I Had A Dream The Other Night
Clint stared.
”What the fuck is that?”
Natasha shot him a bored look. ”What does it look like?”
”But— is it real?”
”Feels like it.”
Clint blinked. ”But— I mean, how?”
She rolled her eyes. ”Really, Hawk?”
He didn’t say anything, just stared at her with wide eyes.
She sighed. ”Is it honestly so hard to believe?”
”But— it’s you!” Clint stuttered, waving his hands animatedly towards Natasha’s midsection.
They were in the smaller briefing room in the Avengers Tower, waiting for the rest of the team to show up. Natasha was slouched in her chair, unusually ungraceful for her, which might have had something to do with the round belly she was sporting.
”Last time I checked, I still had all the necessary organs meant for reproduction,” she said dryly.
”So not what I mean!” Clint hissed. He glanced at the man with a metal-arm, slumped on a chair in the corner. ”Is it his?”
Natasha made a face. ”How about no? That would’ve been like fucking you. No thank you.”
”Hey, we totally did the dirty!”
”Yes, while you were drunk up your ass,” Natasha snorted. ”It didn’t work out because I had one hole too many and one dangly bit too few. Oh, and because my name wasn’t Phil.”
Clint glanced across the table at Phil, feeling guilty. ”That was one time only,” he said sheepishly.
Phil didn’t comment, but his lips twitched in a telltale manner. In some way, Clint had hoped that his sexual adventures (because Nat totally counted as an adventure) would’ve gained him something more. Jealous Phil was über hot, but Clint was so hopelessly gone for him that there hasn’t been much need for any kind of jealousy on Phil’s part for a long, long time.
”As if I would’ve volunteered for another round,” Natasha muttered.
”I’m feeling so misunderstood now,” Clint sighed forlornly. ”I do have skills in bed!”
”Yes, you are quite bendy,” Phil said mildly and tapped away with his StarkPad.
Clint was left stuttering for an answer as Natasha grinned. Before he could come up with anything, the door opened and the rest of the Avengers entered, followed by Fury. They all stopped short at the sight of a pregnant Black Widow, but the way Fury froze made Clint suspicious. He glanced at Phil who narrowed his eyes at his old friend and then glanced at Clint with a slightly raised brow.
Well, motherfucker.
<====||====>
After the meeting about the Winter Soldier was over and the team had filed out, Clint cornered Natasha.
”Fury?” He hissed, bewildered.
Natasha shrugged.
”Does he know?” Phil asked quietly from behind Clint.
”He does now,” Natasha said curtly.
Phil was silent for a moment. Then he asked, pointedly, ”How?”
Natasha pursed her lips, and, for a moment, Clint thought she was going to brush Phil’s question off. Then she drew breath, obviously coming to a decision. ”I thought he had died, but he hadn’t. We… shared a moment.”
Thinking back at his own state of mind after Phil’s death and coming back to life, Clint understood moments all too well.
”When I realized what had happened, I was already in Russia,” she continued. ”I needed to concentrate on other things.”
She fell silent.
Clint cleared his throat. ”Well, what are you going to do?”
Natasha shrugged again. ”I can’t keep it and I know he doesn’t want it.”
Something sharp and painful clenched in Clint’s chest. ”So… you’re just going to get rid of it?”
She cocked her head and gave him a long look. ”I need to find it a family.”
<====||====>
That night, Clint couldn’t sleep. He sighed, tossed, and turned, until Phil snapped the bedside lamp on and leaned on his elbow, just looking at him.
”Yes,” Phil said after a moment.
Clint turned his face away. ”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled.
Phil reached out, took a hold of his chin, and forced Clint to meet his eyes.
”Yes, you do,” he chided gently, ”and my answer is yes. Clint, I’ve seen you around kids.”
Clint tried to shake his head. ”Yeah, but… We can’t! I mean — we have our jobs, and… and… We’re gay!” He blurted, in a slightly panicky way.
Phil blinked several times. ”I don’t see what our orientation has to do with anything,” he said slowly.
When Clint didn’t answer, Phil sighed.
”I’ve already cut back my workload, and I can easily cut it back even more. Truth is, I’ll probably never be fit for field anyway. And if you worry about this unconventional extended family that we have, don’t. It’s a gift, not a curse.” Phil paused. ”Unless we’re talking about Stark.”
Clint gave him a wan smile and scooted into Phil’s side.
”You’d be a great dad,” Phil said and kissed the top of his head.
Clint swallowed and hid his face on Phil’s chest. He should’ve known Phil would know exactly why he was panicking.
”You really think so?” He mumbled against Phil’s t-shirt.
”You should ask her,” Phil whispered.
<====||====>
”Did you really think I’d give it to anyone but you?” Natasha scoffed. She was reclining on the couch, a carton of Ben&Jerry’s perched on her belly, and her feet on Clint’s lap.
Clint shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
”Idiot,” Natasha murmured fondly. Then she dug her toes on Clint’s thigh. ”Rub my feet, they ache.”
Clint rolled his eyes, but obliged, happy to keep his eyes downcast so that she wouldn’t see the wet gleam in them.
After he was done rubbing and was just holding her ankles, stroking her malleolus, she cleared her throat.
”Will you come with me?”
”Do you want me to?”
She gave him a pointed look.
Clint winced. ”Sorry. Yeah, I’ll come. What about Phil?”
She cocked her head. ”I don’t think he’d be comfortable.”
”Yeah… I think you’re right.” He fell silent for a moment, then hesitantly asked, ”Fury?”
Natasha gave an undignified snort. ”Hell no! He said he’ll sign all necessary forms, but he doesn’t want anything to do with it, apart from the ’mandatory Uncle Nick moments.’”
”…Uncle Nick?” Clint repeated slowly.
Natasha’s lips twitched. ”His words, not mine.”
<====||====>
Natasha delivered a beautiful, slimy baby girl who was the color of Phil’s favorite coffee and screamed loud enough to make her mother proud. Clint absolutely denied he fainted.
After a quick measuring and wash-up, she was swaddled and handed to Clint, who spent the next three hours staring at her, barely daring to breathe.
”Beautiful,” he whispered, reverently stroking the baby’s soft hair.
”Yes, you are,” Phil agreed from the door.
Clint hadn’t even noticed him coming in. When he glanced up, Phil was looking at him with a fond smile and eyes so full of love that Clint wanted to cry.
”Come on, let’s take our daughter home.”