Who Needs Powers?

Chapter 11: Steve Finds Out

For the next couple of months until the end of the school semester, things for the little Howlett family were mercifully quiet. Katie eventually stopped making Logan do everything one-handed, even if she was still in the habit of just shouting "Daddy!" at Logan at random intervals and running over to get thrown in the air and snuggled... and James was starting to let other people hold him.

And Clint was doing a little better too, mostly because things didn't feel too different. Even if he was healing, he didn't have claws or anything, and the only real difference in his life was that he didn't run through Band-aid boxes as often... and the fact that he didn't need his hearing aide anymore, which was kind of weird in and of itself. Everyone sounded so much louder and clearer, and that had taken some getting used to.

So when they headed to the Avengers for the summer — bringing Hank and Susie with them, too, to keep the family together — Thor seemed unusually loud when he greeted them. Clint wasn't used to getting the full Asgardian experience, clearly.

Not that he had time to really think on it when they were getting mobbed by everyone else. Jan was already making Clint over, and Carol wanted to talk to K. And there were some introductions to be made, too, with a set of twins that had joined the Avengers named Wanda and Pietro.

"You look kinda familiar," Clint told Pietro when they were introduced, though he couldn't quite place it.

"We haven't been on the team very long," Wanda said.

"Well, where were you before that? Didja ever go to my brother's circus or maybe grow up in Iowa or something?" Clint asked. "Because I feel like I've seen you before."

"Ah, no. On both counts," Pietro said, shaking his head as he stepped back.

"Didja used to be bad guys?" Katie piped up. "My Clint fights lots of those even if he's not a junior X-Man yet!"

"Of course he does. Clint doesn't slow down for anybody," Jan said, grinning and ruffling Clint's hair.

"It's because I'm so awesome all the bad guys know they have to get me before I can grow up to kick their butts even harder," Clint said with a quiet smirk.

"Kid knows where he's going," Tony chuckled — though when he came to stand by Jan and they were holding hands, Clint grinned crookedly at both of them.

"Knew you'd get 'im," he told Jan in a mock whisper.

"Me too," she whispered back.

Clint grinned her way and then pointed at Tony. "Last person who hurt her got screwed, so you're gonna be good, right?"

"Wait, when did you get a tiny big brother?" Tony teased Jan.

"Like, a few years ago. Keep up," Jan teased and kissed his cheek.

Clint grinned — and then started to laugh when he looked past Jan and realized that Katie had managed to monopolize Thor's attention entirely. She'd half climbed up his side until he picked her up, and they were chatting away in Korean, clearly delighting Katie.

Steve was headed over Clint's way, and Clint grinned at him. "Katie doesn't get to do that except some with Dad — and Mom and I are trying to learn it."

"I'm sure you'll pick it up fast enough," Jan said. "Smart guy that you are."

Clint nodded at that. "Hey, I know some Swedish and I know sign and English, so I'm already ahead of the game."

"You really are," she agreed. "I saw your parents flirting in Japanese too. You guys are going to be the most multilingual family around."

Clint grinned. "And James is going to learn all of them."