Notes: Arly, I'm glad that last chapter was just what you needed. I always try to balance the good and the evil ;) And CC, I totally agree: Uncle Steve is DE BEST


Chapter 12: Clint's First Crush


Carol and K had disappeared together on their "girls trip," and the Avengers as a whole couldn't seem to decide if that was a good thing or not … or if they wanted to join them.

But in the meantime, Kurt came over that weekend as promised so he and Clint could practice fencing, and they found themselves attracting an audience of interested and bored Avengers - with Jan bringing popcorn to share with Wanda and Thor while Thor called out encouragement, spurred on by Katie, who was sitting on his lap and being the best possible cheerleader.

"Do you do this every weekend?" Wanda asked, genuinely curious, since she hadn't been around the last time Clint and his family had stayed the summer.

Clint nodded, drawing himself up a little taller with a faint blush high on his cheeks that had Jan smirking hard to herself. "I didn't want to lose all the good work I did on fencing, especially because my brother's so good at it and he's doing a solo weapons master act in the circus this year, so I can't let him outdo me, you know?"

"Oh, I didn't know that," Wanda said. "How much older is he?"

"Not that much older," Clint said almost defensively.

Wanda smiled at him. "Then he must be very good."

"I can outshoot him," Clint said quickly, turning somehow redder.

"You certainly can," Kurt said, smiling as he put a hand on Clint's shoulder and then giving Wanda a little bow. "And of course, with a fencing teacher like me…"

"And I'm learning how to fight from my dad," Clint put in. "Cap let me run a sim so I could show him. I could show you!"

"Oh, I'm already so impressed with your fencing," Wanda said, obviously enchanted with the little boy.

Clint grinned and stood a little taller. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty awesome," he said, too caught up in trying not to blush too hard to notice that Carol and K had come back until K came to sit by Wanda.

Are you going to let me meet your girlfriend? K signed to Clint.

Clint blinked at K and then turned an even brighter red. What? No… I was… Swords?

Uh huh. You're just as puffed up as Barney around acrobats.

I'm not that bad!

You so are.

Clint turned redder, rubbing a hand in his hair even as Kurt smiled and waved at the two women. "Did you have a nice excursion?" Kurt asked.

"Lovely," Carol said. "Regular girl's night out."

"Didja take down Hydra?" Clint asked, glad for the subject change and trying hard not to look over at Wanda at that point — even if she was pretty and he liked her accent.

"I don't know what you're talking about," K said.

"C'mon, Mom," Clint said. "At least tell me if you got the Red Skull or not!"

"If we had, it would have been on the news," K replied. "No news that's newsworthy, right?"

"Mo-o-o-o-o-m. Please? I wanna know!"

"She's tellin' you to pay attention to the news," Logan said as he and James caught up to the group. "Or you won't have clue one as to what they were up to. Ever. She likes to leave mysterious headlines."

"But the headline never tells the whole story."

"Which is why she likes 'em," Logan said before he stole a kiss and let James lean over to maul K.

"You missed Clint turning red," Katie sang out to K.

"Oh, did I?" K asked, perfectly content wrapped up in Logan and James. "Why was he red, sweetheart?"

"Because Miss Wanda is pretty," Katie said, totally busting Clint out.

"Is he just as in loooove as Barney is?" K called out sweetly.

"Uh-huh! They make the same face!"

Clint shook his head hard. "Do not!"

"Sure you do," Logan said, smirking. "Only blonder."

"It's not his fault," Kurt said with a smirk — and Clint was just about to thank him until he realized that Kurt was smiling at Wanda. "He has good taste."

"Oh come on!" Clint said, throwing up both hands — and getting Katie to laugh so hard she was using Thor to stay upright.

"We were only coming to watch the fencing lesson," Wanda said, though K didn't miss that she was blushing Kurt's way.

"So, how long have you two been flirting?" K asked Kurt. "Or is it just an instant thing that happens?"

"It was like a light switch," Jan giggled delightedly.

"What can I say?" Kurt said, smiling unashamedly and shrugging openly. "I know beauty when I see it."

"And you have no self control?" K asked with a smirk.

"Why would I want such a thing?" Kurt teased right back.

"No idea," K agreed. "Sounds overrated to me."

"Do you two want to be alone?" Wanda laughed.

"Was that an offer to babysit?" K asked with a growing grin. "Because I can think of a few things to do …"

Wanda laughed outright. "Sure," she said. "James and I get along, actually."

"Doubt that'll work," Logan said, and James illustrated how right Logan was when he grabbed a two handfuls of K's hair and held on tight, snuggling in and trying to give her kisses.

"We'll just take him along and snuggle up," K said. "I'm a little tired and could use the quiet."

"Offer's open," Wanda said.

"Good to know," K said, waving at her as the three of them headed off. "Katie, you're in charge of your brother!"

Katie grinned, tapped her nose, and then pointed at Clint. "You heard! I'm in charge! So you have to not be flirting!"

"Mom!"

"It's out of my hands!" K called back. "She's in charge; it's too late!"

"You have to do bows and arrows with me now!" Katie sang out.

Clint let out a breath. "Okay, alright. That actually is fun."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna be better than you!"

"You are not."

"Am so! You gotta pro-o-o-o-ove it!"

Clint let out a noise of frustration as Katie slipped off of Thor's lap and took off running — so that he had to chase her to catch up.

Steve was still chuckling to himself as the kids left before he turned to Carol — the smile still in place. "Really: what were you two up to?"

"Did Logan tell you about that worm they put in Department H's servers?" Carol asked with a quiet smirk.

"He did …" Steve said slowly. "Why …"

"We thought it might be fun to do the same to Hydra's servers," Carol said with a shrug. "And interestingly, a few of my old SWORD contacts called me up… Apparently, SHIELD had a few computers go down with my symbol on them. Fancy that."

"I thought she liked the mysterious headlines," Steve said. "That seems a little… obvious."

"She does, but I wanted to pick a fight, and she agreed to join me," Carol said with a shrug. "I was getting tired of Hydra sniffing around the edges of our team. I'd rather fight them head on."

"Well … that might explain why Fury's been so busy."

"He's got a few moles, apparently."

"I'll let him know you both deserve the flowers," Steve said, shaking his head.

Carol grinned at him as she leaned back. "Hydra will hit back, you know. Probably want to keep your eyes open."

"Yeah, well considering how this family draws in trouble … I don't know if we can avoid it."

"You're worried, aren't you?" Carol asked, turning his way.

"After all the crap they've been through lately?" Steve was nodding his head lightly and staring at her as if she'd lost her mind. "I'd be stupid not to be."

Carol gave him a dry look. "Don't bite my head off, Steve. I'm just as protective of them as you are."

"I just can't believe she's picking fights so fast," Steve said.

"She wiped out the department's servers. She was on a roll. You know how that can be," Carol defended.

"Yeah, well, did she tell you why she wiped out the department's servers?"

"They captured her family. It was a hit job," Carol said with a shrug.

"They experimented on her family."

Carol paused. "All of them? I know about her and Logan, but—"

"They didn't get to James or Katie, but they had Clint."

Carol blinked for a moment and then got to her feet. "Well that's something I'd have liked to know before!" she said. "When do we destroy them? That kid is ten!"

"They had a target on James, too," Steve said.

"Seriously, Steve. When are we dismantling them?"

"Crack Logan or K," Steve said. "They're the ones that know where all the locations are. Or … how to find them."

"I'll talk to K, then," Carol said.

"Might want to give her time to recharge," Steve said. "I'm told she can be a little growly when she gets interrupted after something like a mission. Even if, officially, it didn't happen, I'm guessing."

Carol waved a hand. "Still not sorry. I like my new partner in crime."

"Of course you do," he laughed.

"Like you don't love having your old war buddy around," Carol teased.

"Yeah, it's been great. Lots of babysitting."

"So when are you going to get one of your own?" Carol asked. "You're making a face, Steve."

"You're just as bad as Logan."

"Then I must be right," Carol decided, flashing a crooked grin his way before she all but flounced away.