Heroes Assemble!

I Know A Guy

"This place's in remarkedly good shape," Tony commented as the six Avengers stood outside the old redbrick building.

"Doesn't look like it got a scratch," Natasha agreed, eyeing the shingle that hung above the door, proclaiming the place to be The Marauder's Den.

"Who cares?" Clint shrugged. "There's someone in there and they can make us something to eat."

It was only by looking carefully that the others noticed that there was the shadow of somebody moving about in the café. That was enough to get the six moving. Slowly, they trudged in through the door that Steve held open.

Just inside the door, they stopped, milling about as they took in the décor. Booths lined the front of the place and along one wall, the opposite wall containing a currently unlit fireplace. Additional tables and chairs were strategically placed about the large open-plan room. A long wooden counter cum bar sat at the back of the room, stools in front of it, and shelves full of cups and glasses and ingredients of all kinds lined the wall behind it.

As Tony looked around, he couldn't help the shiver that ran through him. Everything from the woods to the myriad black and white photos on the wall to the old-style swing doors that he assumed led to the kitchen screamed out-dated or old-world, nothing like the clean, new lines that he preferred.

"It's got charm," he allowed.

"Come on," Steve said, leading the way deeper into the room, "the food and coffee here's great."

"You've been here before," Natasha stated.

"A couple of times," Steve shrugged.

"Oh, hi," a man said as he emerged from one of the doors to the kitchen. "Sorry, didn't hear you come in at first."

The man was short, maybe even a little shorter than Tony. Currently, he was drying his hands on a towel, a towel that he promptly threw over one shoulder. The glasses that he wore in front of his emerald green eyes were something that Tony would have tossed into the bin a decade ago – all black with heavy frames. And Tony was sure that his barber would have heart palpitations seeing the bird's nest that was his black mop.

The fact that most of them were still suited up didn't seem to phase the guy in the slightest. The only ones who weren't were Tony himself and Bruce who was no longer doing his green rage monster trick.

"Feel free to push a couple of tables together," the guy said, waving at said tables.

"Many thanks," Thor nodded as he and Steve proceeded to do just that.

Finally, when all were seated with menus in their hands, the guy reappeared just over Steve's left shoulder.

"I'm guessing a plain black coffee for you," he smiled at the Captain.

"That'd be great, thanks. I don't think we've ever been properly introduced. I'm Steve," the Avenger said, reaching around to shake his hand. "Thanks for opening up for us after all ... that."

"Harry," he replied. "And my pleasure. After what you guys did, it's my honour to serve you. And just so you know, superheroes don't pay here."

"Superheroes?" Thor asked.

"The kid's only doing his civic duty, Point Break," Tony cut in.

"But 'superheroes', Tony?" Clint asked. "I don't think I'd go that far."

"You guys just stopped an alien invasion and saved the world," Harry pointed out. "In my book, that counts as being 'superheroes'. So, what can I get you?"