When I drifted awake, the first thing I noticed was how warm I was. I wasn't overly hot where I was sweating but the extremely content warm where it feels like you could melt into the matress. All I wanted to do was lay exactly where I was for the rest of my life. I stretched out the stiffness in my limbs and opened my eyes carefully. The room was washed in the bright morning sun. I took a deep breath and pushed myself over to my other side. Tony was still sleeping next to me. He slept on his stomach with his left arm stretched out toward me. His curly hair fell into his face as his back rose and fell with every deep, even breath. The blanket was collected around his waist in a loose knot. He was soft with sleep and all I wanted to do was snuggle up to him, but I didn't want to risk waking him up. He didn't seem to get many good nights of sleep so I didn't want to bother him when he finally was getting a decent nights sleep. I pushed myself up from the bed slowly and leaned over Tony. I pressed my lips to his cheek lightly before pushing myself off the bed. I searched around the floor until I found a discarded sweater that Tony had thrown on the floor at some point yesterday. I slipped it over my head and padded across the room quietly to the stairs. The stairs squeaked sleepily as I descended the stairs to the second floor. All the doors were still shut tight but that didn't mean anything. I took the stairs down to the first level, trying my best to be quiet so I didn't wake up Sam or Clint.
"Good morning doctor!" Sam called up from the couch he was sitting on. Clint was lounging on the other couch with a book in his hands. He looked over at me when Sam called out and smiled at me.
"Good morning guys. How did you sleep?" I asked as I reached the ground floor.
"Pretty good actually. These couches are really comfortable," Sam shrugged. I walked over to the back of the couch and leaned against it. Sam looked back over at me with a smile.
"You guys want some breakfast?" I asked, leaning my chin on my arms. Clint dropped his book to his chest and looked over at Sam.
"You don't have to keep cooking for us, you know that right?" Sam said, turning to look at me. I shrugged.
"What else am I gonna do?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. Sam laughed.
"If you are insistant on cooking, darling, I'll eat it," Clint said returning to his book. Sam shot me another skeptical look.
"Don't worry, it'll be quick," I assured, placing my hand on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes but gave me a smile anyway.
"I'm not trying to get fat from your cooking babe," Sam said.
"Well that's not my fault. That sounds like a job for your trainer," I said and pushed myself back from the couch. Sam laughed. I walked back to the kitchen and pulled out a skillet from the cabinet where I'd found them yesterday. I put it on the stove and walked to the fridge. I opened the fridge and rumaged through it until I found an egg carton.
"Does anyone know what 'pølse' means?" I asked out to the room.
"It's Danish for sausage doll," James said from the counter. I turned around to find him sitting at the counter with his chin resting in his hand. He was smiling over at me that dazzling smile that made my knees weak.
"You speak Danish?" I asked as I pulled the wrapped sausage and cheese out of the fridge and turned back around to see him. He was smiling at me again, a look of mischief in his eyes.
"I speak lots of languages doll," he said.
"Really? Which ones?" I asked, opening the carten of eggs and opening them into a bowl carefully.
"English, Russian, German, Japanese, and French, to name a few," he said. I looked up at him with a small smile.
"Tu parle français?" I asked with a small smile. His face lit up at the question. The French felt familiar and happy in my mouth. It made me feel like part of me was home. James' smile widened at me.
"Oui. Un peu," he confirmed. I broke a wide smile, the sound of French was music to my ears. I opened my mouth to continue the conversation but before I could, someone else spoke up from behind James.
"English please, we don't want anyone to think that you're talking about them," Steve said coming up behind James and sitting next to him. James looked over at me and then back at me with a sly smile.
"Le petit Steve est un peu jaloux," James winked and whispered at me. I laughed once before I poured the scrambled eggs in the skillet. Steve shot a glare over at James who was pointedly not looking at Steve. The skillet sizzled as I poured the eggs into it, along with the cheese and cut sausage. I began sturring the scramble as I looked up at the boys in front of me.
"Don't worry Steve, we still love you," I assured. Steve broke his glare from James and looked back at me. His harsh glare softened slightly.
"Yeah, well James is a douleur dans mon cul," Steve said slowly, looking over at James. James smirked over at Steve.
"Wow Steve, that's some strong language from such a pure being," Natasha said sitting down next to Clint. Steve dropped his hand to the counter with a bang and turned to look at Natasha. She smirked over at him. An echoing boom followed Thor down the stairs.
"Lady Lucy! Is there nothing that you cannot cook?" Thor boomed as he entered the rest of the heroes. My cheeks flushed as I smiled and checked the scramble. It was almost done when Thor appeared at the counter with a sleepy smile on his face. After a few more stirs, the meal was done. I turned the fire off and pulled out another stack of plates.
"Breakfast is servi," I called out with a smile. James winked at me as they all stood to crowd around me. I took a plate and served some up on the plate. I took a fork and stepped around the forming line.
"That's quite a lot of food Lucy," Banner said, appearing next to me suddenly. I glanced over at him with a smile.
"It's not for me. It's for Tony," I said. He broke a smile and he patted me on the shoulder.
"I want breakfast in bed!" Sam called out.
"If Tony doesn't marry you, I will!" James smirked up at me. I smiled up at them.
"If you guys were still in bed, I'd bring you guys breakfast too. You guys just get up too early," I teased.
"Quick! Everyone get back in bed!" James called out. They laughed as I climbed back up the stairs. The stairs up to the third floor were sightly more difficult cause I didn't want to spill any of the food. When I entered the attic, Tony was still fast asleep in the bed. I padded across the room and knelt down next to his side of the bed. I set the plate on the side table before running my fingers though his hair. He took a deep breath and moaned in his sleep lightly.
"Tony, it's time to wake up," I whispered to him softly. He sighed.
"Five more minutes sweetheart," his voice was gravely and thick with sleep. His hand reached out blindly and touched my cheek lightly. I smiled and grabbed his hand in both of mine.
"I brought you breakfast babe," I muttered, hoping that would get him up. His eyes fluttered open at the mention of food. They were cloudy with sleep. He blinked a few times to clear his eyes and smiled over at me sleepily.
"Good morning sweetheart," he mumbled. I smiled lighly as I continued running my fingers through his hair.
"Good morning love," he smile at me sleepily.
"Did you say you brought me food?" he asked, a smirk pulling on his mouth. I smile.
"Yeah," I said.
"You didn't have to do that sweetheart," he mumbled, his eyes still closed.
"I didn't want to wake you up, you seemed to calm. It only took a few minutes anyway," I whispered. He opened his eyes and smiled over at me sleepily.
"I love you," he said. I leaned forward and kissed him lightly.
"I love you too," I slapped his cheek lightly. "Now get up and eat. We have to go out and do research," I said. He smiled at me. I stood up and walked toward my suitcase on the ground. The blankets rustled as Tony sat up and the plate clinked when he picked it up.
"Is that my sweater, sweetheart?" Tony called, his voice muffled from a mouth full of food. I pulled out a pair of jeans and a knit sweater before turning to look at Tony with a small smile.
"Maybe," I said with a sly smile. He eyed me carefully, his jaw working slightly. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Cute," he said finally. I shot him an obnoxious smile over my shoulder.
"Come on Tony, eat so you can get ready," I instructed.
"Yes ma'am," he said and continued eating. I collected my clothes and made my way to the bathroom. When I closed the door and turned to face it, I realized that there was no lock. I rolled my eyes and placed my clothes on the back of the toilet. The shower in this bathroom was a basic shower, one knob for pressure and one for the temperature. I turned the knob to start the water and the other for heat. While I waited for the water to warm up, I brushed my teeth. By the time I was done, the steam was already rolling out of the shower. I stripped down quickly and stepped into the water. The water was deliciously warm and I just stood there for a moment. Eventually I snapped out of my trance and started washing my hair. I was humming an old French song I'd learned in Niger when the door clicked.
"Sounds very nice, sweetheart," Tony's cheeky voice echoed through the bathroom. A shocked squeak punctuated the phrase I'd been humming.
"Tony!" I gasped out, my fingers froze in my hair.
"Lucy!" Tony mimicked my gasp. I continued washing the conditioner out of my hair slowly.
"What are you doing in here?" I asked.
"Well, I was going to brush my teeth, why? Do you have a better idea?" he asked, the smirk noticable in his voice.
"Creep," I said. Tony's warm laugh filled the bathroom, soon followed by the sink. The water ran cold from the sink turning on. I gasped and shut the water off quickly, "Tony!" I groaned.
"Sowwy Shweethort," Tony mumbled through brushing his teeth. I reached out for the towel hanging next to the shower and wrapped it around me. The shower curtian screeched across the rung when I pushed it back. Tony was wiping his mouth and looked up at me. His eyes raked over me and a playful smirk pulled at his mouth, "Sexy," he commented. I rolled my eyes and shooed him out of the bathroom. Once he was gone, I shimmied into my clothes quickly. I dried my hair with the towel until it wasn't dripping on my shoulders anymore before hanging the towel back up and exiting the bathroom. Tony's back was to me as he pulled a long sleeve shirt over his head. Heat rushed to my cheeks at the sight of him. I tore my eyes away and made my way to the suitcase next to Tony. The knit socks I'd wore yesterday rested on top of my suitcase. I sat down on the ground and pulled them up as high as they'd go.
"Sweetheart, your hair is going to freeze," Tony commented, pulling my hair lightly. I looked up at him.
"I'm gonna put it up in my hat," I said. He didn't say anything, just held out his hand to help me up. His fingers ghosted across the small of my back as we walked down the stairs.
"I vote Lucy as out perminent cook!" Clint called out as Tony and I reached the first floor. I smiled over at him. The heroes were all half dressed in their winter gear and seated around the table.
"Alright," Seve started. Everyone turned their attention to Steve who stood near the doorway, "There are four gathering places in town. We will split up and see what can be found. Clint, Natasha, and Thor will go to one. Sam, Buck, and I will go to the second. And Tony, Bruce, and," he hesitated and glanced at me, "Lucy will go to the third. Who ever finishes first will go to the fourth and we will meet up there," Steve said. Tony suddenly appeared next to me again, his fingers hitching up to take my hand in his.
"Dr. Scaffer," Natasha piped up. I looked over at where she lounged at the table. "Tell us what we should be looking for," she urged. Her voice was soft with kindness and curiousity. I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. Tony squeezed my hand slightly.
"Uh, it's not really what you're looking for per say. Going in with a question is a good way to come away with nothing," I started.
"Wait, so you're telling us there's no way to definatively find out these things?" Sam interupted. I swallowed hard again.
"N-no. That's not what I meant. I meant that if you are looking for something specific, you might miss something important. The best way to get someone to talk to you is to ask about their history and to be genuinely interested. Open-ended questions are best. It gets people talking," I explained. Tony's grip on my hand tightened agian.
"That seems pretty straight forward," Natasha said. She offered me a small smile. Her smile transformed her face. It softened her eyes and brightened her cheeks. I liked her face when she smiled. I returned her smile softly.
"Alright then. I guess that means it's time to get to it," Steve said finally. All the heroes jumped up and made their way to the sun room. Tony, Banner, and I hung back for a moment.
"Good to be working with you again doctor," Bannersaid wih a small smile. I smiled back at him.
"Same to you doctor," I replied. "I'm gonna make an Anthropologist out of you yet," I teased. He laughed once as we finally made our way to the sun room. Natasha, Clint, and Thor were already gone and Sam was waiting near the door for Steve and James.
"Come on, get your old asses moving," Sam said. Steve paused for a moment to glare at him.
"Watch it kid, or my old ass is gonna kick your ass," James warned. I laughed once which caused them all to look over at us.
"Sorry ma'am," Steve apologised over to me sheepishly.
"Don't worry Stevie, I'm a big girl. I can handle a few choice words," I teased back.
"Yeah Steve, she sleeps with Tony. Something tells me naughty words don't phase her," Sam smirked. He glanced over at me and winked playfully.
"Hey! I'm a perfect gentleman!" Tony shot back.
"Uh-huh? Lucy, you might wanna take a step back. Lightning's about to strike his lyin' ass," Sam said. I laughed and reached for my jacket that hung behind James.
"Oh ha-ha. Very funny Samantha. Cute," Tony bristled, searching for his jacket.
"Oh leave the kid alone Sam. He's in love," Steve commented. He and James were finally ready to brave the cold. The three filed out the door, freezing air taking their place. I zipped up my parka quickly to escape the cold. Tony was still mumbling under his breath near the door. I padded over to him softly and leaned up on to kiss his cheek.
"You're my gentleman Tony," I whispered to him. He glanced over at me and his face softened.
"Yes ma'am," he muttered with a smirk.
"You know, I'm thrilled for you both. I'm glad you both are happy. But it's a bit jarring when the last time I worked with you two, you two hated each other," Banner commented from behind us. I turned around to face him. Tony wrapped his arms around my waist as he looked over at Banner.
"Don't be mistaken my friend, I never hated Lucy," Tony said, his voice returning to normal slowly. I glance up at Tony with a small smile.
"Oh, I did," I admitted. Banner laughed. Tony glanced down at me, a small smirk pulling on his mouth.
"Well, I'm glad I changed your mind," he whispered, leaning down and kissing my cheek.
"You two are gross," Banner commented. Tony laughed.
"You want gross-"
"Oh no, I'm drawing the line. Put your damn coat on," I said pushing myself back from him. He laughed low in his throat. He finally laced his arms through the coat and zipped it up. I found my hat and gloves where I'd left them on the bench last night. I wrapped my hair up before pulling my hat down over my ears. I wrapped my scarf around my neck and slid my gloves on my fingers. I turned back to the boys and found that they were finishing up.
"Are we all set?" Tony asked. I nodded at him, bracing for the cold. The three of us filed out the door into the icy world outside. It's amazing how a warm house can force you to forget how cold it is outside. The air choked off my air and instantly froze the little skin that was exposed.
"Jesus Christ," I hissed. Tony's laugh coiled from his mouth and around his face. He linked his arm through mine.
"Come on Frosty, we've got a legend to find," Tony said. I pulled Banner's arm into my free arm and we made our way down the path. The path was packed snow and only just wide enough for the three of us to walk side-by-side. About halfway down the hill, my feet caught a patch of ice and my feet went out from under me. Before I could even hope to brace myself on anything, I was on the ground with my lower back on fire from the impact.
"Oh fuck me!" I growled out in pain.
"Oh wow," Banner started, turning to look at me on the ground. Tony laughed from beside me.
"What are you doing down there sweetheart?" Tony laughed. I glared up at him.
"Fuck you Stark," I hissed. Banner reached out his hand and helped me up.
"When and where doctor," he said. I turned on him and punched his arm which only made him laugh more. The punch sent a sting up my spine and tears pricked behind my eyes. I rubbed my lower back gingerly.
"This is why I work in Africa," I muttered as we started walking again. No one said anything the rest of the walk to the small tavern at the bottom of the hill. The warmth inside the tavern was welcome change from outside. We stood near the door, thawing ourselves before stepping up to the bar. I pulled my gloves and scarf off and set them on the bar counter. Tony was leaning against the counter next to me as Banner went off to find a barman. Tony's hand appeared under my jacket and massaged my lower back softly.
"Are you okay Lucy?" he asked, his voice low. I turned to look at him, slightly annoyed.
"Oh now you're concerned?" I asked. He offered me a small smile.
"I'm always concerned but I couldn't help it. Your expression was priceless," his mouth curled with a surpressed laugh. I rolled my eyes and turned to look away from him. His hand continued to massage my lower back. I didn't want to admit it but it felt really good. The sound of footsteps were muffled in the back and Banner's voice was coming back toward us. Before anyone returned to the bar, Tony leaned over and pressed his lips to my cheek in a languid kiss, "I'm sorry I laughed darling," he whispered to me. Before I could respond, Banner and the barman appeared at the other end of the tavern. Banner walked over to us and stood on my other side. The barman grumbled as he drug himself over to us. He didn't seem to be the sort of man you would want to take directions from, let alone food or drinks. He stopped in front of the three of us and took us all in in turn. I felt his gaze linger on me a bit longer than the boys and it made my skin crawl, but Tony's hand on my back made me feel better.
"The one with the glasses say ya have questions for me," the barman croacked with a thick accent. It took me a full thirty second to realize he was even speakng English.
"Y-yes. We are here for a few days and I was hoping you could tell us some local legends," I said. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Local legends?" he said.
"Yeah. Maybe about the mountains. We were wondering if you knew anything about them," I asked. He glared at me for a long moment.
"I don't know anything," he said finally. He turned from us and started back the way he'd came. I ran after him on our side of the bar, leaving Tony and Banner behind me confused.
"But wait! Surely you know something," I tried again. Before I knew what happened, I was pinned up against the wall, my feet barely touching the ground and my entire back throbbing from suddenly slamming against the hard wood. His hand was knotted in the front of my jacket and his face was extremely close to mine.
"Woah!" Banner called as he and Tony jolted toward me and the barman.
"Let her go!" Tony growled, following Banner closely. I opened my hands in surrender next to my head, completely scared that he might actually hit me. The barman's eyes racked over my face and then to my open palm with the mark of the Valkyrie. His eyes widened and he jumped back from me like I'd struck him.
"Get out of my bar," he hissed before disappearing back from where he'd appeared.