MHA #10- Monday evening

[throughaphase]

Sometimes you just needed a quiet night in, and "sometimes" was apparently tonight. As she waited for Clint to show for movie night, Kitty was busying herself with making sure there was a decent selection of things to choose from.

Which was how she decided that she really needed to end this little habit of putting discs in whatever case she felt like at the time, because now she had to figure out what was where real quick. Hopefully he didn't mind that the coffee table had a couple stacks of things she was totally going to have to worry about putting away later.


[For the boy and his dog.]

Comments

[so_hawkward]

After the hassle of taking Lucky to the mainland for a checkup - which, admittedly, had resulted in him being much less bandaged than he'd been for the past few weeks - Clint was ready for a quiet night too. He made his way to Kitty's apartment with Lucky's leash in one hand, and a pizza box in the other, using the box to knock a few times on the door.

[throughaphase]

Kitty got up from where she'd been kneeling next to the coffee table, going to open the door for him. "You're here! And you brought two of my favorite things!"

[so_hawkward]

"She means me and the pizza," Clint said to Lucky. "Or maybe the two of us, which means more pizza for you."

Lucky barked happily, because he won either way really.

[throughaphase]

"He's looking better," she smiled, leaning up to kiss Clint before letting them in. First things first.

[so_hawkward]

Yes, kissing was definitely a priority, and Clint was happy to kiss her back before heading inside. "He's doing a lot better. I guess I'm doing something right after all."

[throughaphase]

"Of course you are," she said, closing the door behind him and then bending to pet Lucky, because he was in fact the best dog ever. "Sorry about any mess. My disorganized, invisible, totally not made up at all roommate did it."

[so_hawkward]

"Oh yeah, your mess is so terrible compared to the pristine state of my place," Clint said sarcastically. "Honestly, Kitty, it's fine."

[throughaphase]

"You say that now, but just wait until we're watching movies over the towers of DVD cases," she teased and nodded towards the pizza. "Want me to take that?"

[so_hawkward]

"Sure," Clint said, offering her the box and looking at the assortment of DVDs. "There's nothing wrong with having a wide selection of entertainment to choose from. Not having it all crazy organized is probably a good sign."

[throughaphase]

"What about if they're all in the wrong cases?" Kitty asked, taking the box into the kitchen. "Does that do anything for you?"

[so_hawkward]

"Did you deliberately mix them up, or did you do that thing where you take a DVD out and put it in the case of whatever movie you're putting in, and promise yourself you'll straighten it out later?" Clint asked, sitting down and watching Kitty walk away. It was a view he rather liked.

[throughaphase]

"Second thing," she called, getting out the plates. "Though I think it says something about the progress of our relationship that I admit this now instead of just shoving it all into the closet."

Not that she'd ever done that, noooo.

[so_hawkward]

Ooh progress, Clint liked that word. "I don't think any less of you, if that's what you're worried about," he called back. "And I won't shove all my stuff in the closet the next time you come over either." That was only fair, right?

[throughaphase]

"...Do you do that?" she asked. "Also, does he get s plate? I don't know how you do this."

[so_hawkward]

"Um, I only occasionally do that?" Clint said uncertainly. It seemed like there was a right answer there, and he wasn't sure if he'd gotten it. "And Lucky can just eat from my plate." He wasn't quite spoiled enough for his own plate yet.

[throughaphase]

Oh, Kitty would make sure Lucky got spoiled. But tonight she was just coming back over with two plates. "I'm the one who first admitted to hiding the messy stuff," she said, smiling. "I'm not gonna judge."

[so_hawkward]

"It makes sense to not want to look like you're a mess in front of someone you're just getting to know," Clint said with a shrug. He took one of the plates so she could sit down, and immediately held it up as Lucky tried to climb up next to him. "Aaaah no, sit," he said quickly, motioning too. "I swear, he's not starving, he's just gonna act like it."

[throughaphase]

"I'm pretty sure that's hardwired into his genetic makeup," Kitty said, smiling as she sat down. "Like he doesn't totally know he's getting some to share."

[so_hawkward]

"It's like he thinks he'll get more if he looks especially adorable." Which wasn't at all true, really. "I guess I can't complain though, considering how close he came to not being here."

[throughaphase]

"And being an awesome Clint-saving superdog, he really does deserve rewards," Kitty nodded.

See, Clint, when your girlfriend did spoil your dog, now you had your reason why.

[so_hawkward]

"In my defense I haven't gotten into trouble in a good couple of weeks," Clint said, tearing off a piece of pizza and holding it out for Lucky to snatch. "So I haven't needed any more rescuing."

[throughaphase]

"Which I know I prefer, personally," Kitty said, smiling as she watched. Shh, it was cute.

[so_hawkward]

Clint was focused on making sure Lucky ate the pizza, and not his fingers, so it took him a minute to realize they were being watched. "I know, I shouldn't be giving him people food, but this is what he likes."

[throughaphase]

"If he can eat it, I don't see a problem with it. I'm sure there's stuff Lockheed shouldn't eat that he does anyway," she said. Though to be fair, they didn't make alien dragon kibble. "Besides, this is kind of adorable."

[so_hawkward]

"Are you comparing my adorable dog to your slightly terrifying dragon?" It didn't make him sound quite as intimidated to use 'slightly' right?

[throughaphase]

"My dragon is cuddly," Kitty pointed out.

To Kitty. He was cuddly to Kitty.

[so_hawkward]

"I think if I'd attempted to cuddle Lockheed, I would have gotten something bitten off," Clint said. "I mean, he's a good guard dragon and I can't complain about that, but Lucky certainly wouldn't bite you."

Unless Kitty tasted like pizza, but that wasn't likely to happen, unless the island got funny again.

[throughaphase]

"Lockheed wouldn't bite anyone," she assured him. "He's good in a fight, but he's really tame. He and Lucky would probably get along, too."

As long as Kitty wasn't overly cuddly with Lucky, anyway.

[so_hawkward]

"Well, no meeting the fire-breathing potential buddy until Lucky's completely fixed--which reminds me of what we have to do the next time we go to the vet," Clint said, giving Lucky some more pizza as a preemptive apology.

[throughaphase]

"Oh no. Poor guy. He gets extra pizza after that," she said. "I just decided."

[so_hawkward]

"You're going to spoil him worse than I am. One of us has to be the mean one here, right?" Clint asked.

[throughaphase]

"Well, it can't be me," Kitty insisted. "How could I be mean to the face of the dog who bites bad guys for my boyfriend? It isn't possible."

[so_hawkward]

Clint smiled softly at Kitty. "I guess I shouldn't be mean about Lockheed either then, huh? For similar reasons?"

[throughaphase]

"Yes. Also because I don't know how anyone could be mean about Lockheed." Because Lockheed was only mean to non-Peter boyfriends.

[so_hawkward]

"He was kind of cute in that smaller-than-expected animal kind of way," Clint said, because he didn't want to get Kitty mad at him or anything.

[throughaphase]

"He is," she agreed. "I don't know that you really got enough time to bond with him. Maybe next time."

Because who wouldn't want time with a shoulder dragon?

[so_hawkward]

Ah, of course there would be a next time. Clint couldn't be that lucky, clearly. "Do you know when next time might be?" he asked, actually taking some of his pizza for himself.

[throughaphase]

"Not sure," Kitty said thoughtfully. "Depends on what he's up to, but knowing him, he'll meet me back home for Hanukkah. In case you wanted to come along."

[so_hawkward]

Hanukkah meant holidays, which meant time with family, and for a moment, all Clint could do was be surprised that she'd even asked, like it wasn't a big deal. "I'd like to come, sure," he said, trying to sound casual too. "That's the one with all the candles and the dreidel and everything, right?"

[throughaphase]

"Yeah, that one." And her smile here might have been a little relieved, since she apparently hadn't just made things weird. "It's just me and Mom now, so it's not as big a deal as it used to be, but it's still nice to go for a few days."

[so_hawkward]

"You'll have to give me some hints for making sure your mom likes me," Clint said. Meeting parents wasn't a point he usually got to. "I mean, I can just be my charming self, but..."

[throughaphase]

"That's all you've gotta do," Kitty assured him. "And don't seem too bothered if she tries to stare you down. I think it's a mom thing."

[so_hawkward]

"So she's kind of protective? I can understand that." Clint wasn't sure if he should say he felt that way about Kitty, but he understood the sentiment nonetheless.

[throughaphase]

That did get a little smile out of her. "She can be. And I've kind of never brought a guy home before," she admitted.

[so_hawkward]

"I've kind of never met a mom before. Of someone I was dating, I mean. I guess it'll be a holiday of firsts then." And somehow, Clint was really, genuinely okay with that.

[throughaphase]

Kitty hadn't really thought she'd get to be Clint's first anything, so if her smile got bigger, well. "Now I can't wait."