Marvel Imagines: Book One

Family Is What Matters

Pairing: Clint Barton x Daughter!Reader

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: teenage angst, backstabbing best friend, daddy/daughter fluff

Summary: Your dad is an Avenger for the whole world, always saving people who need him. This time, he saves you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You never felt true betrayal from someone until your so-called best friend, Marissa, decided she didn't want to be your friend anymore. She was your best friend for more than ten years, so the fact that she decided to talk shit about you behind your back seriously cut you deep. You're not sure why you warranted that kind of attention, but you haven't been able to think about anything else since it happened.

You used to have playdates together, had more sleepovers than you can count, and did everything together. You two have shared more secrets than anyone else, yet she decided that it was a good idea to go behind your back and call you a selfish bitch who can't be trusted. She said some other stuff, but the fact that she spilled some of your sacred secrets is what got to you.

Your biggest fear right now is going home and having your parents find out about this. Your mom, you can deal with, but your dad is the scary one. He's a fucking Avenger that has fought aliens, Loki, an army of killer robots, and even fought side by side with Black Widow herself. You're scared of what he'll do to Marissa if he finds out. She stabbed you in the back, but that doesn't mean you want to treat her the same way.

You kept your head down the whole way home. Your family is very vocal about feelings and problems, so you know for a fact that your parents will ask you why you look so heartbroken.

"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Peter Parker, your other real friend, says when your bus pulls up to your stop.

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Pete."

You leave the bus and head straight to your house, booking it up the stairs to your room where you gently close the door and lock it. You don't need your parents coming in and seeing you cry. However, as soon as you walked in, your dad saw you book it upstairs with tears in your eyes.

Both he and Laura head there and gently knock on your door in concern.

"Y/N? Sweetheart, are you okay?" your mom asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just have a lot of homework. I'm okay," you lie straight through your teeth.

Your parents don't want to barge in and harass you about it, so they leave you alone for the remainder of the day. They don't want to feel suffocating, which you appreciate, though, you don't feel an ounce better once the night comes. Still, the world moves on without you, and you have to learn to move on with it or else you'll get left behind.

"Y/N, come downstairs and do your chores!" your dad yells up to you from below.

It's almost dinner time, but you don't feel like getting out of bed and doing anything. Maybe if you don't answer him, he'll think you're sleeping and leave you alone. Your dad knows you better than you think he does so he knows you don't sleep until very late in the night. You're ignoring him, and it's his job to figure out why. Something must have happened at school to warrant this behavior.

"Y/N!"

"Coming!" you yell, clearly irritated.

You get out of bed and pat your cheeks to bring some life to them. You make sure to wipe away any dry tears before leaving your room. You head downstairs and avoid eye contact with your parents and siblings. You only have to do your chores and go back upstairs, but as soon as you walk into the kitchen, your parents have a different plan.

"What's going on, sweetie? You can talk to us," your mom says.

"Nothing is wrong, okay?" you sigh.

"Kiddo, you come home and book it to your room, I saw tears in your eyes, and you did even say hi to us once. Something is wrong," your dad says.

"Please leave it alone. I'm fine."

You grab the trashcan and take out the bag to put it outside, but your parents are hovering behind you... watching... waiting.

"If something is bothering you, you should talk about it."

"I said leave me alone!" you explode.

You drop the tied trash bag to the ground and turn to face them. "I said to leave it alone, so fucking listen to me! God! Why don't you ever listen?"

Your parents and siblings are shocked at your outburst just as much as you are. You didn't mean to say that to them, it just came out. Tears well in your eyes the longer you stand there, and soon, you can't take this anymore. You run out of the kitchen and into the backyard where the treehouse you and your dad built is standing proudly. This is the place you like to go to whenever you're feeling this way because it makes you feel safe from the outside world.

"I'll talk to her," Clint sighs.

Instead of heading straight to you, he goes to his room to grab the hoodie he knows you love to steal from him. With it in hand, he makes his way to the treehouse he remembers fondly. He can see the light shining inside that tells him you're inside. The state you're going to be in, he won't know, but he is going to do everything he can to make you feel better. He climbs up the steps and slowly opens the latch door.

You're sitting there with your back facing him, your knees to your chest, and your face buried in your knees. You're softly crying to yourself that you don't hear him when he closes the door. He crawls over to you and touches your back causing you to jump in surprise.

"I'm sorry," you cry.

"It's okay, kid." You look up at him and grab the hoodie, holding it close to your body. "You want to talk about what happened?"

"Marissa and I aren't friends anymore," you finally come clean.

"What happened?"

"Whatever I say, promise me you won't go to her house in the middle of the night. Just... be my dad, okay? Not an Avenger."

"I promise," he nods.

"She stabbed me in the back and betrayed me. I caught her talking bad about me behind my back. She turned almost all my friends against me, and she spilled some of my secrets. I don't know what I did to deserve this."

"Did she give you a reason?"

"No! That's the problem. It's like she woke up one day and decided not to be my friend after ten years. I'm so hurt and heartbroken."

You lean into your dad's side and just cry it out. The fact that he isn't saying anything but just letting you cry it out is what you need right now. You cry until you have no more energy to even open your eyes. Clint knows you're tired from the day you've had, so he carefully gets you out of the treehouse and carries you back to your room.

Laura meets him outside as soon as he is done tucking you in. He closes the door softly and turns to her.

"Is she okay?"

"No, but I do have an idea on how to make her feel better," he smiles.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crying it out did help you a little bit, but you're not going to get over something like this in a day. You're not sure you want to do anything today, but when you look out the window, you can see your family setting up a day to hang out together and do a bunch of activities. You immediately throw on something to wear and rush outside to see your dad setting up some archery targets.

"What is this?" you ask him.

"A day to get your mind off everything. It's all for us, really. A day to spend with family," he smiles.

"I love you, dad," you sniffle.

You run into his arms and hug him tightly, grateful that you have the family you have. He is an Avenger to most of the world, but most importantly, he's a hero to you.