Archive of Our Own ^beta

Clint slammed the door to the house and tensed, waiting for a crash of something falling off the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened. He wished he'd noticed the decline of the house, but Maria had been sick and his energies had been focused on trying to help her get better, and later making sure she was in the least amount of pain and knew she was loved. The maintenance on the house had suffered, because he hadn't dared to let the care of the twelve boys get out of hand.

"Clint?" Natasha called from the direction of the kitchen, "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Clint responded, heading toward her voice. He stepped into the kitchen and found his family waiting there. The three friends that he'd grown up with at Shield House, an orphanage run by their late foster mother, Maria. There was Natasha, whom he was closest to, and they were most like siblings. She was cutting up vegetables. Bruce and Steve had come a little later on, but that didn't make them less family. Bruce was cooking something, and Steve was sitting at the table, drinking, if Clint had to guess, tea.

"I take it, it didn't go very well," Bruce said, once Clint had entered the kitchen.

"No," Clint said. "Thanos is putting all the money into this asshole boyband, the Jotuns or something. He says there's nothing left to spare. I met 'em, they're so rude and arrogant. I own half the company, so I should get some respect." Clint had been Maria's first foster child and when she had passed, she'd left Shield Foundation, which ran the orphanage, and fifty percent of Shield Records to him. Clint supposed it was his own fault, because he hadn't cared about the record company. Shield Foundation was what he loved, but the Foundation was funded by the record company and when Clint had stopped seeing checks, he'd had to go in and talk to the other owner, Maria's old business partner, Erik Thanos.

"Ugh," Steve said. "That sucks."

"So, they're making their big debut tomorrow in a Battle of the Bands, a rigged Battle of the Bands," Clint growled, taking a seat. "I don't know what we're going to do."

"We could always make our own group?" Steve suggested. "Bruce plays the drums, I can play guitar, Natasha plays keyboard, and you sing."

"How would it look, though, if I signed a group that included myself?" Clint asked, looking at them glumly. "Besides... not exactly star material."

"Natasha can sing," Bruce said looking over at her.

"Natasha will have your balls before she does lead vocals," Natasha stated, as the pace of the vegetable chopping picked up along with the force in her voice.

Bruce and Steve winced, because they still feared her a little. Clint knew she was mostly harmless, as long as you did what she told you to do. Clint sighed. There wasn't anything he could do and they were going to have to shut down Shield House.

"Oh," Steve exclaimed, slipping out of the room and coming back in to set a box in front of Clint. "That came for you today."

“Huh.” Clint reached down and gently poked at it. “Who's it from?”

"No idea," Bruce said.

"I'm betting it's from Coulson," Natasha said, smiling slightly.

Clint huffed and blushed at the thought of Coulson sending him anything. "I doubt he'd be giving me a gift." He reached over to pick at the packaging.

"You two do talk a lot," Steve pointed out.

"He's our handyman. He fixes the stuff we don't have a clue how to," Clint pointed out. He knew that mentioning that Phil was his best friend would only add fuel to this particular fire. "I have to tell him what's broken."

"You flirt, constantly," Bruce added.

"We all want you two to fuck and get it out of your systems," Natasha said.

"Natasha!" Steve said, looking scandalized. Clint studied him a moment, trying to determine if he actually was or was just acting like he was. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Steve.

Clint ignored them in favor of opening up the package to reveal a set of two gorgeous rings. Both were silver, but two different sizes; they were clearly intended for two different fingers. The larger one had an arrow etched into it and the smaller had a seven point star.

"Oh, that's nice," Bruce said, noticing when Clint held the larger of the pair up. Clint slid the ring on his index finger as the wind picked up outside, rattling the window panes that needed replacing.

A tall, dark-skinned man in an almost absurdly long leather coat and eyepatch suddenly appeared. "Clinton Francis Barton, I'd like to speak to you in private."

Clint stared and was semi-aware that the others were staring too. "Um...."

"There's some driving directions in the ring box, follow 'em," the man said as Clint realized he could see through the man.

"He's transparent," Clint noted.

"There isn't time to waste, follow the instructions," the man snapped, before disappearing.

Clint glanced over at his friends. "Should we…?"

"I would say yes," Natasha said. "If only to find out what that was."

Clint nodded, aware of the other three shutting things off and tucking things away while he dug through the package and found the directions. Soon they were all on the road, following the directions to an abandoned military base. The directions led them to a large walled off area.

Clint frowned. "Guess this is the end of the line."

"Keep driving," the man in the black trenchcoat said as he suddenly reappeared in the car with them.

"But we'll run into the wall," Steve said, objecting.

"Do it," the man said. Bruce glanced at the others. Clint and Natasha nodded, so Bruce took a deep breath and lightly stepped on the gas. They slipped through the wall and stared.

"It's not real," Natasha said as they entered what reminded Clint of the bridge from Star Trek, except with a really big computer against the furthest wall. They climbed out of the car as the man appeared on the screen of the computer.

"What the hell?" Clint asked.

"I'm Fury; I'm a holographic computer designed to be the very best audiovisual synthesizer around. Made by the one and only Maria Hill," Fury said.

"Maria made you?" Clint asked, staring at the machine.

"Yes, and I'm the last thing she left to you," Fury said.

"How'd you just appear at the house though?" Bruce asked.

"I can create holographic projections, like this." Suddenly, there was a second Clint standing next to him. "Or change your appearance."

"Wow, looking good, Natasha," Steve said and Clint turned to see two Steves and then suddenly two Bruces.

"Now that's an improvement," Natasha's voice coming from what looked like Steve said. Suddenly one of the Bruces turned into a Natasha. "Even better."

"Okay, clearly there are projectors here, so how'd you appear in the kitchen?" Clint asked.

"Through my remote micro projector."

"The rings," Clint said softly, glancing at them.

"You got it, through them, I can create any hologram you desire," Fury said. "Maria also left you some other things as well." Two doors opened up, and Natasha and Steve went to investigate.

"Clothes, real clothes," Steve called from one of the rooms. “We could outfit so many bands with these outfits.”

"Top of the line instruments," Natasha called from the other room.

"You have one other gift," Fury said and a platform began to rise. Clint's eyes widened as he took in the fancy looking roadster. The main body was white with purple wheel wells and fenders and a golden grill.

"I can't believe this," Clint said, shaking his head.

"You know, if we sold all this, we'd have enough money to keep Shield House open for a while," Bruce noted.

"No, we need something that will keep the door open indefinitely," Clint said, considering all of his options. He looked at Fury. "And I think I know a way."

*

Clint listened closely as Thanos was just about to declare the Jotuns the winner of the first battle of the bands. There was a slight shimmer out of the corner of his eyes, which he had begun to realize meant the hologram was laid over him. He'd spent a couple hours with Fury and the others explaining his idea. He didn't dare sign himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't sign an alter ego. They'd played with the holograms until he found something they all liked. Natasha had insisted that if he wanted to go incognito, something had to be done about his eyes. The others had agreed that they were too distinctive, so instead of what Steve called his kaleidoscope of eye colors, they'd settled on a shade of blue for this appearance. Along with some minor adjustments of his facial features, some make up, a change in hair color to purple while making it appear as if there was more of it, and an outfit he would never wear, they thought no one would think that he was Clint Barton. After all, Clint Barton did not go around in a dress, much less a miniskirt. He wore t-shirts, not dresses with necklines that plunged all the way to his waist. Natasha insisted that it was a tunic - all Clint knew it was an awful lot of purple, especially since the bracelets and boots were in the same color. The only other color, besides his skin, was the belt buckle, which looked like a three ringed target with one of the rings in white.

The others still looked themselves, though their outfits were kind of outrageous. Natasha never wore boots that went over her knees. She didn't typically wear miniskirts either, but Clint privately thought his skirt was shorter than her own. Her dress was all black, except for the red jacket and the golden belt buckle. Bruce had also lost his shirt, trading it in for a green fringed vest and purple pants. He still got to wear his sandals. Steve probably looked the most normal in skinny blue jeans and a lighter blue top, with a white jacket over that. He had multiple straps to his belt, which hung lower than his waist. It was outrageous for a man that typically dressed in khakis and plaid shirts. This was a concert, though, and their normal wasn't going to be good enough.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Thanos' voice boomed over the loudspeakers. Clint took a deep breath. It was now or never and he nodded at Bruce, who started their intro, cutting him off. Clint let himself concentrate on singing his heart out, singing about how this was only the beginning, because he really hoped it was. If the group could take off, they wouldn't have to worry about money.

He smiled as the song ended to roar of the gathered crowd and knew at the very least, they might be able to do something with this. "Thank you," Clint said. "I'm Hawkeye and these are the Holograms." He gestured toward Steve, Bruce, and Natasha. The crowd's noise increased, but dimmed long enough for him to make out Thanos yelling.

"You can't play here! This is by invitation only!"

"He invited us," Clint said, pointing toward another stage as he muttered, "Showtime, Fury." A hologram of himself as he normally looked appeared on the other stage. Thanos began moving in that direction and when everyone's attention was off of Clint as Hawkeye, he jumped off the stage and took off toward where the hologram of himself was. "Show's over, Fury." The hologram around Clint disappeared as Clint jumped up and replaced the hologram of himself just in time for him to meet Thanos, face to actual face.

"I won't tolerate this interference," Thanos growled.

"I won't tolerate rigged contests," Clint answered.

"You think you can run this company better than me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Clint replied.

Thanos looked surprised by that. His eyes ranged over the band. "Then how about a little wager. In six months, I'll make the Jotuns more popular than this Hawkguy. Then we'll have another battle of the bands. If Hawkguy wins, you get Shield Records. If the Jotuns win, I get the company."

"Deal," Clint agreed, holding out his hand.

"Not so fast," A third voice interrupted. A man pushed his way onto the stage. He was short, expensively dressed, and had a carefully shaved beard. "Not that the company isn't a big enough deal, but let's make the pot a little bigger."

"Who are you?" Clint asked.

"Tony Stark. You may have heard of me."

Clint nodded, noting Thanos' nod out of the corner of his eye.

"So what is it that you want, Mr. Stark?" Thanos asked.

"The rights to this competition. It'd make a great movie," Stark said. "And to sweeten the pot, I'll add in my old New York mansion. Just built a giant tower, don't need it, and frankly it has too many bad memories, so it can go to the winner too."

"Only if we can play ourselves in the movie," Clint suggested.

"Might turn into a shitty music band movie," Tony pointed out, "But it's been a while since we had one, sure."

"You only have to hire the winning group though," Thanos pointed out.

"Works for me," Clint agreed.

"Fine," Thanos agreed.

"Great, I'll draw up the paperwork," Tony said, before turning to look at the woman who was glaring at him. "Pepper, draw up the paperwork."

"Yes, Mr. Stark," Pepper said.

"We can meet at the tower tomorrow to sign everything and make it official?" Tony asked.

"I'll be there," Clint agreed.

"Fine," Thanos growled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to be doing."

"Like rigging another contest?" Clint asked

"Perhaps," Thanos replied, giving Clint a look that made him shudder. Clint watched him leave, trying to relax some.

"Hey," Bruce yelled, catching Clint's attention. "The Jotuns are stealing our stuff!" Clint glanced over just in time to see the leader of the Jotuns, Loki, jump behind the wheel as Johann and Thor jumped into the back with Natasha's keyboard.

"Stop them," Clint yelled, racing to try and catch up with them. A car pulled along beside him and – seeing that it was the roadster with the others already in it – Clint hopped in on the run. The doors at the back of the van weren't closed, and Clint could see Johann and Thor braced and watching Clint and his friends as they chased after them. Loki led them into the twisting hills that were just out of town.

Johann turned to say something to Loki and moments later he was pushing the instruments out of the back of the van. Bruce swerved to avoid them and started heading toward the cliff. He jammed on the brakes, but the forward momentum took the front of the car off the cliff.

"Fuck," Clint growled as they teetered on the edge. "Everyone all right?"

A chorus of 'yeah's came from the others.

"So what do we do now?" Bruce asked.

"Bruce, you're heavier than me," Clint said. "You need to shift your weight to the back first. Steve, Tasha, stay where you are."

Bruce glanced uncertainly at him, before nodding and starting to shift his weight back.

Clint touched the ring. "Fury, Coulson should be coming this way, and we need help. Can you project a hologram up there and can you make it talk, or is that too far away?"

"Back up plan?" Natasha asked.

"Always," Clint said with a nod.

"I can," Fury said, and Clint saw the shimmer of the hologram appearing.

Bruce was just getting to the backseat when Coulson drove down the small off road portion. "Are you guys all right? That Hawkguy said you were in trouble, but it looks like you've got it mostly figured out."

"We'd prefer assistance," Natasha stated.

"Not a problem," Phil said, grabbing a rope out of his van to pull the roadster back onto the cliff. Clint was so glad to be able to put his two feet on terra firma. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up to meet Phil's concerned face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Clint confirmed, nodding. "Thanks for the help." Phil squeezed his shoulder and they stared at each other until there was a polite cough. Clint glanced to see the others looking at them.

"Right, let's get you guys back to civilization," Phil said, going back to his van.

"It's completely mutual, Clint. Don't know why you don't say anything," Bruce said softly as soon as Phil was out of earshot.

"You should have kissed him," Natasha muttered.

"Yeah," Steve agreed.

Clint huffed and made his way back to the car. "I'm driving this time."

*

Thanos glared at the newspaper. "So you decided to give Hawkeye and the Holograms free publicity."

"We did no such thing," Loki stated.

"They almost died," Thanos growled. "They're all over the news and they didn't have to pay for any of it. That's free publicity, millions of dollars worth."

"It's hardly our fault that Bruce guy can't drive," Johann said. "If he had better control, then they wouldn't have almost died."

"Aye," Thor agreed.

"How are we going to win?" Loki asked.

"Leave it to me, Loki, we will win," Thanos promised.

"We better," Loki growled. "We refuse to be second best."

*

Clint leaned in the doorway of the living room, watching as the kids gathered together to put the money they had earned in the honor jar.

"That's three dollars from Danny," Peter said, keeping careful track in a battered little notebook of who turned in what.

"I walked Mr. Blake's dog," Danny said.

"Luke?" Peter asked.

"Ten dollars cutting lawns," Luke said, putting the money in the jar.

"I don't get it," Pietro said, crossing his arms as he sat on the couch. He was one of the newer kids, still finding his place among the group. "Why are you giving them all your money?"

"We aren't," Sam said. "It's for the honor jar. We're all saving up for a new fridge for the house."

"Let's see," Peter said, looking at the list. "We only need thirty dollars more!"

Clint smiled. "That's great, guys. Dinner is ready, though."

The kids left the room and headed for the kitchen table. Clint was about to follow them when Natasha shoved a tray of food in his hands. "Here, go feed Phil."

"Okay," Clint said, backing away slowly, because she had that look.

"He's looking at the wiring," Natasha called after him. Clint headed down to the basement and found Phil right where Natasha had said he would be.

"Hey," Clint said. "I got dinner for you."

"Yeah?" Phil replied as he turned to look at Clint.

"Figured you could use a break."

"I can," Phil agreed, stepping away from the fuse box. "Unfortunately the fuse box is old and the wiring is just as bad; it's an exercise in frustration."

"Yeah, the house was old when I moved in."

"That's right you, you were one of the originals," Phil said, grabbing his plate off the tray.

"I was," Clint nodded. "Practically the first."

"One of the ones that stayed?"

"Yeah, helped her with everything I could," Clint said, smiling. "We may not have been blood, but she was family. It's why I can't let this place fall apart."

"I'll do what I can to help," Phil said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

"Thanks," Clint said.

"So, you're going to manage a band too now?" Phil asked.

"Looks like. Hawkeye, well, he agreed to donate most of his money to us here and Natasha, Steve, and Bruce, well..."

"They love this place just as much as you do."

"Yeah, so, I guess even if they don't win, there will be some funds to use, hopefully," Clint said, frowning.

"A lot of responsibility," Phil said softly.

"Don't think I can handle it?" Clint asked.

"You, you can do anything. You just have to find some good people to work with Hawkeye as you have found for here."

"I don't suppose you know anything about the music industry."

"Actually, I've been a roadie for a couple of groups, learned a lot. I could probably be a stage manager."

"Really?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, I'll make a few calls when I get home, might be able to find some friends of friends to help you out as well."

"You are the best, Phil Coulson," Clint said sincerely, smiling.

"Just so long as you keep feeding me," Phil replied.

"Your one weakness," Clint teased.

"I love home cooked meals, but I burn everything I touch," Phil said sheepishly.

"Well, so long as I'm around, we'll always have a spare plate for you," Clint offered.

"Thank you."

Clint stayed downstairs with Phil, talking as he ate, and then he took the empty plate back up. He paused as he passed the living room, and frowned. "Pietro."

Pietro turned, letting go of the money from the honor jar. "I was just going to borrow it, I swear."

"That money isn't for borrowing," Clint said. "If you want to borrow money, you have to ask the group. What you were doing was stealing, and that's wrong."

"What are you going to do about it?" Pietro asked, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"I'm going to ask the others what they think your punishment should be, and they'll make a decision," Clint replied. "Which I will overrule, if I think it's too lenient or too harsh." He rested a hand on Pietro's shoulder and guided him into the kitchen to face his peers. They all listened and then discussed various punishments. It was Peter that came up with the idea that Pietro should have to earn the thirty dollars to reach their goal. With that, they dispersed for the evening.

Clint wasn't too surprised to see Phil come back up the stairs early. "It's too dark in there, so I can't do anything about power for you tonight. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Phil, we'll survive another night. Thanks for trying."

"I'll try and get back here nice and early to work on it," Phil offered.

Clint nodded. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Thanks," Phil said, smiling at him.

"Are you two going to kiss now?" a voice called from the landing above them. Clint glanced up to see that most of the kids were up there watching. The speaker was one of the older boys, Wade. Clint glared up at him. "Uh oh, Clint's angry!"

"Good night, Clint," Phil said, and Clint felt his shoulder being squeezed briefly. He turned to see Phil slipping out the door.

"Night, Phil," Clint called after him, and then he turned around to glare back up at the boys again. "Shouldn't you all be in bed?"

*

Clint woke up because something was wrong. There was some sound that was out of place. He listened carefully and could hear someone creeping around downstairs. He slipped out of bed and out of his room. Natasha was there with an old flame lantern.

"Really?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"The flashlight was dead. It was nearby,” Natasha replied.

"Point," Clint agreed.

"We have an intruder; Bruce is getting Steve up," Natasha said, looking toward the stairs. "I woke up Peter and told him to keep the kids upstairs.”

"Good," Clint said, moving toward the stairs when he saw Bruce and Steve come out of Steve's room. "Let's go investigate."

The four of them quietly crept downstairs, alert for the intruder. Clint was just rounding a corner when the guy came racing by. "What the hell?" he yelled, trying to catch him.

The intruder barreled through them like a tailback through a shoddy defensive line and Natasha lost her grip on the lantern, sending it flying into the old curtains, which instantly caught fire. "Shit!"

"Upstairs, get the kids," Steve yelled, heading for the kitchen. The house was old and Clint wasn't sure what use the fire extinguisher would be. Natasha paused, glancing at them all, before racing after the intruder. Clint went for the stairs with Bruce behind him, hurrying to get the kids up and moving. They had to get them out of their beds and outside where they'd be safe.

Clint went left as Bruce went right, opening doors and waking the kids up. The older ones got moving quickly, each grabbing a younger one as they came out of the bedrooms. The youngest, Leo, ended up in Clint's arms and he quickly carried him out of the house. By that time, the whole house was up in flames. Bruce was ahead of him with the second youngest, Dane, in his arms as the firemen appeared to put out the flames.

"Is everyone okay?" Clint asked as they joined the group, doing a head count and making sure that everyone was there. He frowned, because they were one short. "Pietro! Where's Pietro?"

"He came out," Peter said, glancing around. “I swear I saw that silver hair of his, out here.”

"I saw him go back in," Danny said softly, looking at the fire that engulfed the house.

"Fuck," Clint growled, turning to go back in.

A hand landed on his arm, squeezing tightly. "No, Clint," Natasha said softly. "It's too dangerous." Clint glanced back at her, knowing she would try to stop anyone from going back in now that they were out. Her eyes flickered briefly and Clint could read the guilt in them.

Clint was ready to argue, would have, but he saw Pietro's shape slip back out of the house. One of the firemen grabbed him and brought him over to the group.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Clint asked, when Pietro arrived.

"I... I went back for the honor jar," Pietro explained.

"It wasn't worth risking your life," Clint said, dropping to his knees and hugging him. "Don't do something like that again. Things, money, they're all replaceable, but you aren't. I'm so glad you're safe."

*

Clint pulled the blanket around him as he stared at the smoking ruins of the house. The kids were all huddled together on the ground and some of them seemed to have fallen asleep, using Steve and Bruce as pillows. He had to figure something out or else the kids would be going elsewhere, and he couldn't bear to see what he considered his family split up.

"Clint?" Phil's voice said. Clint turned to see the other man getting out of the car and soon found Phil's arms wrapped around him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Clint agreed, leaning into the embrace. He'd only felt it once before, when Maria had died. Phil hugs were a rare and wondrous thing. He felt safe in them, like Phil would protect him, just for a little bit. It was stupid and illogical, especially considering that Clint and Phil were about the same size (Phil was slightly taller, but Clint was broader), but Clint didn't care and for a few seconds relaxed into it.

"Everyone else all right?" Phil asked, and Clint forced himself to pull out of the hug.

"Yeah, we all got out safely," Clint answered, turning to look at the kids, fully aware that Phil hadn't taken his hand off Clint's shoulder.

"Where are we going to live?" Luke asked softly.

"I... I don't know," Clint said, considering it.

"We don't want to leave," Peter said. "This is our family."

"And you're not," Clint declared. "There's... there's an empty mansion, just waiting for us."

"Clint?" Natasha asked, looking at him curiously.

"Stark," Clint replied. "He said he just built a tower. He doesn't need the house, and there's a chance we're going to win it anyway."

"Worst he can do is say 'no'," Steve said, nodding as he moved to stand.

"How do we convince him?" Bruce asked.

"We might need a little concert," Clint decided as he turned to look at Phil. "Think you can take the kids, get the stuff ready to go?"

"Of course, as long as I have Peter and Wade's help," Phil said.

"Peter can drive the spare van. We'll go find Hawkeye," Clint said, heading to the other van as the kids piled into Phil's and the spare's. "Thanks, Phil, you're the best."

Phil smiled and nodded at him, climbing into his own van.

"How long do you think it will take Phil to realize that when Clint says, 'You're the best', he really means, 'I love you'?" Natasha asked as she climbed in, Steve taking the driver's seat.

"At the rate these two move?" Bruce asked. "Years."

"Shut up," Clint said, as he climbed in.

"Uh oh," Steve said a few blocks down the road. "We've got trouble."

"We do?" Clint said, glancing back.

"The Jotuns are following us," Steve said.

"Can we lose 'em?" Natasha asked.

"I can try," Steve said, pressing the pedal downward. They made a couple of sharp turns, trying to lose them, but the Jotuns' van kept up with them. "I don't think we can lose them."

"No, we can't outrun them," Clint agreed, reaching down to touch his ring. "Fury, can you make a hologram to cover the van?"

"Yes, Clinton," Fury said.

"Duck down an alley, and hit the brakes," Clint said to Steve.

"Got it," Steve said, following his directions.

"Now, Fury," Clint said, watching through the hologram as the Jotuns' van slipped past them. Clint smiled as they pulled out. "Put it in reverse and let's go."

Steve nodded and drove them to the old military base. The four of them quickly raided the stores of clothing, changing out of their PJs and into something more appropriate. Then they headed to Stark's in the roadster.

"What are we doing to do?" Steve asked.

"Why not ask in song?" Clint said.

"Seriously?" Natasha asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Sure," Clint said. "Get his attention with a song and then ask, have the kids there."

"Might make the papers, more media, more press, more publicity, better chances to win," Steve agreed.

"What song?" Natasha asked.

"Like a Dream seems appropriate," Bruce interjected.

"Like a Dream it is," Clint agreed and couldn't help from humming a few bars in the car.

*

"What the hell?" Stark exclaimed as he made his way through the lobby toward the group.

"Go, we'll cover for you," Natasha said. Clint slipped away to remove the hologram in private. As he moved away, he heard her say, "Clint will be here in a moment to explain, Mr. Stark."

At least he tried to slip away. On his way, he spotted Thor following him.

"Fury, I need a distraction," Clint said softly, into his hand.

"Of course, Clinton," Fury said, and Clint saw the hologram shift off of him and hurry down the hallway. Clint ducked in an alcove until Thor went by.

"Show's over, Fury," Clint said, heading back when the hologram disappeared. "Mr. Stark."

"Mr. Barton," Stark replied. "Care to explain this?"

"These kids are basically my own. They're all orphans like me, and well, we're a family," Clint explained. "Our house burned down last night."

"Oh poor baby," Loki said, appearing on the other side of Stark.

"Bored now," Johann added.

"Mr. Stark, I'm going to ask for a really big favor," Clint said. "The mansion that's part of the prize, could we live there until the contest is up? We don't have any place else to go, and it's going to take a while to get the insurance claims sorted out. The kids will end up getting separated if we don't have a place to stay."

"Danny's like my little brother," Luke added, putting his arm around Danny. There were similar statements made by the other boys.

Clint looked hopefully at Stark.

"What?" Loki objected. "That's not fair!"

"Yeah," Johann agreed. "The mansion is part of the contest."

"No one should live there until we win it," Thor added.

"Uh no," Tony said, looking at them. "Until the contest is up, the mansion is mine to do with as I please. I could loan it out to the zoo, if I chose." Tony glanced between the two groups. "What the hell?" Tony said with a shrug. "I'll have Pepper get you the keys."

"Really?" Clint asked, looking surprised.

"My mother created the Maria Stark Foundation," Tony replied. "I don't know if she would have wanted you moving in, but she probably would have helped you out."

"What?!" Loki snapped, getting into Stark's face. "That's hardly fair, they could wreck the place."

"Then they'll have to pay for the damages," Stark replied.

"But..." Loki said.

"My property, my rules."

"UGH!" Loki shouted, pushing Stark backwards into a small reflecting pool. He was immediately pounced on by the security guard.

"That's enough," the guard said, tugging on Loki's arm and pulling him out of the lobby.

"I'm sorry," Clint said, offering Stark a hand.

"It's fine," Stark said, taking it. Clint pulled him up and out of the pool. He turned when there was a tap on his shoulder, just in time to see a fist headed his way. He didn't have a chance to react, but then he didn't have to as Phil tackled Johann.

"I don't think so," Phil growled.

"Phil?" Clint said, in surprise, looking at the other man who had trapped Johann's arms behind his back.

"You okay?" Phil said, glancing back.

"Yeah," Clint breathed softly.

"Guess you got your own bodyguard," Tony muttered behind him.

"He's my friend," Clint explained as Tony's bodyguard came back to escort Johann out. Thor followed along behind those two, apparently not interested in getting into a fist fight.

"Right," Tony said, "And now I'm regretting signing that paperwork."

"Oh?" Clint asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, don't like it when people push me around," Tony said. "Let me know if you need anything else, Barton."

"Choosing sides?" Bruce asked.

"You could say I was pushed to one side," Tony remarked. "But yes."

*

"You imbeciles," Thanos said, looking at his music group. "Do you realize what I've had to do to keep Tony Stark from suing us?"

"Do I care?" Loki snapped. "They have no right to take possession of that mansion."

"Not unless we can live there too," Thor added.

"I plan on keeping Shield Records, but I can't if my music group ends up in jail!" Thanos added. "Now, stop acting like idiots and leave everything to me."

"You can't stop us from going to that mansion!" Loki growled, and the group glared at him, before turning and leaving.

Thanos sighed, picking up the phone and dialing. "Chit, is that you?"

"Yeah, boss, what's up?" Chit asked.

"I need you to do a job for me, properly this time."

"I thought I did a proper job last time." Chit noted.

"I wanted you to scare them, not burn the house down," Thanos growled.

“It wasn't me though, it was that...”

“I. Don't. Care.”

"All right, all right, boss, just give me the details," Chit agreed.

*

Clint watched as the kids piled out of the van, looking up at the mansion. Clint slipped out of the roadster, studying their reactions as they all stared at it. Most were good with it, though a few of them looked at it with a bit of fear, but then Clint expected a few of them would resist any type of change. Besides, it was a really nice mansion.

"What do you think?" Tony asked, coming up beside him.

"It's... It's even better than I imagined," Clint admitted.

"Clint, we get to stay here?" Harry asked, turning to look at him.

"Yes, you do," Tony answered. "Now shoo, go explore." Bouncing on his feet slightly, Clint watched as the kids took off, and Tony glanced at him. "You too."

Clint grinned, and took off behind them. He laughed as the kids found a pool and jumped in and got to work settling disputes about which room would house which boy. The kitchen was huge, and Phil wouldn't be saddled with all their leftovers again (not that Phil ever complained about that). "This is great," Clint said, wrapping an arm around Natasha and the other around Steve.

"It is," Steve agreed as Natasha nodded.

Clint glanced at the the small box on the wall as it made a beeping noise. "We have an intercom?!"

"We have a highly advanced computer and he gets excited about an intercom?" Natasha asked.

"But we have to keep that computer a secret," Clint reminded her. "I can brag about an intercom."

He hit the button. "Hello?" A small screen came to life to show Phil standing outside. "It has video too?!"

"It's outrageous," Natasha noted dryly, behind him.

"Hey, Phil, what's up?" Clint asked, ignoring her and smiling at him.

"I've got photographers, clothes, lighting equipment for that magazine spread," Phil explained.

"Shit, I forgot about that," Clint answered, wincing.

"Well, I hope Hawkeye didn't."

"He's already here, so why don't you come on in," Clint offered.

"Because someone needs to open the gates for me."

"Ooh fancy," Clint said, looking at the buttons.

"He's going to turn into baby Plucky," Steve said. "'I push da button!'"

"'Not dat button, dis button,'" Bruce added, and Clint turned to glare at them before hitting the button to open the gates.

Clint stuck his tongue out at them. "I'm going to go get changed."

"I'll go with you, watch your back," Steve said, trailing after him.

"Maybe, I don't want you with me, jerk," Clint said as he teasingly shoved at Steve, but since Steve was as solid as a mountain, he barely moved.

"Too bad, not like you can stop me."

*

"Well, I guess I don't have to worry about that thirty bucks," Pietro said, flopping down onto the sofa.

"Why not?" Peter asked.

"Because we've got this great place, what do we need a new fridge for?" Pietro asked.

"It doesn't work like that," Wade said, shaking his head.

"But I saved it from the fire!" Pietro whined.

"That doesn't make up for you trying to steal from it in the first place," Peter said. "You still owe the thirty."

Pietro glared at them, before getting up in a huff. "Stupid honor jar." He made his way outside. wanting to avoid all the people that were there for Hawkeye and the Holograms. It was a stupid event, and they weren't even that good. He made his way along the dirt road toward the main gate. He frowned when he heard voices.

"I want in there so badly," a male voice growled.

"There's got to be a way in," a second male voice answered the first.

"We could try to climb it," a third voice suggested.

Pietro peered at them, happily surprised to realize that it was the Jotuns. They were so much cooler than Hawkeye and the Holograms and the other uptight lameasses that lived with them. "Or I could open it for you."

"That would do nicely," Loki agreed, smiling at him.

"Thirty bucks," Pietro declared.

"No," Loki said.

"You want in, I need thirty, that's the deal," Pietro said.

"Twenty," Loki offered.

"Thirty," Pietro insisted.

"Fine," Loki agreed. "Pay him, Johann."

"All right," Johann agreed. "Pay him, Thor."

"I do think I could climb this..." Thor said, looking at them. "Huh, okay." He pulled out his wallet and handed over thirty dollars.

"When the buzzer goes off, push the door open," Pietro said, heading back to the house.

*

Clint smiled and struck another pose, hoping that what nerves that did show, could be attributed to this being their first photoshoot. Granted, not many would think that it was because Clint was worried that the hologram that was hiding his identity would fail to show up on film, so he thought he was safe from accidental discovery. He might not be safe from going blind due to the flash of the camera; he'd never had his picture taken so many times. He glanced over to see Phil watching them while he was talking with some of the others.

"Oh, that's good," the photographer said as Clint heard the click of the camera. Clint blinked and looked back at him, confused. "No, go back to that other look, the one where you looked like you're in love."

"Oh," Clint murmured, glancing back back at Phil.

"There! That's perfect, Hawkeye!" the photographer said. He glanced back at Phil as the photographer shouted instructions to the other three. Clint caught a glimpse of gold and black hair, and his attention shifted, eyes narrowing as he also caught a glimpse of bright red hair and electric blue hair. That color combination could only mean one thing - the Jotuns.

"Ooo, angry," the photographer noted, taking a few more shots. The Jotuns didn't seem to be causing any mischief, but Clint didn't trust them. The photographer was loving the shots anyway.

"Bomb!" someone yelled, and Clint's head jerked toward the voice. He caught sight of Thanos just as a loud explosion erupted behind him. Clint dropped to the ground, waiting out the tremors before getting up and glancing around.

"Are you guys okay?" Phil said, coming over to them. He offered a hand to Clint and Clint took it.

"Yeah," Clint said, frowning when Phil let go of him so quickly to help the others up.

"Where's Clint?" Phil asked moments later, as he looked around at all the people.

"I..." Clint started and then remembered that Phil didn't know that Hawkeye was Clint. "I think he was in the kitchen."

Phil looked at him. "Probably went to check on the kids."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, because that's where he wanted to be now.

"Police are on their way," Tony informed them.

"We should check on the kids," Natasha said. "Make sure no one was hurt."

"Go," Clint encouraged.

Natasha looked at him for a long moment before grabbing Bruce's hand and going to check on the others. Clint turned at the sounds of sirens and news vans.

"Goodie, reporters," Tony muttered. His eyes narrowed as he headed toward Thanos and the Jotuns, and Clint quickly followed him. "And what exactly are you doing here?"

Thanos eyed him. "I got a phone call, said they were going to kill the Jotuns, told me they had a bomb."

"Why here?" Tony asked.

"Because the Jotuns wanted to make sure Hawkeye," Clint was given a dismissive look, "And his little group are taking good care of the mansion."

"So the Jotuns were the targets?" Tony asked.

"Of course we were," Loki said. "We're the ones with the most injuries. I was pelted with gravel!"

"Look at what the blast did to my face," Johann said.

"It is a little red," Thor said.

"Right," Tony said, dripping in sarcasm as he pulled away.

"Mr. Stark, you don't believe them, do you?" Clint asked.

"No, I'm not buying that shit they're saying is gold," Tony replied, directing a glare at them.

"Do you want us to go?" Clint hoped that Stark didn't, because he didn't know where else they could go.

"No," Tony said, "I want you all to stay."

"Thank you," Clint said softly.

"Antoine!" an accented voice called out. "What is going on?"

"Count Dernier," Tony said, turning to greet him. "We had a little accident, no injuries though."

"Good," the Count answered. "And who is this?"

"This is the singer I was telling you about, Hawkeye of Hawkeye and the Holograms," Tony said. "Hawkeye, this Count Jacques Dernier."

"It's an honor, Count Dernier," Clint said, shaking the man's hand.

"Hawkeye, I've heard so much about you, and would love to talk more, but I'm afraid that Antoine and I have a meeting to get to," Count Dernier said. He paused, and a smile brightened his face. "You and your ensemble will come to my party tonight. It's on a yacht, and I will not take 'no' for answer."

"Well, in that case, yes, we will," Clint agreed.

"Good," Count Dernier said, before turning back to Tony, "Now, Antoine, let us get to our meeting."

"Count Dernier!" Loki's voice called, and Clint couldn't let himself leave to check on the boys just yet.

"Yes?" Count Dernier asked coldly, looking at the Jotuns as they approached him.

"I'm Loki, and this is Johann and Thor. We're the Jotuns, and we think we'd make a great addition to your party."

Frowning, Count Dernier looked them over. "No, I don't think so. My yacht is at capacity now." With that, he turned and walked away.

"Oh, Jotuns," Steve called from where he was inspecting the damage, and the Jotuns turned. "If you guys are sticking around, we could sure use your help with the clean up."

Loki wrinkled his nose. "Do I look like a servant? Besides, it's your mess, you clean it up," he snarled as he led the others away.

Clint put his hands together as he met Steve's eyes and bowed his head slightly, mouthing 'Thank you' at Steve, who smiled back at him.

*

Clint was happy to to lose his disguise. He would have to go back to being Hawkeye in a bit, but for now he could check on the kids and the mess.

"Clint!" Phil's voice called out, and Clint turned to find Phil heading toward him. He waited for Phil to catch up and found himself being pulled into his second Phil hug of the day. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clint said, feeling better than fine right now.

"I don't see you after the bomb blast and... I was worried," Phil said softly.

"Sorry," Clint said, looking up at Phil.

"Stop scaring me, Clint," Phil admonished gently. "First the fire, then this. I'm an old man."

Clint snorted. "You're not that old."

"I'm older than you."

"Only by a couple of years," Clint said, "And you don't look it."

"I have a receding hairline.”

"Do you?" Clint asked, eyes wide. "I just thought you had a large forehead."

Phil smiled at him. "Flatterer."

"Hey, Clint," Steve called, "Have you seen... Oh, you have, and sorry, didn't know you were busy, carry on."

Clint realized he was still partially wrapped around Phil and pulled away as Phil did the same. "You're not interrupting. Phil and I were just talking."

Steve looked between them. "Talking, right..."

"What do you need, Steve?" Phil asked.

"Well, we have a fairly large hole in the wall..." Steve started, gesturing at it.

"You want to see if I can fix it or at least board it up?"

"Would you please?" Steve asked.

"Not a problem," Phil agreed, heading toward the blast damage.

"Sorry," Steve said as he and Clint watched Phil walk away.

"It's okay, Steve, after a while, you start thinking that if it hasn't happened yet then maybe it isn't going to," Clint said with a soft sigh.

"It could still happen," Steve encouraged softly. "Just talk to him, Clint."

*

Clint slipped out of the banquet hall on Count Dernier's yacht. His head was reeling with all the people he'd been meeting. There were other noblemen and women, all friends of the Count. Then there were the people who could help Hawkeye and the Holograms to become a success. Bruce was talking to well-known producer, Betty Ross, about a possible music video that could play on Darcy Lewis' music program. Natasha and Steve were still in there schmoozing and rubbing elbows with people. Clint needed a break. He just wasn't used to this spotlight and he definitely wasn't used to fancy parties.

"Hawkeye. Are you okay?" Phil's quiet voice asked and Clint turned to find him there.

"Little overwhelmed," Clint admitted as Phil came over to lean on the railing next to him.

"Things have been moving pretty fast for you, haven't they?"

"Oh yeah," Clint agreed. "I can hardly believe it, actually."

"Song is on the radio and you're going to be making a video," Phil agreed. "At least I think that was what Bruce was talking to Ms. Ross about."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, shaking his head, but he couldn't help the smile. "It's... crazy."

"But the best kind of crazy?"

"Oh yeah," Clint agreed, turning to face Phil. The other man smiled, turning more toward Clint. "So did you need some fresh air or were you just checking on me?"

"Checking on you actually," Phil said. "I've been told I'm a worrier, have to make sure the people I care about are okay."

Clint blinked, before smiling slowly at Phil. "I'm someone you care about?"

"You're helping Clint," Phil answered. "Clint..."

"Yeah?" Clint asked, straining to hear the answer. He ignored the noise coming from inside the banquet hall.

"Clint means a lot to me," Phil finished. "He's a good man, trying to help others, and this mess is horrible for him. You're trying to get him out of it."

"I'm sure you mean a lot to him too," Clint said, realizing he couldn't reciprocate, because he was still wearing Hawkeye's face.

"Clint has a big heart. All his friends mean a lot to him and I'm one of his friends," Phil answered with a shake of his head. "Nothing special."

"That's not true," Clint said. "You're..." Clint wasn't sure what he was going to say, but it didn't matter, because the yacht suddenly picked up speed and Clint was flung forward into Phil. They toppled to the deck and Clint was instantly aware of just how good Phil felt underneath him. Their eyes met and they stared at one another. Clint couldn't say who moved first, but now he knew what it was like to kiss Phil, knew how he tasted, how he responded when Clint sucked his tongue into his mouth. It was far too much information and yet, not enough as the ship suddenly turned, rolling them toward the edge of the deck. Clint stretched to grab the railing, preventing either of them from falling off the edge.

"What the hell was that about?" Clint muttered, when the ship was straightened out. Phil rolled over and got to his feet, helping Clint up.

"No idea," Phil said, staring at Clint's lips. Clint leaned forward to get another kiss, but Phil's hand came out. "Not here."

"Phil?" Clint questioned.

"I... I need to think," Phil said.

"About..." Clint started, but was cut off by Natasha yelling for Hawkeye. He glanced over to find the group leaving the banquet hall.

"Are you all right?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah," Clint said, looking at Phil. He missed the way Natasha narrowed her eyes and then suddenly widened them.

"What happened?" Phil asked.

"The Jotuns," Steve said. "They crashed the party and then got into the control room."

"Where are they now?" Clint asked.

"I don't know, but I want them found," the Count ordered, looking at his crew.

"Oh, Count," Loki called and they turned to find the other group on a speedboat. "Thank you for the lovely evening."

"We must do it again sometime," Johann added.

"Your feast was truly magnificent," Thor finished as they sped away.

Clint stared after them, shaking his head. "What a night."

"I'm looking forward to beating them," Natasha growled.

"We'll do it," Steve said. "We've got more talent than them."

"And a better music video director," Betty added, smiling at Bruce. Clint arched an eyebrow at the other man, because maybe he wasn't the only one with a change in relationship status on the way. Bruce blushed slightly.

"I have the perfect location in mind: Paris," the Count said with a large smile. "And I shall pay for it all. That way Mr. Stark doesn't look too biased."

"Paris?" Steve said. "That sounds incredible."

"We need to finish making the record first," Clint pointed out. "Once that's done, then... then Paris."

*

Pietro glanced around the room where a bunch of the other boys had gathered. Clint and the others were out working on Hawkeye and the Holograms stuff, leaving them to take care of themselves with the help of the housekeeper.

"This sucks," Pietro whined, bored.

"Well you could be working on earning your honor jar money," Peter suggested.

"Oh, that, I already got the money," Pietro said, reaching into his pocket to pull it out.

"Really?" Peter asked. "How'd you get it?"

"Does it matter?" Pietro asked, going to put in.

"Yeah, it's just as important as the money," Peter said, placing his hand over the top of the jar.

"I got the money though!" Pietro stated.

"Just tell us how you earned it," Peter insisted. "It's an honor jar, it matters."

"Well, screw you guys," Pietro said, turning and stalking out. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't stolen the money and he was only going to borrow it in the first place. He'd gotten the money to make them happy, what did it matter how he got it? He'd just use the money he'd earned for himself then.

*

Clint hummed softly, warming up his vocal cords. He glanced behind him to catch the others' eyes. They smiled at him supportively and Clint turned back to the booth.

"We're ready," Clint said.

"Good," Phil's voice came through the speakers. "What song are we doing?"

"Well, since we're going to Paris," Clint started. "Twilight in Paris"

"Excellent," Phil said. After a moment, he nodded and the band started playing. Clint waited for his cue and then began singing. They got through the song once and then went over several sections again, trying to make it sound as good as they could make it.

*

Thanos listened, frowning at the music coming out of the recording booth. The Jotuns were working on their next single, and it needed to be perfect to be better than Hawkeye and his Holograms. He waited for the song to end, and then pressed the button to speak into the booth.

"Let's pick up the tempo on this take," Thanos ordered. Thor nodded.

"Excuse me," Loki snapped. "There was nothing wrong with the tempo. It was perfect."

"I just want to try it with a little bit more speed," Thanos growled.

"But I'm tired of playing this song," Johann whined.

"As am I," Loki agreed. "Play back the last take. We will decide if the pace needs to be picked up. It's not as if we have a set deadline."

Thanos arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's not as if we're going to Paris to make a video," Loki pointed out. "Or anywhere interesting."

"Yeah," Johann agreed. "You could have sent us to Berlin."

Thanos glared into the booth. "Are you serious?"

"We want to go on a trip," Loki said. "Why aren't we?"

"Because there is only so much money in the budget," Thanos growled. "Now get to work."

Loki looked as if he was about to object, but fell silent. Thanos hit the playback button and leaned back. The Jotuns did have a point about Hawkeye recording in Paris. It just might add something if the video were filmed on location. Maybe a little sabotage was in order. He pulled his phone out and texted Chit, arranging to meet him later.

*

Clint gently closed the door to the hotel room, relaxing against it with a sigh. They'd had to run a gauntlet of fans and paparazzi and Clint had just wanted to be Clint and not Hawkeye. Hawkeye, who was going to have his face plastered everywhere by morning. He didn't want to deal with this and yet, he had to. This was the best way to get the money for the boys and there was no way he was going to let anyone destroy his family.

The sudden knocking on the door surprised him and he jumped. It took him a moment to realize that it was a familiar pattern, Natasha's pattern. He opened the door and Natasha slid in.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clint said. "Just surprised by how many people are out there."

"Well, you are Hawkeye," Natasha pointed out.

"I know," Clint agreed. "It was just more than I expected."

Natasha smiled. "You can do this, you know that, right?"

"I think so," Clint said with a nod.

Natasha stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him, and he returned the embrace. "You are Clint Barton, the most stubborn man I know. You can handle the fame."

"What if it goes to my head?" Clint asked.

"Then I'll knock you down a few pegs."

"Promise?"

"Always," Natasha said. "It's part of the whole 'Care Package'. I take care of you, you take care of me. We all take care of one another."

"Thanks, Tasha," Clint said, tilting his head. "How long until we start shooting?"

"Tomorrow. You might want to get some rest, jet lag and all."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, eyeing the bed. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," Natasha said, moving to slip out. "We were all surprised by the crowd out there."

Clint nodded, feeling better that it wasn't just him.

*

"Why does this video seem to be 90% me and 10% between the rest of you?" Clint muttered after finishing a shot.

"Because you're Hawkeye. You're the star and we're not," Steve replied. "We're the back up band."

"I kind of like it," Bruce agreed.

"At least the video didn't go for you lusting after me," Natasha pointed out.

"True," Clint agreed. “Those rumors are bound to pop up anyway. We don't need to feed them.”

"You guys ready for another take?" Betty asked. "From the top, right where you are."

"Sure," Natasha called out.

"Bruce," Clint requested softly.

Bruce smiled, softly counting the beat to lead them in.

"Watch out!" Phil yelled suddenly, racing toward him, pushing the others out of the way, and tackling Clint backwards. Clint stared up at him, breathing heavily. He glanced a few feet to his side to see a stone gargoyle laying in pieces where he had been standing. "Are you okay?"

Clint nodded, still not up to using his actual words.

"Good," Phil said, moving to get up. He offered Clint a hand, which Clint took and let Phil haul him to his feet. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine," Natasha said, shaking her head. Steve nodded, looking upward.

“It fell from up there,” Betty announced, pointing toward the edge of the roof. Clint followed her arm and then followed the roofline, noting the spacing between the other gargoyles. There was an extra space there. “Get some people up there, find out what happened.” The filming crew dispersed at Betty's instructions.

"Um, Ms. Ross?" Clint called.

"I think we're done for the day, why don't you all go back to the hotel?" Betty suggested.

"Are you sure?" Clint asked.

"We've got some great stuff today, Hawkeye, but your safety is more important," Betty replied. "Tomorrow, after we know that another gargoyle won't attempt to fly, we'll pick up where we left off and finish this. Get some rest."

"I guess we're headed back to the hotel," Clint said.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'm going to stay here, take a look at what we got," Bruce asked. "See if I can help Betty."

"That's fine, Bruce," Steve agreed.

"We could grab a bite to eat," Phil suggested, voice soft in Clint's ear. Clint glanced at him.

"Just us?"

"If you'd like. We could talk," Phil offered.

"Um, sure," Clint said, smiling at him.

"Hawkeye?" Natasha asked.

"Uh, Phil and I are going to grab a bite to eat," Clint informed her. "We'll meet you back at the hotel."

"Have fun," Steve said, smiling at them. He looked over at Natasha and offered his arm. "May I escort you back to the hotel?"

"No, I was thinking we could go to the Louvre," Natasha answered. Clint smiled at the surprise in Steve's voice as he agreed.

"C'mon," Phil said, "I saw this great little cafe."

"Sounds good," Clint said, falling into step as Phil led them to wherever he'd seen. It didn't matter to Clint, because it was still a date, with Phil. Something he thought he'd never get.

*

Pietro sneaked through the new mansion. The other boys were in the midst of cleaning the whole mansion, and Pietro personally wanted none of that. He'd checked a few rumor sites and had discovered that the Jotuns were hanging out at a bar nearby. A bar that wasn't too far from several buslines. Pietro debated briefly, before slipping out of the mansion and hopping onto a bus.

He was smart, and it didn't take him too long to find the dank bar that the Jotuns frequented. However, there was a bouncer between him and the entry. Pietro squared his shoulders and marched towards the bouncer.

"What do you want, kid?" the bouncer growled.

"I'm here to see the Jotuns," Pietro answered.

"They're not here. Get lost."

Pietro eyed the man, and then took a few steps away. He had no chance facing him, so he headed around the corner, looking like he'd left. He'd have to find someplace to watch the doorway and not raise suspicion...

Or he could wait five seconds, because there they were. "Loki! Johann! Thor!" he yelled and waved.

"Do we know you?" Johann sneered at him.

"I got you into Stark Mansion," Pietro said.

"Did they kick you out?" Loki asked, smiling at him.

"No," Pietro said. He couldn't imagine Clint or any of them doing that. "You guys are just way cooler, and I'd rather hang out with you."

"Well, why would we hang out with you?" Johann said. "You're just..."

Loki's hand shot up and Johann fell silent, though he glared at the leader of their band. "Of course, you can hang out with us,” Loki said with a smile. “We'd love to hear about what's going on at the mansion."

"Really?" Pietro beamed.

"Of course," Thor said, slinging an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Come, we are going to plan our next move."

"Of course, you'll be sworn to secrecy," Loki said. "Did they swear you to secrecy?"

"I totally understand," Pietro agreed. "And they didn't, but they don't talk about much. I know they're planning on putting up posters and doing some smaller concerts. I think the Count was talking Steve into doing a line of clothing."

"A fashion line?" Johann repeated. "That would mean more press."

Loki hummed. "Come, let us talk some more." They blew past the bouncer and Loki yelled for a drink, as did the other two.

"If you want something you should get it," Loki stated.

"Oh, a Coke, please," Pietro said.

Johann laughed, "If you're hanging out with us, you have to learn, no please or thank you. We take what we want."

Pietro nodded, making a mental note about everything they said as he considered everything that he could tell the Jotuns about what the Holograms were up to.

*

Natasha frowned as she drove back towards the mansion. She'd just been down this street, hanging advertisements, and now she found them all missing, defaced, or replaced by Jotun posters. It certainly made it clear just who was responsible for the removal. She reached the intersection and instead of turning right and heading toward the mansion, Natasha turned left, heading straight for Shield Records.

It didn't take her long to get into Thanos' office, and she knew how to be intimidating.

"Ah, Ms. Romanova," Thanos greeted. "Come to speak to me about going solo?"

Natasha pulled up short. "No."

"No? Why not?” Thanos asked. “You have the talent for a solo act. I've seen the video, and you don't get much screentime."

"I'm not interested in going solo," Natasha stated. "I want you and your Jotuns to stop destroying our advertising efforts."

"Your what?" Thanos asked.

"Our posters, most of them have been replaced by Jotun posters," Natasha stated.

"Have they?" Thanos asked. "I guess our fans are... enthusiastic."

"Your fans?"

"Of course," Thanos said. "The Jotuns themselves would never do something like that." He paused to smile at her. "Unless... you have some proof it was them?"

"No," Natasha was forced to admit. She knew it was them, but there was no proof.

"Then I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

"Not that you would do anything if I had proof," Natasha said with a glare.

"Well, we won't know until you get some," Thanos said, leaning back in his chair. "Now, unless you'd like to leave your group?"

"Not a chance." Natasha turned and left. She'd made a mistake coming here, but everyone had worked hard all afternoon. They'd have to find another way. She was fairly sure that Clint could talk to the Count for some additional funds, but she also knew he was keeping careful track of what they spent, in order to pay everyone back. None of them wanted to be indebted to anyone after all of this was over.

*

Clint watched as Natasha ranted and raved about the Jotuns and their destructive habits. There wasn't anything they could do about it, but Natasha needed to vent her frustrations. He was willing to listen, though it was pretty much preaching to the choir. She was winding down and when she paused, a throat was cleared. They glanced toward the door to find Steve and Bruce.

"What's up?" Clint asked.

"Darcy Lewis just called," Steve said, stepping in.

"The host of Tazer Music?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, we met her at the party, remember?" Bruce said, closing the door behind him.

Clint nodded. "So...?"

"She wants Hawkeye to come on her show," Steve said.

"Well, that'll be great exposure for the group," Clint said with an easy grin.

Steve shook his head. "It will be great exposure, but I'm not sure if it would be for the group."

"What? Why wouldn't it?" Clint asked, looking confused.

"She wants just you," Bruce said. "Not all four of us, just Hawkeye."

"No," Clint said firmly. "We're a team, a family, I'm not going without you guys."

"You should go," Natasha said. "We need the exposure, Clint. It's better than no interview."

"I can't do it without you guys," Clint said.

"You could," Bruce pointed out. "We wouldn't mind."

"I would!" Clint said, pointing at himself. "I would mind. You're my best friends, so no, not without all of you."

"So you want me to call her back and tell her no?" Steve asked.

"No," Clint said. "I'll call her, I'll explain everything and then we'll figure out where we're going next."

"We could come to the studio with you," Steve offered. "Just stay off air."

"I think you should do it," Natasha said. "At least the Jotuns won't be able to tear down a television program."

"Lemme call her and talk to her," Clint said, getting up to grab the phone. "Maybe, maybe I can talk her into having all four of us."

"If she won't budge though..." Bruce said. "I think it's three against one for you doing it by yourself."

Clint glared, but dialed the number that Steve handed him. Clint nervously took a seat as he listened to it ring.

"Hello?" Darcy's perky voice said.

"Darcy, it's Hawkeye," Clint said.

"Hawkeye! Hi, did Steve tell you about the interview?" Darcy asked.

"He did, but, uh, I have a slight problem with it," Clint said.

"Problem? I don't like that word," Darcy said.

"I'm really flattered that you want to interview me, but it's Hawkeye and the Holograms," Clint said. "I'm nothing without my band."

"I think I'd disagree with that," Darcy stated.

"We'd all be happy to come on the show, but if you want me, they have to be there too," Clint insisted. "Family is a big deal, and I won't leave my family behind."

"No," Darcy said. "I guess I can't ask you to do that. All right, it'll be Hawkeye and the Holograms on the air. Most of the questions are going to focus on you, though."

"That's fine, but don't be surprised if they answer for me," Clint replied, smiling.

Darcy chuckled. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"Thank you, Darcy," Clint said. "We'll be there."

Clint smiled as he hung up the phone.

"Judging by that smile, we'd best figure out what we're wearing," Steve said with a laugh.

"I think I'll leave that up to you," Bruce said. "Oh fashion designer."

"Me?" Steve squeaked.

"You," Natasha agreed. "You're the one that's designing our costumes and sets, might as well decide what we're going to wear on air."

Clint nodded his agreement when Steve turned his beseeching eyes onto him. Steve huffed, "Fine." He stood and headed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Clint asked.

"To figure out what we're wearing," Steve said. "I'm raiding all of our closets."

"Have fun," Natasha called after him, and they all could hear his good-natured grumbling as he left.

*

"How's reconstruction going?" Clint asked, stepping into the room where Phil was supervising Stark's crew as they rebuilt the blown out wall. Clint knew that Stark had sent some people over to fix the wall, but Phil had already started. He wasn't sure how they'd worked that out, but Clint trusted Phil to do what was best.

"Good, you should be able to use the room again soon," Phil said, turning to give him a smile.

"Glad to hear it," Clint said, stepping next to him.

Phil hummed softly in agreement.

"How have things been?" Clint asked, unsure of what to make of the silence that suddenly existed between them.

"Good," Phil said. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh, what?"

"C'mon," Phil said, moving to step away. "I'd rather discuss this in private."

"Sure," Clint said, following Phil to an unused room. He gave Phil a confused look when the man closed and locked the door. "What's the matter?"

"Something always seems to come up and... this time I don't want to be interrupted," Phil said softly.

"Okay," Clint said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm... I'm confused about some things," Phil said. "I'm hoping you can help me figure it out."

"Sure," Clint said, giving him a soft smile. "What about?"

"Hawkeye."

"What about him?"

"I really like him," Phil said, looking at Clint. Clint smiled, glad that Phil liked his alter-ego. Phil continued on. "In fact, while we were in Paris, we went on a date." He looked at Clint expectantly.

It was old news to Clint, because he'd been on the date as well, but Phil seemed to be expecting Clint to react to the news. He wasn't sure how though. "Okay..." he said, watching Phil for a reaction.

"That's okay with you?" Phil asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Clint asked, before he realized that Phil might be trying to tell Clint the manager rather than Clint the friend. "I mean... I trust you, Phil, and I know you won't let dating Hawkeye get in the way of the job."

Phil ducked his head, looking away. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but that wasn't what I was trying to get at."

"What were you trying to get at?" Clint asked, confused.

Phil looked back at him, blue eyes searching his face, before he laughed softly. "Don't worry about it. I think... I think I might have had the wrong idea."

"You sure?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Phil said, glancing away, but Clint caught the sadness in his eyes.

"Well, if you change your mind and need to talk again, you know where to find me," Clint said, offering a smile. "I mean, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right," Phil said, turning to unlock the door. "And we are the best of friends."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, softly, because Phil didn't sound happy when he said that, he sounded... disappointed. Before Clint could ask about it, Phil was gone, leaving Clint alone in the empty room. It felt emptier than it was and Clint was fairly sure he'd missed something important. He just wasn't sure what it was.

*

"I've got my eye on you," Clint sang the closing notes, and he couldn't help but look over at Phil. Phil looked bashful, Clint decided as he ended the last note. He bowed, placing the microphone back in the holder as Darcy led the audience in a second round of applause, before ushering the band to the interview area. Clint took the seat closest to Darcy's desk with Steve sitting next to him, followed by Bruce and then Natasha on the other end.

"So, Hawkeye," Darcy said. "What do you think about your newfound fame?"

"Um," Clint started. "It's crazy and kinda... intimidating?"

"Hawkeye isn't usually one for the spotlight," Steve added. "But he's adapted well."

"You're not?" Darcy asked.

Clint shook his head. "I think the only one shyer than me is our manager, Clint."

"Yes, how'd you meet up with him?" Darcy asked.

"Who cares," Loki said, suddenly appearing and shoving himself between Steve and Clint. The other Jotuns appeared, trying to force the rest of the Holograms off the couch. "We're the real stars, and we're going to win the competition."

"Yes," Johann agreed. "We met while preparing to go abroad from our native homelands."

"Loki and I are brothers," Thor interupted.

"Adopted," Loki added.

"It doesn't matter to me," Thor insisted, leaning over to look at Loki, who rolled his eyes.

"That's nice," Darcy said, slowly. "But I believe we have commercials to roll. Now."

"No," Loki objected. "We want our turn."

"Well, this interview is for Hawkeye and the Holograms," Darcy said. "So I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

"We demand equal time," Loki said, leaning forward.

"And I was planning on giving it to you next week," Darcy said. "In fact, I have a call into your manager, Eric Thanos, about the appearance, so clear the stage."

"No," Johann said. "We want our time now."

"Look, you can get off the stage now and come back when you're scheduled, or I can call the police and have you arrested," Darcy ordered.

Loki glared at Darcy as he hissed, "You wouldn't dare."

"Jane, will you please call the cops?" Darcy said, turning to look at her producer. Jane nodded, reaching for her cell phone.

"I got it," Phil said, holding his up.

Loki growled as he stood and stalked over to him. "Don't do it, Coulson."

"Get off the stage, Loki," Phil said, glaring back. Clint could tell by his squared shoulders and his refusal to back down that he was not intimidated by Loki. Loki growled and shoved Phil away from him, knocking him into one of the ladders. The ladder toppled into more equipment, which fell into even more equipment. Clint followed the path of destruction and realized that one of the crewmembers was in the way. He didn't think, he just reacted, pushing the crewmember away and getting himself out of the way. Well, almost - he got his leg stuck and he tugged at it, trying to free it.

"Hawkeye!" Phil called out to him.

"I'm okay, I think. I'm just stuck," Clint admitted. He heard movement and found Phil looking over him. He managed a smile.

"We'll get you out of there," Phil promised. "Steve, Bruce, can I have some help?"

"Yeah," Steve said, coming over.

Together the the three men managed to lift the fallen equipment and Clint was able to slip free of the wreckage. He hissed as he saw blood pooling on his leg.

"That doesn't look okay," Phil said, coming around to look at it.

"I think it's just scraped really bad," Clint said. He glanced around. “Where are the Jotuns?”

"We should probably take you to the ER," Phil said, ignoring him.

"No, I'll be fine," Clint insisted. "We just need to bandage it up. The Jotuns?"

“Gone,” Phil declared after looking around. “They probably slipped out of here in the chaos.”

"We have a first aid kit," Jane offered. "I can bring it to Darcy's dressing room."

"The interview?" Clint said, because he had to worry about that as well.

"We'll finish it," Natasha said. "You get fixed up."

"But..." Clint started to object.

"No buts," Natasha said.

Clint glanced around, looking for support from the others, and found none. He sighed. "Fine."

"I'll patch him up," Phil volunteered.

"Thanks, Phil," Steve said. Clint moved to get up and got an arm wrapped around on his shoulders. He leaned into Phil as they made their way to Darcy's dressing room.

*

"There," Phil said, softly, sealing the bandage.

"Thanks," Clint murmured, looking at Phil. He had a look of utter concentration on his face and Clint couldn't help but smile at him, especially when Phil ran a warm hand down the bandage. "Phil."

Phil glanced up, smiling. "I think you'll dance again."

“Good,” Clint whispered, leaning forward a little.

“Hawkeye,” Phil murmured, leaning in a little to let their lips connect in a soft kiss. Clint moaned, reaching up to cup his cheek and hold Phil close. Clint's world focused to the feel of Phil's mouth on his, Phil's hand coming up to grip Clint's shoulder as he pulled himself closer to press their bodies together.

"Hey, the interview went..." Steve said, entering the room and then turning to exit almost immediately.

Phil pulled back and Clint was tempted to pull him back in, because he was all mussed, lips swollen from kissing Clint. Phil glanced at him, leaning back in.

"What is your problem?" Natasha said from outside the hall, probably to Steve, and Clint twisted, so that Phil's lips landed on his cheek as Natasha stepped into the room, sharp eyes seeing more than just a kiss on the cheek. "Phil? How is Hawkeye?"

"He'll recover just fine," Phil said, not pulling away, so his breath fell lightly on Clint's cheek. Clint shuddered, softly. He glanced at Phil when the other man pulled away, looking smug. "I'd better make sure the equipment is packed up."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, blushing as he tried not to look at them. The group was silent as they waited for Phil to leave, and then all eyes turned to Clint.

"So..." Steve said. "You and Phil seem to be getting closer."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, unable to stop the smile. "I... I guess we are."

"Does he know?" Bruce asked, leaning in the door.

"That I'm Clint, too?" Clint asked, and shook his head. "No, and I'm not sure how I'd tell him now."

"The longer this goes on, the harder it will be, and the worse the outcome," Natasha pointed out.

Clint nodded. "I know, but... I never thought I'd have this and I do. Is it so bad to want to savor it while I can?"

His friends looked at one another and he watched as they spoke without speaking.

"No," Steve said. "Just... Just be careful."

"I will," Clint promised.

*
Clint moved slowly toward Pietro's room. His leg was sore, but for the most part, he could ignore his injury. It was just going to take a while to heal up. He knocked on Pietro's door.

"What?" Pietro asked.

"Pietro, it's Clint, I thought we could talk," Clint said.

"About what?" Pietro called back through the door.

"Can I come in?" Clint asked.

The door opened and Pietro stared up at him. "About what?"

Clint smiled. "Well, you are rather new here and I know a lot of stuff has been going on. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay with you?"

"I'm good, I'm fine," Pietro insisted.

"Good," Clint said. "Any problems with the others?"

"No," Pietro stated. "Well..."

"Clint!" Phil called, and Clint turned to see Phil heading toward them. "There's a Mr. Mojo to see you?"

"Oh, the casino owner. He wants to book Hawkeye and the Holograms for a concert," Clint explained at Phil's curious expression.

“Ah.” Phil nodded. "He was looking rather impatient..."

Clint sighed, glancing back at Pietro. "We'll finish this later?"

"Sure," Pietro said, sounding unconvinced. Clint knew he really should stay and talk to him, but he needed to talk to Mr. Mojo about the Las Vegas concert.

"Clint?" Phil prodded. Clint turned and headed toward the office, aware that Phil was following him. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Clint asked, with a glance back at him.

"You're walking funny," Phil said, coming up beside him.

"Oh, I banged my shin on a table, and it's bruised, that's all," Clint lied and hated himself for it. He didn't want to lie, but if he told Phil about his injury, then Phil would know that he was Hawkeye and it wouldn't end well. It couldn't end well. Phil was staring at him, though, and he glanced down at Clint's injured leg, before nodding once. Clint assumed that Phil was taking him at his word, since he hadn't lied to Phil in years -- well, maybe except for how he felt about Phil. Phil escorted him to the office and Clint put on his most charming smile. "Mr. Mojo, how good of you to come."

"Thank you, Mr. Barton," Mr. Mojo said. "Your family was just keeping me company." Clint flashed a grateful smile at the others and then settled down to business. They discussed the concert, where the money would go, and each of them carefully read over the contract, before Clint signed it as manager.

He smiled up at Mr. Mojo. "I guess we're all set."

"We are," Mr. Mojo agreed.

"Except for who our warm up band is," Natasha pointed out. "Have you not got them signed?"

"Not yet," Mr. Mojo said. "But I'm headed there now. I do believe that Erik Thanos will agree to sign it, though."

"Thanos?" Steve repeated. "You're not hiring the Jotuns! They hate us."

"I know," Mr. Mojo said, grinning widely. "But I love the drama and I can't wait to see it. I'll see you all in Vegas in a week." He let himself out.

Clint stared at the others. "I don't think this is going to end well."

"No," Bruce agreed. "We'll have to stay on our toes while we're out there."

Clint nodded in agreement.

*

Loki opened the door to Thanos' office. "We need to talk."

"I'm busy," Thanos growled from behind his desk. Loki glanced at the pale man with wide eyes and long silver hair. Pale wasn't quite right - he looked sick, and Loki decided to stay away.

"Well, we need to talk," Loki demanded, aware that the others were stepping in. "We haven't done anything in days, we need to promote ourselves."

"I'm handling that now," Thanos said. "I've signed you to be an opening act in Vegas."

"Vegas?" Thor asked, sounding delighted.

"Opening act?" Loki sneered. "For who?"

"New group. If you'll just sign here," the sick man said, pointing at the contract. Thanos bent down to sign it.

"Which group?" Johann asked.

"Hawkeye and the Holograms," the sick man said as soon as Thanos had signed it. Thanos' head shot up to look at the other man, who was grinning widely at him.

"Who?" Loki asked, growling

"Hawkeye and the Holograms," the man repeated.

"We can't open for them!" Johann stated. "We're the real talent. They should be opening for us!"

"Well, you are, and if you back out, you'll pay a hefty fine," the man said, gathering up the contracts with a smug smile. "Bring that fire, Loki, I'd love to see it!"

Loki glared after him as he left the room.

"You have to do something about this!" Loki demanded. "We can't open for them!"

"The paperwork is already signed," Thanos said, looking unhappy about it. "You'll have to go on regardless."

"But..." Johann objected.

"Or you can pay the fine out of your own salary," Thanos hissed at them. Loki glared at him, before turning to storm out. They needed a plan. One that would make the Jotuns the headliners and not the opening act.

"We have to do something," Johann insisted.

"But what is there to do, the paperwork is signed," Thor insisted.

"If we can make it so Hawkeye and the Holograms can't perform," Loki said slowly.

"But how would we do that?" Thor asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Loki said.

"Hey, Loki!" a voice called out to him. Loki turned to see Pietro running toward them.

Loki smiled. "Pietro. How are you?"

"I'm good," Pietro said.

"I was just thinking about you," Loki said. "How would you like to come out to Vegas with us?"

"What?" Johann questioned. Loki raised his hand and Johann fell silent.

"Me?" Pietro asked. "Go with you guys? I'd love to!"

"Good," Loki said, smiling. He had a plan coming together, and Pietro would be an integral part of it.

*

Clint found a quiet corner to watch as Phil started to set up for the concert. He was under the full Hawkeye hologram, and he couldn't help but watch Phil, now that he was free to do so.

"Hey," Bruce said, softly.

"Hey," Clint grinned at him and nudged a seat out for him.

Bruce slid into it. "Are you going to tell him?" He motioned toward Phil.

"I can't," Clint said, shaking his head. "He'd just be too upset by it."

"Phil's observant though."

"If he asks, I'll tell him, but if he doesn't..." Clint trailed off, shaking his head. "Then I just want to enjoy it."

"But if it backfires, you might lose him as a friend," Bruce pointed out.

"Yeah. I don't know what to do."

"You'll figure it out," Bruce said, patting him on the shoulder.

He stared at Phil and nodded. He would have to tell him, but he truly believed that Phil would think that Clint had purposely tried to deceive him, and he couldn't figure out a way that that would end well. The thoughts ran through his head, and there was something there. He reached for his notebook and pen, needing to get it out.

"What are you doing?" Bruce said.

"I just got an idea," Clint explained and started writing. He was aware of Bruce leaning over and nodding.

"Deception. You play that, and he might figure it out," Bruce pointed out.

"Yeah," Clint agreed, still writing. He didn't care. Maybe he should give Phil a few clues and see if he could figure it out.

*

"You know the plan?" Loki asked.

Pietro stared up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

"Good," Loki said with a smile. "Johann?"

"Rogers is coming," Johann said.

"Go to it," Loki ordered.

Pietro nodded as he took a deep breath and raced out into the hall. He bounced off Steve, mumbling an apology before continuing to run.

"Pietro?" Steve called after him. Pietro glanced behind him, so that Steve got a good look at him. He could see Steve say something else, something that looked like, "What are you doing here?" but he couldn't hear it. He looked forward, glancing back once he was sure of a few more steps to see Steve chasing after him. He led Steve on a merry chase, before leading him outside and toward the buses. He climbed into the baggage hold underneath one and started crawling through the bags, moving faster as he heard Steve climb in after him.

"C'mon," Thor said from the other side, encouraging him forward. Thor hauled him out as soon as he was in reach and Loki slammed the baggage door shut.

"What the hell?" Steve yelled from inside, banging on the door. The bus started up as Loki slid an arm around Pietro.

"Good job."

"Thanks," Pietro said, beaming up at him.

"Now, we will be the main act, since the Holograms will be unable to perform tonight because one of their group has disappeared," Loki said, guiding him around to where Johann was waiting.

"Do you think he'll be okay under there?" Thor asked.

"He'll be fine," Johann said as he joined him. "Trust me."

Thor grunted noncommittally, but said nothing else. They headed back inside and Pietro glanced over his shoulder as the bus pulled away. He hoped that Steve would be all right.

"You go wait in our dressing room," Loki instructed as they reached the backstage area. "I have to find Mr. Mojo and inform him of the Holograms' inability to perform."

Pietro nodded and slipped into the room as the others followed Loki.

*

Clint stared at Mr. Mojo as he inwardly seethed. "We'll find Steve," he promised, glancing at a smug looking Loki. The other man must have had something to do with this. Clint stepped back into their dressing room along with the others.

"What are we going to do?" Clint asked, looking around at his other bandmates and Phil. "If we don't go on, not only do we not get a bonus, but we also have to pay a fee."

"We'll find him," Natasha said. "It's Steve, he'll be here."

The ringing of the phone had him glancing over at one of the tables and frowning.

"That's Steve's phone," Bruce said, picking it up. "Hello?"

"Just me," Phil said, ending the call on his end. "I thought the first thing we should do was try calling him."

"Thanks," Clint said, softly.

"Not a problem."

"Alright," Natasha said. "We'll need to split up and try to find him then."

"I can try and talk to some of the security guys. This is a casino. There are cameras everywhere," Phil said.

"Perfect," Natasha said. "I'll go with him. I think it's best if we stick together."

"Agreed," Clint said with a nod. "Bruce and I will search backstage and then the casino."

"Text us updates," Natasha said, leading them back outside to search.

*

Steve banged on the bus walls, trying to catch someone's attention. Someone had to hear him. Someone had to hear this. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if he didn't make it back on time. He froze as he realized the bus was slowing down. He redoubled his efforts as the bus came to a stop, scrambling over to the right hand side. He heard voices and yelled, "Help!"

"The hell?" he heard from outside, and the door opened up. Steve scrambled outside and glanced around. "How'd you get under there?"

"Long story," Steve answered, trying to find some landmark so he could make his way back. "But basically, I was tricked. I have to get back to the casino. Which way do I go?"

"That way," the driver said, and Steve took off running in that direction. He had no idea how long they'd been driving, but he was aware they had made some turns. There had to be a way to get back quickly. He kept his eye out for landmarks as he ran, searching for something that he recognized. The problem was, he'd never been to Vegas before today and had no clue where he was.

He paused at a street corner, trying to figure it out.

"You look a little lost," a voice said and Steve turned to see a blonde woman in white, astride a motorcycle.

"I am a little lost," Steve admitted.

"Where are you trying to go?" the woman asked.

"Krakoa Casino," Steve replied. "Do you know the way?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Great, 'cause I need to get back fast," Steve said, glancing at his watch.

"Hop on then," the woman said.

Steve hesitated, surprised by the offer.

"Come on," the woman encouraged. "I can get you back a lot faster than if you run."

"Thank you," Steve said, going over and climbing on the back of her bike. "I'm Steve."

"Sharon," she said, giving him a smile over her shoulder before revving the engine. "Hold on tight!"

Steve wrapped his arms around her as she took off, and hoped that they would make it back in time.

*

"You're sure?" Clint asked with a frown as he looked around the casino floor.

"Completely," Phil said over the phone. "Steve ran out of the casino, looked like he was chasing someone."

"What's Natasha say?" Clint asked. He pulled the phone away to relay the message to Bruce.

"Hawkeye!" Phil said.

"What?" Clint said, putting the phone back to his ear. He could hear Natasha cursing in the background.

"The doors that Steve went out of," Phil started. "Guess who walked back in those doors, just a little bit later?"

There was something in Phil's tone that clued Clint and he answered, "The Jotuns?"

"And... Pietro," Natasha said, loud enough that Clint figured out that he was on speaker.

"What the hell is Pietro doing in Vegas?" Clint exclaimed. "He's supposed to be back in New York!"

"I'm aware," Natasha said.

“Where's Pietro now?” Clint asked.

“Slipped away from them. I can't find him on the cameras, but I'm looking,” Natasha said. “So is Phil.”

Clint sighed. "We don't have any proof of the Jotuns doing something illegal, do we?"

"I'm trying to find a camera for outside those doors," Phil said. "No luck so far."

"Bruce and I will head backstage," Clint said with a sigh.

"Be careful," Phil said softly.

Clint smiled at that. "You too."

"I can try and talk to Mojo," Bruce said. "We can't be held responsible, if there's been foul play."

"We shouldn't be," Clint agreed, heading toward backstage. It was easy to find Mojo, because he had Loki and Johann next to him.

"Ah, Hawkeye, your bandmate has five minutes to show up, or the Jotuns will take your place," Mojo said, when he spotted Bruce and Clint heading toward him.

"With all due respect, sir," Clint said. "We think the Jotuns did something to him."

"Us?" Loki questioned, doing his best to look innocent. "Hardly."

Clint growled, and gave into his anger, because this was Steve, who always stood up for what was right and didn't dare give up. He shoved Loki up against the wall. "Where is he? What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything to him," Loki said, smiling down at Clint.

Clint glared up at him. "I know you did something."

"If you can't prove it..." Loki said, gloatingly.

"I can and I will," Clint promised.

"Hawkeye," Bruce said, one hand settling on his shoulder. "Don't, you do something to him and you know he'll press charges."

"We should press charges against him," Clint growled, but let Bruce be the voice of reason and let go of Loki. "And we'll find proof."

"I'm sure," Loki said, smoothing out his clothes. "Good luck."

"Mr. Mojo," Clint said.

"If you can find proof, maybe..." Mojo stated. "But until you do or unless Steve shows up, the Jotuns will perform and you'll owe that fee."

Clint turned and headed back to their dressing room.

"There has to be something we can do!" Clint said, shaking his head as he paced the room.

"Right now, we can't do anything," Bruce said. "Phil and Natasha will find proof."

"What if they hurt Steve?" Clint said, turning to look at Bruce. "What if he's injured and he needs our help?"

"Phil and Tasha will find him," Bruce stated, calmly. "And then we'll make sure he's all right. Clint, calm down, okay?"

"And that's another thing! Pietro, what is he doing here?" Clint asked. "He shouldn't be here! He should be back at the mansion."

"I know," Bruce agreed. "We'll find him after we find Steve and we'll figure this out, okay? Just relax, deep breaths."

Clint took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting Bruce talk him through his breathing to get him to relax. Bruce fell silent and glanced over at the clock, one minute left...

The door flew open and Clint turned to find Steve, breathing heavily. "Am I too late?"

"Steve!" Clint said, going to hug him. "You're okay! What the hell happened to you?"

"Long story," Steve said, pulling away to hug Bruce. When he stepped back from Bruce, he made a face. "I think Sharon wants me to take her on a date."

"Sharon?" Clint questioned, as the door opened again and Steve got an armful of Natasha, who was muttering under her breath.

"I'm okay," Steve said softly. "No harm done, but I swear I saw Pietro here."

"You did," Natasha said. "We saw him on the tapes. Phil is talking to Mojo. We saw you come back in and I headed here."

"We're going to perform, right?" Steve asked. "I mean, I made it back in time, right?"

"I hope so," Clint said, glancing at the others, who didn't seem to know. "Screw it, you were close enough, and Phil is stubborn enough that we'll go on. We need to get ready and give these guys the best damn show ever."

Steve grinned. "That works for me." He headed over toward the wardrobe racks, followed by Bruce. Natasha lingered long enough to hug Clint, before going to change.

Clint breathed out a soft sigh of relief, before gently twisting his ring. "Fury, how about something outrageous?"

"If that's your wish," Fury said and the hologram around Clint shifted. Clint glanced in the mirror and nodded; the outfit was once again sleeveless, or, really, shirtless. There was a collection of black straps going under his arms and over his shoulders, and then across his chest. In the center of the chest strap there was a purple chevron. The pants looked like black leather, and they molded to his body, probably closer than real leather could, and they had purple chevrons running down the sides. The boots were purple and had a heel to them. He was actually wearing heeled boots, because he just couldn't fake walking that way. He waited for the others, and together they headed out for the main staging area.

"Good, you're ready," Phil said, when spotted them. He looked completely smug.

"I take it we're on?" Clint asked, resting a hand on the small of Phil's back.

"Yep, you missed Loki's meltdown," Phil said. "They're not performing at all now."

"So, Mojo might be really grateful if we just went on?" Clint asked.

Phil nodded. "Don't mind not having a warm up act, do you?"

"Nah," Clint said. "As long as I can get a kiss for luck?"

Phil laughed softly, before leaning in and kissing him. They pulled apart. "I'll announce you."

"Thanks, Phil," Clint said, licking his lips for the last taste of Phil.

"Like the outfit by the way," Phil said. Clint laughed, ready to go on stage the moment they were announced.

*
Pietro stayed where he was in the corner of the Jotuns' dressing room. Loki was having a fit and tossing clothing around as he screamed about the injustice of Steve showing back up. Thor was trying to calm him and clean up behind him, but that only seemed to irritate Loki further, especially since Thor insisted on calling Loki 'brother' and Loki kept insisting that they weren't. It was upsetting to watch, and the drama only stopped when Johann cleared his throat.

"Thanos wants to talk to you," Johann said, offering him a phone.

"What now, Thanos?" Loki growled into it. He fell silent. "And why are the cops coming here?"

Pietro arched an eyebrow, glancing at the others, who seemed unconcerned about the conversation. Thor was still picking up the mess and Johann seemed unconcerned.

"Really?" Loki said, smiling widely with a look that made Pietro want to hide. "That's, that's almost an excellent plan."

"What is?" Johann asked, but Loki waved him silent as he finished the conversation.

"Thanos has a plan. The cops have been informed of a robbery, and there's a good chance that it was committed by Hawkeye and the Holograms," Loki said.

"They wouldn't steal," Pietro said, objecting to the very notion.

"No," Johann agreed. "They are such goody-goodies."

"Won't matter if the cops find the money in their dressing room," Loki said.

"You're going to set them up?" Pietro asked. "They could go to jail for that!"

"So?" Loki asked. "They go to jail, we win everything."

"But what's going to happen to the Shield kids?" Pietro asked.

"Who cares?" Johann asked. "They're nobodies."

"I'm a Shield kid!"

"You are different, we will not see any harm come to you," Thor stated. "You are our friend."

"But..." Pietro objected, thinking of the others. It wouldn't be fair to them. Even if Hawkeye and the Holograms lost, they'd still have a chance to save everything, but if they got put in jail, they'd have no chance. Pietro couldn't let them get away with this. He slowly made his way to the door, trying not to draw attention to himself as the others talked. He glanced back and saw Thor watching him. Pietro hesitated until Thor mouthed the word, 'Go' at him. Then he slipped through the door and closed it, hurrying toward the stage.

"Phil!" Pietro said, spotting Clint's friend.

"Pietro," Phil said, when he spotted him.

"You have to do something!" Pietro said. "Someone is planning on stealing the money from the concert and framing Hawkeye with it!"

Phil frowned. "Who?"

"I... I don't want to say!" Pietro admitted. "I overheard them and I don't think they've done it yet, but..."

"We need to stop them," Phil agreed. He glanced around and spotted someone, going over to talk to them and hand them his clipboard. "C'mon," Phil said, grabbing Pietro's shoulder and guiding him away from the concert.

Pietro followed him through the hallways and to an unassuming door with a keypad. He punched in some numbers, too fast for Pietro to follow, and the door swung open.

"Hey, Jasper," Phil said.

"You're back again?" Jasper – at least, Pietro assumed it was Jasper – said, leaning back in his chair.

"Pietro says he overheard someone plotting to steal the concert money, you got eyes on it?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, but I'm going to guess, you want your own?" Jasper asked.

"Please," Phil said, heading over to the screen.

"Is this really going to do anything?" Pietro asked.

"We'll find out if you're telling the truth," Phil said. "And Jasper is watching now, so we'll have the casino's head of security as an eye witness."

"Can't they make the argument that Hawkeye hired the thieves or something, though?" Pietro asked.

"Hawkeye would never," Phil said, before trailing off. "Well, no, I suppose I don't know him well enough, but I can't see Clint associating with someone that would do such a thing."

"So because Clint vouches for him?" Pietro asked.

"Yeah, because Clint vouches for him, I'll believe him," Phil said, tilting his head at the screen. "Well, hello there. Jasper, hope you're paying attention."

"Yeah, I see him, you know him at all?" Jasper asked.

"He seems familiar, but I can't place him," Phil admitted. "Don't like the look of him though."

They fell silent as the man broke into the safe. "Well, your instincts are good," Jasper said. "You want us to stop him now or should we see where he goes?"

"Let's see where he goes with it," Phil decided and the camera angles changed, tracking him as he sneaked down the hallway and into Hawkeye and the Holograms' dressing room. "Snag him coming out."

"Yeah," Jasper agreed, picking up a walkie-talkie and issuing orders on it.

*

Clint stepped off the stage, breathing heavily and grateful for the towel he was handed to wipe the sweat away. He toweled himself off and was surprised that he didn't see Phil there. He frowned, because after Steve's disappearance, he had a right to be worried about Phil.

"Mr. Hawkeye," a bald man with glasses said, looking up at him.

"Uh, yes?" Clint said.

"I'm Jasper Sitwell, head of security for the casino," Jasper said. "We need you and your band to answer a few questions."

"Do you know where Phil is?" Clint asked.

Jasper nodded. "Yes, but you need to answer the questions first and then you can see him."

"Do you have any proof that you are who you say you are?" Natasha asked.

Sitwell tapped the badge hanging off his suit pocket. Clint glanced at it and then glanced at Natasha.

"All right," Natasha agreed. Jasper led them to an area and instructed each of them to enter a separate room. Clint took a seat in the hard chair as he considered everything. He wasn't quite sure what this was about. He waited for a long while, wondering, before the door opened and Jasper stepped in.

"Sorry, I wanted to speak to Steve first, because of everything that's happened with him," Jasper said, offering him a smile.

"Thanks," Clint said.

"Have you been to Vegas before?" Jasper said, taking a seat across from him.

"No," Clint said, shaking his head.

"Do you know this man?" Jasper asked, sliding a picture out of the folder. Clint stared at it for a long moment.

"He seems familiar, like I've seen him around, but I can't say where," Clint said, when he looked back at Jasper.

"He says he knows you," Jasper said.

Clint looked back down and shook his head. "I don't know who he is."

"Could you have hired him for something?" Jasper asked.

"No, Clint does the hiring," Clint answered.

"Clint?" Jasper asked.

"Clint Barton, our manager," Clint explained. "He stayed in New York because he had business to take care of."

"Oh," Jasper said, nodding. "Maybe you saw him around one of your bandmates?"

"Nope," Clint said. "We hang out with each other and Phil."

"Right," Jasper agreed. "You're short on money, right now, aren't you?"

"Yes," Clint said. "Though, we're far better off than we were, since Tony let Clint use the mansion until the contest winner is decided."

"What about you? Do you get paid?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, but what I don't need, gets donated back," Clint said. "I signed on to help Shield House. What's this about anyway?"

"This man stole the proceeds from the concert," Jasper explained. "He said you hired him."

Clint stared at him, before shaking his head. "I didn't, but if I was guilty, I'd say the same thing."

Jasper smiled at that. "You probably would. Why don't you go back to your dressing room? I need to talk to the others."

Clint nodded and headed back to find Steve, Phil, and... "Pietro!"

"Hey," Pietro said, looking subdued. Clint glanced at Steve.

"Did you give him a lecture?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, one that Clint will probably repeat back in New York," Steve said, with a look to remind him that he was still Hawkeye. Clint nodded, before going to sit down in one of the chairs and wait for the others to come back.

Natasha stormed into the room a few minutes later and they all froze in the face of her fury. "It was him."

"Tasha?" Clint ventured. "It was who?"

"The man who broke into Shield House, he tried to frame us!" Natasha said.

"That was him?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Natasha said. "Do you think I'd forget that man?"

"No," Phil said, softly. "You wouldn't."

"That should clear us, there's no way we'd work with him," Steve said, running a hand through his hair.

"I told 'em it wasn't you guys," Pietro said softly.

"Then who was it?" Steve asked.

"The Jotuns," Natasha answered. "He was with them earlier."

Pietro squirmed uncomfortably, before declaring, "They're my friends!"

"Fine," Clint said, squashing down on the feeling of betrayal that welled up. He was Hawkeye now and Hawkeye wouldn't care if one of Clint's kids was friends with the Jotuns. The Jotuns were older and bad news, Clint could discuss it with him, and try to get him to see some sense, but not Hawkeye. "You can discuss that with Clint later. You can all discuss it with Clint later, after we've had a chance to cool down."

"Isn't that my line?" Bruce said, as he stepped into the room.

"To a certain degree, yes," Clint said, smiling at him.

"Sitwell wants us to hang around for a bit, but since we have rooms here..." Bruce said. "We're more than welcome to go to them. We're just not supposed to leave the hotel."

"Sounds like a plan," Natasha agreed. "But where is Pietro going?"

"He can bunk with me," Bruce offered.

"Hawkeye and I are sharing a room," Natasha said, before looking over at Steve and Phil. "Guess you two are sharing?"

"Unless I can convince Hawkeye and Steve to swap places," Phil teased, before giving Clint a questioning look.

"Tempting," Clint admitted. "But I already agreed to room with Natasha, and she's not one to mess with, you know."

"No, she isn't," Phil agreed, standing up and offering him his hand. "Can I at least escort you to your room?"

"Like a proper gentleman?" Clint asked taking it and getting to his feet.

"No, I plan to steal a kiss or two," Phil said, pulling him in. "Well, as many as Natasha will let me."

Clint smiled. "I might have to let you."

"Good," Phil said, leaning in to kiss him softly, before they headed upstairs.

*

Clint signed another contract, before picking up yet another and starting to read it. He rubbed at his head and wished he could lose the headache brought on by reading numerous contracts. He was ready for a break, but he knew he needed to finish these. There was a fashion show that needed to be finalized and he wanted to increase security to keep the Jotuns out of it.

The knock on his door broke him from his thoughts.

"Come in," Clint said, and Phil stepped into the room, tray in hand.

"Hey," Phil said. "You've been working really hard."

"I know, I just..."

"Need a break," Phil said. "To eat and rest your eyes."

"You can't cook though." Clint eyed the tray dubiously.

"I wouldn't inflict my cooking on you," Phil pointed out. "I got Steve to make you something."

"Steve cooked, bring it on."

"Come away from the desk, Clint, and you can have the food," Phil said, heading for the table.

Clint whined and then got up and settled next to him. Once he sat down, Phil handed him a grilled cheese sandwich. Clint realized he was hungry as he tore into it. Phil picked up one for himself and they ate in companionable silence. Clint finished half the sandwich before reaching for his drink. He wasn't surprised to find that it was juice, because Phil was probably trying to make sure that he was properly fed from all the major food groups. Clint ate, alternating between the sandwich and his drink.

"That was good," Clint said, when he finished. The food was simple, but it was satisfying.

"There's another one there for you and some tomato soup," Phil pointed out. Clint gave him a quick smile before leaning down to juggle the soup and sandwich, so he could eat without spilling anything.

"You should go outside for a bit," Phil said gently, when Clint had his mouth full of food. "You've been stuck indoors working on all this and you enjoy being outside, Clint."

Clint swallowed. "I need to get it done though."

"I know, but you had a definite too-much-paperwork look when I walked in."

"I have, but..." Clint said, gesturing to the stacks of paper.

"Clint, you can't burn yourself out," Phil said, softly scolding him.

Clint nodded and took another bite. He jumped when he felt Phil's hand glide through his hair to settle at the base of his neck. Phil shushed him quiet as he dug into the tense muscles. Clint whimpered softly, but pressed into Phil's hand, because it felt so good.

"Ten minute break after you finish eating won't put you too far behind," Phil pointed out.

"I guess," Clint agreed. "You going to rub my back?"

"If that's what it takes," Phil said, smiling fondly at him.

"Thanks, Phil," Clint said, finishing his sandwich and soup and then moving to the couch to lay down. Phil took a seat to one side and dug his hands into Clint's shoulders, working knots out and getting Clint to simply relax. Clint closed his eyes for just a moment and let the room slip away. He was vaguely aware of a light weight covering him and some quiet shuffling in the room. There were soft voices and another hand through his hair, but he knew Phil was there, and Phil would keep him safe. Then he was aware that Phil wasn't next to him anymore, and he blinked.

"Phil?" Clint croaked, voice rough from sleeping. "Did you let me fall asleep?"

"You needed it," Phil said, from the desk.

Clint sat up, pushing the blanket off his shoulders. "But the paperwork..."

"I read through everything, made the changes I thought you'd want, but they still need your signature," Phil said.

Clint walked over and glanced at the first contract. He skimmed it, reading Phil's neat handwriting carefully. He looked up at Phil, grateful for the help. "Thanks, you didn't have to..."

"I know, I wanted to," Phil replied.

"You're the best, Phil," Clint said, smiling at him.

"Thanks, I know I'm not, but I appreciate the sentiment," Phil said, going to stand up.

"You are, though," Clint said. "You're my best friend."

"I suppose."

"Phil?" Clint asked, catching that something was wrong.

"What?" Phil asked.

"Is something bothering you?" Clint asked.

"No, I'm just being stupid and greedy," Phil said, shaking his head. "I want both the cake and the pie."

Clint smiled. "I don't know, I think you could get away with both."

"But the pie doesn't want me," Phil said.

Clint froze and looked at Phil. "We're not talking about actual pie, are we?"

"No," Phil said, staring at him.

Clint bit his lip. "Are you sure the pie doesn't want you?"

"The pie has made it very clear about how I stand," Phil said. He shrugged and added, "I guess I thought the pie and I were building to something bigger and better and I was content with waiting, but the cake came along, and I didn't want to give up the pie for the cake, so I told the pie about the cake." Phil hesitated. "The pie didn't seem bothered by me having cake instead."

"You were trying to make the pie jealous?" Clint asked, trying to follow along.

"I was hoping that the presence of the cake might motivate the pie out of our rut," Phil said, with a shrug.

"Maybe the pie was happy that you seemed happy with the cake?" Clint suggested.

"Possible," Phil agreed, softly. "I just... I just have to get used to not thinking about the pie the way I used to."

"The way you used to?" Clint asked.

"First thought when I woke up, last thought before I went to sleep, and trying to find every moment I could steal," Phil answered.

"Phil..." Clint said softly, surprised by Phil's candor. "I... I don't think the pie understood what you were asking then and if I, the pie had, the answer..."

"Don't," Phil said, firmly. "Please don't, Clint. I have the cake, and... I'm sure the pie will find someone to be happy with."

"But..." Clint wanted to object, but he wasn't sure what to say to that.

Phil smiled fondly at him. "Best friends, though, right?"

"Always," Clint agreed, weakly. Phil gave him one last look before leaving Clint alone, and for the first time in his life, Clint found that he was jealous of himself. It wasn't something he wanted to consider, but he knew it was a sure sign that he had to tell Phil that the cake was a lie and there was just the pie.

*

"No," Loki said, glaring at Johann. "If you both wear red and I wear green, we'll look like some demented Christmas group."

"But I look good in red," Johann hissed back.

"Please," Loki rolled his eyes. "We have to look good and having you and Thor in red will not look good."

"Thor doesn't have to wear red," Johann pointed out.

"The man still sleeps with a red blankie that he used to wear as a cape as a child," Loki sneered. "He'll want to wear red in honor of that blankie."

Johann stared in silent horror at the idea, but he wasn't willing to argue with Loki about Thor's childhood.

"Choose another color," Loki suggested.

"What about black?" Johann asked. "We could all wear black with just a bit of an accent color."

"True," Loki agreed, considering the possible outfits. He tilted back in his chair as Thanos and Thor entered the room. "We've narrowed down our ideas for outfits."

"Good, time is running out and odds are all on the Holograms," Thanos said. "I will not lose Shield Records!"

"We're going to win," Loki stated. There was no other alternative, after all.

Thanos moved behind his desk and Loki went back to looking over the racks of clothes for their performance. He had an idea of what he wanted after all; he just needed to find it. Thor came over to join them, going for the sleeveless outfits, which might actually work in their favor. They had plenty of fans that enjoyed the sight of Thor's arms.

Thanos' intercom went off. "Mr. Thanos, there's a Pietro Maximoff to see the Jotuns."

"Who?" Thanos sneered.

"One of Clint's boys, he is a friend," Thor said.

"One of Clint's boys?" Thanos repeated. Loki nodded, narrowing his eyes. Thanos was up to something. He watched as Thanos hit the button and said, "Send him in."

Loki turned towards the door, aware that Thor was stepping away.

"Pietro!" Thor boomed, arms spread and wide smile on his face.

"Hey, Thor," Pietro said, looking around the room. "I... Well, here." Pietro held out his hand.

Thor went over, taking whatever the boy handed him and then staring down at the crumpled bills. "I do not understand."

"I don't want your money," Pietro stated. "I... I don't want to hang out with you anymore."

"Why not?" Loki asked. "We're your friends."

"Friends don't try to put good people in jail!" Pietro objected. "So, I came to give you that back, because what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Oh really?"

"Yes," Pietro said. "Good luck tonight." He turned to go, but Loki blinked, surprised to see that Thanos was standing in Pietro's way. The boy fell backwards.

"Where do you think you're going?" Thanos asked.

"Back home," Pietro said.

"No, I don't think so," Thanos replied. "I think... I think you're going to be our guest."

"Why would we want him now?" Loki asked. "He's apparently too good for us."

"Because, we're going to call Barton and tell him that Pietro will be returned to him after the Jotuns have won," Thanos said.

Johann smiled. "You're going to have them throw their show?"

"We're going to cheat?" Thor asked, objecting in his own way. "But…"

"No," Johann said, glaring at Pietro. "Hawkeye and the Holograms won't be performing, if they want to see their traitorous friend alive again. We'll win by forfeit."

Pietro's eyes widened as he looked at Loki. Johann was laughing behind him.

"Brother, we can't do this..." Thor said.

"Quiet," Loki ordered. "This is how we're doing it. I don't intend to lose to them, understood? Besides, Pietro is no longer interested in our friendship."

"Yes, Loki," Thor said, softly.

"Good," Loki said, smiling.

"You three keep an eye on him," Thanos said. "I'm going to make a phone call."

"Make sure Clint understands exactly what's at stake here," Loki instructed, going to grab one of Pietro's arms. Johann grabbed the other and they hauled him deeper into Thanos' office.

*

Clint ran down one of his numerous checklists for the day to make sure that everything was in order. Everything was going smoothly thanks to Phil's quiet competence, which made things harder than it should have been. Each time they met up, things were awkward, and they didn't know what to say to one another, not since the damn cake and pie conversation.

"All right, intervention time," Natasha said, suddenly right in front of him, causing him to jump back, directly into Steve's arms. Natasha took the clipboard and handed it off to Bruce. "Take over, make sure things don't blow up."

"Right," Bruce said.

"Steve," Natasha instructed. Steve's arms slipped underneath his arms and wrapped around his waist. He was lifted a few inches up and Steve started carrying him.

"What the hell?!" Clint yelled.

"You need to relax, you're all stressed out," Natasha pointed out. He squirmed in Steve's grip, twisting his head to look up at the other man.

"When did you get so tall?" Clint groused.

"When you weren't looking," Steve said good-naturedly.

"You know I can remember when you were a scrawny nothing that a light wind could knock over," Clint said.

"I know," Steve said. "You used to haul me around the house when you wanted me out of someplace. Fair's fair, Clint."

"This is so not..." Clint fell silent as Phil stepped into the hall, coming face to face with the three of them. "Hey."

"Hi," Phil said, glancing at them. "I'd ask what's going on, but I don't think I want to know."

"Clint needs a break," Natasha said from somewhere behind Steve. "If you have any problems, go through Bruce."

"Fine," Phil agreed with a nod. "Though his cell was ringing just a few minutes ago." He offered the phone over to Clint. "Didn't recognize the number."

Steve let go of Clint and he reached to take the phone, careful to keep their fingers from brushing against one another. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," Phil said, before stepping around them.

"Do I want to know…?" Steve asked as Phil moved away from them.

"It's complicated," Clint said, with a soft sigh.

"We'll listen if you want to talk about it," Steve said.

"Maybe," Clint said as his phone started ringing. He hit the answer button. "Hello?"

"Mr. Barton," Thanos' voice greeted him.

"Thanos," Clint said flatly, eyes narrowing.

"I'd like to set up a meeting with you," Thanos said.

"I'll see you at the concert later," Clint pointed out. "It can wait."

"Oh, I'll let Pietro know you don't care for his safety," Thanos replied.

"Pietro?" Clint froze. "What are you talking about?"

"Your little ward is here," Thanos explained. "And I'm not inclined to let him leave. I'd be happy to hand him over to you and another one of your friends - Steve, perhaps. Though it might be best if you bring all three of your so-called siblings, since Pietro has a habit of getting away from you."

Clint glared at the wall, and bit out, "I'll head straight over to Shield Records."

"Oh, I'm not at Shield Records right now. I'll text you the address and the time. Don't be late, I'd hate for something to happen to him." There was a brief pause, and then Thanos added, “Oh, and Clint, no cops. For Pietro's safety.”

Clint hung up the phone and growled. "Natasha, can you check and see if Pietro is on the premises? Thanos is saying that he has Pietro, and I need to be sure."

"Of course," Natasha said.

"I'll get Bruce, we'll get Phil up to speed," Steve said.

"Don't… don't tell him that Pietro is missing," Clint requested. "I… I don't need him thinking worse of me."

"You think he's thinking bad about you?" Steve asked.

"Maybe, we're all awkward," Clint said, glancing away. "Just tell him we've got a last minute errand and we'll meet him at the venue."

"Okay," Steve agreed, nodding. He hesitated, and then added, "I don't think Phil would ever think badly of you, Clint."

"Yeah, maybe," Clint said, shaking his head. Steve patted him on the shoulder, before leaving him alone in the hall. Natasha had already disappeared.

Clint stepped into a room by himself and gently stroked Fury's ring. "Hey, Fury, have you been paying attention?"

"I have," Fury said, his hologram appearing. "What is it that I can do for you, Clinton?"

"I… I don't know yet," Clint said. "But we might need a distraction."

"I can create all manner of hologram, so long as it's within reach of one of your rings," Fury said.

"Right," Clint said, considering that. He looked at his hands, taking in the two rings. "You just need one?"

"Yes," Fury said.

"Then I can drop one, if need be," Clint decided with a nod.

*

The car came to a halt just outside the warehouse that Thanos had indicated as a meeting place. The others slid out of the car, staring at the building.

"I still think we should call the police," Bruce said.

"No cops," Clint reminded them, taking a deep breath before heading inside. The others following behind him. He knew that Natasha would be watching their six, keeping an eye out to try to ensure they weren't surrounded. Clint opened the door and eased in, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, before walking further in.

"I'll stay here, guard the exit," Tasha said, softly as she lingered in the doorway. Clint nodded, since if anyone could get away it would be Natasha. He hesitated and pulled a ring off and went to speak to her, crowding her back outside.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Clint said, pressing the ring into her hand.

Natasha smiled at him. "No, I suppose I should go with you."

When Clint reentered the room, it was with a hologram of Natasha and the four of them headed deeper inside. The lights flashed on, blinding Clint with their intensity. Clint knew it had been a well played move by Thanos as he heard quick footsteps.

"Hello, Clint," Thanos said. "So glad you decided to be my guest for the evening." There were several men surrounding them, and all of them looked like they were familiar with bar fights and various criminal organizations. Clint swallowed, hoping that they could all get out of this safely.

"Didn't have much of a choice," Clint growled, because he hadn't. "Where's Pietro?"

"I'm here," Pietro said, sounding scared, far more scared than Clint wanted to hear. Clint searched the shadows, trying to find him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally spotted Pietro, who radiated fear despite the blindfold and being tied to a chair.

"Where's Hawkeye?" Thanos asked.

"I couldn't get a hold of him," Clint said with a shrug.

"Well, I suppose, he can't play without his backup band," Thanos said, looking back at the Holograms. "Take a seat, you'll be here until I call my friends here and let them know that the Jotuns have won."

Clint took a reluctant seat along with the others. "What about Pietro?"

"He's going to stay up here," Thanos said, smirking down at them. "I'll let him go after I've gained full control."

"Fine," Clint said, keeping his eyes on Pietro. It was best to wait until after Thanos left, lower the opposing numbers.

Thanos smiled, speaking quietly to his second in command, before slipping out of the building. Clint hoped that Natasha didn't draw any attention to herself. They had the element of surprise on their hands, they just needed to use it.

*

Phil frowned as he glanced around backstage. Hawkeye, Clint, Steve, Natasha and Bruce were all in the wind. He didn't know where any of them were. He knew something was up and Natasha had told him to stall if he had to, but he had no details. He didn't even want to think about something happening to Clint, not with how strained things were between them now. Not now that he knew Clint had been interested in him and there was tension between him and Hawkeye. Phil frowned; he didn't think Hawkeye was with the others, and he should be here.

"Where are they?" Stark asked, appearing next to him.

"I don't know," Phil said, shaking his head. "They said that they had to do something and they'd be here as fast as possible."

"You know they have a half hour from when the Jotuns finish their performance to get here," Stark pointed out. "If they're not, I have to declare the Jotuns the winner by default."

"I know," Phil said, "I've been texting Hawkeye, but he's not answering his texts. I'm assuming he's with the others." It hurt that Hawkeye was a part of the group, even though he was the newcomer, while Phil hadn't been given any details despite having been friends with them for years.

"You'd tell me if something was up, wouldn't you?" Stark asked.

"If they were my confidences to tell," Phil answered.

"That's not really an answer."

"It is," Phil said. He hesitated, and then added, "What happens if foul play is involved?"

"You think foul play is involved?" Stark asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I do," Phil said, nodding. "Clint wouldn't miss this unless something happened to him."

Stark gave him a long look. "He's not the only one missing."

"The others wouldn't either," Phil replied.

Stark nodded, glancing around. "Pepper, you got the contract everyone signed?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark," Tony's aide said, the 'duh' in her voice obvious as she came over.

"Mr. Coulson thinks that there might have been some foul play involved, so I need to know what our options are," Stark explained, holding out his hands. Pepper handed him the folder that was under her arm and Stark began looking through it. Phil trusted that Plan B was now underway, if there was an option for Plan B. Phil figured he better start considering Plan C and maybe create plans D-F.

*

Clint took a deep breath, keeping an eye on the guards without trying to look like he was. Steve and Bruce were at his back and the hologram of Natasha created a partial blindspot. Still, the guards seemed to think that they were cowed. They weren't paying much attention and they hadn't hadn't noticed that the few guards that had ducked behind the stacks of crates weren't coming back around. Clint knew that was courtesy of one invisible Natasha. Granted they needed to do this without Pietro realizing just how they were being saved.

"About to make my move," Natasha said softly, next to him. Clint tried not to look too curious as he glanced around, but there was a guard heading toward where Pietro was being kept. He sensed Steve and Bruce tensing as he stood, his movement masked by the hologram. They moved quietly out of the way as one of the guards attacked the other with a tazer. Yeah, he was pretty impressed with her moves, but then she'd always been interested in martial arts. Clint wasn't letting her do all the work, though, and neither were Bruce or Steve. They each had packed a tazer and plastic zip ties, and with Fury's help, they managed to take out the guards who were stupid enough not to have searched them.

"Clinton, I'm putting your Hawkeye hologram on," Fury informed him as the other holograms dropped. The slight shimmer that indicated the hologram was around Clint appeared out of the corner of his eye, just as a hologram of Clint in his street clothes also appeared near him. Fury was two steps ahead of Clint, because Clint recalled Thanos addressing him, so Pietro would expect Clint to be there as well. Steve and Bruce moved toward Pietro to free him.

"Hey," Bruce said, when he pulled the blindfold off.

"Bruce! Steve!" Pietro yelled as soon as he was free, launching himself into Steve's arms as soon as he could.

"It's okay," Steve said, stroking the boy's back.

"We need to go," Fury said, using Clint's voice. "Or at least, you all need to, for the concert."

"Fuck the concert," Bruce growled.

"NO!" Pietro shouted. "You need to compete, you need to beat those assholes!"

"You heard him," Natasha said.

"Are you sure, Pietro?" Clint as Hawkeye asked.

"Course I am," Pietro said, nodding.

"Then let's go," Clint said, turning to lead them out of the building. He stepped out first and saw a motorcycle shimmer into life.

"You guys take the car," Fury said as Clint. "I'll follow behind you. Go with them, Pietro."

"Are you going to be okay?" Pietro asked.

"Yes," Fury replied as Clint, heading over to the motorcycle. Pietro didn't want to leave the protective circle that Bruce and Steve had made, so Clint slid behind the wheel. They headed toward the arena. Since the concert was now half over, the streets were clear around them. They were able to easily make their way backstage and move through the hallways.

"Hawkeye!" Phil shouted and Clint froze, turning to meet him. He was pulled into a hug almost immediately. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clint said, taking a moment to steal some of Phil's strength and the peace that he brought to Clint's mind.

"Good," Phil said, pulling back far sooner than Clint expected him to. Phil glanced around, and his relieved face changed to a worried expression in an instant. "Where's Clint?"

"He was with us," Pietro said, glancing behind him.

"He missed a light," Clint lied, because he knew Fury hadn't kept the hologram up. "I'm sure he'll be behind us."

"Missed a light?" Phil asked. "You weren't together?"

"We couldn't all fit in the car," Natasha stated. "Clint's fine, Phil. Trust me."

Phil looked like he was ready to object, but before he could, Tony was suddenly there.

"You're here! Are you wearing that?" Tony said, staring in horror. "You know what, I don't care, you need to get on that stage, now, people!"

"Stay with Phil," Steve said to Pietro, who nodded, going over to the other man.

"Keep an eye on him," Bruce said. "He's had a rough day."

"Of course," Phil said, softly. The others headed for the stage and Clint went to follow them, but Phil's hand landed on his arm, delaying him. He glanced at the other man, curious. "Afterwards, we need to talk."

"Sure," Clint agreed with a nod, before heading toward the stage. He put his game face on and stepped out onto the stage, prepared to give the best damn performance that he could.

*

Clint held onto the last note as long as he could, before dropping. He was sweaty, breathing heavily as he started thanking the screaming crowd and bowing. He gestured toward his family, putting his hands together and bowing his head in a wordless thank you that the crowd seemed to enjoy. He met their eyes, taking in their tired, but proud faces, and knew that whatever the result, they'd done their best and had nothing to be ashamed of.

"All right," the MC of the competition said, stepping out on stage. "That was amazing!" He waited for the roar of the crowd to die down. "Now, let's get the Jotuns back up on stage."

The crowd roared again as the Jotuns came on stage. Hawkeye and the Holograms moved so they were all on the other side of the MC.

"You guys are excited," the MC stated once the crowd had died down. "Can we hear it for the Holograms… and the Jotuns one more time… Yeah, I can't tell the difference. I think we're going to have to go with Stark's latest gadget." He pulled out what looked to be a credit card. "You were all given this, pull it out now. Now if you'll notice there's a nice picture of the Jotuns and one of Hawkeye and the Holograms. Man, that is a mouthful," the MC said, turning to look at them. "I might have to vote for the Jotuns."

Some of the crowd cheered, while others booed, and the MC laughed. "Like I'm going to tell you who I vote for. Now, there's a little slide that should be centered between the two pictures, just move that slide underneath the picture of whoever you think should win. It will lock, and your vote will be counted. Those of you watching at home, you can text your votes for the next five minutes while you enjoy a lovely commercial by Tony Stark."

A light flashed up behind Clint and he turned to see that the video screen was showing the results as a pie chart. Clint watched as the sections grew evenly, before the purple section started getting bigger and bigger. He waited for the green section to surge forward, but it never did.

"Does that mean we won?" Clint asked his group.

"I think so," Natasha said, softly. Clint glanced over at the Jotuns and found them frowning at the results.

"Alright, folks, we're back," the MC said. "And we have our winners! And you know what, we aren't mean like the other reality shows, and we left the pie graph going in the commercial, so everyone could see it. So I don't need to make any announcement, do I?"

"YES!" the crowd roared back at him. "You do!"

The man grinned. "All right, I guess, I can announce that Hawkeye and the Holograms have won!!" He turned, pointing to the group.

Natasha screeched, throwing herself into Clint's arms as he felt Bruce and Steve wrap them up in a hug. Clint stared down at Natasha, surprised by the uncharacteristic sound that had come out of his usually calm friend. Clint glanced over to see that the Jotuns were yelling and looking upset. At least, Loki and Johann were. Thor stood to one side, watching their display of temper, before looking over at Clint and his family. Their eyes met and Thor seemed to hesitate, and then he walked over toward them.

Clint pulled away from his friends and met him halfway.

"Congratulations," Thor said, offering him his hand.

"Thanks," Clint said. "I wish I could compliment you on your performance, but I'd be lying if I did."

"You deserved the win," Thor said. "You played fairly, unlike Loki and Johann and... Thanos."

"They're bad news, and they're going to drag you down if you let them," Clint cautioned.

Thor blinked in surprise, before smiling. "I am aware, but I intend to fix my past mistakes."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Thor smiled. "You'll see. I… I am sorry for the trouble they have caused you."

"Thor?" Clint questioned as Thor started to pull away, but Thor didn't say anything as he turned back to his group. Clint watched him for a moment, curious as to what he was up to, but he aware that the wings of the stage was filling with his extended family, the orphans from Shield House. He smiled at them, glancing back to see that the others had noticed them, and then gestured them to join them. There was no reason for them not to celebrate, because Shield House was going to stay open, and they were going to stay together.

*

Clint leaned back into the couch. He still was Hawkeye, because Hawkeye couldn't miss the festivities. He'd taken a moment to text everyone from Clint's phone that he was going to have to miss the party and to thank them for their hard work. He'd slipped away for a moment, just to get his head on straight.

"So," Phil said, coming around the couch to sit next to him.

"So?" Clint asked.

"The police want to talk to everyone, including Pietro," Phil said.

"What? Why?" Clint asked, looking alarmed.

"Apparently, Thor called them while you were on stage and confessed to everything," Phil said, offering him a little smile.

Clint grunted. "He did say he was going to make up for his mistakes."

"Guess he meant it. I wonder if Clint's talking to them now."

"No idea," Clint answered, wishing that he could just be himself. He did pat the seat next to him and Phil took it, but didn't wrap an arm around him.

"So, remember when I said we should talk?" Phil asked.

"Yeah," Clint agreed.

"It's probably a really shitty thing to do, tonight of all times, but…" Phil started, trailing off.

"Shitty thing, Phil?" Clint asked.

"Tonight, I knew the others were out there and I wasn't sure if you were there, but…" Phil trailed off again. Clint waited, patiently, before Phil turned to look at him. "I didn't know where you were today, and I figured you might have been with the others, but you weren't who I was worried about."

"I wasn't?" Clint asked, surprised.

"Well, yes and no, I was worried, but I was more worried about Clint," Phil said, looking away.

"Oh, well, you have known him longer," Clint pointed out.

"I wasn't just worried about him though, I was thinking what if something happened to him and I let my stupid pride get in the way of ever finding out what's between us."

Clint tilted his head. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Phil looked at him, and then said, "I… yeah. Yeah, I think I am."

"For Clint?"

Phil nodded. "It's not that you aren't great, it's just… our history, and I have to know."

"Okay," Clint said.

"Okay?" Phil asked. "You are remarkably calm about this."

"Well, I like you, Phil, not going to deny that, but I want to see you happy, and if you think being with Clint will make you happier than being with me, then…" Clint trailed off. "I don't want to be that guy that gets all jealous and possessive. I mean, I still want to work with you."

"You still want to keep me on?" Phil asked.

"Yeah," Clint nodded.

Phil stared at him for a long moment. "I don't understand how you two just want to see me happy. I almost wonder if I could get a threesome out of this."

Clint laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, sorry, but I don't think that would work."

"Gotta draw a line somewhere?" Phil asked with a smile.

Clint nodded. "Yeah."

"Thank you," Phil said, standing up. "For being so understanding."

"Not a problem. Phil, I hope he makes you happy."

"I hope so, too," Phil said, before ducking out of the room.

Clint breathed a sigh of relief, settling back onto the sofa. He hoped that Phil wasn't joking about that, but he would have to wait and see.

"Clinton," Fury said, interrupting his thoughts. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I am," Clint said and the hologram of Fury appeared before him.

"We need to talk."

"You're not going to break up with me for Hawkeye, are you?"

"No," Fury said. "However, someone has noticed the drain of power coming from the base. They've been investigating the drain, so they can shut it down."

"Is there anything we can do?" Clint asked.

"You have a few options. I can self-destruct…"

"No," Clint cut him off. "That's not going to happen. We can't let your tech fall into anyone else's hands, but you're not going to self-destruct."

"Thank you, Clinton. The other option is to move the equipment, but I do not know where that would be to."

"Well," Clint started, as he considered it. "Moving you is going to be easy, especially since we just won a mansion and I'm sure there's room for you somewhere."

"If that's what you want to do," Fury said, smiling slightly.

"Of course," Clint said. "We couldn't have done this without you. I'll talk to the others."

"Clinton, it can wait. They're being very methodical and we have a few days before they find me," Fury said. "I just wanted you to be aware of the situation."

"I'm aware," Clint said. "We'll take care of it. Though, I might let the others celebrate tonight, if you don't mind."

"I don't, you've earned it," Fury stated, before disappearing. "And Clinton, congratulations."

"Thanks, Fury," Clint said, moving to get up. He should go and rejoin his friends after all.

*

Clint trudged down the steps with Bruce and Steve behind him. "Natasha is getting the truck, and between the four of us, it shouldn't take too long."

"Yeah," Bruce agreed. They were all dressed to move the machinery that housed Fury. It had been a busy few days, since the concert. While they had planned to move Fury earlier in the week, it had been pushed back, because they had to talk to the police, the Jotuns were protesting the results, and Clint had been busy with paperwork. He was actually looking forward to the physical labor that was going to happen today.

They stepped into the kitchen and Clint almost froze, because Phil was there smiling at them. "Hey Phil," he greeted, hearing the echoes of Steve and Bruce.

"Hey," Phil said. "I have something for you."

"For me?" Clint asked, curious. Phil nodded.

"It's something you've been waiting for," Phil teased.

"What?" Clint asked, moving closer. Phil hadn't mentioned breaking up with Hawkeye to Clint, but then Clint had been very busy and while their conversations were much less stilted, it still wasn't exactly what Clint wanted.

"Guess," Phil teased.

Clint tilted his head as he thought about it. "I don't know."

Phil shook his head, before holding out his hand. Clint looked at the fist.

"Looks like a keyring," Clint said. "So keys… Did you buy a new car?"

"No," Phil said, opening his hand to let them dangle. The keychain on them was the familiar Shield eagle.

"Shield Records?" Clint asked.

"Yep, ran into the delivery guy and signed for them," Phil said. "You can now take it over."

"That's awesome!" Clint said, reaching for them. Phil handed them over.

"I was thinking I could give you a lift, so you could take possession today," Phil offered.

"I… I have other plans," Clint said, glancing back at Steve and Bruce. "To…"

"You can go," Steve interrupted. "Between the three of us, we can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Clint asked.

"Completely," Bruce agreed. "Go with Phil, have some fun."

"I guess I'm free," Clint said, turning back to him. "Let's go?"

"Yeah," Phil agreed. He held out his hand and Clint took it, letting himself be hauled forward.

Clint paused at the door, looking back at Steve. "You know where to put the…"

"Yes," Bruce and Steve said at the same time. Phil tugged on his arm, and he quickly followed him.

"You seem more excited than me," Clint complained.

"Maybe because I'm excited for you," Phil replied. Clint smiled as Phil led them to his car and they climbed in. The drive was pretty quiet, and Clint couldn't help but feel his own excitement mounting the closer they got to the building.

Phil parked his car and escorted him to the door. Clint made a small show of unlocking it and stepping inside. Phil followed him, and together they headed toward the top floor where Thanos' office was. Thanos and the Jotuns were all still being held in custody, and Clint had filed a restraining order against them, though Clint was pretty sure that he was going to drop it against Thor. Thor was the one that had apologized, and Clint believed that it was heartfelt.

Clint didn't make a big show of opening Thanos' office, but he smiled as he glanced around. The sun was setting, and Clint could see it in the floor to ceiling windows of the corner office. This wasn't Thanos' office anymore, it was his. He made his way over to the window, taking it all in.

"Ha," Phil said, and Clint turned to see him tossing something into the trash.

"Do I want to know?" Clint asked.

"Name was wrong, decided to make sure it got changed," Phil said.

"Thanks," Clint said.

"I think Maria would be proud of you," Phil said. "You've come a long way."

"Thanks again." He looked away, feeling his cheeks warm up.

"Clint," Phil said. "I… You know I broke up with Hawkeye, don't you?"

"Um," Clint blinked, surprised that Phil would assume that he knew it. "Yeah, I thought I heard something along those lines. I was waiting for you to tell me though."

He could see Phil's smile in the reflection of the window. "You know I think you're amazing and the day of the concert, you had me worried."

"I'm sorry," Clint said, turning back around. He didn't like to hear the distress in Phil's voice. "Really sorry." He stepped closer to Phil. "I'm okay, though."

"I know, but I was worried, all I could think about was what if something happened to you," Phil said softly, wrapping his hands around Clint's wrists. "Made me realize that I didn't want to know what life was like without you."

"I'm right here, Phil, always," Clint murmured.

"I want you here with me, but I want more than that, Clint," Phil said softly. "Tell me it's not too late."

"Never, it's never too late for you," Clint said, tilting his head as Phil leaned in and kissed him. Phil pulled their bodies close together as they kissed and Clint didn't want it to end, but after a while he needed to breathe.

"Thank you," Phil said softly pulling away to breathe, so that Phil's blue eyes filled Clint's vision.

"Thank you," Clint corrected. "I'm a lucky man, if Phil Coulson wants me."

Phil laughed, "Yeah, what about me? The guy that wants me - the kindest, most outrageous, handsome man I know."

Clint laughed softly. "I think you're exaggerating, but – "

"I'm not! He runs an orphanage and is devoted wholeheartedly to those kids, so much so that he started a band and became the band's manager and lead singer so that he could run a record company to make sure they all stay together," Phil said.

"Well, I guess if you put it like that."

"Mmm," Phil said. "Thank you."

"For what now?" Clint asked, because he hadn't done anything.

"You didn't object," Phil said.

"Object?"

"When I said you were the band's lead singer…"

"You didn't," Clint interrupted.

"I did," Phil said gently. "Think about it."

Clint did and groaned. "Sorry, I wasn't…" Clint fell silent as Phil kissed him again.

"Clint, I don't care, I know it wasn't me you were trying to fool."

"When did you figure it out?" Clint asked.

"When I broke up with Hawkeye, you said you just wanted to make me happy, so I thought about it, and then I went looking through some old home movies. I caught you singing once, and the voice was awfully familiar."

Clint blushed, and would have ducked his head, but Phil's hand was there, encouraging him to look back up.

"You know, I was attracted to Hawkeye because he reminded me of you," Phil said. "I would have loved him, but you, you were always there."

"I wanted you any way I could get you. Knowing that I could try it as Hawkeye and I wouldn't lose our friendship," Clint admitted, "It just gave me the courage to kiss you. But it didn't settle any curiosity, it just made me want more."

"You can have more, as many as you want," Phil said softly. Clint leaned forward for another kiss. Their lips met and parted slowly as they learned the feel of one another.

Clint pulled away. "This is all…"

"This?" Phil asked.

"My life! Shield House, Shield Records, Hawkeye," Clint explained. "It's all… outrageous." Phil chuckled softly. "Don't laugh, because my life is truly, truly…" Clint was going to have to speak to Phil about how often he'd cut Clint off with a kiss, but in order to do that he'd have to stop kissing Phil. Yeah, his life was truly outrageous.