Auntie Natasha
by Liliththestormgoddess
Summary: Clint shows Natasha that she is part of the family, and Natasha makes a solemn vow.
AN: As a firm shipper of Clintasha, I was disappointed in AoU for the way it kicked that ship "out of the harbour", shall we say. I found Nat and Bruce to be kind of awkward, and so it kick-started my muse, but not the way I thought it would. That being said, I do love the concept of Clint having kids, and so this is where this story came from, despite my stance on their relationship. I guess if you're a fan of Clint/Laura, well, this is for you!
Natasha finds herself in the passenger seat of the car on her way to Clint's farm in Iowa. She is going against her will.
That is not exactly true.
She had, in fact, vehemently protested going with him to spend time with his family, but somehow he had convinced her to go. Then again, it isn't all that surprising considering that this was the same man who had convinced her to turn her back on the bad guys and join SHIELD. He had convinced her to join an organization with a World Security Council that was just itching to put a bullet between her eyes if she so much as looked at them wrong.
Natasha often finds herself wondering just how and why she threw her lot in with the guy who runs around with a bow and arrow and talks back to the intimidating Director, and makes faces at her during meetings. She wonders why she threw away her freedom for an organization that has her monitored 24/7 and doesn't allow her to leave base.
And then she takes another look at the man who saved her from herself, from a life she knew would not end well. She looks at the man who put his life on the line to offer her another chance, who was continuing to offer her chances to be a better person, and a better agent. He was unprofessional but deadly, and nothing seemed to bother him. It never seemed to bother him that he was prepared to throw away his career for a woman he didn't know. And what really annoyed Natasha was that he seemed to be immune to her not-so-subtle hints of dismemberment, nor her patented death glares. Frankly, Clint Barton fascinated Natasha Romanoff.
She also had some inkling of just what it had cost him to get permission to take her off base and away from prying eyes and so that was why she had eventually agreed to go with him.
The car stops in front of a house that might be described as cozy, if Natasha were truly appreciating it and not cataloguing every exit and weapon in sight.
Clint leads the way to the front door and opens it for her, ushering her inside. Everything is the same as outside; very homey and cozy and it makes Natasha's skin crawl. But she smiles and says the social niceties: "Very nice."
He smirks at her and her jaw tightens because she knows that he caught her lie and that bothers her. But before she can snap back at him, Laura Barton walks into the room carrying her new son.
Natasha can admit that part of her reason for agreeing to go with Clint was to meet Laura. Clint had spoken about her at length a few weeks ago, and revealed that his marriage was mostly a secret from SHIELD, that only Fury and Coulson knew. She had been taken aback at the revelation that she had been allowed inside his circle of confidants and given this information. And the way that he had spoken about Laura, as if she had been a goddess come down from the heavens to save his soul, Natasha knew she had to meet this woman who could put up with being married to the archer.
Laura is exactly as she had imagined she would be. She is on the shorter side, about Natasha's height, with long brown hair and warm brown eyes. There is nothing flashy about her, but the way she embraces her husband tells Natasha right away that she really does love her husband (and there is something inside of her that relaxes just a bit knowing that). However, the open smile on her face is not something Natasha expected. An open smile is not the usual first reaction she receives (unless she is wooing a mark) nor is it the one she deserves. Laura should throw her out of the house if she knows what's good for her.
But Laura smiles and greets her, and Natasha knows that she is not lying about how glad she is to meet her. When Laura tells her that Clint talks highly of her, it makes her muscles clench and she wants to run for the nearest exit.
Laura smiles down at the baby bouncing in her arms. "This is Cooper. He's eight months old." She looks back up at Natasha. "Would you like to hold him?" She asks like it's the most normal thing to say.
Natasha recoils and takes a step back. She would take a live bomb over a baby any day.
Clint huffs a laugh and takes the baby from Laura and offers him to Natasha again.
"No, Barton," she protests, because she should not be allowed to handle a child. Her hands were not made for holding a child. Not these ones that are made for death and destruction.
Clint, being Clint and immune to the Black Widow, only offers the child again, with mild coaxing. And Natasha, being Natasha and soft for a certain archer, takes the baby, albeit awkwardly in her hands.
"Yep, just hold his head like this, uh huh," Clint explains, moving her hands and shifting the baby in her arms. Laura just smiles from her spot. "There!" he proclaims, and steps back to let Natasha enjoy her baby-time. "Say hi to Auntie Nat," he coos at the baby.
Natasha can only stare at the small being in her rigid arms as he looks back up at her. As she stares into his large blue eyes, she finds her shoulders relax a little and she no longer has the overwhelming urge to flee. She even moves her arms back and forth ever so slightly, like she's seen mothers do.
But the baby's eyes screw up and his mouth opens and Natasha's heart drops and she scolds herself for even trying –
- and he spits up down the front of her shirt.
For a long moment, there is complete silence. Natasha is too stunned to even move. But then Cooper makes a contented noise and closes his eyes and promptly falls to sleep.
Clint erupts into laughter.
Laura can't help but join him and Natasha grudgingly smiles, because she figures she must look entirely ridiculous, awkwardly holding a sleeping baby covered in vomit (which she is not entirely upset about).
"There, he has officially christened you Auntie Natasha," Clint says with a grin.
After dinner, she finds herself sitting on the couch, the baby sleeping once more in her arms, a tiny hand curled around one of her fingers with a grip so tight it's as if he fears losing her.
Natasha can't take her eyes off those tiny fingers.
She finds herself making a silent promise that she never intended to make but she knows from the bottom of her heart that it is true: she will fight until her dying breath to ensure that those hands grow up doing whatever they want. She will ensure that this little boy, this happy family, will continue to enjoy each other and have the life they want.
She owes Barton so much more than that, but right now it's a little less red in her ledger.