Clint gave a sigh of contentment and leaned back in his recliner, probably the softest, most comfortable chair he'd ever been in.
The team was taking a well-deserved break from their lives, after an invasion they had thwarted the day before, Tony had insisted on flying the group out to Montana for what he called an "overnight camping trip," where he'd set them up in a massive log hunting lodge, complete with an indoor pool, private lake, nature hike and outdoor tennis court, all of which bore the name of Stark.
Right now, the group was relaxing in the common room, a large open area with teakwood floors, cream colored walls, rustic beams that supported the high ceilings, one wall that was entirely made of glass overlooking the lake nestled in the mountains, and a large stone fireplace housing a blazing fire.
"You know, I went camping once as a kid," Clint said. "It was really nothing like this."
Tony peered at the archer, but didn't lift his head from where it was resting on Pepper's shoulder.
"Yeah?" he asked in amusement. "Tell me, what made it so different?"
Clint gave a half-smile, missing the dangerous tone in his friend's voice. "Well, for one thing," he said. "We were in tents and sleeping bags, we went fishing, we made our own fires from scratch, we cooked our fish over the fire, we had smores... In fact, this whole setup you've got here, this isn't anything remotely similar to camping."
"Hmm," Tony said, nodding in agreement and frowning in thought. "Yeah, I see your point. Very well, I'll have a sleeping bag brought out to you and you can go have your little camping trip. Go sit by the lake for hours trying to get the fish to bite. Go start little fires, make yourself sick off marshmallows to your heart's content, I'll call the cook and let her know to prepare one less steak for dinner. Make sure you don't pick a stick of Poison Oak to skewer your food with. Gives it a nasty flavor."
Clint blinked, then let out a chuckle. "Very funny," he said. "I wasn't complaining."
Tony sighed. "Fine," he said. "But I'm only letting you off easy because I'm too comfortable to make a fuss."
"Fair enough," said Clint, who stretched out on his couch and closed his eyes.
They all sat in silence for awhile, simply letting themselves rest.
Eventually, Tony seemed to have had enough quiet and sat up. "Okay," he said, standing up and stretching. "I'm done with this whole 'resting' thing. I'm gonna go check out the bedrooms, make sure they're all ready for use."
Clint opened his eyes when Tony was gone. "He's not going to let me get off that easy, is he?" He asked. Bruce chuckled and Pepper shook her head with a smile.
"Not if I know Tony," she said. "He probably won't do anything dangerous, but watch your back for petty tricks. He's got a mischievous side to him."
Clint nodded. "Alright," he said. "I can handle anything he throws my way."
"Mr. Stark wants me to inform you that he accepts your challenge," They heard over a loudspeaker. Clint groaned. "I forgot about JARVIS," he said.
As they all sat down to dinner, Clint noticed that there was something... different about his food. The main difference being that while everyone else had steak, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables, he had... overcooked fish.
"Sorry about your fish being a little bit burnt," Tony said, sitting down to his steak dinner. "I'm afraid Sophie isn't used to cooking in the fireplace. But if you find it's a little bland, you can wash it down with this."
Tony tossed a water bottle over to Clint, who caught in on instinct.
Clint pursed his lips, determined to ignore the billionaire's attempts at payback. He didn't need a steak dinner. In fact, he rather liked fish.
After dinner, they all returned to the common room, where Tony produced three bags of marshmallows, several bars of chocolate, and boxes of graham crackers. He also handed each of the Avengers a metal skewer, which extended up to three feet long so you could sit comfortably and roast your marshmallows without getting too close to the fire. He handed Clint a stick.
Clint eyed it suspiciously. "Tell me you didn't hunt down Poison Oak," he said. Tony laughed. "No," he said. "That was just the first stick I found outside. If it's Poison Oak, well, that'd be a coincidence, now, wouldn't it?"
He stuck a marshmallow on his own skewer and held it over the fire. "However," he said. "You might want to wash your hands after you're done handling it. Who knows how many animals have already paid this particular stick a visit?"
Clint sighed and put down the stick. Natasha let him use her skewer when she was done, but it would have been much easier to make smores if they hadn't had to take turns.
"And this is your room," Tony said to Clint, leading him down the hall.
He had saved Clint for last, and Clint had no doubt that there was some form of prank on the other end. So he wasn't all that surprised when Tony opened the door and revealed Clint's "room" to be a deck overlooking the lake.
"Well, here we are," Tony said, stepping out into the night air. "Tent's in the corner, sleeping bag's in the tent, if you need to use the bathroom, the stairs are right over there, they lead down onto the nature hike. You might want to hold it, however, it looks like it might rain tonight."
This had gone far enough. "Seriously, Tony?" Clint asked, following the man out onto the deck. "Look, I'm sorry I teased you about camping. Now can we please get over this whole thing?"
"What thing?" Tony asked, playing innocent. "I'm just trying to make everybody comfortable. Have a good night!"
With that, he ran back into the house and shut the door. Clint ran after him, but by the time he got to the door, he heard a slight click. Rattling the doorknob, he realized that Tony had locked the door.
Sighing, he turned back to the tent. This was going to be a long night.
"So, did you enjoy your sleep?" Tony asked in between bites of his pancakes.
"I had an excellent evening," Thor exclaimed excitedly, momentarily forgetting the bacon he'd been raving over a moment before. "That was undoubtedly the best bed I've ever slept on, softer even then the bed in my royal chambers back on Asgard!"
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, buddy," Tony said. "But I was talking to Queen Susan over here."
Clint looked up from his breakfast of leftover fish, sore from sleeping out on the deck and tired from being kept up by the cold air. "What did you just call me?" He asked angrily.
Tony smirked. "Queen Susan," he said. "You know, from the Narnia series? Always carries around a bow and arrow. She wasn't too big on camping either."
Clint took a deep breath. He was determined not to let Tony win. "Better her than Katniss," he muttered.
Tony laughed. Really, laughed. Clint looked up in surprise, usually, he only heard Tony laugh for reporters or cameras, and it always sounded a bit forced. Even the few times he'd heard Tony laugh in private, it was usually bitter or mean-spirited. This was new.
He glanced over at Pepper, who was beaming at Tony, before he turned back to the billionaire himself.
"It wasn't that funny," he said, smiling a little in spite of himself.
"No, it wasn't," Tony agreed, calming down a little. "It was your face when you said it. Alright, you win. JARVIS, send Sophie out with a plate of decent breakfast for Agent Barton, and some more coffee. He looks like he could use it."
"Yes sir," JARVIS responded. Clint blinked. That was it? He just had to make Tony laugh and the war was over? He could have ended this yesterday!
Oh well. Now he knew what to do the next time Tony decided to play a prank on him. The silent treatment didn't work and apologizing wasn't the way to go. You had to tell lame jokes.