Author's Note: Aw, thanks for all the positive feedback last chapter! I appreciate it. I'm glad y'all like it so far.

There are more flashbacks, so, again, they're in italics.

Read on!

So I left you in the middle of nowhere,
With not even a phone call home.
Now I know you aren't worth it.
You hurt worse than the kick of a pistol.

Silver Lining:

"Clint," Tony breathed out softly. "You're home."

Clint looked down and shifted awkwardly on his feet. The smile that had been on his face when he was with Nat faded quickly. The archer crossed his arms over his chest. He was nowhere near ready for this confrontation. He'd tried getting himself there, but he wasn't. Seeing Tony was about the worst thing for him right now, just as it had been months ago when he first left.

Clint stared down at the phone in his hands and pressed the send button, lifting it to his ear. It rang once with no answer and then again a second time. Finally, he heard Tony's voice. "Hello?" the genius called dismissively. He was probably in his lab, by how distracted he sounded. Clint didn't say anything; he just hung up and collapsed backwards onto the bed.

Tony frowned. Clint looked really uncomfortable around him. This hadn't been what he wanted. He had only wanted Clint to be okay; he never would've broken up with him if it wasn't what he thought was best. "Welcome back..?" Tony tried in a carefree tone. To Clint, it didn't seem like he even mattered, especially with a dismissive, offhanded greeting like that.

"Thanks," Clint mumbled, shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets. His eyes were still downcast and he just wanted to avoid looking at Tony. They stood there for a few seconds in silence before Tony spoke up again.

"Are you… crying..?" the genius asked, having heard the small whimper that escaped the archer's lips.

"You're leaving?" Tony asked with a frown. "Me breaking up with you wasn't me giving you permission to leave. Stay." Clint just shook his head.

"I can't, Tony. I can't stay here, not now." The genius pouted. "I'll be back. I just need some time. Take care of yourself."

Tony frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Come on, Clint. We've all had relationships end. It isn't that big a deal," he said without thinking. It was a big deal to Clint. No one had ever loved him, not really, not like Tony did. Nat didn't even love him like that when they went out.

"Tony, I wish I could I stay with you. But I just can't," Clint half-squeaked out.

"Are you… crying..?" Tony asked, approaching Clint and pulling him in for a hug. "Don't cry because of me. I don't want to see you hurt and I don't want it to be my fault."

Clint pushed Tony away and wiped at his eyes. "Too late for that, asshole."

Clint's head shot up and he glared at Tony, who lifted his hands in surrender. "Like you give a damn," the archer spat, shaking his head. "I need to finish unpacking…" he mumbled, walking off without another word and leaving Tony standing in the middle of the room to feel bad.

Clint didn't go to his room and he knew Tony knew that. He walked the complete other direction; the gym. He needed to let off a little steam and that was the place to do it. Unsurprisingly, Steve was already in there laying into a punching bag. Clint smirked at the familiarity at the scene. He whistled at Steve, facial expression lacking the anger that had been there moments before. "Clint," the blond said quietly, "you're home," and if Clint cringed at that, it wasn't on purpose.

"Yeah, I'm home. Nat didn't tell you?" Clint teased. His tone was only slightly off his normal one, but he was sure it wasn't noticeable to anyone he hadn't been around in a while. Unless, of course, that person was Steve Rogers. You could say what you wanted about him and technology, but when it came to his team, he could tell if something was up. It was his job, after all. Steve just stared for a moment before starting to unwrap the fabric around his fists.

"Something's wrong," he pointed out accusingly. "What happened, Clint; what's up?" he asked, concerned. Clint looked slightly hesitant as he shifted on his feet. He really wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it, but this was Steve. He trusted Steve; everyone trusted Captain America. "Does this have something to do with Tony?"

Clint just let out a half-bitter laugh and nodded. "Yeah, you could say that." He walked over and sat down on the edge of the boxing ring, leaning back against the ropes. Steve sat beside him.

"Wanna talk about it?" the blond asked easily. There had been a few times before Clint had gone and talked to Steve instead of Nat, typically when she was on a mission and he didn't have anyone else to go to. Clint paused a moment.

"I should never have said yes in the first place, you know..." the archer mumbled.

Clint huffed out a breath as he stared at Tony. His arms were crossed over his chest and his jaw was clenched slightly. Tony had been asking him for months to go on a date and he was tired of it. He knew Tony's reputation with the things he referred to as relationships. Clint didn't want to be hurt again; he couldn't go through that, especially with Tony. "Please, Clint," Tony pleaded softly. "This isn't some joke. I'm not gonna leave you in the morning. I seriously want to try this."

"Fine," Clint breathed out, though unsure of why. "I'll go out with you."

Even now, Clint wasn't sure why he'd agreed to it. It was stupid; he knew Tony was only going to hurt him from the start. "You trusted him; you thought you'd be different from everyone else. You were. You lasted almost two years. I think he genuinely loved you. Things could be worse."

Clint scoffed and shot Steve a disbelieving look. "Yeah? How? He already broke my heart, ain't that enough?"

"He could've left you standing at the altar."

That one sentence hit Clint hard. After their anniversary, he let himself believe they might make it there. Boy, was he wrong. Tony and his damn commitment issues. They were always going to fail. It wasn't even worth it to try; he knew the outcome before they started. So why did he try? Was it because he loved Tony, or was it because he thought he'd be different?

Clint stood, shooting Steve an appreciative look. "I have to go unpack." And, this time, that's exactly what he did.