Fractured

SHIELD was gone. Hydra? Really? How in the Hell had Hydra managed to infiltrate SHIELD without anyone recognizing it? Well, people did notice. That’s why his parents were killed. It made Tony think – really think about how things could have been different if only they had stayed. If only his dad hadn’t wanted to take his mom on a trip. How they just had to stop at the base to pick up god knows what. And now there was no hiding from it. Romanoff had dropped everything onto the web.

Everything.

Hydra was exposed. SHIELD was no more. Maybe in ruins and rebuilding to be better, but they had a long way to go. Cap had really done a number on DC.

Cap.

“You know, Steve, you picked one hell of a time to take another nap.”

Tony glanced down at the hospital bed next to him. Washington DC  had done more than just taken down Hydra. On the shores of the Potomac, Sam Wilson had found a piece of wreckage from the Helicarrier with a distraught Winter Soldier digging. “Steve’s in there!” he had told Sam.

While reluctant at first to help the man who had tried to murder him – hell, threw him off a flying aircraft without his wings – Sam had seen Cap’s shield, still on his arm sticking out from under the wreckage.

He didn’t hesitate.

They worked all day and night with several crews coming to their aid to remove the wreckage. Steve was under it all. Alive, but not regaining consciousness. Tony got the medical bay set up at the tower for them to bring him and after several assessments, each doctor came to the same conclusion.

Steve Rogers, Captain America, was in a coma.

Bucky Barnes had been taken into custody, of course, without much of a resistance. He explained what happened to the best of his recollection. The two of them had been fighting as the Helicarrier was crashing. At some point Steve had given up and couldn’t fight back and when he didn’t, something in Bucky’s brain told him to stop. He couldn’t explain it. Seeing Steve bloody and bruised by his hand and willing to just take it had flipped a switch. And then the carrier crashed and that’s when Sam arrived.

Taking the extra precautions Bucky was in holding with Natasha keeping an ever watchful eye on him. The rest of the team had been alerted, of course, and were on their way to Avengers Tower. It was a good thing Tony had set up their quarters a few months after New York. Thor had been the first to arrive, already eager to find Loki’s scepter. He was not at all pleased and although by no means an expert on Asgardian body language, Tony felt that a lot of his frustration and anger also came with the fact that Steve was out of the game.

Bruce arrived next and Tony was rather happy to have his science bro back. The two of them could spend hours in the lab talking science and theories and Tony was sure for the both of them, it was a welcome distraction from the predicament here in medical. In fact Tony was sure he would be in there with him now or Banner wasn’t off doing some secret project with Natasha. Tony could have easily retreated into his lab to tinker with something, however there was still one person who had yet to arrive and Tony knew that if he started working on a project probably miss the arrival of one Clint Barton.

The archer hadn’t arrived at the tower yet and honestly seem to have disappeared very quickly after the events of New York. Natasha had filled Tony in on what had transpired when everyone went their separate ways and what she told him made him feel bad for the guy. While everyone went on their well deserved R&R, Barton had been recalled to SHIELD for a “psychological evaluation” despite the fact that he had helped fight Loki and the Chitauri and save New York City. There were still plenty of higher ups that wanted to be certain that he was completely free of Loki’s mind control. You would think being brought in to The Avengers and saving a city would clear you of any wrongdoing all being a mind controlled puppet. Apparently not to SHIELD. And according to Natasha the tests were not at all easy. She didn’t go into detail but Tony felt like she didn’t really need to. The look on her face said it all. All she did tell him was that they did everything to make sure that he wouldn’t snap or that Loki wasn’t hiding in wait. After he was cleared he had been sent to a confidential location that only a few people were privy of. Natasha was one but when Tony pried she refused to even give him a hint. It became a fun game between them.

Or at least Tony found it fun. Maybe not so much Natasha.

Speaking of the devil, Tony had heard the door open and the clicking of Natasha’s boots. “Barton just got here.”

He turned, glancing at his watch. “About time. Must have been a long flight from…. Thailand?”

“Nice try, Tony,” she smirked, laughing just a little in her throat. “No, he didn’t come from Thailand. He’s actually not allowed there anymore.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“That is classified.”

“That’s a shame. I’m sure he could have used some Mai Thais on the beach.”

“He doesn’t drink.”

Tony appeared almost offended. “Well I guess I’ll have to switch his welcome drink from champagne to sparkling cider. How does he not drink? Isn’t that important for your sneaky spy missions to fancy galas?”

“It’s personal. You can ask him yourself instead of questioning where he’s been hiding the last few months.”

“Why not both?”

The look Natasha gave him was enough of a warning to tell him that she wasn’t going to answer that. “Fine. You going to join me in greeting Mr. Eye?”

“I’ve got a date with Barnes. We’re doing another cognitive test to see whether or not he’s stable enough to be released. Fury thinks we could use him since Steve is….”

Her green eyes traveled to Steve’s body as he laid in his bed. “I’ll catch up with him later. Give him a chance to bond with the rest of the team.”

“A date with metal arm then one with bird brain? Should I be jealous?”

“Maybe. Why? Are you?”

Tony laughed a little as he started to leave the room. “I’m sure your super spy skills have already deduced that answer.”

Natasha hummed as her reply before walking the other way. “Go easy on him, Tony, he’s still beating himself up.”

Tony didn’t have any plans to pester Barton about SHIELD or about New York. Maybe see if he could find out what he had been up to after the fact, sure, and tease him about being late to the party, but nothing too major. Tony wasn’t that cruel. He watched Natasha disappear before heading to the main level, just in time to see the elevator open and Clint Barton exit with a small duffel bag over his shoulder. “Is the rest of your stuff arriving later?”

Clint seemed to smirk as he stepped off the elevator. “No, Stark, I packed just the essentials. I’m just here until everything gets taken care of.” If it were up to him he would still be home but Laura had insisted that she’d be fine without him. This wasn’ther first pregnancy without him, after all. But to Clint it still didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right being here with the Avengers. He didn’t feel like he belonged. After what he had done while under Loki’s Influence, he didn’t feel worthy. Even if Natasha and Fury said otherwise.

“Bet you I can change your mind,” Tony pointed out as he got closer, “I’ve been working on a couple projects I think you’ll really like. Like that suit you have. It is in desperate need of an upgrade. Lucky for you, I’m an amazing designer and know some great tailors.”

“I’m surprised you had any time after your run in with AIM.”

Tony visibly stiffened at the mention of the recent events. “I’m surprised you heard about that during your top secret mission.”

“Yeah, well, Natasha likes to keep me informed on all things related to the Avengers.”

“Good woman you have there.” Clint raised his brow a bit at his comment. “Anyway, let me give you a tour of the place. Give you a chance to get comfortable after your long flight from…where did you say you flew in from again?”

“Nice try, Tony,” Clint hummed as he put a hand on his shoulder. “I just need to know where I’m staying and the training room is. I doubt I’ll be around too long to need to know anything else.”

Tony wasn’t sure why Clint seemed so adamant he wasn’t going to be here long. Maybe Natasha could shed some insight into that. “Don’t let Thor hear you say that – he might get offended.”

During the tour Tony had made it a point to show him his quarters last. Despite Clint’s reassurance that he wouldn’t be staying here Tony wanted to ensure the man knew the layout like it would be his home. He noticed how when he pointed out the medical bay how the archer seemed avoidant to look at the room where Steve was taking his power nap. You didn’t have to be a super spy to figure out that Steve’s predicament was not sitting well with Clint. But he finally showed Clint his room and told him his new suit was in the closet as well as to help himself to food whenever he got hungry, which he expected would be the case after a few hours. With a quick send off he returned himself to his workshop, feeling how his skills itched to work on something.

And as is always the case time flew and if JARVIS hadn’t informed him that it was well into the night he might have stayed there. “Well, the tower is still standing so I think today was a good first day. How is the team doing, JARVIS?”

“Well, sir, although Agent Barton seems to share the same propensity as you for staying up late to work.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been in the training room since everyone else retired for the evening.”

Tony’s brow knitted a bit in confusion as he looked at his watch. Based on everyone’s sleeping habits, that was about six hours ago. He had a couple options. He could leave Barton to his drills and check on him in the morning. Or he could go down to the training room and see what was the reason for such a lengthy and late workout. Although Tony was already out of his seat and on his way to the training room before he had time to consider both options.

~~~

The moment Clint arrived at the tower, he already felt like he didn’t belong. Despite asking Stark to show him just the two rooms he asked about, Tony had been adamant to show him the entirety of the tower. Yeah, sure, it was nice to know the layout of the building in case of an emergency and how to get around, but all Clint really wanted to do was to relax after his flight and call Laura and the kids. Laura seemed more excited about him being there than he was. “Fury chose you for a reason for this, Clint.”

“I’m not a superhero, Laura. I’m just a SHIELD agent….well, former SHIELD agent.”

“Doesn’t matter. You knew about the initiative before anyone. Fury told you he wanted you to be a part of it. You’ve earned this.”

Earned this. Right. After what happened in New York Clint was pretty sure he deserved something else. And so did most of SHIELD. After he had been “recalled” he had seen how the other agents seemed wary around him. How many of them avoided looking at him or coming too close. Those that did look at him showed either anger or fear and the notes taped to his quarter’s door with names, faces and the label MURDERER were enough of a reminder to him that they didn’t care that he had been mind-fucked by a demigod. They blamed him.

And honestly, he blamed himself.

After his phone call with Laura who seemed adamant that he give the team a chance and to try and be a part of it he had showered and tried to get some rest. But every time he closed his eyes and started to drift off he got flashes of what had happened. Flashes of the people he hurt. The agents he killed. The memory of the feeling of wanting to tear Natasha apart from the inside out and Loki – Loki always being in his ear whispering the same thing:

“Let the monster be free.”

He couldn’t sleep. It was a common trend after certain missions that never seemed to go well. Laura knew how to handle the sleepless nights and she even made up a loft in the barn so he could crash there while he stayed up to work on his arrowheads. But here there was no hiding. Not until everyone went asleep. He waited for the dark to consume the tower before heading down to the training room with his bow and practice arrows.

As much as he used it on his missions, drawing and shooting his bow was one of the best ways for him to distract himself from his inner demons. Every movement had to be calculated. Every mark had to be checked and rechecked so he could make the perfect shot. Shoot straight, never miss. That was his manta in his head every time he pulled back on that bowstring. He couldn’t miss. If he missed then what good was he?

He lost track of time as he kept changing his shots. Stationary targets, moving targets, stationary with him on the move, so on and so forth. To keep his focus on his targets and mute his inner thoughts he had removed his hearing aid and placed it safely in his pocket. He could still somewhat hear without it but it removed enough of the noise to keep him from having to hear the darker processes of his mind. He did, however, hear the muffled sounds of the door opening and felt the thumps of someone walking in. They said something but he couldn’t quite make it out, but he did recognize the voice. “Hang on,” he said, probably louder than he needed to before lowering his bow and pulling the aid out of his pocket to bring back to his ear.

“You’re deaf?” Tony asked, noticing the small device. How had he had not seen it before?

“Hard of hearing. Got too close to a sonic arrow on a mission. Don’t recommend.” That wasn’t the whole story. The sonic arrow had definitely made it much worse but the loss of his hearing stemmed from a tragic accident back in his childhood. Something he didn’t discuss with anyone.

Tony seemed to buy it as he nodded. “Well, add that to the short list of things I’ve found out about you. JARVIS told me you were still awake. Figured I’d come check up on you.”

“Why? Afraid I’ll go all dark and murder-y again?” Maybe not the best choice of words, especially considering the confused gaze on Tony’s face. “Sorry…bad habits. I’m fine, Stark.”

“You know, I would believe that if you weren’t in here for six hours and used that as an attempt at humor,” Tony commented as he stepped further into the room. “And the bags under the eyes. I recognize the lack of sleep maybe better than anyone here….actually, scratch that. Second best. Natasha can smell it off of you.”

That actually did get a chuckle out of Clint. “But I can also see the look of guilt in that face of yours, Barton.”

That made the smirk disappear. “No one here blames you, you know. About what happened with Loki.”

Clint sighed as he collapsed his bow. “I appreciate that, Tony.” Although he knew that was a lie – there was one person here who blamed him.

And Tony…well, Tony could see it in his body language. He may not be a super spy like Natasha or Clint, but he could still tell the tell-tale signs of guilt. Lord knows he had that after he found out that his weapons were being used to kill American soldiers and innocent civilians. But despite being the person who knew how he felt, Tony wasn’t quite sure how to make him feel better or less guilty about everything. Tony’s way of coping was self destructive, to put it lightly. He couldn’t deny that the urge to go pour himself a tall glass of something wasn’t there. Maybe after their next mission. “You should go get some rest. We got some work to do if we’re going to locate Loki’s scepter.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Are you and Natasha on a quest to see who can stay awake the longest?”

“Tasha already holds that record. But to be fair I was bleeding out on the prison cell floor.”

“Was that you making a joke?”

Clint shrugged with a smirk. “You’re the genius. You tell me.”

Tony scrunched his face in thought for a bit before giving up. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

Clint laughed once again before expanding his bow once again. “Good night, Tony.”

Tony huffed as he watched Clint go back to his target practice. He waited a moment, watching how the archer shot with such accuracy. He had only seen snippets of it during New York but to witness it in person? He was reminded of a thought he had before he had gone to see Clint after he took down the Helicarrier. I’m really glad he’s on our side.

Tony finally left but he didn’t go to bed. “Hey JARVIS?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I need you to open a new project file for me.”

“And what shall I name this one, sir?”

“Barton’s Arrow Designs….BAD for short….I really need to work on coming up with better acronyms for things.”

TBC…