Barton farm. Book-reading. Blissful moments.
I love Laura Barton, and all the idea of daddy!Clint with a farm. And I like to think that the Barton household kept is status as a secure (slash familiar slash cozy slash welcoming) place even after the Ultron's shenanigans. Hence, this fic.
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«You know, daddy, auntie Nat always reads Babbity Rabbity to us when she's here...» a little girl's voice chirped, half-muffled by the bed covers.
«Well, Lila, you're lucky we're reading The Fountain of Fair Fortune, then!» Clint answered, his voce calm and happy but his best dad-stare directed towards Cooper, to prevent an inevitable, ungrateful remark. The boy's brows were furrowed, but he kept his mouth shut and turned his face to the ceiling. (A really fascinating ceiling, indeed. Everyone was over-enthusiastic when Kate picked up the right shade of blue to paint it, and even studied Google Sky Map to be sure to exactly match the night sky with sticky fluorescent stars. Now it was in need of a good new hand of paint, for sure... but the task had been in Clint's to-do list for so long, that probably waiting for a grown-up Nathaniel to fix it would assure it done sooner.)
«Now, Lila, please be quiet or we're never gonna end the story», Clint said, sitting a bit better on his daughter's bed, feet on the cover and back on the headrest. «Well, then... Sir Luckless bowed, and gestured Amata towards the Fountain, but she shook her head. The stream had washed away all regret for her lover, and she saw now that he had been cruel and faithless, and that it was happiness enough to be rid of him. "G-»
«Good sir, you must bathe, as a reward for all your chivalry!» a woman's voice proclaimed. Clint looked a bit startled, but immediately smiled at his wife Laura, who entered the room grinning, with baby Nate in her arms, cooing him and pacing at the feet of the kids' beds. She smiled sweetly at the scene: her husband half-lying on the orange-covered bed, with Lila trying to stealthily read the book on her own, stopped by tiredness only; Cooper lying still under his green blanket, eyes fixed on the starry ceiling (though Laura knew he was enjoying the story-time, maybe even savouring it - The Fountain of Fair Fortune was his favourite story to listen to when Clint wasn't home, so getting to hear it read by his dad was surely making him happy. He just couldn't let anyone notice it. Tough boy and all that). Laura's smile widened and she gestured for Clint to go on reading.
«"Good sir, you must bathe, as a reward for all your chivalry!" she told Sir Luckless. So the knight clanked forth in the last rays of the setting sun, and bathed in the Fountain of Fair Fortune, astonished that he was the chosen one of hundreds and giddy with his incredible luck. As the sun fell below the horizon, Sir Luckless emerged from the waters with the glory of his triumph upon him, and flung himself in his rusted armour at the feet of Amata, who was the kindest and most beautiful woman he had ever beheld. Flushed with success, he begged for her hand and her heart, and Amata, no less delighted, realised that she had found a man worthy of them. The three witches and the knight set off down the hill together, arm in arm, and all four led long and happy lives, and none of them ever knew or suspected that the Fountain's waters carried no enchantment at all.»
(God, she loved hearing his voice.)
Laura watched Clint close the book, a half-smile on his face, and caress Lila's head, who had already fallen asleep. Cooper's breaths were profound and regular, meaning that the sleeping spell of a loving voice had succeeded again. Even Nate was sleeping, his little fingers wrapped around his mom's index. Laura would have stayed like that forever, surrounded by her family, happiness palpable in the little, cozy room. She felt grateful in her heart, and her smile wasn't fading; she might have even been on the verge of tears. The toddler drooling in her arms, though, reminded her that being a parent was beautiful, yet it never really granted stops.
She kissed Cooper and Lila on the head, turned the lamp off, than tiptoed till she reached Clint's side: he was dozing off, the light blue book on his lap, his hand near their daughter's head, and a smile still on his lips. She bent and whispered in his ear: «The Avengers are most likely still in the kitchen washing the dishes, but they're gonna need you soon. And don't forget it's your turn to take the kids to school tomorrow. Love you». She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he hummed in response, his eyes still closed and his body relaxed. Laura glanced at her family one more time before walking through the door. Yep, she definitely had to tell Natasha to go wake Clint up later.
Steve had been unanimously chosen to go fetch Clint. Not that he had volunteered or anything, but Nat was watching So You Think You Can Dance reruns on TV and didn't want to leave the couch. She was sure Steve couldn't accidentally wake the kids up, yet here he was, feeling like he was violating Barton's privacy. (Or at least the tiny bit remaining: this wasn't the first time the Avengers visited the farm, and surely not the first time they had chores assigned by a thankful Mrs Barton. But the children's room? A whole new zone Steve wasn't sure he wanted to step into.)
He entered the room, turning a little lamp near the door on, as Nat had advised him to do. Just before Steve tapped Clint's shoulder, his eyes were captured by a slim light blue book on the sleeping man's lap. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the cover read. He picked it up out of curiosity, and a quite mischievous plan formed in his mind: the archer's petulance while Steve was reading Harry Potter was yet to be forgotten.
The soldier reached the doorframe and stopped to shuffle through the pages of the book. He only wanted to understand what it was about, instead he found himself staring at heavily-used pages, full of childish doodles and underlined sentences. A few pages had big dog ears (something that must make Barton cringe, Steve thought), others were stained with coffee and possibly ice-cream. But it was the first page that caught Steve's attention: every member of the family had signed it, using different colours, and someone had doodled a cute pattern of purple arrows around the title. Even Nathaniel's name was there, written in Mrs Barton's neat handwriting, alongside a date. In the bottom left corner, a small, red scribble said "auntie Nat".
Steve was still looking at the page, when he felt someone touching his arm. He turned around and found himself facing Natasha, who eyed the book in his hands and smiled before saying: «Don't wake him up yet, Steve. Rhodey's at the phone with Stark - don't know how long it will take».
Steve nodded. «Okay, just let me-» he trailed off, entering the room again and tiptoeing towards the sleeping archer. He carefully placed the book on his lap, then reached Natasha at the door and turned the lamp off before going away with her.
None of them noticed Clint's wide smile.
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I'm sure Steve will recognise the slim light blue book the moment Clint will suggest him to read it, to "get the whole Potter experience". (Petulance won't really be a problem.)
The Fountain of Fair Fortune is my favourite Tale, too.