Clint stood on the balcony, his hands closed in a white-knuckled grip around the railing, staring blindly out over the darkened city, ignoring the cold, the snow sifting down, his own lack of a suitable coat. He'd turned and marched out right after Phil had spoken, unable to deal with the turmoil of emotions he was feeling when surrounded by so many people.

He wasn't at all surprised to hear the door to the balcony open and close, the noise of the loud, half-shouted conversations going on inside swelling and fading in volume as it did. Not loud enough to cover the sound of shoes on the metal floor of the balcony, coming up behind him.

Phil, still wearing his long woollen coat and scarf, came to a stop beside Clint, folding his hands together on top of the rail. "I'm sorry," he said.

Clint remained silent for a moment. "I'm not sure an apology is enough to fix this," he said, voice rough. "Sir."

Phil gave a single sharp nod, his head bending and shoulders drooping a little. "I'd be surprised if it was," he agreed. "But I felt it might be a good starting point."

Clint snorted, and found himself smiling slightly despite how confused and hurt he was feeling right now. "We thought you were dead. I thought you were dead, and all because of something I'd helped plan and execute."

"I was dead," Phil said calmly. "For several days, in fact."

That startled Clint. He turned and looked fully at Phil. "Really?"

"Really. Fury took... extraordinary measures, to bring me back. It messed me up, and just as I thought I was finally making sense of it... well, HYDRA happened. I've been kind of busy ever since, and... being officially dead was a useful state to be in. No one thinks to look for a dead man. Very few people were aware of my return."

"And you didn't think I was someone that could be trusted to know," Clint said flatly, shifting his weight away from Phil.

"No! I trust you. I've always trusted you, Clint," Phil said, reaching out to catch Clint's wrist with one hand before he could move away. "But this was not something I could just... just phone you or email you and say. It needed to be face to face. But first I was trying to figure out what had happened to me, and then we were betrayed by people we'd thought we could trust, after which we were on the run, in hiding, and... well. It's been one thing after another with barely a pause for breath. This is the first real opportunity I've had to meet up with you – with all of you – and let you know what's been going on. I almost didn't take it, except someone decided to lean on me and insist that it was past time I let all of you know. He threatened to out me to you all on his own if I didn't do it soon," Phil said ruefully, then turned to look at Clint, his voice dropping. "Telling you wasn't a hard sell. It was having to tell everyone else that scared me."

"Oh," Clint said, and looked down to where Phil's hand was still holding his wrist. He swallowed. "I missed you, you know." He released the railing, and turned over his hand.

"I missed you too," Phil said, and moved his hand to lace his fingers with Clint's. "More than I was prepared to admit even to myself. I... Clint. I know in the past, it never seemed the right time... first you were my subordinate, and then you had Natasha, and.."

Clint smiled. "And then you had that whatever-it-was with someone you wouldn't let either of us meet..."

Phil nodded. "...And then you married Bobbi. And by the time that fell apart..."

"...you had Audrey. And then everything went to shit."

"And then everything went to shit," Phil agreed tiredly.

"I'm not your subordinate any more."

"No, you're not."

"Audrey still thinks you're dead?"

"It's better that way. She may find out some day, but by then I'm pretty sure she'll have moved on. I can't expect her to wait when she doesn't know, and I can't let her know without putting her in danger."

Clint nodded, and stood silently staring down at their linked hands for a couple of minutes, then smiled slightly, turning to face more towards Phil, releasing the railing with his other hand and instead leaning that elbow on it. "Can I kiss you, Sir?"

"I'd like that," Phil said, voice light but wavering slightly. "And you don't have to call me Sir."

"What if I like to?" Clint asked, even as he leaned in closer.

Phil smiled. "Then I suppose I have no objections," he said.

Clint's lips pressed lightly to his at first. Phil's clasp on his hand tightened, and he made a small appreciative noise, reaching up to touch his fingertips to Clint's cheek. Clint moaned and kissed him more firmly, then suddenly backed off as there was another burst of noise from inside. He was grinning, and Phil's own cheeks had reddened with something more than cold.

"We should go back inside," Clint said, voice rough. "It's kind of cold out here."

"You don't have a coat," Phil agreed. "And I hear there's lamb stew and sprouted bean salad."

"And sourdough bread," Clint said, grinning as they released their grip to turn and walk back toward the balcony doors. "How did you know to bring it?"

"I had a tip off as to what you and Natasha were planning to make."

"Maria?"

"No."

Clint hummed thoughtfully, and changed the subject. "I hear Stark baked cookies."

"Are they edible?"

"We can find out," Clint said, as he opened the door and gestured Phil inside.

The noise turned out to have been due to Fury's arrival at the party, which both men were disappointed to have missed. Even without his leather coat and eye patch Fury managed to look dangerous where he stood in the centre of the room surrounded by Avengers, his thumbs hooked in his belt as he stared down Tony Stark. As they entered he turned to look at them, and smiled. "Director Coulson," he said. "Good to see you again."

Phil nodded at him. "Nick."

"Just Marcus these days," he said.

"Wait wait wait," Tony interrupted, stepping between the two men with a hand lifted towards each of them. "Director Coulson? Since when?"

"Since I resigned the position after the Helicarrier incident, Stark," Fury said patiently. "For someone who now seems to be trying to privatize intelligence gathering, you seem to be more than a little behind the times," he added, eyebrows raising slightly. "Though as you're not my problem any more..." he made a dismissive gesture and turned away, picking out Natasha in the larger group. "Any chance of a drink at this shindig you've dragged me to?" he asked her.

Natasha smiled, and tilted her head in the direction of the bar, both of them heading that way and ignoring Tony's sputtered protests behind them.

"The fuck with it," Tony finally exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "Okay, let's get the eating portion of this evening started... I don't know about the rest of you, but I am starving."

It was good, after that, everyone crowding around to serve themselves plates full of food and taking seats wherever they could be found, groupings changing every time someone went to get themselves another helping or a drink. Phil introduced the Avengers and most of his team – Skye, Jemma, Leo, Mack, Bobbi, Lance, and Antoine, the rest having had other commitments for the night – to each other. Steve and Bucky were soon deep in conversation with Trip. Bruce disappeared at one point and came back upstairs with his cousin Jennifer, who'd arrived late due to a court date than had run long, and proudly introduced her to everyone. The assortment of scientists clustered in a loudly talkative group for a while, before breaking apart into smaller groups again. Roberta Rhodes somehow ended up in a lengthy conversation with Fury that had him breaking into loud, delighted laughter. Sam and Rhodey bonded over their shared experiences as air-men. Clint and Bobbi eventually had their toast to their continued survival, one which everyone in the room joined them in. Mack, Leo and Bucky ended up in a corner of the room, Mack looking on attentively as Leo examined Bucky's left arm, stuttering as he tried to ask questions about it but too enthusiastic to be frustrated by his own inability to find words, Bucky looking bemused as Mack worked as interlocutor for the scientist.

Tony found himself leaning against the wall near where Pepper was sitting, neatly eating one of the tarts Thor had baked. "This was a great idea," he told her. "Thanks, Pep."

She smiled warmly at him as she set the half-eaten tart back down on her plate. "You're welcome. Also, you have cookie crumbs in your goatee."

"Whoops," he said, and brushed it clean, then looked around the room at the various clusters of people there. "Did you know about Phil being alive?" he asked, nodding towards where Phil was seated in an armchair on the far side of the room, talking and laughing with Maria and Natasha while Clint perched on the arm of the chair, he and Phil eating from a shared plate of the assorted desserts.

"No, I was as surprised as you," she told him.

"Who invited him? I'd say Natasha except it was her that invited Fury. Unless maybe it was either Maria or Fury that did...?"

Jarvis made a quiet throat-clearing sound from a nearby speaker. "Actually, Sir, Director Coulson and his team apart from Ms Morse and Mr Hunter are my guests."

Tony straightened, look surprised. "Really? You knew he was still alive and didn't tell me?"

"I would have if something had come up where you needed to know, Sir." Jarvis said stiffly.

Tony laughed, looking delighted. "I trust you to make your own decisions, Jarvis... even if one of them is to sometimes keep secrets from me. How long have you known?"

"Several months. He asked me to maintain his secret, and I judged it best to cooperate with him, while working on convincing him to reveal himself to you and the rest of the team. Was I wrong?"

Tony leaned back against the wall again, and watched Phil and Clint for a long moment, a soft smile crossing his face as he took in the way the two men were looking at each other. "Nah. I think you probably did exactly the right thing."