6:00 AM
Kate was asleep, dead asleep, and dreaming. It was something nice. She was back in New York. She was with Cassie. And Teddy was there too, maybe? The skyscrapers rose around them and the sounds and smells of the city brought her back home. Her feet hurt, she was running. From someone? After someone? Just for kicks? The details were hazy. But the setting was clear. New York. Cassie. Teddy, maybe. Skyscrapers. The smell of hotdogs and exhaust. The blaring of sirens and car horns. Her sore feet carrying her down the sidewalk. Her friends running beside her. Bed-Stuy. Laughter. Youth. Home.
But then it disappeared. Kate crinkled her nose and shut her eyes tight against the light as she tried to remember where she was. Venice Beach, California. Her apartment. Her bed. A wet nose poking her hand, then a tongue. Her dog was ready to get up and do stuff, like most mornings at ungodly hours. She groaned through her sleepy haze and yawned. She sat up in bed, and Lucky took that as an invitation to jump up onto her, licking her face.
“I get it, I get it. You want me to take you out.” She mumbled, her eyes fluttering open against the pale morning light. Ugh, what time was it? She groped around on her bedside table for her phone. 6:01 AM. “Really, Lucky? Six AM?” Kate moaned. Lucky whined. And then barked. Kate let her eyes shut again and sighed. Lucky didn't give up, though. Just as Kate began drifting off again, Lucky jammed his nose up under her chin.
“Alright. I get it. Gimme a sec, okay buddy?” She tried for a moment to remember the dream she'd been having, but it was already gone. She sighed, swung her legs out of bed, and stretched.
It had been a late night. Work. Arrows. Fisticuffs. Super-heroing. More Arrows. Success. Home. Beers. Pizza. Friends. Right, that's right. Her friends were in the living room, weren't they? That's where they always tended to be these days. And Kate didn't mind. She liked her new friends, a lot. They cared about her, and each other. It had been awhile since she'd had a group of people who were her people. They didn't replace the Young Avengers, or Clint and his cadre of disgruntled tennants. They were something new. And Kate liked it. She liked everything about her new situation, on the good days.
Kate stood up, lazily pulled on a pair of jean shorts from the floor and tied her hair up into a messy bun. Clint's old t-shirt that she'd worn to bed would be fine, for now. She was just getting up to walk the dog. It was her day off from super-heroing. So far, at least. God only knows what the day might bring. “Come on Lucky.” She said, still in her half-asleep zombie voice. “Help me find my boots.”
6:27 AM
“Morning, guys.” Kate yawned. Mikka blinked, shifting slightly. Quinn rolled over to hide his face. “Well, okay then.” Kate grumbled. She finished lacing up her boots and hooked Lucky up to his leash. Tiptoeing her way around the mess they had made of the living room last night, she opened the front door and stepped out into the chilly morning.
The sun was only half up and a pale, pleasant glow was settled over Venice Beach, casting the delicate shadows of palm trees on the pavement. Kate hated six AM with a passion, but, it was pretty. And the novelty of living on the beach hadn't worn off. God, would it ever? If Ramone and Johnny who'd spent their whole lives here and still lived and breathed California beach vibes were anything to go off of, it wouldn't.
Kate walked along the beach, Lucky happily trotting ahead of her, and she tried to enjoy the only part of the day without temperatures in the hundreds. The sun rising over the hills. The sound of sand crunching under her feet. The smell of the ocean. Just being out here with her dog in Venice goddamn Beach. It wasn't bad, was it? She could really make a life out here.
Her pocket buzzed. She didn't stop walking as she fished out the phone and glanced at the screen. It was a video call, not a skype call, but a call from the special videophone Clint had in his apartment now. He could use the phone with his hearing aids, but it was difficult. Kate was putting in her best effort to learn ASL, so even though he could connect to an interpreter, he never did. Kate could see that her learning to sign meant a lot to Clint.
“Hey.” She said, as she signed, holding her phone out with her left hand.
“Hey, Katie. It's me, it's uh, it's your--Clint. It's Clint.” He also used his voice along with signs, knowing Kate wasn't anywhere near fluent. He looked half awake and as disheveled as usual, and was clearly a little out of it if he thought he needed to clarify who he was. Ugh. Dummy.
“I know. I can see you, genius.” She didn't know how to sign all that. It came out as I know. See you.
“Oh yeah, uh, right.”
“Whats up?”
“Huh?”
“You rang?” You call me?
“I’unno.” He shrugged. “Just wanted to check in. On Lucky. And you. See how your doing.” Despite looking barely conscious, his signing was fast and smooth, he was picking it back up fast.
Kate smiled a little. “We're good, Clint. I'm taking Lucky for a walk right now. Little asshole woke me up super early, so now here I am.” Ugh. Learning a new language was hard. Good, take L-u-c-k-y for walk now, asshole wake me.
“Hey, don't go calling my dog an asshole.”
“Okay. Well, then, you walk him at the crack of dawn, why don't ya. Position is open.” She didn't sign that, and hoped he'd read her lips okay. It was all of a sudden so hard to talk to her best friend. She knew she needed to do better.
“Okay, okay.” Clint laughed a little, question answered. Silence hung there for a moment. There had to be more. Did he really just call her up to ask about the dog? Possibly. Most conversations between them went like this, these days. Kate hated it. She missed what they used to have. This incredible closeness. But things changed. Mishaps hap’d. Clint was Clint. Clint lost his hearing. Words were exchanged. Project Communion had driven a wedge between them, and even though that whole debacle had worked out okay in the end, it was still awkward. They both obviously wanted things to go back to the way they were. But, Clint needed to figure his shit out. Kate needed to find her way on her own. Maybe that's why he was calling.
“I miss you, Katie.” He said.
“You too, Clint.” She signed and spoke, surprised at the waiver in her voice but glad he couldn't hear it. Despite it all, Clint was her best friend. Her brother. She always worried about him. How could she not?
He sighed. “I didn't just call to ask 'bout Lucky.”
Kate placed the tips of her fingers to the side of her temple, I know.
“I'm working on it...on me. I am.”
7:04 AM
“I return! And with coffee!” Kate bellowed as she stepped through the doorway of her apartment, trying to juggle the carboard cupholder in one hand and unhitch Lucky from his leash with the other. Her friends were awake now. Mikka and Ramone lounged on the couch, still under their blanket. The boys sitting at the counter. Tired looks all around.
“Halle-fucking-lujah.” Ramone grumbled, half awake as Lucky made a b-line for her and curled up on the couch.
“Here,” Kate said, setting the coffee down on the kitchen counter. “Come and get it.”
“You're a saint.” Johnny yawned, popping the lid off of one of the cups and stirring in sugar.
“Yeah, well, I try.” Kate shrugged. She took a sip of her own coffee and sat down at the counter. The coffee wasn't exactly hot anymore. More like warm. She'd walked far from home as she talked to Clint, getting lost in the conversation, picking up new signs, forgetting that she wasn't back in Bed-Stuy. He was doing better, working on himself. She was building a life out here in California. And they were both happy for each other. And though almost everything had changed and things were still awkward, she was happy to find that talking to Clint was still easy as ever, once they got through the bullshit, and the language barriers.
“Jesus.” Ramone flinched as she stood up and trudged over to the counter. “My whole body feels like actual trash. Anyone else feeling like they got hit by a truck?”
“Do you mean in a hangover way or in a post-sidekicking way?” Quinn asked.
“Ugh. Yes.” Ramone groaned.
“That's not a real answer.”
“Speaking of superheroing and sidekicking. What's on the agenda today?” Mikka asked, following her girlfriend to the kitchen.
“Nothing. We're between cases. Day off.” Kate said.
“Someone please knock on wood.” Ramone mumbled under her breath.
“Uh, Ramone, you don't actually have the day off. Did you forget that you're a business owner, or…” Johnny taunted.
“Shit. That's right. My store. What time is it?”
“'Bout seven.” Kate answered.
“Pshh. I don't have to open 'til eleven. I got time.”
“Good.” Kate said. “Because if we're all going to be up this early we should probably be eating pancakes. You guys game?”
“Why do you need to ask? I'm always game for breakfast foods.” Johnny said, downing the last of his coffee and slamming the empty cardboard cup down on the linoleum counter with a hollow thud.
“Mikka? Ramone? Quinn?”
“You buying, Hawkeye?” Ramone raised an eyebrow.
“Why not. Maybe I can convince the waitress to give me the superheroes discount.” Kate said, getting up off of her barstool and fishing her keyes from her pocket.
“I'd like to see you try that.” Mikka snorted as she shrugged on her jacket and headed for the front door.
“I have seen her try that.” Johnny laughed. “Trust me, it's gold.” Kate rolled her eyes and smiled. Her new friends were idiots. Her kind of idiots. And she loved that.
“Yeah, yeah. Okay, smartasses. T-bird's parked around the corner. Let's go get us some breakfast food.”