yes ma'am, may I have another?"
She slapped his arm. "I was afraid of that. I know you'll want to use it against me at some point, so I'll make you a deal. You can call me that only in private, and, in return, I promise not to kill you."
"I can live with that…Micki."
Mikayla growled in exasperation, holding her head in her hands. "Why did I ever come up with that plan? That must be about the stupidest decision I've ever made. My brain must still be affected by the concussion. I should not be allowed to make decisions right now." She finished the rest of her breakfast.
"I could take advantage of that, you know. I won't, of course, but I could."
"Thanks, RH."
"Always, Sharky." He picked up the tray. "I'll take this back down to the kitchen. Need anything else?"
"Nope, I'm good at the moment, thanks." Clint left with the tray.
Mikayla rose from the chair and slowly walked over to the window. "I do love this city," she said. "I feel so alive and connected when I'm here. Even if I'm not among the crowd, I still feel a part of it. It's also a good place to disappear and get lost. It's amazing how you can be by yourself in crowds of people."
"You've got the makings of a spy, Fitzgerald." She turned around to see Nick Fury filling up her doorway. "Good to see you up and around."
She hurried over to him, looked to make sure no one was around, then hugged him. "Good to be up and around, Nick. Maria was by earlier, so I didn't think you'd be here."
He put an arm around her shoulder. "Wouldn't miss a chance to see you, Micki."
"Aw, thanks, Nick. Sorry for the mess. Maria just brought me a lot of stuff and I haven't had time to go through it yet." She went over to the bed and started opening the boxes and hanging up the clothes, which was enough for a couple of weeks.
"Happy to help, Micki." He sat down at the end of the bed. "I also wanted to say thanks for calling Maria during the Ultron fiasco, and for offering your house as a safe place."
"They're my team now, too, Nick. I don't think my uncle would want it any other way. I'm glad I'm able to contribute something."
"Also wanted to talk to you about something else."
'Here it comes,' she thought to herself, steeling herself for the inevitable conversation.
"Barton and you, you and Barton."
She spun around to face him. "Spit it out, Nick. Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem. He can be a handful."
"So can I. What's your point?"
"Making sure this won't interfere with anything."
Mikayla marched over to him. "Seriously? We're having this conversation now, Nick? How long have he and I been dating? Give me a break! Half of me is Coulson blood, Fury." The more she talked, the louder she got, and the redder her face grew. She was digging her nails into her hands to avoid throwing them full force at the former SHIELD director. "Do you not think we would've taken that into consideration before deciding to get serious? What kind of an idiot do you take me for? My uncle, you, and Maria all raised me better than that. I know firsthand the risks of the job and not once have I interfered with Clint performing his job duties. Guess what? I have jobs, too. Not only am I the Assistant Director of IT for Stark Industries, but I'm also Clint Barton's girlfriend, and the main duty of that job is to make sure he has a sense of normalcy and peace when he returns from missions, and I will do that as long as he will have me around. So, Nicholas J. Fury, you can stop questioning our decision to date and just bite me!" She glared at him for several minutes before he quietly stood up, held up his hands in surrender, and left the suite.