Hmm!

In my headcanon, Nat is secretly a loon about the holidays. Loves the music. Loves the decorations. Gives secret perfect gifts that no one ever figures out come from her.

She is, after all, a super spy.

Except Clint knows. :D

Dude, we need fic on this, stat.

**side eyes you like whoa**

I tolerate, more than love, holidays, so I tend to see Clint and Natasha as agreeing with me (no strong connections to any nostalgia/no family to celebrate with/not American...)

But I imagine that Tony, the King of Overcompensation, likes to go ALL FUCKING OUT and basically drowns everyone in all the decorations he can find. Dude would staple a menorah to a Christmas tree, if he could figure out if that's offensive or not.

So when he finds out that Clint and Natasha don't care, he sets out to teach them about the great parts of life they're missing out on.

Mostly, this involves eggnog and claymation.

(I'm Jewish, and I'm pretty sure that's what Christmas is. A bunch of people getting soused on eggnog while they watch Rudolph and there's a tree in there, too.)

Edited 2012-12-14 11:50 pm (UTC)

I can totally see Tony doing all of that, lol.

Dude would staple a menorah to a Christmas tree, if he could figure out if that's offensive or not.

I WANT THIS FIC OMG.

*all the high fives* I'm also a tolerater. I'm too much of a empathic stresser (I take on the stress that people are generating around me and internalize it as if it were my own... and I mostly don't even know I'm doing it!) to appreciate the holidays!

But I can TOTALLY see Tony drenching all the living spaces in tinsel and garland!

Yes, Virginia, Christmas is all about the eggnog and claymation.

I see Clint and Natasha pretending to the rest of the group that they don't care about the season, they use the fact that they've always been on missions during that time of year as an excuse, but secretly like to curl up together and watch Christmas movies (It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Die Hard, etc) when everyone else is asleep.

Edited 2012-12-15 12:14 am (UTC)

Die Hard, definitely! :D

(There will be a longer story coming soon that will have some of what follows in it ...)

______


Clint used to crawl into a bit of a shell at Christmas time. He remembers the last one he spent at his house -- his mother had tried to decorate (she used pine branches picked in the park). His father was drunk as usual, but a mellow drunk for a change. There was a small present for both him and Barney, and for a moment he could pretend that his father actually cared (although it was clear that the gifts has been picked by his mother).

A week or so later even that was gone, as his father wrapped the car around a tree with his mother in it. Clint and Barney spent a cold night alone (the heating bill hadn't been paid) until the morning, when the doorbell rang and there was a police officer in uniform, and a social worker wearing a concerned expression.

After that, for the next few years Clint's holidays were spent waiting, for something or someone -- he wasn't sure what. But no one ever came, so eventually he stopped.

He once told all this to Natasha, who doesn't remember any holidays at all. She does remember the cold though (they had that in the Red Room, oh yes...). Since then, she has made a point of spending the day with Clint -- they don't do much, have a couple of drinks, some takeout, maybe watch a movie.

But they're doing it together, and that itself is a gift.

oh this makes my heart ache. but also very glad that they found each other. <3

Oh, my goodness, I love this.

Makes me want to hug them both. If I could without, you know, having them kill me.

oh ouch, wow... poor kids... but theyre starting their own new traditions *hugs them* excited for the longer story, I'm sure it will be as equally awesome as this drabble!

God this is heartbreaking- and I love the realistic aspect of it all. Especially because I work in the system and I see this sort of stuff every day. Holidays can be really horrible for so many people.

Can't wait for the rest, though and I hope they'll manage to have some happiness over the holidays.

My heart breaks a little for both of them, poor kids that they are... But then you make it all better by giving them each other and time together, lovely <3

I don't have any headcanon on this, but I think that Clint and Natasha would maybe not do holidays, because they're working, or those days have bad memories attatched, or they're not into commercialism. On the first point, it's hard to pick certain days in a year to celebrate when you don't know where you're going to be for it, so I think that maybe they have their own kind of holidays or celebrations or rituals, just for them, that don't require a specific day or a bunch of other people celebrating at the same time.

On the other hand, I can absolutely see them trying out holidays, celebrating them when they're undercover because their undercover persona does, and I think there's potential for shenanigans - New Year's Eve at SHIELD anyone?

Two recs that immediately spring to mind:

Clint and Natasha ruin Christmas posted by copperbadge on tumblr (PG) in which Clint and Natasha have a mission at a Christmas market. It has shenanigans! And also a ritual of their own kind of thing - look out for Clint shopping for Coulson. Copperbadge always writes good things, but the dialogue in this is especially fun.

And There Are Deserts Still by Amy on AO3 (Teen and Up, 9310 words, I'd say warning/triggers for personality confusion or aftermath of brainwashing, minor violence). Coulson is Jewish. Natasha attends High Holy Days services with him. Clint bakes muffins. This is a fic about friendship and identity and redemption. It addresses what I said about what holidays undercover personas might celebrate, but takes that a step further. It's smart and induces thinky thoughts.

Edited 2012-12-15 12:42 am (UTC)

Those are both great recs. I don't really have much headcanon regarding the two and holidays either. But SHIELD New Years shenanigans would be awesome.

I'm totally with you on all of this, especially on the New Year's at SHIELD idea, that would totally fit with my headcanon :D

And the recs are great, as always :)

I don't have much headcanon in this area, but now that I'm giving it some thought... I wouldn't imagine that Clint would have good memories of the holidays. An abusive alcoholic parent does not happy memories make, and then in the system, particularly in group homes, holidays aren't generally cheerful. With a better brother perhaps, but not with Barney being who he was.

I think Natasha would take her lead from Clint. If he had painful associations, she would go with that. Once the two of them join the Avengers, if the group wanted to celebrate, the two of them might join in. I think it would depend on how they feel about the group then and whether or not Clint is willing to make new memories. If either one of them wants to go with it, I think the other would follow - they go as a team.

I'm looking forward to looking at the recs listed above. :-)

I agree! I think Natasha would most definitely let him have his way on how they view Christmas. From personal experience, one bad memory that surrounds the holiday (even something small and normal and not earth-shaking and cruel like some of his might be) can leave a horrible taste for years and years down the road. Clint had too many bad years to offset anything that Natasha could try to bring to their celebration.

That is not to say that there can't be healing in what the group does. He could enjoy it and be glad that he had participated. Just don't expect him to be first in line for planning it the next year!

Have we discussed what presents the two of them would exchange? Do they exchange presents? Is it a big deal?

Everbody's posted such great ideas, so I'll contribute with a rec:

How Clint Stole Christmas on AO3 by FlatlandDan:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/302060

There... should be seasonal themed fics in the works AS SOON AS I AM DONE WITH THE SECRET SANTA FIC. Which I am not freaking over. No no no, not at all. /is a bad liar

I sort of don't have headcanon on this, but I think Clint and Tasha are mostly adaptable and go along with whatever they're tasked to do on Christmas. Sometimes they're separated because of the missions and I have this imagery where he's sitting on a cold roof, spying someone/protecting someone (but not to shoot, because still - Christmas Eve!) and she is in the other (warmer) part of the world, in some classy party, all dressed up and at the midnight (his time) his cell phone buzzes. And they talk a little. At the end she tells him "Happy Christmas" or something and they don't make big deal out of it, except Clint's got a big smile on his face and suddenly it's not so cold any more.

Edited 2012-12-15 07:41 am (UTC)

That is a lovely sentiment <3

So, Natasha wants to reclaim herself, her life, as much of it as possible, and since she doesn't have real *memories* regarding Christmas (and if so, not many, not very clear ones); she can choose what she wants for this holiday. It might become even more important to her now when she's partnered with Clint and he doesn't seem to have many happy memories about it. In my headcanon he is usually nudging her in the direction of various things and promtping her to pick what she likes, and he loves showing her new stuff that's good and fun, and now she can return the favor and help him reclaim the Christmas for himself. It can result in funny things, hilarious things, tender and passionate things done together (says the eternal optimist who loves the holidays :D)

I like that!

Only quickly skimming these, as I'm coming from last minute Xmas shopping and am on my way to the office Xmas party and tomorrow is Xmas family dinner and and ....

What was I saying? Oh right!

I absolutely love how this turned into an impromptu drabble fest!

You ladies rule! *clings her drink*