Clint stared down his target. His world was serene as he let out a steady breath, his muscles sore but relaxed in the familiar position of an arrow knocked in his bow.
But that stance was just as quickly replaced with a new one from the simple motion of his fingers releasing the string. Time seemed to slow as he watched the arrow fly flawlessly through the air. It seemed to take ages but in reality, it was only a split second before it hit a tiny red dot on a tree trunk forty yards away.
Clint let a smirk grace his lips, "Too easy," He mumbled before strolling towards the tree, making sure to take his time and breathe in the fresh forest air surrounding his farm property.
The battle of Sokovia happened only a few weeks ago and the team was still healing, but it had been a longer few weeks for Clint and his family. His wife had just given birth to baby Nathaniel Pietro Barton last week, so between hospital stays, trying to let his injuries heal, and checking in on Wanda and the team, he had to admit, he was run down.
Laura was even more so, from giving birth after the events of Sokovia, hosting a team of 'laying low' superheroes, spilling the can of their existence to those heroes, and not to mention the worry of Clint being injured on the previous mission to retrieve the scepter... He couldn't complain. All they both needed was a break, and this forest archery practice was the first break he'd had in ages.
Before Clint pulled the arrow out of the tree trunk, he smiled at the sight of hitting the tiny dot dead center. He wasn't surprised, he never missed, he was just proud he kept his aim in prime condition.
He examined the tip of his arrow, noticing that it became dull from hours of use today. Clint made a mental note that he would have to sharpen it when he got home, but he honestly didn't know when he could get around to it.
Putting the arrow back in his quiver, he was about to head back to the house when he heard a rustling behind him. Senses immediately going into overdrive, he quickly ducked behind a tree to cover himself from what might be lurking.
Through his racing mind, he determined that it was too loud to be a small forest critter, as it walked on the mix of dead leaves from last fall and the new spring grass. It almost sounded like footsteps.
Tightening the bow in his hand, he silently brought an arrow out of his quiver upon realizing the noise stopped. For a few moments, Clint simply listened, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him before hearing them start up again. But this time it was different. This time, there were two sets of the sound.
Cautiously looking out from behind the tree, he tried to find the source of the noise, immediately seeing a blur rush past him. As it hid in the underbrush before he could get a good look at who it was, he paused for only a moment before springing into action.
Clint advanced in the direction of the blur, positioned behind the bush they rushed passed only seconds ago. Instead of going in and shooting on the spot, Clint decided to take in his bearings first to see what he was up against. It was likely they weren't aware of his position so he had the upper hand.
Slowly, he looked over the bush concealing them, only to find... a pair of deer. An immense wave of relieve rushed through him as he let out a sigh. He almost laughed as he thought back to just seconds ago, thinking someone was roaming around his forest. He had to admit, ever since the new edition to his family he had grown increasingly on edge. He just wanted to make sure his family stayed safe, and after his missions with the Avengers, he'd come to learn that anything can happen at any time.
But he also couldn't help but smile while observing the doe and buck not far away from where he hid. They weren't oblivious though as they quickly noticed Clint, armed and ready. They hesitated only for a moment before sprinting off in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest.
Clint stood up, finally relaxing his bow, and started heading back to his house. He hadn't seen deer on his property in years, so out of everything he could imagine, he wasn't expecting to see that today.
It didn't take long before he reached the farm surrounded by the forests he roamed, instantly being greeted by Natasha who was sitting on the couch holding baby Nate in her arms.
After briefly glancing at Clint, she smiled down at the child she cradled. "What? You couldn't have stayed out hunting longer?" She quietly remarked.
Clint hung his bow on a rack near the door, a smile spreading across his face. "You know I don't hunt, but sorry I interrupted your moment," He said and plopped down next to his best friend, spreading his arms out along the couch frame.
She smirked as she observed the sleeping child. "Well, he may be a traitor, but he's an adorable traitor."
Natasha made a move to pass Nathaniel to him, but Clint simply raised one of his hands to indicate she could hold onto him a while longer. It was a rare occasion that Clint would see his friend smile like this, so he wanted to let her moment last.
She didn't complain as she continued to slightly rock the baby. After a moment, Clint let out a breath. "Thank you for coming by, Nat. You don't know how much it means to Laura and I that you're helping us."
"It's the least I can do, Clint. I know how busy these past few weeks have been, and I know how much you both need a break. Besides, getting to spend time with the Barton rascals is always an added bonus," She said as she referred to Lila and Cooper. Natasha was surprisingly close to the kids, it was a feat she never thought she could manage but somehow, she did. And she wouldn't have it any other way, but it wasn't like she was going to admit that to anyone.
They shared a grin as Clint sunk deeper into the couch, eyes now fixed on his week old son. His grin only grew.
As the silence stilled the air for a few minutes, Clint finally broke it. "When does training start for the new recruits?"
"Next week," Natasha replied quietly so she wouldn't wake up the child. "We're going to be taking it slow though, wait for everything to heal and calm down a bit more before beating them into shape. That means I'll be able to visit in between training days, help out some more."
He nodded but hesitated on the question he was really trying to ask. Eventually, that question slipped out. "Is Wanda doing okay?"
Natasha shrugged. "She's managing. It's hard, but she's a tough kid. She'll get through it. We did, she has our stubbornness," She added to try and convince Clint she would be okay, but even she had to admit it was weak support.
Sure, both Clint and Natasha had to experience just as rough situations in their life and childhood, probably even worse because Wanda actually had friends now to help her through it, but it wouldn't make her struggle easy and it sure as hell wouldn't make it any less painful. She lost her brother, the one person she loved, and that was something she frankly could never get over, no matter how much time passed.
"Why don't we invite her over?" Clint thought aloud. "When you come to visit between training sessions, you can bring her along. It might help."
"I'll propose the idea to her," She simply answered. They knew there was a chance Wanda would deny the request because family was a touchy subject at the moment and she had every right to refuse the invitation.
"If she's comfortable with it, she's more than welcome here any time. After losing…" Clint drifted as he didn't have the heart to say her brother's name aloud. "I just think she could use some family right now."
There was silence as the two of them reflected on the events in Sokovia. Pietro's death took a toll on everyone in some way, but the toll it took on Wanda was infinitely greater. None of them could truly understood what she was going through. They were trying to help her in any way they could, but she was holding back. She didn't trust the team quiet yet, so helping was proving to be difficult.
Clint pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache formed from thinking too much in his sleep deprived state, but that was when he suddenly realized... the house was silent. That rarely happened in the Barton household. "Where is everyone?"
"Laura is trying to get some sleep and the kids are in their rooms."
"Lila and Cooper are silently in their rooms?" Clint said, a bit shocked as that rarely happened.
Natasha smirked. "What can I say, they listen to Auntie Nat when she says they need to be silent and let their mom sleep... or else."
"Threatening the kids Nat? Really? I thought we talked about this?" He mocked as Natasha simply shrugged. The kids did know that Natasha and he were both capable of a lot of... questionable feats due to their jobs, but the kids also realized that no matter what they would never hurt them.
But it wasn't until then that Clint realized how tired he also was from his beginning headache and eyes naturally starting to close in the comfort of the sofa. He and Laura had barely gotten sleep these past few days, constantly getting woken up by Nathaniel in the late hours of the night. He decided that he might as well take advantage of this current opportunity of Natasha taking care of Nate and catch some much needed sleep.
Clint placed a hand lightly on Nate's tiny head, being careful to not wake him up but also wanting to feel his new son's warmth. He left it there a moment before standing up and replying, "I'm going to catch some shuteye too. Thanks for helping, Tasha."
She acknowledged him without a word before he disappeared up the stairs. After quickly checking on Lila and Cooper, he changed into jogging pants and a t-shirt, and climbed into bed next to his wife. He fell asleep almost the instant his head hit the pillow with a smile apparent on his face.
Home. It was surreal to finally have a home to come back to. No matter how tough raising a family was, it was worth every sleepless struggle just to have a place to feel safe and happy. After living most of his childhood without a real place to call home, he was unbelievably grateful to have what he did now. But what made it even better was the fact that Clint could finally share his home with the friends he loves after keeping his family a secrete from them for years.
They may be superheroes, but they weren't invincible. No one could be an Avenger 24/7, everyone needed a place to lay low.
A place to call home.
This is a series of connected one-shots revolving around the Barton family and their relationships with each other, the Avengers, and more. Some of these chapters will be fluff and some will be hurt/comfort as there are many challenges the family faces since Clint's difficult job constantly affects them all.
The deer will be an underlying plot that will continue throughout most of these stories, as a way to connect them together and add in opportunities for more sweet moments, but not all these one-shots will heavily revolve around the deer. The deer will appear more in the first few chapters, but over time they will appear less and may just drop a mention of them or not even include them. It all depends on the one-shot.
All in all, this is a story of wholesome family fluff with a sprinkle of pain as they will face challenges such as the repercussions of Pietro's death, hunting season, Civil War, and many more!
If you have ideas for cute family/friendship moments with the Barton's and Avengers, hit me up! I'm open to writing more cute interactions so you can make a comment, or PM me, and I'll see if I can include them!:)
Enjoy these tales of Endearing Families!
