※did you know that he met two versions of himself that married you?§

tony freezes, words catching in the back of his throat. he looks to the door, then to clint, then back at the door. steve met versions of himself that married him? what the actual-? but that means somewhere across the multiverse there are steves who feel the same way about him-

he stamps down on the thought as quickly as it arrives, smothering it with a familiar blanket of denial.

※he didn＊t.§

※and from what he said, a hell of a lot more versions of himself were sleeping with, dating or in a relationship with you too,§ clint rms him, ignoring the refutation.

tony holds onto the denial. ※it might not even have been real,§ he reasons, voice low. ※you heard richards.§

※and you heard thor,§ clint shoots back. ※even if it wasn＊t, even if all that was just some bad trip, he felt it. it was real for him. and either way, it＊s either the multiverse or his subconscious, there＊s feelings for you swimming around out there. big, big feelings, even if he doesn＊t get it yet.§

as much as he doesn＊t want to, tony has to acknowledge that clint is right.

※fuck,§ he says, hollowly.

※aaaand he might also know how you feel about him.§

something close to distress swells in tony＊s sternum. ※barton, what did you do? what did you tell him?§

clint promptly pushes himself away from the wall and starts stepping away, moving backwards swiftly. ※would you look at that, now everyone is freaking out. my work here is done.§

※barton!§

he＊s gone before tony can grab hold of him, which probably would only end with tony being pinned to the floor in a very painful and undignified position anyway. he bites down to the impulse to keep yelling after him, still aware enough to remember steve is sleeping on the other side of a door that isn＊t sound proofed.

clint vanishes around the corner at the end of the corridor and tony puts his hands on the back of his head, cursing internally. he clenches his jaw, turns to look at steve through the window once more and then drops his hands in something that＊s either eptance or defeat. maybe both.

※fuck.§