Who Needs Powers?

Chapter 13: You're Gonna Get It!

Clint was still trying very hard to be impressive for Wanda.

It was honestly endearing, and it was obvious Wanda was trying to build up his confidence without destroying him by pointing out that she had Kurt's phone number and had been talking with him every night, but Katie wasn't nearly as subtle as that and kept singing "Clint and Wanda sitting in a tree!" at the top of her lungs.

When Clint looked like he was going to turn almost as purple as his tee shirt, Steve finally decided to step in and offered to take Katie out for breakfast — freeing up Logan and K to spend the morning together while Clint tried to convince Wanda to run a sim with him or listen to a story about how he'd stabbed Sabretooth in the heart one time...

Katie was making a face as she headed out with Steve. "He's so weird," she said fervently. "She's a grown-up."

"Yeah," Steve said in a sigh, at a complete loss as to how to explain this to her. "Boys are just ... like that sometimes."

"But she's a grown-up," Katie said. "That's weird. Grown-ups are for getting piggyback rides and playing games and stuff."

"True," he agreed. "But he thinks he's a lot bigger than he is."

"Yeah, but I see'd her and Kurt yesterday, and it wasn't even a Saturday, so I know they're kissin'," Katie said.

Steve tried and failed to hide the laugh. "You're not wrong."

"My other brother is like this too," she said, tipping her head back as they walked down the street together. "He gets all gooey, and it's so weird. And Susie goes gooey over him. Everyone has lost their minds!" She threw her hands up to illustrate her frustration. "At least I got Rachel back home. She plays with me."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Steve said, trying not to laugh at such a serious problem. "You sure you're going to be okay leaving them alone while we get some fresh air?"

"Good riddance," Katie sniffed in a very good impersonation of her mom being silly.

Steve shook his head and let her pick their breakfast spot, quietly blending in with the crowd. Katie, of course, wanted anyplace that looked like it had the fluffiest pancakes, so they wound up in a cute little restaurant that had a few different flavors of syrup that Katie wanted to try, pouring a veritable lake of syrup on each individual pancake with a look of intense concentration that had the waitress laughing and offering to bring several wipes out for Steve when they were done with breakfast.

Of course, Steve couldn't have expected for Katie to finish her pancakes and then lean across the table, sticky hands holding her up to get closer. "The gooey followed us," she whispered urgently. "There's some ladies making Clint-face at you."

"Too bad for them I'm here with you, then," Steve said, chuckling to himself.

Katie grinned crookedly and took the wipe that Steve offered her to at least try and start to clean herself up. "That's why you're my second-favorite 'Venger."

"Just second, huh?"

"Mmhm. I still like Wasp best," Katie said. "She helped me sneak up on Tony yesterday and she helps me tease Clint and also I like her costume."

"Of course you do," Steve said as he got up and paid for their tab. "So, sticky fingers ... do you want to go back now and shove your hands in Clint's face — or did you have something else you wanted to do first?"

"Oh, well, I was gonna ask if we could go see the big lady with the fire in her hands, but now I wanna get Clint sticky."

Steve shrugged up one shoulder, looking across the street as he thought about it. "We can always get you an ice cream sundae on the way back if you need to get more sticky."