Steve woke up early the next morning, but he didn't want to get up, lest he disturb Tony. He heard the light snoring of both Hank and Tony, and Jan seemed to be muttering something in her sleep. He had heard Clint come in last night, and wondered what he had been up to. Sitting up carefully, he got a glimpse of the clock. It read eight thirty eight in the morning. They had an hour and a half till Clint wanted to be going.
"Tony," he nudged the black haired man softly. "Tony, it's time to get up." All the reaction he got was a moan and having Tony's back turned to him. Steve rolled his eyes. "Tony, get up!" he said, pushing him lightly. Well, he thought it was lightly, but it resulted in Tony being pushed off the bed. Woops.
"Ow! What the hell, Steve?" Tony asked, sitting straight up on the floor, rubbing his neck. All Steve could see of him from here was the top of his head. He also saw Jan starting to rub her eyes and stretch.
Steve sat up. He had just worn sweats to bed, as did Tony. Jan sat up in her bed, and revealed her fuzzy pajama bottoms and baggy t-shirt she wore. Hank was still sleeping soundly, and there was no sign of movement from Clint.
"Well, now that we're up, what's for breakfast?" Steve asked, slipping some tennis shoes on. He pulled a tank top on and stretched. Jan whacked Hank softly, and he jolted awake. Steve glanced at the couch and realized for the first time that Clint wasn't even there.
"Where'd Clint go?" he asked. Jan also seemed to note the absence of their arrow-shooting friend, and shrugged, curiously looking towards the bathroom.
Suddenly, Tony's phone vibrated, sliding slightly closer to the edge of the night stand. He snatched it up and read the text he received.
"Says he's at a diner down the street a bit. He wants us to join him; he's already got a table." Tony said, translating the message for them.
"Uh, which way?" Steve asked.
"Let me see…" Tony clicked away at the phone. He sat staring at the screen for a few seconds, until it vibrated with Clint's response.
"Three or four doors down to the right, if you're facing out from the hotel door we came in last night."
"Okay, let's go. I'm hungry," Jan said, popping up and grabbing some clothes, running to the bathroom quickly.
When they came within sight of the café- a cute little old fashioned place with an old masonry front- they discovered Clint had snatched a large window booth. A pretty young woman was leaning against the booth side across from him, glaring down at him where he sat.
They were arguing about something, and the rest of them felt too uncomfortable to enter the café until they noticed them.
She had long flowing blonde hair, piercing (and currently very angry) blue eyes, and a slight, delicate, yet somehow very tough build. It was much like Jan's, but likely more suitable to street fighting. She was raising her voice, but Clint seemed to be, amazingly, retaining his cool. He suddenly realized they were standing outside the window and motioned for them to come in.
They did so, and stopped to stand around the booth, a bell jingling as they opened the door.
"Valerie, these are my friends," Clint said smugly, motioning to each of them in turn, "Jan van Dyn, Hank Pym, Steve Rogers, and Tony Stark."
"Yeah, nice to meet you all," she said, a German accent evident, waving her hand dismissively in their general direction.
"Valeria, try to be nice to them, at least- you're mad at me, not my friends," Clint pouted sarcastically. Her hand seemed to spasm, momentarily forming a fist.
"I'm leaving," she stated, turning on her heel to leave.
"Wait!" Clint jumped up, grabbing her wrist. She looked back at him, her face full of strong distaste. "I was thinking, maybe, I could buy you some breakfast and give you a ride back to your place. HHow does that sound?" Valeria looked back at him, calculating something silently.
She turned back around slowly, as if to sit down, at which Clint relaxed, but then her fist was coming too, and it collided with Clint's cheek and knocked him straight to the ground.
"Okay, you can buy me breakfast, now, " she said cheerfully, taking a seat in the booth.
The rest of the Avengers blinked, eyes darting back and forth between her and Clint, who was groaning and clutching his nose.
"Are you okay, Clint?"
"Yeah…" he sat up, "Just a little broken nose."
"Do you want to sit next to Valerie?"
"Uh, nah. I'll just sit across from her."
Valeria scooted all the way over to the window, still grinning widely. Steve look at her wearily, then sat next to her, with Tony on his other side. Clint scooted in across from Valeria, still cluthing his nose. Jan and Hank took the spots next to him.
"So, how do you two know each other?" Tony asked, eyeing the pretty lady on the other side of Steve.
"Ex-girlfriend."
"His brothah and my sistah are 'togethah'. Sadly."
"Psh, sister? She's your effing cousin, Val."
"Don't call me Val, bitch," she snapped. He shrugged.
"Whoa, okay, no cussing in front of Captain America. Don't want you to influence his impressionable mind with that 'garbage'," Tony interjected. Steve gave him a look.
"So, something happened between you two, I guess?" Jan yawned. A waitress came by and handed them menus, letting an awkward silence fall among the group. Clint's nose stopped bleeding. They stared at their menus silently.
"So vhy are you all down here in zuh first place?" Valerie asked Clint, no longer as angry as before.
"I have to talk to Barney. I didn't even know he and Rachel had kids till yesterday."
"Yeah, because Rachel didn't vant zu have you come und visit," she stated matter-of-factly, if not extremely rudely. The waitress came back and took their drink orders- three coffees, one mint mocha latte with extra whip and sprinkles, one chai, and one extra tall mocha latte with five shots, whip, cocoa powder, non-fat milk, one caramel shot and three shot of Hershey's chocolate.
They stared incredulously as Valerie listed off the specifications.
A TV suddenly blared from the corner of the quaint café. The lady behind the cash register had turned it up, and the workers gathered around and watched.
It seemed that a giant robot was attacking New York City.
The five superheroes at the booth tensed. It appeared that Thor and Hulk were at the scene. Lightening crackled dramatically across the screen. Tony pulled his card out of his pocket quickly.
"Panther, what's going on? We're seeing Thor and Hulk on the news- it doesn't look too good," he said into the card, sounding much more casual than his expression looked.
"Yes, Iron Man. I am overriding the robot's system as we speak. I'd love to speak with you more, but it seems my attention is needed elsewhere. I will update you later," and it crackled to silence.
In a matter of seconds, the giant robot on screen fell to its' knees and crashed. Thor, Hulk, and Black Panther were shown standing over it.
"Looks like a giant Doombot," Tony commented, and Hank and Clint nodded in agreement.
The waitress brought them their drinks.
The awkward silence returned.
"So you hawve never met zheir kids?" Valerie asked.
"No," Clint shrugged, adding more creamer to his coffee and offering some to Hank and Steve.
"Let me tell you- zuh kids are spawns of Satan."
"Why do you say that?" Jan asked.
"Because it's true. Zuh oldest- Damien- loves to start bon fires. Zuh second oldest- Jolie- has a tendency to burn buildings. Zuh second youngest- Tina- always cuts the heads off her younger sister's Barbies. Lissa ist… innocent until proven guilty, alzhough I doubt zhis supposed 'innocence' of hers. Bernard and Rachel claim zhat she ist zuh 'Angel of zuh Family'," Valerie rolled her eyes.
A tall man in a nice suit and combed ginger hair with a fedora on top entered the café as she finished.
"Hello, how can I help you today, sir?" the lady asked.
"Table for four, please," he said curtly, tipping his hat respectfully.
She smiled and put her hand on her hip, asking, "Now, where you from, son?"
"Currently, my residence is in Seattle, but that changes all the time, ma'am. Originally, I'm from up in Mississippi." He answered politely.
"Now, what's a Seattle gent like you doin' down here in a place like this?" she asked, laughing softly.
"My brother works for an insurance agency down here, and an old friend of mine throws the best Mardi Gras parties I've ever known. And everyone knows you all here got the best French Toast around," he finished with a wink.
"Well, thank you. And let me guess, you're 'old friend' is none other than one Barney Barton, out at the Schneider Farm?"
"Well, yes ma'am. The guy seems to become a local celebrity wherever he sits for a while, huh?" he chuckled.
Valerie sat up straighter, and called, "Hey, you Dusty, aren't you?"
The man looked up at her, taking in the group at the booth. "Why yes I am. You're Valerie, Rachel's sister?" he stood at the end of their table, the woman waiting patiently to give him a table.
"Yes I am. I don't think we've formally met, so here," she reached her hand over Steve and Tony. He took it and shook if firmly. He looked over the rest of them casually, until his eyes caught on Clint.
"Is this…" he looked at Valerie, "Are you… Clint?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah."
"Man, I haven't seen you in forever! It's Dusty, ya know? Dusty Hardin? With Andy and Woody?" he tried to jog Clint's memory. And it clicked.
"No way. It can't be. Weren't you the chubby one? It just can't be,"
"Well, yeah. I got married since then. Got a little one on the way, man. A lot of things have changed."
"Damn." As he said this, a short black woman walked in, a baby bump evident, along with two other men about the same height as Dusty.
"Andy, Woody, it's Clint," Dusty informed the two others. They smiled and waved enthusiastically, and Dusty turned back to Clint. "You going to the party?"
"Yeah, planning on it."
"We'll have to catch up then, the four of us. Right now, I gotta get the lady her food," he winked, "Till then, sunshine," he linked arms with the woman, and the four newcomers were led to their seats, on the other side of the café.
The waitress came back and took their orders.
About forty five minutes later, the six of them piled into the SUV again, this time with Valerie in the passenger seat.
Presently, they were in the middle of miles and miles of fields, speeding along a back country road. In the distance, if they listened, they could hear music pumping through the open space.
A/N: mk, sorry for such a long wait, i was busy. I swear I was busy!
I was also having a bit of 'inspiration insufficiency'.
Anyhow. I hope you guys enjoyed this.
I don't really have anything else to say
So please review!
~RandomFanatic
