Ear Biting - IronHawk

It started slowly. At first, nobody really noticed it, or was bothered by it. Until they were.
At first, Tony barely recognised it as odd. Yes, it may not have been completely normal, but it was pretty adorable. It may not have been common in all couples, but him and Clint couldn't exactly be classed as normal could they?

It started as a slow progression from kisses to nuzzles, then to nibbles before little teeth marks could be clearly identified in little arcs along the top of Tony's ears.

It first happened when Clint had come back from a week long mission; a week in which Tony had only left the lab twice. Tony had jumped when someone had suddenly draped their arms over his shoulders and rested their head on his shoulder, though he'd relaxed instantly as soon as he'd recognised the strength in the arms that cuddled him close.

"You're finally back!" he had cheered quietly, thankful for his lover's safe return.

Clint had only rotated his head to face Tony's.

"You're being awfully quiet. What's up? You're not hurt right?"

At the slight shake of a head and the brush of blond hair against his neck and cheek, some of his worry had ebbed away. He'd felt kisses being pressed into his neck and a tongue had flicked out against his ear for a fraction of a second.

Tony had continued on his project, happy with the ministrations his boyfriend was carrying out, and happy in the knowledge that Clint had come back and he was safe. He'd startled minutely when he felt the graze of teeth against the tip of his ear, but had brushed it off as his imagination.

Then it had happened again. Tony'd shaken it off as nothing and returned to his tinkering. That was all fine and dandy until he'd felt the quick but sharp pain as Clint bit his ear properly.

After that, it was pretty much a daily occurrence and he paid it no mind as Clint would often drop into the lab via the vents, drape himself over Tony's back and bite his ears, before kissing his cheek and leaping back into the vents to go and spar with Steve or Natasha.

This went on for months, the team just becoming used to it. Team movie nights for example: Thor sprawled on the floor amongst an army of pillow pets, Natasha curled in one armchair, Bruce the other, Steve laying on the smaller of the two settees, leaving the "love-bugs" to the remaining sofa. Tony's shoulders would be pressed into the arm of the sofa, his back angled to the crease between the back and the seat cushions whilst Clint laid half on top and half in front of him, head pillowed on Tony's outstretched arm. At some point during the movie (see: minimum of 20 minutes in), Clint would get bored and turn to face Tony's chest, the light of the arc reactor illuminating his face in a blue glow. The others managed to finish the film, but when JARVIS turned the lights back on, they could all see the teeth marks lining both of Tony's ears.

It never really bothered them, they just accepted it as another one of Clint's weird quirks. They also just assumed Tony was used to it, so used to it that he didn't even realise that it wasn't exactly a typical sign of affection. All was well with it until, during a debrief, Hill pointed it out as soon as Clint dropped from SHIELD's vents into his chair between his genius, billionaire, (ex)playboy, philanthropist boyfriend and his red-headed, ninja-assassin best friend.

"Barton." Hill snapped, watching as Clint leant to his left slightly to quickly nip Tony's ear before returning his full attention to her and Coulson.

"Yes?"

"Why do you do that? Better yet, Stark, why do you let him do that?"

Silence rang through the room before a puzzled expression slipped over Tony's face as he asked,

"Do what?"

"Why do you let him bite your ears all the time?"

She was genuinely perplexed; it was such a strange thing to do.

"He doesn't."

Bruce snorted.

"Yes he does. We all just thought you were used to it, not that you weren't aware that he did it all the time."

Clint looked uncomfortable. He shifted slightly further toward Natasha, and further away from the table; nobody seemed to notice.

"He really doesn't. Even if he does, what's the big deal? He's not biting your ears so what does it matter to you? If it bothers you so much, then sod off."

The sound of clattering metal drew everyone's attention to the now empty seat where their Hawk had originally been sitting. Glances to the ceiling confirmed everyone's theory that Clint had gotten too uncomfortable and had taken to the vents as his form of escape.

"See what you did?" Tony snapped as he stormed from the room, his chair tipping over in his haste to leave.

Tony eventually found Clint. After an hour. All the way back at the tower. On the roof. After asking JARVIS. He still found him though.

Tony wandered across the expanse of the roof, slowly closing in on Clint who stood at the very edge, peering down at the city with his bordering on superhuman eyesight.

"Babe?"

After hearing the younger man sigh, he finally closed the remaining distance and wrapped his arms around Clint's waist, his hands soothingly rubbing his hips. Clint gently pressed backward, leaning his weight against Tony as well as moving them from the very edge, a small voice in his head piping and reminding him that Tony was uncomfortable with heights unless he had his suit.

"It's nothing you did or said."

Tony pressed a kiss into the strong shoulder under his chin in response.

Another sigh before Clint continued.

"It's just... I don't like being talked about like I'm not there, you know?"

"And?"

"Wait, what?"

"Something else is bugging you. Come on, love, don't lie to me."

There was a brief pause, the only sound washing over them being the lull of the city as afternoon wove into evening.

"It doesn't bother you, does it?"

Tony couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the question. Clint turned in his arms, outrage evident on his face, before Tony chuckled once and kissed the frown away.

"Babe, I honestly hadn't noticed how frequently you do it. Do you really think it bothers me?"

A small smile crept onto Clint's features, it's sincerity showing as crystal blues lit up brighter than the lights of the city buildings that surrounded them. Tony returned it, staring into Clint's eyes as he whispered,

"I don't care how weird you are, you're my weirdo. I love you Clint."

"I love you too."

There, on the roof of their home, they shared a kiss that symbolised that no matter how many quirks they had, how weird life got, biting ears would always be their thing.