Title: Green with Envy

Author: The Emcee

Rating: T

Summary: Bruce broke up with Clint because he's afraid that he'll hurt him. And then Bruce sees something he really didn't like and hulks out on everyone. After he's back to normal, Clint has a talk with him and they work things out.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, actors, or the fandom.

A/N: This little thing popped into my head and I had to write it. There's not enough Bruce/Clint out there for my liking anyway. R&R. Enjoy!

Green with Envy

Bruce knew that he shouldn't be feeling so pissed off and upset.

It was his own fault that he and Clint were no longer together. Breaking up with his little hawk had been the only thing he could think of to keep him safe and out of harm's way. Hulk may care for Clint just as much as Bruce does, but that was part of the problem. He wasn't sure what Hulk would do to Clint just to show his affections. The possibilities ranged from buying flowers to squishing the master marksman in a huge bear hug. While Bruce had no problem with the flowers, he had a big problem with the squishing. And, to be fair, he knew that it wouldn't be Hulk's fault per se. The other guy wouldn't mean to squish Clint while giving him a hug; it would just sort of…happen.

That was why Bruce broke up with Clint. When he first uttered the words, the most pained, betrayed expression broke out on the younger man's face. Bruce regretted it the instant he saw that expression, even if it was only visible for a moment before Clint collected himself. Things were awkward after that, because Bruce still loved Clint and vice versa, and Bruce wanted nothing more to take it back. Actually, he had planned on talking to Clint about it and explaining why he had broken up with him in the first place.

Which brought him to why he was so pissed: he had just seen Natasha and Clint hug. It was a very brief, one armed hug. A pat on the back, really, but it was enough to set the other guy off. Somewhere deep down, Bruce knew that Clint would never be with Natasha and Natasha would never be with Clint. They were too much like brother and sister for there to be any romantic feelings, but the other guy really didn't like someone putting hands on what he considered to be his. The jealousy and rage he felt boiled up within him and before he knew it, Bruce had taken the back burner and Hulk was in control.

With a fierce cry of rage, Hulk's fists pounded the concrete, smashing it to bits. Clint was the first one who saw what was going on and that little fact made Bruce feel a little better. To him, it proved that Clint had been keeping his eyes on him and was still looking out for him. Natasha and Tony were both trying to calm him down by talking to him, but Hulk would have none of that. Bruce watched from the back of Hulk's mind as the other guy ripped a light post out of the ground and threw it in the middle of the street. A car that had been passing by slammed on its barks, but the post fell right on top of the hood. The car horn blared and caught Hulk's attention, who then jumped onto the vehicle and began tearing it apart. Thor threw Mjolnir at Hulk, sending him flying off of the car. Steve helped the driver out of the car and ushered other citizens to safety.

White, hot rage boiled in his blood and Hulk's eyes focused entirely on Thor, who was standing before him, his legendary hammer in hand. But before Hulk could even begin to charge the thunder god, a series of tranquilizer-tipped arrows struck his body. Slightly shocked and confused, Hulk maneuvered his body and gazed up at Clint, who had taken refuge on a nearby building in order to fire his arrows. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief as he felt himself and the other guy go down. Darkness surrounded him and Bruce, and Hulk, were both unconscious before they even hit the pavement.

Bruce woke up in his room at the Avengers Tower. He knew it was his room because he was lying on his bed and his head was turned towards the very familiar window that gave him a breathtaking view of the city below. His thoughts immediately turned towards what had happened and guilt rose up thick and heavy within him. The entire incident was his fault and the worst part about it was that it could have been avoided had Bruce not broken up with Clint. But he had and the result had not been the best. For anyone. No amount of apologies would make up for it.

"Glad to see that you're awake. You've been out for a few. It's almost six now." Bruce rolled over and saw Clint leaning against the wall. His stomach sank even lower. Surely, Clint was about to unload on him about how much of an uncontrolled beast he was and how much of a hazard he was.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Regardless of the fact that the other guy thought his jealousy and anger were both justified, Bruce knew exactly how much damage and harm Hulk could cause. He tried to keep it under control, but just like today, he would slip and let loose. It was in the other guy's nature. But hurting innocent people was something that Bruce always feared.

"No. The guy in the car that you tore apart was pretty freaked out, but he's fine." Clint moved away from the wall and sat down on the bed. He looked a bit worn out and Bruce wondered if he was getting enough sleep. Nightmares haunted them all, but Clint had always told him that when he slept with Bruce, he usually got a decent night's sleep. Now that they were no longer together, it was probably a safe bet to say that the master marksman wasn't getting a lot of sleep. Another pang of guilt stabbed him in the chest.

"…That's good. I'd rather not mess something else up. Lord only knows that I've messed up enough as is." Bruce sat up, feeling stiff and tired. Clint sighed and watched him, although Bruce was trying not to notice. Things were already awkward; why make it worse?

"Why did you hulk out on us today, Bruce? What happened that made you angry?" Bruce probably could have handled those questions from Steve. While he was the leader and cared for them all, interrogation was one of Steve's strong suites. When he asked a question he expected an answer right away and Bruce could handle that. But he knew that Clint asked because he was genuinely worried about him and that made Bruce feel even worse about breaking up with him.

"Bruce. Answer me. Please." He hadn't planned on caving in. At least, not until Clint said please. That one word made all the different and it got his body stirring, mostly due to the fact that Clint only ever said it during sex. Bruce missed making love to Clint. Hell, he missed just holding his hawk and wanted nothing more than to do so. But he wasn't sure if that was still a possibility or not. Even if Bruce told Clint that he wanted to get back together and told him why he had broken up with him in the first place, would Clint even want him back?

"I saw something that the other guy and I didn't like. He kind of…took over from there to prove his point." Clint nodded and Bruce found himself smiling just a little bit. The fact that he hadn't spilled his guts and told Clint exactly the reason why was something for him to be proud of. Granted, it wasn't that hard for people to get Bruce to spill his guts. Tony had a wonderful talent for it. So did Steve. Natasha worried him. And as for Clint…Bruce always found it hard to deny Clint anything, and that was true even now.

"Well, now that that vague excuse is out of the way, mind telling me the real reason?" When Bruce met Clint's eyes, he felt his resolve crumble away just like that. It was so simply, so easy, almost pathetically so, but then again, it was Clint. Feeling a bit unsure of himself, Bruce gave Clint a small lopsided smile.

"I saw you and Natasha doing that…one armed hug thing. I got kind of jealous and the other guy got even more jealous." Bruce stopped there for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. He figured that Clint kind of already knew, but having the words spoke aloud made it more real, more concrete. Silence reigned over them for Lord only knew how long and Bruce began to feel uncomfortable and awkward. Perhaps telling Clint hadn't been the best idea. Shrugging, more so to himself than Clint, Bruce continued.

"Well, I suppose it wasn't really a hug. More like a pat on the back…" Before Bruce could go further in his reasoning, he was cut off by Clint's lips on his own.

Dear God, how he had missed that. Without a second thought, Bruce's arms wrapped around Clint's waist, pulling his hawk closer to him. Lying back down on the bed, Bruce moaned into the kissing, finally feeling whole and complete for the first time since he broke up with the younger man. His body was beginning to wake up and all of the jealousy and bitterness he had felt when he watched Natasha and Clint was a distant memory. How could he think of that incredibly stupid one armed hug now when Clint was kissing him on the bed they used to share? Bruce's hands raked up underneath the master marksman's shirt and caressed the bare, scarred skin. Shivers raked through Clint's body and that only turned Bruce on even more. All too soon, however, the kiss ended and their foreheads were pressed together. Clint smiled down at him and gave him a soft, brief kiss.

"For someone with a PHD, you can be an idiot, Bruce." Straight to the point, so like Clint. Bruce smiled up at his little hawk and continued rubbing his back.

"Well, in all fairness, I never said I wasn't one." Clint laughed and Bruce pulled him back down for a kiss. Was it possible to miss someone when they were right next to you? Apparently so, because Bruce definitely felt as though he had been missing Clint for forever. Longer, even, and he disliked that feeling immensely.

"You have nothing to worry about, Bruce. Natasha's like a sister to me. There's only one person I want above anyone else. The question is, will you have me or push me away again?" Bruce looked into Clint's eyes and saw the raw, unadulterated pain that was bottled up inside them. Pain that he had caused in order to protect Clint from himself.

"I'm a monster, Clint. What if I hurt you unintentionally while the other guy's in charge? He doesn't need to punch or smash you. A hug alone could crush you." Clint stared down at Bruce, understanding flooding his beautiful, blue eyes.

"Is that what's been bothering you, Bruce? The fact that Hulk might crush me to death accidentally?" Bruce couldn't help but give Clint a humorless, lopsided smile.

"Why wouldn't it? You've seen what the other guy is capable of." Clint nodded and snuggled closer to Bruce. Not that he minded. Actually, quite the opposite.

"Yeah. And I've been around him enough to know that he care for me just as much as you do. He may be an enormous, green, rage monster, but he's never tried to hurt me or anything like that. As a matter of fact, when he's nearby me on the battlefield, he tries his best to protect me. You know that. And you also know that I love you both." Clint sealed that with a kiss and Bruce smiled into it, returning it with the same fervor and passion. It ended all too soon for his liking and he couldn't help but want more of the Hawk lying on top of him.

"But I like Hulk more because he punches Thor like it's nobody's business. Not even Tony can do that. Well, no when he's without his suit, anyways." They both laughed and a calm, comfortable silence fell upon them. It was broken though, by Clint once again. He unsure and hesitant. The younger man's past relationships weren't exactly healthy and he had issues as a result. But they all had issues, so he fit right in.

"So…are we back together?" With one swift motion and superior strength, Bruce rolled them over and gazed lovingly down at Clint. His hawk was grinning up at him, his eye brows waggling in anticipation of what was to come. Bruce kissed Clint deeply, lovingly, trying to convey just how much he loved him.

"It'd be pretty idiotic of me to not want you back considering that you just told me that you're fine being with me and the other guy." Almost as though a weight had been lifted, any doubt, fear, and uncertainty that had remained in Clint disappeared, leaving the Hawk Bruce had grown to know and love. And holy fuck, he was the most beautiful thing alive in the universe. That wasn't just Bruce's opinion either; the other guy had put his two cents in as well. They both just happened to agree for once.

"Good. Because right now, make-up sex sounds pretty damn good." Of course, Bruce just had to agree with Clint on that one.