Well. SOMEONE has to say something!!
_______

Spring has always been important to Clint.

With the snow gone, there'd be more chances that his father would find work - be home less. Or, if the Old Man was there, at least they'd be able to get out, head for the brook or the woods or some other place where he wouldn't follow. Those places were hard to get to when there was snow on the ground and your only boots had holes in them.

Let's go, Clint, Barney would say. We can get away now, at least until dark.

Of course, they always had to go home - but getting out even just for a bit, after an endless winter holed up with a boozed-up psychopath? Priceless. Yeah, Clint has always been fond of spring.

He's enjoying it now, that first genuine warmth in the air and on his face as he adjusts his seat in the tree. Too bad he's on a stakeout and can't just close his eyes and bask in the freedom of the moment.

As it turns out, his target emerges from the hotel an hour sooner than he'd expected. That's odd; the Black Widow is supposed to operate like a Swiss clock. Did Gospodin Machurkin's manhood not measure up, causing his premature extermination? Clint almost chuckles at his own joke as he nocks his arrow and takes aim.

She's gorgeous, as promised, in a nice slinky outfit and kitten heels. His sharp eyes make out the shape of a knife in the skirt of her dress; she moves around it rather than with it, though - as if the weapon is a weight she's not prepared to carry. And then it strikes him. She's not running because she's concerned with getting caught. No - she's moving like somebody who already is.

Like someone who knows that freedom is a passing fancy.

We can get away, at least until dark. Why is Barney whispering to him now?

Clint takes a deep breath. The scent of cherry blossoms tickles his nose and he sneezes, causing his target to look up sharply, straight at his arrow. For a moment time stops - and he makes a decision he hopes he won't regret. He lowers his bow.

Isn't spring also about new beginnings?



Edited 2017-03-26 11:04 pm (UTC)

So you just HAD to go ahead and do a whole ficlet, hm? In any case, this was FABULOUS! Love the backstory on Clint and spring with Barney & his dad and of course I like the Natasha bit. *g*

Well, it was a pretty sketchy ficlet ... :P

Someone (villain? Avenger?) took spring cleaning a bit too literally

April showers...

Surprisingly, Clint's favorite spring sport is...

Spring is allergies season

This fits in with my Idyllic (http://archiveofourown.org/series/463642) series (which doesn't need to be read, but you cooooould if you wanted to! :)). Just assume an established relationship in the Land of Denial with Clint and Natasha living on the farm.

~~~

"We have a problem," Natasha said, as she came through the back door and dropped down into one of the kitchen chairs.

Clint peered out briefly from underneath the sink, where he was attempting to fix a problem pipe.

"Please don't tell me the barn roof is leaking again," he said. "I've already got my hands full trying to keep these pipes together."

"Nope, the barn roof is fine as far I know."

"Thank god," he mumbled as he went back to work under the sink, his shirt riding up to show a sliver of skin as he maneuvered in the tight space. "So what's our problem?"

Natasha admired the view for a moment before answering. For a man who was semi-retired, he still had a great ass and a super tone stomach. If they hadn't had houseguests, she might have suggested he take a break from fixing things so they could indulge in a brief romantic interlude on the wide kitchen table.

But as tempting as that was, she really should tell him what had happened.

"It's Steve," she said.

"Steve?" Clint laughed. "We're on a farm in the middle of nowhere. What possible trouble could he have found?"

"He and Thor went into town and stopped at the hardware store."

Natasha rested her chin in her hand and waited for that to sink in.

It didn't take long. In seconds, the clanging on the pipes stopped and Clint slowly emerged from beneath the sink.

His brows knitted together in concern. "Did you just say…?"

She could barely repress a smile. "The hardware store? Yes."

"And they saw --"

"The chicks," Natasha finished for him, grinning. 'Yup."

"And?"

"And apparently Steve's been reading up on what happens to all the fluffy little babies who get purchased as pets for Easter. Or who don't get purchased at all."

Clint dropped the wrench he'd been holding. "Shit."

Natasha smirked. "Well, not yet. Not until they get here. Then we'll be knee deep in chicken shit for sure."

"Wait a second," Clint frowned and glanced out the window, almost as if he expected the chicks to magically appear before his eyes. Natasha found it very amusing. "You don't mean…"

"Rand's promised delivery by the end of the day," Natasha supplied.

Clint cursed again. "How many?"

"Round estimate?" Natasha said. "Probably about 200."

"What the hell are we supposed to do with 200 baby chicks? We're not even here half the time! We don't have a coop or feed or anything," he said, dropping down into a chair next to her.

"Set Liho after them?" Natasha suggested with a small laugh. Honestly, witnessing Clint's discomposure was almost as fun as watching Steve's face when he had realized the fate of the chicks.

"Nat," Clint warned. "You can't seriously think setting your sadistic cat on them is the best option, can you?"

She sighed and stuck her tongue out at him before putting on her best serious face. "You're such a spoilsport. But no, even I'm not that cruel. I've already called Catherine and she's agreed to house them temporarily at their farm before parceling them out to our other neighbors."

The look of relief on Clint's face said it all.

"So what do I get as my reward?" she asked.

He looked at her warily. "Seriously, if you ask for that cow or goat now, I almost might say yes."

She made a little moue of disappointment.

"Pity I hadn't thought of that sooner," she said, standing and pulling him up with her. She took his hands and led him toward the front of the house and the stairs to the second floor. "I was thinking maybe we could go upstairs, lock the bedroom door and ignore our guests for the rest of the afternoon."

Clint grinned as he let himself be led up the creaking stairs. "The whole afternoon?"

She shrugged and glanced back to shoot him a coquettish smile. "Why not?"

"Why not, indeed."

I think LJ should let us have "like" buttons on comments. Eastery fluffiness! I can't even.

It would be SO much easier, wouldn't it? :)