Author's Note: Just a little Captain/Hawkeye. It's been a while… This didn't play out on paper quite as it did on my head but hopefully you appreciate.
Disclaimer: Don't have anything to do with Marvel and their wonderful play-land of creations … sigh…
Intervention
The team had gathered following their latest encounter – the only member missing was their captain.
"Where's Capsicle?" Tony asked, twirling round swiftly in his suit but finding no sign of the man in question. Natasha smirked, eyebrow arching.
"I believe he's off being the diplomat and apologising for all our destruction."
Tony too arched an eyebrow.
"I thought we were quite well behaved this time."
After a few more minutes the absent soldier joined them.
"All sorted?" Natasha asked. Steve gave a weary nod, casting his eyes over the group to check everyone was alright and accounted for. His expression grew serious again as his eyes fell on their archer.
"Hawkeye!"
Clint paused in his conversation with Thor and turned toward Steve.
"Captain…"
"Did you or did you not hear me order you not to take that shot?"
Clint's eyebrow slowly rose.
"I… did… not…?"
Steve frowned heavily.
"I told you not to take it for a reason."
"I know it was risky but…"
"Risky?" Steve exploded. "You had to jump off the building!"
Clint inhaled deeply through his nose, crossing his arms.
"I had my grapple! It was fine…"
As their voices raised neither noticed Thor backing away from his space next to Clint, the Norse god retreating back to stand with Natasha, Tony and Hulk.
"Here we go again," he sighed wearily, laying Mjölnir gently onto the ground, fingers still loosely twined in the leather strap. Tony too let out an overly dramatic sigh – although the disgruntled expression on his face showed it was not completely for show.
"Can we interfere yet?" he asked quietly, chancing a glance at Natasha even as he braced for one of her death glares. Instead of her usual don't you dare however the female simply raised an eyebrow thoughtfully as she continued to watch their two warring teammates.
"Clint," Steve put on his most authoritative tone and the rest of the team flinched, seeing it as the red rag to the bull that it would be to the archer. "I trust your aim but when I give you orders in the field you have to follow them, whether you agree with them or not."
Clint bristled.
"Look, Captain, I…"
"Clint, you're still not listening! I gave you the order to stay for a reason!"
"Yeah – you were playing safe!" Clint threw his arms out in exasperation. "We'd still be fighting if I hadn't taken that shot!"
"That's not the point!"
"Oh yeah? Then what is?" Clint stepped forward slightly, narrowing his eyes slightly as his arms crossed again, defiantly. "Tell me what the problem with the shot was?"
"Oh…not good…" Tony muttered.
"It wasn't safe," Steve replied calmly although his teammates could see the tension in his shoulders.
"I had my grapple," Clint repeated.
"End the conversation…" Tony continued to mutter although of course neither Clint nor Steve were even aware the others were watching them.
"You jumped off an eighty story building!"
"With. My. Grapple," Clint repeated stubbornly.
"But you had to take the shot first before you could use it!"
"I had time!"
"But what if you didn't?" Steve snapped. In the background Tony slapped a hand against his face and Natasha dropped her head, both foreseeing what was coming. "Damn it Clint you're human!"
The retort the archer had on his lips died as his mouth snapped shut, his eyes blazing angrily. In the background Natasha rolled her eyes skyward, Tony rubbed his face, Thor shook his head and even Hulk gave a quiet grunt. The silence was intense and seemed to last forever – but of course Clint found his voice.
"Right…" he bowed his head briefly, a dry laugh escaping his lips. "The weak link should just stay safe and sound out of the way in his nest eh?"
"That's not…" Steve sighed and shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I just…" Steve's brows furrowed heavily as Clint let out a quiet snarl and turned away. "Where are you going?"
"To report to my boss," the archer snapped, looking briefly back over his shoulder. "Last I checked I'm still a SHIELD agent and not one of your god-damn soldiers!"
Steve just blinked in surprise as the archer walked away. His mouth opened as if to reply but in the end he just shook his head, bowing it helplessly. Off to the side Tony pursed his lips.
"Seriously. When do we interfere?" he asked. Natasha sighed tiredly.
"We can't…" she replied although there was not much conviction behind her voice.
"I do not see how we cannot," Thor shook his head, looking from Steve's stationary form to Clint's retreating figure. "They are both hurting so."
Natasha pursed her lips, tapping her fingers against her leg as she looked thoughtfully to where Clint was walking away.
"I guess we could…"
"Wh… Hulk!"
The three snapped their heads back toward where Steve had been standing, all blinking in surprise as they found that Hulk had picked up Steve and was stalking toward Clint.
"Hey, big guy," Tony was the first to snap out of his shock, chasing after the large green figure. "What you doing?"
"Hulk fix," came the simple reply. Just ahead Clint heard the commotion behind him and turned but not fast enough to get out of the way. Hulk picked the archer up and turned back to face his teammates as he looked around. For a moment Tony smirked at the sight of Hulk standing there with Steve dangling in one hand and Clint in the other but he quickly shook his head and gave The Other Guy a stern look.
"I think you should put them down now…" he said carefully. Hulk gave him a quick what-could-only-be-described-as-a frown.
"Hulk fix," he repeated, looking around again, his eyes settling on a nearby alley – a shallow, narrow space situated between two restaurants with a high wall at the end where the large bins were stored. In only a few steps he made his way over to the alley and gently put down his two teammates. Both Steve and Clint paused, looking at Hulk warily as he stood in the entrance to the alley. Hulk looked over the two in turn before pointing a large finger in their general direction. "Talk."
Before Steve or Clint had a chance to react Hulk retreated and grabbed a nearby slab of cement that had fallen off one of the less fortunate properties in the area, blocking the exit just as the rest of the group caught up. They could hear their two colleagues yelling from behind the slab but Hulk simply slumped down in front of it, sitting with his back against the concrete and offering Tony, Thor and Natasha a smug smile. Tony crossed his arms and pouted at Natasha's amused expression.
"How come he gets to interfere?" he asked, scowling as Natasha just arched an eyebrow at him. With a sigh he tilted his head toward the little cage Hulk had built. "JARVIS re-establish communications please."
"…bet you wish you'd kept your grapple arrow on you now," Steve's voice filtered through their earpieces. Hulk grunted, a frown pulling on his brow.
"Oh fuck you Steve!"
"You know I think the big guy wants you to talk nicely," Tony commented, unable to stop the smirk pulling on his lips. He gave a small start as something pinged off the top of his helmet. Looking down he found a small earpiece lying on the ground in front of him. "JARVIS did Barton just managed to hit me on the head from over that wall?"
"Yes Sir," the AI paused briefly. "Captain Rodgers has also removed his earpiece but he has placed his in a pocket."
Tony pouted.
"But I wanna know what they're saying!" he turned to Natasha and Thor, both of whom returned an amused expression. "How are we going to know if they make up? Or kill each other?"
Natasha shook her head and wandered over to where Hulk sat, sitting down on a small wall nearby. Thor stepped closer to Tony and clasped a hand onto the metal plating on his shoulder.
"I think we should take a seat also," he glanced over at the wall behind which their leader and archer were trapped. "We may be here a while."
x-x-x
Clint glowered at the wall that separated him from the rest of his team. That separated him and Steve from the rest of their team. Crossing his arms he turned back to face into the alley, narrowing his eyes as he watched Steve put his communicator into his pocket. The soldier sighed quietly, contemplation clear on his face. Taking a deep breath he looked up at Clint but the archer turned away.
"You can save the insubordination speech," he grumbled, walking past Steve and heading deeper into the alley, looking around the small area for any way out. "I've heard it all before from Fury and Coulson."
"I wasn't going to…" Steve frowned heavily, shaking his head. Letting out another long, weary breath the soldier leant back against the large concrete slab behind him, crossing his arms across his chest and crossing his legs at the ankle. Near silence fell as Steve dropped his gaze, the only sound that of Clint moving around the space, kicking any debris that got in his way…
x-x-x
Tony sighed impatiently – and loudly – tapping metal fingers against metal arm as he stood next to Hulk. A quick glance at The Other Guy showed him that his plan obviously was not working so far – he still wore a distinctive scowl. Off to the side Thor and Natasha sat on the remains of a wall chatting quietly. A few of the locals had started to try and drift back into the outlying areas but S.H.I.E.L.D.s clean-up crew were managing to keep them away from the Avengers immediate area. Tony contemplated wandering over and joining Thor and Natasha but a low voice in his ear stopped him.
"Why am I getting reports that the Hulk has kidnapped Captain America and Agent Barton?" Director Fury asked. Tony glanced over at Natasha but she just offered the billionaire a smirk, nodding her head in permission.
"I think the big guy is fed up of the pining and puppy eyes," Tony replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "He's locked them in an alley until they… fix it."
"Well it's about time someone did," Fury grumbled. "Let me know when you're on your way back."
Tony's mouth opened but for once nothing came out. He looked over at Natasha who just shrugged. He'd wanted to interfere long ago but he hadn't been allowed…
x-x-x
Steve closed his eyes as the silence continued, wondering to himself how long The Other Guy was going to keep them holed up in his little makeshift prison…
"You know I always try so hard to prove myself to you guys."
Of course Steve should have known that Clint would break before Hulk. Pushing himself away from the wall he uncrossed his arms although he noticed that Clint did not.
"You don't need to prove yourself to us Clint."
The archer scoffed.
"I just need to keep myself safe and sound up in a nest somewhere eh?"
"Clint that's not…" Steve ran a hand through his hair unable to keep the frustration from his voice. "That's not what I meant."
"No?" Clint arched an eyebrow dubiously. "Tony does stupid stuff in his suit all the damned time and we know fine he hasn't made that thing indestructible yet. He's just human and you don't give him such a hard time."
Steve inhaled deeply through his nose.
"I told you I didn't mean…"
"So you would have given everyone else as much grief as you gave me?"
"No! I…" Steve snapped his mouth shut, closing his eyes in despair as he realised what he had just blurted out. Across the gravel Clint paused, blinking rapidly apparently taken aback by the response although he had been prodding for it. With a tired sigh the archer slumped down against a wall at the side of the alley, sitting with his elbows resting on his bent knees, bow still clasped in his right hand. The archer bowed his head but not before Steve saw the hurt expression that played across his face.
"Look if you don't want me in the team anymore just say," Clint sighed resignedly. "I'm sure Fury will find something else for me to do – I am still a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent after all."
Steve blinked, his frustrated expression making way to confusion. He looked down at the other man, noting the sag of his shoulders and the twitch of the fingers on his left hand. The soldier's brow furrowed slightly in thought. He'd never seen Clint look so… vulnerable.
"Why would you think I didn't want you in the team?" he asked quietly. Clint gave a small one shouldered shrug. Steve's frown deepened. "If I ever give you a hard time it's only because I worry about you," the soldier noticed Clint's shoulders tense and quickly continued. "And not because I think you're weaker than everyone else!" Steve swallowed heavily, turning his gaze to the ground in front of him, his voice growing quieter. "It's just because I care."
The archer's brow furrowed guiltily as he glanced in Steve's direction, seeing the soldier's shoulders slump as he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the ground in front of him.
"I'm sorry Steve," he replied quietly but genuinely. "I don't mean to worry you. Any of you," the archer picked up his tone as he continued. "I still say Tony gives us all a lot more to be concerned about though."
"Yeah, I guess he does," a wry smile pulled on Steve's lips but Clint was not convinced by it.
"I thought you and Tony were getting on better now?" he asked with a small frown. Steve looked over, a slightly… what Clint thought was maybe panicked look in his eyes as he looked towards Clint's direction but did not meet his gaze.
"What? We are," another smile was forced onto the soldier's lips. "We're great friends. Despite him being… well him being Tony Stark."
Clint's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the other man, a nervous tension clearly having settled over him as he still refused to look Clint straight in the eye.
"Then why don't you give him as much grief as you give me?" the archer asked again although this time the question was more inquisitive as opposed to the earlier demand. Steve shifted his weight, his gaze returning to the ground as a defeated sigh escaped his lips.
"I just…" even over the small distance between them Steve's voice was hard to hear. "I just care about you more."
Clint blinked. And blinked again.
"I thought team leader wasn't allowed to have favourites," he commented lightly, a small smile slowly pulling onto his lips. Steve's eyes closed tightly, his head bowing further as he brought both hands up to run through his hair. Clint continued quickly as he noted Steve open his mouth. "You got any plans for this evening?"
Steve's mouth shut. Dropping both hands again he looked over at the archer uncertainly.
"What?"
Clint swallowed hard but sat up straight, offering as relaxed an expression as he could manage under the circumstances.
"I mean after we're all cleaned up here obviously. And debriefed and blah, blah, blah…" Clint waved a hand. "Any plans for the evening?"
Steve shook his head slowly, his frown fading slightly.
"No…"
"You wanna… go for dinner or something?" Clint shrugged casually although his tone was anything but. "You know, just you and me?"
Slowly Steve's lips curled up into a smile.
"I would like that," he nodded. Clint let out the breath he did not realise he'd been holding, returning the smile. For a moment the two remained in silence before Clint finally clambered to his feet.
"I'm sorry I disobeyed you earlier."
Steve gave a small nod.
"I'm sorry I didn't trust your judgement."
Clint laughed wryly.
"Yeah well if any of you jumped off an eighty story building I would probably go nuts so I shouldn't really complain too much," he admitted. Steve chuckled lightly as Clint closed the gap between them but stopped a couple of feet away still. Offering one last smile he delved into his pocket and pulled his communicator back out, slipping it into his ear.
"Hulk?" a grunt came back by way of reply. "You gonna let us out of here now big guy? I have a dinner date to get ready for this evening."
"With Cupid?" Hulk asked, suspicion clear in his voice. Steve could not help but laugh quietly as he glanced back at Clint, the archer unable to hear the Other Guy's response since he had launched his own communicator over the wall.
"Yes with Cupid."
Within seconds the wall was moved, leaving a giant, grinning, green figure in its place.
"I think that's going to be your nickname now big fella," Tony appeared beside him, slapping him heartily on the arm before turning toward the two now free teammates exiting the alley side by side. "So come on then, who cracked first?"
"None of your business Stark," Clint replied although there was no malice in his voice and the smirk he threw the billionaire was one of amusement. He turned briefly toward Steve, looking up to meet the taller man's eyes. "Shall we aim for eight?"
Steve smiled and nodded.
"Eight sounds good," he agreed. Clint gave a small nod of acknowledgement and one last smile before turning toward Natasha, bowing his head sheepishly at the arched eyebrow she offered him.
"Don't you dare tell her if you're not going to tell me!" Tony objected, pointing a finger toward the two agents. It was Natasha's turn to smirk as she leant into a quick conversation with the archer. Tony crossed his arms in a huff and looked up at the Hulk who grinned back at him smugly.
"Hulk fixed."