This was written for the askhulkeye blog on tumblr. There were several prompts, but this line- "Bruce, I know we said you didn't want kids, but…Her name's Lisa. She's only a few months old, and here, just look,"- really sparked my interest, and I just love the idea of Clint and Bruce with a kid. So, here it is, sorry for any errors or typos, this was done a bit quickly because I didn't want anyone else to use the line before I did. Sorry if this is a bit OOC, I don't write them very often.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Clint, Bruce, and all other SHIELD members mentioned belong to Marvel.
Clint ran, putting his SHIELD training to good use. One hand was busy clutching his gun (What? Sometimes his bow just didn't fit the situation, although it was still slung over his back) and making sure it was loaded but pointing away from himself and his precious cargo. His other arm was keeping what looked like a clump of blankets pressed close to his chest. His boots thumped against the cracked asphalt, speeding down the alley and towards where he knew he would be safe. His breaths were nearly gasps now, as he turned yet another corner, praying the soles of his shoes gripped the ground enough so that he didn't slip on the wet surface. Luckily, he didn't, so he was able to make an even quicker escape. He could hear the men after him continue straight forward, not even bothering to look around the corner. But Clint didn't stop running, he kept his legs pumping until he reached the hotel he and Bruce were staying undercover in.
Bruce was lying in the small bed, a book in his hands. The hotel was a bit cheap, but he supposed the two had to lay low and be closer to the people they were after. It was one of those rare times where a mission like this didn't even go out of the country.
He was about to flip the page when the door suddenly burst open, and Bruce automatically worked on calming his heartbeat, closing his eyes and taking a few breaths, then looking up to see Clint, hair messy, clothes torn and gritty, eyes wide, and chest heaving. He held in one hand a gun and the other arm was wrapped around something Bruce couldn't make out. He quickly rolled off the bed, not even bothering to bookmark his page, stepping up to Clint.
"Clint? What's going on?" he asked, muscles tense. Clint nudged the door shut with his foot, setting his gun on the rickety bedside table, finally settling down. He had a tired but triumphant look on his face.
"Mission most definitely not completed. I'm fine, though, so don't bother worrying." He waved off his current condition with his free hand. The bundle in his arms made some sort of noise, and he used both arms to bounce it slightly. Bruce had a suspicion, but, where in the world would it even come from?
"What exactly is that you have there?" he questioned slowly. Clint paused, looking down to the wad of blankets in his arms, then up to Bruce, a conflicted gleam in his eyes.
"Bruce, I know we said you don't want kids, but… Her name's Lisa. She's only a few months old, and, here, just look." He motioned for Bruce to look over his shoulder, moving the child to that he could see even better. Bruce looked down at her, and she looked back up at him, eyes startlingly blue, short hair a dark brown, almost black. The baby seemed confused, but not scared. Clint smiled at her, bouncing her again. "See? Isn't she cute?"
Bruce couldn't disagree, but still had a million questions. He managed to keep them at bay for a moment. He gestured to the bed. "Here, sit down or something, you look like you're about to fall over." Clint gladly agreed, his tired muscles thanking him, his bow digging into his back. He looked up at Bruce. "Hey, will you hold her for a second? I gotta get all of my stuff off real quick."
Bruce was about to decline, saying how he was horribly inexperienced with children, especially young ones, but noticed how absolutely exhausted Clint seemed, slumping forward, yet still holding and downright protecting that baby. So Bruce agreed, taking baby 'Lisa' into his arms. As Clint set down his bow and started unlacing his heavy boots, Bruce spoke. "So, Lisa, huh?"
"Yep. I guess you're wondering where the hell I got her, right?"
"You took the words right out of my mouth."
The archer looked up, a smile flitting across his face at the sight of his boyfriend being so soft and nice to Lisa, but it quickly faded. "I was looking for our target, see. I was deep, and I mean way down in the alleys, between and behind all the buildings. And I hear this lady screaming, so of course I had to go snoop around."
"When I get over there, there's the guy I was looking for, with some other men that were less important. I'm guessing Lisa's mom was associated with them or something because they were yelling the woman's name. Alice. I pull out a few Taser arrows and take down about four out of six of them, but the rest ran. The only reason I didn't take the rest of them down was because I pretty distracted by the fact one of them had stabbed Alice in the stomach." Clint paused, mouth twisting like he tasted something bitter and sour. Bruce noted how his eyes were beginning to take on a bit of haunted look, and he knew the rest of the story wasn't going to have a happy ending. While Clint was silent for a moment, Bruce backed up a few steps and seated himself and Lisa in the chair at the cheap desk on the other side of the small room.
"Yeah. I went over there to- to help her but she wouldn't let me, she just literally put Lisa in my arms, told me her name, and… God, she fucking begged me to keep her safe. She was crying, Lisa was crying, I was pretty close to it. I was gonna get her to help but then the bastards came back and pulled out their guns. Alice was screaming for me to just run, I couldn't use my bow, everything was confusing so I did. I feel like shit for leaving her but at least I kept Lisa safe."
Clint had lowered his head, hiding his face and the fact his blue eyes were shimmering with tears. When he looked up, Bruce was right there, Lisa still safely tucked against his chest, and the scientist quickly pressed his lips to Clint's. It was a quick, brief, but comforting action, making the archer smile sadly.
"You did the right thing, Clint, it'll be fine. Still, what are we going to do with her?"
Clint looked up at him again, eyebrows furrowed. "Keep her, I thought you…"
"I meant as of now. We don't have a crib, or food, or anything for her. I'm pretty sure Coulson would think it odd that we suddenly started buying baby stuff." Bruce smiled slightly, knowing SHIELD was monitoring every financial move they make. Clint paused, thinking. If this was anyone else, he would have snapped something like 'Well, I was a bit busy trying to not get killed and all to really think about that,' but it wasn't anyone else. It was Bruce, and knew he meant nothing but the best. So, instead, he shrugged, no ideas coming to mind.
"I guess I could go down and ask the front desk if they have anything we could use," Bruce suggested, looking down at Lisa, who was now sleeping quietly, obviously exhausted from the day's events.
"Hell of a lot better than nothing. Maybe I should go down there, though, just in case those guys come snooping around." He was cut off by Bruce gently easing Lisa into his arms, earning a small whine from the child but nothing more. He pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Clint's mouth.
"I'm sure I'll be fine. And I swear to God, if you wake her up and she starts crying, I'm going green." He smiled. That's what was so casual about their relationship; it was only with Clint that Bruce would joke about the other guy.
It made Clint feel privileged, but this time he wasn't entirely sure Bruce was joking.
A/N: Oh, and, by the way, I have no idea what mission they're on. All I know it IS in America. Maybe they need Bruce for some science stuff? xD I dunno. Just use your imagination, I guess.