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Chapter Text

"Is that Barton?" Tony asks more to himself than Pepper. She stops talking and follows Tony's gaze. "Seems-" she begins to say, turning away and resuming her previous topic of conversation. "Who's that man with him?" Tony asks, blinking at Pepper in surprise as she puts her hand on his.

"Don't do that," she smiles gently but decisively. "Don't what?" asks Tony, knowing exactly what she's referring to. "Poking your nose in other people's business," she says, in a tone used by a mother trying to stop her child from burning her hand on the stove. Tony nods in resignation and turns his attention to Pepper, who squeezes his hand in thanks.

The thing is, his brain doesn't work that way.

Since the whole New York incident, he has only seen Barton a few times, and they've only been brief moments. Barton picked Natasha up from the Avengers Tower a couple of times, or stayed the night, but then disappeared pretty quickly. A few times, he also saw Barton at Shield. However, there was never time for a conversation.

Seeing Barton here, with an unknown person, gets the cogs in his head spinning wildly. It could be a Shield Mission, he thinks, taking a closer look at Barton. He is wearing a dark t-shirt that is purple in color. He is wearing a simple jacket and plain black jeans. Tony only knows him in shield gear. He can only see the man from behind. Black hair is neatly combed back and the white and gray jacket is draped over the chair, revealing a blue-colored long-sleeved shirt.

But if it's an undercover mission, normal clothes are of course more inconspicuous. Tony watches the other table while listening to Pepper. "He's smiling," Tony suddenly states, sounding surprised. He wonders if he's ever seen Barton smile. "Crazy," Pepper says amusedly and sips her wine. "You do realize that everyone smiles from time to time?" she asks and Tony hears the slight mockery.

"I'm just saying. It's-" "How many times have you seen him? seven times? How many conversations did you have? Not enough. Maybe he's reticent.” Tony makes a noise of agreement. "Maybe I should say hello," Tony muses. "Maybe you shouldn't do it," Pepper contradicts with a touch of emphasis. "You're right. Also, this is our first date night in ages."

"Thank you," Pepper smiles softly.

"Was everything to your satisfaction?" asks the waiter. “The fish was really excellent. Please give the chef my compliments,” Pepper explains as the waiter begins to collect the dishes. "I will ma'am. Anything else?” “The cherry panna cotta sounds delicious. Tony do we share it?”. Tony nods while looking back at Barton's table. They're still on the main course and Tony doesn't know what they're doing here. They don't look around and if Tony learned anything from spy movies it's that undercover spies look around and sometimes get up to check on the situation.

"Tony," Pepper says, touching his hand again. "Yeah," says Tony, just knowing he'll be sharing dessert with her. "Very good," the waiter smiles and then disappears with the dishes. Pepper pours himself wine from the bottle left there. "It's rude to stare at people," she says reprovingly. "I'm not staring-" Tony defends himself. "I collect information".

"That doesn't make it any better," Pepper says, still in a reproachful tone. Tony pouts and takes a sip from his own glass. "I'm going to powder my nose for a minute-" Pepper begins to say, standing up. "don't do anything stupid while I'm gone". She puts a hand on his shoulder as she passes and Tony nods in agreement. He waits until Pepper disappears from his field of view.

He will only briefly say hello to a colleague. Are we colleagues? Tony wonders as he approaches. We saved the world together and according to Fury's great documents, Barton is a member of the Avengers, continues his inner monologue. So we are colleagues. "Barton-" says Tony enthusiastically. "I didn't expect you here." "Really?" Clint asks, slightly incredulous and maybe a little annoyed. "because you've looked here nineteen times in the last thirty-five minutes." Clint has crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. The laugh lines have disappeared and there is a seriousness on his face that Tony is used to from him. "Oh, did you see that?" Tony asks, only slightly taken aback. His agent name is Hawkeye, of course he saw you, an inner voice informs him. "I saw you when we came in," Clint snorts with an eye roll.

"Oh-" Tony utters again. "Well then you could have said hello." Barton gives him a look that makes him doubt everything. Far from being considered just an annoyance, Tony is sure the tealight can be used as a weapon. If he just listened to Pepper. "I assumed you and Miss Potts were on a date and eventually, I learned to give people their privacy," the last part is said in an accusatory tone, which elicits a chuckle from the other man.

Tony turns to him with a smile and immediately starts to wonder if he's seen the man at Shield before. "Hi I'm Tony-" Tony begins to introduce himself and holds out his hand. "Extremely pleased," the man smiles and takes the hand. The handshake is firm and hurts a bit. Tony doesn't show anything. "Don't tell him your name-" Barton cuts in before the man can add anything. "or he'll search for you in the Shield data and won't rest."

"Uh, so this is a Shield Mission?" Tony asks excitedly in a whisper, leaning further forward. "Who is the target? Does Shield pay for the food? Can I help? I could-" "Anthony Edward Stark," Pepper interrupts in a disapproving voice that makes Tony flinch. "Honey," Tony says innocently and turns to her. She has crossed her arms and shakes her head.

"What did I tell you?" she asks and Tony sighs. "Oh come on. It's like putting a bowl of gummy bears in front of a kid and telling them not to eat while you leave the room.” “Nice of you to compare yourself to little kids,” Barton smirks, amused, and Tony sees the amused smile.

Well, at least he doesn't seem to want to kill me anymore, he thinks. "One would think, though, that a grown man would be able to leave the gummy bears alone," Pepper says, relaxing her stance. "Wait a minute," says the man, in a Midwestern accent. "Are we the gummy bears in this association?" He looks from Barton to Tony, then to Pepper and back again. "Yes," Barton sighs.

Pepper also sighs and then turns to the two men. "I'm so sorry," she says, genuinely apologetic. "For the gummy bear association?" the man asks and Tony hates that he doesn't know his name and can't place it. "For Tony bothering you two," Pepper explains. "You don't have to apologize for my behavior," Tony replies. "Someone has to do it and you wouldn't." She takes his hand.

"Have a nice evening," she says to the two men and pulls Tony away. "You're in the middle of a mission-" Tony begins to explain. "I bet nice is something else". They sat down again at their table. "What do you mean?" Pepper asks confused. "Well, that they are on a super secret secret mission". Pepper's frown deepens even further before softening.

"Clint isn't cleared for missions yet," she informs him, and now it's Tony's turn to be confused. “What do you mean?” “What I just said. He is not cleared yet.” “How do you know that?” Tony asks, dismayed that he didn't have that information. "You know I'm friends with Natasha and Phil, right?".

The waiter comes with their dessert.

"But then what are they doing here when there's no mission?" Tony asks himself more than Pepper, taking a slice of the panna cotta. It tastes delicious. "Oh Tony," Pepper sighs like she's talking to a little kid again. But it doesn't sound reproachful or angry. It sounds gentle and amused. It's like a kid trying to make breakfast and it's not hundred procent successful, but you can't be mad because it's too adorable.

Tony looks at Barton's table.
The smile and relaxed attitude is back.

"Oh," Tony says in surprise.

Chapter Text

Steve doesn't go out often.

Sometimes he feels like he's too old for the bars, even though he technically looks in his early thirties. However, he remembers the bar he is about to enter from when he and Bucky were old enough to be allowed in. While she still looks the same from the outside, she has changed a lot, much to his disappointment.

The whole facility has changed. The bar counter is now on the left side of the room. In the front part there are tables and chairs. There are seating areas where there used to be room for a dance floor. There are pictures on the wall showing the years of the bar. In the back, there are more seating areas and three billiard tables. Dartboards hang on the walls.

The bar is well stocked but not overly crowded. He also notes that most people are his age. Over half of the people are in their early to mid-thirties and that gives him a peace of mind. Most of the bars Nat dragged him to were populated by younger people. He takes a seat at the outside counter of the bar and soaks up the atmosphere. Modern music plays in the background while a baseball game plays on the top corner TV. Several conversations overlap and a woman's laughter lights up the bar.

"What can I get you?" asks a young woman with pink hair. According to the name tag, her name is Aimee. "One beer please," says Steve. "With or without alcohol? A special brand?” she asks, picking up a glass. "Surprise me," he grins and she nods. It only takes a few seconds before he has a filled glass in front of him. "Let me know if you need anything else," she says politely, turning to two women. Steve looks around again and images of a bygone era appear before his eyes. He sees people dancing and hugging. He sees the enjoyment of life at a time when the great depression took all happiness.

He sees-

Clint leaning against a billiard table. He is holding a billiard cue and laughing at something. On the other side, a black-haired man leans over the table and aims a bullet. Steve remembers Tony's report of Clint's relationship. Two weeks had passed since that information and no one but Natasha had seen Clint. He knows Clint's busy at Shield. Forced sessions of therapy that seem to never end can drain anyone.

Steve can understand why Clint is pulling back and wanting little to do with them. However, to see him here, smiling and happy, almost balanced, makes Steve happy. The ball misses the hole and Clint gets ready for his move. There is a lively exchange, which causes the other man to roll his eyes. But the smile doesn't fade. Clint takes aim and pots two balls at once. Clint winks and positions himself for the next thrust. The man takes Clint's free side. His free hand lands on Clint's ass. Steve blushes a little at the sudden public affection. In the last few months, he's had a lot of time to catch up on certain things.

He has met many people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and gets along with them very well. It's just still unfamiliar sometimes and the current environment doesn't make it any better. He remembers that in this bar someone was beaten to death because he was seen kissing a man.

And now the man whispers something in Clint's ear and the bullet misses the hole. Clint stands and looks at his friend. There is a minimal height difference. Their faces are inches apart as they converse. The kiss is sudden and there is nothing soft or sweet about it. Steve looks away and takes a sip of his cold beer.

He doesn't know what kind it is. But it tastes good.

When he looks up again, the two continued playing billiard.

Over the next few minutes, Steve notes a lot of gestures and whispered words. None of the touches are gentle. The man, stays in the archer's personal area. The grip on Clint's wrist looks pretty tight, but Clint just grins and plants a kiss on the cheek. Steve tries to match Tony's description of the man to this one. According to Tony, the man was quite reserved and a bit confused, but seemed nice.

Tony's description somehow doesn't fit the current picture.

The game seems to be over. Both place the rackets at the table. A hand grips Clint's wrist again as words are murmured in his ear. The man bites Clint's earlobe and then places a kiss on the spot. Clint's hand slides to the man's face and cups his cheek as he says something. The man laughs and then he pulls Clint towards the restrooms.

Steve takes a moment to figure out what he just saw.

"Didn't you want to go to a bar?", Tony asks, looking up from the Stark pad. He is leaning against the kitchen counter and holding a cup filled with coffee in the other. "I was," Steve replies, walking over to the fridge and looking inside. He can feel Tony's eyes on him. "The whole point of a bar is, ideally, to meet pretty girls and have a nice night," says Tony in a teasing tone. "Nevertheless, you could have talked. Making new friends-" "Clint was there-" Steve interrupts, closing the fridge without taking anything out. "with his boyfriend," he adds bashfully afterwards. Tony's eyes take on a curious twinkle that contains more mischief than it should be.

"Did he say something? What have they done? You have to tell me everything,” Tony rattles off without taking a breath. Steve shrugs. "I haven't talked to them-" Steve begins and Tony's face instantly turns disappointing. "They played billiard" "Billiards?" asks Tony, frowning. “Who would play billiard against Hawkeye? You're just about to lose anyway,” Tony says, confused. Steve just shrugs again. "I saw him miss once," whispers Steve, as if it were a secret not to be told. Tony's eyes widen again as he takes a step closer. "It can't be," he says in the same whisper. Steve nods. "Was it more of an I want to give my boyfriend a chance missing or an I want to have sex today missing?" asks Tony.

"It was more like a, I was distracted by the whispered words missing".
"I bet it was something dirty"
"I can not say that"
"It's always dirty, Steven."
"They kissed afterwards"

Tony's grin widens. "I didn't think he was someone who would share public affection," giggles Tony, as if this were an episode of some reality show. "Because they're men?" Steve asks confused. "Of course not," Tony is outraged and punches Steve in the upper arm. "I meant that Barton seems more like a guy who is quite private and would rather share small gestures in public," Tony clarifies and Steve nods in understanding.

"They were pretty far from that," Steve shares, recalling the very clear gestures and words exchanged meant only for their ears. "Besides, there was-" Steve begins, but interrupts himself and shakes his head gently. "Besides, there was what? You can't start and then don't finish it. That's not nice," says Tony jitterily.

"It was probably nothing. I mean, we don't really know either Clint or his boyfriend, so it's hard to say anything about their relationship, isn't it?” Steve ponders aloud, looking at Tony in agreement. However, this one looks like he's about to sneak into the nearest surveillance camera just to get more details.

Steve sighs.

"It was the way his friend treated him and guided them. It seemed right, assertive and... I don't know. If we were in the thirties I would have said it was almost...possessive”, the last word is whispered. "Uh," Tony says. "Interesting what people are into," he chuckles, and Steve doesn't get what he's getting at. "What do you mean? Being possessive isn't okay and-” “Oh Stevie-” Tony interrupts, laughing. "I'll explain that to you when you're older." Laughing, Tony exits the kitchen, leaving a confused Steve behind.

"Jarvis?"
"Yes?"
"Does Tony mean something sexual?"
"78% of the things Mister Stark says are sexual"
"Great"

Chapter Text

Thor clicks on post and the photo is part of his account. In the last few months he has learned a lot about the Migardian culture and one of them, and probably the best part, is sharing delicious meals on the internet. Tony helped him set up his Instagram account and while he hasn't fully figured out how it works, he does know how to share pictures.

And that's the best part.

After eating the burger, he leaves the store and makes his way back to the Avengerstower. Although the sun has now set, the city is still brilliantly bright. He turns onto a side street to take a shortcut when he sees a white shadow jumping across the rooftops overhead. Driven by curiosity, he follows the shadow onto a roof. As he climbs the fire escape, he hears sounds generated by a fight and as he reaches the roof he sees what is going on.

The white shadow turns out to be a warrior of the moon god Khonshus.

The god himself stands annoyed in a corner while his warrior fights a beast. Loki would know what kind of beast that is, he thinks while catching Hawkeye's eye. The blond man is balancing on the edge of the roof, on the other side, and appears to be deep in a soliloquy.

"And it just annoys me that I have to talk about my feelings all the time," Hawkeye says, gesturing wildly with his hands as the warrior is nudged squarely against the edge of the roof. "I could kill her for you," the warrior says, and Hawkeye looks down at him with an amused grin. "That's the most romantic thing you've ever proposed to me," Hawkeye says, putting a hand on his chest.

The warrior is pulled to his feet by the beast before he can reply. "It's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard," says Khonshu. "You shouldn't kill for that pathetic git." "You've never been a romantic," Thor mutters, standing next to the other god. The other god looks up in surprise.

Bones break and the beast falls to the ground, grunting. "I've heard that you Æsir are taking an interest in Earth again," Khonshu scoffs. "You can see him?" asks the warrior, stepping over the dead beast. "One god can see another," Thor explains, watching with cautious curiosity as the warrior places himself between him and Hawkeye.

It's protective.

"God?" the warrior says disparagingly and despite the mask Thor can feel the evaluating look. "Aye," Thor grins, extending his hand in a Midgardian handshake. "Thor. Son of Odin and Prince of Asgard. I am pleased-". The punch comes suddenly and so quickly that he does not have time to react. "You can pass that on to your brother," the knight tells him, while Hawkeye lets out an indignant "Oh God Moony" in the background.

The punch wasn't hard enough to knock him down, but he had a fair amount of power behind it. Thor straightens up and sees Hawkeye stopping the next punch by pulling the warrior aside. "You're such a softie," Hawkeye grumbles, releasing his fist. The warrior does not relax and appears ready to strike again.

"And an idiot," adds Khonshu. "I would call it noble," Thor chimes in. Everyone turns to him. "Standing up for your lover is a noble gesture that shows true love," Thor continues.

"Lover," Clint says amusedly, and at the same moment the warrior says "Noble" in a confused tone. Khonshu makes a mocking noise. "Oh my noble lover-" Clint begins to utter enthusiastically. "That's really cute, I think I'll definitely keep that. I'll put you on my phone like this and-"

A white-gloved hand covers the mouth, silencing the archer. Though a mask veils the face, Thor can imagine the expression very well. "As if he wasn't annoying enough already. Thanks Thor”, Khonshu grumbles and looks at him angrily. However, the warrior only sighs while looking at Barton.

"I'm going now," says the warrior in a calm, slightly affectionate tone. The hand drops from the face and then he turns to Thor. "I'm keeping an eye on you," it's said with a threatening undertone, and Thor will definitely take the subtle threat seriously.

"See you later," the warrior says to Clint, then sprints off. "You have a very brave avatar there, Khonshu," says Thor, watching the white warrior until he is out of sight. "I have a fool who is accompanied by another fool," replies the moon god, and then disappears.

"He doesn't like you very much," Thor says, and Clint shrugs. “Khonshu is just an ass. But I now believe that half the gods are idiots. No offense,” Clint explains, but Thor nods in understanding. Gods can have a terrible attitude, especially towards humans.

"Sometimes he threatens to kill me, too," Clint continues in a conversational tone. "But I just think he's jealous and maybe a little scared that I'll soften his little avatar. Oh hey, are you hungry?” Confused by the sudden change of subject, Thor nods. "Great, I know a place that does pancakes with-" "I thought pancakes were meant for morning consumption," Thor interrupts and Clint pauses.

"You still have so much to learn my young padawan." Clint grins and starts to climb down the fire escape.

.•:•:•:☾ .•:•:•:☽.•:•:•:

"Where did you get the pancakes from?" Tony asks as he unabashedly looks into the bag. The pancakes were so delicious that Thor decided to take some with him. "Hawkeye showed me a place that makes this delicacy with various side dishes," says Thor, pulling the bag away from the other man. "Hawkeye?" Tony asks in astonishment. "Aye," Thor confirms as Steve walks into the kitchen.

"Where did you find Hawkeye?" Tony asks confused. "On a roof. I saw a shadow and followed it just to hear a fight. I thought someone needed help, but it turns out his lover is in control.” “What?” Tony and Steve ask at the same time. "Hawkeye has a worthy and noble warrior by his side." There is a moment of silence as Thor watches everyone try to process the words.

"They got into a fight?" Steve asks and Thor shakes his head. "No, the warrior just defeated a Mystic Creature and we should keep an eye on that as well. Such beings should not walk in the human world." Thor ends in a serious thoughtful tone.

Tony and Steve look at each other in confusion.

Chapter Text

Bruce gets out of the elevator and yawns while walking in the direction of the laboratory rooms. He should go to sleep, but on the plane he got a new idea for a-

A delighted laugh comes from one of the laboratory rooms and the light that shimmers through the glass panes changes. It doesn't sound like Tony or any of the other residents. He doubts they are burglars because Jarvis and the security staff would not allow it.

As he gets closer, he realizes it's one of Tony's engineering labs. The light is dim and small dots dance around. When he reaches the room, he stops dead in his tracks. He doesn't know what he expected to see, but Clint, sitting on a table while another man looks in amazement at the holograms of planets and stars, wasn't on his list.

Clint has a gentle smile on his face and looks incredibly relaxed as he watches the man point to the stars and seemingly explain what they are seeing. He's seen Clint smile before. Especially when Natasha is around. But this is something new. Something he's sure he shouldn't see.

The light and the constellations change and the delighted laughter rings out again. Bruce remembers every description of the man he's heard over the past few weeks. He was there when Tony wormed his way into the Shield system and tried to find him. Without success. He heard about the situation in the bar which still has Steve suspicious and heard Thor's story.

With approval in his voice, Thor related how the warrior defended Hawkeye's honor.

Bruce doesn't think Clint is the kind of person whose honor needs to be defended because he can defend it himself, but what does he know about defending honor.

This man, however, doesn't seem like someone who slaps a god in the face or goes into a bar just to-

"Hey Doc," Clint suddenly greets him and Bruce flinches. He didn't notice Clint changing his position. "Sorry," Clint says in a sincere voice and takes a small step forward, but stops and looks uncertainly at Bruce. "It's okay," Bruce says, trying to calm his startled heart.

"I'd be bad company if something like that threw me off," explains Bruce, smiling reassuringly at Clint. With a final scrutiny, Clint nods. "I still shouldn't have surprised you like that. Nat says Stark always scares you, I didn't mean to," Clint says. Despite the potential danger, he doesn't seem tense or alarmed, and that fact alone calms Bruce down a bit.

"Oh yeah-" Bruce agrees. "Eventually, I'll just let the big one come out to scare Tony." He gets an amused laugh from Clint. "You should definitely do that," Clint affirms. A few seconds pass in an awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say next.

Bruce should apologize for the staring.

He should-

"So...how was giving a lecture at a university?" asks Clint, in a friendly tone that makes it clear that he just wants to break the silence. "It was good. It feels good to do something I like,” Bruce explains, and then gestures toward the lab room. "And you...uh...universe," Bruce says, slightly uncertain. "Yes," Clint begins, and his gaze falls on the man in the room. "He's a nerd-"

He says it in such a soft and gentle voice. “He's been bugging me for weeks about smuggling him in here. But I don't want to expose him to Stark and after the situation with Thor... well I thought I'd just wait until no one was here."

Bruce makes eye contact with the man and exchanges two awkward winks.

"Thor doesn't blame him," "That's good to know, but he'd be freak out." Clint nods his head in the direction of his friend, who is slowly beginning to seem nervous. "I understand," Bruce says, though he doesn't really get it. The man doesn't match any description and he has a hard time believing that this nervous man slapped Thor in the face.

But Bruce has also learned that a person's appearance can be deceiving.

He's one of the best examples of that.

"Um well then...-" Bruce begins and gestures in the direction of the elevators. "I'll go to sleep then and won't bother you any longer." "You didn't disturb us. This is a public access area,” says Clint, sounding like he means it. He doesn't know what would happen if he went to one of the other labs. Maybe Clint and his friend would retreat. Maybe they would leave the Tower and go back to Clint's apartment, wherever that is.

All Bruce knows is that he wants Clint to be comfortable here. And that also includes being here undisturbed with his boyfriend. Bruce smiles kindly. "It's been a long flight and it's late." "I understand-" Clint smiles. "Good night then." "Thank you, I wish you the same."

There's another awkward wave between Bruce and the other man, and then Bruce turns away.

•:•:•:•:•☾☽•:•.•:•.•

"Okay-" Tony begins to say in a slightly annoyed tone, closing the fridge and looking around. One hand is stamped on the hip and the other is holding an empty plate with his name written on it. "I was gone for three days. Who the hell ate my cupcakes." Bruce looks up from his papers.

"I'm not mad-" Tony continues when no one speaks up. Bruce and Steve share an amused look. "I'm just incredibly disappointed. I labeled them." "Maybe you ate them yourself. Sleepwalking is-" "I don't sleepwalk. Jarvis would let me know”, Tony interrupts Steven and then looks at him suspiciously.

"Was that you?" Tony asks with a raised eyebrow. "What?" Steve says indignantly. "I came back from the mission six hours ago and besides, why would I eat your cupcakes?" Steve defends and Tony shrugs. "I don't know Steven. In the six hours, you had enough time to sneak into the kitchen and eat them without witnesses. They were damn delicious cupcakes. Everyone would like to eat them”

Steve sighs. "I didn't eat them." "Well, that's what any suspect would say." Tony places the plate on the table in front of Steven and crosses his arms. Bruce hides an amused smile behind his papers. "Tony, I bet if we asked Jarvis about the surveillance video, it would be clear it wasn't me."

"There's no surveillance video," Jarvis says. Bruce lets out a snort. "What a coincidence," Tony says and Steve rolls his eyes. "It wasn't Mister Rogers," says Jarvis, and Steve looks up in thanks. "If it wasn't Steve, then who was it?" asks Tony. "I can't say that because of privacy." Tony lets out a frustrated groan at Jarvis words.

"I don't want to say too much, but Clint had a guest here a few days ago," says Bruce, reaching for the coffee cup. Tony's stance immediately changes and sits right next to Bruce. "Interesting. What have you done? did you meet him? How did he make you feel?” Tony rattles off his questions and Steve now looks curious too.

"Well-" Bruce clears his throat and takes a sip of his coffee. He doesn't believe in gossip. Plus, Clint is definitely trying to keep it private. He feels a little bad being quizzed about something he's sure is none of their business. "Brucie," Tony wails pleadingly.

"He didn't seem like someone slapping a god in the face," says Bruce, recalling the man's amazed smile as he saw the hologram stars and planets. He remembers the nervous demeanor when he saw Bruce. "Although I think every Shield agent is capable of punching someone in the face," Tony replies thoughtfully. "Except he's not an agent," Steve reminds Tony of the fact that he didn't find anything in the Shield databases.

It got Tony quite frustrated. Bruce also knows that Tony sometimes asks people at Shield, but so far all has been to no avail.

"Are we actually sure that we always see him with the same man?" Steve asks and Tony's gaze immediately flies to him. "What do you mean?" Tony asks confused. "Well-" Steve begins to say. "Maybe he's just on different dates with different guys," he finishes with a shrug. "That would make sense," Bruce agrees, but adds, "if they didn't all look the same. From the external description, it always seems to be the same".

"Oh yeah," Steve says with a sigh. "Thor didn't describe him. According to Thor, he wore a white warrior costume-" Tony mentions. "Maybe he just has a type." Tony shrugs. "Okay, let's assume for a second that Clint has a typ. Even he wouldn't bring anyone into the lab just like that.” Bruce throws around and gets an approving nod from the other two men.

"Maybe we should just ask Clint," Steve says a little uncertainly and Tony snorts mockingly. "Oh yeah, great idea Cap. We'll just go up to him and say hey we've been watching you and your boyfriend for the last few weeks but we can't make it out so would you be so kind as to explain your relationship to us."

"Well maybe not with those words," Steve replies and Tony rolls his eyes. "Maybe we should just stay out of it," says Bruce.

Chapter Text

She can hear the men arguing from the stairs. She knew the day would come when Tony would finally find Clint's address. She had only bet on a future date and is now frustrated that she is losing twenty dollars. The four men stand in front of the door like ducklings and discuss who will ring the bell. "I still think it's a stupid idea," Bruce admits. "You've said that eighteen times now and it won't end with the fact that we don't do it anyway." Tony puts an arm around Bruce's shoulder, who dismisses this with an eye roll.

"So who's ringing now?" Tony asks, looking at Steve, who shakes his head. "The doorbell doesn't work," Natasha mutters as she walks down the hall and stops in front of them. Everyone has the decency to flinch and look at times guilty. "Romanoff-" Tony grins. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here. We were just in the area." "Mhm," Natasha says unimpressed, pushes past the men and knocks on the door.

She can hear the surprised inhalation of the idiots and shakes her head slightly. World's Mightiest Heroes, she thinks with amusement as she steps and hears a joyful bark behind the door. She could also have used the apartment key, but is always good to warn those present.

"Yes?" it comes gruffly when the door is opened. "Hi Jake," Natasha greets, unperturbed, and Jake relaxes a bit. "Oh gosh," Steve gasps behind her and Tony starts giggling. "You didn't have time to get dressed?" Natasha asks sweetly, her eyes on his face. Jake leans against the door frame and shrugs. "It's my home and this is a free country. Besides, we're a bit busy right now,” Jake chirps sweetly and looks at Steve in a slightly provocative manner.

"Jake!" Clint calls from the apartment. "You won't believe it, but Isabell chose dress number two and it was just to make her mother happy. She will stand at the altar and regret that decision." Natasha raises an eyebrow. “Say yes to the dress marathon. It's a very important-” “You have three minutes to get dressed or we'll just come in,” Nat interrupts with an amused grin.

"I wouldn't mind," Jake grins, but turns away. "I hope at least one is looking at my ass," he calls over his shoulder and Nat rolls her eyes. "Looks good," Tony replies, giggling. "Thanks". "Oh god Tony," Steve says slightly indignantly and there is a blush on his face as if he had been in the sun for too long. "What? He's got a great ass.”

"AU", it comes from inside the apartment. "You ass, I've got coffee in my hands here, why are you throwing-" Clint stops mid-sentence. "Why are you naked?" Clint asks after a few seconds of silence. "I've been naked for two hours-" Jake begins in a distinctly slow voice. Clint doesn't seem to be wearing his hearing aids "But thanks for realizing. Romanoff and other people are at the door"

"Other people," Tony repeats the words under his breath. "Is he always like this?" asks Bruce, while Clint fumes. "You can't just answer the door naked." "Jake's an ass, but that kind of ass you can get used to," explains Natasha. "He certainly seems very open," Steven replies, still embarrassed. “There should be no embarrassment among warriors. There is a lake where we always swim in the summer days,” Thor explains proudly.

"Of course I can open the door naked, I just did," says Jake, making Clint sigh. "It's just Romanoff and some guys," Jake adds, amused. "Some guys? What guys?” asks Clint worried. "Don't know...Captain America and so". Clint replies with something that is too incomprehensible.

"Jake, please put your clothes on," says Clint more clearly now. "Uh so bossy. That sounded different last night though-" "Jake!" Clint interrupts in frustration, making Jake laugh. Natasha suppresses a smile. Unintelligible words are exchanged, followed by another laugh. "And when you're dressed, I want Marc to be there."

"Who's Marc?" Tony asks and then Clint appears in the foyer. "The door is open," he murmurs as he puts his hearing aids in his ears. He's wearing old faded purple sweatpants and a t-shirt that definitely seems to be Marc's. "How much did you get?" he asks worried. "Kind of everything," Natasha grins, then pushes past Clint.

"Hey-" Clint greets the others. "I'm sorry about Jake. He can be an ass. I mean, he has a very cute ass and he can do whatever he wants with it...but well...his shame is sometimes absent and-” Clint stops his babble and takes a deep breath. "Would you like to come in...even though I have no idea how you found the address". Clint steps aside and makes room for them.

"Sorry about the mess," Clint apologizes as they all enter. "I told Tony not to just barge in here," Steve says apologetically. Tony turns around indignantly. "Wow, you stab me in the back like that," says Tony, sighing dramatically. "Your little warrior companion is very cute," Thor says and enthusiastically holds Lucky in his arms.

The dog enthusiastically wags his tail and barks happily.

"It's his superpower," Clint grins. "So, does anyone want to tell me what you want here, or will there be an even more embarrassing situation before we talk about it," he asks, looking around. Tony and Steven exchange looks. Bruce looks at the pile of books and Thor is still hugging Lucky.

Clint looks at Natasha, who is in the kitchen making tea. According to her expression, she herself has no idea what the four are doing here. Steve sighs. "First of all, we're sorry for just showing up here. We got your address from a nice lady who works in the R&D department and makes your arrows and I...we know it's a massive invasion of privacy,” Steven explains, genuinely apologetic.

Clint brushes that fact aside. It was only a matter of time. It happened earlier than expected, but nothing he didn't expect. "So the reason we're here is that...we have a few questions about-" "Clinton, why is Jake stressing about some- oh gosh," Steven interrupts from the upstairs apartment floor and Clint rolls his eyes and sighs.

Clint looks up. Steven holds two t-shirts in front of his chest and tries to cover what can be covered. At least he's wearing pants, Clint thinks and climbs the stairs. "What are the Avengers doing here?" Steven asks quietly, looking from the four heroes in the living room to Clint and back again. "Mostly annoying,"Clint murmurs amusedly and putting himself between Steven and the curious gaze from below.

"Where's Marc?" Clint asks a little more seriously, drawing his boyfriend's focus to himself. "Oh yes, Marc refuses," Steven explains with a shrug. "He refuses?" Clint asks in disbelief and Steven nods. "He and Jake started fighting, no idea about what. I never listen to it and then all of a sudden I was standing there and now it's also very quiet,” explains Steven and Clint sighs again.

"Why are the Avengers here?" Steven repeats his earlier question, then gasps. "Is it because of the cupcakes?" he asks softly, then leans to the side and looks down. “Are you here for the cupcakes. I told Clinton not to eat them. They were labeled and there are rules in society, but he said-"

"They're not here for the cupcakes," Clint interrupts Steven's babble. "That's insanely interesting," Tony blurts out, his voice imbued with a curiosity that can only come from a scientist. With a disapproving expression, Clint watches as Tony comes up the stairs and holds out his hand. "Hi, I'm Tony and what was your name again?" "Steven," says Steven, slightly unwelcome, but accepts the hand.

"Nice to meet you," Steven says, looking up from the shaking hands to Tony. "Well theoretically we've met before," Tony replies and a questioning look appearing on Steven's face. "In the restaurant-" Tony begins to explain. "I was there with my girlfriend". Steven looks to Clint for help.

However, Clint doesn't know what to say.

That's why he wanted Marc here.

"Oh I think...that must have been Marc. The last time he took me out was sometime last year,” Steven begins to explain. "That's not true," Clint snaps, and Tony raises an eyebrow. "Who is Marc? A secret secret identity. Are you a Shield Agent? I knew it. You're incredibly good at this, this sudden change and stepping into a role. I've only seen that with Romanoff so far. Impressive."

"I'm not a Shield Agent," Steven says, confused. "Oh well then from another alphabet club. FBI? CIA? What else is there? Judging by the accent, maybe MI6 or-” “Um Tony,” Bruce interrupts from below. "Yes?" Tony asks, looking at the other scientist. "Come here for a moment," Bruce says, waving to Tony. Rolling his eyes, he strolls downstairs.

"What is it?" asks Tony. "I don't think he's any kind of agent," Bruce whispers softly. "Just because I didn't find him in Shield's databases doesn't mean he's not an agent. I've never met a human with another identity that wasn't an Agnet. What else should it be?"

"D.I.D," Bruce says uncertainly. Both scientists look at the man who is having a whispered conversation with Clint. "That makes sense-" Tony whispers. "that would also explain Thor's report of a knight". Steve clears his throat and steps closer. "As someone who of course knows what you mean, we should explain to Thor what this D.I.S is." Thor steps closer as well, Lucky still in his arms. "That would be very nice," Thor says.

"Dissociative Identity Disorder-" Bruce begins to explain. "It's...one body, multiple personalities or alters, if you will. It is often triggered by various traumas. So your own mind creates a new personality to protect the main personality,” Bruce finishes and Thor and Steve nod in understanding.

"The knight, however, is not another personality," says Thor, and the whispering is now over. "It stands to reason that a little boy might grow into a knightly personality-" "Oh no, the God is right," Marc interrupts Bruce, and everyone looks up at the sound of the new voice. "I mean I wish it was another personality because it would make everything easier, even dying, but it's not."

"Marc," Clint says with a sigh. "What? At some point, this invulnerability really sucks,” says Marc and descends the stairs while also putting on one of the shirts. "And I'm the one who had to go to therapy," Clint murmurs, following his boyfriend. "You had to go to therapy because there was a god in your head," Marc replies snippy, then looks at Thor. "I'm still not pleased with what your brother did." "I can only apologize for Loki's actions," Thor says apologetically.

"Yeah, that doesn't make things any better," says Marc and strolls into the kitchen. "Marc's a big softie-" Clint begins to say in a despising tone. "Like a mother hen. It's not funny when he and Phil yell at you and say you have to be more careful." Confused looks are exchanged. "So Marc is-" Bruce begins to ask cautiously. "The main personality, if you will," Clint finishes and Marc nods while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"And you're with everyone?" Steve asks, a little embarrassed, and Clint grins at the blush that's appearing on the captain's face. "Yes-" confirms Clint and shrugs. “You get used to it” “And how does it work? I mean, isn't it a bit confusing?” Steven continues and Clint frowns. "Oh my god," Marc sighs and shakes his head.

"It requires a lot of communication from everyone and a lot of patience, understanding and trust," explains Clint and Steve nods in understanding. "I'm glad you're happy and that someone was able to help you after the whole Loki thing," Steve grins and Clint accepts this with a smile. "How did you even meet them?" Bruce asks and Clint's smile widens. In the kitchen, Marc sighs again and Natasha giggles.

"It's a great story. You should sit down. So-” “Wait a minute-” Tony interrupts, looking from Clint to Marc and back in confusion. "So he works for a god and we just ignore it?" Tony asks around and everyone nods. "Okay-" Tony sighs and collapses onto the couch. "Then tell us how you met."

"It was two years ago. I got a forced vacation from Shield and spent it in London and met what must have been the cutest guy ever-"