It was the next weekend, and Clint was finally done with the basics with the recruits. He had actually grown to like two of them- Kelly and Forrest- and was finally pleased with the group; they were quick learners and were a joy to teach. Though he told Hill that he would gladly come back again for that group, he had not been called in that weekend, and was the only Avenger left at the tower. Tony, Bruce, and Steve were off doing God knows what, having left long before Clint woke up.

This left Clint in an odd situation. He was unable to cook on solo missions he always had granola bars or cans of whatever, and on team missions someone else always cooked for him when that option was available. There was one time he was not paying attention and he left a fork in the microwave. Another time he had completely set a steak on fire. Clint could make cookies and only slightly burn them, but cookies were not lunch. Lunch was the can of Spaghetti-Os sitting on the counter, taunting him.

You can do it, Clint. Just don't put the can in the microwave this time.

I know, I know. Just watch as it spontaneously sets on fire.

He ran a hand through his hair and emptied the contents into a bowl. As he waited for a response from Natasha, he set the bowl in the microwave and shut the door. So far so good. His phone vibrated then and he took the phone from his pocket.

So, what names have you thought up?

Um. Well, which do you want to hear first?

Girl, please.

Jade or Cassandra.

I like Cassandra. Have you thought up a middle name?

Crap. No.

Let's hear the boy names, then.

Clint put his phone down on the counter so he could key in the amount of time he wanted his meal to cook. He hit start and grabbed his phone again.

Drake, Josh, Jason... But I really like a name that Tony suggested.

Tony suggested it? Please tell me he didn't suggest Tony.

No, he didn't. He suggested Eric.

I like how simple it is. And you know what? I think I have a good idea for a middle name.

Really? Let s hear it, then.

Phil.

He froze. It had been a while since he thought about that man. The nightmares had finally stopped and he was able to walk into Shield without zoning out completely. Clint stared down at that little text message, his eyebrows furrowed. Natasha would go and do that, but Clint was...happy. If the baby was a boy, it would...be a good tribute to a friend.

He was shaken back to reality by the sound of the microwave beeping. He opened the door and pulled out the bowl. He snatched a fork out of a drawer, bumped it shut with his hip, and collapsed on the couch.

Yeah, I like that. Maybe a Russian middle name for Cassandra?

I'm glad you do. And I'll think about it. Sounds like a good idea.

Haha, yeah. Hey, Tasha, I made Spaghetti-Os!

Good job, Clint. I'm proud of you. Maybe we can get a plaque that reads "Clint made Spaghetti-Os" and put it over our bed.

Clint laughed. He put his phone down when Natasha said she had to go again, and plowed through his bowl of Spaghetti-Os. Who said he needed to learn how to cook- their kid would be just fine living off of sandwiches, fruit, and hotdogs.

He stood up and placed his bowl in the sink. Then, he ended up next was the windows, looking up at the cloudless sky. Eventually Tony and the others would be back, so he took a deep breath and went back to the couch.


"Come on- let's play Legend of Zelda."

"Why would I play that with you?"

"Because you're Link."

"I shoot a bow and use daggers. I'm pretty sure I don't use a slingshot or boomerang or whip or sword or anything."

Clint pounded his forehead with the heel of his palm. Oh yeah, Tony had come back, but Bruce and Steve were nowhere to be found. Clint suspected that something was up. The archer did not want to do anything with Tony, so he simply walked away, back down the hall to where the door of his room was. What he found when he opened the door was not a small room with a few targets on the walls, like he had expected. Oh, no, his room had been completely stuffed with pink blankets. Lovely.

"Bruce!" Clint exclaimed. "Steve!"

Too late. He had already tried plowing into his room, and when he turned around, Jarvis had shut and locked the door from the outside. Huffing, he tried to dig through the blankets, finding himself at the ceiling with just enough room to crouch down without hitting his head.

He could see all the way across to the other wall. His loft bed was completely covered, and blankets had been pinned over all of the targets scattered across his ceiling.

You will never believe what Tony, Bruce, and Steve did, Tasha.

Dare I ask?

My entire flipping room is filled almost to the ceiling with pink blankets.

Clint, why can't you accept the fact that our baby is going to be a girl?

Because I know it's going to be a boy, YOUR OBJECTION IS INVALID. I just did a sassy hand flick.

Oh God Clint, no, no sassy hand flicks.

I'm teaching our child all of my Hawksass.

Fine, if you teach her your obnoxious behavior, I get to train her while using you as a target.

He grinned like a moron, but when he looked up from his phone that grin disappeared. He sat there for what felt like hours (when in reality it was only 40 minutes) and then heaved a sigh. "Jarvis, unlock the door," he said, burrowing back to the ground. The door clicked open as he neared it and he stomped out.

Suddenly he came face to face with a blonde girl. It was Kelly, her brown eyes dark, a nervous look on her face. In her hand was a bag.

"H-hello, Mr. Barton," Kelly squeaked, backing up. Clint raised an eyebrow. "I um...well...me and Forrest...we um...sew. We made this for..."

She held up the bag and Clint took it, slightly confused. Kelly disappeared without Clint noticing- another reason Fury had chosen her as a recruit. He held the plastic bag at his side as he stormed through the halls, but finally his curiosity got the best of him. Digging through, he grabbed something soft and pulled it out. It was a small, incredibly soft blue blanket with patches of purple and the outlines of birds stitched all over. He looked stunned for a moment, but inside he was freaking out that he finally got a blue blanket. Not pink. Blue.

"I knew there was a reason I liked her..." Clint mused before stuffing it back in the bag. He would have placed it in his room, but seeing as he could hardly get into it, he kept it at his side as he stormed through he tower. Workers had to leap out of the way, because Clint would surely plow them down had they not.

Eventually, he found that Tony, Bruce, and Steve were in the suite at the top of the tower. Tony was playing Legend of Zelda, while Bruce looked over papers, and Steve stared in wonder. Sure, it had been three years since he was melted, but old habits die hard.

Clint placed his bag on the counter and stomped up to Tony, snatching the Wiimote out of his hand.

"Hey- what was that for- stop!"

After giving Tony a good smack on the head, Clint pulled back on the controller and Link shot an arrow through an enemy without Clint even having to study the screen.

"Okay, that could have been me had Bruce not taken your bow away yesterday," Tony said, watching the enemy collapse on the screen. He sighed and turned to look at the archer with a dull look. "Now what do you want, Link?"

"Who put the blankets- oh, hold on."

Clint took his phone out of his pocket as his ringtone went off and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Is this Clint Barton?"

"Yeah...why?"

Tony's eyebrows furrowed when he saw all the color drain from Clint's face.

"I'm an agent at a Shield base in Russia. I've been told to inform you that half an hour ago, Natasha Romanov was shot."


Shinzu: Omg, sorry for the cliff hanger. I thought it was a great way to end the chapter, bahaha. BD You all are awesome and should go check out Rakei's stuff because she's an awesome editor and writer and stuff.