Natasha Romanoff- spy, assassin, Black Widow- was in heaven. Her senses were completely overwhelmed, her mouth watering in anticipation.
"Soon, Nat. You only have to wait a little longer." Clint turned back to the stove, flipping the French Toast one final time. He loved to cook for her; she hated to wait for anything, but he knew that timing was critical when it came to good food. The cinnamon and nutmeg mixed with the smell of maple syrup to create a tantalizing scent in the air of the kitchen. While keeping busy at the stove, he stole glances at his partner who was sitting on the counter next to him. The past few days had been some of the worst in his life, yet somehow he felt like grinning like an idiot because of this woman.
"You've been saying that for at least 5 minutes. I'm about to turn into a lady-hulk right here in the kitchen and kick your ass if I see you flip those one more time. Not that I'm not grateful- I can't even remember the last time I had French Toast." She finished with a half smile, the kind he knew she meant in a genuine, I'm-not-messing-with-your-head kind of way.
"Do I detect the delicate smell of a good breakfast?"
Natasha couldn't contain the low growl at the sound of Tony Stark's voice. Somehow, her perfect breakfast didn't include his snide remarks in her imagination.
"Morning Mr. Stark. I'm just finishing up the first batch, but there's plenty more where that came from," Clint replied politely, knowing how annoyed it would make Nat to invite Ironman to their breakfast table.
"Oh, Clint, you wound me- it's Tony. Or at least Mr. Ironman. Either or. Besides, I feel like we should be on a first name basis. We saved the world together and all. Not to mention I managed to spy on you two little lovebirds for the past 10 minutes without you noticing. I'd say we're on an even level, professionally speaking. I figured I'd at least catch you making out- maple syrup is a great aphrodisiac."
He could have kept going. In fact, if no one ever interrupted him, Tony was sure he could talk endlessly. But it didn't escape him that Agent Romanoff had slipped a knife out of a drawer and was twirling it idly between her fingers. Clint, poor guy, clearly hadn't been around him enough yet and actually looked surprised.
A shocked face was better than coffee in the morning, Tony thought as he pulled a chair up to the table with his favorite 'how cool am I' smile on his face.
"You know, Tony, it isn't a good idea to spy on a spy," Clint replied. "You were awake at 6:00 on the dot. Called Pepper after hitting the john, spoke for roughly 45 minutes before taking a shower. You began your preliminary plans to rebuild your tower with, what's his name? JARVIS? I noticed that he always laughs at your jokes- did you design him to do that? When you heard Nat and I heading to the kitchen you managed to wait a whole 7 minutes before sneaking down the hall to spy on us. You did a good job, kept your breathing even and quiet, even made sure your shadow didn't cross our line of sight. If I hadn't been keeping tabs on you since I woke up, you totally would have had me on that one."
Clint wasn't aiming to intimidate his fellow Avenger, just give him an idea of where the line was. To his surprise, Tony's grin only got bigger. Soon, the guy wouldn't shut up about getting some assassin lessons from his two favorite spies. Natasha managed to keep from throwing the knife at him until he asked if the spies shared a room to keep track of one another's sleep cycles or to interrupt them.
"Food's done," Clint announced as Natasha reached for the knife drawer again. "Tony, you aren't going to get that knife out of the table any time soon. Just rip the shirt, I'm sure you have another 3 of those Muppet Treasure Island tees at your tower. And Nat, can we stick to a minimal level of violence during breakfast? Most important meal of the day and all that." The glean was back in Clint's eye. It was that, more than anything, that made Natasha agree to his conditions.
"Did someone say breakfast? Think you could spare a little?" Bruce peeked around the door, looking as apprehensive as ever about putting himself in a contained space with other people.
Tony's face lit up. "If it isn't my favorite rage-monster! I'm glad you're here, I may need you on my side if there's a fight. Tell me, in your professional opinion, how long do you think our spies have been playing Mr and Mrs Smith?"
Bruce had the decency to blush and refuse to answer. Natasha had enough of an answer for all of them; luckily it was all in Russian and only Clint understood how many ways she was threatening Tony's life. He laughed out loud- no one in SHIELD had the balls to mess with Natasha. Tony was the right mixture of confident and stupid to get away with it for a little while, much to Clint's amusement.
"In Asgard, it is considered a bad omen to fight before breaking fast. Is there more of that square bread? I'd be happy to spar a bit after eating." Thor, as usual, seemed to think the imminent violence at the table was routine behavior. Tony could only hope he'd save his headlock for someone who didn't need armor to withstand crushing pressure.
Luckily, Steve followed the demigod into the kitchen and wordlessly took over the cooking. Clint stood against the counter, eating his French Toast in silence while enjoying the show. Being a part of a team, though often necessary in his line of work, had never been this comfortable. Which was strange, considering the mismatched group of people included in this team.
As Natasha and Tony's bickering grew more heated, Captain leaned over to Clint, "Should we step in? Tony isn't exactly gifted when it comes to knowing his boundaries and it sounds like Romanoff doesn't want your relationship to be the subject of attention."
It took Clint a few moments before he could answer, as a large portion of French Toast had lodged itself in his throat. How was it that a bunch of superheroes had nothing better to talk about than his relationship with Natasha? Saving the world one day, gossiping the next.
"Hold on now. Do you mean to tell me that a demigod, a super-soldier, Ironman, and the hulk are all a bunch of romantics? When did you come up with this relationship theory?" He asked, looking like a disciplinary schoolteacher.
Banner was the first to answer, "Last night. You two, you know, left together. Like, physically attached at the hip. Tony noticed..."
"Oh right, because the Jolly Green Giant didn't put down $10 on our wager." Tony threw back at him. "I'm still waiting for you to pay up, you know."
"Plus there was the part with Loki," Steve added, "and Natasha's interview with him-"
"Hold on, Stark," Natasha quickly interrupted. "What wager are you talking about? Clint and I can probably settle that for you right now if you just ask. Go ahead, I'll give you one question with a guaranteed honest answer."
That put a stop to the chattering. Clint realized he was holding his breath. In fact, he wanted to freeze the entire room for just a minute. One question? Tony didn't realize what an invitation this was coming from Natasha. Knowing Tony, he'd waste his question on something stupid like if they slept together last night. But there were so many things, important things, that could be revealed with one honestly answered question.
"Well, this is two separate issues. Our wager, the first, is already settled. We bet on whether or not you two super-spies would bunk up together last night. You did, though what happened behind closed doors is beyond my ability to imagine. Trust me, I tried. That still means Captain, you and Brucey need to pay up," Tony paused while the men pulled out their wallets and handed over the bills. "As for my question... who do you think is cooler; Batman or Superman? And I'm talking overall coolness, not situational. Don't even look for a loophole."
Clint groaned. Seriously? It was a good thing he only had a fork on him, because his trigger finger had a definite itch. He could tell from Nat's expression that she was relieved. She wouldn't go back on her word, she would have answered any question Tony asked. But he was surprised she offered in the first place- he must have gotten under her skin without her realizing it.
"Batman. Is it even a question? He wasn't given any special ability- the guy worked hard and had a bank account to back him up. A self-made super hero."
Well, that didn't go over too well. Thor, Steve, and Banner all took offense to the implication that their abilities weren't earned. Tony, for his part, seemed like that was exactly what he was hoping would happen, and insisted on throwing out random arguments in support of Spiderman, which everyone ignored completely. Despite the constant bickering, it actually afforded Clint and Natasha a few minutes of peace. They exchanged the occasional amused look, once again saying more to one another without words. By the time Thor had Tony in a headlock that looked to be slowly crushing the billionaire's windpipe, the spies had determined their plan of escape.
However, it was interrupted by the arrival of a group of agents and PR people. The combination of serious suits and bubbly, smiling faces was almost as strange as their own group. The happy faces explained the importance of 'getting out there' and 'showing the world who their heroes are' and some other crap. One good thing about being a spy? Your secret identity has to remain secret. Both Clint and Natasha had their own personal public personas; someone who dealt with the press any time a mission was public enough to require a media spot.
Looking thoroughly unhappy, the other members of the team were led off to do hair and makeup, their PR team chattering nonstop about their angle and schedule. As the door at the end of the hall closed and calm was restored, he nearly jumped at the sound of Natasha's laugh.
When she noticed Clint's slightly bewildered expression at her outburst, she managed to stop herself long enough to get out, "Karma's a bitch- Stark hates the media unless he's flying overhead in his suit."
That was all she could say before slipping back into giggles, this time with Clint chuckling along with her.
Was that fun or what? Did I get you guys? Mmmmm French Toast... Sadly, I'll work my long days tomorrow and Wednesday, so you may not get the next chapter until Thursday. But I'm writing from now until I drop, so you may get that update sooner. Your reviews certainly keep me motivated (especially the ones that make me laugh- rosewriter17, I'm looking at you.)
As a side note, I had a dream last night in which Loki continued to make appearances. In a dress. Not saying it'll end up in the story, but how fantastic is that?