Title: Bows and Catapults
Warnings: None (excessive fluff and angst and emotions from small children, also me)
Rating: PG
Summary: Clint's only been with his current foster parents for a few weeks when they bring home a fiery haired girl. He doesn't think he's going to like her much.
Word count: ~8700
Author's notes: This fic is way longer than I intended, because tiny Clint and Natasha wouldn't stop having adventures and being friends and making me all sniffly over them.

The Laurensons put Clint in a room with a tree outside the window. In his opinion, that's a really stupid thing to do, because if they ground him there's no way they could make him stay in the house when the tree is right there. He hasn't said anything though, because he's not as stupid as they are even though he's only nine, and also because he really likes watching the branches make cool shadows on the ceiling at night. Sometimes when he can't sleep, he puts his hearing aids back in and goes to sit on the window ledge so he can listen to the wind make the leaves whisper to him. It always calms him down.

He's doing that tonight. Not because he can't sleep though, but because he doesn't want to. At dinner, Ben and Monima told him that they're going to pick up another foster kid tomorrow, and he knows what that means. Oh, they said it's because they've always had two kids at once, and he needs someone his own age to play with, but that's not how it works. The new kid won't like Clint, and Ben and Monima will prefer her so they'll get rid of Clint, and he won't see this room again. He's already got most of his things in the backpack hidden under his bed, so that when they tell him they don't want him any more, he can run away before they can pass him on to someone else.

Shivering, Clint drags his blanket tighter around himself and leans his head against the glass, staring up at the stars through the canopy of the tree until his eyes won't stay open any longer and the leaves finally sing him to sleep.

Rest of the fic at my journal (http://flying-android.livejournal.com/30474.html#cutid1)

Tears. That choked-up feeling in the back of your throat when you're trying not to cry but know you will, anyway. Sniffles. Watery eyes.

Yeah...

Wow.

*gets out tissues and hands them over*

I had all of those things while I was writing it. So I thought I'd share and then everyone else could have them, too...

Thank you for your comment :) Go read some actual non-angsty fluff now! ;)

ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, there's over 8000 words of fic greatness! asdbsjhffliygf *runs off to read*

Edit: I went, I loved LIKE WOAH, and I left a comment over there. I was gonna come back, but I was all swept up and needed to comment right that minute *grins*. I love it to pieces! <3

Edited 2012-07-21 01:25 am (UTC)

You left me a comment the size of a small fic, you fantastic person! Still got a stupid smile on my face right now :D THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOU <3

It deserved a comment proportional to its amazingness :D Seriously, I love it <3

Will be commenting on your journal too, but I wanted to tell you here too how much I ADORED this, even though that ending nearly broke me in a hurts-so-good way. Brilliant work--thank you so much for sharing!

Thank you so much for reading and commenting! It makes me very happy to hear that you liked it :D I offer no apologies for brokenness though, but I've got a supply of sticky tape on hand if required ;)

Oh this fic D:. I mean, :D. But... kids!

I loved it a lot; I didn't really expect that it would end up being a universe where the Avengers could be in the future instead of a total AU -- and I really liked that about it!

Though now I keep going ;_; about how they must meet after this, etc. *HUGS THEM*

YAY! Thank you!

I wanted to sort of work backwards from the film and make it a universe in which them joining the Avengers was at least possible, so I'm glad that worked for you!

I want to hug them, too. I'm sorry for being cruel and leaving the ending like that... We can hope their next meeting works out well for them in the end!