Chapter One

Steve looked at the beast that slept on his couch now, "you know, I'm sure I am not zoned to have wild animals for pets."

The beast looked at him with a big yawn, he was basking in the sun rays that fell on the couch. He stretched out his paws with a growl and jumped down as the man shut his apartment door. Steve held up a bag of food from a local diner, "you okay with burgers again?"

The beast head butt him and rubbed against him with a purr.

"Guessing that's an okay," he said to the tiger.

The tiger wasn't there all the time, but Steve kept the window near the fire escape open so that cat could let himself in. It made his small apartment cold but he didn't spend much time at home as it was. So he was sure that the big cat was able to find its food most of the time but he liked the beast for its strange company. It was a strangely smart creature who didn't seem to have an opinion one way or another about his love life. Months had passed since Kay had left to the Nether Realm. Passing Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years without her seemed lonely. Natasha had found out what he had said, had been nagging him for weeks about when, why and how.

Steve took a burger out and White Blaze snatched it out, "you're welcome."

"You know, he'll have the worst farts because of that cheese," said a voice from his living room.

Steve leaned back to look in the living room and said to the man, "you know, I have a door."

Clint grinned ear to ear, "so the cat gets to use the fire escape and the super spy can't?"

White Blaze gulped down the burger and looked at the man and chuffed. Steve smiled, the cat didn't seem to happy to see him either, "are you here to 'cheer' me up as well?"

Clint fell back on the couch next to the beast, "you and Kay, huh?"

'Here we go again,' he thought. "Don't you dare start..."

"No, I mean its cool, I didn't think her and Ryo were ever good together," he said looking at his phone. "I mean Ryo was like my super hero as a kid, but I just didn't see it working out."

"Why does everyone insist on bringing him up?"

"He's sort of the ex boyfriend."

Steve nodded as he put his food on a plate and went to go sit at his small dining table to eat. White Blaze laid down next to him, "why are you here Clint?"

"Well," he paused as if he was trying to think of a good way to put his words. "You are going to have to deal with him sooner or later. Junko and Seito's eighteenth birthday party is tomorrow and Hoshi expects you to be there."

Steve raised a brow as he bit a fry, "expects?"

"Both you and Tony," he said. "See, she thinks Tony owes her and you...I think she's trying to figure you out."

Steve nodded as he finished his small meal, it was rare he ate out but sometimes a burger was something he really wanted. He leaned on his hand, "what's there to figure out, I want to be with Kay."

Clint couldn't help but grin, "exactly what I told her."

"So, how do you know her," he asked, he was uncertain how his long time comrade would be involved in their world. There seemed to be something common among them but no one seemed to know but Clint.

"She was my teacher in high school," he answered.

Steve tried to place that comment and felt White Blaze growl ever so slightly, "if you want to do the half truth thing with like me Nat does, that's fine but I don't appreciate it. I guess I will, but I'm not going to deal with Tony's bullheadedness right now."

"Great," he smiled. "I'll see you there. Dress nice, its formal."

Steve watched the man leave through the open window and looked down at the tiger, "are you up for a run?"