Summary: One shots set in the world of Gemini Protocol and Trouble with Triples following the past, present and future lives of our favorite genetically engineered triplets.
Pairings: Clint/Natasha, oblivious!Will/Jane, some Aaron/Marta and Tony/Pepper. Nothing major is really going to happen in terms of romance. This story is mostly about the boys and their adventures…. So bromance all around!
Warnings: Language, I guess, because I have a potty mouth damn it. Also a strong possibility for crackish behaviors. Spoilers for The Avengers, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Bourne Legacy. Oh, and whump because… I write fanfiction for The Avengers. Apparently that's reason enough!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: So, hey everybody! I'm back. Here's part two of the story worm that won't leave me alone. I hope you enjoy this chapter. And I'll most likely be adding some more soon!
What If (2)
Many people are under the misguided belief that their lives are difficult. They think that they face these insurmountable obstacles and challenges that make things complicated beyond belief. Then they have a kid. That's the moment when it becomes abundantly clear that life was a damn cakewalk until the moment that you're handed this tiny little human that you're completely responsible for. Childless as he was, even Phil knew that. As a Level 10 agent and a handler, Phil had a little more insight than most into the mind numbing, heart stopping responsibility that comes from being the sole caretaker of an individual but he still naively thought he was circumventing part of the difficulty of being a parent when he signed the paperwork that made him father to Kenneth, William and Clinton now Coulson. They were teenagers! They were used to relying on themselves. They were the most independent human beings Phil ever met. He really thought it was going to be easy. He thought that by adopting them as teenagers he dodged the difficult bullet. Sometimes, it was safe to say, that Phil was a complete and utter idiot.
For the most part it was true. The triplets were relatively well behaved and never overtly disrespectful. They did chores without being asked and they all received a high school education... of sorts. Will actually attended (and graduated) high school with excellent grades and nothing but praise from his teachers. Clint and Aaron worked with tutors, who also had nothing but compliments for the boys. They were everything a parent would want their genetically engineered triplet teenagers to be. But it wasn't long after they came to SHIELD that Phil realized that the three of them were uniquely and badly damaged individuals and together… well, together they were one wrong look away from verbal explosions.
But despite all the challenges they presented (and they did, oh good god, did they) Phil wouldn't trade a single moment with either of them. Because for every argument the three of them had, there was the moment where they stood up for each other. For every time they were raising Phil's blood pressure by doing something completely insane, there were the moments where they reminded him that the happiest day of his life was the one when he met them. They were his sons in every way except blood. They were his responsibility, his pride, his constant headache and the best thing he did with his life. Even though they weren't always with him physically, the boys were never far from his thoughts. Though time and experience consistently proved that Phil needed to do more than just think about Clint. He actually needed to have Clint around physically. The youngest of the trio tended to get in trouble when left to his own devices. Phil snorted at his thoughts. That was beyond obvious by this latest fiasco.
"So last year," Tony started, leaning against the wall next to Phil. "The so-called 'behavior specialists' that you sent Clint to after the whole Loki thing… that was them wasn't it? That's why Clint didn't pull his usual cut and run act. It's because he went to his brothers."
Phil sighed. He knew Tony wasn't going to let this go. The minute he laid eyes on the identical looking Will and the almost identical Aaron, Tony was not going to leave this alone. He was going to ask every single question he could possibly think of and then find some more. It was the sort of tenacity that Phil usually appreciated in the scientist. That is, when it didn't involve his children. Hopefully, Tony got this out of his system before they found Clint. Of course that is if they found Clint...
"Phil?" Tony asked, quietly. Phil realized he must have zoned out.
"Yes," the older man finally replied. "I just stretched the truth a little. Aaron and Will are the closest to experts on Clint and his behavior that we'll find outside of Natasha."
"And the director approved this?"
"Of course he did," Aaron answered for Phil. Because of course he was listening in despite all visual evidence to the contrary "I mean he is pretty much like an uncle." Phil raised an eyebrow in Aaron's direction. The oldest of the triplets smirked in response. "It's so true."
"You ever think about telling him that to his face?"
"Yeah, right. He'd legit murder me," Aaron scoffed. "Pretty sure that the only one who could get away with that would be Will, maybe Clint on a good day but definitely Will. Everyone knows Will is Nick's favorite."
"That's because Will is the only one of you three that doesn't feel the need to try and raise Nick's blood pressure every time he's around."
"I still maintain that I had nothing to do with the whole itching powder on his eye patch thing," Aaron swore, though his lips were twitching. Phil rolled his eyes as Tony visibly tuned into the conversation. He threw his oldest a dirty look. Aaron smirked wider before elbowing his brother in the side. Will grunted, not bothering to look up from the papers in front of him.
Phil sighed again. The two brothers were sitting side by side on the floor. While Aaron was playing on a Stark tablet, Will was pouring over the reports detailing Clint's disappearance. Phil knew there probably wasn't anything there to find but it was keeping him occupied and, most importantly, calm. Well calm for the moment at least. Until he had Clint back by his side, that was the best that any of them could ask for.
People who met the three brothers on an individual basis struggled to understand how they functioned together as a unit but Phil found that it was because they balanced each other out. Clint was, admittedly, reckless, impulsive and emotionally driven. Will, on the other hand, was more rational and prone to over thinking every move he made. He also tended to get stuck in his own thoughts. Aaron was a little tricky given that he was such a far cry from his old Kenneth persona. Kenneth was soft-spoken and kind. Aaron was sarcastic but equally caring. The enhancements he received from Outcome gave him the confidence he needed to be the perfect balance between his younger brothers. Of course, that was only a good thing when he wasn't stuck in the middle of an argument between them (and Phil definitely didn't miss the days when that was pretty much an everyday thing). Because more often than not Aaron tended to side with Clint. Apparently they both found it hilarious to watch Will lose his cool since it took a lot. Aaron and Clint spent (sadly) more time than anyone should be comfortable with trying to discover the best way of pissing Will off. Sadly to date neither of them have actually succeeded in really angering their brother. But both of them have witnessed Will's wrath.
The quickest way to anger Will was to mess with his family, specifically his ten minute younger twin. Though they were the most likely to argue and bicker, there was no denying that Will and Clint loved one another unconditionally or that they needed each other. Since Kenneth died bringing Aaron into the mix, it was rare that the trio went more than six months without seeing one another in some capacity. Since Loki, it was even less than that for the twins. Phil knew he wasn't supposed to know that Clint and Will saw each other at least twice a month. He wasn't sure how they thought they were getting that past anyone that actually knew them but it was adorable that they thought no one knew but them.
Will was always hyper protective of his brothers. But following the invasion, Phil got a sense that something changed in the dynamics between Clint and Will. It was almost as if it reaffirmed the fact that Clint needed to be protected. He was really shocked that the fallout from the invasion wasn't the push Will needed to bring him into SHIELD after all. But no, the stubborn man returned to IMF after making sure that his twin was at least functioning. It helped knowing that Aaron was around even though his name didn't appear on any official SHIELD roster. Then again, Aaron was around this time too and Clint still went missing. If this wasn't enough to convince Will to stay, Phil really didn't want to know what it would take. Knowing Will, it would take something drastic like global nuclear war. He paused. God he hoped none of them started a nuclear war. But given who his sons were, global nuclear war was definitely something that could (and would) happen. He just sincerely hoped that they waited at least until next year. His heart couldn't take much more of this.
"So Will and I have a plan," Aaron announced, pulling Phil out of his thoughts. Will glanced up from the papers with a raised eyebrow and a glare in his brother's direction. "Dude, it's been an hour and you haven't found a flaw yet."
"There is one flaw."
"And you know damn well why that argument isn't going to work."
"What's the plan?" Natasha interrupted before Will could form a retort.
"Well, whoever did this clearly works at SHIELD," Will said, still shooting dirty looks at Aaron's head. "They're probably going to report in to work because they have to know that not showing up would look really suspicious."
"But what they probably wouldn't expect is for Clint to show up to work either," Aaron finished with a grin. The four gathered Avengers exchanged glances.
"That's the plan?"
"In a nutshell," Will shrugged with one shoulder. His lips twitched slightly at the blank looks on their faces. Phil cleared his throat pointedly. "Fine, ok. The plan is that Aaron is going to make an appearance at HQ with Natasha. No one knows about us so no one is going to have reason to think that Aaron is anyone other than Clint."
Steve nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea. But why is Aaron going in? Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be you since you are identical?"
Will threw Aaron a look that Aaron countered with an inelegant snort. "Really? You know how you get when it comes to Clint. You're Mr. Over Analysis with every aspect of your life except for him. Then you're the shoot first and ask questions while they're bleeding out."
"That's not…."
"You threw a mug full of hot coffee at a wall! An innocent defenseless wall that never hurt a fly, Will. A wall that did nothing to you. What do you think you're going to do a person that actually hurt our brother?" Aaron asked, with an arched eyebrow. "Oh wait, I already know. I believe you threatened to murder them 'in ways that even Natasha strongly object to'."
Will muttered something under his breath but raised no counter argument. Despite the gravity of the situation, Phil laughed quietly. Will did have a tendency to go a touch overboard when Clint's life was on the line. It made sense to send Aaron in instead. Besides Aaron and Clint were very close personality wise. The physical differences between Aaron and Clint were so minute only people who lived with them (or raised them since the age of sixteen) would be able to tell easily. So it really was a sound plan. Phil supposed that was at least part of the reason Will looked like he swallowed a whole lemon: there were no flaws in the plan.
Will's clear internal argument was cut short when the elevator doors opened once again. Phil let out a deep sigh as Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster and James Buchanan Barnes stepped out, all looking confused at the sheer number of people gathered in the room. The two women stopped short at the sight of Aaron and Will. Belatedly, it would seem, Bucky also got the memo that he was meant to be surprised. Fortunately, the majority of the team wasn't paying him any mind. Unfortunately, Tony was.
"Wait a minute!" Tony blurted out, pointing between the still sitting brothers and Bucky. "When Fugitive over here first joined up, he and Clint spent about two weeks with the behaviors specialists that you sent Clint to but that was just a cover to go visit his brothers… oh my god! Bucky knew about Triple Trouble over there! Bucky knows and I don't?!"
"There are three people that look like Clint in this world and I wasn't informed?!" Darcy echoed, glaring daggers in a not at all sorry Natasha's direction.
Phil rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long night.
The view from the top of the Tower was truly breathtaking. Will could totally see why it was one of Clint's favorite high up places. Up here everything was quiet. It really did feel peaceful even though it was in the heart of the city. He had escaped up here about an hour after Darcy, Jane and Bucky showed up. He was trying to quiet the panic that was growing with every passing moment. He hoped that by going somewhere special to his twin, he could find some sort of balance. But it didn't. It just drilled home the point that Clint was gone.
"Not gone," Aaron corrected gently, sitting down beside him. "He's just temporarily missing. It's Clint. This is sadly an everyday occurrence for him, is it not?"
"Doesn't get any easier," Will murmured, resting his head on his raised knees. "What if this is it? What if this is the time we lose him?"
"It's not," Aaron replied with the firm confidence only an older sibling could muster. "You know he's too stubborn to stay dead. Besides, I do believe it's your turn."
Will couldn't help the snort that escaped at the. "Only you two think it's funny that you've both been declared dead at some point in your life."
"At least my death was faked. Clint actually went and died on us." Will let out a shaky breath, raking a hand through his hair. Aaron wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "We got him back then and we'll do it again. I'm not ready to say goodbye and I know he's not either."
He wanted to believe that. He really did. He wanted to believe that they would get Clint back and this would be just another in the long line of narrow escapes for their baby brother. But there was this nagging feeling in his gut. It came from not being able to sense his brother. For the first time in almost twenty years, Will couldn't feel Clint. He didn't want to think about what that could mean. Even when Clint was brainwashed and under Loki's control, he could sense his brother. It was all chaos and darkness but he was there. Now there was nothing.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Will shook his head. "First off, you can just read my thoughts, you know? And second, a penny? You cheap bastard. Is that all SHIELD is paying these days?"
"Times are hard," Aaron retorted with a grin. "Not all of us are lucky enough to live with a billionaire who showers his friends with lavish gifts and awesome suites."
"Sounds like you want to move in."
"Uh, have you seen Clint's floor? It is beyond tricked out and you know the runt isn't even using all of it since he probably spends most of his time right here or with Nat. The brat wouldn't even notice I moved in."
"And the real reason?"
Aaron sighed. "I just feel like it's time. I've been enjoying my whole SHIELD undercover gig. But I'm tired of lurking in the shadows. I'm tired of watching his life from the sidelines. By tomorrow everyone is going to know about us anyway. So I'm making it official. I'm moving back to New York and like hell I'm letting him live here without me. I need to be here. With him."
"You think I'm wrong for staying at IMF?"
"No, never did," Aaron answered. "Do I think it's weird that you stay there? Of course I do. That place is no good for you, Will. Something about the whole Croatia thing seems off to me. Plus the Secretary just seems way too invested in you."
"He wanted me to go with him to Russia," Will said absently. "He's actually kind of pissed that I came here instead. I told him it was a family emergency."
"You didn't tell him…."
"No. He still doesn't know I have brothers. We made a promise that we would only tell people we all feel comfortable about. And you guys don't trust the Secretary, so he doesn't know. And he won't until you say otherwise."
"Good," Aaron murmured. "But back to your original question. I don't think you're wrong for staying at IMF. And despite what Clint said back then, he doesn't think you're wrong for staying there or joining up. Of course we want you with us but we get that you need to be your own person. You want to be an individual and not part of a matching set. I get it."
Will let out a soft breath. Aaron nodded his head in understanding. "You think you're wrong for staying at IMF? You think you should join up with SHIELD?"
"I just keep thinking about all the near misses he's had. I should've been there. There's nothing that keeps me at IMF. But I also keep thinking that maybe he's safer being away from me. Because I screw up everything. I get people killed."
"Will," Aaron started before trailing off. He sighed. "I don't know how we can make this any clearer to you. What happened in Croatia wasn't your fault. You're always second guessing yourself because of this. I'm so tired of watching you metaphorically beat yourself because you think you committed some cardinal sin. You did nothing wrong."
"Then why is an innocent woman dead?"
Aaron didn't say anything. But Will knew that it wasn't for a lack of an answer but simply because he believed his pigheaded little brother was too stubborn for his own good. It was a look he was getting more and more acquainted with since Kenneth became Aaron. It was odd but sometimes Will honestly forgot that it wasn't always this way. That he wasn't always wedged in between two total sarcastic smart-asses that were actually too intelligent for their own good. That there was a time when he thought he was an only child. He's known about his brothers for almost twenty years and he can barely remember when he didn't have them in his life. He leaned into Aaron and smiled softly.
"Thanks for the pep talk, Kenny."
"No problem, Willy."
2002
Well now this was super awkward. Actually, it went far beyond super awkward. He really didn't even know why he bothered to listen to the summons. Actually, that wasn't true. No matter how awkward the situation, or how old he got, Phil Coulson was his father. He dragged him and his wayward brothers out of a really bad situation and gave them a home. And if Phil wanted Will to come home, well then that's what he was going to do. Still, he probably should've figured that Clint was going to get the call to come home too. Hence the awkwardness…
"So," Clint started as they stood outside Phil's house. It was a plain, non-descript home just outside the city and it was perfect. It was close enough that they were only a car ride away from the New York office and far enough away that no one blinked an eye at a bunch of teenagers wielding firearms and medieval weapons. It was the closest thing to home that any of them had in their lives before Phil and even after. Even now without Kenneth….
"How have you been?" Will asked, trying to fight the urge to babble senseless and inane apologies to his twin. The urge had been present since the fight following Kenneth's funeral Two years before that led to them not talking for almost a year and a half. Even when they did talk, it was brief, terse and awkward…. not unlike this conversation right now.
"I'm fine, you?" Clint asked. Will looked him over with a critical eye. Clint may be many things but fine wasn't one of them. The younger of the twins had clearly lost weight during the last three years, not that he had much weight to lose. His eyes had a harder look to them and the bags under his eyes had bags. He clearly wasn't sleeping.
"I'm good." He shifted from one foot to the other. "So what does Dad want anyway?"
Clint shrugged. "I have no idea. I haven't seen him in six months. Yesterday was the first time I talked to him in like a month and a half."
"What? Why? Don't you see him like every day?"
"No," Clint shrugged again. "Phil has been traveling back and forth between New York and Malibu. Apparently Fury wants him to keep an eye on Howard Stark's kid. He thinks he has the potential for something. You know how he gets."
"Ok, but you should still see dad every now and then."
"I've been living at the East Africa branch. It's nice. It's quiet."
Will started to protest but closed his mouth. He lost the right to argue after he essentially told his little brother that it was his fault that their older brother was gone. And while he didn't really mean what he said, he was pretty sure that Clint did mean it when he turned around and accused Will of the same thing. After a lot of thought and consideration, Will was starting to think that Clint might have a point. Maybe his constant need to be separate from his brothers was the spark that led Kenneth to join the Army. Joining the Army led to his death. Maybe he was the reason why their older brother was gone. And maybe he was the reason why his younger brother was apparently working on a way to join him.
"Clint, I just wanted to say that…."
"It doesn't matter," Clint interrupted, tiredly. "It just doesn't matter. Let's see what Phil wants so we can get out of here. I left Wade unsupervised. I can only imagine all the ways in which this isn't going to end well."
"Wait, Wade as in Deadpool? You're hanging out with Deadpool?!"
"I think Phil got him to look after me," Clint said around a yawn. "Guess it says a lot about his trust in my mental state lately that he's basically paying the clinically insane chronically dying yet somehow immortal assassin to baby-sit me but whatever."
Will really wanted to address that. He really did. But the front door finally swinging open stopped his train of thought. He lost the ability to think when he finally registered that it wasn't their father standing at the door and instead was…
"Kenny?" Clint breathed out.
The matching pair of eyes standing in the doorway softened briefly before the owner of said eyes reached up to smack them both on the back of the head. Twin yelps escaped them and Will felt a small sense of satisfaction that the pain seemed to register with the older man. Ha!
"What the hell was that for, asshole?!"
"You two idiots haven't seen each other in two years and that's the best you can do for a conversation? I bet Dad twenty bucks that you would make up before you even got inside. But instead you're standing out here making weird small talk!"
Will exchanged confused glances with Clint before they both pushed past the somehow alive Kenneth to march into the house.
"Dad!"
"Boys!" Phil replied dryly. He was sitting on the sofa with a newspaper in hand, looking for all the world like there was absolutely nothing bizarre about their very much dead brother standing behind them in the living room.
"What the hell, Phil? You called us here to tell us that you made one of those freaky Life Model Decoys of Kenny?!"
Phil shook his head, not at all bothered by the fact that Clint was calling him by his name instead of dad. Will supposed he would be bothered enough for all of them then. "I would ask how you even know about the Life Model Decoys but I know it's you, so never mind. But really? That's what your mind leaps to? I blame Nick for letting you hang out in the science department when you were younger."
"Are we really going to blame the R&D Department for Clint being weird? I think it's safe to say that Clint has always been a little odd." Will spoke up, a teasing hint in his voice. He hoped that it would be a way to get them back on even ground. It was not.
"At least I'm not a screw-up," Clint retorted, eyes flashing. "I heard about Croatia. Guess you're not the Golden Boy of IMF anymore, huh?"
Will tensed, taking an involuntary step towards his twin. "Take it back, Clinton."
"Kiss my ass, William," Clint answered, shifting even closer.
"Enough!" Kenneth snapped, stepping between them. He put a hand on Clint's chest, pushing him back a few steps. "What the hell happened to you two?"
"You died!" Clint yelled. Will and Kenneth both froze hearing the anguish in the younger man's voice. He ran a hand through his short cropped blond hair. "You want to know what happened to us. You died! You were the one that kept us talking. Will has never wanted anything to do with me unless you were around. He's always thought he was better than me. Of course he does because he's right! He's the functioning twin. He's not the deaf crazy weirdo." Will felt his heart clench at the sound of his brother's pain. He really thought that? "Kenny, you were the only one I could talk to and you left! I stayed even though Will left us. I stayed for you. But then you left me too! You said would come back. You promised me you would come back and you didn't. You died. So that's what happened!"
With that said Clint shrugged off Kenneth's hand and stormed out the front door. They heard a car door slam just outside. Will started to run out the door as well when Kenneth placed a hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks.
"What if he tries to drive off?"
Kenneth held up a set of keys just as they heard Clint yelling outside. "Who the hell taught you how to pick pockets?!"
"He's not going anywhere," Kenneth grinned weakly. "Why don't we just let him cool off for a bit. I think he kind of needs to be alone right now."
"He's alone all the time," Will muttered. "That's pretty much the problem. Clint tends to think when he's alone. We both know why that's a problem."
"Yeah, well, care to explain why he's alone? How exactly did you two end up on opposite sides of the world?"
"It's just… you died," Will finally answered, flopping down on one of the armchairs. "It was like a part of us was gone too. Everything was really hard to deal with. We just… drifted." Kenneth perched on the coffee table just in front of Will's chair. "So how are you back anyway? Dad did a little black magic? Are you a zombie? Or a vampire?"
"No," Kenneth smiled softly. "No black magic, zombies and vampires involved. Dad didn't bring me back because I was never really dead."
"But we got the letter from the Army."
"On paper, I'm dead. But it was really a cover-up. The short story is that I was recruited into this shady government project that promised to enhance me. It worked. But I really think it just enhanced what was already there. They trained me to be an assassin for them. And it's taken me all this time to find a way to go off grid so I could get back to you guys. They're really invested in watching their assets. On a bright side I'm officially over the mentally retarded line on the IQ scale!" Will glared. Kenneth shrugged. "Ah, too soon, huh?"
"Basically." They paused for a moment. "I'm glad you're not really dead."
"Me too," Kenneth replied, squeezing his knee. Will placed his hand over Kenneth's and held on tightly. Silence fell over the two brothers for just a moment before they both came back to the youngest of them all. "So about what Clint said…"
"It's not true," Will sighed. "But I get why thinks that way. I've never been terribly patient with him."
"Understatement."
"Anyway, I know that he has issues. I know I should stop pushing him but it's just that… I don't know. I just don't know how to deal with him."
"You don't want to let him get close," Kenneth suggested. Will nodded. "You think that if you let him get close he's either going to stab you in the back and leave you like your mom did or worse, he'll up and die like I did."
"You know when you say it out loud like that, it sounds really stupid."
"That's because it's really stupid. Clint is not like your mom. And neither am I. I'm sorry that you guys thought I was dead for two years. I'm really sorry because I know I how much that hurt. It hurt me to not be with you two and I knew you were alive. So I get it. But I know that it hurts Clint even more that you push him away or keep him at arm's length."
"I know," Will sighed. "I just wish I knew how to talk to him. It's like it's so easy for you. You always know what to say to him. You two never fight."
"Mostly because he never wanted to fight a retard."
Will punched him on the arm. "Don't call yourself a retard. And also, you know it's more than that. You two understand each other. I wish I could understand him too."
Kenneth nodded. "If you can beg off work for awhile maybe we can actually work on that together."
"Together? Yeah, that could work." Will glanced at the clock. It had only been five minutes but then again he meant it earlier when he said that Clint wasn't ok when he was alone. Alone gave him time to think. Will liked that his little brother was impulsive and not prone to thinking sometimes. He would rather Clint not dwell on the horrors of his life before they were reunited and adopted. Maybe Kenneth was right. Maybe he needed to stop being Clint's brother just in name and actually be there for his twin. "I'm going to go get him."
"Great," Phil said, walking back in the room. Will was pleased to note that Kenneth was also confused as to when he left. They both paused taking in the sudden smell of their dad's famous burgers in the kitchen. "Lunch is almost ready and Nick is on his way."
"Uncle Fury?" Kenneth grinned, eyes sparkling. Will found himself snickering as well. This snarky, sarcastic version of his big brother was going to take some getting used to but he was already a huge fan. He knew Clint would be too. That is once he got him to come back into the house. If he got him to come back….
Steeling his nerves, and getting up before he could over think his plan, Will walked through the kitchen to the door leading to the backyard. He didn't bother to contemplate which direction Clint would've walked in. He just followed the part of his brain that knew his brothers despite his need to push them away. He walked to the tallest tree in the yard and stared up. It was difficult but he could make out the faint form of his twin sitting high up in the tree.
"Permission to come up?"
Silence. It was a heavy, ugly silence and Will was terrified that Clint was going to tell him to go away. That he was tired of their fighting and arguing and was finally ready to be done with him. Will clenched his hand against the rough bark of the tree and hoped that it wasn't too late. That he could get another chance.
"Permission granted."
Will let out a sigh of relief before carefully climbing the tree. Heights and climbing things was totally Clint's thing. The youngest of the twins could climb a tree or a wall in less than a minute. Will took his time because he had a natural ability to fear falling. Judging by how far up Clint was this time, his innate ability to laugh in the face of gravity hadn't changed. He heard some shuffling as Clint started down from his branch to meet him halfway. The twins then sat side by side one of the more sturdy branches. Will shifted so that his shoulder was pressed against Clint's. The contact soothed them both. Eventually he felt Clint relax against him.
"I'm sorry I made that cheap shot about Croatia," Clint finally said breaking the silence. "That was really low of me."
"Yeah, it sucked. I'm over it though." Will more felt Clint nod than saw the motion and smiled. "Remember when Dad and Fury first found us?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember when they were going through all the paperwork and everything about us. What did it say about you and me?"
He heard Clint exhale. "That we're twins. Identical twins."
"Exactly. We're identical twins, Clint. That's huge! Dude, you read the research. They were barely expecting one of the eggs to survive being implanted and then two survived. And then that one split and then there was us. We're amazing, bro."
"Why don't we get along? We're always fighting."
"It's because I get stuck in my own head, over thinking everything all the time. I don't always try to understand you and that's my fault. But what you said, it's not true. I don't think I'm better than you. I don't think you're a deaf crazy weirdo. Ok, well maybe I do sometimes but you're my deaf crazy weirdo." Clint laughed softly. "I know I don't always say it or even show it but…. you're the most important person in the world to me."
"More than Kenny?" Clint asked, impishly. Will grinned, bumping his shoulder against Clint's.
"Slightly more than Kenny. And I will murder you if you ever tell him I said that." Clint laughed again, pulling a smile from Will as well. Clint nudged him.
"Even more than Phil?"
"More than Dad," Will stressed. Clint pulled a face, rolling his eyes.
"Ok. You love me more than Dad. Do you love me even more than… the Secretary?!"
"Shut up, jerk. Yes, especially more than the Secretary. He's kind of creepy sometimes. And I think he is obsessed with me. It's weird. Sometimes he looks at me like how Dad does, with that pride and 'yay, that's my kid' look but with him it's all twisted and weird. So despite all my actions to the contrary, I do love you more than the Secretary. You and Kenny are my brothers. That means everything to me. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you for twoyears. I should've been there for you."
"Me too," Clint whispered. "I'm sorry about Croatia."
"Me too."
"You ok?"
"No, not really," Will raked a hand through his hair. "I should've left after everything. I should've just packed my shit up and come home. But I couldn't. I had to face the consequences. I didn't want Dad to be disappointed in me."
"He's not disappointed in you."
"Dad knows?!"
"Uh, duh. It's Dad. Of course he knows. He's not disappointed in you. He's always proud of us. Just like I'm always proud of you. You didn't screw up, Will. You followed protocol. You did what you were supposed to do. Yeah, the wife died but her husband didn't. It could've been worse if you told them about the attack. They both could be dead."
"I know. But that doesn't change the fact that she's dead. Still hurts."
"Yeah, I guess it would."
They sat in companionable silence for the first time in, well for the first time ever. Despite his protective urges towards Clint, Will struggled with connecting with his twin. Clint was always too something. But it took losing Kenneth to actually get that he was just scared to let him in. To let either of them in. Then it was too late. Or not because Kenneth was back. They were all about defying the odds those brothers of his. And maybe it was time he just gave in.
Will snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a rustling above him. He looked up in time to see Kenneth settling on the branch just above his head. He met his older brother's identical gaze and smiled. Clint reached up and poked him on the leg.
"So how exactly are alive and all spider monkey? That's my thing by the way."
Kenneth laughed before launching into the explanation he gave Will earlier but with more details. He told them how his squadron was killed in a roadside blast but he was lucky and lived. When he was given the opportunity to take part in Outcome, he didn't hesitate because he was tired of being the weak link with them all. There was a brief break as they had more sharing and caring time but then the tale continued. He explained about the pills and how they worked on his mental acuity and physical stamina.
"So what are we going to do about all that? If you stay off the grid for too long they'll get suspicious."
"Oh, I'm going back," Kenneth grinned. "I'm officially on my first undercover mission for SHIELD. I'm going to help SHIELD shut down Outcome and all the projects like it from the inside. I even got a mole working with me, Dr. Shearing. She's pretty awesome. She's also working to help me make the effects permanent."
"So you're like an agent of SHIELD now?" Clint asked with a wide grin.
"I'm pretty deep cover. Like Special Ops but even more unknown. But to anyone with Level 8 clearance, like you two and Dad, I exist. Hello, my name is Agent Aaron Cross."
"What happened to Kenneth?"
Ken… Aaron shrugged. "Kenneth Kitsom died in a roadside blast. And I don't know I feel different about the name now. I kind of like being Aaron." He bit his lip. "But I can be Kenneth if you guys need me to be."
"We only need you to be here," Will replied easily. "Don't care if you're Aaron or Kenneth. As long as you stay alive."
"What he said," Clint added with a small smile. He patted their brother's leg again. "I'm really glad that you're not dead, bro."
"Me too, little brother. Me too."
"And I'm glad all of you are alive. Now get your asses out of that tree before it breaks. You're not little boys anymore."
"Don't we know it," Aaron muttered.
"Oh, and Nick just got here. He brought John and Melinda with him. And I think Melinda said that she made pie."
"Garrett! May!"
"Pie!"
With that both Aaron and Clint were creating panic in the hearts of their father and middle brother as they jumped from the tree, landing gracefully (of course) on the grass by and racing into the house. Even from where he sat still in the tree, Will could hear Melinda let out a loud yelp as she was bombarded by both of them. Will climbed down more sedately and stood next to his father.
"So you were saying about that whole we're not little boys anymore thing?"
"Shut up," Phil chuckled, slinging an arm around his shoulders and leading him back into the house where they could hear Clint and Aaron excitedly talking with Garret and Melinda while Nick stood by watching in obvious amusement.
Will never thought he would be so happy to hear his two dork brothers just talking but then he remembered that he spent Two years thinking one was dead and the other was just as unreachable. That's when he finally realized that they were the most important thing. The only thing that mattered really. He could still be an individual and a brother. Neither of them wanted him to leave IMF. They were fine with him remaining on his own as long as he didn't shut them out again. And he wasn't. He learned his lesson.
*Yes, that's the same Garrett and May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Yes, I've seen the most recent episode and Captain America: The Winter Soldier but no, I will not be incorporating any of that into my current series. I may add some other stories about all the feelings that that episode and that movie gave me (Bucky!) but for right now all my current series exist very far outside of canon. Just wanted to clarify that. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed!