When Clint and Bobbi returned from their two week honeymoon, things had changed in their world. The D.A. had resigned while they were gone and she was promoted to the position. Clint on the other hand, had to go back out on assignment. There were reports of a group called the Ten Rings threatening to enact war on the U.S. With his brother Barney and Colonel James Rhodes; they went in to assess the situation. The group ended up being a small unbalanced cell of insurgents. When the Special Forces unit arrived, there were hostilities. But the cell went down, with the team sustaining minor injuries, and no casualties. Upon his return, Clint and Bobbi went to see Natasha.
"Bobbi, it's been too long since we've seen Nat. You think she missed us?"
"She had to; I mean I'm sure she probably knew we were back. But when I got promoted, and you left on assignment, we didn't get to stop in."
"Yeah, but I have to admit I was worried about her. I sometimes wondered if she was feigning her own happiness because we just got married."
"She's not like that. If I know Nat, she probably met someone while we were gone. Bet we'll get to meet a new boyfriend soon."
After they knocked on her door, it took a few moments for someone to answer. When he did, neither of them expected to see who was standing there.
"ROGERS! What the hell are you doing in Nat's apartment? For your sake I hope your answer is that you're only house sitting."
"It's nice to see you too, Bobbi. Would you like to come in?"
"Oh, we're coming in; first to find out what you did to hurt her this time. And if necessary, to have Clint throw your ass out."
Both of the guys are surprised to hear her talk this way. Back in college, Bobbi was always nice to Steve, while Clint was the one who thought he wasn't good enough for his best friend.
"Bobbi, I'm sure Steve has a good explanation for why he's here. We should give him the benefit of the doubt, before we overreact."
"Thanks for the support, Clint."
"Make no mistake; I'm not happy to see you here either. Keep in mind; if you did hurt her in any way, I'm going to break your legs."
Steve is taken aback at the threat. He was friends with these two in college. But time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds.
"Okay, I get that you're worried about her, so I'll overlook the threat. She told me that you're F.B.I., now Clint. So I have no doubts you could do that. But I'm not going to fight you."
"Get to the point. What did you do and where is she?"
"Nat is as at work. She's teaching a class, and then she and Carol have a meeting with a prospective client. Now, we've been back together for three and a half months. I stay here sometimes, when I'm not at Bucky's. She asked me to move in, but given the short amount of time I've been back, and that we've been rebuilding our relationship, I felt it was a little too soon."
His explanation is thorough, and honest. But it didn't help to assuage their fears. When he finished talking, Clint still punched him in the face.
"I deserved that. But I promise you both, I'm not going to hurt her."
"Hey Bobbi, would you get some ice? Steve's going to have one hell of a black eye."
As she heads for the kitchen, Clint helps him up, and guides him to the couch.
"You just punched me in the face, Clint. I can make it to the couch by myself."
"I'm sorry about that. You and I were friends, and maybe I overreacted. But the last week before you left, she stayed with us temporarily. All she did was cry. And I just couldn't stand to see her like that. Then she went back to your apartment. Buried herself in schoolwork, wouldn't leave."
"Look, I did what I had to then. I couldn't let my best friend be over fighting a war alone. But there wasn't a day I didn't regret it."
Clint can sense the anguish emanating from his friend. He realizes that Steve means every word he is saying. Even after all these years, leaving her still haunts him. A moment later, Bobbi returns with the ice.
"Here, put this on your eye. It will keep the swelling down."
"Thanks, Bobbi. So how was the wedding? Where did you go for your honeymoon?"
"The wedding was perfect. All our friends and family made it. Have you ever been to Greece, Steve?"
"Can't say that I have, after basic, I was sent to Italy. From there we went to Egypt, and finally to Iraq."
For an hour, he relates stories of the war. A lot of what he talks about terrifies them. The screams in the night, and the constant gunfire. Clint thinks about his mission to Budapest, and nothing he experienced there even comes close to what Steve went through. Both of them are thankful when Bobbi changes the subject and they talk about the last fourteen years, especially all that he missed. While they sit there, Nat comes home from her meeting. She's surprised to see Clint and Bobbi, but all of her concern is directed towards her boyfriend when she sees him holding the ice pack on his eye.
"What the hell did you do Clint?"
"Nat, Bobbi and I just dropped in to see you. We weren't expecting the Boy Scout to be here. He told us everything, but I was still holding on to the anger over his leaving you."
"So you punched him in the face? Did he really deserve that?"
"Maybe he didn't. But trust me, it won't happen again. We worked it out. We're good."
After setting her things down, she moved to sit with Steve, and he wrapped his arm around her. Clint and Bobbi can both see that this is the real deal.
"Well, I guess we better get going. We'll see you guys later. Steve, welcome home."
"Uh-uh, Clint. You punched him in the face. You're staying for dinner with us. And to apologize, you and Bobbi are cooking."
They would try to argue, but they know they can't win. After an hour, whatever they've prepared doesn't even smell edible, and when it's placed on the table, it looks even worse.
"I guess neither of you ever learned to cook, did you?"
"Come on, Nat. It doesn't look that bad."
"Yeah, it does Barton. Whatever you call this smells worse than it looks. Looks like I'll be ordering a pizza."
As she does this, both Clint and Bobbi are relieved. They purposefully botched the meal, just like they used to do in college.