Clint was the one to find him, moving across the Helicarrier's puddled roof to reach Steve, his dark purple jacket as he rocked back on his heels; silent he read him like a book, his dark eyes scanning across Steve's face as he pouted in the rain, the hood becoming damper on top of his blond hair. "Tell me that you didn't expect any differently."

Steve felt his chest heave as he sighed, pushing back the tired effect on his eyes and wincing as he forgot about the lump on his cheek, brushing it harshly. He winced but not from the pain, from the echo of Tony's angered and aggravated look, hiding the pain. "Honestly?"

Clint nodded and blinked, waiting for his answer as he let out a sigh, turning to face him slightly.

"I… thought a lot of outcomes for this but none of them included him punching me in the face; no." Clint's guard dropped and the friend came out from behind the FBI officer. "Tell you what though, he can really punch now." Steve muttered as he clutched at his jaw, Clint laughed and shook his head, taking my hand and yanking it down.

"If you scratch it, it won't heal."

"What the fuck kind of old wives tale is that? That's bites and scabs." Steve exclaimed as Clint pushed down on the blood spots on my hand, pulling it back Steve glared at him.

"Just checking that you can still feel pain, back then all those years ago we thought that you were a cold, unsentimental bastard that didn't care about us." He spat at me, evenly raising an eyebrow at Steve and turning back to face the less than aesthetic view.

Steve felt the chill down his back as Clint shut down on him again, the man turning off and biting back at him like that reminded him of the mess that he made and the hurt that he caused; that was never his intention. He wanted to save Tony the pain and humiliation when it came out that his pathetic, tag along friend was in love with him; he wanted to save himself the pain of seeing Tony fall in love. But he realised that none of that had happened.

"Clint, I-."

"You fucking dare try and apologize and I swear to God, I'll smash your face into tiny little pieces." He hissed, whirling around to face him and sticking a finger in Steve's face. They were silent as they faced off; fear taking over both of them. For Steve it was a fear to see everyone after he'd hurt them so; for Clint it was a fear that he was going to start crying again.

Both of them were saved, however, by Maria Hill calling to Steve and telling him that Fury wanted to see him. He gave Clint an apologetic look and walked off of the roof, holding open the door but seeing his old friend stuck in his stance in the corner.

Bruce was stood with Tony in the make shift lab that Fury had let them hide in, sticking a plaster on the knuckles of the man as he sat there, pouting.

"You didn't have to punch him, Tony." He sighed, rolling his eyes as Tony let out an exclamation of insult.

"Of course I did!" Tony yelped as he tried to pull his hand back but Bruce was resilient and strong. "He left us without even bothering to say goodbye. He didn't care all these years when we went through hell to try and get him back. He didn't even give a shit when Hank died-."

Bruce's head shot up and stared at him as the pain panged in their chests. Tony stopped as Bruce pulled away and turned to look at the computer screen, flicking images and emails.

"You know what I meant… I spent two years trying to find him and I got nothing-."

"You spent a hell of a lot longer than that trying to find him Tony." Bruce muttered, gaining Tony's attention as he looked at his bruising hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped, standing up and moving closer; for a long while, Bruce was silent till he looked at him and sighed, his head shaking.

"May 5th you came back and you gave up; you laid in your bed, not moving, not eating, not doing anything. You had physically been destroyed by the agony of the fact that you had lost Steve. We did everything that we could to get you to do something; we even got your dad to help but nothing worked. Then one morning you got up and you were fine, we were so happy we didn't care about your motives. You went to M.I.T., you did all this work and built Stark up further and further and then you got the press flocking around you." Tony made to interrupt and hurry up story time but Bruce just powered on. "And then you did all these things, not turning up to meetings, being rude and cold, sleeping with whatever walked, drinking at all hours and going out to casinos and strip bars. I used to think that you were doing all of this because you never had a childhood and you were trying to get back at your dad but then I realised something that the person that used to stop you doing these things when we were kids; was Steve."

Tony looked away and focused on a spot on the wall that Bruce couldn't make out, his shoulders tense and his head held proud, fists clenched at his side.

"…You looked for Steve and when you couldn't find him, you tried to make him find you and it didn't work because he didn't want to be found."

"He was our friend! Of course he wanted to be found! When we played hide and seek when we were younger he used to hide in plain view and come out after five minutes because he hated being away from us." Tony spat, his anger rising and his desperation and pain flaring.

"Well, we're not seven anymore Tony and Steve's changed, he doesn't need us anymore-."

"He'll always need me!" Tony yelled, rushing forward and grabbing Bruce tightly, shaking him and shaking him. Bruce's temper fought against his compassion and love for the man, the muscles in his brain begging his arms to attack but his heart stopped them as they heard Tony's wallowing sobs. "He'll always need… I need…"

Bruce only just had time to grab him before his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. His head landing on Bruce's shoulder as his body began to shake with tears. The Scientist held on to the Inventor as he mourned over the Soldier.

"It's okay…" Bruce could only whisper as his friend tugged at his shirt. "It's all okay…"

Is that all that you can say? Natasha's voice mumbled in his head as he held onto him. Really, Bruce? He is ruining your shirt and all you can say is 'It's okay'? He's not a child be honest, push him

"What do you need?" He asked, softly. "Tell me."

"Sex." Tony mumbled his voice tired and dry as he hiccupped over the whimpers.

"Okay, I'll go get Clint." Bruce jokes, smiling as he hears Tony's laughs and the relief of crying passing.

They rested there for a while, Tony still clinging to Bruce and Bruce letting the other keep him down. The anger and pain was still residing in both of them but now it had been displaced by the shock and exhaustion of the day. They just seemed to rock there, moving forward and back as their nails scraped dark material.

Steve watched them from the window in the control room, neither of them seeing him there as he saw the way that Bruce comforted Tony as he began to scream and cry. They way that Bruce stopped his tears and then kept him there. He thought about all the times that he must have done that for him, all the times that Steve did it for him and the times that he could have done it for him for the past few years. All the memories and bad times he'd missed and he was going to have to catch up on…

But could he? Would he get the opportunity to make everything better with Tony and the others? Should he? Does he deserve that?

This chapter took ages and really kind of depressing. Hope you like it. Lots of love xxx.