Written for: resurrectionofdawn. December 31st, 2017 Clint & Lila "If you're going to dress like that, I'm not going to let you out of my sight."

For Halloween, Cooper decided to go as Ironman.

Clint wasn't mad. Tony was a good guy and his years of drunken debauchery aside, he was wildly popular with the kids. Probably because he could fly. Falcon and Thor were fan favorites, too. He was of the opinion that shooting arrows at aliens from five hundred feet away without looking was many times cooler, but that was neither here nor there.

What really got to him was Lila's costume. He was helping Cooper attach the plastic red and gold chestplate when Lila came bounding down the stairs in a form-fitting catsuit. Complete with a zipper running down her chest, she was the spitting image of a certain co-worker of his. Lila had refused to let him see her costume before now, claiming it was a surprise and he'd have to wait. Now that he had, the knowledge was a cold dead weight on his heart.

"How do I look?" She twirled around, letting him see every inch of her tight, tight, tight outfit.

"You look great," Clint said, steadying his voice as much as possible. "Now why don't you go upstairs and put on your costume?"

Lila furrowed her brow. "This is my costume. I'm going as Aunt Nat."

'Over my dead body you're leaving this house dressed like that,' Clint thought. He forced his smile to stay on. "But uh… I thought you were going as Princess Anna."

"I was Anna last year, Dad."

"Are you sure? I could've sworn-"

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Laura had chosen the absolute worst time to interrupt. She had Nathaniel in her arms. It looked like he'd just woken up from his nap. She handed the baby off to Clint and took over helping Cooper with his armor. "Honey, would you get the car going? We have to leave in five minutes if we want to get to the party on time."

"Honey," Clint said, leaning to whisper in his wife's ear. "What is our child wearing?"

"Her costume, dear," Laura answered in the same tone of voice. "You know how much she loves Natasha."

"But don't you think that costume is a bit inappropriate?" He averted his eyes as Lila spun a second time, clearly enjoying the way the catsuit fit. On closer inspection, the zipper was fake, but that did little to appease him.

"I made it for her," Lausa hissed back. "Besides, she's having fun. I know you want her to be your little girl forever-"

"She's not even ten yet!"

"-but she's growing up and you can't keep her in a bubble all her life."

Clearly, she had no idea what kind of advanced technology he had access to. Regardless, he was outnumbered and it was too late to find another costume for Lila anyway. Clint drove three miles into town with his eyes on the rearview mirror. While Cooper shot his toy propulsion blasters at invisible enemies, Lila played with a tiny black pistol. She was completely oblivious to the fear in her father's eyes.

"Please tell me that's not a real gun," Clint whispered out the corner of his mouth.

"Oh yeah, it's completely real," Laura said dryly. "Gift from Natasha. That's why I'm letting her fire it in her face."

"Don't make jokes. I'm nervous enough." There would be permanent fingermarks on the steering wheel after this.

"It's a water gun and it's not loaded. You really need to relax. I know you're not like this on missions."

"That is completely different."

Conversation halted as they pulled into the school parking lot. Cooper leaped out of the van the second Clint hit the brakes, running at the congregation of his classmates by the double doors.

"Do you think everyone will like my costume?" Lila asked.

"Of course," Laura said, cutting Clint off before he could think to comment. "You'll be the coolest girl in school."

A boy broke off from the crowd to rush over. He had sandy blonde hair and was dressed like a Ninja Turtle. He grinned, showing gums and crooked teeth. "Hi Lila, nice costume. You look just like Black Widow."

"Thanks, Robbie," Lila said with a hint of a blush. Clint's jaw flexed. He'd heard his daughter had a crush on one of her classmates. Looks like this Robbie was the boy in question.

Clint sized him up. About four feet and skinny. Freckleface, soft hands, knobbly knees. Harmless enough on the outset, but he'd had sweet old ladies pull Glocks on him more than once. Looks could always be deceiving.

"This is my dad," Lila said, taking Clint's hand and pulling him over. "He's with the Avengers. He's Hawkeye."

"Really?" Robbie's eyes bugged out as if the show of adoration would save him when he inevitably tried to steal Lila's innocence.

"Nice to meet you, Robbie," Clint said after Laura glared him into speaking. "So… did you know there are over a hundred instant kill points on the human body and I can hit every one of them from a distance of fifty feet or greater?"

Laura smacked his arm. The threat flew over Robbie's head as he jumped up and down in excitement. "That's so cool! I knew you were the best Avenger. Come on, Lila, let's go tell everyone!"

They ran ahead of Clint and Laura, disappearing into the gymnasium. After a moment, Clint spotted her again, along with Cooper and Robbie by the bleachers. They were waiting for their turn to bob for apples.

"Nice kid," Clint said. He certainly had good taste in superheroes.

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have your stamp of approval," Laura said. "Now, can we go home and let the kids have fun?"

"Actually, I was thinking that's a lot of kids for just seven chaperones to keep track of," he stepped away from the car into the shadows. "Maybe I'll help them out."

"Clint!"

But he was already gone, climbing up the wall, sneaking in through a window, and finding a perfect vantage point from the ceiling to see everything. No way he was letting Lila out of his sight tonight.