Truths and lies
It was called 'Surveillance Duty' but Tony Stark knew that was just fancy talk for 'baby sitting', which meant 'bored out of your skull' in Tony-speak!
He glanced over at his partner in boredom, Agent Clint Hawkeye Barton, whom seemed quite happy sitting on the edge of a skyscraper and staring down at the people milling about.
It didn't really surprise Tony. None of the SHIELD agents, including big daddy Fury himself, had an ounce of humor between them.
Still, in desperate times...
"Hey," Tony called out, hovering over to sit down next to the agent. "Barton."
No answer.
The man kept his position, crouched with one hand ready to reach for the bow lying on the ground next to him, and Tony wondered if there were any gargoyle impersonation contests he could enter him into and what the prize of winning it might be.
Because the way Barton wasn't moving, at all, win he would!
Tony Stark, however, had a very strong need to be entertained and he usually got what he wanted.
"Barton, come on, hey, if you don't say anything I'm going to be forced to talk and that could end badly. I mean really bad. Ninety nine bottles of beer kind of bad."
Was that a twitch in Barton's shoulders?
Tony leaned in for the kill. "Row row row your boat, gently down the stream..."
With the sigh of a man condemned to death, Clint finally glanced over at him. "We're here on a mission, Stark."
Raising the mask of the iron suit, Tony sent him a sardonic look. "And how is that going?"
"Just because there hasn't been any activity yet doesn't mean..."
"Two hours, Barton," Tony interrupted. "It's been two hours and to be honest, I don't think these guys are going to start acting up any time soon."
Clint frowned before returning to stare down at the street again. "What do you want, Stark?"
"First of all, is there something wrong with my name? As we're both Avengers, did you know they said I didn't qualify first, and we might be going on more missions together and 'Mr Stark' is my father, you should just go with Tony!" Tony gave his most winning smile. "Secondly, being a genius, I get bored easily and must have entertainment."
"I'm not doing a tap-dance routine just to amuse you, 'Tony'," was the dry reply.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Just talk to me, Chuckles." He shrugged. "Tell me something."
Clint's eyes slid over to focus briefly on him before once again returning to their original target. "Okay, fine."
"Awesome."
"Have you ever played Two Truths And One Lie, Stark?"
"Tony. And no."
Clint warily watched a man passing the door leading to their scientists, but kept otherwise frozen like before. "It's simply, really. I tell you three things about me. Two are true, one is a lie, in random order, and you got to figure out which is the lie."
Tony gave an approving nod. "I think I can handle that. Easy. Hit me, Birdman!"
"One. Loki's curse on me was an absolute horror. Waking up afterwards, the more I discovered about the destruction I had caused, the lives lost because of me, the worse I felt. I still can't help wondering if Coulson wouldn't have died if only I had fought harder against it, somehow, even when I know there was nothing I could have done against magic."
The smile slid off Tony's face and he swallowed hard. It was still a sore topic, he was a little amazed that Barton brought it up actually, but the hurt in Clint's voice sounded true enough.
"Two. Natasha Romanoff is my best friend, my lover and the love of my life. She is the one person I truly trust and I would gladly give my life for her. Years and years ago SHIELD sent me to kill Natasha, but I couldn't do it. She was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Bringing her to SHIELD is the best decision I have ever made and I will never regret making that choice. "
Too easy, Tony thought.
The fact that Hawkeye and the Black Widow were an item was exactly that in Tony's book: a fact. Also, there was no mistaking the emotion in Clint's voice when he spoke about her. It was the same fuzzy feelies that scrambled about Tony's own chest whenever Pepper was around.
"Three. I take no pleasure in killing. When SHIELD sends me out on missions, I do what I must for the greater good, whether it be observing a door for hours or putting an arrow through someone's neck. Though, I would rather let my target go than cut through a civilian. Killing is sometimes an unfortunate necessity but I consider a day where I don't have to take a life a good day."
Tony blinked. There was nothing but honesty in Barton's voice and an echo of regret much like Tony felt thinking about his revenge missions against the weapons dealers.
Clint hadn't taken his eyes off his target once during his confessions, nor shown a flicker of emotion, still doing his gargoyle-thing like a pro, and it was starting to get more than a little freaky.
"Two truths and one lie, Tony" Clint said in a neutral voice now. "Which is the lie?"
After that, Clint was allowed to do his rock impersonating bit in peace.
Tony Stark kept quiet and kept his distance.
As for the lie? He wasn't all that sure he wanted to know, considering he might indeed be sent out on a mission with Clint Hawkeye Barton again.