Wow, this is the longest chapter I've had in the last thirty chapters. I thought I'd spend the rest of break playing Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga like I did all of yesterday, but my muse struck harder than Thor's thunder.
James hasn't known Barton for very long, but somehow he trusts the offer of meeting Barton's family, and laying low at his farmhouse.
James is not used to trusting so easily, but he's trusted Barton's parenting advice so far, and Barton has not steered him wrong.
Clearly, Barton wants to keep his own family away from the chaos and danger of being related to an agent, now a superhero. Barton shares that they're in remote, rural area to avoid Barton's enemies hunting his family down or using them as leverage.
Barton claims Fury and Coulson helped him set it up, and James doesn't need to say how lucky Barton's family was that HYDRA hadn't found it. James can see it in Barton's eyes.
James is convinced of the idea, but Harry, of course, is not so logical. His first question is why Barton's kids, Cooper and Lila, can't visit at the tower or the school.
"Because we're going there," Barton explains patiently. "Think of it as a vacation, a chance to get away from all the crazy stuff going on around here."
Barton looks as if he needs to get away. James is unfamiliar with the concept of a vacation, but Harry clearly isn't.
"I get to go on vacation?" Harry's eyes bug out, as if he'd never dreamed of being able to go on a trip. Stark frowns like he's already planning on taking Harry to see the world.
"You bet," Barton grins. "I mean, it's not exactly Disney World, but-"
"Is it Coney Island?" Harry turns to Steve. He'd been awestruck by all of Steve's stories of wild rides like the Cyclone, ignoring Steve's anecdote of the ride making his stomach dispel its contents.
"It's my house," Barton's grin turns rueful. "With my family,"
"And mine," Harry turns to Stark.
Barton rubs his hair. "Aw, Harry."
"We're not going," Stark says.
All of Harry's excitement seems to drain from his body, until he's crossing his arms and pouting.
"But families go on vacation together!" Harry argues. "That's what the Dursleys did!"
"My house isn't big enough for everyone," Barton shakes his head. "So... don't expect a mansion, or a super tall tower. Still, it's home."
"We've got to take care of some things here," Professor X tells him.
They assure Harry it will only be for a week, but seven days is a long time for a four-year-old.
Harry is unenthusiastic about packing. Not even the assurance that there will be lots of space to fly his motorbroom, like at Xavier's Institute, cheers him up.
Harry packs all of his action figures and his basketball, as well as his motorbroom.
Stark insists James take a custom phone, calibrated to sense both his metal and flesh fingertips. The phone includes JARVIS, a camera and more applications than James knows what to do with.
Stark assures him that all messages sent and received are private and secure, that there is no chance of HYDRA hacking them or finding their location.
The camera, particularly, intrigues James.
"We're coming back, right?" Harry asks as they board the jet. Barton and Romanoff head to the cockpit, while Harry and James settle in the back. Harry clings tighter to his Iron Man, Wolverine and even Captain America figurines.
"We are," James assures him.
Harry dejectedly watches the tower disappear. They rise until all they can see are clouds and sky. Harry unceasingly asks when they're going home, but eventually falls into silence as he stares at the clouds, clearly daydreaming about being on his motorbroom.
Harry squirms as the jet descends toward a large field, with only a few houses visible. Neighbors are clearly sparse.
SIGHTLINES ARE OPTIMAL.
James agrees with the voices's approval; it is extremely difficult for attackers to sneak up on the house when it is surrounded by fields. There are plenty of windows offering views from every angle.
"You garden's almost as big as my school home's!" Harry proclaims, pressing his nose to the window. "Where's your basketball court?"
"I've got a hoop in the driveway," Barton tells him, which seems good enough for Harry.
Harry seems perplexed that they land in the field rather than the driveway, but happily runs across the grass, eager to stretch his legs after the flight. James has to steer Harry in the direction of the rustic, two-story farmhouse.
It is, indeed, smaller than the mansion or any of Stark's properties, save for the cabin they briefly stopped in after being attacked mid-flight.
Bigger than any apartment in the city. Bucky remarks. James pointedly thinks of the apartments in Stark Tower, which are bigger than the entire farmhouse, and Bucky's voice adds Bigger than any I had.
"It's cozy," Harry remarks, which makes Romanoff raise a brow. Barton does not seem offended.
James scans the exits, the lines of sight, potential hiding spots.
The interior seems comfortable and lived in. The sunroom especially has plenty of natural light without the floor-to-ceiling windows Stark's homes favor. The furniture is much less modern than Stark's, and much less ornate than at Xavier's Institute. It reminds James of the ski lodge he and Harry stayed in at the beginning of their journey.
James points out a a wooden train track is set up on the floor. A large dollhouse stands against one wall, next to a child-sized fake kitchen and workbench.
Barton introduces his wife, Laura, who smiles kindly at them. "Clint's told us about you. I guess we're not the only secret superhero family in the world. Please, make yourselves at home."
Barton opens the fridge, which is covered with children's artwork. "You want anything? Beer, soda, juice, milk?"
"I can't drink beer," Harry shakes his head as if Barton is a forgetful child, though James is pleased that Harry no longer questions being offered food or drinks. "It's only for grown-ups, like smoking sticks. And it's bad for you."
"It is bad for you," Laura tells him seriously.
"Logan drinks lots anyway. And he and dad had smoke sticks." Harry casually shares. Barton struggles to hold in his laughter. "Mr. Stark drinks lots and lots, but he drinks the good stuff."
Footsteps thunder down the stairs, and two children rush in. Both children have brown hair like their parents. The boy's hair looks like Harry's used to, only better combed. The girl, who has her hair in two braids, squeals "Auntie Nat!"
"I'm here too," Barton grouses halfheartedly as Romanoff scoops the girl up into her arms.
Following the children is a large yellow mutt with a missing eye. The dog's tail whips back and forth as it goes to greet Harry and James. Harry is clearly unsure, but stands bravely as the dog sniffs his toys. The dog is around the same size as Nighty had been, but is much better groomed.
"Sit, Lucky," Barton commands. The dog plops down, its tail still wagging, and its mouth opens in a grin.
Harry, so fearless of Beast, watches warily, as if expecting the teeth to snap at him. He reaches up for James to hold him the same way Romanoff is holding the girl.
"Lucky won't hurt you," the girl, who looks to be the same age as Harry, tells him. "He likes pizza."
The boy studies Harry's chin-length hair. "You're a boy, right?"
"Cooper!" Laura admonishes.
"He has long hair," Cooper defends himself, then glances up and sees James does too.
"So does Thor," Romanoff points out.
Harry mentions that Loki and Moody do, too, but he says it more to James than anyone else.
"Do all wizards have long hair?" Lila asks curiously, but changes topics before anyone answers. "Want to see our snake?"
Harry's eyes light up, his earlier trepidation forgotten. "I can talk with snakes!"
Lila and Cooper race towards the stairs, exclaiming how Harry can ask their snake so many questions. Harry glances once at James, then wriggles out of his arms and sets off after the other children.
James feels his shoulders relax. He hadn't even realized they were tight.
"Do you need a hand with your things?" Laura offers, and Barton gives a cough that sounds suspiciously like the words super strength. Laura laughs and continues. "I'll show you to your room. Clint said Harry would want to share a room with you,"
James nods his thanks, hoisting his own suitcase easily and following the Bartons up the stairs. He can hear Lila and Cooper talking over each other as they suggest the first question to ask their pet snake.
Laura has barely opened the door to the guest room when there's an anguished shout from down the hall.
"Dad! The snakes's just hissing at me!"
Laura looks briefly perplexed as Harry comes running down the hall. He grabs James' prosthesis and tugs him toward the other room. "He's not talking, he's just hissing!"
James does not know what to say. He's never heard words from a snake.
"Your snake breaked," Harry informs Cooper and Lila.
"Nuh-uh!" Lila jumps to the snake's defense. "Ropey's the best snake!"
"He's not talking."
"Can you talk to Lucky?" Cooper asks, starting to look skeptical that Harry could talk to any animal, despite the reveal of magic.
Harry turns to James, his face pinched. "Did Loki pull out my snake part, too?"
James remembers Moody mentioning that the Dark Lord had a large snake as a pet and had hailed from Slytherin, the house associated with snakes. That Slytherin himself had been able to speak to snakes. Moody hadn't seemed particularly happy upon learning of Harry's ability.
Had it been linked to the Dark Lord residing in Harry's head?
James leads a morose Harry to the guest bedroom and does his best to explain his current theory.
Harry frowns. "So talking to snakes is bad? But that snake helped us find Mr. Stark's house."
"It's not bad," James tells him. "But the bad guy in your head could. Now that he's out, so is your ability to speak with snakes."
Harry writhes around on the bed in frustration, almost like a snake would. When Harry's exhausted himself, he says "If Loki turns me into a snake, I can talk with them."
James is very glad that Loki is several states away, though he could teleport here in an instant. "I like you as a human," James tells Harry.
"Would you love me if I was a snake?" Harry asks, face still muffled on the quilted bedspread.
James sighs. "Yes, but I'd rather you stayed human."
"What if I was a dog?" Harry asks, as Lucky noses his way into the room.
James repeats that he'd rather Harry stayed human. Harry asks about a dozen more animals and James answers every question.
Lucky hops up on the bed and rests his head in Harry's lap, gazing up at him with his one eye. Harry strokes Lucky's yellow fur, telling him he should get an eye like Moody's instead of a patch, because patches are for pirates. He glances at James's prosthesis and says
Footsteps creep toward the door, accompanied by some giggling. Cooper sticks his hand in the doorway. His hand and a good portion of his arm are covered by a green sock with googly eyes.
"You can talk with me, Harry. I'm Sock Snake. Are you happier now?" Harry nods, but Cooper doesn't see it. "What's your favorite game?"
A smaller, orange snake puppet around the doorway, below Sock Snake. "Want to play trains?"
Lucky bounds off the bed toward the children, and Harry follows downstairs.
James had been wondering if Harry had outgrown trains, but Harry happily pushes them along the wooden tracks and links the magnetic train cars together. Harry makes the little figurines riding the train cars fall off when the train crosses a bridge, and James looks away to avoid flashing back to his fall.
In Harry's game, the toys are either saved by his superhero figures, or float down gently as Harry and James had on the run.
James finds himself studying the pictures of Barton's family on the wall. There are plenty throughout the house, including a digital frame that changes photos every ten seconds. Still, the household is not a shrine in the way Number Four, Privet Drive had been a shrine to Dudley Dursley.
The photos show Cooper and Lila growing from babyhood to their current ages of seven and four, respectively.
Unlike Barton and his wife, James himself has no personal memories of Harry's infancy. For once, the reason is not due to his memory wipes. He'd likely been cryogenically frozen during Harry's infancy.
James realizes with another jolt that he has only the one photograph of Harry on the plane. He clenches his jaw, furious with himself, and resolves to rectify it.
He, especially, should have been recording his memories with Harry, leaving behind proof that they happened, in case he needs to remember.
James thumbs through the phone. There are several messages from Stark, reading Is Harry still distraught to be out of my presence? The message is immediately followed by Who wouldn't be?
Stark had sent another message four minutes ago. Are you bored out in the middle of nowhere? Of course you are.
James almost rolls his eyes. Steve's sent a few messages as well, but James scrolls to the camera application to ensure he'll capture these moments. He takes a few practice photos of Harry playing; the kids have moved from playing trains to building with blocks.
Lila announces she's building a castle with the blocks. Harry takes this as an almost personal offense.
"Why a castle?"
"It's a hero castle."
"Castles are for bad guys," Harry argues, then clamps his hand over his mouth like he's said a swear word. "An' the Queen. She's not bad! God save the Queen!"
"I'm the queen!" Lila announces, then casts Harry as her court wizard. Harry doesn't play along, instead focusing on building his tower as tall as possible.
"I'm a engineer like Mr. Stark said," Harry proclaims.
James happens to get another message from Stark, as if his name summoned it. So, you're taciturn through texts, too.
Harry's tower collapses, and he grabs some of the toy tools from the workbench to fix it, just like Stark. Harry spins the toy drill, seeming lost in his thoughts until he says "It's Stark's, not Grunning's!"
James snaps several more photos of Harry playing, and Laura smiles knowingly, saying they have thousands of photos of the kids already.
Despite having fought both Romanoff and Barton, James stops paying attention to how they're both highly capable assassins like him. Here at the house, they don't demonstrate those skills.
Romanoff reads a book about a ballerina mouse to Lila, who's curled on her lap. Barton juggles items while Cooper tosses more for him to add to the spinning circle. When they sit down to dinner, there is some talk about what's happening in New York and the rest of the world, but the overall dinner conversation is more focused on Lila learning to dance, and Cooper's story of a friend laughing so hard milk came out his nose.
Later that night, when Harry and James relax in their room, Harry chats with Jarvis, who connects them to a call. Harry's clearly homesick, and once the call ends, he immediately asks Jarvis what everyone is doing.
James speaks up to ask if Jarvis can print his photos for when they get back.
"Of course. I trust you're aware that I've been recording all of your and Harry's activities in Sir's residences."
James nods. Of course Jarvis is always watching and remembering. How else would he learn?
"I've taken the liberty of composing an album for you." Jarvis helpfully pulls it up on the phone screen.
James is speechless as he scrolls through them. Harry snuggles up close as they look at the candid photographs. James and Harry dressed as Batman and Robin. Both of them on the couch, watching a cartoon. Harry running around with childish exuberance. Hot chocolate in the early hours of the morning.
There are even several photos at the mansion that Stark must have taken with his own phone; James reading to Harry, Harry riding his motorbroom.
What strikes James is the change from the beginning to the end. To actually see the growth from a pale, malnourished boy with his shoulders constantly braced for a blow. Harry's shoulders relax as time passes in the photos, and James is startled to note less tension in his own shoulders as the photographs go on.
As time passes, Harry starts smiling more. First, as he's hiding behind his Robin mask, but then he's smiling as Harry. Proudly holding up a drawing to show Jarvis, gathered with his favorite people. James notices his own face slowly appears less guarded. His face is still blank in most photos, he doesn't start beaming as Harry has, but there is an occasional small smile as his photographic self looks at Harry.
Harry, of course, never seems off-put by it.
"There's our cake," the real Harry says, as the photo turns to what they'd been doing during the battle.
James realizes that he's smiling now, unlike many of the photos. Even if he forgets, Jarvis won't, and Jarvis will remind him.
"Thank you,"
"It's my pleasure," Jarvis replies.
Harry doesn't sleep well that night, and neither does James. They find Barton in the kitchen, and James isn't surprised. Barton probably has nightmares of Loki controlling him, if he was able to sleep at all.
Barton raises his coffee mug in silent solidarity, not seeming inclined to talk, which suits James fine.
Harry rummages through cupboards without any thought to being a guest. "Where's the hot cocoa?"
"All that sugar isn't going to help you sleep," Barton says, rather hypocritically considering the entire pot of caffeinated coffee that he's brewed.
Barton directs them toward tea instead. The box shows a sleeping bear, and Harry looks skeptical.
"You like tea," James reminds Harry. He should have thought of the sugar he's been putting in Harry's body with all the cocoa; Jarvis had mentioned it once, but had clearly been used to people ignoring his health advice.
Harry is quite adept at making tea; James doubts Lila could do it with the same practiced experience.
"Look at us," Barton mumbles over his coffee. "The brainwashed buddies club. You had something bad in your head, too, huh?" he asks Harry.
"Loki took it out,"
"Here's hoping he's out of mine," Barton grumbles, rubbing his temple. He downs the rest of his mug and refills it from the pot.
James wouldn't wish what he went through on anyone; even Barton's experience, while less extreme, is more than James would wish on anyone. Barton didn't deserve it.
Neither did we, Bucky says, yet his voice is oddly reminiscent of Professor Xavier's.
James feels awful for it, but it's almost nice knowing someone experienced something similar to him, even if it wasn't as bad and wasn't for as long. He feels guilty for thinking it, but he can't shake the thought, either.
Barton is no telepath, but he lifts his mug to James in a sardonic toast.
James notices Barton checks his reflection frequently, as if to ensure his eyes aren't blue like the scepter.
Romanoff joins them first, her hair and makeup already flawless.
Laura is next, her hair tied up. She takes in her husband's bedhead and exhausted expression, yet still seems to think he looks as perfect as Romanoff.
When Cooper and Lila trudge downstairs, Barton forces a happy face, joking as he makes pancakes. All three children insist on helping. In Lila's case, this means getting flour across the counter and on her own shirt, while Cooper gets half the shell in the egg bowl.
"You're really good," Cooper compliments as Harry flawlessly measures ingredients and mixes.
"I'm going to cook for hungry people when I grow up,"
"I'm hungry!" Lila shouts.
Cooper insists he's hungrier than Lila.
Harry's still beaming with pride, but James clenches his fists under the bar. Harry shouldn't have to be this good at cooking, and he should think of hunger the same way the Barton children do, rather than his personal experience with starvation.
By the time everyone sits down with stacks of pancakes and a jug of syrup, James has calmed his own breathing. There's no changing the past, but he'll make sure Harry always gets to eat now.
"Easy for you to guarantee that," Bucky says. James ignores him.
"You said cocoa had too much sugar," James points out as he reads the nutrition facts on the back of the jug. Barton raises his hands in surrender.
Harry tries to help with the dishes, seeming somewhat off-put when Laura won't hear of him helping. Barton washes while Laura dries.
Cooper asks Harry if he can ride a bike.
"I can fly," Harry answers.
"Make sure to share," Laura calls as she follows the kids outside.
Cooper and Lila pedal around the driveway. Harry watches Lila's tricycle rather enviously, but doesn't ask to ride it. Instead, he runs back inside for his broom and races across the grass.
Cooper stops to watch, open-jawed, as Harry zooms across the field. Laura calls Harry back, finding an old helmet and insisting Harry wear it. She glances at James, as if to ensure he'll enforce a helmet in the future.
James feels as if he's failed a mission.
James wonders if Harry will share; he'd been rather possessive of his figures at the park, but for most of his life, he'd been on the end of someone not sharing with him.
Harry happily switches with Lila, riding her tricycle as she attempts to ride his broom. Her legs pedal in midair, and she clearly doesn't have the natural talent Harry has.
James takes a few photos of Harry on the tricycle, before Jarvis suggests a video.
Lila squeals and hangs on for dear life. Gripping it tightly, of course, makes it go faster until she tumbles off onto the grass, rolling harmlessly.
Harry climbs off the tricycle, running over to her. "Try holding it with your legs too," he suggests.
Lila pops up to try again, until Cooper argues that it's his turn to fly.
Despite the bickering, the farmhouse is the most peaceful place they've visited in a while, but it's not home. James hopes it will last; their whole reason for being here is getting away from all that. They haven't mentioned any prior attacks, but that was before Barton became a world-famous superhero.
James pulls out his phone and sends Stark a picture of Harry riding Lila's tricycle. He can picture Stark's look of mock outrage, and can imagine the man's rant about Harry's opting for such a common and simple ride over the technological masterpiece that is the motorbroom.
This house and farm are welcoming, but they don't truly feel like home without Stark, Logan Steve and the rest of their family.
I love the Hawkeye show and how Lucky shows up in that, but I thought it'd be nice for Harry to have another experience with a dog after Nighty, since Ripper was certainly not a good experience.
I was thinking this chapter would be a quick time-jump of their stay with the Barton's, but clearly I went into much more detail. There's still a little more I want to cover, but I promise they'll be back with the others soon!