Okay. I have trouble writing Thor. Just putting that out there. This seems to be becoming the Tony show a bit, but he's always been an attention hog. Also, I think the timeline of this chapter goes a little weird in the middle, but that may be my paranoia speaking.
Warnings where they always are.
Enjoy!


Tony made his way slowly up to the communal floor, thinking about how he was going to break the news to the Asgardian. Thor was already there, down from the roof, by the time Tony arrived.

"Friend Tony!" Thor exclaimed and threw his arms around Tony in a crushing hug. Tony immediately tried to pull away. "Where are the rest of our warrior brethren?"

"Natasha and Bruce are in Nat's quarters, I think. Steve is...he's probably down in the gym again. Clint is... well, that's kind of a long story."

"What has happened?" Thor said, holding Tony at arm's length. Tony looked away and patted Thor's bicep, partly to get Thor to let go. He pulled back and moved over to the couches, sitting down. Thor stood over him arms folded.

"Clint... he was kidnapped. We were fighting these guys. We didn't realise it was just a distraction. They took him and they tortured him."

Thor sat down heavily, and the sofa creaked.

"No."

"Yes. He was taken a few days ago now. We got him back, he's safe, here in the Tower, but he's not well. He was hurt."

"I have failed." Thor put his face in his hands and sighed. Tony frowned.

"Failed? How have you failed? You weren't even here. Besides, from what you've said, you're needed in Asgard."

"It matters not. I gave my sooth-word when we fought alongside friend Hawk against my brother. That I would protect him and help him heal from the wrongs my family have done against him." He didn't look up. "I should have been here. I should have protected him from this evil."

"Hey, we were all here. We couldn't do anything to stop it. We didn't..." Tony clenched his teeth and shook his head. Then he forced himself to continue because this wasn't about him. "We didn't even realise he had been taken for so long..." Tony sat down next to the god, and placed a hand tentatively on his back. Touch was usually a good move with Thor, he was very tactile. With the rest of them, touch had to be telegraphed well in advance, and even then it was often not appreciated.

"How terribly was he injured?"

"It's not good. He was... there was a cage." He swallowed harshly, and suddenly Thor had an arm wrapped around him and Tony didn't have the energy to flinch away. "He'll heal. The burns are pretty bad, there's a risk of infection there, and with the whip marks too. But he'll heal. His body anyway."

"And his mind? Is it greatly disturbed?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. He had a flashback. One that we saw, maybe more. But you know how good he is at putting on a show. He seemed okay till he freaked out." Tony maybe leaned into the warmth of Thor's bulk.

"And the Son of Coul? He is caring for him?"

"Yeah." Tony realized then that Thor didn't know about the bomb that Phil had dropped either. "About him..."

"What? He was not captured as well?"

"No! No, he's fine. He's worried about Clint, but he's coping. He did tell us something about himself though. something you should know."

"What?"

"He has something called OCD."

"What is that?"

"It's...complicated. No two cases are alike. It's an illness, but one of the mind rather than the body. It makes you act... differently."

"How?"

"It's like... okay, so if you have OCD you have obsessions and compulsions. That means that you don't always act rationally. You believe you have to do certain things or bad things will happen. And you focus on that so much that you obsess over it and if you don't get to do what you need to, then you get upset, maybe panic."

"I see..." Thor sounded confused and Tony thought for a moment trying to figure out a better way to explain.

"For Coulson, it's not that big of a deal. He's got it mostly under control. You might want to ask him about it though."

"I understand." Thor nodded, and Tony thought he maybe did get it. Thor wasn't the smartest tack in the box, but he had developed some real people skills since he'd first been kicked out of Asgard. "I must go and assure myself that he is well."

"Sure. Go ahead. JARVIS, show Thor to the infirmary."

"Will you not accompany me?"

"No. I think I'll go check on Steve. He seems to be taking it pretty hard."

"Ah." Thor clapped Tony's shoulder and then stood. "It is a leader's prerogative."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's not stupid."


Steve beat the bag. His hands hurt, and there was blood on the bag. He paused and rewrapped his fists. The skin broke and healed within seconds, his flesh giving quicker than whatever it was Tony had built these new bags out of. He'd made them specifically for Steve, but right now Steve wished that Tony hadn't bothered. He wanted to feel something come apart under his hands. He wanted to rend, to tear.

He punched.

Tony had come in a while ago. But one look at Steve's face and he knew that he wouldn't hear anything that Tony had to say. So, he'd sat down on the bench and waited. He wondered how Thor was getting on with Barton.


"Friend Hawk, I feel such regret that I was not here for you in your time of need." Clint frowned at Thor's ducked head and hunched shoulders. He didn't need this. He really didn't. He hurt everywhere. His stomach was rolling and he felt like he was going to cry or hit something or scream, and Thor was trying to apologise.

"Stop that. It wasn't your fault. You weren't there."

"No. I was not. It is for that that I must give you my apologies."

"You had stuff going on back home. I get that." Clint looked away. He got that Thor had other priorities, but he'd always felt that the god wasn't entirely comfortable around him. in fact, he'd always suspected that Thor felt uncomfortable being around someone his brother had mind fucked. He was sure that he was why Thor spent so much time away from the team.

"I swore that I would allow no harm to come to you, that I would do my all to protect you." Clint stared at him, and he felt Phil go still in the chair beside the bed.

"What do you mean?" Phil asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"My brother has done you great harm. I gave my word that I would remedy that if I could."

Clint's lungs went tight. This was actually worse. Much worse. He looked over at Phil, and he wasn't sure what his face was doing, but Phil stood up, and shook his head.

"That's not how this works. You are not responsible for your brother's actions. And you are not responsible for Clint."

"But..."

"I think perhaps you had better leave." Phil's voice was ice, and Thor left quickly. Clint laughed, humourlessly, his chest aching where his ribs were cracked. It was just like Thor. He meant so well, and he was so nice, like a Labrador puppy, but he was still the only person who could single handedly make Clint feel like a child, remind him of Loki's mind fuck, as well as reminding him of his own deadbeat brother all in two little sentences.

"Are you alright?" Phil asked, his hand on Clint's arm grounding him.

"Yeah. I just... I wish Thor was easier to hate." Phil laughed, gently.

"I know what you mean."

"I hate this."

"What?" Phil could think of a dozen things that Clint could currently be referring to.

"Feeling like this. I... it feels like my skin is a size too small. I can't..." He waved a bandaged hand helplessly.

"I get it. I do." He perched on the edge of the bed, and stroked his hand back and forth along Clint's arm. "It will get better. I promise."

"I can take the pain. I can. I can take everyone being... you know, all stupid and worried and awkward. I can even take the way you keep looking at me like I'm going to break. But I don't know if I can take feeling like I might actually be broken for much longer."

"Clint." Phil sounded lost. He cleared his throat and found that core of steel that Clint loved so much. "Clinton Francis Barton. You listen to me. You are not broken. Sure, you're a little bent right now, but you've always been a little bent." He stroked a hand down Clint's cheek, and wonder of wonders, Clint didn't flinch. "You're a survivor. You'll get through this. I am so proud of you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Phil kept his hand on Clint's cheek and leaned down to press their foreheads together. He tasted salt and he wasn't sure which one of them had started crying.


Ha, made you look. No real warnings for this chapter except ANGST and mental health issues.