Timeline 2nd week of July 2013
A month has passed and life is settling into comfortable routines.
Thor and Clint decide it's time to properly remember an old friend. An evening of reminiscences leads to the archer getting what he was looking for but maybe more than he bargained for.
Ainsley and Thor meet Miranda and behind the scenes another relationship is quietly simmering.
Homo-eroticism and extensive reference to the use of recreational drugs.
"Hey guys! How's it going? Your usual today or can I get you something else?"
The waitress's voice was bright and cheerful, seeing her favourite regulars always perked up her day.
"Just the usual for me please, Beth" said Clint "'Bjorn', what'll you have?"
Thor grinned, as he always did at hearing the name. 'Bjorn Erikson' had been born three weeks ago, after Tony joked Thor needed a 'public identity' rather than a secret one. They put their heads together and by the end of the evening invented a fictional Norwegian, ex special forces, working as a security guard for Tony Stark; who was into death metal, parkour and Batman. Thor had chosen the surname Erikson in honour of his first friend on Midgard. He liked the name and enjoyed playing the part when he was out and about in public. Bjorn meant 'Bear' in the Old Tongue and Ainsley had taken to calling him his 'Snuggie Bear' as a fond endearment.
"I think I will have a hot chocolate please, Beth. But not too many of the little marshmallows"
She smiled
"Tell you what, I'll bring you them separate and you can decide how many you want."
Thor gave her a friendly wink
"Thank you very much. I do not want to have to go home and wash my beard."
Steve had introduced them to the café as a place to wind down after their morning runs and it had become a regular part of their routine. Steve and Thor had taken enthusiastically to free-running. Both were fast and agile for their size, although lacking Clint's acrobatic skills so the archer could keep up a good pace alongside them. Natasha had come along a few times, but she preferred to take her exercise alone and was content to let the boys have their 'running club' to themselves.
It had just been Thor and Clint this morning, Steve wasn't due back till later in the day, but the coffee stop was part of the ritual now and had to be kept up, otherwise they felt like they were missing something. It was almost always the same waitress who served them and she usually added a couple of free pastries to their order. It was obvious to all of them, except Steve, that the woman had a major crush on the big soldier.
Sometimes Ainsley would be there when they arrived, having an al-fresco breakfast and waiting to hear about their adventures, but he was out of town until early evening. He'd been at the Academy yesterday and stayed overnight to finish off some of his preliminary evaluations.
The Asset Evaluation Protocols were a big deal and Clint was impressed how Doc had thrown himself passionately into the work with concentrated intensity; surprising those SHIELD agents who'd thought of him as just some pissy intellectual dandy, brought in by Fury as a favour to Thor. It made him realise exactly why the Director was so keen to have the Englishman on board. Underneath the light, cultured, charm was a mind like a laser. Once it was focussed on something you didn't want to be in the way.
He was working on the Bahrain file just now. The disaster there had passed into SHIELD legend and was a big part of why the higher-ups were so keen to redraw the protocols. Clint hadn't been involved, Index stuff wasn't his kinda work, but Phil had been the Supervising Officer in the field and he'd told him as much as he felt he could. Clint had never seen his old friend and S. O. that shaken up before.
Beth was back with their orders, including a plate of complimentary mini-Danishes. She put a pile of extra sugar sachets beside Clint's cup
"You're going to make yourself sick with all that sugar" she said in mock-reproof.
Thor laughed
"He is sick enough already!"
Clint had to grin, that was a good joke by Thor standards, but the thought of Phil was bringing all the usual shit in its wake and he could feel his good mood fading.
"Is something wrong, Clint?" Thor asked once Beth was out of earshot.
"Thinking about Phil again" Clint sighed "Hate that every time I remember him it just keeps pulling up everything that happened back then."
Thor nodded dolefully. He owed much, perhaps his life, to the Son of Coul. The man should have handed him over to the torturers but instead released him to Erik Selvig. He was under no misunderstanding about what would have happened to him otherwise. SHIELD had men skilled at extracting the truth by whatever means were needed and the brutal will to do so; but his truth would have been unbelievable and he lacked the knowledge and craft to weave a lie that would satisfy them. It was still the substance of his nightmares.
Trapped by his own headstrong foolishness in the cage intended to restrain the Hulk, he had been unable to save the one who saved him; reduced to crying out in futile rage as Loki ripped that good man's heart in two with his sceptre. Just as he had ripped apart the mind and spirit of the brave friend sitting opposite him. He knew that Clint suffered much from what had been done to him, even more because he had no memory of the acts he had committed. He reached out and placed his hand upon Clint's
"It was Loki, not you, who wielded the blade. He alone was responsible for the Son of Coul's death. If anyone else should be blamed it is I for allowing myself to be fooled by my brother's tricks."
A terrible wrong had been done to this man by one who had been of the House of Odin, albeit by adoption; a wrong made worse by the cruel way his former comrades piled the blame upon his head. However lowly the AllFather might regard the inhabitants of Midgard, in his heart Thor felt a great Blood-Debt to the archer that it would take much to repay.
Clint glanced up at his friend and smiled sadly. Maybe if people told him that often enough he could begin to believe it one day. Thor came to a decision
"He was a brave man and would want you to remember him without punishing yourself. Tonight, we shall drink and honour his memory properly."
Thor was using his 'No Arguments' voice. Clint knew that even if he tried to duck out of it, the Big Blond would track him down, drag him screaming to the living room and force feed him alcohol till he was co-operative. He laughed ruefully. Thor was right, Phil would want to be remembered for the good times.
###
Yeah, the Big Blond had been spot on. It didn't take away the pain but it made it easier to think about his friend; feet up on the couch, drinking beer after beer and remembering the jokes, the pranks and the times Coulson had hauled his dumb Iowa ass out the fire. Literally, once, when a fuel dump had exploded as he made for the escape chopper. It had taken off with him dangling underneath, Phil holding onto him by the back of his jacket to stop him falling into a lake of burning petrol. He'd needed to change his shorts after that one.
Best one ever was when he'd still been a cadet at Field Ops Academy. He'd got one of those joke-shop car-scratches and stuck it onto Lola, Phil's treasured red Corvette, when she was in the parking lot. You could hear the scream right across the campus; he hadn't thought Phil knew half those words. There'd been a downside of course; spending the entire night with a bucket of warm soapy water and a small sponge, removing the sticker millimetre by millimetre to avoid damaging the paint; followed by a 10-mile run at 6am in full kit and backpack.
Phil's only comment? "That was funny. Touch Lola again and I'll assign you to Admin."
Clint was smiling despite the tears in his eyes. He raised his beer
"Here's to you, Phil! You made me who I am" he drained the bottle to the dregs "Hope they don't hold that against you wherever you are."
They had the place to themselves, more or less. Tony, Pepper and Steve were off at a Stark Foundation fundraiser at the Met; Tony hadn't been too happy when he heard they were bailing as it meant he would be stuck making conversation with Steve. Steve didn't look thrilled at the prospect either. Bruce would either be in one of the labs or in his rooms and Natasha was 'out'; that could mean anything from cocktails with Maria Hill to sudden death in the shadows. Ainsley had rustled up spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and there was plenty of beer, even for Thor.
"So, Doc" Clint asked, accepting another beer "who was the man that made you?"
Ainsley smiled and answered without hesitation
"Karl-Heinrich Feldermann. He gave a guest lecture at my school in our final year and from that point I knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps."
He sat down and poured himself a glass of wine
"I did my clinical studies with him in Vienna. He'd worked with Jung, known Freud and Adler; had a truly great, compassionate mind. He believed that disorders of the psyche couldn't be separated from the whole picture of a person's life or the environment in which they lived. Heal one and you work towards healing the other."
He lapsed into silence for a moment. Saying he 'worked' with Feldermann barely scratched the surface. For the last years of the brilliant man's life he had been student, assistant and finally colleague, helping the almost blind, wheelchair bound, psychologist to deal with his final cases. The man had probably saved him from going insane after Izzie's death.
"His critics say he degenerated into mysticism at the end, talking about the resurgence of 'primitive' archetypes into objective consciousness, but I think his ideas were never clearer than at that point. If he'd lived a few months more he would have seen them vindicated in a way none of us would have thought possible."
He looked affectionately at his lover
"What about you, babe? Who shaped my big blond warrior?"
Thor smiled
"There was a great captain of my father's Einherjar, Snorri Haakonson; he instructed me in all the skills of the warrior. It is because of him that I always push myself to be the best in all I lay my hand to. He taught me I should do no less even if I did not always succeed. I will never forget the admiration in his eyes when father bestowed on me the wielding of Mjolnir."
He drained his beer and his face became sad
"The year before I was banished he finally became too old and sick to serve. He took sword and shield then went out into the wildernesses of the Nine Realms to battle beasts until one claimed him at the last. It is a way of the Einherjar. I mourn and miss him, but I am glad he did not live to see my disgrace."
He leaned over to Ainsley, kissing him for a long time
"And there is the gentle healer of the House of Kerr, who is the apple-orchard where my heart finds peace."
Clint was too wrapped up in his memories of Phil to notice the questioning look Thor gave to Ainsley, or the doctor's answering nod. He sighed deeply
"I dunno about you guys, but I could do with something way stronger than beer right now."
Ainsley got up with an impish grin and walked over to where his jacket was slung over the back of one of the kitchen stools. He took a plastic bag full of green buds out of his pocket
"Something like this perhaps?"
Clint's face split in a wide grin. He took the bag and opened it, savouring the rich, sticky, aroma.
"Hell, Doc! Where the fuck didya lay your hands on this?"
The young psychologist gave him a reproachful stare
"I'm working in a cutting-edge science and technology academy; do you really think that after a month I wouldn't have located the student with the most advanced hydroponic farm on the Eastern Seaboard?"
"Are these intoxicating herbs?" Thor asked eagerly "We have such plants on Asgard, they are highly esteemed."
"They sure are, BB!" replied Clint "Gimme 5 minutes, I got just the thing!"
He dashed off and quickly re-appeared holding a large bong made of purple glass
"Guys, meet Miranda…"
###
"So… guys… The thing about archery is…"
Clint gestured vaguely with his spoon and a dollop of frozen yoghurt fell onto his shoulder. He twisted his head and tried to lick it up before it soaked into his shirt, after the third attempt he turned to Ainsley, who was trying to make another batch of popcorn without scattering kernels all over the kitchen.
"Doc… you're a doctor, right? Why can't I lick my own shoulder?"
"Not that kind of a doctor… Shit!" replied Ainsley as another handful of corn went bouncing over the worktop "Think your spine's probably why, or your tongue's too short."
Clint pondered this line of reasoning as he scraped the mess off with the spoon and popped it into his mouth.
"So… If didn't have spine… I could lick m' own shoulder? Cool!"
Thor took another deep hit off the bong. This Midgardian herb was very pleasing, stronger than the ones of Asgard and with a strange, exciting effect. His body tingled, an electrical vibration under the skin, as if he could call the lightning without having Mjolnir in hand. He sat cross-legged on the floor, hair hanging loose around his head and shoulders, and closed his eyes to enjoy the coloured patterns that flitted across the inside of his eyelids. His mouth felt unusual, as if moist and dry at the same time, and with a heightened sense of taste. He wanted Ainsley to finish what he was doing in the kitchen and come over so he could kiss him.
If only he could figure out how to stand up…
"So, what is the thing about archery?" asked Ainsley, giving up on the popcorn and starting to fix tea for them all. He was getting a bit of desert mouth himself and it was the best remedy in his opinion.
"See…" said Clint, scraping round the inside of the tub with the spoon as he pulled his mind back from thinking of all the fun things he could do if he didn't have a spine restricting him "Thing 'bout archer' is…. gotta have your centre. Don't got your centre…. arrow don' fly right. Gotta let it go… when it wants to."
He was warming to his theme, astounded by his own eloquence in explaining it
"Don't got centre, you're just…. just…"
He was drying up and looked to the doctor for assistance as he placed a mug of tea down for the archer.
"Just a man with a bow and arrow?"
"Yesss!" Clint exclaimed with triumph "Knew you'd get it, Doc. 'M not jus' man with… bow and arrow… 'm Hawkeye! Never miss…"
"You never do" smiled Ainsley. Wiping the yoghurt of the archer's mouth he leaned in and kissed him, enjoying the expression of wide eyed astonishment on the other man's face. As Clint stared at him open mouthed in disbelief he took Thor his tea and sat down on the floor beside him. Ainsley took the Asgardian's face in his hands and kissed him as well. Thor responded with an intense hunger and the pair of them fell backwards onto an unopened bag of Doritos. It exploded with a loud 'pop!', scattering tortilla chips over the rug.
"What the HELL are you three up to?".
Tony, Steve and Pepper were standing at the top of the steps down to the lounge, wearing expressions of, respectively, theatrical outrage, disapproval and open amusement. Tony sniffed the air suspiciously.
"You fuckers! You've got weed! Really. Good. Weed!" He stared at them with a hurt look "And you didn't tell me!"
"Uh, Jarvis" said Ainsley "Didn't I ask you to inform us when the others arrived in the lobby?"
"You did, Dr Kerr. But they did not arrive in the lobby, they came up from the parking garage"
"Sometimes it doesn't pay to be too precise with Jarvis" Tony smirked as he strolled down the steps, throwing his tuxedo over the back of a chair. "He can be rather literal. I think he may be developing a sense of humour."
Steve spotted Miranda sitting on the coffee table
"Have you been smoking reefer?" he demanded. Clint poured the last of the melted yoghurt straight into his mouth from the tub.
"First of all… Cap, it's legal now… Second, nobody calls it reefer anymore, third – we're…" he shook the last dribble out with dismay on his face "…out of frozen yoghurt."
Ainsley turned to Tony with an air of well-baked dignity.
"In our defence, we have demonstrated that THC affects the Asgardian physiology in much the same way as the human. This may prove to be useful information and deserving of future study."
"Next time I will not break the Doritos" added Thor apologetically. Pepper gave up trying to keep a straight face
"We should have bailed on the fundraiser…" she laughed" and taken gallery seats at the penthouse floorshow…"
Tony strode over to Miranda, took a deep hit, exhaled and pointed dramatically at the waiting elevator "Hey, Velma! Take Shaggy and Scooby and get your stoned asses out of here before I suit up and kick them out!"
"And I want this mess cleaned up first thing!" He yelled as they stumbled up the steps together
"Uh-oh!" laughed Clint "Uncle Tony's pissed!"
###
Clint must have dozed off during the movie. The TV was off and light jazz played in the background. The three of them were "snuggied" as Thor insisted on pronouncing it, on the huge, crescent shaped, red velvet couch in the living area of the apartment Thor and Ainsley shared.
Thor was sprawled on the couch between him and Ainsley, his arms around the pair of them. Clint realised his head was resting on Thor's broad chest and, looking up, saw that the Asgardian was kissing his lover with intense, gentle slowness while he traced the curve of the archer's bicep with a large thumb.
A deep, passionate intimacy filled the room. The air vibrated with sexual energy, but under that a sense of the profound connection between the two that had made Thor refuse to come back to New York without his lover.
Suddenly Clint felt ashamed of his attempt to intrude, as if he was trespassing into something special and private, and that it was time for him to withdraw.
He pantomimed a yawn
"Well, you guys, it's been a great night but I'm wasted"
Ainsley looked at him and smiled, reaching across to stroke Clint's cheek gently
"You're welcome to stay here"
The archer hesitated, realising on some level that he was being offered entry to something deeper than a mere sexual adventure.
"Thanks guys, but you deserve your privacy, maybe another night" He tried to give a casual grin
Thor pulled him in closer and kissed him gently on the lips, and then again, firmer and deeper; his tongue probing into the other man's mouth. Clint's head felt like it was spinning
Hell, this guy can kiss!
A faint electrical charge shuddered through him.
"Please. Stay" Thor's voice was a deep, sensual rumble that Clint could feel in his belly "With us. In bed"
They were both looking at him with tender expectation, waiting for his response. He could feel himself shaking from head to foot, desperate to surrender completely to whatever was about to happen but still terrified of what might come after such a release of his defences.
Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded his head and gently, but firmly, Thor lifted his lover and his friend and led them through to bed.
###
It was already light outside, but Saturday morning was usually a late one for most of the permanent residents of Stark Tower. Clint woke slowly, his head still fuzzy from the night before. Thor lay sprawled on the bed beside him fast asleep, twitching slightly, and drooling onto the pillow.
So, it was real then
He rummaged for his boxers in the pile of clothes beside the bed. Pulling them on he sat up, stretching his back to get the kinks out.
Damn, that was amazing!
Doc's mouth had been on his, tongue exploring skilfully, as Thor dragged them onto the bed and began stripping them both. The Big Blond seemed to have a kink about undressing his lovers before removing his own clothes, making the whole thing part of the foreplay. Even before his pants had been halfway down he'd felt Thor's hot breath between his legs and almost lost it when that warm, strong, raspy tongue went to work.
One of Clint's ex-girlfriends had called him the 'patron-saint of oral sex'; well, Thor was god of more than just the thunder that was for certain! As for Doc? Wow! The slim Englishman wasn't far behind in making a guy feel like his blood had been replaced with warm honey. He was sure he'd been damn near screaming out loud when Doc was astride him and the Big Blond's face was buried in his butt.
He couldn't say how many times they'd done it but it was more action than he'd had in the last couple of months put together. Lucky he'd always kept himself flexible!
He winced as he realised he still had his hearing aids in. No matter how well they fitted, having them in for 24 hours on the go still irritated his ears.
He looked over to the other side of the bed. Ainsley was already dressed and up. That was good, meant coffee was brewing upstairs.
"Right" He muttered to himself "Coffee first, then let's get these fuckers out for a couple of hours' peace".
The smell of fresh-brewed coffee filled the air in the lounge as Ainsley cleaned up the last of the mess in the kitchen area. He gestured with his thumb to a mug waiting beside the coffee machine, knowing better than to speak to the archer before his first caffeine hit of the day.
Clint grunted his thanks, filling the mug and shovelling in sugar. He leaned back against the counter, inhaled the aroma and took a long slow drink, draining half the mug and relishing the warmth spreading down into his stomach before the shockwave ran through his limbs.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, fuck, that hits the spot!" he exclaimed in mild ecstasy.
"That's pretty much what you were saying all last night" laughed Ainsley and gave him a hug "How're you this morning?"
"Ruined for life but otherwise fine. You? You're up and about early aren't you?"
"Yeah" replied Ainsley, flicking the last of the crumbs into the bin "I always wake early when I'm stoned for some reason. Besides, Tony seemed pretty serious about getting the mess cleaned up and I haven't been here long enough to presume on his good graces"
"Bullshit" snorted Clint "Tony's full of piss and wind and you're about the only normal person in this menagerie, not that that's saying much!"
Clint tousled the young doctor's hair, not sure if a kiss would be the right thing. He leaned back against the counter and took a breath.
"So, last night, was that…?"
"A one off?" Ainsley leaned in and gave him a hug, then pulled back and rounded that off with a peck on the lips.
"It's whatever you want to make it, but I'm not a one-off kind of man. Neither is Thor. We both like you, and we would really love to have you as a part of our life; even though I know it was you who put the idea into Thor's head in the first place"
Clint blushed and took another gulp of coffee
"Shoulda guessed you'd work that out pretty quick" he muttered
Ainsley nodded
"It almost put me off the idea altogether, to be honest; but you were smart enough not to push it so, hey, here we are!"
"Yeah" replied Clint, still a bit embarrassed "You know I've got some pretty major issues I'm working through?"
The doctor stroked the archer's cheek, a gesture reminiscent of the night before.
"I know, far more than you should be expected to deal with on your own. If you're willing, the three of us can work through all that together."
After a pause, Clint leaned in and gave him the kiss he had been wanting to
"I'm game, if you're capable of coping with my crazy."
"You've not seen mine yet!" Ainsley laughed "Do you want to come back down for a bit? Thor will probably be awake soon and he likes to 'snuggie' for a while in the morning."
The idea was tempting, but the throbbing in his ears was getting worse and starting to make him a bit nauseous.
"Thanks, but I need to grab a shower and clear my head – I promised Tasha a sparring session after her swim. Catch up with you both around lunchtime?"
He was trying to be as nonchalant as possible. Ainsley looked at him for a moment as he finished brewing his tea
"No problem! Could you just tell me one thing?"
"Sure! Fire away!"
"How long have you been deaf?"
He caught the archer's mug as it slipped out of his hand.
"Did Tasha tell you?" he hissed angrily, immediately on the defensive.
Ainsley remained calm, knowing this was one of Clint's most sensitive points
"No-one told me. I've suspected for a while, ever since the way you reacted to those guys who tried to attack us last month."
"And?"
Clint felt a tight band of anxiety about his chest. If a newcomer like Ainsley could work it out so quickly maybe the others also knew. Ainsley put a re-assuring hand on the other man's shoulder and was relieved that he didn't shrug it off.
"There are a few tells in the way you act and speak, especially if you don't have your hearing aids in; which only seems to be early in the mornings. I'm thinking that's the real reason you don't like talking to people first thing?"
Clint nodded, still tense and un-nerved by the way the doctor could read him. He understood why Bruce avoided Ainsley even more than he did the others, if Doc wasn't so kind and likeable he'd be more than a bit scary.
"It's very subtle" Ainsley continued "If you didn't have reason to guess you wouldn't notice it. My cousin Ginnie is 70% deaf in both ears and she can be the same."
He put down his tea and gave Clint a hug; the archer was trembling, sensing the fight-flight response deep in his guts.
Clint swallowed deeply and stepped back. Still un-nerved but feeling a strange relief, realising there was the chance of someone else he could trust and didn't have to hide from.
"You won't tell anyone"
It could have been a question or an instruction. In another tone of voice, it might easily have been a threat.
"Don't worry" replied the doctor "I would never break a confidentiality under any circumstances. If you don't want to talk about it, I'll shut up"
He made a zipper gesture across his mouth. Clint laughed, scattering the remaining scraps of tension.
"Sorry Doc, you just wrong footed me there and I'm not used to that! I'll bet Fury's glad you're on our side."
Ainsley smiled and embraced him again, this time Clint didn't step away
"I'm on your side, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm on Fury's. I take it he and Tasha are the only other ones who know? I've noticed you signing with her, that was another one of the clues. I imagine the others assume it's just something you use for a private code"
"Fury, Tasha and a couple of the medical guys; I have to get my hearing checked out quarterly as part of Fury's agreement to keep it quiet" he paused for a moment "Can you sign?"
"Only British Sign Language, which is completely different to American so you and Tasha can keep your knitting secrets"
Clint smirked
"They are secrets worth killing for, but I'll make you a deal. I'll teach you ASL and once you're fluent I'll sign you how this happened"
"Deal!" said Ainsley, sealing it with another kiss. The elevator doors opened and Tony breezed in wrapped in a shocking orange bath robe
"My eyesss! They burrrnnnn!" shrieked Clint, ducking behind the counter.
"Morning Druggies!" Tony exclaimed brightly as he strolled over "Recovered from the night's debauchery? I take it from the Bach Porn Cantata that Hunger Games got to taste the rainbow at last?"
He poured himself a cup of coffee and began sorting out fruit on the worktop.
"All the way to the pot of gold" responded Clint, with a shit-eating grin
Tony cocked his head
"Hmm, not bad! Should've saved that for when Steve was in audio range"
Ainsley scratched his neck nervously
"Um… we weren't really that loud, were we?"
"Loud?" laughed Tony "The switchboard was getting calls from Animal Rescue asking if we had a pack of wolves trapped up here. If you've traumatised the Capsicle, Fury will never forgive you…"
He looked around at the spotless living area
"Dayyumm, Velma! You done clean this place goooood! Maybe I should fire the maid?"
Ainsley arched an eyebrow
"Maybe you should fire your speechwriter? I'm guessing in this extended analogy that Steve is Fred and Tasha's Daphne?"
"What extended analogy?" asked Natasha, popping half a strawberry into her mouth from the growing pile of diced fruit. All three men jumped
"Shit, Tash! How long have you been lurking around?" barked Clint
"Long enough" she replied, throwing a meaningful glance at Clint and Ainsley "What extended analogy?"
"Oh, just Tony's Scooby Doo fantasy" Ainsley replied lightly, guessing that a Conversation was going to happen with her, him and Clint before too long.
"Mmm, ok" she answered, munching on another strawberry as Tony fired up the juicer
"Wait!" She pointed an accusing finger "Movie or cartoon?"
"Uh, Movie?" ventured Clint cautiously. She tilted her head in mock thought
"Cool! You get to live" She flashed him a reassuring smile which faded as she opened the fridge door.
"That will be rescinded if you haven't replaced my cranberry frozen yoghurt by the time I've finished my swim" she glared at the archer "You have thirty minutes and counting."
###
"So, did he?" ask Bruce, taking the coffee she had brought him. There was a plate of scrambled eggs as well, and fresh toast, enough for two. Natasha always made sure he didn't rely entirely on protein bars and bottled smoothies when working on a project.
"Only just in time" she laughed "but sheer terror has always been one of Clint's best motivators."
He tried the eggs; they were perfect, light and fluffy with just the right amount of seasoning
"You're not happy about last night, are you?"
Bruce might not spend much time around the others, but he was sensitive to the moods of the place and to hers in particular. She spread some egg onto the corner of a piece of toast and munched on it.
"I don't believe Clint really knows what he may be getting into. Thor and Ainsley have a very intense relationship and I doubt they imagine this as some occasional three-way to spice up their love life"
The quiet scientist smiled. Natasha could be very protective of Clint, sometimes a bit over-protective, and he wondered if she was feeling just a shred of jealousy at her friend having these new companions in his life.
"Intense" he said aloud, musingly "as opposed to our glacial pace?"
She smiled and put her hand on his
"I like our glacial pace, it's part of our island of sanity in this ocean of chaos. I just worry that Clint…"
"Look, I may not like what Ainsley is…" he laughed at her expression of surprise "I mean a psychologist, not a homosexual; but he's a good, understanding, man and I'm certain he knows what he's doing even if Clint doesn't. I wouldn't be too worried."
He paused and took Natasha's hand in both of his.
"I actually like Ainsley a lot, in different circumstances we'd probably be very good friends, but he likes to get into other people's heads and find out what makes them tick. It's who he is and there's no malice in it, but I can feel the 'Other Guy' doesn't like that and good intentions don't matter to him."
He let go of her hands and picked up his coffee with a wry smile on his face
"So much for the island of sanity. Atlantis probably had steadier foundations"
She laughed, Bruce might be more reserved than some of the others but his dry humour always cheered her
"We've got a virtual God who likes junk food and Batman comics, an artificially enhanced super-soldier who goes beetroot red at any sexual reference, an egomaniac billionaire in a flying metal suit and a man-child assassin who spends half his time in the ventilation system. Sanity is very definitely relative"
Bruce pondered this for a moment
"So, what does that make us; Beauty and the Beast?"
The look Tasha gave him was thoughtful, almost sad
"Let's not be too quick to assign roles."
Bruce lowered his head briefly; he knew little of Tasha's past but there had been hints of the darkness in it and the secrets that she kept. Then he noticed the time; a crazy idea leapt into his head
"It's almost 1pm, fancy escaping the madhouse for an actual lunch in the real world?"
She laughed
"Sure! I'll get my coat"