Summary: They were six damaged and hurting individuals but when they were together they were something amazing. They were more than a team, they were a family. A series of one-shots set in the Savior-verse.

Pairings: Clintasha, Pepperony and Winter Shock

Warnings: Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries! Warnings also for questionable, crackish behaviors by adults with superpowers. Also OOC internal monologues and lack of emotional stability. Also a warning for language because… I have a potty mouth. So there may be some naughty language. Sorry!

Disclaimer: If I owned anything having to with the Avengers I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad. I also don't own Hamilton. Just the cast recording that has been worn out more than a few times.

Author's Note: And I'm finally updating something! Woohoo! It only took me like two months to write this long chapter. This is another slightly crack treated seriously chapter. I hope you all enjoy. More rambling from me in the end notes!

In the Greatest City in the World

Phil Coulson prided himself on being a patient man. He learned to tolerate a lot since becoming den mother to a pack of unruly superheroes. But every now and then they found new ways to surprise him with their antics. Just when he thought that they had reached the highest they could go on the troublemaking scale, they found a brand new level that completely reset the measuring stick. So it didn't surprise him at all that the some of the usual suspects were at the center of it: Steve, Clint, Darcy and Bucky. He was slightly surprised that they managed to include Matt in this one but judging from the look on Foggy's face, he really shouldn't be all that shocked. Apparently Foggy had experience with being in charge of someone who completely reset the sanity meter on an ongoing basis. Phil made a mental note to include the younger man in his, Rhodes' and Pepper's monthly 'How to Survive Knowing the Avengers' brunch. He might need to add Claire to that as well. But for right now, he needed to deal with this.

Matt was sitting on the sofa sandwiched between Clint and Darcy with an icepack on his face and Claire tutting over his shoulder as she worked on a set of stitches. Darcy had an ace bandage wrapped around her wrist and was ignoring the winces from the man beside her as she focused intently on something on her phone. Clint was holding a blood stained bandage to his side as he waited for Claire to finish stitching Matt up. Bucky was sitting on the floor of Phil's office, next to Clint's leg. Every now and then, the former brainwashed assassin would reach up with his metal arm to pat the archer on his leg, offering silent comfort to Clint's obvious yet unspoken discomfort. The other sniper was clearly suffering as well. Bucky's flesh arm was bound tightly to his chest and would likely be out of commission for up to a week. Steve was leaning against the wall on Bucky's right side, breathing as shallowly as possible around what Claire and Matt (which was weird) assured them were only a few fractured ribs.

As if having five injured people in his office wasn't enough of a hassle, there was also the not so small matter of the at best preteen girl and mangy looking dog that were somehow involved in whatever did this to his team. Phil had spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out where, or even how, to begin with unraveling this one out but he didn't have a clue. So he just sat and waited. Thankfully, the constant source of his headaches and rapidly disappearing hairline seemed just as content with waiting in silence as well. Finally, after the last of them was treated, including the aforementioned unknown preteen girl, Phil felt his patience snap.

"One of you want to explain to me what the hell is going on? Why am I getting reports of the Avengers battling the Russian mafia in the streets of Brooklyn?"

He watched as Bucky, Steve and Clint exchanged silent looks. Matt tilted his head to the side and stared with wide sightless eyes in Phil's direction. He refused to give into the lawyer's attempts at playing up his disability. He was more than a little aware of the trouble Daredevil could cause on his own. Not to mention the trouble he wreaked in Hell's Kitchen when in the company of the rest of the so called Defenders. And as troublesome as Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist could be when left to their own devices (aka without their collective handlers, Patsy, Malcolm, Misty and Colleen), they had nothing on Clint, Bucky, Steve and Darcy. Yeah, Phil was definitely not about to let Matt slide on this one. He heard Foggy snickering behind him. Yeah, he definitely liked that one.

"Okay, how about we start with why there are a bunch of people downstairs flooding the lobby who are claiming that Clint is now the owner of their apartment building?"

Clint blinked. "I guess I am kinda."

"That's definitely not legal," Matt murmured quietly, as if trying to avoid Phil's wrath falling on him. Too bad it only served to bring about Clint's wrath.

"Hey, I paid for it!"

"With money we found in the apartment your brother's been hiding out in. I doubt that money was completely legal. Also it was his and we kind of stole it."

"Stole it, my ass. That bastard owed me. He shot me with an arrow!"

Phil felt a headache growing. Because now he had even more questions and very little answers. Seriously. It was barely seven o'clock. How the hell did the five of them manage to cause this much chaos in less hours than Phil had been working that day? He didn't even know they were all hanging out together that day. The last time he checked, Matt was at home after spending the previous night in the very same Infirmary he begged Claire not to stick him in that evening when Phil dragged them all in. Sam, Natasha, Scott, Loki and Thor were on a mission. Bruce and Tony were doing science and trying to unlock the secrets of the universe or something. There hadn't been any explosions in two days, so Phil stopped caring to be honest. And Jane was with them. So as far as Phil knew, Bucky, Steve, Darcy and Clint were the only ones in the Tower that day but Phil was pretty certain that the archer at least was going to stay parked on a couch because of the Dog Cops marathon. But somehow everything changed and here they were. With a new apartment building, a dog and a preteen girl. Seriously, why? How?!

"Can someone at least explain whose dog that is?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure he's mine too," Clint murmured, running a hand over the dog's head. At some point, it came to rest by Clint with its shaggy golden head with one working eye and variety of bandages resting on the man's lap. "His name is Lucky."

"The collar says Arrow," Foggy pointed out.

"Yeah, well, his name is Lucky now."

"Wouldn't Arrow be more appropriate though?" Foggy wondered aloud. Clint's face shuttered. Phil shook his head in the lawyer's direction. He would soon learn to pick his battles with this team, especially Clint. If he said the dog's name was Lucky, it was Lucky. It seemed the dog had no problem with it as he was happily nuzzling Clint's knee.

"Well that explains the dog. And now anyone want to tell me about the kid?"

"I'm not a kid! I'm sixteen!"

"I stand corrected. Anyone want to explain the teenager?"

"This is Hawkeye."

Phil blinked. "Uh, Hawkeye?"

"Yeah?" the kid snapped. Phil's gaze darted over to Clint, who stared back impassively. He then looked to Steve, who nodded his head.

"She's Hawkeye too."

Of course she was. Of course she was.

"Alright, one of you explain what happened. Now. Or I swear none of you will ever see the light of day again. And if you make a single blind pun, Murdock, I will lock you in a room with Wade for two hours."

Matt shuddered and slumped lower on the sofa. Darcy glanced up from whatever she was doing on her phone to give her boss an appreciative look. She then realized that none of the men were going to volunteer to start. She huffed, placing her phone to the side for a moment.

"Alright, fine. But I would like to point out that like seventy percent of this had nothing to do with me. And it all started where most truly horrible ideas in this place start."

"Let me guess with Bucky and Clint?" Phil drawled. Clint looked mock offended while Bucky looked sadly resigned.

"No, actually, with Steve." Phil opened his mouth to protest but Darcy rolled her eyes. "Boss, you're seriously the only person in the world that still believes Steve is some innocent delicate little flower. The rest of us know exactly why he fits in so well with the team. Also if you're still in doubt just remember who started that fight with Doom in Latveria. Because it wasn't the rest of the Avengers. It was all Steve 'Fight Me' Rogers."

"I would say I'm offended but she's not entirely wrong."

"Damn right, I'm not. So anyway, it all started with the good Captain here."

Phil pinched the bridge of his nose as Bucky, Clint and Darcy all fixed him with pointed stares daring him to contradict them. And he couldn't. It was true. He did tend to give into his fan boy tendencies when it came to Steve and overlook the more… challenging aspects of the man's personality. But he couldn't help it. Steve was his hero growing up. It was hard to realize that the man who was his childhood idol was an obstinate, determined and occasionally painfully stubborn social justice warrior who also got his jollies by trolling his friends and family.

"In my defense, it wasn't a bad idea until you three got involved."

"Bullshit, you two were the ones that found the fake Hawkeye!" Darcy countered, earning a grateful look from Clint and dirty glare from the 'fake' Hawkeye. And seriously, someone was going to need to explain that. Because the longer she sat in his office, the more they were working towards a kidnapping charge.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'll get to you two and Matt later. Steve, why don't you explain how your part of the madness started?"

"Fine," Steve sighed, rolling his eyes and looking for all the world like he was going to start pouting. Phil was really contemplating a career change. "I guess everything started this morning when I asked Bucky if he wanted to hang out."

Steve smiled as he watched Bucky moving around the kitchen making a sandwich and bopping his head to something on his earphones. It still amazed Steve that after everything he had lost when he crashed the plane that he got to keep the one thing he thought was lost long before that. As much as he missed Peggy and Howard, knowing that he only had to go downstairs to see Bucky was reassuring. Growing up Bucky was the only constant he had. Even after the serum, Bucky remained a steady presence in his life. He was the one watching his back and reeling him in when he got too reckless. When he fell from the train, Steve felt a part of himself fall with him. And then somehow a year ago today that part came back. True, he was different but he was still Bucky at his core. And Steve would never stop being grateful for that.

"Why are you watching me, creeper?" Bucky asked, snapping Steve out of his thoughts.

Steve grinned, stepping further into the kitchen and accepting half of the sandwich that Bucky was holding out. He hopped up on the counter next to Bucky. The two friends ate in silence for a few moments before Bucky elbowed him in the side. Steve laughed softly.

"It just occurred to me that today is the anniversary of when you came back to me. Just wanted to know if you wanted to spend the day with me."

"You need an excuse to spend the day with me, Stevie?"

"No, not really. It's just that we don't really spend a lot of time together lately and….."

"Oh, no," Bucky flushed and immediately started apologizing.

And that's why Steve was taking his time with asking. Because he knew that Bucky was going to take it the wrong way. He shook his head in wonder. Sometimes he thought he should be jealous of the close friendship between Bucky and Clint but it was in moments like this that it became clear why the two men had clicked. Both were about twenty percent swagger and eighty percent guilt for things beyond their control. It took a while for him to realize it, but their similar personalities was part of the reason Steve was both drawn to and repelled by Clint in the beginning. Everything about the man reminded him of his (thought to be) dead best friend. So no, Steve was not confused or even surprised that the two men clicked upon first meeting each other. Their similarities started before their mutual brainwashing experiences and extended past that. Steve was happy that they had each other. Both seemed content having someone that understood where they were coming from and on the days when Steve wasn't enough to reach Bucky, it was a relief knowing that Clint was right there just as determined to pull the former assassin back from the edge. Apparently though, Steve was not as clear in expressing his happiness about their friendship as he should've been because Bucky was still apologizing for 'ignoring Steve and being an asshole'.

Sensing that Bucky's rambling wouldn't be ending anytime soon, Steve put a finger on his lips and grinned. "Calm down, Buck. I seriously don't mind. Actually I'm really glad that you and Clint have each other. You've both been through stuff that not many on this team can relate to. Well, except maybe Loki but he's got his own stuff going on there." Bucky snorted faintly. "But anyway, I really don't mind, okay? I just wanted to see if you wanted to spend the day with me."

"Yeah," Bucky answered, softly. "Steve, you know that… that you're still my…"

"Your best guy?"

"You're such an ass," Bucky laughed, punching him on the shoulder with his flesh hand. "But yeah. You're my best guy."

"Great. So wanna spend the day walking around Brooklyn? Let's see how much the old place has changed since we were kids."

A smile spread across Bucky's face and Steve felt all the stress from the past few days melt away at the sight. Yeah, this was as much for Bucky as it was for him. He slung an arm around his best friend's shoulders, letting the older man lean into the embrace.

"There is one thing that hasn't changed though," Steve started. Bucky arched an eyebrow. "The scorch marks on the alleyway where you found me and Thor. I hear that they're trying to find a way to declare it a national treasure or something."

"Oh, because that's exactly what I want. A reminder of the day I tried to kill you and Thor and came dangerously close to actually killing Clint."

"Hey, does he blame you?"

"No," Bucky admitted grudgingly. "Actually, he enjoys ordering me to do stuff by pointing to the scar on his chest and reminding me that I put it there before Tony blew up my arm and Thor hit me with the hammer."

Steve laughed. That did sound a lot like Clint. The archer rarely held anything against anyone even when he was seriously wronged. That was probably why the rest of the team (Steve included) was so overprotective. If Clint wouldn't hold people accountable, then they would. But it wasn't just Clint who acted that way. Bucky was the same way. He often caught flak from some idiot agent at SHIELD who thought they could hold the Winter Soldier against him. Bucky would just take it and often had to be forced into standing up for himself. Yeah, it made total sense those two were Sniper Bros… whatever the hell that was supposed to mean other than an excuse for them to randomly target people with paint guns and arrows.

"Hey, you think Clint would want to hang out with us sometime next week? Maybe catch a game or something?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Just… we're not definitely not playing golf. Golf with snipers should be illegal. And no paintball or laser tag. Again, it's just cheating when you're playing against two of the best marksmen in the world."

Bucky smiled even brighter. "Yeah, I think that will work and I promise no golf. I cannot make assurances about laser tag. Clint is really hooked on that since the last time. I gotta admit it is kinda fun. Especially if I get to make someone cry."

"There's something really wrong with you, you know that?"

"I've been your best friend for ninety years willingly and I'm an Avenger. I think its goes without saying that something is really wrong with me."

"True. Very true."

"Wait, you actually want to hang out with me?" Clint blurted out, causing the story to come to an abrupt halt. Steve looked up at the other man prompting Clint to flush an amusing shade of red. "I mean I know we're cool. It's just that I know you're closer to Bucky, Nat and Sam and that's fine. Because…." Steve reached over to put a hand on the archer's thigh.

"Clint, you know you're like a brother to me, right?"

"Yeah, of course… I knew that… I mean I know that," Clint rambled. Steve arched an eyebrow. He huffed. "Yeah, I know, Steve."

"Okay then," Steve as if that solved everything. Phil imagined that as far as they were concerned, it probably did. "So let's get this over with so you can con Tony into getting us tickets for Hamilton."

"You can't get tickets?!"

"He tried," Bucky giggled. "Apparently being the paragon for American ideals ain't enough to get you into the hottest Broadway show. And before you ask, he already tried asking Tony directly but Stark hasn't stopped laughing yet about how Steve actually showed up in the suit with the shield to try and get tickets. And yet, he still failed."

"You used the suit? And the shield?!" Phil asked, feeling his headache returning. Steve shrugged sheepishly but the glint in his eyes showed how little remorse he felt about that. Seriously, they were all adults. Functional adults. He knew they were even if they were determined to prove otherwise at every given opportunity.

"Look, no one is going anywhere until I say so. And right now, I'm definitely saying no."

"But Hamilton!" Clint whined, echoed by pouts from Steve, Bucky and Matt. He was banning all of them from associating with one another. He didn't know who was influencing who at this point but it needed to stop. Their ridiculous over the top personalities were started to blend together. Phil glared at Clint, the only one he knew still had some weakness towards his look. The archer glared back before sighing. "Ugh, fine! So I guess this would be the part where Darcy and I come in."

Clint was three episodes into an eight hour Dog Cops marathon when the door to his apartment slammed open. There was only one person it could be. Nat, Sam, Scott and The Asgardians were on a mission. Bruce, Jane and Tony had disappeared into one of the lower level labs three days ago. According to the Tower wide Mad Scientist tracker they made to monitor the science trio, there were still at least two days left before anyone had to go tracking them down. Bucky bailed on watching the marathon to walk around Brooklyn with Steve but only after making Clint swear on his life that he wouldn't spoil anything when Bucky got back. Clint promised but helpfully kept his fingers behind his back. Teach Bucky to ditch him and Dog Cops. So anyway with all of the usual suspects out of the way, that left only one other person who would be feeling equally as bored and abandoned by the missing sniper.

"Captain America stole our Jimmy!" Darcy exclaimed, flopping down on the other end of the sofa Clint was sprawled across. She stretched so her legs rested on his lap.

"Technically, he was Cap's Jimmy first," Clint grinned.

"Don't act like you're not jealous. Your little bromance with your sniper buddy is in jeopardy here too," Darcy countered. Clint shrugged. He really wasn't jealous. He knew Darcy wasn't actually upset either. But she was bored without Natasha. That rarely ended well. "You know what we should do?"

"Accept that we monopolize enough of Bucky's time and respect the fact that Steve deserves some face time with his best friend of over seventy years?"

"God, no!" Darcy shot back. She tilted her head to the side. "I mean, realistically yeah but no. Not today. Today, we're going to stalk them!"

Clint sighed, turning the television off and silently resigning himself to backing Darcy up in whatever craziness she was about to suggest. It's the least he could do. She always had his back when he wanted to engage in shenanigans. Besides… what could possibly go wrong?

"How do you propose we go about this?" he asked, sitting up somewhat. "They have an hour and a half head start and they're in Brooklyn. It's not exactly the smallest borough. How are we supposed to 'stalk' them? Don't tell me you implanted a tracker on Bucky when he was sleeping. Like seriously, don't tell me."

Darcy rolled her eyes before kicking him in the thigh. "No, idiot. But come to think of it, that would make a lot of sense. He's like another version of you. Everyone wants to kidnap him. But anyway, no. That's for another time. For now, we go old fashioned. We use our very own bloodhound to sniff them out."

"Huh?" Clint murmured. "Where are we going to find a bloodhound? You finally getting me that dog I always wanted?"

"What? No," Darcy shook her head. "Wait, you want a dog?"

"Yeah, but Phil said no."

"Just ask Tony. You think he cares if Phil said no? Actually he'll probably take that as a personal challenge and get you two dogs."

"Valid point," Clint grinned. "But if that's not what you meant, then who are you talking about?" Darcy's face lit up and he knew in that moment exactly what could, and most likely would, go wrong.

"Who's the one person we know that could pick Bucky's heartbeat out in a crowd? And I have it on good authority that he is conveniently banned from working today. Both in his actual human job and his night time running around in red leather suit job."

"Bloodhound?" Phil repeated with a weary sigh. Matt raised his hand sheepishly. "So the reason you didn't just walk away from them when they came for you is…."

"Well, now I know," Matt replied solemnly. Clint and Darcy rolled their eyes in unison. Impressive. Matt tilted his head towards Darcy with a frown on his lips. Darcy nudged him with her elbow on his uninjured side.

"You're so full of it, Murdock," she retorted. "We were barely near your apartment before you were slithering out the window and down the fire escape, declaring that you were down for anything that got you out of house arrest."

"And then we had to run for like ten blocks to get away from a very angry and surprisingly fast Luke Cage," Clint added. "Because you neglected to tell us that it was a heavily enforced house arrest."

"Would that honestly have stopped you?" Phil felt the need to ask.

"I would've liked to know what I was getting myself into," Clint sniffed. Phil arched an eyebrow. "Okay, yeah. Probably wouldn't have stopped me."

"It definitely wouldn't have stopped me," Darcy chimed in. They exchanged looks and grinned. Phil sighed again. Why he liked these two in particular was a mystery.

"Nothing stops Matt when it comes to him and danger," Foggy spoke up. Matt turned a sightless glare in Foggy's direction but the slightly older attorney was immune. He merely grinned brightly in his best friend's direction. Phil snorted at Matt's look of offense.

Phil was starting to realize that the Avengers (and superheroes associated with the Avengers) might have been a group of reckless, impulsive weirdoes but the universe saw fit to surround them with enough people to help the idiots stay alive. Although… he made a mental note to look into who was looking out for Steve these days. History showed that it was usually Bucky that kept Steve from leaping headfirst into trouble. But maybe it was his years under HYDRA or corruption from Clint and Darcy but these days it seemed that Bucky was just jumping into the fire with Steve as opposed to pulling him out.

And on that note….

"So I get how you all ended up in Brooklyn, but how did you two end up with another Hawkeye?" Phil asked, looking in Steve's direction. The super soldier smirked and pointed at Bucky. "Really, Bucky?"

"What can I say? I have a soft spot for tragic archers in purple that clearly just want to die young," Bucky shrugged.

"Hey!" Clint and the teenage Hawkeye whined in unison.

"It's true," Darcy, Steve, Matt, Claire and Foggy chorused. Clint pouted and looked to Phil. He arched an eyebrow. Clint huffed.

"So anyway, back to the second Hawkeye…"

Bucky was having a good day. To say that he was out with Steve, nothing had gone wrong yet. They got to Brooklyn with no problems and only one person recognizing Steve, which was not at all surprising given his ridiculously pathetic attempt at disguising himself with only a baseball cap and a pair of shades. Despite the fact that Brooklyn had changed so much in the past seventy years, it was still familiar. The two friends walked around reliving their childhood and remembering when things were much simpler. Bucky was surprised to find that he was having a good time, hanging out with his best friend with absolutely nothing on fire or in need of being saved. It was odd. He was almost about to completely dismiss the feeling of unease that had been creeping up on him for the past hour or so when he heard a window break in a building up ahead.

He glanced out the corner of his eye to see Steve's head tilted to the side. Because if Bucky heard it, then Steve definitely heard it. He watched as Steve slowed down. Not enough that they were stopped but enough that he was clearly assessing the situation. Bucky's jaw clenched. There was still a possibility that this had nothing to do with them. There was still a chance that they could just continue on their way without getting involved in something crazy. And then they heard screams coming from the same building. Bucky sighed.

"Should've known better," he groused. "I'm out with Captain Freaking America. Of course, there's going to be trouble! And of course, we're headed straight into it."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'd feel guilty about that if I didn't know you had at least two guns and like five knives on you right now. A little heavy to say you weren't expecting trouble."

"I'll have you know that I always expect trouble when it comes to you people."

"And what people would that be?"

"Tall blondes with blue eyes and superhero affiliations," Bucky retorted, even as he handed one of his four guns to Steve. Said tall blonde with blue eyes and superhero affiliations arched an eyebrow as Bucky pulled his favorite knife from the holster around his ankle.

"Seriously, Buck? You're packing that heavy for a trip around Brooklyn?"

"Heavy?" Bucky asked with a frown. "This is lighter than I usually carry. I would've had my other knife too but Nat took it with her when she left for Latveria."

"Still don't see why I couldn't go on that mission," Steve murmured as the pair walked towards the increasingly louder sounds of screaming and destruction.

"Really? You don't know. You have no clue as to why you, of all people, would be banned from the country that you tried to liberate through force the last time we were there."

Steve paused. "Oh, is that why?"

Bucky rolled his eyes and silently pledged for the millionth time to just learn how to walk away from Steve Rogers. Being friends with this man was going to lead to gray hairs. He was convinced the only reason he didn't have them now was because of the super soldier serum. It did come in handy.

As they made their way into the building the screams were coming from, Bucky quickly noticed that it was a restaurant. A Russian one. He also noticed that it had a C rating from the Department of Health. He wasn't sure what those ratings were supposed to mean but he knew that Darcy hated eating anywhere that had lower than an A. She probably would've burned this place to the ground for daring to operate with a C. Actually, knowing his girlfriend, she definitely would've burned this place to ground, especially when she caught sight of the uniforms. Who actually thought wearing tracksuits in a restaurant setting was a good idea?

There was a man hiding under one of the tables in the main dining room. Steve started to make his way over to him when Bucky alerted him to the bodies strewn across the room. Focusing mostly on the visible wounds on the men. The arrow inflicted wounds. Steve raised an eyebrow and kneeled in front of the man.

"Who did this to you?"

The man trembled and flinched back from Steve's sudden appearance. He opened his mouth but a tangled string of Russian gibberish tumbled out. Bucky sighed, shoving his best friend to the side. He explained that they weren't there to hurt him but to help. They just needed to know who did this. And then the man said the one name they both suspected but honestly couldn't believe.

"Hawkeye."

Sure the purple shafts sticking out of the men should've been a good indication that an archer was involved but this wasn't Clint's usual way of doing things. He didn't just randomly find restaurants to shoot up on a whim. If he needed to blow off stress, there was a growing list of Avenger approved targets at SHIELD that were more than appropriate to shoot with the special made paint tipped arrows. Clint wasn't usually the type to go attack a public place like this. Additionally, there was something off about the arrows. They weren't cheaply made but they definitely weren't his usual tech.

"Something feels wrong about this," Steve murmured, picking up on the same things Bucky was observing. "This isn't Clint."

"No, it's definitely not. But it's someone who's going out of their way to make it seem like its Clint."

"You think it's his brother again? You did say he was an archer."

"But why frame Clint by shooting up a crappy Russian hole in the wall?" Bucky asked, scrunching up his nose. "Barney is a piece of work but he's not stupid. And he's not this sloppy. I hate to say it but if he was going to frame his brother for something, it'd be a hell of a lot harder to prove his innocence than this is going to be."

Steve frowned. "I hate to agree but you're right. So then who is trying to set Clint up?"

"And how much am I going to want to kill them before this is all said and done?"

"No killing, Buck."

"Just take all the fun out of life, Stevie."

"We really need to reevaluate your definition of fun," Steve chided, even as his eyes scanned the room. "And I also need you, Clint and Natasha to stop including murder and violence as recreational activities in interviews."

Bucky grinned. "The heart wants what it wants."

Steve stopped to stare at him incredulously. He was about to make a response, no doubt about how Bucky was completely corrupted, when there was a burst of noise and activity coming from the back. They exchanged glances and took off in unison towards the loud yelling and gunshots coming from the back office area of the restaurant.

Years of working together on and off the battlefield had both men sprinting in unison towards the back. Steve motioned for Bucky to get behind him. The older man rolled his eyes and pushed Steve back with his flesh arm. He held up his left arm instead. Steve's eyes widened in understanding. He was so used to running into a room with his shield that he didn't even notice that the damn thing was at home. Idiot. Reckless idiot.

If Bucky thought they were confused by the idea of Clint possibly being involved in this madness, what they actually found in the room was even more confusing and slightly alarming. Instead of a possessed or otherwise compromised Clint Barton, there was a bow wielding girl wearing a tight purple Spandex top with black pants designed to match the bracers and arm guards she was wearing. There was a slip of cloth over her mouth that was obviously supposed to protect her identity. She had long hair pulled back into a ponytail. There was a headband perched on the top of her head keeping what looked like long floppy bangs back from getting in her face and ruining her shot. The bow she was wielding was top of the line and there were purple arrows sticking out of the quiver strapped to her back.

She whirled around with the bow aimed straight for Bucky's head. He could feel Steve tense behind him. The girl's gaze was steady as was her grip on the bow. Bucky had no doubt that she would shoot him. He also knew she wouldn't miss. He recognized the steely determination in her eyes.

"So this is awkward," Bucky drawled, sounding way too much like Clint. Maybe there was something to that whole corrupted idea. "Is there any particular reason a kid like you is shooting up a place like this?"

"I'm not a kid," the girl hissed.

"Right, of course not," Bucky replied around a toothy grin. "Still, wouldn't it have been easier to give this place a bad review on Yelp or whatever it is you millennials do?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," she replied, dismissively. "Now get out. I've got work to do."

"Yeah, we saw your handiwork on the way in. You got a name, not a kid?"

"The name is Hawkeye." Bucky snorted. 'Hawkeye' narrowed her eyes. Oh, if only she could shoot lasers from her eyes, he'd be a dead man. He smiled wider. "What's so funny?!"

"What's funny is that I always thought Hawkeye was a guy. Didn't you, Stevie?"

"Reasonably sure he's a guy. Well, he was the last time I checked," Steve replied. "He's also a little older than twelve and a much better shot."

"I am not twelve and I am a great shot!" the girl protested. "Who are you guys anyway? And why are you still here? These guys aren't friends of yours… are they?"

"I have no idea who they are. But we heard screams and it's kind of our job to help out in situations like that."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really," Bucky retorted.

"And why is that?"

"We're part of the Avengers."

"You two are Avengers?" the girl scoffed. "Let me guess…. The ant guy and eagle boy?"

Bucky groaned even as Steve shouldered past him. Of course, the quickest way to rile up Steve 'Defender of the World' Rogers was to dismiss the importance of any member of the team, especially the less visible/flashy ones like Sam, Clint and Scott. Not that it didn't bother Bucky just as much. It's just no one took standing up for the underdog as seriously as Steve. Bucky bit his lip as Steve stopped in front of the surprised girl. She lowered the bow and arrow almost against her will. Yeah, there wasn't a whole lot that could stand up in the face of Steve's righteousness.

"First off, their names are Ant-Man and Falcon. Second, Falcon is black! In what world could either of us actually pass for black?!"

"What Stevie here is trying to say around his rage," Bucky started, holstering his gun, "is that we're neither Ant-Man nor Falcon, who are both esteemed colleagues and anyone would be totally lucky to steal their names. But we don't need to because we have names of our own. I'm the Winter Soldier and this is our fearless leader, Captain America."

The girl laughed. She outright laughed at them. "Yeah, right."

"Don't that beat all? The kid that's clearly lying about being Hawkeye has the nerve to doubt whether we're actually who we say we are," Bucky couldn't help but laugh. Because this was his life now. He was really regretting not fighting Fury more about the mission to Latveria. Even watching Steve attempt to liberate a country that didn't want to be liberated had to be better than this. "At least we can prove we're who we say we are."

"Oh yeah," the girl challenged. "Then prove it."

Bucky rolled his eyes and then removed his left glove revealing his silver palm. It had taken him a long time but he had finally grown to accept having the prosthetic arm. He would of course always miss the arm he was born with but the false arm didn't make him weak. He was stronger for surviving everything he had gone through, and that included his arm. So while he appreciated Tony and his efforts in the past to camouflage the silver appendage, Bucky ultimately asked for it to be the way it was but with one minor change. Instead of the red star, his arm now proudly bore the Avengers symbol. Because that's who he was now. He was an Avenger. And he was proud of that and who he was. Now. Sort of. Whatever.

"Holy crap," 'Hawkeye' muttered. "You're the Winter Soldier! That means you're really Captain America?! Oh my god!"

"No, Loki and Thor aren't here. You'll have to settle for us," Bucky smirked, yanking his sleeve back down. "So now you want to explain to us why you're pretending to be our friend as well as shooting up perfectly disgusting restaurants?"

"I'm not pretending. I'm more of a hero than he is!" she hissed. "I'm more of a hero than any of you are. This whole neighborhood is under attack from these tracksuit wearing assholes but that's not big league enough for the Avengers, is it? If there isn't an alien involved, it doesn't matter? Screw all the little people. You guys only care about the glory. And there's no glory in helping normal people is there?"

Bucky took a step back from the sudden venom in her voice. It wasn't an argument that they hadn't heard before. Many people believed that they were only in the superhero business for the glory or the fame. But really they were all too aware that it was impossible to be everywhere at once. That's why the Avengers focused on the more worldwide incidents and teams like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and the whole of the Defenders focused on the more local things. But even though they were super powered, they were still just people. People who couldn't deal with everything in the world. And it was both an insult and a source of guilt for Bucky to hear that people were suffering and they've done nothing to help.

"Hey, don't," Steve murmured, nudging him on the side. Bucky met his gaze and saw Steve smiling gently back at him. Steve watched him for another few moments before turning his focus back to Hawkeye, who was becoming increasingly aware that she had crossed a line.

"Listen, sometimes I…."

"No, I think it's time you listen," Steve corrected. "There are a lot of assumptions and things that you have wrong here. First off, Hawkeye is a hero. He has earned his role as an Avenger, whether you think it or not. He's saved my life more times than I can count. He's like a brother to me and I'm not going to let anyone insult a member of my family. Second, the Avengers care about everyone. We are far from the only superheroes protecting New York. Not to mention, there are police. Have you told the police what's happening?"

"You think I didn't try that?!"

Bucky tilted his head to the side. "No," he said, quietly. "I don't think you tried. I think you actually avoided going to the police."

"What? Why would you think that?!"

"Elementary, my dear Hawkeye. That bow you're rocking? It's definitely more expensive than some street kid would be wearing. Not to mention, the shoes and the top you're wearing. I live with women, I know fashion. You're definitely not from this neighborhood. So you're a runaway." Bucky paused letting her absorb the information. "Also your name is Kate Bishop."

"What? How the hell do you know my name?"

"Because once I realized you were a runaway, it wasn't too difficult to remember the story I heard on the news a few weeks back. The youngest daughter publishing magnate Derek Bishop went missing on her way home from archery practice. The story went on about how passionate you were about archery."

The girl huffed, her hands coming to rest on her hips. "Fine, so that's my real name. So what now?"

Bucky turned to look at Steve. He had no idea what the hell they were supposed to do now. The logical part of him was saying that they should take the girl, drop her off at the nearest precinct while also giving them a good lecture on being more diligent about crime in the neighborhood before leaving to finish up their trip down memory lane. If they still had some time before the day was over, maybe they could convince Matt, Danny, Jessica and Luke to stop micromanaging the like twenty blocks that made up Hell's Kitchen and check up on the tracksuit weirdoes. That was what the logical side of this argument. Naturally, that was the exact opposite of what Steve said and what Bucky would end up doing.

"We need to help these people," Steve said. Kate's eyes widened. "We don't need to do anything crazy or excessive. Let's just go find out where these guys are operating and shake them up a little bit. If they think the Avengers are watching, they'll be a little more cautious in targeting these people."

Bucky sighed before making a circle in the air. "This right here is why we don't hang out that much anymore. I'm getting tired of following you into the fire."

"Weren't you the one saying you loved violence and murder?"

"Yeah, I like it when SHIELD sanctions it! This is not sanctioned. This is us going in vigilante style. You know who else is a vigilante? Daredevil! And you know where he spent last night? In in the Infirmary! And he got yelled at by Claire. I don't want to get yelled at by Claire. I don't want get yelled at by anyone. But we are because this is going to get us in trouble. Pepper is going to lecture us again. I swear she's about to send out a memo about you, Steve. A memo!"

"Oh, like you have it any better hanging out with Clint," Steve countered with that damn smirk that apparently no one outside of the Avengers seemed to notice. "Didn't you get pushed off a building into a dumpster while he got shot with an arrow the last time you two hung out unsupervised?"

"He was not pushed off a building! He fell!" Matt protested, cutting the story off again. He was wearing a familiar expression of exasperation. This was a popular topic of discussion in the few short months since Daredevil had come into contact with the Avengers. It was now an in joke amongst the team, even spreading to Jessica, Luke and Danny. Phil had to admit that it was fun bringing it up, if only because it still provoked that reaction from the normally unflappable lawyer. It didn't seem to matter that Bucky was obviously fine and held no ill will from his impromptu fall. Matt acted like a pissed off cat any and every time it was mentioned prompting everyone around him to bring it up all the damn time.

"Technically, Matt is right," Bucky snickered. "I did fall off the building."

"You fell off a building?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, after he hit me."

"You hit him?" she asked, turning to look at Matt.

"Yeah, I did," Matt murmured. Clint patted him on the knee. Kate narrowed her eyes.

"And who shot you with an arrow?"

"My brother," Clint shrugged.

"Oh, wow. You guys are weird."

"You have no idea!"

Phil groaned. "Okay, bring it back. Speaking of Barney. How did he and his probably, definitely ill-gotten money get involved in all of this madness?"

"Oh, that's because Matt had one job!" Darcy chided, not even looking up from her phone this time. "Follow Bucky. That was your job. And you failed. Bad Matt!"

"I'm not a dog!" Matt protested. "I tried to follow him. But it's a big city and you know I did have a concussion at the time!"

"At the time? That was like six hours ago. You still have a concussion. Actually you have an extra concussion on top of the one you already had," Foggy corrected. Matt sucked his teeth and slumped further down in his seat. Lucky shifted so that he was lying down over Matt's feet. His shaggy head resting against the vigilante's feet.

"It worked out. Because if you hadn't lost Bucky's heartbeat, we wouldn't have found Lucky in time," Clint said, quietly. Matt's head tilted towards him. He leaned forward to ruffle Lucky's fur gently. It had only been a few hours and that dog already had Clint and Matt wrapped around his golden paw. Scratch that, he noticed the fond looks Steve and Bucky were throwing Lucky's way.

Any remaining reservations or hesitation Phil might have had about the team and a living creature that would depend on them for survival went out the door. They were attached in a way he had only seen them direct towards one another. The dog was staying. Phil didn't know what they did to get the dog but he knew that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Lucky stayed with them.

"Are you sure they came this way?" Darcy asked for what felt like the hundredth time but really was only about the fifth… in the span of eight minutes. Clint had to stifle the urge to laugh at the look that crossed Matt's face. The lawyer was clearly fighting the urge to snap at her but it looked like he was close to giving up that fight. And then suddenly he stopped short in front of a large apartment building with a confused look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Matt raked a hand through his hair. He tilted his head down clearly listening for something before sniffing the air. Clint watched as his expression darkened before a furious blush rose in his cheeks.

"So, I think I may have made a mistake."

"I knew they didn't come this way!" Darcy groaned. "So if we haven't been following Bucky and Steve… who have we been following?"

"Uh, his brother?" Matt murmured, pointing at Clint. The archer nodded, ready to assure Matt that it wasn't his fault and that everything was okay. That is until he finally registered what Matt said.

"My what?! We've been following Barney… you know where Barney is?"

"Apparently, there," Matt replied, biting on his lip absently. "I don't know how I got sidetracked. I was following Bucky's heartbeat but then all of a sudden I noticed this scent and started following that instead."

"Don't apologize, this is even better!" Darcy assured him. "We've been looking everywhere for that stupid rat bastard. Now we can find and nail his balls to the wall for messing with Clint! You did good, puppy."

"Not a dog," Matt groused but Clint saw the tiny smile curving his lips. "You really think he's in there?"

"Only one way to find out," Clint replied, already marching towards the building. He heard Matt and Darcy griping about his lack of impulse control but they were still following him so Clint didn't take it seriously.

They made short work of the main locked door and were on the elevator before Clint really had time to even think of how they were going to proceed. It was clear that people lived here. They couldn't just go in and make a scene. But still, this was Barney. The bastard who shot him just a few months ago. His brother. The same one that protected him at the group home and then abandoned him at the circus. Oh, and triggered Bucky's programming and almost got him killed. That part actually bothered Clint the most.

"It's this one," Matt said, breaking the heavy silence that had settled on the trio when they entered the elevator. They stood in front of the door to apartment 12B. It was totally innocuous. It just seemed like any of apartment door. But if Matt was to be believed, and of course he was because he was Matt, just beyond this door was his brother. His criminal brother who faked his own death, teamed up with an international sociopath and then came back just to torture and harass his little brother.

Clint liked to think that Barney was an anomaly in that building.

"We don't have to do this," Darcy whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Or we could actually do the smart thing and call in backup. Steve and Bucky have to be pretty close by. And I know for a fact that Bucky is definitely up for Round 2 with Barney. Steve is ready to end this whole thing. And possibly Barney."

Clint snorted. Yeah, that last part was definitely true. Steve did not take Barney's actions well. He had never seen Steve so angry before. Although Natasha told him that she had but only once before. That was when they found out that Swordsman buried Clint alive. That was the only time Natasha had seen Steve come close to Hulk level of rage. Clint really tried to not think about that one too much.

"Yeah, let's just get this over with," he finally said, clearing his throat. He made even quicker work of picking the lock and then they were entering the den of the beast. The inside of the apartment was sparse but clearly lived in. however long his brother was lurking in New York City, it was obviously spent here for the most part.

"The apartment is clear," Matt announced. "The only heartbeats I hear are ours. So unless he's dead, for real this time, then I don't think he's here."

Clint glanced around the apartment. "Yeah, you're right. And I don't think he's been here for at least a couple of days." He ran a finger over the countertop in the kitchen and wasn't surprised to see a fine layer of dust coating his fingertip. "Figures, the bastard couldn't just make this easy for me."

"He might have been gone for a while but look at what he left behind!" Darcy's excited voice caused both men to turn and follow her to the bedroom. Or what he supposed was meant to function as a bedroom.

There was a ratty looking mattress on the floor, haphazardly covered by even more ragged sheets. But that wasn't what caught Darcy's attention. The woman was squatting on the floor in front of a bag full of cash. A lot of cash. Matt and Clint joined her on the floor. Darcy pulled one of the many stacks out of the bag and flipped it by Matt's ear. The lawyer sneezed as dust sprayed from the bills.

"What was the point of that?"

"Can you tell how much is in there?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "I know you guys think my powers are like magic. But they're really not. I can't tell you how much money is in there just by you flapping that in my face."

"Really? That's lame."

"I live to disappoint."

Clint was about to respond when he heard movement from the front of the apartment. By the time the hesitant footsteps approached the room, Matt had Darcy shoved behind him while Clint was wielding his collapsible bow. But instead of his brother, it was a pretty dark-skinned woman who did not seem nearly as alarmed as she should to have an arrow pointed at her face. If anything she smiled a little brighter.

"Oh good, you must be Clint. He said you'd be by eventually. I'm Simone."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Uh, hi? Who exactly said I'd be by?"

"Your brother, of course. You are Clint, right?"

Darcy pushed passed a similarly confused Matt. "You know his brother?"

"Of course. Everyone in the building knows Barney. He's been gone for a while though. He left about a few weeks ago. Said you'd be coming through one day," Simone continued. "So have you seen him?"

"Seen who?"

"Your brother, Barney," Simone said, looking as if she were questioning his sanity. That was fair because he was definitely questioning his sanity at the moment. What kind of Twilight Zone nonsense had he walked into here?

"No, I haven't seen him since he lured me onto a rooftop and shot me," Clint hissed. "Wherever the bastard is, he can stay there."

Simone's pretty features twisted as she tried to process this new information. Clint felt sorry for her. He knew all too well how charming Barney could be when he was trying. So he knew that whatever lines his brother fed her had the woman hook line and sinker. She genuinely appeared confused and somewhat flustered that Clint wasn't extoling the virtues of his brother. He wanted to feel bad. But he didn't. Because Barney was the worst.

"Well, it's just that... since he's been gone. Things have gotten a lot worse around here. He was the only thing that was keeping those tracksuit weirdoes away. And now that he's gone, they've been around even more."

"The who?" Matt asked, head cocked to the side.

"No one really knows their name. We just call them the Tracksuit Draculas. They own a bunch of places in the neighborhood, including this building. But they're hardly proper landlords."

"What are they doing exactly?"

"They come and go whenever they please, demanding ridiculous amounts of money for rent. They harass all the tenants. They're horrible. Your brother showed up a few months ago and set up here in this apartment. He's been keeping them away. But then a few weeks ago, he just left. He said that his kid brother would probably be around eventually but that he had something to take care of. He promised he'd be back but…"

Clint clenched his jaw. He had no idea what the hell Barney was trying to pull here but it sounded like he was actually helping. Clint was definitely not going to read anything in this. He didn't know what the endgame was here but he was done trying to find the good in Barney Barton. His brother was dead to him…. and yet.

"Okay, so how can I help?" he found himself saying instead of doing the logical thing. Logic said he should take the money and run. But no, the same damn savior complex that led him to gear up and try to save the world with a bunch of people with superpowers every week reared its ugly head and reminded him that he had a duty to help. It sounded oddly like Steve.

"You want to help us?" she asked, skeptically. "What can you do? No offense, but Barney was kind of a badass. You're like…. Not?"

Darcy snickered while Matt settled for that fake cough laugh thing. Clint rolled his eyes and elbowed the jerk in the ribs. For all his super radar like senses, Matt still didn't see that one coming. Ha, blind joke.

"So you in or what?" Clint threw over his shoulder. Matt coughed, drawing an exaggerated gasp of air in. He's seen Matt take harder blows than that and keep punching. So he wasn't concerned about actually injuring the idiot. So dramatic.

"This is so going to end in a fighting, isn't it?"

"No, we're just going to take this cash that Barney left behind and use it to get them to leave these people alone."

"I repeat, this is going to end in fighting, isn't it?"

Clint grinned. "Most likely. Why? You scared?"

"The Devil of Hell's Kitchen fears nothing."

Darcy groaned. "Idiot boys."

"Oh, like you're not in."

"I'm in. I just want the record to show that I think you're both idiots."

Simone was looking between the three of them skeptically. "So it's you, a blind guy and a college student against the entire Tracksuit Draculas?"

"Yeah, sounds about right," Clint nodded with a grin growing. "Trust me, if Barney was actually helping and he's pretty much evil, imagine what we, the good guys, can do."

Simone remained skeptical. That was valid. At this point, Clint was convinced that the woman was in love with Barney. There was no other excuse for the kind of blind loyalty she was demonstrating. Clint knew from experience that showing that kind of affection to Barney Barton only ended up with you lying in a ditch with broken bones and multiple stab wounds. Despite the fact that this woman was blind to his inherent awesome, he still didn't want her ending up dead in a ditch. Especially since she seemed to have little humans.

"Mom?" one of the little humans that suddenly appeared by her side asked. It was a boy. He was no older than eight and he was holding onto an even younger boy. "Why is Hawkeye in Mr. Barney's apartment?"

"Hawk…. Like the Avengers?" Simone asked, eyes slightly wide. Clint shrugged. He let his gaze dip towards the bow and arrow and then back up with a knowing smirk. Simone frowned. "But I thought Hawkeye was a girl."

"In her defense," Darcy said, once the round of giggling and snickering stopped. "More people would know who you were if you would stop disappearing after a battle."

"I have to retrieve my arrows!" Clint retorted defensively. "I let SHIELD do it once and I only got them back like a week later. R&D kept them for a week trying to figure out how they work. They took them apart and put them back together all wrong."

"If you would just work with them instead of against them, they might actually give you the arrows back on time."

"But R&D sucks," Clint pouted. Lucky whimpered, placing his head on Clint's lap. "You don't suck, do you? You know my struggle."

Phil watched as Matt patted the archer on the knee. "Anyway, after we reclaimed the bits of Clint's dignity that was hurt in that moment, we made our way over to where the Tracksuit Mafia hung out when they weren't harassing a building full of people."

"We'll spare you the ugly details on what we saw when we got there but I do maintain that all violence we inflicted on them was totally well deserved," Darcy said. "They were beating a defenseless animal. Specifically that defenseless animal."

Phil winced. He saw the discharge paperwork Darcy brought with her when she arrived with Lucky in tow. The dog should've still been in the hospital but Darcy somehow convinced the hospital that he would be better healing with them. But judging from the multitude of bandages covering the poor thing, not to mention the missing eye, Darcy was probably right in that assessment. What Lucky needed now was lots of TLC and a home where he was safe. The Tower and all the weirdoes that called it home would do wonders at showing that dog the love he deserved. Phil sighed, already mentally slotting Lucky into their daily lives and routines.

"So yeah, we came there ready to talk but then… Lucky, and negotiations came to a standstill," Matt finished. "Everything was fine until the one dude grabbed Darcy before she could taze him."

"I'm fine," Darcy murmured as if she could sense Bucky's concerned gaze. She was still typing something on her phone as she had been through this whole debrief session. "It's just a bruised wrist. They looked at it while I was waiting for Lucky. So stop tensing, you weirdo. It's not good for your arm." Bucky let out a small chuckle but relaxed against Steve, who was still propped up against the wall.

"So back to the story, after Clint finished losing his shit over someone daring to touch Darcy," Matt started, "we put her and Lucky in an Uber and decided to take on the Tracksuit Assholes alone."

Because of course they did.

Okay, this looked bad. This looked really bad. He could breathe a little easier knowing that Darcy was out of harm's way along with the dog they found. But that now left just him and Matt, who was already working with a concussion. They had no backup and no hopes of getting any backup. Meanwhile the tracksuit sporting bros seemed to have endless waves of backup arriving from every corner of their shady ripped from a 80s movie hideout. Clint didn't regret starting this fight but he did regret that he didn't fight harder at getting Matt in the cab with Darcy. At least he wouldn't have to have Matt's death on his conscience too. Natasha thought her ledger was full. At least hers wasn't written with the blood of friends.

"So I'm low on ammo and you're already bleeding," Clint said quietly. They were slowly backing away. Clint saw the stab wound in his friend's shoulder that he was poorly trying to conceal. "What are our odds of living?"

"Slim to none with just us," Matt replied, like he was commenting on the weather. But slowly a smile ticked at the corner of his lips. "But our odds just went up to fair chance of survival with only semi mortal wounds."

"Huh?" was all Clint had time to ask before several of the bros were bodily tossed into a far wall while another wave fell under the unerring aim of the world's second best sniper. Although he was so grateful to see Bucky in that moment that he might just be willing to concede the title to him after all.

"You got the party started without us," Steve chided as he joined the fray. "I'm disappointed. I thought we were supposed to be friends."

"They started it. Basically struck Clint's major triggers. They hit a dog and Darcy."

"Is she….?" Bucky asked, looking around for his girlfriend. Clint arched an eyebrow even as Bucky tossed him one of his spare knives. "Of course, she's safe. Okay. Well, need more arrows?"

"Uh, yeah? But where are you going to get…." Clint trailed off as two of the tracksuit losers fell to the ground, struck down with well-timed arrows. The hell?

Bucky smirked. "Hawkeye? Meet Hawkeye."

Clint narrowed his eyes as a teenage girl dropped down to a low crouch in front of him. She cocked her head to the side, sizing him up. Finally, she made a murmuring sound and looked over to the highly amused Bucky.

"I thought he would be taller."

"There are a lot of questions that I have right now, but I'm going to be the bigger person and not get into it right now," Clint said, ignoring Matt's poorly muffled snort. "The only question I have for you right now is what the hell are you guys doing here?"

"Same thing you are," Steve grinned, punching one of the mafia guys in the face. "We're here to fight these guys."

"I knew you wanted to fight them," Bucky muttered under his breath. He glanced back at Clint. "Look bottom line, we found out these jokers have been terrorizing the neighborhood. So we decided to stop by and share our opinions on the matter."

"Through violence?" Clint grinned, taking out a guy sneaking up on Steve.

"Exactly!" Bucky grinned.

It was his sharp, dangerous grin that promised someone was going to be in for a world of hurt before the day was over. Clint really couldn't find it in him to be concerned about that either. These assholes deserved any and everything they had coming to them.

"So lady and gents," Clint said, taking aim. "Let's liberate us a neighborhood!"

"And that's the story, boss," Clint shrugged. "We kicked ass and the tenants gave us control over the building. The Tracksuit Dumbasses took the money. So the building is technically ours. Or it will be as soon as Matt figures out how to make it legal."

Phil glared at Matt. "I thought you would be a good example for them."

Foggy scoffed. "You've met him. What on earth gave you that idea?"

Phil had to admit that the man raised an interesting point. He should've realized immediately after meeting the man that Matt was cut from the same sarcastic, man-child cloth that Clint, Steve, Bucky, Tony and Scott were made of. He should've… but he didn't. He was really slipping these days. Too many of them to look after.

"Okay, so that's the story. But what the hell am I supposed to with all of this?"

"Easy," Darcy said, finally putting her phone to side. She smiled and Phil remembered that she was easily just as dangerous as the rest of the team.

"Clint Barton is now the proud new owner of a golden retriever named Lucky. You have an appointment next week to have him micro chipped. Doctor Kenneth Sangers will be by tomorrow to check on him. He'll be seeing him in his office going forward. Tomorrow is just a courtesy home visit. In addition to Lucky, Clint is also the proud co-owner of a lovely apartment complex in Bed-Stuy. He shares ownership with Steve Rogers and James Barnes. The law office of Nelson and Murdock officially brokered the deal. So it's all official and legally binding. The Tracksuit Morons will have a hell of a battle on their hands if they try coming for that building again. Not that we wouldn't gladly give it to them."

"Uh, what? When? How?" Foggy asked, looking more than a little confused. Which was good because it was a common emotion in the room.

"Well, I had to do something while I waited for the dog," Darcy shrugged, with an air of casual indifference. "Karen helped a lot too."

"They're teaming up," Steve whispered loudly.

"And they're more efficient than Phil," Bucky added. "This is both really scary and kind of turning me on. Is that wrong?"

"Yes!" the other men not dating Darcy chorused together. Clint followed it up with a quiet 'gross'. Phil just remained quiet on the subject altogether.

"I thought it was sweet," Darcy cooed, blowing Bucky a kiss. "Now, if you're all done here, I'm going to round up the boys here because they have a busy day tomorrow."

"We do?"

"They do?"

"Yes," Darcy smiled again. "Tomorrow is technically the day off for Hamilton performances. But the cast just found out about the building and how they've been harassed for months by the Mafia before the Avengers took care of it. They were moved and offered to host a private performance with a meet and greet after the show for the all the residents of the building. And all of the Avengers and associated affiliates."

"You got us Hamilton tickets?!" Steve's eyes lit up "Bucky go kiss your girlfriend before one us does it." Bucky rolled his eyes but pushed himself up to do just that.

"Thanks, doll," he grinned.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," she smiled back just as wide, pecking him on the lips again. "So boss, we done?"

"Yeah," Phil said, shaking his head. "I guess we are. You're all free to go."

"Oh, excellent timing," JARVIS' calm voice intoned. "Mr. Murdock, Mr. Cage and his associates, Ms. Jones and Mr. Rand are here to see you."

Matt gulped audibly. "Darcy, please tell me that they count as associated affiliates?"

"Duh," Darcy smirked, rising to her feet with Bucky. "You worry too much. I thought the Devil of Hell's Kitchen feared nothing."

"The Devil of Hell's Kitchen is not stupid enough to piss off the guy with indestructible skin, the woman that can lift a city bus without breaking a sweat or the guy that punched a dragon in the heart."

"And they said he could never learn!" Foggy teased, pushing a lightly protesting Matt out the door. Kate and Lucky trailed after them, only after being reassured that affiliates included her as well. Bucky, Steve and Darcy followed after them, gently teasing Steve about still being single and promising to find him a date for the show.

Phil was so amused by Steve's sputtering protests that he was totally fine with "dying alone with ten cats" that he almost missed that the room was empty save for one sole hold out. Clint was sitting on the abandoned sofa with his legs folded up and wearing a contemplative expression on his face.

"Clint?" Phil asked, rising to sit beside the quiet archer. "What's wrong?"

Clint's jaw ticked slightly. "There was a part of the story I left out. Because I didn't know what to make of it. Part of me… believes it. But the other part knows that there is someone I can trust. There's someone I trust more than this stupid piece of paper anyway."

"What piece of…." Phil trailed off as Clint pushed a scrap of paper in his hands. It was a letter, scrawled with the similar choppy handwriting Clint used.

"Dear little brother, this money is for you. I haven't always been there for you but I'm giving you a heads up. Something is coming and it's going to rock your little SHIELD world. Get out while you still can. This money should be more than enough to help you and your lady friend. Take care of yourself, kid. And remember, you can't trust anyone in SHIELD. Love, Barney."

Phil looked up from the letter to meet Clint's gaze. The usually emotional blue gray eyes seemed scared this time. He was scared of how Phil was going to react. He was scared that Phil was going to be upset that he held that part of the story out. Phil reached up to place a gentle hand on the side of Clint's neck.

"I'm glad you trust me," he said, causing Clint to relax. "And as loathe as I am to ever say this sentence… I think Barney might be right. There is obviously something going on in SHIELD. Someone left those trigger codes active in Bucky's head. Presumably that same person sold the trigger codes to Barney and who knows who else. There's a definite security breach."

"So you think SHIELD has a mole?" Clint paused. "Another one. Because we already had one last year. That fun adventure led to me being buried alive. Wasn't a fan."

"No," Phil laughed softly. "I don't suppose you would be. But we're going to figure this out, Clint. I'm glad you trusted me."

"I always trust you," Clint replied honestly. Phil smiled a little wider.

It wasn't easy getting Clint to this point. This easy trust was one that he had to struggle and actually bleed a little (okay, a lot) to earn. But he did earn it and he knew it was a fragile thing. Phil was not going to take this lightly. Barney gave his brother an out but Clint turned it down. He opted to stay. Not only was he staying, he was trusting Phil with rooting out whoever it was that was trying to make their lives miserable. Phil was not about to let this one linger on. He would figure out who the mole was and make them regret ever messing with his team.

*I swear I didn't intend to leave this with a cliffhanger or to even end this marvelous crack filled adventure with a plot. But anytime Phil and Clint have private talks, plot follows. And here we are! Hope you all enjoyed!