As a reminder, I do not own any Marvel character (or actor/actress that play Marvel characters), no matter how many wishes I make. More team bonding - yay! Will Clint and Nat make it back from their mission unscathed? We shall see. Also, look for a Renner reminder related to the previous one mentioned (how's that for alliteration?)
Mikayla woke up the next morning, hoping this was one of the rare times she woke up before he did. She silently opened the adjoining door between their suites and peeked in, smiling when she saw the light on in his closet. "Morning, Sharky," Clint said as he was putting on his boots.
"Morning, RH." She hurriedly shuffled across the wood floor to his closet. "Was hoping I'd get a chance to see you before you left."
"Good timing, babe. We're heading out as soon as I get downstairs." He went to pick up his go bag and accessories case. Before picking up his bags, he turned around and embraced his fiancée. "Still want to marry me?"
"If you'll still have me," she murmured as she put a hand to his cheek.
He took her hand and kissed it. "Always." He used his other hand to draw her face up toward his and they kissed. "See you when I get back, Mikayla."
"You got it, Clint." They kissed again and he made his way to the main floor. Mikayla went back to her room and watched out the windows as the Quinjet took off. She kept an eye on it until it disappeared on the horizon, then took a shower. Afterward, she changed into business clothing and started to head up to work. "Hold it, Fitzgerald. You're not going anywhere. You don't have a badge, keys, or computer." She looked at the clock, 6 AM. "I might as well go down and get some breakfast, then I'll call Pepper." She went down to the kitchen and found Steve sitting at the bar, eating a bowl of cereal, and reading the newspaper. "Morning, Steve."
"Good morning, Mikayla." He put the paper down. "Were you able to see Clint before he left?"
"I did, thanks." She started looking through cabinets. "So, uh, do we just eat whenever we want? How does this work?"
He chuckled. "It can be a little chaotic around here. Yes, sometimes people cook a big meal and we eat as we go, other times we fend for ourselves. A lot of it depends upon the missions. Tony and Bruce are already working up in the lab, something about increasing the voltage on something or other. Don't be surprised if you hear minor explosions or see the lights flicker. Those are common occurrences around here."
She chuckled. "Sounds like I have a lot to get used to."
"You'll find your way. If you need anything, just let me know. I'm happy to help."
"Thanks, Steve, I appreciate it." She continued looking through cabinets until she found bowls and various cereals. She fixed herself a bowl and sat down at the other end of the bar. The two ate their breakfast in silence.
When Steve finished, he rinsed out his dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "In case you're interested, there's a training room/gym on the 8th floor. It's open 24 hours, got everything you might need. You're also welcome to stay in the common area, watch TV, movies are on the shelf, plus books on the bookshelves. Help yourself."
She nodded. "Thanks again, Steve. Thanks for taking me under your wing, and for chasing me down the other day. It means a lot."
"You're welcome. What are friends for?" He waved at her as he walked down the hall toward the elevators and stairs.
She ate the rest of her cereal in silence, then followed Steve's actions, and put her rinsed dishes in the dishwasher. She sat down in a chair in the living area and called Pepper. "Pepper, it's Mikayla."
"Mikayla, good morning. Get a good night's sleep?"
"I did. I hope I'm not disturbing you, calling so early."
"No, no worries. I've got a slate of meetings today, so it's my usual early start."
"Good. I have a dilemma. My keys, badge, and laptop were in my apartment, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to work."
Pepper chuckled. "I'm already ahead of you. I've already had a new badge made. It'll be at the front desk. I've got your new laptop and another set of keys there as well. As long as you've been cleared by Bruce, feel free to come back into the office. Just ask Friday and she'll get him for you."
"Uh, okay."
"Let me guess, A.I still a little weird for you, I'm guessing."
"Definitely."
"You'll get used to her. You can ask her anything and she'll help you out."
"Thanks, Pepper. If anything changes, I'll let you know."
"Good deal, Mikayla, and welcome back."
"Thanks, Pepper." She disconnected the call. "OK, here goes. Uh, Friday?"
"Yes, Miss Fitzgerald?"
"Can you let Bruce know I'm up, please? Pepper says I need to be cleared to go back to work."
"At once, Miss Fitzgerald. And, welcome to the team."
She grinned. "Thanks, Friday."
A short time later, Mikayla heard the elevator ding, looked up, and saw Bruce emerging into the living room. "Good to see you, Mikayla. How are you feeling?"
"After everything, I feel surprisingly rested, thanks." She looked at her hand, making sure the engagement ring was still there. She wanted to know it hadn't been a dream. She smiled when she discovered it was still on her finger, proving it was real. "Pepper wants me to get medically cleared before I go back to work."
He nodded. "She told me earlier. Come on into the med bay." She followed him down the hall and sat down on the exam table. He listened to her lungs with a stethoscope and looked down her throat. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better. Headache and sore throat are gone."
"Good to hear. Sounds like you've recovered. I'll let you go back to work on the condition you take a break from staring at the computer every hour and no working longer than 8 hours. Don't want you to overdo it and have a relapse."
"Yes, sir." He helped her off the table. "Thanks, Bruce."
"No problem, Mikayla. Let me know if you need anything or start to feel worse."
"I will, thanks again." Mikayla left the floor and headed to work. She stopped at the front desk.
"Welcome back, Mikayla."
"Thanks, Bob. Good to be back," Mikayla replied to the security guard. "You have some items for me?"
"Yep, right here." He handed her a Stark Industries shopping bag with her new badge, keys, and laptop. "Have a great day."
"You, too." Mikayla went to the elevator and up to her office. The employees in her department greeted her warmly as she made her way to her office. She sat down in her chair and turned on her computer. On her desk was a flower arrangement from her team, welcoming her back. As her systems were booting up, she went to the break room and got her coffee, talking to more people along the way. Once she got back to her office, she made her way through the multitudes of emails. She checked the status of the different companies and servers and had time to check the private companies she still monitored. She made sure to follow Bruce's advice and took frequent breaks so she wouldn't strain her eyes. At lunch, she went back to the Avengers floor (her nickname for it) and made herself a sandwich. She was able to avoid the team, so she had a few moments to herself and called Misty but reached her voice mail. "Hey, just checking in, the first day back at work, so far so good. I may want to do some shopping tonight. I'll give you a call." She disconnected the call and went back to work. The afternoon passed by like the morning did, checking systems, and talking to her team. She made sure her team left before she did, wanting to set a good example for them. She always tried to be there when they arrived and leave after they did, wanting to show them she hadn't changed, was still willing to do the work, and not be just a figurehead. When she finally left about 6:30 (realizing she was in the office for more than eight hours, directly disobeying Bruce), she said good night to the security guard, then back to her suite. She did what she always did when Clint went on a mission. She put in her earbuds and cleaned. After she finished her suite, which she realized was an apartment without a kitchen, she went to the common area and tided that up. "Seriously, how messy can these guys be? It's like a frat house, probably thanks to Tony," she said to herself. She then went to the kitchen and cleaned it as well. When everything was cleaned to her satisfaction, she made herself comfortable in the living room in one of the armchairs, plugged in her tablet, and started reading.
"There she is, about time you stopped slacking," Tony said as he strutted through the living room on his way to the kitchen.
"Your network's secure, isn't it? Wouldn't call that slacking, Tony." She continued reading.
"She's got you there, Tony," Bruce said. "How did your first day back go, Mikayla?"
She took out an earbud. "Calm and stress-free. I did what you suggested and took hourly breaks, eyes feel fine."
"Good. We're, uh, ordering in Mexican. Did you want anything?"
She thought for a minute. "An order of chicken fajitas, no guac, extra cheese and sour cream, double rice, no beans, please." She put her earbud in and returned to her book.
"That's a woman who knows what she wants, and yet, she still picks Barton."
"Only the best for me, Tony."
Steve walked in. "Have I said how much I like our new team member?"
Mikayla held up her tablet to cover the smirk on her face. She'd decided she'd gained a bunch of brothers. 'You weren't kidding when you said they were a family. Nat and Pepper, kudos to you for keeping these guys in line.' "Where's Thor?"
Steve answered. "Off visiting Jane. Think he'll be back by the end of the week."
She nodded and returned to her book, keeping her mind busy so she wouldn't focus on Clint being gone. She wasn't worried since he'd only left for the mission that morning. Her phone rang. "Fitzgerald…hey, Misty…we're ordering in Mexican, so how about tomorrow around 7? Perfect! Later, M." She went back to reading.