Chapter 7: Ground Rules

Clint cleared his throat, rubbing at his lips which were still a little swollen. They were in Tony's room. Clint sat on the edge of the bed. Tony quickly cleaned his groin and climbed into another pair of expensive black jeans. Clint was feeling a little embarrassed. He had acted like some sort of horny beast downstairs, something that never happened to him before. He put his head in his hands and groaned, imagining what he must've looked like through his boyfriend's eyes. Tony laughed at him.

"What's up, Clint?"

"I uh, I don't know what came over me down there."

Tony scoffed.

"You? I have never had someone make me cream myself from just talking before. Lighten up, Clint. You going all feral on me is actually the highlight of my day so far."

Clint chuckled and looked down at his shoes.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just a little flustered. I actually kinda liked it."

Tony zipped up his jeans, looking good as new.

"Me, too."

Clint smiled as Tony sat next to him and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"So Clint, how does it feel having a millionaire as a boyfriend?" he asked.

Clint looked straight ahead and blew a raspberry.

"Shocking. Very very shocking. And a little terrifying. How does it feel having a lower middle class former cirque as a boyfriend?"

Tony leaned in and softly kissed Clint's cheek.

"Hot. You know I don't actually care about all that though, right? I like you."

Clint ran a hand through his spikes.

"To be completely honest, I didn't know that at first. I thought I was just some sort of experiment or something to you."

Tony arched his eyebrows.

"And now?" he asked.

Clint smiled and gave Tony a quick smooch.

"Now I just defined you as my boyfriend when you know I have a thing with labels. What do you think?"

"I think it's about fucking time, actually. Just remember that this is a first for both of us."

Clint nodded. Tony had a point. He almost forgot that Tony had never dated anyone before. Yeah he had an on and off thing with Pepper but, the thing with him and Clint was something different.

"I know. But I have to warn you Tony, we've got to set some ground rules."

Tony snorted.

"Ground rules? Really?"

"If you're gonna be my boyfriend then yes." Clint replied seriously.

Tony rolled his eyes and sighed, curling his arm further around Clint.

"Alright. Lay it on me."

Clint held up a finger.

"First rule; don't you ever hold your title over me. Ever. If I'm going to date you, then I'm dating Tony Stark. Not Anthony Stark, millionaire and future businessman. Can you understand that?"

Tony nodded.

"I can actually. Don't you worry about that. I know I can get a little full of myself but,...that's why I want someone like you. I mean, just look at who we hang out with. Trust me. Most other rich kids aren't nearly as good company."

A bubble of pride swelled inside of Clint and the blond couldn't help smiling like he accomplished something.

"Are you saying that I ground you?"

Tony gave Clint his signature shit-eating grin. The grin that Clint had such a love/hate relationship with.

"Yes siree. Now I have a ground rule, too."

"What is it?"

"More PDA. At least around our friends. I was serious yesterday when I asked you to kiss me in front of them."

Clint grinned back. I can do that. He's lucky he's a great kisser.

"Deal. My turn; Now I'm always happy to have you visit, but just remember to ask first the next time you want to sleep over."

Tony shrugged.

"Alrighty. I've got another one."

"Yes?"

"Boyfriends don't shut each other out. At least not functioning ones. I want you to at least try and tell me when something's bothering you, okay? I..."

Tony paused, all manner of joking set aside.

"I don't like it when you don't talk to me."

Clint smiled tenderly at Tony, stroking his sides.

"You got it, T. But you can't do the same."

"But I don't go quiet. I'm never quiet." Tony quipped, making Clint laugh.

"Be that as it may, I know how you prefer to hit the bottle when you're pissed off. I get loosey goosie myself here and there but sometimes you get me worried with that shit."

Tony rolled his eyes, and Clint glared hard at him. He knew Tony heard concerns about his drinking from the others before, but he was going to listen to him. Tony jumped at Clint's eyes.

"Alright, alright. I'll...try and ease up."

Clint's face easily transitioned back into a sweet smile.

"Good. Sober Tony is enough to deal with. Anyway, that's all I can think of for now. Anything else you wanna add?"

Tony stroked at his chin while he thought of something to say. Then he smirked at Clint.

"Yup. These aren't really ground rules, though. More like requests. Two of 'em."

Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Ooooookay. What are they?"

Tony placed his head on Clint's shoulder, looking up at him with his big brown eyes.

"Number one, will you ever sing for me again?"

Clint sucked in a breath through his teeth, fighting hard not to flinch. He was still feeling embarrassed from when Tony caught him singing yesterday. It wasn't something he did often. Not even around Natasha. She'd only heard him sing maybe four times during all the years they've known each other.

"I'm tempted to say 'no' but,...I don't know. We'll have to see. What's the second one?"

Tony suddenly pushed Clint on his back against the mattress, straddling and kissing him sensually. His tongue still tasted like strawberries. Clint wrapped his arms tight around Tony, rubbing at his back and moaning while they molded their lips together. Then Tony pulled back just as Clint's libido began to twitch. Fucking tease.

"I'm a showman. I know this. You know this. Now I know how you are, but one of these days I want you to let me woo you."

"Woo me?" Clint asked.

Tony nodded.

"Yes, Clint. I want you to let me woo you some day. I want to take you out on an extravagant date and properly wine and dine you. You know, fancy dinner. Wine and dancing. Flowers. Walks in the park. The works."

Clint closed his eyes. Almost every fiber in his body was telling him to say 'No'. Tony may be a millionaire, but he knows who he's dating now. Clint was almost always strictly low key when it came to everything. Pretty much nothing about that scenario sounded like fun to Clint. It sounded romantic and shit. He's Clint fucking Barton. He doesn't do romantic. Still though, maybe with Tony,...

"Okay. Not right away, though. I'm...I'm just not like that, ya know?"

Clint was afraid he was about to go animal again when he felt Tony's hands slide down to his hips. His strawberry breath and cologne wasn't helping any.

"Yeah I know. It's another thing I'm going to love about being your boyfriend."

"What do you mean?"

"It means you're gonna be a challenge for me. A sexy, sexy challenge. I rise to the occasion, my hawk."

Oh you want a challenge? I'll give you a challenge. Clint smiled mischievously. This guy was definitely meant to be his boyfriend. Tony didn't know that Natasha was the only other person to call him "my hawk".

"Indeed you do T, but that's a different thing."

Tony's hands trailed around Clint's collarbone, playing with his pukka shell necklace.

"Tell me Clint, what inspired this change in you? Personally, I've wanted you to be my boyfriend ever since your sexy dance on the party bus."

Clint held the back of Tony's head, looking straight into his chocolate browns with his steely-blues.

"Yesterday. I felt like shit when you walked out of my house. I wanted you to stay. I wanted to eat lunch with you and kiss you and fuck you some more. You were right. I was being a stubborn bastard. I just hated feeling embarrassed and proven wrong and,..."

Clint gulped. When the hell did Tony Stark bring out his vulnerable side?

"I couldn't get my mind off of you for the rest of the day. I called Natasha and told her what happened. I hoped she would make me feel better. You know what she said?"

Tony shook his head. Clint's mouth crooked to the side, his partner's words still clear in his head.

"She called me 'a fucking idiot'."

Tony snorted, biting down hard on his lip to keep from laughing. Clint found it cute, continuing.

"That's right, T. You kind of have Natasha to thank for this. Not only did she call me out on my own stupid behavior, but she actually ordered me to just tell you how I felt. Tony,...I've been compromised. By you. You're my boyfriend."

Tony smiled and tenderly kissed Clint.

"I've been compromised, too, Clint. I can't believe it, though. You and Natasha are pretty much made for each other. Why am I the one you decided to take a chance on?"

"Chemistry, Tony. There's a big difference between compatibility, which Nat and I have, and chemistry, which I have with you."

Tony nodded, digesting Clint's words.

"I've told you already; Natasha and I show affection and we care a lot about each other. Hell we fucked every now and then, too, but we both know we're just meant to stay partners. You, though? You make me wanna move forward. We click, ya know? It's why I fought it so hard at first. I didn't know what to do with these new feelings I was having cuz I'd only experienced being all of myself with Nat before. Then you came in the picture and...I like it. I like it a lot."

Tony blushed and quickly pushed himself off of Clint. He stood up, clearing his throat and tugging on the collar of his shirt while staring down. Clint sat up on the bed, looking closely at Tony.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, no. Jesus Christ, no. The exact opposite. Everything you're saying right now is...whew, it's just getting me all types of hot and bothered. It's uh, it's difficult to not attack you and jump your bones at the moment. Sam and the others are gonna be here in a minute."

Clint smiled wickedly. He loved that he could break Tony's swagger like that. It helped humanize the flamboyant millionaire. Tony's Stark-Phone buzzed on his nightstand. Clint picked it up, looked at the screen, and grinned.

"Speak of the devil. Sam says he, Steve and Bruce are pulling up now." he said.

Tony grabbed Clint by the hand and pulled him to his feet off the mattress. He threw an arm around his shoulder as they left his bedroom.

"Let's go see them then, shall we?"

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Bruce looked down at his phone, smiling at his message from Betty. He was in the Stark home elevator with Steve, Sam, and Steve's old pal Bucky. Bruce in a white t-shirt, green blazer, and khaki pants. Steve in a short-sleeved blue plaid shirt and red cargo shorts. Sam in a black t-shirt, open brown jacket and blue jeans. Bucky with a gray undershirt, open black zip-up hoodie and gray shorts. His shaggy long hair down to his shoulders. It was wierd. Bruce could tell Bucky didn't comb his hair, yet unruly it looked good on him. Bruce glanced at Bucky. He was an alright guy he supposed. Him showing up out of the blue last night was a shock to Steve and Sam, but Bruce remained indifferent. Steve had only mentioned Bucky a few times since he'd known him, and the whole night was mostly those two talking to each other. Bruce sat in quiet on the side, not really minding that much. Bucky was Steve's friend from childhood and he'd been away at college for the past year. He, Steve, and Sam had a lot to catch up on, so Bruce just let them. Steve was so happy at Bucky's arrival that he almost didn't acknowledge Bruce at all. He let Bruce spend the night after Sam went home, but that was his extent of talking to him.

The morning was better, though. While they were getting ready, Steve actually apologized for borderline ignoring Bruce last night. Bruce quickly accepted, telling Steve how is was fine. Even if Bruce had been offended last night, no way in hell could he stay mad at Steve. Ole Cap was just not hatable. Not to Bruce. The rest of the morning Bruce interacted more, finding Bucky to be pleasurable company. He had a lot of interesting college stories to tell. In the afternoon, they hopped in Steve's car and went to pick up Sam. So far, Sam had been acting like his usual self, giving off nothing but happy vibes. Bruce hoped he would keep those. This may be Sam's last day here in their town, but Bruce didn't want them getting all quiet and sad like they did when Sam broke the news. Today was going to be fun. Bruce could tell. On their way up to Tony's floor, Bruce got a text from Betty saying that she would be coming with Jane, Thor, and Darcy. She sent it with a smiley face, which made Bruce happy. This would be the first time Betty hung out with his circle since...ever really. He couldn't wait to see how this would play out. The elevator doors dinged open, and they all stepped out onto Tony's floor. The smell of Tony's cologne permeated the air, and Bruce still found it hard to believe he hung out here on a regular basis. Tony was a millionaire. A millionaire. With his own floor in this big big house. Steve led them to the lounge, smiling at Bucky's reaction.

"Damn. I almost forgot how cool this place was." said the collegiate.

Tony and Clint were standing in the middle of the living room with their arms around each other's shoulders. Bruce raised an eyebrow. Something about them seemed different. In a good way.

"What's up, hoes!" Tony greeted.

Bruce covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. Steve frowned. He couldn't stand potty language most of the time. Sam went up to the couple and gave them a hug.

"What up, what up, what up!" Sam greeted back.

Tony's eyes widened at the sight of Bucky who walked up to him as well.

"Hey, you! You're Steve's old buddy, right? What's your name again? James?"

Bucky playfully punched Tony in the chest.

"Very funny, Tony. You know only my mother calls me by my government name." he said.

Tony chuckled, playfully punching him back.

"Oh I'm just kidding, Bucky. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you went to school all the way in Kirby County."

"Oh I do. But when Steve texted me yesterday that Sam was moving away, I knew right away I had to see him before he left. I don't have anything major coming up at school so I took two long bus rides halfway across the state and, yeah. Here I am." Bucky explained.

Tony stroked his chin and nodded.

"That's pretty cool. Oh, by the way this is my boyfriend. Clint."

Clint didn't say anything but he smiled and shook Bucky's hand. Bruce and Steve both paused, shocked at what just happened. Tony and Clint told them a long while ago that they were "sort of going out", but they never called each other their boyfriends before. In fact, they didn't really act like boyfriends either. Yeah they sat with each other a lot and put their arms on each other's shoulders, but nothing about their body language screamed "together". Bruce was happy though. This was a pleasant change. The two of them fit together almost perfectly. Bucky raised his eyebrows at Tony after he shook Clint's hand.

"Boyfriend, huh? I gotta say, I'm a little shocked."

"What, that he's dating a guy?" asked Steve.

"Nope. That he's dating at all." Bucky replied with a wink.

"Trust me, it's an adjustment for us both. Nice to meet you, Bucky." said Clint.

"Yeah. Likewise."

Tony slung his arm off of Clint's shoulder and threw it around Sam's instead.

"Alright Birdie, so here's the deal; Don't think I'm not pissed for you waiting this long to say something, but it's alright. Today is about you, Sam. As soon as the others get here, I want you to tell us what you wanna do and we're gonna friggin do it."

Sam rolled his eyes but nodded and chuckled.

"Thanks, T. To be perfectly honest, I want us to act like we normally do. I want this to be a nice hang-out with my homies before I go back to Harlem."

"Nothing special in particular?" asked Bruce.

Before Sam could answer, Clint's phone buzzed. The blond grabbed it out of his pocket and looked at the message. He sighed deeply.

"Just got a text from Nat and Barney. They're on their way up in just a minute." he said.

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed.

"Barney? As in your big brother Barney?" he asked.

Clint nodded, pursing his lips. Bruce had never been to Clint's house, but he remembered Clint talking about his brother a few times. From Clint's mixed description of him, Bruce wasn't sure whether or not he should be nervous. Clint, Tony, Natasha, Thor and Bucky were all eighteen and legal adults, but Barney was an adult adult.

"Last time I saw Barney, you were, as you like to say, loosey goosie." said Steve with a smirk.

Clint put his head in his hand, and Bruce laughed. Steve had told Bruce about the night he and Thor brought Clint home after finding him drunk in a corner store. The elevator doors dinged open, and out walked Natasha and Barney. Natasha was hot as usual, in a strapless black top, tight black jeans with a red belt and knee-high heeled boots. Her arrow necklace was showing and her hair was in a braided ponytail hanging over her shoulder. Even if Bruce wasn't told about Barney, he would've recognized the man as Clint's brother in an instant. He looked almost exactly like Clint, down to the intense gray-blue eyes. But while Clint was a dark blond, Barney had brown hair. He looked to be about twenty-eight or somewhere around that age range. He was wearing a dark green shirt and brown baggy pants. Natasha smiled when she saw them, immediately going over to her partner.

"What's up, guys." she greeted.

Clint sighed hard and gestured to his brother who was standing there, staring at them with crossed arms and a neutral expression. Wow. He really is Clint's brother.

"Everyone, this is my big brother, Barney. Barney this is Bruce, Steve, Sam, Bucky, and Tony,..."

Clint looked at Tony and back at Barney. Smiling.

"My boyfriend."

Barney looked around the room and back at his brother, and Bruce began feeling a little awkward. Barney's face was still unreadable but Bruce could tell there was some tension.

"So you're the famous Tony Stark. Now my brother's boyfriend. Interesting." he said.

Tony kissed Clint's cheek, causing him to blush and look to the side. Barney raised an eyebrow at Clint.

"Well congratulations, bro. You've got yourself a sugar coochie."

Bruce, Tony, Bucky and Sam snickered loudly at Barney's comment. Steve had a look of disapproval on his face while Natasha was patting Clint's slumped shoulder.

"Well Barney, I have been known to be very sweet with Clint." said Tony with a smug grin.

"Oh my god, stop this right now before anymore puns are said." Sam joked.

"Agreed." Clint and Natasha said in unison.

"Well anyway, I guess it's nice meeting you all." said Barney.

He looked back at his brother.

"Finally." he added, and Clint scratched behind his head.

Tony only beamed at the older man, giving Clint another kiss on the cheek.

"Yes. Yes indeed. Nice to have ya here, Barney."

Bruce smiled at Tony. What made Tony able to take awkward moments in stride like that he would never know, but he admired him for it.

"Well while we wait for the rest of our gang to arrive, let's all have a drink shall we?" Tony suggested.

Steve put his hands on his hips.

"Really, Tony?" he asked annoyed.

"I was talking about soda and punch, Steve." said Tony, gesturing to the snack decorated table in the living room.

"Good lord." Barney grumbled, rolling his eyes.

_
Bruce was so happy when Thor and the girls arrived. After the awkward moment with Barney's introduction, they all didn't really do much for the next fifteen minutes. Steve, Sam, and Bucky chatted with each other while sipping fruit punch. Tony, Clint, and Natasha sat on one of the couches doing the same. Bruce didn't know who to involve himself with, so he stood in a corner and waited patiently. Barney was there with him, not acknowledging Bruce's presence. Bruce noticed how his eyes were fixed on Clint and Tony, the corners of his mouth tight. He wondered why Barney came in the first place if he was clearly uncomfortable with all this. The way Barney was standing perfectly still like a statue and rarely blinking while he stared at Clint was making Bruce. If this was who was looking after Clint then it was no wonder ole Clyde acted the way he did.

Bruce let out a sigh of relief when the elevator doors finally dinged open and the rest of their entourage came into the lounge. Thor was first, dressed in a burgundy long sleeved shirt and blue pants with his hair in a ponytail. Little ten year old Darcy was perched on his shoulders in a sleeveless red polkadot white dress and hair dark brown hair in two pigtails. She slid her glasses down her nose, smiling at all of them.

"Greetings my friends!" Thor shouted, and both of the Barton brothers flinched.

Bruce covered his mouth, trying not to laugh at Barney. It was funny every single time.

"Yeahhh. Greetings!" Darcy added.

Jane followed, wearing an open gray jacket, brown undershirt and blue skinny pants.

"Hi, party people!" she said with a smile.

Last but not least came Betty. Bruce sighed when he saw her. With her dark hair in a neat top bun, orange knee length skirt and white v-neck t-shirt, she looked absolutely beautiful. She went to him immediately and hugged him, and Bruce went lightheaded. He couldn't stay upset with her. Never his Betty Boo. He kissed her cheek, tasting citrus body lotion on her.

"Hi, Brucie." she said.

Bruce smiled like an idiot at her, his glasses falling down his nose some.

"Hi, Betty Boo."

"Look, I wanna say sorry, okay? I know I've been acting a little different lately. Can we talk about it later at a better time? Right now I just wanna have a good time with you."

Bruce gave her a quick smooch and nodded.

"Of course. You don't know how happy I am that you're here."

"Awwwwww." said Tony, and Bruce suddenly remembered they were in the presence of other people.

Clint smacked Tony in the arm but then the ebony haired teen gave Clint a smooch of his own. Bruce went red in the face, but Betty only smiled.

"Now that we're all here, there is something I wanna do." Sam announced.

"What shall it be, friend Sam? On this, your last day with us!" Thor boomed.

All eyes went on Sam who was smiling widely.

"Fire up the grill out back. Tony I hope you have swimwear for everyone cuz I wanna have a barbecue pool party!"