Patience [Clint Barton]

3. Hot Cocoa and Crushes

Twenty minutes later the adults finally decided to act like adults. Blythe was the first to get out of the freezing cold water. Her skin was full of goose bumps and her clothes cling to her fit body. Her dog tags slapped against her skin as she climbed out of the water, trying to keep in the little warmth her body had left. The teal sports bra was visible from beneath her soaked white tank top, and her teal running shorts water while, her black NIKE's squelched. Soon all adults were out of the water shivering, teeth chattering. Clint took of his soaked black t-shirt causing Blythe to look at him and then quickly look away blushing at the sight of his abs.

She proceed to rub her arms and attempt to warm when Kailey came over, teeth chattering as well and pale skin bumpy with the chill in the air. Her short red hair had fallen out of its little braid, falling messily in her eyes. She brushed it out of her eyes and then turned to Blythe.

"Well, That wasn't very smart." Blythe started. Kailey smacked the back of her head, scoffing in contempt. Blythe shot her a glare and rubbed the back of her, soothing the slight burn.
"You started it!"
"Um, no you're the one that made the bet! But it takes two." Kailey rolled her eyes at her friends open honestly. Clint turned and finally got a good look at the female beside him, blushing slightly. Her long Carmel hair was pushed back from her face, a tangled mess. You could see all of her goosebumps on her pale skin and her green eyes were obviously hiding something. To all she was an unsolved mystery. To a very few though, she was a secret begging to be heard. Including himself and just looking at her made him want to know everything about the stunning woman besides him.
"Okay, So I'm fucking freezing! Ivy bring me home, I want hot cocoa!"
"Gosh! You're bossy today!... okay so you're bossy everyday but still! I knew it, ever since the first day of squad training. Your just that friend." The girls laughed, trying not to cry with their chattering teeth and freezing cold bodies. Kailey ran her hand under her nose to wipe away some snot as Blythe let out a sneeze.

"What the hell was that?"

"A sneeze."

"There's no way in hell that was a sneeze." Kailey raised her eyebrows at her friend just to have Blythe ignore her.

"Do you boys need a ride? I know some people just run to the park and run back home. And on the way we can stop and dry off."

"That would be appreciated ma'am." Blythe smiled and Kailey groaned, smacking her forehead.

"Great! Now there's two of them! So polite! That's it I give up in life! Ivy, you have my permission to stab me now." The men looked at her like she was insane as she stomped towards Blythe's silver Lexus. They turned to her with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"She has a tendency to be a bit dramatic. Honestly this is nothing compared to our time in Iraq. She tripped and twisted her ankle and then proceeded to scream about how she broke her ankle." She shook her head with a sly smirk and motioned for the guys to follow her. They all piled into her nice car and she started the car, shutting her door softly.
"WHEN YOU SEE MY FACE HOPE IT GIVES YOU HELL, HOPE IT GIVES YOU HELL!!!" Blasted through the speakers and Blythe automatically shied away from the noise, hands clamped over her ears, wide eyes. Her breathing quickly turned labored and Kailey was quick to help. She turned the dial down and set a calming hand on her shoulder, looking to her friend who took a shaky breath and nodded. The boys noticed and looked at each other silently. All three understanding the effects of PTSD and how shitty it was didn't say a thing. After a few long seconds, Blythe recovered and smiled slightly in the review mirror, driving out of the paring lot and on to the bustling street. Soon enough they made it to a beautiful brownstone house in Brooklynn only 15 minutes from the park.

"You live in Brooklyn?"

"Yeah! Who wouldn't. Brooklyn is the best place to be." This time Steve was thinking what Kailey had said previously and nodded silently. Clint silently agreed with him, looking out the windows. Blythe parked and jumped out of the car unlocking her front door, allowing everyone else to step in a first. Everyone filed in and Kailey ran up the stairs to shower, stating that she looked like a drowned poodle.
"Come on the kitchens this way." She lead them down the hall and into a light grey kitchen with yellow accents. She walked off to grab some towels and the men sat down at the island.
"Damn, this is a nice place."
"Yeah, better than Breana, mine, and Bucky's."

"She reminds me of you two. Brooklyn, enlisting, and polite." Steve nodded at his friends, smiling slightly. Blythe ran back in with some towels and a brush for herself. She swiftly put a pan on the stove and put milk in it, cranking to dial to 5. She had a towel wrapped around her chilled body as she stumbled slightly around the kitchen.

"Do you guys mind watching this?" she asked, brushing her hair into a sloppy bun on top of her head. Steve and Sam both nodded while Clint tried to avoid looking at her for he knew that he'd blush. She quickly left the room to run up the stairs so she could change into dry clothes. Sam turned to Clint once the woman was out of sight and grinned, bumping shoulders.

"You like her!" he whispered hushedly to the blushing man next to him.

"No I don't!" he whisper shouted back at the two men looking at him with grins on their faces.

"Okay so then you at least think she's pretty. " Steve said, leaning on his shoulders to look past Sam at Clint.

"Well.... yeah okay. But, that's because she is and don't you dare say anything to her. We aren't teenagers so don't create drama." The other two men nodded as Blythe walked back into the kitchen, sliding on a pair of striped fuzzy socks. She had changed into a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a loose Harvard hoodie. She slid to the pan and stirred it, going to grab the hot cocoa mix.

"So, what'd I miss?" She looked back over her shoulder at the three guys in her kitchen. All three blushed slightly and Steve coughed into his fist causing her to raise an eyebrow. Before she could ask, Kailey bounded into the room with a huge smile on her face. She had changed into a pair of black leggings and a loose t-shirt with matching Disney themed socks. She pulled herself up onto the counter as Blythe got out the mugs and handed everyone a cup of warm cocoa.

"Hey guys! I feel as if I need a proper introduction!" she nearly shouted with her child like hyper-ness. Blythe rolled her eyes and motioned to each guy in turn.

"Right okay so, the one in the middle is Sam Wilson. We met yesterday at Sippin' Tea Coffee House. He is also in the Air Force but oddly, we've never met. The one two his left is Steve Rogers. AKA Captain freaking America, enough said. And the other blonde is Clint Barton he also works for SHIELD and I'm surprised you too haven't met before but, whatever. What do I know at this point?" Kailey nodded along and nudged Blythe when she blushed at mentioning Clint.

"Well it's very nice to meet you all and I would have loved to stick around and chat but, I have a shit ton of paper work. So, I'm going to go chill on the couch, binge eat some Cheetos, and have Frozen playing in the background." She jumped down from the counter after downing her cocoa and practically sprinted to the living room. The rest of the inhabitants of the kitchen just stared at the empty space were she once stood, blinking numbly.

"Soooo, that was odd."

"Yep."

"Defintly!"

"You should see her when she's drunk..." they all nodded and turned back to their cups enjoying the calming silence. They were broken out of this calm state when a phone rang. Blythe looked up and sighed, picking up her iPhone from the granite counter. She answered her phone with annoyance in her eyes.

"Major, Blythe Jones." The men looked on with interest as the woman in front of them straightened up and went ridged. Her back stood straight and tall and her head was tilted up. The natural solider position. After a few moments of chatter from the other end her eyebrows drew together but she tightly responded.

"Yes, sir. Six o'clock sharp. Understood." She hung up the phone with a frown but, continued with her hot chocolate. She sipped the cooling drink with a thoughtful look. A few seconds later she shook her head and her eyes cleared.

"Are you guys hungry? I can make us some sandwiches if you'd like cause I don't know about you but I'm STARVING!" Sam chuckled and nodded.

"Sure. I could use a sandwich. " Clint shrugged and Steve agreed. Soon after they each had a sandwich in their hands and a glass of milk to go with. Steve looked mildly concerned at how fast Blythe ate two sandwiches and almost half of a bag of chips but quickly looked away when she glanced at him.

"So what. I like to eat. What's the big deal?" She laughed slightly at his panicked expression and waved her hand at him to calm him. "I'm just joking. But, I do eat a lot. Guys do it so, why can't I?" They all nodded along and proceeded to make a nice conversation that all parties enjoyed. An hour later the men departed her house dry and full of hot cocoa with huge smiles on their faces.