Chatpter LX

"That's my Spider-Girl! That's my Cinders!"

"Clint?"

There in all his purple-hoodied-dark-sunglasses-glory, stood Clint Barton. "I knew this was going to be awesome!" he gushed, jogging forward to greet them.

"You knew about this?" Grace gasped.

"Only because I spied on your "girl time" through the vents," he confessed. "but I swear I didn't say anything to the guys."

"And we can trust your word on this because…..?" Nat asked.

"Who do you think arranged for all of them to be at SHIELD this morning?" he answered. "Believe me, it was not easy."

"You did that for us?" Grace asked, amazed.

"Sure," he shrugged. "I knew this was important to you and for you." The next thing he knew, he had an armful of white feathers and tutu latching itself around his neck.

"Thank you, Clint!"

"No problem, Cinders," he chuckled.

"You're lucky you actually helped us." Nat's threat held no bite.

"What do you take me for, Nat?" Clint asked, pretending to be offended, "Of course I helped! Now, let's get you three back before the guys all return to the Tower."

The male Avengers returned to Tower a few hours later to find Wanda, Nat, and Grace in the common floor livingroom discussing nail colors with at least a dozen bottles of nail polish on the coffee table.

"What's going on here?" Tony asked, using his finger to circle the scene in front of him.

"What does it look like, Stark?" Nat countered with a coy tilt of her head.

"When you, Black Widow, willingly participate in something this innocently girlish, I know something's up."

"Ooooorrrr maybe I just wanted a manicure?" she replied. "Which one do you think, Grace?" She held up two bottles of red nail polish. "Crimson Tides or Bloody Mary?"

Grace eyed them closely. "I like the shimmer in Crimson Tides."

"Wanda?"

The "witch" held up a black polish with red shimmer in it. "I think you should go for Assassin."

Nat considered it. "I'm saving that one for a special occasion."

"I know you are hiding something," Tony interjected. " and I'm gonna find out what it is."

"Just leave the ladies be, Tony," Steve sighed. "If they wanna do their nails in the living room, so be it."

"That's just it!" Tony turned to the supersoldier. "When was the last time you remember Nat pulling out all this into the living room instead of just doing it on her floor?"

"I'ma stay out of this," Sam shrugged. "There's still some of those oatmeal raisin circles of goodness in here, right?" he asked, pointing toward the kitchen. "Or did Barton eat them all."

"There were a few left last time I checked," Grace answered.

"Yes!" Sam made a dash for the kitchen.

"Aaannnddd that's my cue to leave," Clint muttered as he headed for the elevator.

"Why?" Nat asked.

"There aren't any cookies left."

"CLINT BARTON! I'MA TRACK YOU DOWN, MAN! NO DUCTWORK WILL BE TOO DARK OR TOO FAR FOR ME TO FIND YOU! VENGEANCE. WILL. BE. MIINNNNEEE!"

"See ya, ladies!" Clint saluted as the door closed over him. Sam came tearing through the living room.

"Where is he?! Where did that birdbrain, go?!"

Bucky just pointed to the elevator. Wanda, Nat, and Grace rolled their eyes and continued to paint their nails.

"Which color are you doing, Kokhana*?" Pietro flipped over the edge of the couch and landed next to Grace. "Clear? But that's so boring!"

"But it has sparkles in it!" Grace argued, moving her fingers so the tiny flecks of glitter caught the light. "I've never seen polish like this before!"

"Clear, white, pink, and red was about there was back before the war," Steve explained when Pietro gave him the "Is she for real?" face.

Bucky rested his arms on the back of the sofa and looked over her shoulder. "I like it. It's subtle, but definitely there."

"It's called 'Unicorn Sparkles'," Grace grinned. "Can you imagine what people would have said if I had worn this to the work?"

"You worked before the war?" Wanda asked.

"Yep, dressmakers shop."

Bucky chuckled. "Some of those bolts of fabric weighed more than you did."

"What wouldn't take much, no?" Pietro asked. At Bucky's look, he sputtered. "What? She's like a pixie!"

"He's got a point, Barnes, "Nat commented absently as she blew on her now Crimson Tide colored nails.

"See?" Pietro grinned. "She is like…..What was the little light in Peter Pan's name?"

"You mean the fairy?" Steve asked. "Tinker Bell?"

"Yes! That's it! Kokhana* is a living Tinker Bell!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes! You are small, blonde, blue-eyed, and, sometimes feisty," Pietro ticked off her qualifications on his fingers. "You are Tinker Bell."

"But I can't fly."

"Easy fix. Borrow Sam's Falcon Wings. You know he will let you if you ask."

"I doubt it," Grace replied. "He guards those things with his life."

"Trust me, he would let you."

"Why would he let me?"

Luckily, Grace could not see the dark look Bucky was shooting Pietro with every word that came out of the Sokovian's mouth. However, Wanda did see it.

"Piet, it's time for you to stop talking now."

"You know….you always ask to nicely, Kokhana."

"Pietro. Stop. Talking."

Pietro finally noticed Bucky's death glare. "Aaannddd now I stop talking."

"Did I miss something?" Grace asked in confusion.

"Nothing worth mentioning, sweetie," Nat smirked.


*Kokhana - sweetheart in Ukrainian