“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”

This is very probably not what you had in mind, but while writing my way bigger and way other promptathon fic, I was scrolling through, saw this, and had to just write it out. Uhm, yeah ... Write it in like 20 minutes while taking a break from other writing and ... ah, well, there ya go :D

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It takes Clint a while, but he can finally pray open the door, the smartly nudged-in chair giving way and he nearly falls into the room, landing on his knees and he can’t keep from hissing in pain. It’s moments like these that he realizes he really isn’t as young as he used to be. When he lifts his head, his eyes meet the red-rimmed ones of his daughter, make-up smeared everywhere and her old stuffed hawk in her arms.
If he wasn’t worried before, the fact that she isn’t screaming bloody murder about him respecting her privacy is what really makes him pause. For a moment, he just looks at her, the big, silent tears that are slowly slipping down her red cheeks and something breaks in him. It’s a type of pain he cannot remember feeling before and it nearly takes his breath away. Natasha and him were always scared it would be monsters and magic that would break their little girl, he at least never really considered this happening. Clint swallows thickly, his fist clenching as he gets back to his feet.
“Who was it?” he asks quietly, and as funny as most people make this type of situation, there is nothing fun in him. His daughter is loud and energetic and excited. She is full of feeling and love and happiness and when she cries, it is usually just as dramatic. But not this. Not quietness and a blank face and a heart that seems so ripped to pieces … Clint honest to god wants nothing more than to have his fist connect with whoever is responsible and maybe he has lived through too much violence in his life but to him, at this moment, it’s the only option.
But his daughter only shakes her head and suddenly she looks old beyond her years, just like her mother did back then and Clint fiercely wishes Natasha were here. She would know how to handle this so much better than he does. He knows his daughter needs support now, but all he wants is to go and smash something. But Natasha is in Europe and won’t be back for another week, it’s up to him.
His daughter is still looking at him, not saying a word, but not throwing him out either and so he walks over to her bed, sits down and opens his arms. “Come here, monkey.” And in a breath she has her arms around his neck and is sobbing, loud and deep and suddenly Clint can breathe again. He knows she still hurts, knows she will hurt for a while. But he can help, can still be her dad and help her through and he doesn’t feel so lost anymore.
It was her first Valentine’s Day out on a date, and she has come home crying and while Clint has his arms around one of the few things he loves more than life itself he realizes it won’t be the last Valentine’s Day she’ll be crying and though it breaks his heart just a little bit more, it also makes him smile. Because not all the pain is bad, boy does he know. And so he tells her. Tells her about the few times he made her mother cry because he was stupid and the significantly larger amount of times Natasha made him cry … mainly also because he was being an idiot. And at the end of it, he is rewarded with a very small, sniffled smile and so he tugs her close again and kisses her fiery red hair and says : “The truth is, love, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”

OH GOD!! I LOVE THIS!!!!

Honestly, when I ran into this quote I just loved it because it felt real. I assumed it could result in something angsty, but I really didn't have anything specific for it in mind. I was just intrigued to see if someone picks it. I love what you did with it, I LOVE kid!fics, and I doubt there are enough words to describe how much I enjoyed caring and protective father that Clint is here. Even with a teenager, who blocked her door with a chair (how dramatic of her :)

LOVED IT. Thank you so much!!!!

Rereading it now, I can find about 500 irregularities that make me want to smack myself, hard. This is why you don't just type things down in a hurry! But I am so happy you liked it! I'd read the prompt about 5 times before and always imagined it angsty and clintasha-centric. But then, while scrolling past, I somehow saw an older Clint in my head and ... I just had to quickly write it down before my other fic consumed me again :D

Uhm, anyway, babbling. I am just stalling because I'm getting to the tricky part in my other fic. SHUT UP WOMAN AND GO WRITE! Ok, ok, I will ...

uhm ... k.

bye

*salutes out*

Okay, I'm over here flailing wildly, because a) Clint as protective!dad who knows that violence is not the answer, who is (somewhat) rational and holds his shit together and helps b) his daughter, who has such a character that it comes across even in this drabble. And you had me sold with 'monkey', but the point when I was completely sunk was " Tells her about the few times he made her mother cry because he was stupid and the significantly larger amount of times Natasha made him cry … mainly also because he was being an idiot."

Love it! :D

This was just lovely. Right in the feels. <33333333

Love this! Love protective-dad!Clint.

This gives all kinds of warm-fuzzy feeling memories of my own Dad -- THANKS!

<3

So sweet and right in the feels too :D

Finally getting a quick moment to actually read some of the other fic going around and this was well worth the wait! This is so perfect! I love that he can deal with this situation even though he thought he couldn't!

This was lovely. As the mom of a teen, all I can say is ... yeah. It's a jungle out there ...