EDIT 2/9/2014: Story's the same just going through and adjusting things. Proofreading and all that.

Chapter 2: Deep Thought and a Massacre of Bags

Steve's trying to lose himself in motion again. Like when he first woke up in this new time in a place that should've been home but left him at a loss at every turn.

Unfortunately it's going about as well as it did then. He'll apologize to Tony for the punching-bags later.

He sighs as another one flies into the wall, and he drops onto a bench. God, this is weird. His DNA was used in an experiment. An experiment that yielded a kid that's half him and half a man he might call his polar opposite.

The problem isn't the biological experimentation though. The problem is how absolutely normal everyone is taking this. That it isn't bothering Steve nearly as much as he thinks it should. It should bother him more. It should bother Tony more. Well, maybe it's bothering Tony more than he's letting on.

Tony's been almost aggressively trying to make Peter feel comfortable in the tower. Not that the rest of them haven't, but it seems different for Tony. Like he's -

"Hey, Cap."

Great. Clint. Just what he needs. "Hey."

Clint walks around the remains of the punching bags to sit by Steve. "So, this a private party?" He pauses to survey the room. "Ritual sacrifice. Whatever. I'm flexible."

Steve laughs. Yeah, that didn't sound right which Clint's grimace at the noise confirms. "No, just trying to clear my head."

"You might wanna try something else."

"Why?"

"Fighting is too second nature. You end up in auto-pilot, so you have more time for deep-thought. You want something that'll occupy your thoughts, something you have to concentrate on." Clint grins. "Like marksmanship. No offense, Steve, but your shooting form is kind of hideous."

Steve rubs his face. That makes sense, but he doesn't think he has it in him to concentrate on anything. "I was actually kind of thinking about taking a nap. I haven't been sleeping well."

Clint's mouth does some acrobatic maneuver that Steve thinks means that he would've sooner believed that Steve was considering joining HYDRA or AIM. Yeah, Steve didn't believe himself either. He smiles apologetically.

Clint snorts and shakes his head. "How about some mindless TV and Chinese food?"

Steve nods. "Yeah, that sounds good." He pulls at the tape on his hands.

Clint grins. "Great, take a shower, Cap. Food'll be here fifteen."

Steve scowls at his retreating back.

Clint stops and kicks at a punching-bag corpse, watching the sand trickle out. "By the way, Peter's staying the night. The NDA meeting with Phil and Pepper ran long." He shrugs. "Tony gate-crashed, so Phil had a hard time maintaining the pace."

"What'd he tell his aunt?"

"That a project ran late for his SI internship. And that his mentor got him a room here for to night to make up for it."

"And she was okay with that?" Bruce had told him about the tinny voice he'd overheard from that first day when they'd forgotten to call. Told him about the side of the conversation he could. May Parker didn't seem like a woman who would appreciate her nephew staying overnight in Manhattan.

Clint turns. There's something wrong in the tilt of his smile. "She'd rather have him stay somewhere overnight than have him taking the bus and making his way home this late. His uncle was killed after dark a few months ago."

The tape slips from Steve's fingers. That's very... not good. He takes a deep breath. "So, he recently got these new powers, then his uncle died, then he found out the people he thought were his parents used him as a science experiment."

Clint winces. "Yeah, that's about the size of it."

"Clint, what is Tony doing?"

Clint rolls his eyes. "Steve, when have you or I or Phil or even Nat ever known what Tony Stark is doing. Most of the time he doesn't even know what he's doing. Not even Pepper after allowing him to wrangle her into a relationship with him or working for him for all those years." He shakes his head. "No, Cap, I can't answer any questions you have for Tony's motives. You're either going to have to ask him or wait until he unveils his evil plot."

Steve smiles at his friend. "Yeah, I think I knew that already, but I had to ask."

Clint nods. "Yeah, I get it."

Steve sighs. "So, mindless TV and Chinese food you said?"

"You got it, Cap. Meet us upstairs after you shower and change?"

"Yeah. Save me a spot, okay?"

Clint didn't respond for a moment. "I would, but I think your spot has already been saved." This time the sniper is out the door before Steve can ask what that means.