AN: Thanks to everyone who's prompted so far - one third of the way through!

What I am going to ask is that if you've already put in multiple prompts, please refrain from giving me anymore - as much as I would love them, it's just so that others can have a say in this story, too. :-)

Gently

11. The Stark Inquisition

(If you're really desperate, put it in my Ask box/PM me, and I'll see what I can come up with. Please bear in mind: I'm a bit bogged-down writing-wise, so don't expect instant responses.)

"Alright, I give up. Something's going on with you two, and I want to know what it is. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I deserve to know, what with the whatever-it-is happening in my tower."

Clint and Bucky, having just entered the S.H.I.E.L.D conference room, both stopped in their tracks as Tony Stark rounded on them quite suddenly. Behind him the rest of the team also turned to stare in their direction, a mixture of confusion and alarm. With nine pairs of eyes suddenly stuck to them, Clint could feel the discomfort radiating of Bucky next to him, though he maintained eye contact with Tony. "Mind being a little bit clearer with your accusations there Stark? You might not get an explanation otherwise."

Tony gestured between them. "The two of you – what are you doing? Don't think I haven't seen the signs: you always arrive at places more or less together, one of you says something and the other finds it funny, you've eye-rolled at each other way too many times –"

"We all eye-roll at each other where you're concerned," Natasha pointed out.

"This isn't about me."

"For once," Carol muttered. Jan smothered a giggle.

"Uh, am I the only one who's concerned here?" Tony asked the team. "We have two super-spies up to what is undoubtedly no good behind our backs, and – ignoring any past actions that may have involved trying to harm one or more of us – it's highly likely that I am – or, we are, the target of their secret whatever-it-is. So I, for one, would like some answers." He folded his arms, failing to notice Steve's sudden interest in a pencil, Bruce's lack of interest in the situation, Natasha's eye-conversation with Bucky, and Sam's head dropping into his hands.

"What makes you think we're up to anything?" Clint replied, covering for Bucky. The four teammates who knew had been sworn to secrecy – they weren't about to blurt it out to the table, and he wasn't going to either. No, just like every time before, this was Bucky's choice.

"I know spies," Tony said, "and I know you two. Admittedly, I know you better than Sputnik, Barton, but that doesn't mean –"

"What did you just call me?" It was the first thing Bucky had said since entering the conference room, and Clint could hear the tension in his voice. He didn't need to see him to know that he probably looked a little pissed.

Mercifully, Tony picked up on his displeasure as well. "JARVIS, add Sputnik to the list of things I'm not allowed to call Agent Barnes."

"Already done, sir."

"Look, just 'cause we're spies doesn't mean jack," Clint argued. "Natasha's a spy. You think she's up to something too?" Natasha looked unimpressed at being implicated in the predicament, but aside from a raised eyebrow she didn't react.

"If the Black Widow was up to something, I don't think I'd notice," Tony said. "You two though? If you're trying to be sneaky, you're failing spectacularly."

"Um, I'd be offended here guys," Peter said from his upside-down position at the back of the room.

"Oh, I'm offended," Bucky growled.

"Come on, now," Hank interrupted. "Let's not do anything stupid here."

Steve nodded. "Hank's right; Tony, we're here for a briefing, so why don't you get us started? Bucky, Clint –"

"There is no briefing."

Everyone blinked in unison. Steve frowned. "Excuse me?"

"I said there is no meeting," the billionaire repeated. "I wanted to know what Sniper One and Sniper Two were doing, and thought that a group presence would force a confession out of them." He folded his arms. "We're not leaving until we have answers."

There was a collective sigh of frustration from the table. "You lied to us?" Jan asked in disbelief. "For this?"

Bruce glanced between the three men with apprehension. "Tony –"

"What the hell, Stark?" Clint moaned, seeing Bucky shift in his peripherals. "We're not plotting anything against you! Why would we?"

"I don't know Clint, that's why I'm asking."

"Yeah, well frankly, I think you're being nosy."

"Paranoid's probably a more accurate –"

"Jesus Christ, no-one cares!"

"Well I do, because you've got JARVIS being quiet about this too –"

"You know, sometimes your AI feels like an invasion of privacy –"

"What do you have to keep private?"

"It's called private for a reason!"

"And that right there implies you have something to hide –"

"We're together!" Bucky suddenly shouted, and the whole room was swiftly engulfed by silence. He stepped forward into Tony's space. "We're together. Satisfied?" he asked sharply, eyes like daggers. "There's no plot, no conspiracy against you or your computers, no traitors in your midst; just two people trying to keep their private lives private." He threw his arms up. "Why is that so hard in this world?" And with that, he turned and stormed out of the conference room.

"Bucky!" Clint watched him leave, knowing that following him was pointless. He sighed deeply as a commotion started around the table, and slipped out without looking back. In the corridor he checked the clock on his phone, setting a timer for fifteen minutes, and as he leant back against the wall he noticed Carol coming up to him slowly. He smirked. "Not taking a piece out of Stark for his arrogance?"

She snorted. "Steve, Natasha and Jan have that covered between them." Her body mirrored his as she took up position beside him. "Where'd he go?"

"Gym, probably. He'll go through a couple of punching bags, maybe another agent to help reign himself in. Either way, I'll go check on him in a few minutes, talk him out of revenge too extreme."

Carol smiled. "You sound like you know him pretty well," she observed.

Clint turned to her. "Are you mad?" he asked.

She quirked an eyebrow. "At you? Why would I be mad at you?"

"For keeping it – us – under wraps," he said with a shrug.

"It's a surprise," she admitted slowly, "but not a bad one. Under different circumstances I think a lot more people would be smiling." Clint laughed at that.

When his timer went off some minutes later he left Carol to go and find Bucky, already working out what to say to whichever poor agent he'd inadvertently scared – but the gym was clean of any signs of demolition, and there were no palpitating trainees. Frowning, he left to check the range – also empty – and then the roof, where a figure paced back and forth against the skyline. He approached slowly, waiting for Bucky to make the first move.

Eventually he stopped pacing, and seemingly deflated where he stood. "That could've gone better," he said weakly.

"Maybe," Clint agreed, stepping closer now that Bucky had stilled. "No-one's mad at us, though. It'll probably take a while for the revelation to actually sink in."

Bucky nodded absently, squeezing the hand that Clint slipped into his flesh one. "So who just found out?" he asked tentatively.

"Besides Tony? Hank, Jan, Pete and Carol. You know Jan'll want to throw us a party now, right?"

He gave a soft snort, shaking his head at the thought. "How long can we keep her at bay?"

Clint flipped out his phone. "I'll see if Hank can distract her. Or maybe Carol. She said congrats, by the way." Bucky finally smiled at that, and he pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "We can handle this," he promised. "It'll all blow over in a few days."

"And Stark?"

"Oh, he'll get what's coming to him." A grin spread over his face. "He thinks we can't plot without him knowing? Let's prove him wrong." The glint in Bucky's eyes said he was looking forward to it.

AN: Prompt(s): "Starky getting a hint of what's going on!", 'the rest of the team finding out'.
I combined these two 'cause they were kinda similar. Hope both parties don't mind :-)