The Eternal Avenger: Book Two

Chapter Six: Play

(Claray's POV):

I was woken the next morning by a strange, bouncing sensation. I opened my eyes to find Clint and Laura's youngest – Nathaniel – sitting and bouncing on the edge of the bed. Natasha stood in the doorway, arms folded across her chest, leaning against the door frame, smirking down at me. "About time you woke up, sleepy head," she smirked.

"What time is it?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes and squinting in the brightness of the sun.

"Seven-Thirty," Nathaniel's matter-of-fact voice piped in. I grinned, sitting up in bed, grabbing the young boy and tickling him. He giggled and squirmed around. Natasha's smile was beautiful. "Is it true you're a puppy?" The boy's question made me laugh.

"You told them I was a puppy?" I glanced at Natasha, pretending to be irritated. She rolled her eyes and played offended.

"I would never," she smiled, swinging Nathaniel over her shoulder and walking out of the room. "Get your ass up, sleepy-head," she called over her shoulder. I sat up, swinging my legs out of bed, tossing on some clothes and following the pair downstairs. I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of coffee and pancakes.

"You made breakfast?" I asked incredulously. A small pout moved across Natasha's face.

"I can cook," she grumbled. I laughed, walking up behind her and sliding my arms around her waist. She leaned back into me, rubbing her head against mine, smiling.

"Sure, you can." I agreed in a patronizing tone. She elbowed me in the stomach.

"I have many skills," she insisted. I nodded.

"No doubt about that one," I whispered softly, earning a light blush.

"Break it up, you two," Clint's voice rang out from across the kitchen. Natasha and I disengaged, and I helped her plate the pancakes and bring the coffee and juice over to the kitchen table.

"Are you domesticating my girl, Barton?" I asked, mumbling around a bite of pancake. He smirked at me, glancing between me and Natasha.

"Doing my best," he grinned. It immediately turned into a grimace as Natasha kicked him under the table.

"Watch it, Barton," she warned, her voice low.

"Auntie Nat said we could play with the puppy!" Nate cried, victoriously. Clint glanced at me; his eyebrows raised.

"Is that right?" He asked, leaning back slightly in his seat. Natasha glared at Nate playfully.

"Traitor," she muttered. The boy giggled with glee. This appeared to be a regular thing between the two.

"Did you say puppy?" Lila rounded the corner, quickly, glancing around the room before her eyes settled on me shyly. "Hi," she murmured. I smiled widely at the young woman.

"Hi there," I grinned. "It's nice to meet you properly." She blushed, but forced herself to still look up expectantly.

"Do we really get to meet the puppy?" I glanced between Natasha and Clint, who both nodded slightly.

"Yay!" Nate screamed, eagerly.

"If you don't finish your pancakes, I'm going to let the puppy eat you," Natasha threatened, poking the young boy in the ribs gently. He burst into laughter again, wriggling around in his seat. Clint rolled his eyes.

"I'm regretting my retirement," he groaned. Both Lila and Nate play-tackled their seated father, who – true to form – reacted like a drama queen. An hour later, the three kids, Natasha, Clint, Laura and I were outside on the grass, and Natasha was giving them a rundown of what to expect. Once the mini briefing was complete, she looked at me and nodded.