Bartoned

Chapter 37

Holding a birthday party for a one-year-old was a very odd experience. For starters, Nattie had no idea what was going on. As far as she was concerned it was just a regular day, only there were a bunch more balloons around the house, which was very exciting for her. She would throw them up in the air and chase them until she fell on her butt, giggling.

Along with that, Nattie didn't exactly have friends. There were older kids who played with her and she got excited to see, but they often got bored of her and went to do things she wasn't yet able to do. So the people coming today were mostly the adults in her life who loved her, which meant family and close friends. So along with the juice boxes and plates of candy and baked treats was a cooler full of beer and antipasto platters.

The other strange phenomenon was that because it was a kid's party that adults were attending, most of the adults arrived early to help set up for the party, so 90% of the people who were invited were there almost an hour before the official start time.

Still, it was exciting to think that one year ago today this little life had entered the world and changed your life forever. Seeing her walking around and saying the collection of seven words (which now include mama, dada, no, yes, baby, and shoes), excited that all her favorite people were there showering her with attention was exciting.

By the time the party officially started and the kids showed up, Nattie was already waning because she was overstimulated.

"We should do the presents and cake before she has a meltdown," you said, picking her up off the ground because she'd decided that throwing herself down on the grass and whining was the best thing to do right now.

"Hey, Nattie," Kate said. "You hear that. Presents!"

You took a seat in the swing chair with her and swung it gently back and forward while she sat beside you.

"Here, I'll go first," Natasha said. Handing over a small box.

Nattie had no idea what to do with it and immediately tried to throw it off the edge of the chair. Clint caught it and started pulling off the paper with the box in front of her. "Look, bub, it's a present."

"No," Nattie grumbled, taking the gift wrap off it and swinging it around. You started laughing and Clint opened the box. Inside was a little gold chain with an arrow clasp and a plate with 'Natasha Katherine Barton' engraved on it.

"That is so lovely. Thank you, Nat," you said.

The next gift was from Kate and contained a selection of various kid's Hawkeye merchandise, including a little dress with pale purple arrows on it, and a homemade bear in what looked like Clint's Avengers uniform. Nattie was a little interested in the bear but still, it was the paper that kept her attention. After Kate was a gift of books from Bucky, Steve, and their kids. She did show interest in one of the Spot books and ignored the next three presents in a row while she flipped up the flaps in the book looking for Spot. When it got to Tony's giant gift that he wheeled around from the side, she suddenly gained a whole lot of energy. He'd gotten her an electric kid's car that was Iron Man-themed. Both she and Cruz immediately got in it and began driving it around the backyard.

"I think we might have lost her," you said.

"Ha, I won the best present," Tony teased.

"Alright, now," Pepper said. "No one likes a brag."

"Then why do they hang out with me?" Tony joked.

"You can just do the rest of the gifts when we're gone," Bruce said with a shrug. "It's no big deal."

"Besides we should do cake," Kate added.

You and Clint got up and were heading to the kitchen when a man with red hair came around the side of the house, holding a large, brightly colored box. You knew you recognized him from somewhere but you couldn't quite place it. "Barney?" Clint said, sounding confused. That's when it hit you. This was Clint's brother. You'd met him at Clint's birthday when you'd first hooked up with Clint and he'd gotten you pregnant. It had been such a brief interaction, you'd forgotten about him. Clint had mentioned him since but he'd always spoken about him like he was a dead man, and it had never clicked that his brother was still out there living his life. Yet here he was, right in front of you.