After Steve knocked HYDRA out of James Buchanan Barnes' head and brought him back to the tower, Bucky spent most of his time hiding in the shadows as that is where he felt most comfortable, having lived there for the past 70 years. Two months later, he still wasn't comfortable jumping and looking for weapons when anyone came near him. Finally, Natasha had a good idea. "Clint's still on restricted duty after New York, so James could stay with him."

"Where is Legolas staying, anyway?" Tony piped up as he swirled whiskey around in the glass he was holding.

"His family's farm in Iowa," Natasha replied.

Tony jumped up from the couch he'd been stretched across. "With no security? What the hell is he thinking? I've got to Starkify that place. Come on, Brucie Bear." With a lot of mumbling, Tony hurriedly went to his lab, Bruce trailing behind him, reminding him none of his seven doctorates were in security.

"Nat?" Steve asked. "Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, this is Clint we're talking about."

She shook her head. "You all need to stop underestimating and doubting Clint. Need I remind you he's one of the best SHIELD agents?" Natasha didn't have to mention he was the one that rescued her from the Red Room when others had died trying.

"I know, Nat, but Iowa? That's the middle of nowhere."

Natasha sighed. "Can you think of a better place for two assassins to be? Neither one of them is a danger to anyone but themselves." She leaned over and put a hand on Steve's knee. "We're a Quinjet flight away if anything happens. Trust me on this one, Steve."

Steve looked up and saw the pleading in her eyes, which was not a look anyone saw very often. "Okay," he begrudgingly agreed.

Everyone heard a noise in the corner. They turned around and saw Bucky step from behind a tall potted plant. "Glad everyone knows what's best for me." He sent his patented murder glare toward them, but everyone was immune to it. Natasha stood up, walked over to Bucky, and the two had a short conversation in Russian. Eventually, Bucky nodded in agreement and left the living room. "I'll call Clint," Natasha said as she left the room. Thor, being the only one left, decided to return to Asgard and alter Heimdall of the new place to watch.

Six hours later, after a short negotiation with Clint, which involved Natasha threatening him with the removal of particular body parts, the Quinjet landed in an open field. Steve, Natasha, and Bucky exited the plane. Natasha had given Bucky a brief background on Clint, with Steve adding what he knew, which was basically what a team player he was and how he never missed a shot. Steve bragged about how much he helped out during the Chitauri invasion. All Natasha would say is that something happened during the battle, and Clint was sent away to recover. From what Bucky could see, there were no visible injuries, so that wasn't what had happened to the guy. All Natasha would say was that it was Clint's story to tell. "Hey," the brown-haired man with massive biceps said lazily, though Bucky could see his tensed shoulders and how stiffly he leaned against the post on the wraparound porch of the two-story house.

Natasha walked ahead of the other two men and went up the wooden steps. When she approached Clint, she put a hand on his cheek and spoke softly to him. Clint and Bucky stayed back and let the two SHIELD agents have a moment. Bucky remembers getting briefed about Strike Team Delta by his handlers. They were never one of his missions, but he'd been made aware of them since they were the best SHIELD agents and may have been involved in one of his. HYDRA ensured he knew of any potential threats in case he ever ran across them.

"I think you two will get along," Steve told him as they watched the two agents talking.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He's a good guy that was forced into a no-win situation. Plus, he helped me get up to speed on some things."
"You mean helped drag you closer to this decade?" Bucky smirked.

"Ha, ha." Steve slapped his best friend's back. "He's also a smartass, something else you two will have in common."

Before Bucky could respond, Natasha motioned to them. Steve and Bucky followed Clint and Natasha into the house. "Have a seat anywhere," Clint finally spoke, pointing to the living area. Bucky took a look around. The room had an oversized couch and a couple of recliners, all facing a fireplace with a TV hanging above it. There was a spacious kitchen with wood décor but modern appliances and a dining room with a table large enough to seat all the Avengers and then some. The back wall was made up of large windows looking out over a large backyard with a grove of trees at the far end. Bucky sat down in one of the recliners, Steve took the other, and the SHIELD agents took the couch. Natasha stretched out and plopped her feet onto Clint's lap. Clint slipped off her shoes and started massaging her feet without seeming to think about it. "If y'all are hungry, I've made pasta and salad. There's also some beer and water in the fridge. I'm going to the store later today, so if you have any special requests, now's the time to speak up."

"Nothing for me, thanks," Steve replied. "Natasha and I need to be getting back."

"Rogers, you will not interrupt my foot massage. Once I'm done, we can leave and let the boys get to know each other." Steve opened his mouth to reply but changed his mind once he saw the look on Natasha's face. Bucky smirked, always happy to see Steve put in his place, especially by someone other than him.

Eventually, Clint slid Natasha's legs off his lap and stood. "I've gotta get to the store before it closes. It's not like New York with their always open stores." He walked around the couch, then bent and kissed the top of Natasha's head. "Be sure to lock up when you leave."

Bucky jumped up. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Uh, sure, no problem." Clint and Natasha exchanged glances. "You two going to hang around?"

"We'll head out," Natasha stood. "Get the old man back before his bedtime."

Steve shook his head. "Why does everyone think I can't stay up late because I'm old? If you take out the time I was out, I'm still young."

"Steve, you fall asleep in front of the evening news," Bucky said. "Been doin' that since you were twelve, ain't nothin' new."

Steve responded by punching Bucky's arm. Clint and Natasha walked to the front door, where Clint grabbed his keys and wallet from the front table. "I'm a text away," Nat said softly.

Clint huffed. "It'll be fine. I just bought a bunch of new video games, and I've got every streaming service available."

Nat put a hand to his cheek, ruffled his hair, then walked toward the Quinjet. "Thanks, Clint." Clint turned as Steve clasped his shoulder. "I think that'll do Buck some good. Give him a chance to figure things out without me hovering over him." Steve put a hand up. "Yes, I know, I'm a mother hen. Kinda feels like I should be since he spent so much time taking care of me."

"Glad you finally realize that, Rogers."

"Barnes, so help me…."

"Go on, get outta here. I've got this." The two best friends hugged, then Steve joined Natasha on the Quinjet.

Once it took off, Clint turned to Bucky. "So, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"