Bruce's eyes fluttered open.
That was the best sleep he'd had in a long time.
He was looking at the ceiling, it looks a little different from usual but he didn't care, he was still half asleep
I'll have another hour he thought.
He closed his eyes and turned to lie on his side.
He was trying to remember the dream he was having when he felt something on his face.
Air...warm air...
Breath?
He opened his eyes dazedly and was met by the face of Clint Barton, sleeping contentedly.
Bruce started to remember the night before, all the things he'd told Clint.
He felt slightly embarrassed, but didn't regret telling the archer. He thought that he probably wouldn't have been able to stop himself anyway. He hardly even knows the man, but all his thoughts and feelings had been sealed away for so long...
Bruce thought he'd better get back to his room before S.H.I.E.L.D. wondered where the hell he was. In fact, he's surprised there wasn't a search party already looking for him because he never returned to his quarters.
As Bruce sat up, he realised he had something in his hand. He looked down to see what it was.
Oh.
The object was Clint's hand. He was holding Clint's hand. He felt a little embarrassed at the idea of sleeping with a man he only started talking to a couple of days earlier, whilst holding his hand.
He placed Clint's hand gently by his side and then got up.
There was a mirror next to the bed, Bruce walked over and looked at himself in it.
His eyes were slightly red and puffy from the night before, and his clothes looks scruffy because he'd slept in them. His hair was a mess too.
As he turned away from the mirror to leave, he saw Clint sitting up on the bed, looking at Bruce.
"Hey." he said gently.
"Hi." replied Bruce, his voice a little raspy. "Sorry about last night, I shouldn't have laid all that on you."
"No, it's fine, really. I'm always willing to help anyone who needs it." Clint replied.
There was an awkward silence for a while, which was eventually broken by Clint.
"Anyway, are you feeling any better?" he asked, with concern etched across his face.
"Much better than last night." replied Bruce. "Thank you."
"It's cool." Clint smiled at Bruce and got up.
"So how-" Clint was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in!" he called.
The door slid open and Steve walked in.
They both smiled at the man. Steve was a very friendly person, and everyone on the team got along with him.
He stared at the floor.
"Uh, Fury wants to see you, Clint." Steve said flatly. "You too, Bruce."
Clint noted Steve's odd behaviour.
"Okay, we'll be down in-'' Clint started.
"Can I speak to you outside, Clint?" Steve interrupted.
Clint just stared.
"Yeah, sure." They both left the room. Bruce stood in the room by himself like an abandoned puppy.
"What's up Steve?" asked Clint, he was worried in case something was wrong with him too.
"You do know romantic relationships between team mates can jeopardise the whole dynamic of the team?" stated Steve, firmly.
Clint just looked at him. His brain was still analysing what the man just said.
"But... but me and Natasha are strictly work colleagues and friends, we've never felt like that towards each other, and besides, I'm g-" Clint was interrupted by Steve again.
"I'm not talking about Natasha. Look, I know I'm from a different time, and a lot of things are different these days, but if you're seeing Bruce, then you must-" It was Clint's turn to interrupt Steve.
"Wait, what? I'm not going out with Bruce. I only started talking to him a few days ago. True, we've been pretty close, but his emotions have been going haywire lately – by the way, when I see Tony, he better run for his life – and I've been there to support him, it just seemed like the logical thing to do as he's my "team mate". Natasha and I have seen some scary shit in our time at S.H.I.E.L.D., sometimes I've seen her have a nervous breakdown in front on me, which I've had to help her with." Clint stopped for a moment. "I'm not going out with Bruce, why would you even think that anyway?"
Steve was stunned by Clint's speech.
"Well, I... I... I saw you two last night, I... I came to see if Bruce was all right, but... but you were, uh...," Steve stopped, his cheeks burning red, "snuggling." he finished, looking scandalised.
Clint's cheeks flushed red as he remembered the way he tried to calm Bruce down in his sleep.
"Well, he was being restless in his sleep, he wanted me close by so I thought I'd lie on the bed with him. And in his sleep he rolled and... snuggled into me. I couldn't exactly move him away, he'd finally become calm." Clint said, trying to convince Steve that what he was thinking was a simple misunderstanding.
Steve's cheeks were still bright red.
"Okay, well, just as long as we're clear that there should be no intimate relationships between team mates." Steve smiled slightly. "We cool dawg?"
Clint stared at the other man.
"Never say that ever again in your entire life." Clint deadpanned, but was smiling.
"But I read somewhere that it was cool... Anyway, you should get going, Fury isn't too happy."
"You do know that if you want to have a private conversation, you should actually close the door?" said a voice behind them.
They both turned round to see the door indeed open and Bruce standing by it.
Clint felt rather embarrassed.
"You heard all of that?" he asked.
"Yes," replied Bruce "and thank you Clint for being there for me. You're a great friend... if I can call you that?" added Bruce.
"Of course." Clint smiled. Bruce smiled back.
"And I'm sorry for the, uh, snuggling."
"Don't worry, no harm done." Clint laughed. Steve looked out of place.
"So, uh, Fury?" he said, trying not to be a pain.
"Actually, I need to ask him something," said Clint, "Bruce, could you stay here, please?"
Bruce looked at him.
"But didn't he ask for the both of us?"
"Yeah, I know, but just trust me, okay?"
Bruce smiled.
"Okay... friend."
Clint grinned like an idiot and ran down the corridor.
Steve and Bruce stood in silence.
Bruce stared at Steve the whole time.
"Why don't you just tell him?" Bruce asked.
Steve just stared back.
"What do you mean? Tell him what?"
Bruce looked back and him and just shook his head. He walked back to the bed and sat down.
Steve stood by the door for a few more minutes then finally left.
-o-
"No, I simply won't allow it." stated Fury, almost shouting.
"C'mon sir, please, it will be good for him. I can assure you he'd be safer out there than in that cell." pleaded Clint.
"That makes absolutely no sense, Barton." said Fury, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.
"How does it not?" Clint asked, dumbfounded.
Fury looked at Clint as if he were losing the will to live.
"Because dumbass, a titanium structure which is a metre thick is much harder to break through than air." said Fury.
Clint grunted in anger.
"But if you look after the inside," said Clint, "there won't be any damage on the outside."
Fury closed his eyes and exhaled in frustration.
"Right, alright, go, do it, but I swear to whatever god is out there, if he Hulks out and kills someone, you'll be the one who is charged for first degree murder!" exclaimed Fury, finally giving up.
Clint just stared.
"You're actually letting me do this?" he said, sounding like an idiot.
Fury just looked at him.
"Why the fuck you question me after you just spent that last fifteen minutes trying to convince me? Just get out before I actually regain my sanity and realise I'm making a huge mistake." he said, busying himself with some papers.
Clint wore that idiotic grin again and ran out of the room, and Fury wondered where the god damned scotch was.
A/N
Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes in any of the chapters.
Hope you enjoy this update.
As always, reviews are welcome/appreciated! :D