Chapter 58: What's beneath the mask?
Kakashi materialized in SHIELD's New York headquarters, the Kamui swirl fading as he stepped into the corridors.
The Shield Agents were surprised. Some had their weapons out while some were in their combat stances.
Kakashi looked at them non chalantly and started walking to his destination with a novel in his hand.
The Shield Agents relaxed seeing that it was the weirdo with superpowers who had joined Shield just months back. He was known as the pervert who always read Playboy magazines.
Kakashi carried a small vial of blood samples—Thor's and the other Asgardians', collected during the Puente Antiguo battle.
Coulson had ordered it to bring it to the Shield Lab. He would also be having no mission today.
'Weird day.' Kakashi thought
Coulson met him outside the lab, his eyes flicking to the novel. "Good to see you, Agent Hound. Reading a novel this time? Glad you ditched the Playboy. Director Fury's been griping you focus more on magazines than missions."
Kakashi kept his nose in the book, his voice lazy. "It's a good story. I would recommend it to you."
Coulson's thoughts were amused but quickly became exasperated as he glanced at the novel's title, 'He Touched My Wi-Fi and Then My Heart', and resisted the urge to facepalm.
'Yeah, a man of culture will always be a man of culture. This guy's gonna give the director an aneurysm someday.'
"This way," he said, leading Kakashi into the lab.
Inside, a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes worked at a console, surrounded by equipment. She didn't notice them, too focused on her screens. Coulson coughed to get her attention. "Dr. Simmons."
She turned, startled. "Oh, Sir Coulson." Her eyes landed on Kakashi, and a bright smile spread across her face. "And you brought the talk of SHIELD! Agent Hound, I'm quite a fan of your abilities."
Kakashi ignored her and continued reading the novel.
Simmons stepped closer, her thoughts buzzing with curiosity.
"You… certainly have a gorgeous head, don't you? I like men taller than me with better hair. You qualify."
She plucked a hair from his head with tweezers, her movements quick. Kakashi didn't flinch, letting her do it.
'She's bold. I will give her that.'
"I'd love to study why your hair defies gravity," Simmons said, her voice eager.
'Is it genetic? or because of what he calls Chakra? I need samples!'
Coulson looked embarrassed, his thoughts apologetic. 'Simmons, tone it down.' he said internally.
"Dr. Simmons has two PhDs in biochemistry, earned by 17. Graduated as one of SHIELD Academy's youngest due to her intellect. She's gifted in biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physics—you name it."
Coulson phone started buzzing. "Ah, I would leave you to it Hound. You don't have any missions for today."
He left saying that and Kakashi knew definitely something war wrong.
'Fury not giving me any work, either his dirty evil heart has crumbled or the world is ending. I don't like either options.'
"Deposit the Asgardian blood samples there," Dr.Simmons said, pointing to a tray.
"I'd dive into them—alien gods, so exciting—but I'm busy with another patient."
The patient walked in, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Kakashi glanced up, recognizing Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. His eye flicked back to his novel.
'Of course she's here when I am here. Fury's up to something.'
Natasha's thoughts were sharp, her eyes sizing him up. "You know," she said, her voice smooth, "I've been curious about you since you kicked my butt and brought me in."
Kakashi's tone was nonchalant. "You should be thankful Clint was there, or we wouldn't be talking."
Natasha's lips curved, 'He's blunt. I like that.'
"Oh, I'm thankful to Clint, alright. But I'm also grateful to you for showing me there are people who could take me down effortlessly. I was heading down a dark path before SHIELD."
Kakashi grunted, his eyes on his book. 'Grateful, huh? Sure.' His thoughts were skeptical. 'Fury probably sent her to poke around. Typical spy move. He probably wants to know what more I am hiding after keeping my teleportation a secret from him.'
Natasha leaned closer, her voice teasing. "You hide behind a mask and read smut in public. Is that supposed to be mysterious, or are you just craving attention?"
Kakashi's gave her a lazy look, "Both."
Natasha's thoughts sparked with challenge. 'He's playing hard to get. Fine, I'll bite.'
"Mm, good. I like men who make me work for answers." Her hand brushed his masked face, tugging lightly. "But I'd still find out what's under the mask."
Kakashi's voice was flat. "What makes you think I'd give in?"
Her smirk widened, her fingers inching toward his mask. "Because you've looked at my legs twice, and I haven't even crossed them yet."
Kakashi's thoughts were dry.
'Seriously, Coulson, no mission today? Fury wouldn't let me sit still, and now I have a beautiful chick trying to flirt me to show my face.'
He caught her hand, then swiftly grabbed her other as it darted for his mask. He twisted both hands behind her back, making her grunt in pain.
Natasha's voice was amused despite the pain. "So, you're fast, precise, and good with your hands… You really expect me not to be curious?"
Kakashi's voice was calm. "I'm just a shinobi doing his duty."
She smiled, undeterred. "And I'm just a spy doing mine. But I think we could help each other… debrief."
"I've read a file or two on you, Copy Ninja, but I like field work. So, tell me—what are you like off-duty?"
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Dangerous."
Natasha's smile widened,"I like dangerous."
'He's a challenge. But since Fury wants intel from him, and I'll get it from him—one way or another. He is a man after all and I was not kidding when I said he looked at my legs twice. Not that anyone could resist looking at them. I wore my best shorts after all.' Natasha thought
Simmons, watching the exchange, whistled. "You both have a spark out there, but I'll have to write a complaint to Director Fury if my lab becomes collateral due to a fight erupting between you two. So please keep it professional, people."
--------Author Notes---------
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