They got home faster than Tony would have imagined possible as he stood in front of the door Steve grabbed him from behind pulling them closely together and kissing his neck.

"Um…I think they're waiting for us inside. Natasha was…" he trailed off when he was turned around and they faced each other.

Steve kissed him roughly; holding them tightly together and making Tony lose his breath.

There was a loud cough and they broke apart, Tony catching his breath and turning to see an annoyed Clint Barton watching them. "Um…"

Steve smiled. "Clint."

"Just so you know, Natasha's alive and well and your boy is asking after you," he said directly to Steve who tensed against him.

Tony said, "It's okay, he's…he's okay Steve. Really," he whispered, making Steve look at him.

He kissed him again and said, "Go."

Steve nodded and walked past Clint to stand in the door, looking back at them once with trepidation before disappearing.

Clint closed the door and stood with crossed arms. "So…. he popped your cherry."

Tony felt his cheeks redden and hated it, but said, "Jealous?"

"Extremely." Clint said honestly, showing it in his face.

Tony swallowed. "Well, I'm just," he went to push past Clint and flinched when his arm was caught and held.

"Sooner or later, you'll get tired of playing with the boy scout and go looking for some fun. I'll be waiting," Clint whispered leaning in and when Tony turned his head forced their lips together roughly before letting him go and smiling.

Tony wiped his mouth, and then punched him square in the jaw before going through the door.

Clint sat on the porch, putting his hands over his face and sighing loudly.

"I would have to say that was not the ideal way of showing your affection," came the voice from in front of him, amused.

He didn't look up. "I know."

"Also antagonizing someone who can crush your skull if pushed hard enough is also not the best course of action."

He looked up, smiling. "Like you're one to talk."

Bruce Banner smiled, sitting down beside him. "Touché. Though I am a bit better at controlling myself than you are. I don't go around throwing myself at random people when I'm attracted to them."

Clint scoffed, "I don't throw myself at every random person I'm attracted to. It doesn't really happen all that often. Just…"

"I seem to remember a very thankful British man from the consulate who you kissed quite openly in front of god and everyone during that hostage situation in Washington but I could be wrong? And then there was the prime minister's niece in Zimbabwe…what was her name again? Nefreti? Neffi?"

Clint looked down and mumbled, "Nefertiti. Damn egghead super memory."

Bruce laughed. "Sorry. I just don't want to see you hurt, I consider us friends. Or at the very least warm enemies? Either way I don't have many of those left."

Clint looked at him, surprised. "Oh. Well…um…I don't know you all that well. I've seen you go…ya know…with the Hulk thing, and you're kinda a…."

"Geek? Nerd? Cuz I'm not really, I'm just…smart."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Just smart?"

Bruce grinned. "Smarter than you."

"Well there are a lot of people here that are smarter than me. Tony, Nick, probably even Nata…" Clint was cut off when Bruce kissed him and before he could process what was happening it was over and Bruce stood, looking down at him.

"Smart enough to know when to use things to my advantage," he said simply before leaving a dumbstruck Hawkeye at a loss for words.

Steve Rogers was what you would call a man's man. His father used to call him a sissy but while he may have always been in touch with his feelings he was never a sissy, but there were some things that could bring out such fierce reaction in him that if you called him a sissy he would not be able to argue.

Bucky Barnes was one of those things.

The kid had always been a constant of his adult life up until the faithful afternoon when he wasn't, and seeing him now curled up next to the love of his life and smiling down at her with such love it made Steve's heart ache and tears come to his eyes faster than most adult men, let alone goddamn Captain America.

But that was Steve Rogers. A man's man.

He stood watching the scene and committing it to memory, keeping his tongue to just bask in the peace on his friend's face.

It had been so long.

"Are you just gonna stare at my gorgeous mug all night? Cuz I know how hard it is to look away but there are some things we need to talk about," Bucky said, looking up and smiling.

Another punch to the gut but Steve smiled back. "Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you."

Steve made no move from his spot and Bucky sighed, sitting up and looking at Natasha sleeping beside him once more before coming over to where the older man was frozen in place.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, pain contorting his features as he held out his hand.

Steve took it and said, "No need. You were…"

Bucky pulled him close and shook his head. "NO. I never should have said those things to you. I never…I've never felt that way, even when I figured it out. I just…it was the first thing that came to my head and I wanted…" he pulled his hand away and looked down, tears filling his eyes.

Steve hugged him then, tightly and he leaned into it closing his eyes.

"I love you, Steve. We're brothers," he whispered.

"Partners," Steve continued.

"Soldiers." Bucky finished, laughing through his tears.

They pulled apart and both men looked away sheepishly wiping their faces and laughing nervously.

"I'm a big bundle of tears tonight," Bucky said.

"Me too. Too many feelings to work through," Steve whispered.

Bucky smiled at that, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell. I assume my intel on where you were hiding out was accurate?"

Steve sat down in front of Bucky's cell and his friend sat beside him.

"Yes," he said simply, smiling.

Bucky grinned. "Something good happen, I hope? Though I don't need any details."

Steve blushed, looking away and nodding.

"I do," Natasha declared from behind them, sitting up in her hospital bed.

Steve looked back at her, grinned and said, "Let's just say we both surprised each other and walked away with a few bruises, though mine heal faster."

Bucky groaned and Natasha laughed.

Steve just smiled.

"Well," Bucky started, putting his arm around Steve and patting his friend's shoulder, "I just want you to be happy. I just…Natasha said this guy isn't exactly Mister Commitment and I know you're big on that and…"

Steve looked at Natasha again, glaring. She looked genuinely worried, "Darling I love my Tony to death but you and I both know he is not Mister Wonderful. My Lapochka was not always a one-woman man either but even James had his limits. Tony has broken records."

"I can take care of myself," Steve declared, pushing Bucky's arm off and standing.

Bucky jumped to his feet and grabbed at Steve but was quickly pushed away. "Cap, I didn't mean to get you angry but I don't want you to jump into something just to run away from something else."

"James!" Natasha scolded and he ignored her.

Steve looked hurt and their eyes locked. "I'm not running away from my feelings for you, Buck. I'm not. Tony is…he's different. He doesn't try to paint himself as anything but what he is. And I'm okay with that. I don't expect anything more," he explained.

Both Natasha and Bucky just stared at him both speechless.

Steve nodded once and said, "I see you understand me. Goodnight."

He left them and when he was gone Bucky looked at Natasha and said. "Did I just hear Captain America say he was okay with his boyfriend running around on him?"

Natasha sighed. "He said he didn't expect anything more, which means he doesn't think he should ask for it."

Bucky went to her and climbed on the bed, pulling them close and kissing her softly his mouth wandering to her neck and making her sigh.

"I love you," he whispered against her skin and she smiled.

"Ya tebya lyublyu," she said, pulling his head up to kiss him again. (I love you)

Tony Stark hated getting back to his own life after his eventful weekend but it had to be done. Sitting at home he took conference calls with four different corporations in three different continents and worked with Pepper on the budget for an upcoming gala that he had no desire to attend but knew Pepper would make him go to.

After twelve hours the time apart was killing him and it showed.

Pepper frowned at him as he typed away on his computer, her head askance as she stared.

He looked over at her annoyed. "What?"

"Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet all day and you're actually working instead of slacking off. It's frightening actually."

Tony willed himself not to pout, but he looked away and mumbled, "Fine."

She smiled. "Something happened over the weekend didn't it? I can tell."

He refused to answer or look at her, which was an even bigger tell.

Pepper laughed. "Wow, it must have been something HUGE. C'mon, Tony! You know I'm perfectly fine with your crush on Captain Universe!"

"It's Captain AMERICA," he corrected, then cursed.

She grinned wickedly and he tried not to smile back. "I know it is, stupid, I just wanted to see you falter. Wow, did he kiss you? Did you kiss him? You've been gone about a week and no calls so I…"

"It's nothing, okay?"

Pepper frowned, her lip sticking out in a pout that nearly broke him. "You're not going to tell me?"

He sighed, laying face first on his desk. "We had sex."

Silence.

Tony looked up and saw Pepper's mouth was open. He sighed. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you."

She swallowed and coughed, but didn't smile. "No, it's…alright. You just surprised me. I didn't…I really didn't expect you to go through with it. Or that it was something…tangible."

He grabbed her arm and she looked at him, clearly upset.

"I love you, you know."

She smiled, her eyes watery. "I know, it's just not our time," she whispered.

He kissed her hand.

Pepper blushed, taking her hand back and nodding. "Are you happy, Tony?"

Tony smiled. "I am, I think. I just…it's weird."

She laughed. "Feelings usually are. That's what makes them so fun."

"But also what makes them so excruciating. I don't feel like myself with all this…doubt."

Pepper came around the desk, throwing her arms around his neck from behind and kissed his cheek. "If he loves you and you love him, there should be nothing holding you back."

He nodded, swallowing. "I know."

"I want to meet him. Soon. Yesterday," she whispered, still holding him.

"Pepper…"

She turned so they were looking into each other's eyes. "I want to see the man who stole your heart away," she stated, smiling.

Tony kissed her cheek. "Okay."

Clint stayed away from Avengers business for as long as he could the week after getting kissed by Bruce Banner, throwing himself into SHIELD business and taking every possible mission that Nick Fury could give him.

After about three days Nick pulled him aside and they spoke alone in Nick's office. The office wasn't much of an office and more of a headquarters for Avengers business. They sat across from each other at a desk and Nick stared him down, waiting.

"I know, I've been…"

"Distracted." Nick finished, folding his hands together and still waiting.

Clint looked down. "Yeah. I just…things…are complicated."

"If you're referring to the kiss you shared with Bruce Banner, I already know."

He looked up, wide eyed and shocked. "You do."

Nick smiled. "There is NOTHING I don't know, Hawkeye. Remember that."

Clint laughed, blushing. "Apparently I forgot the number one rule of SHIELD," he said, looking away again, "It's…I don't…I barely know the guy."

"But he likes you. Lord knows why, but I don't give a shit about your love life," Nick said, sighing, "If I had known getting you all together would result in so much soap opera fucking I would've picked more women."

Clint was silent.

"You're done. Pack up and go back to the mansion. Work this out and you can come back, kill some bad guys."

He nodded. "Yes sir."

He stood, turning to leave when Nick called out, "For the record, when I picked you I thought it would keep Steve and Tony apart. Looks like I was wrong."

Clint turned, swallowing. "Why?"

"You're just like Tony. You don't think before you react and you always get what you want. Steve's the opposite. He knows what he wants but he waits to see if he deserves it. He works for it. Tony and Steve, there's a powerful coupling there, but it could destroy everything I've put together." Nick explained, staring right at Clint.

Clint nodded. "Do you…still want me to keep them apart?"

Nick smiled, raising his eyebrow. "Do you want me to want that in order to justify breaking them up?"

Clint bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Nick laughed. "Too bad, because it's the last thing we need right now. You stay away from Tony Stark if you want to stay in the Avengers. Keep your dick in your pants unless it's in somebody else cuz Stark's off limits. Plus, I don't think you could take him away even if you wanted to," he finished, clearly amused.

Clint glared but nodded, mumbling, "Sir," before leaving.

Nick leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and smiling.

"Stark must be one hot ass to have so many people after him," he said to no one, laughing.