In a deserted burger joint in the suburbs of New York, Home was sipping Coke through a straw, watching Daisy, who sat opposite him, frowning as she chewed the burger with a sad expression.
"Does it taste bad? From the look on your face, that burger doesn't seem very appetizing."
At this, Daisy raised her eyes and glared at Home, who seemed to be gloating over her misfortune. She finally gave up chewing and spat the burger into the napkin.
"I've never had such a terrible burger. I can't imagine how this place has survived. The bread had no flavor at all, as if it had been left out for days. The beef was as hard as the sole of a shoe. I chewed it for ages but couldn't break it down. As for the cheese and sauce, I had no idea cheese could taste like that."
Hearing Daisy's description of the unappetizing burger, Home curled the corners of his mouth and happily set the Coke down on the table.
Fortunately, he had been cautious and hadn't ordered any food after seeing the state of the restaurant. Otherwise, he would have been the one stuck with the bland meal.
Though the Coke in his hand didn't taste great and obviously lacked carbonation, it wasn't terrible. He could just treat it as sugar water.
"Maybe you should become a food critic. Your descriptions are so vivid, it's as if I've eaten it myself. Actually, that's not quite right. It's more like I didn't eat it, but it feels like I did, hahaha."
Home smiled and pushed another cup of Coke toward Daisy, signaling that she could use it to wash out the taste.
"Humph! You're such a sly guy. You just ordered a Coke and then watched me suffer and make a fool of myself here!" Daisy said indignantly as she grabbed the Coke.
"I ordered a little extra for you when I ordered the food, but now it's all gone to waste."
"I'm so pissed, and you're still gloating about my misfortune," Daisy said as she took a deep sip of the Coke, hoping to soothe her wounded soul.
The next moment, she sprayed all the Coke from her mouth.
"Pfftt! Cough, cough, cough! What is this?! Why does it taste so awful?"
Daisy looked at the Coke logo on the cup, starting to question her life choices.
Across from her, Holm slowly set down the plate still dripping with Coke, knocked on the table, and said helplessly, "The Coke sprayed on me, and you didn't even ask."
"If I hadn't been quick enough, I'd have been bathed in it and couldn't face anyone."
Hearing Holm's words, Daisy raised her eyes and said angrily, "How dare you say that? You know how awful it is, yet you still let me drink it. You clearly wanted to make me look bad."
"It's fine if you prank me, but now you're blaming me for it. You blocked the spray, and now you're still complaining? You're really going too far."
Daisy didn't give Holm the chance to trick her and directly called out his intentions.
Their relationship had grown more harmonious over time, and their true personalities had emerged.
Like the prank just now—Daisy would never have expected that Holm, who had always been cold to her, would do something like that.
She also never would have been as active as she was now. Holm was deeply impressed by how much more lively she had become, compared to the tense, cold, and unapproachable look she had before.
"What a waste of ingredients. This chef is so cruel, wasting so many good things. And I was hoping to fill my stomach, but after paying for this, my stomach is still empty."
After accusing Holm of his unscrupulous behavior, Daisy looked regretfully at the burger set, which looked even worse after being drenched in cola rain. She also touched her stomach.
"Here, have a piece of chocolate." Seeing Daisy's pitiful look, Holm stopped teasing her, took a piece of chocolate from his pocket, and handed it to her.
"Hmph! Even if you give me chocolate, I won't forgive you." Daisy took the chocolate and said with a snort.
Seeing this, Holm pretended to be regretful and said, "Ah, I see. What a shame. I was planning to take you to a nice restaurant after this to make up for today's regrets. Well, since you won't forgive me, I guess I'll cancel the plan. That shop has burgers too, and their double patty cheeseburger is amazing. The patty is tender and juicy, and the bun is crispy and soft."
When Daisy heard what Holm said, the image of a perfect double-patty cheeseburger immediately appeared in her mind.
As she thought about it, her mouth began to water and her stomach grumbled slightly.
"Hehe, well, forget it. I won't bother with you. Since you gave me the chocolate, I'll generously forgive you this time." Daisy looked at Holm while stuffing a piece of chocolate into her mouth and chewing it.
Hearing Daisy's words, Holm pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, really? That's great!"
"So, about the burger place," Daisy hesitated.
"What burger place? Do you want another burger? I'll go order one for you," Holm said, standing up to go to the counter.
"You bastard!" Daisy couldn't stand Holm's teasing any longer, so she stood up, ready to teach him a lesson.
"Hahaha, just kidding. I will definitely take you there later. It's my treat," Holm sat back down with a smile.
Teasing Daisy every day was really fun, and it added color to his life as an agent.
"Hmph! I'll let you go for now." Considering the burger and Holm's treat, Daisy decided to forgive him for the time being.
Then she started asking Holm about the restaurant's specialties, as if preparing for a big meal.
At that moment, Holm finally became serious and began to introduce her to the special dishes he usually ordered when he went to that restaurant.
Meanwhile, in a parking lot not far from the burger joint, in a black car, Coulson sat in the back seat, watching the chat screen and various data between Daisy and Holm displayed on the screen in front of him. He then spoke to the person on the other side of the screen.
"The monitoring data is normal; there are no abnormalities."
"Home Clint's condition is very stable. It seems the thing on him didn't affect him. In fact, it seems to have improved his combat abilities and granted him some special powers."
After Coulson finished speaking, a deep voice came from the screen.
"This is good news. I'll leave it to you. Train him well."
Hearing the low voice's reply, Coulson nodded with a smile and said, "I understand."