In Their Hands ✧･ BARNES ✔

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  ZOLA (AUDREY) wasn't too fond of being alone either. She had a difficult time sleeping just as her mother did. Now that she was allowed around her mother, and she had Clint around, what reason was there for being alone? She wanted to take advantage of companionship more than ever. 

   Being alone sometimes reminded her of when she was in Russia. She just couldn't stand it and didn't want to feel it anymore. Sometimes, Clint or Natasha would stay in her room at night until she fell asleep. Sometimes, they would just try to convince her that she was safe and that the bad people couldn't get to her. It didn't always work, though. They still had to sleep with her sometimes.

   She mostly had problems sleeping through the night. Even if she did get to bed, she woke up multiple times through the night. 

   And sometimes, just like now, she would run into Clint's room and lay down next to him. He made her feel safe. He would always hear her when she came, so he would hug an arm around her to make her feel a little better. He was giving her a home, her own room, her own toys, everything. He was giving her what they never did; a childhood! He was like a hero to her. She looked up to him for saying her mother and herself. 

   Clint didn't get up right away because he was afraid of waking Zola. He loved having her around. The way her eyes lit up when he provided for her warmed his heart and broke it at the same time. He was happy to give her everything that she'd never had, but he wished giving her basic needs like a place to stay wasn't considered such a gift.  

He didn't mind having her around at all. She gave him a purpose, and she made him feel loved. Natasha also gave him a purpose, but she wasn't as great at making him feel loved. Natasha was usually in a mood and it drove him insane, but he tried to be understanding. She was finally getting the opportunity to express herself. He couldn't be mad at that.

   "I need to get up, squirt," Clint says after a while. He noticed her breathing pattern had changed so he knew she was awake. That was something that he had learned to watch out for since he'd become a spy. It was a helpful skill. Clint had rubbed her back for the past few minutes just to let her know that he was there. Now, though, it was time for him to get up.

   Zola grumbled and grabbed his arm as he began to pull it away. Her eyes snapped open and she frowned with her brows furrowed. He chuckled slightly at the expression and he pretended to struggle with getting his arm back.

   "Aren't you hungry? I gotta make you some food," he tells her, pinching her nose with his other hand. Only because she was tired, she released his arm and let him climb off of the bed. She yawned as she watched him walk away and throw on a sweatshirt that hung over the edge of his bed. He wouldn't be surprised if Natasha had gone shopping in his closet and if she had stolen another one of his sweatshirts.

  "Pancakes?" He asked, pausing at the door and turning to look at Zola. It took him moments before he nodded his head in realization and said, "Right. Sorry, just not used to meeting people who have never eaten pancakes. I'll make those."

   Zola smiled as he walked away and she pulled every blanket until it covered her small body. She looked over at the chair where her mom was sleeping and she stayed quiet as she waited for her mother to wake up. Understandingly, Natasha didn't want to share the bed with Clint. She didn't tell Zola that she couldn't because she saw how happy Zola was to be around Clint. Not only was it cute, but she was happy. Clint, again, was like a hero to her. 

   Eventually, they both ran downstairs to go get some of the pancakes that Clint had made for them. He prepared bacon too, and they both loved it. Zola had stolen some of the bacon off of Clint's plate when he wasn't looking.