Can't See the Truth

Clint and Bruce were sitting together down in the lab, trying to cheer up a sad Pamplemousse.

“They were yelling and swearing at each other, daddy,” she said through her tears. “Steve and Uncle Tony are so mad at each other.”

“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” Clint cooed as Bruce enveloped her in a hug. “People fight sometimes.”

“Are they going to split up?”

“No, honey,” Bruce said quietly as the ten-year-old continued to cry into his shoulder. “Grown-ups have fights sometimes like kids, like you. They just need a time out and they will figure things out.”

Bruce and Clint shared a knowing glance, unable to release the other’s gaze.

The sound of the lab door opening made all three of them turn and stare. The disheveled looking billionaire stumbled towards the small group with an air of weariness. “What are you guys just sitting around for?” he questioned as his voice broke ever so slightly. “Come on, Bruce, we have work to do.”

Bruce gave Clint a concerned gaze before looking back at Tony who was already starting to stare at endless pages of data. “Tony, you should rest. You haven’t had any decent sleep in the past three weeks.”

“I need to find a cure for my daughter. I don’t think you’d sleep too well, either.”

“Bruce is right,” Clint said as he stood up and approached his friend. “I mean, you’re no good to anyone, especially Toni, in this state. You need your rest.”

“Clint, just lay off!” Tony shouted, finally making eye-contact.

The look of the man was worse than either of them had thought. His eyes were red from tears and rimmed with dark bags from lack of sleep. His face looked slightly more hollow than usual, his hair laid flat against his head, and his normally stylish facial hair was looking more and more out of control.

“Tony, please,” Bruce almost begged. “You and Steve have been fighting for weeks. This isn’t healthy.”

“I’m so worried,” Tony admitted, sinking down to the floor as he became a crying heap. “I can’t anymore.”

“Pamplemousse, sweetie,” Clint said quietly as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Can you go upstairs for a second? Daddy, Uncle Tony, and I need a bit to talk about big kid things. Maybe go find Thor and play hide and seek?”

The young girl gave a quick nod and almost skipped out of the lab and up the stairs.

Once she was out of earshot, Bruce and Clint sat down on either side of Tony as he continued to break down.

“Tony,” Clint said softly as he wrapped his leather jacket around the billionaire’s shoulders. “You’re doing your best and trying to do more than that. You’re going to wear yourself down to the core.”

“I would do anything, Clint,” he almost spat. “To save her, I would anything, but I don’t want to lose him. That’s the one thing I would truly regret in my clusterfuck of a life.”

“What do you mean?” Bruce asked as Tony drew his knees up to his chest.

“Steve,” he said quietly as he examined the linoleum floor. “I want to save Toni, but I can’t lose Steve.”

“Tony you won’t-”

“No, Bruce, you don’t understand!” he snapped, pointing an accusing finger. “He asked me this morning after we fought if I wanted a divorce.”

“But Steve loves you,” Clint added quickly. “I think he’s more worried than anything.”

“I told him that I didn't want one,” Tony continued as if the archer hadn't said anything. “But he wouldn't drop the subject. I’m starting to think that...maybe, he wants one.”

“Don’t be stupid, Tony,” Clint said gruffly. “Steve wouldn't ever want to leave you. Believe me, he’s totally hooked.”

“What Clint’s trying to say, Tony, is that Steve would be the last person to opt out of a relationship without some kind of extenuating circumstance.”

“He thinks I’m cheating.”

Clint and Bruce shared a look. “Who does he think you’re cheating with?” Clint asked carefully.

“Take a guess, I dare you.” When nobody answered Tony sighed and pointed back to Bruce. “Him.”

****

Steve sat in his room just staring at the monitor, tears starting to fill his eyes.

“Tony, you need to tell Steve that you and I are just working on some stuff to help your daughter.”

“As much as I would like to, I don’t think he would believe me at this point. I feel like I waited too long.”

Steve shot up from his position and started towards the lab. When he got down to the glass door, he could only see the very tops of the gentlemen’s heads. He pulled open the door and took three steps in before six eyes locked on him.

“Steve,” Bruce started, standing up to meet him halfway. “Now isn't a good time, okay?”

“Tony we need to talk right now, okay? Just you and I.”

“Steve I don’t-”

“Bruce, Clint? Could you guys please give Tony and I some time to talk alone?” Steve said with a strained tone.

Bruce and Clint both turned their gazes to Tony who was still on the cold floor. Wanting his approval before leaving the two alone. Tony gave a quick nod, although his eyes begged for them to stay in fear of what his husband would say.

Bruce and Clint stalked out of the lab, closing the door quietly behind them.

“Tony, I-”

“Let me guess,” Tony started without looking at Steve. “You want to make an official step towards a divorce. Do you have the papers already, just waiting for my signature?”

“Shut up,” Steve snapped. “I’m not that pessimistic.”

Still looking the other way, now with tears stinging his eyes, Tony fiddled with the zipper on Clint’s jacket. “Then why else would you be here,” he said.

“Tony, I want....I want to make things right. Jarvis showed me your conversation just now.” The billionaire froze, he wasn’t expecting that. He turned his gaze up to his blonde husband just as he started walking towards him.

Steve sank to the ground and wrapped his arms around Tony. "Tony I want you to do everything to save our daughter. You could have told me it was for her, and I wouldn't have questioned you for a minute.”

“I-” he started, unable to form a cognitive sentence.

The super solider interrupted him with a deep kiss, after a few seconds he pulled back, keeping their foreheads connected, “You just have to trust me a little more.”

Tony nodded, pulling Steve back in for another kiss. “I’m sorry that I had such a lack of faith.”

Steve shook his head. “Stop apologizing, Tony. I’ve already forgiven you. Come on now, Bruce and Clint are right, you need sleep. Then you can get back to work.”

“But, Steve!”

“No buts, you look horrible. Come,” Steve stood and held out a hand to Tony, who took it. They then headed up to their room, where Tony fell asleep in the arms of his husband, the first time in since what felt like forever.

****

Bruce and Clint stared after the super soldier and weary scientist as they headed for rooms.

“Looks like they might have resolved things,” Clint stated, looking over to Bruce.

“Yeah, that’s good. One less thing for Pamplemousse to worry about,” Bruce said smiling, glad his daughter wouldn’t have to worry about her uncles anymore.

“That child is wise beyond her years,” Clint said with a shake of his head. “She always seems to know what going on, even if she is only ten.”

“Yeah,” Bruce answered simply enough. The two of them quickly fell into an awkward silence that seemed to encompass the entire space between them.

“Well, seeing as Tony is getting some rest I suppose I should too,” Bruce rose from the chair he was sitting in and started making his way towards his bedroom.

Suddenly he lost his balance as his foot caught on the ottoman, causing him to fall into the archer’s lap. With a slight blush forming from his recent embarrassment, Bruce glanced up at Clint.

“Ah, sorry,” he started. He went to continue his sentence but lost his words as he looked up into the blue eyes above him.

Clint just stared at the scientist in his lap, not sure what to do.

“I...I’ll just, um...I’ll move,” Bruce stammered as he tried to regain his footing.

The archer quickly took Bruce’s face in his hands and planted a solid kiss on his lips.

Bruce was an awkward kisser due to his lack of practice and his utter surprise at Clint’s boldness. After a few seconds, he was able to kiss back with sort of a careful reserve.

Clint pulled away first, feeling like he had pushed a little bit too far with the shy man.

“Uhm,” Bruce managed to stammer. He cleared his throat and just stared at Clint who was actively avoiding his gaze. “That was, um...”

The archer finally managed to look back at Bruce who was red all the way up to his ears. But something changed in the scientist as they shared the look. He leaned forward, putting one hand on the back of Clint’s head and the other on his hip, and pulled him into another kiss.

Clint could feel Bruce quickening the pace as he followed suite. Bruce pulled at him slightly, offering to move him on top of his begging body. The archer moved, laying with him on the ground as he fumbled with his own belt buckle.

Bruce gave a moan as his fingers interlaced with Clint’s hair, tugging slightly as he slowly started grinding his hips against his partner’s.

Clint moaned loudly as he reached for Bruce’s belt.

“Wait,” Bruce said quietly, trying to hide his obvious arousal. “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” Clint asked, trying to do the same.

Bruce tried to speak, but Clint’s heavy breathing and obvious hard-on made it hard to think coherently. “I, um, I think we should, uh, wait a little bit...ya know, before we, um...”

Clint practically threw himself on the floor next to Bruce, leaning on one elbow to make things more casual. “How come, dear?”

Bruce sighed, placing a sweet, short kiss on Clint’s lingering lips. “I’m worried about...the Other Guy making a mess of things.”

“I thought that only happened when you were angry?”

Bruce tried not to laugh as he shook his head. “No, no. You see, it all has to do with control and heart rate. It happens mostly with anger because you lose all control when you feel that. I mean, increased heart rate, loss of coherent thought, et cetera. For all I know, that’ll happen when we...well, you know.”

Clint gave a small chuckle. “Okay, then we’ll wait until you know for sure what’ll happen.”

Bruce cocked one eyebrow. “How do you think I’ll know for sure?”

“Well,” Clint stated, trying to hide his smile. “I’m hoping you’ll perform some...tests.”

Bruce rolled his eyes, nearly giggling as he did so. “You’re a terrible human being.”

The archer shrugged his shoulders and kissed Bruce sweetly and gently, leaving more of a promise than anything.

****

Toni picked herself up and dusted herself off as she continued to run. Her hands were scraped and slightly bleeding but she didn’t have time to worry about that.

The neon exit sign at the other end of the warehouse she found herself in pointed her to where she needed to go.

Blood rushing past her ears she ran around the cloth covered piles that littered the floor of the seemingly abandoned building. She heard the door she came through open and close again.

“It’s no use Miss Stark,” she heard Dr. Bradstone call into the cavernous room, voice echoing all around. Her worry peaked as she thought of Loki. Was he okay? How did the Doctor get past him?

She didn’t have long to think though as the exit door came in view. Her feet worked on their own as she sprinted to it with new found speed.

She crashed through the door and fell against it. Falling to the ground, she attempted to catch her breath.

“Oh come on love, don’t stop,” Toni heard a familiar female accent beg. Her eyes shot up, locking directly on the source of the noise.

“No,” she breathed, heart shattering at the sight.

Notes