Work Text:
“these taste different,” Clint said suspiciously, taking another bite immediately anyway. “Different?”
“Yeah, like. I dunno. Different.”
Phil reached over and broke off part of the scone in Clint’s hand and popped it in his mouth. “Tastes the same to me.”
Clint frowned at him for the theft of a bite of scone despite the tray full of them sitting on the counter. He shrugged and finished it off. When he reached for another, Phil smacked his hand away. “Hey! You made a million of them!”
“You can have one later when they’re cool.”
Clint pouted. “Why do the new recruits get scones anyway?”
“Makes them feel at home,” Phil replied simply.
“Right. Cause nanobots are so down-home.”
Phil rolled his eyes. “Nanoparticles,” he muttered and turned back to the cupboard to find some icing sugar. Clint took the opportunity to steal another scone but was caught rearranging the remaining ones to cover up the gap. He stuck his nose in the air and took a bite anyway and Phil laughed as he rifled through another cupboard for a sieve.
“Seriously, Phil, these taste different.”
“Well they haven’t been dusted with icing sugar yet.”
Clint shook his head. “That’s not it. The other ones were... sharper? Did you change the recipe?”
“Maybe it’s just cause they’re warm.”
Clint ignored him in favour of chewing and trying to work out the difference to what he remembered tasting the last half-dozen times he’d eaten Phil’s scones.
“If I let you have another one will you get out of my kitchen?”
“Sure,” Clint answered. “That’s a good deal any day.”
Phil had made twice as many as he needed for work because he knew Clint would eat at least half of them by the time he managed to actually get them in place for their proper purpose. Most people ignored them anyway - too nervous or excited to be able to stomach a stodgy scone. But they engendered trust and faith and even though Clint laughed at it, they did make people feel at home. Something so obviously homemade in such an unlikely setting was something for people to focus on. They just made Phil even more trustworthy. ‘Try the scones!’
But he’d have to change the recipe. Figure out something stronger flavoured. The fact that once they were at HQ they’d be laced with a concoction of chemicals that had people readily agreeing to do just about anything was something Phil hadn’t shared with Clint. The fact that he was dating him at all was a miracle. If Clint suspected Phil of fucking with his mind even more than he already had, well, it wouldn’t be over, but it would have to start from scratch. Again.