In Their Hands ✧･ BARNES ✔

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  CLINT AND NATASHA wanted to distract Zola from the reality of the moment. They didn't want her to know that there was a chance for her to go back. 

   Clint tried to distract Zola from the chaos and reckless flying by pulling out a computer for her to watch some television on. He had downloaded some shows on it so he was having her watch them. It was better if she was distracted 

   Of course she could still hear the chaos of Natasha and Clint yelling in front of her, but she couldn't really understand much of what they were saying. They purposely spoke in a different language to keep her from listening in.

   Clint purposely had her watching some extremely childish shows that would help her practice her English. She couldn't be eight years old in America hardly understanding how to speak the language. Her understanding was great, but her speech was not. If she wanted to fit in, this is what they had to do. 

   She watched the two kids run around and sing basic American nursery rhymes as they taught her how to spell some of the words. It was amusing to her, and unlike anything she had ever seen. Screens were part of a new experience for her. 

   The mother walked on screen and they explained how to spell "Mom". Zola looked at the curved letters and tried to say them just like the kids in the video did.

   "Emm.. uh.. em?" Zola tries, still failing to get rid of her Russian accent. Eventually it would hopefully go away.

   "Mam." Zola says quietly, trying her best to achieve the American accent that the kids used. "Mam," she repeats.

   Natasha heard Zola, but she didn't answer because she was busy talking to Clint, and she figured Zola didn't mean to call her. Zola never called her that, so she figured she wasn't calling her "Mom" now. 

   Then, the animated father walks on screen just as the mother did. Zola watches him go stand where the mother and the kids now were. She raised an eyebrow in confusion as the kids started to chant  "Dad!"

   The letters D-A-D spelled out on the screen. Zola studied them and listened to the way that the kids pronounced it. This word was weird and new for her. She had never heard it. She looked at how the mother and father both had their hand resting on one of the kid's shoulders. 

   She narrowed her eyes at the screen because she didn't understand. Was the father like a boy version of the mother? It looked like that's what it was. They were doing the same thing, but the only difference was that one was a girl and one was a boy.

   It felt like she zoned out for a moment as she thought about it. It was like she knew what it meant, but she also didn't. She knew the connection, but she just didn't understand it. What was the difference between a mom and dad? What if there was really no difference?

   She snapped from her daze when she realized that she must have been overthinking it. She looked at the screen again as the kids started to play with their mom and dad. They tossed a ball around and laughed. A few moments later, the kids ran inside with their parents following after, and they sat down at the dinner table. The mom and dad came and sat down as well while the video introduced new words like "table" and "chair".

   Zola looked up at her mother who sat a little off to the right in front of her. Natasha is her mom, just like the mom of the kids in the video. She looked over at  the back of Clint's chair in confusion. Why hadn't she ever called him dad? He must have been her dad if Natasha is her mother. They were both doing the same thing: taking care of her. Just like the parents in the video.