Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Natasha walked into the Lounge at six that morning, she found Clint draped over the couch with Lucky on his stomach. Tony had fallen asleep in a chair next to him. Three cups of coffee which had been drunk to varying degrees sat on the table. When she heard the balcony door open, Natasha glanced over to find Paige heading back inside.
"Good morning," Natasha said to her as she came inside.
As soon as she'd spoken the words, Lucky leapt up from Clint's stomach, digging his claws into him, and tore over to Natasha. His tail wagged a mile a minute. Startled into wakefulness, Clint ripped a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Natasha. Paige raised her arms across her chest defensively but Natasha didn't flinch except for a frown that went all the way to her eyes.
"Shit! Nat," heaved Clint breathlessly as his hand started to shake and he dropped the gun down. By now Tony had woken up from the commotion. "God, don't - ugh." He stood and turned away, grabbing at his chest. He moved behind the couch. Lucky ran over to him and he closed his eyes at the gentle nudge the dog gave his legs. His support.
"Wha... the hell," muttered Tony as he yawned and stretched. He looked between Natasha and Clint. "We good, guys?"
Clint turned and nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. I've got to take Lucky on a walk." He glanced at Natasha briefly before turning back to Tony. "Can you get Paige situated with clothes like we talked about."
"Yeah, yeah. Of course." Tony let his gaze linger on Clint for a moment longer before turning to Paige. "What do you like to wear?"
"Clothes," she deadpanned.
Tony paused, and then he rolled his eyes. "Hilarious. Come on. I think Steve wanted to head down to Barnes and Noble this morning." He paused and glanced up at the ceiling. "Hey Jarvis, where's Steve?"
"Captain Rogers is currently in the work out room on level sixty-one."
"Put me through, J."
"Of course."
"Steve, do you still want to head to the bookstore? Natasha wants us to get clothes for Paige." Tony waited for Steve's response, crossing his arms over his chest.
After a moment, he responded. "Yeah. What time?"
Tony glanced at his phone. "Leave in an hour?"
"Right."
Tony thanked Jarvis and turned back to the room. "Have fun with Lucky," he said, noticing Clint trying to sneak out the elevator. "Where are you taking him?"
"We usually go to Bryant Park," Clint replied. At those words, the dog started running in circles. Clint grinned. "Yeah guess we're going there." He crouched down and spoke to Lucky. "Gimme a minute! I've got to change."
They took the elevator to Clint's floor, leaving Natasha, Tony, and Paige in the main room. The foremost of the three turned to Tony in question. "Do you have food in this tower, or just alcohol?"
Tony laughed. "Only the best. Though with Thor here we might need to stock up on poptarts. There's a bigger kitchen one floor down. Stairs are over there to the right. I'll join you in a bit."
Paige smirked. "I'd say I would go change, but..."
The dramatic expression of pretend irritation that crossed Tony's face made Natasha smirk right alongside Paige. She turned to the other woman. "Let's go find breakfast. I might need help finding food in Tony's mess."
"Natasha Romanoff needing help?" Tony countered as he hopped into the elevator. "That's a first."
Natasha bit right back. "I need all the help I can get to understand you, Stark." When the elevator doors closed and Tony disappeared, she turned back to Paige. "Come on." She led the way to the fancy stairs down. One side opened to the glass panels of windows.
Paige looked out at the New York City skyline. She had spent time here once in awhile, but she had never seen it from his vantage point before. Pausing briefly, she stared out the window and watched a flock of pigeons fly from one nearby building to another.
Natasha folded her arms and looked at her. "You know, I bet Tony's food is crap. There's a nice bakery about a block down the street. We should head there."
Brightening up, Paige turned her way. "Ok." Freedom.
As Natasha texted Tony about where they were going, they took the elevator from the kitchen down to the ground floor lobby. A large man with dark hair stood chatting with a young blonde woman behind a reception desk.
"Agent Romanoff," said the man in surprise as he saw them leave the elevator. "Mr. Stark didn't tell us you were coming in last night!"
Natasha smiled. "There's probably a lot Tony doesn't tell you, Happy." She turned to Paige as they walked over to the doors and were met by him. "This is Paige Wilson. She's enhanced, and is staying with us in the Tower. Thor's here, by the way."
Happy Hogan's expression stayed neutral, but Paige saw him sighed. "Clearly there's a lot I need to catch up on." He turned to Paige. "Welcome to the Tower Ms. Wilson. If you'll excuse me, I need to ask Jarvis what else it is I don't know." He left them and said something to the receptionist.
The weather wasn't too bad as they walked out into the bustling city. Sunny, blue skies, with only a bit of wind. Paige thanked whatever was listening that her ripped up jean jacket was enough to keep her warm. She followed Natasha to the left. She knew immediately who was a tourist and who lived in New York, and she did her best to emulate the New Yorkers. Walk in a straight line, don't stop to see the sights, stick to the right, single file, keep the pace. She knew city etiquette.
They hopped left and into a bakery about a block from the tower. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg that floated through the air made Paige pause in the doorway and smile. A cinnamon crunch muffin caught her eye in the bakecase and she got in line with Natasha.
"What would you like?" Natasha asked her as they stood a few customers back, speaking over the drone of the chatter in the cafe.
Paige pointed out the muffin, "And could I have a mocha?"
"Sure."
Once they ordered, they were given a little wooden spoon sign with the number "8". Paige grabbed a table by the window and they sat down. She looked around. The cafe, called simply "COFFEE," felt warm with its wood decor. Paige liked it.
Natasha took out her phone and answered a text before putting it down. She followed Paige's gaze around the place with a small smile. "Clint found this place a few years back."
A waitress put their food down in front of them. Paige instantly grabbed her mocha latte and settled back into her chair. "Why does that not surprise me," chuckled Paige from behind a sip.
Natasha nodded. "I have a feeling he googled "coffee" after a mission and this was the first result."
"It's a nice place though," Paige added.
They ate quietly for a few minutes. Natasha seemed to be very popular based on the number of texts she was getting. After the fifteenth notification, Paige finally mentioned it. "You're popular?"
Natasha sighed vocally. "Tony made a group chat."
Paige perked up and grinned. "That actually sounds amazing. Who's in it?"
"Steve, Bruce, Tony, Clint, and myself. Thor doesn't have a phone. You want in?" Natasha watched her, a smile growing as she saw the young woman's enthusiasm. "Forewarning, any time Clint and Tony get together there is a lot of talking."
"From what little I've seen this doesn't surprise me." Paige paused, her smirk growing. "I'm in."
Natasha shook her head. "Fine. But I warned you." Sending a quick text to the chat, she then added in Paige's phone number.
They got up to leave, meaning Paige didn't have time to look at the chat. Her choice of muffin had been absolutely perfect, and she decided then and there that Clint and Natasha both definitely had good taste in coffee.
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