Chapter 26- Lunch with History

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The putty arrow was the only mishap with the trick arrows, thankfully. The rest of the testing went quickly and easily and soon Tony Stark and Clint started cleaning up. Logan was more than ready to get moving. He was proud of Clint but just standing around watching Stark babble about his own genius was getting on his nerves. He was pretty sure Steve could hear him grind his teeth, because the blond kept shooting him looks like he was trying not to laugh. It made Logan want to stab someone.

"That was amazing! Thanks, Tony," Clint said as he packed up his bow.

The inventor brushed off the sincere gratitude with a practiced dismissiveness. "I needed a fun project. You're just lucky I was bored at Agent's meetings. Anyway, I'll have a quiver or two of these trick arrows for you in a few days. How do you want them delivered?"

Logan decided it was time for him to step forward before Stark could get carried away. "Leave them with Coulson. We'll be in contact when we can. No use you bringing unwanted attention on us when we're supposed to be keeping a low profile," he grumbled. He wished he could jab at the billionaire with his cigar but he had finished it a while ago, and Clint probably wouldn't appreciate him pulling his claws here. Still he felt like he needed to set some boundaries, or Stark would be all over them. The guy was known for his flashiness and grand gestures.

Stark held up his hands defensively. "Hey now, don't worry. I'm not going to do anything stupid." Coulson, who had been mostly quiet through the whole morning, snorted. "I can be discreet," the rich but fine if you want to play spy with codes and secret drop offs, it's fine with me." He turned away in a huff and started messing with his equipment.

Clint glared and Logan and jerked his head at the inventor's turned back. Logan raised an eyebrow. Was the punk really trying to get him to apologise? Clint jerked his head harder, pointing with his chin. Out of the corner of his eye, Logan saw Steve turn away to hide his face. Bastard was laughing. The mutant rubbed a hand over his face and sighed silently.

"Stark," he said, sharper than he intended. Tony turned around and crossed his arms. Internally cringing, Logan continued, "Thanks for helping the kid." Clint made a go-on gesture. Logan clenched his fist out of sight of the boy before relaxing enough to admit, "I'm glad he'll have a few tricks up his sleeve. It'll make me feel better."

Clint beamed at them. Little snot.

"Huh," Stark grunted, unconvinced. "You're welcome. Now, get out of here. I've got a lot of data to go through. This will keep me busy for a while."

Logan smirked. "Right, so you don't want to come to lunch with us?" He glanced around at the other men. "Invite is open to any of ya."

Stark wobbled for a second, especially when Clint gave him puppy dog eyes. Honestly it was probably the pleading eyes that tipped into a refusal. A man like him preferred his admirers more at arms length, unless they were pretty women. Logan could understand that.

Coulson shook his head. "I'm not leaving Stark here unsupervised. Who knows what we could get into in the middle of a SHIELD base munitions range. I'd come back to find all the targets replaced with pictures of Director Fury or something." Reynolds sighed but agreed to stay with his superior. He at least looked disappointed.

Clint's shoulders slumped a little. Obviously he wasn't ready to say goodbye yet, despite how eager he was to get out earlier. Logan turned to Steve and shot him a look he hoped the super soldier would understand.

Logan tried to catch Steve's eye. He didn't want to disappoint Clint. "I'd love to join you two for lunch. I don't have anything going on until later this afternoon," the big man said without acknowledging Logan's signal. "I know just the place, too. There is a diner real close to the base that has portions that satisfy even me."

Clint's smile was incandescent. He was obviously still a little star stuck. Logan snorted as he started walking back. The super soldier did tend to have that effect on people.

The diner was more of a family restaurant that catered to the military types from the base. And Steve wasn't joking about the portions. They had a burger that must have weighed more than a pound. And coffee milkshakes that had Clint in heaven. Logan stuck with a normal sized burger and black coffee and sat back to watch his friends get to know each other.

"So you really fought with Logan back in the day?" Clint asked around a mouth full of french fries, though they called them freedom fries here.

Steve smiled and swallowed his bit of burger before answering because he had manners. "Sure did. We first met in Mandipoor, right?"

Logan shrugged. "You and Ivan were rescuing that girl. Ninjas, Nazis," he mused and took a sip of his coffee. "Good times."

Clint's eyes got huge and Steve took pity on him to tell the story. Logan thought about the cute little redhead they had saved. It had been awhile since he'd heard from her. Might be time to check in.

He tuned back into the conversation when Clint groaned and gently hit his head on the table, after moving his almost empty plate to the side. "Seriously, how could you have not told me about this? Come on, Logan. You are just too cool."

Logan shrugged and took a smug sip of his coffee. "He didn't tell you about when we met in France, either," he teased, knowing the kid was going to drag that story out of Steve too. "That was where we ran into those magic monsters, right?"

Steve laughed, throwing his head back with abandon. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. You sure it was France? I thought we were in Belgium. You were with those Canadians, right?"

Logan nodded. He grinned at Clint who was clutching his milkshake and watching the two old men with wide eyes. "Honestly I wasn't sure where we were. They had gotten lost behind enemy lines and I was doing a favor for a friend tracking them down and getting them out. Then we ran into you and the Howling Commandos and helped you take out that lab, so really we could have been anywhere along that border."

"Pretty sure it was Belgium," Steve mused and when he noticed Clint's puppy dog stare he gave in and told the whole story while Logan sat back and enjoyed his coffee.

"Wow, Captain America, sir," Clint gushed when Steve finished the story.

Steve winced. "Just call me Steve. I'm not in uniform right now. Really, I'm just a regular guy when I'm not on duty."

Logan snorted softly and ignored the glare he got in return. Instead of getting into it with the supersoldier, he decided it was time for Clint to share. "Clint, why don't you tell the good Captain about your own adventures," he suggested.

Steve smiled and turned to Clint. "Yes, please. I was hoping to hear the whole story about what happened to the SHIELD base in Oklahoma. Agent Coulson gave us a brief overview and I read the report, but I know they leave things out."

"Aw, the report? No, that's terrible. The whole report was a fake to throw the bad guys off the scent. Trust me, it was a lot crazier than he could have told you. Let me start at the beginning: Logan and I were just stopping by to pick up a truck, but they made us stay the night. So I played up the scared orphan kid angle and Logan was going to pump the commander for intel. Then I decided to poke around a little myself and I ended up getting lost in the vents and…" Clint started to tell the whole story.

Logan signaled the waitress for refills for all of them, including Clint's milkshake. Then he relaxed as he watched his old friend encourage the kid into talking about all the little details. The man had a way of getting people to relax and trust him and it showed with a suspicious kid like Clint. And it was good for Clint to be the center of attention. The archer was made for the spotlight and he loved showing off. Logan wanted to give him that and the confidence to trust himself, something no one else in the kid's life had given him. He thought back to when they met and breaking the one carnie's jaw. Thinking back, he kind of wished he hadn't held back so much.

"Seriously, Logan, you let him go in by himself? After you just got shot?" Steve said with his "I'm Captain America and I am disappointed in you" voice.

"It was a good plan and I trusted him," Logan defended himself and smirked when Clint's chest swelled.

"It wasn't so hard, Captain America, sir." Steve sighed but didn't interrupt. "I made it to where the SHIELD agents were being held and convinced them to trust me. Some of them had heard of Logan, so they believed me when I said we had a plan. I lead a group of them through the vents. We only really had one close call, when one of the guys in the back sneezed. I wish I could have seen his face when that gunshot went right between his legs…"

Steve shot a wide eyed glance at Logan before returning his attention to Clint. Logan just grinned into his coffee and waited for his que to pick up the narrative. After telling this story to the X-Men, he knew when to come in with his side, with a little editing so Clint didn't worry. Rogers had gone quiet by the time they got to the end when Logan described blowing the place. Then Clint went on a short rant about how Coulson said they were covering it all up and no one knew how awesome he was, a speech he had practiced a couple times now. Logan was a sympathetic listener and usually only teased him a little about it. This time he ignored it to exchange looks with Steve who was too polite to interrupt Clint but Logan could see he wanted to lecture Logan about how to keep the boy safe. Instead the soldier limited himself to raised eyebrows and glares while Logan drank his coffee and pretended to have no idea what the man was getting at.

When Clint finished, Steve finally spoke up, but he didn't give a lecture. Logan figured he was saving that for a time when it was just the two men. Instead, Steve praised the boy for his bravery and creativity. "I'm honestly impressed, Clint. There are few grown men who would have stayed as calm as you did. We should all thank you for finding this nest of snakes. SHIELD is lucky to have you and Logan on our side."

"Thank you, sir," Clint mumbled into his milkshake, his ears turning red. "That means a lot coming from you."

"Please call me Steve."

"Yes, sir...um, Steve," Clint said finally. Logan wanted to laugh, but he refrained. No need to embarrass either of them.

Steve smiled at Clint before getting serious. One could almost see him picking up the Captain America persona. "So what are your plans now? You're not going to go looking for more trouble are you?"

Logan raised an eyebrow, letting his old friend know he wasn't amused by the insinuation that he put Clint in danger on purpose. "We're heading south into Louisiana. I have some contacts in New Orleans that I want to talk to. Cyclops has the team hunting a recurring problem and I was hopin' they'd keep an eye and ear out for me."

"What kind of contacts?" Rogers asked, glancing at Clint. He obviously remembered what type of people Logan had been associating with in Mandipoor.

Clint glanced at Logan, torn between curiosity and worry. Logan smiled to put him at ease before answering the captain's question. "Information brokers, mostly. Kind of a rough crowd but not too bad once they get to know ya. They know better than to cross me."

"And this problem you're chasing?" Steve pressed.

Logan sighed and put down his coffee to lean forward. He wasn't going to let anyone, not even Captain America, question his priorities about Clint. "I'm not hunting him. I'm gathering information for Cyke." He glanced at Clint. "Not even I'm stupid enough to go after Mr. Sinister on my own. Besides, he doesn't care about non mutants."

Steve nodded seriously. "Good. Just know that you can call me anytime. Stark and SHIELD are working together, so I can commandeer a jet to get to you at a moment's notice. Assuming Ironman isn't already on his way. I think he's taken a liking to your charge." He winked at Clint who almost snorted his milkshake.

Logan decided not to talk about the billionaire inventor and his investment in Clint. He hadn't decided how he felt about that yet. So he focused on the part he did like. "We'll be in contact with you, like I am with Coulson. Can't hurt to have you looking out for the kid, in case something comes up." He ignored Clint indignation. "But you have to keep me in the loop, bub. I need to know what snake nests you kick up."

Steve nodded. "Of course," he agreed and snagged Clint's napkin. He pulled a pen out from somewhere and jotted down a couple of phone numbers. "This is my personal number," he explained, "and this is the number Stark set up for the team. Next time we see you, Stark will have radios and panic buttons for you both. Don't give me that look, Logan. Stark is making them. They will be untraceable and connected directly to us. We're setting up a headquarters in one of his properties in New York, so we'll be independent from SHIELD." He started to hand the napkin to Logan, but stopped and handed it to Clint with a grin. "I can trust you to look after this, right? And use it if you need anything, anything at all."

Clint took the napkin carefully and held it to his chest. He glanced at Logan with a huge smile and Logan knew the kid wanted to get excited about having Captain America's phone number but still wanting to act cool.

When Steve turned to Logan and made him promise as well, Logan shrugged and decided not to argue with his friend. He could keep the Stark radio off like he does with the X-Men comm. And the panic button for Clint was a good idea.

Steve checked his watch. "I hate to say it, but I have to run. Stark and I are supposed to go on a recruiting run this afternoon."

Logan nodded and waved for the bill. "Who ya going after? My old playmate?"

Rogers snorted. "No, believe it or not, that one already agreed. This guy is new, and reports say he's not from earth. We're flying down to New Mexico to talk to a physicist who can put us in touch with him."

Logan raised his coffee. "Good luck."

Steve snagged the bill from the waitress and stood up. "Thanks, we might need it. Take care, Logan. It was nice to meet you, Clint." He held out his hand for the boy to shake.

"It is an honor, sir, I mean, Steve," Clint said, his ears brilliant red. His blond hair had gotten longer, but not enough to hide his embarrassment yet. Still, he was doing pretty good. Logan was proud of how mature he was acting.

Steve nodded good bye at Logan and strode off, stopping to pay at the register and tip the waitress who had obviously seen him in here before. She had kept a polite distance the whole time they had been here, only coming over to refill their drinks when asked and not getting flustered over Steve's antique manners. Logan planned to leave her a tip on top of whatever Steve was giving her.

Clint waved as Steve finally left before letting out all his air in a woosh. Logan sipped at the last of his coffee while a large range of emotions flashed across the teenager's face. He waited patiently while Clint worked through it all.

Finally Clint settled on a wide grin. "That was amazing. I can't believe we just had lunch with Captain America! And he was really nice, I thought he'd be more, you know, up tight or something. Most of the army guys I met before were real jerks."

Logan clenched his teeth for a second. He knew why Clint only knew bastards before, but he didn't have to like it. "Most military men are pretty decent guys. I've served with a lot of good men and Steve's one of the best," Logan said with a nod. He grinned and pointedly finished his coffee. "And I think he likes you. Stark too. You're getting some pretty strong guys in your corner."

Clint blushed bright red and ducked his head. He rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled at the table, "Yeah, well, it's all thanks to you. I l, um, you're the best."

The older mutant decided not to push it. He wasn't the most touchy feely guy and he wasn't going to embarrass the boy. "That's kind of my catch phrase, bub. Best there is at what I do," he said flippantly as he pulled out his wallet to leave a tip. "Let's get moving. I want to get some distance from SHIELD before we stop for the night."

Clint got up eagerly, happy at the change in topic. "New Orleans, right? I've never been there. Is it nice?"

"Nice enough. Lots of history there and folks are proud of it. We'll take time to look around, but first I'll hunt down my contacts. I'll find somewhere for you to wait for me."

"You don't want me to come?" Clint asked as they climbed into the truck. Logan waited with a raised eyebrow until the kid buckled in. "Don't you trust me?"

Logan took the time to start the truck and pull out onto the road to think of an answer. Kids Clint's age, especially a boy with his background, didn't appreciate being left behind for his own protection. Logan had dealt with this before with Kitty several times. "I don't trust them. I'll be honest, Clint. I don't want them to see you with me. They deal in information and your connection with me could be valuable to the right people."

Clint obviously didn't like that but, thankfully, he didn't argue. Logan silently sighed in relief and reached over to turn on the radio. It would be a long drive to Louisiana if the kid moped the whole way, but better than fighting. He'd get over it by the time they get there.