HELLO FOLKS, I'M ALIVE! Life got the better of me, i.e. mental health and…. A PUPPY! The cutest darn thing I've ever seen X3 she's been attached to my hip, as was my husbands plan to help with my brain. She's made a world of difference. She's on my instagram Starryeyeddreamseeker :) she's ben resting on my lap as I type. Please enjoy. Thank you everyone for your PMs and comments, I've been enjoying them in my downtime. Thank you for waiting patiently and not. I am back, somewhat, with some backlog. ; )
The next morning, Nova woke to the smell of breakfast. She stretched, her muscles releasing their tension. She got out of bed, feeling more rested than she had in a while. She changed into jeans and a T-shirt before following her hunger to the kitchen, where she found Clint and her mother at the stove flipping pancakes and Nat eating her breakfast.
"Good morning." Clint greeted her with a smile. Nova smiled back, then noticed he wore her dad's kiss the cook apron, a gag gift from her mother a few Valentine's days ago. Nova snorted, covering her mouth in amusement.
"Morning," Nova said, trying to stifle her laughter. "I didn't expect to see you cooking, Clint."
"I'm full of surprises." Clint smirked, flipping a pancake and cursing as it fell out of the pan. Nova bolted for the pancake, easily catching it.
"Careful! It's hot!" Clint exclaimed.
"I'm pretty immune to burning food." Nova shrugged, taking a bite, glad no food was wasted.
"She's also immune to common sense." Her mother jabbed. "Thank you for repairing my chair." She added with a smile.
Nova rolled her eyes and smiled. "Anytime, Ma."
"Like someone else we know." Nat said with a chuckle.
"I'm right here, you know." Clint glowered.
"Did Dad already leave?" Nova asked, looking around.
"He left a couple hours ago." Her mother replied.
"Without breakfast?" Nova's brows furrowed.
"I sent him out with breakfast." Her mother reassured.
"Do you need anything from the store?" Nova asked.
"I have a list. I'll go get it." Her mother said as she was leaving the room.
"What do you need from the shop?" Clint asked.
Nova stacked her plate high with food. "I gotta replace the tools my dad neglected. I was also gonna grab some good work boots and a swimsuit."
"Why a swimsuit?" Clint asked.
"We have a small lake on the property. I like to swim in it." Nova replied. Her mother returned into the kitchen, paper and keys in hand.
"You can take the truck. It'll be easier." She said, handing the keys to her daughter.
"Thanks. I'm gonna go make a list of what I need to replace." Nova said, stepping out into the cool morning air, the sun warming her back.
"Val!" A voice called.
Nova halted and turned, spotting Aaron, one of her dad's farm hands and childhood friend hauling a bale of hay on his shoulder.
"Hey Aaron! You're still working here?" Nova asked, smiling and waving as he approached.
"Well, Rick pays good money. When did you get in?" Aaron asked, setting down the hay.
"Last night, actually." Nova said.
Aaron shifted closer, leaning towards her slightly while giving her his full attention with his hands on his belt buckle.
"How long are you staying this time, Val?" Aaron questioned.
"Dunno." Nova shrugged, "I was thinking about five or six days. It's been awhile since I had a vacation, you know? Especially after what happened in New York." Nova said, recalling the battle with a grimace.
"I heard about the attack. Were you in any danger?" Aaron asked, concerned for Nova.
"Oh, I was pretty safe." Nova felt a zap of annoyance from Clint's Mark as she talked.
"I know you work at Tony Stark's Tower, were you in it when it happened?" Aaron grilled.
"I got out in a safe manner." Nova shrugged.
Aaron hesitated, seeming to buck up courage for something.
"Hey, listen, Val, I was thinking-" Aaron dove into the sentence in a rush.
"Nov, did you finish making a list of the tools you need to replace?" Clint asked, turning Nova's attention to Clint.
Aaron's expression soured at the interruption.
"Nah, not yet. I was just catching up with Aaron, one of my dad's farmhands." Nova explained, gesturing to the sulking man.
Clint approached Aaron, holding out his hand for Aaron to shake with a confident smile. "Hey. It's good to meet you, Aaron. I'm Clint. Clint Barton, I also go by Hawkeye." Clint's expression morphed to hold a sort of challenge and threat.
Begrudgingly, Aaron took his hand, the two squeezing tight.
As they shook, Clint continued, "I'm Nova's Soulmate."
Aaron looked shocked.
"Aaron Westfield." Aaron said, his voice tight.
Clint turned to Nova, "Let's go, Val. We've got stuff to pick up."
Aaron's expression darkened at the use of his nickname for Nova.
"C'mon, we don't have all day." Clint said, motioning for Nova to follow.
Nova and Clint entered the shed, with Nova eyeing Clint. "What was that about?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Clint.
"What was what about?" Clint questioned, avoiding Nova's stare and pretending to inspect a tool rack.
"Clint." Nova sighed, folding her arms. She felt concerned that Clint and Aaron had gotten off on the wrong step, potentially souring any interactions that would happen between her longtime friend and Soulmate.
"Just wanted to make sure he knew where we stood." Clint replied.
"Knew where you stood? You two looked like you were sizing each other up in a competition, and you gave him the 'assassin stare'." Nova held her fingers up in sarcastic quotation marks.
"Can't help it. He seemed... interested." Clint admitted, meeting her eyes.
"He's harmless. Just a bit of an awkward guy." Nova leaned against her workbench.
"Harmless, huh?" Clint raised an eyebrow, stepping towards Nova. "Didn't look that way from where I was standing."
"Really?" Nova questioned, tilting her head. "He was just asking me about the attack on New York."
"He didn't seem like he was just making small talk." Clint said, stepping forward and placing his hands in his pockets.
"What do you mean?" Nova furrowed her brow in confusion, unfolding her arms.
"Look, Nova. You're a great person. But Aaron seemed to want to do something more than just talk." Clint said, resting his hip on the workbench and staring down at Nova.
Nova's brows shot up at the comment. She had grown up with Aaron and had only seen him as another brother she would only see at certain times of the day.
"Oh." Nova blinked. She turned, picking up a duct-taped tool on the table and taking the tape off. "Well. I think you got your point across, telling him I'm Marked to an Avenger." She shot him a shrewd glance.
Clint, unphased by her disapproving stare, grinned with satisfaction.
"Alright, Arrow Guy. Don't get too cocky now." Nova rolled her eyes, smacking his bicep as she passed him.
Clint followed closely behind, his grin morphing into a smirk. Nova shook her head while creating a list of tools she needed to replace, ignoring Clint patting himself on the back behind her.
When Nova finally had an entire list of all the damaged tools, she turned on her heel and left the shed. Clint's gaze moved to the stiffly working man in the distance before returning to Nova with another wide grin. "You know, I think I'm starting to really like this place."
Nova laughed, glancing over at him. "Glad to hear it. Maybe next time, you'll be the one who ends up catching up with the locals." Nova's caramel eyes shone with mischief.
"Maybe." Clint said, tone light.
They stepped into the kitchen, Nat finishing her breakfast. She raised a curious brow at the two. "Is everything alright?" She questioned the two Soulmates.
"Yep. Just had a little chat with someone I know. Mr. 'I'm Clint. Clint Barton, I also go by Hawkeye.', however, couldn't keep his cool." Nova said with a pointed stare towards Clint, who attempted to avoid the stare by looking at the ceiling.
"A little antsy, are we, Barton?" Nat teased, lips curving into an amused grin.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Clint muttered, rolling his eyes.
Nova snickered, grabbing the list and keys her mom had left. "Alright, let's get moving. We've got a long drive ahead." She said, swinging the keychain around her finger.
"Sounds good to me," Nat said, standing up and stretching.
The trio piled into the truck, the engine roaring to life as they set off down the dirt road that ran through the property.