Mischief on Midgard

Join the family

Only a single day had passed since Tony had taken Robert under his wing on Steve's request, and yet here they stood again as Steve petitioned Tony to take others in. Steve and Natasha stood with bowed heads, looking contrite. Clint was there too, but he didn't have the same expression. More that he looked bored or... perhaps annoyed?

"So... let me get this straight. You two want to bunk at my place now too?" Tony asked with a frown before he threw up his hands in exasperation. "Anyone else want to join in then?! Are we all just going to live together now? Is that it?"

"Tony, look...." Steve swallowed roughly and shook his head. "S.H.I.E.L.D. was originally housing us, but after what happened with HYDRA and all of that I... I can't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. It just isn't right to do so when they're so compromised. How could I trust that the orders I received were actually from SHIELD itself and not an order Hydra? Because of that, I... don't have anywhere to go right now."

"I..." Natasha fell quiet and let out a soft sigh. "I don't know what to do either. S.H.I.E.L.D. was all that I had."

Tony turned to look at Natasha and then let out a gusty sigh of his own as he turned to look at Clint.

"You want to join the party, too?" he asked in a dry tone.

"No," Clint huffed and shook his head. "In fact, I've been the one housing these two for the last couple of days. And I told them before, they could stay for as long as they needed."

He turned to look at the pair with a disappointed frown.

"I'll repeat it again," he said firmly. "The two of you can still stay at my place if you need to."

"Clint," Natasha looked at him with an expression of fond exasperation. "I can't keep imposing on you."

"Nonsense Nat, you are part of the family. You know that," Clint said firmly. He waved a hand towards Steve. "He can stay too."

Steve shook his head, his voice equally as firm and unyielding.

"No, Clint," he started, "our presence is compromising your home and family, it's not right for us to stay any longer."

"Wait, what?!" Tony blinked at Steve in confusion before turning to look at Clint. His tone sounded befuddled and amazed as he spoke. "You have got a family? Legolas has a family?!"

"Why do you look so surprised?" Clint asked drolly as he crossed his arms.

"I just... you have a family. I mean a wife obviously, but... you also have kids and stuff?" Tony asked. He was acting like his world had been flipped upsidedown.

"Again, you're making it sound like it's weird for me to have a family," Clint commented with a small snort.

"Seriously?" Tony tried again, still looking befuddled.

Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"My family life is strictly separated from my role as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," he told the group. "Well... it was. I don't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. at this point either. I mean, how can I? They had that corruption within their ranks for who knows how long. I... can't trust them anymore."

"So you've gone, what? Freelance?" Tony asked.

Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Took an early pension," he informed them. "Fury approved it."

"Sooooo," Tony dragged the word out as he tapped on his chin. "Does your wife know that you killed people for a living?"

"TONY!" Natasha exclaimed in a scandaled tone.