Marvel One Shots

Brooklyn Bros (Short Story)

Clint groans, hearing the knocks at the door. "I just sat down." He mumbles as he walks to get the door. Lucky follows him, eager to see who's on the other side.

"Good evening." Steve says with a soft smile.

"Hey, Cap. Thought you'd be Kate." Clint says. He opens the door wider. "Come on in."

Steve enters, glancing around the apartment. "I'm not sure what I was expecting your apartment to look like, but it wasn't this."

"Thanks. I think?" Clint says, closing the door. He shoves his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. "So? What's the mission?" He asks.

Steve turns around, shaking his head. "Oh. There's no mission. Just wanted to chat."

Clint arches his eyebrow. "I do something wrong?"

Steve flusters over his words. "No. No. Not chat like that. Um, hang out? Is that what's it's called or?"

Clint chuckles, walking over to the couch. "Yeah. You can hang out with me and Lucky. We like the company." He says, gently rubbing Lucky's head. He wags his tail in excitement.

"Thanks." He sighs with a smile. He sits on the couch, glancing around the apartment. Again, this wasn't exactly what he was expecting, but it was nice. It was comfortable. It felt like a home.

"So, what brings you to Brooklyn?" Clint asks, opening a box of pizza. He offers Steve a slice, but he declines, shaking his head.

"I just got an apartment around here." He says. Clint hums in surprise as he shoves a slice into his mouth. "Well, Brooklyn is my home and that tower was starting to get a bit overwhelming."

"Yeah. They should just keep that place as an office." Clint says.

"No kidding. Living in there makes it feel like work never ends." Steve chuckles, ruffling out his hair.

Clint nods his head, understanding. But he's still lost on what was currently happening. Cap just showed up out of the blue without a mission and in his casual grandpa clothes. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused." He says, getting Steve's attention off of Lucky. "What brings you to my apartment exactly? Like, isn't there a billion other places you'd rather be than here?"

Steve shrugs his shoulders. He wasn't exactly sure himself. "Just wanted to see a friend." He says.

Clint digs around in his pocket. "Would you mind saying that again? Kate won't believe you said that to me if I don't have a video of it." He says, making Steve chuckle.

"You and Kate." He says, shaking his head. "You two cause a lot of trouble for yourselves."

Clint shrugs his shoulders. "Hey, you guys wouldn't know what to do with yourselves if you didn't have any Hawkeyes around." He smirks.

A painfully awkward silence fills the air. Steve and Clint have about as much in common as a tomato and a microwave. Their conversation feels forced and they hardly talk to each besides on a work only basis.

"So, when'd you get a dog?" Steve asks, petting Lucky again. He had always liked dogs, but had never considered getting one for himself. He would never be around to take care of it. There was always something for Captain America to do somewhere.

"Long story." Clint shrugs. "But in a quick version, found him hurt and took him in. Ain't that right, pizza dog?" He asks, tossing a slice to the barking dog.

Steve chuckles, leaning back into the couch. "So this what you do when you're not working? Just, hanging out?"

"Well, there's a bit more to than that. I got a building to take care of." He says. Steve tilts his head, confused. "Well, I bought this building from a bunch of Russian dudes. Now I gotta take care of the people here."