Avengers Stories //Oneshots//

The Barn (Part 1)

"I can watch you place, Barton. Nothing to worry about."

"You sure?" Clint had asked as he loaded the last bag into his family's car.

"100 percent," Tony flashed that media grin, except there was a genuineness to it that he never showed with the vultures, aka the press.

Laura came out of the house, buttoning up her coat as she ushered Lila into the car with her brothers. She glanced over at Tony and smiled, hooking her arm around Clint's. "Thank you so much for agreeing to watch the house, Tony."

"Anytime, Laura," he said, then backtracked and said in a joking tone, "well, only if there isn't a board meeting. Pepper rarely let's me skip those, but I could probably figure something out."

Clint snorted. "Good luck."

Laura's lip twitched, but then her expression turned into a frown. "Do you have any winter clothes Tony? It's supposed to get cold."

"I'll be inside most the time, don't worry." Laura didn't look convinced until Tony opened his bag and showed her he had at least three long sleeves and a jacket. She made him put on the jacket before being satisfied. When she was, she started pulling the archer to the car.

"You sure you won't burn the house down?" Clint asked.

"For the twelfth time, yes," Tony said, clearly exasperated. "Now get on out of here, Legolas. You all deserve a vacation. Warm sunny beaches and relaxation. Just don't let a pigeon get your ice cream."

"It was one time!"

"And that's enough times for me to remember for eternity. Especially your expression," Tony laughed. Clint pouted as he got into the driver's seat.

Then they were off, heading to the beach with Tony waving in the rearview mirror until they turned off the driveway.

.

"Okay," Tony said to himself, leaned against the livingroom wall as he read the list Laura gave him. While he hadn't shown it, he'd been uncomfortable outside. Not with the Barton family, but because of the cold slowly seeping through his clothes, cooling the metal of the arc reactor which cooled his body.

But now he was inside and everything was fine.

He mumbled off each thing to himself. "Vacuum everyday, dust Monday and Wednesday, sweep everyday, fold the clothes in the dryer....."

There were a few more things, but the little note at the bottom made him laugh. It was clearly in the Laura's handwriting.

No science experiments of any kind, I want the house in one piece when we come back. And wear a jacket, Tony. It'll be cold.

The brunette placed the list on the kitchen island and decided to get to work. Clapping his hands, he said out loud, "Now where is that vaccum cleaner?"

.

Tony was bored.

That was dangerous.

He'd done some work late into the night and had woken up an hour ago, surprising for him. Though Clint and Laura said he could sleep in the guest room, Tony didn't want to possibly mess something up in the decorative room, so he slept on the couch.

The inventor had tried to watch television after finishing his chores, but nothing was on besides cartoons. He'd finished all his work, had no meetings, and none of his inventions. His mind and hands craved something to do. That is how he ended up texting Clint.

9:17 A.M.

Me: I'm bored

Legolas: We'll be home tomorrow morning

Legolas: don't blow anything up

Me: Boooorrrrrreeeeeddddddddd

Legolas: what can I do about it?

Me: I dunno.

Legolas: well, there's the barn. Has a bunch of old junk. I doubt you could fix any of it, most is rusty and bad from like forty years ago.

Me: Is that a challenge?

Legolas: Will it make you un-bored if I said it was?

Me: Yes.

Legolas: then it's a challenge

.

"Are you sure about him messing around in the barn? Would if he hurts himself?" Laura asked anxiously from where she was packing the beach bag for their final day in the warm sun.

Clint tapped his fingers against his knee for a moment, then responded, "He'll be fine. He messes around in the lab all day and never gets hurt."

His wife gives him The Look and he relents.

"Okay, sometimes he nearly blows himself up. But we don't have the equipment he has for that."

"And if he builds that equipment?"

"He promised not to blow anything up. Tony has never gone back on a promise. I'll check on him every little while if that'll help?"

She relaxed a little, shoulders dropping, "Yes, that would help."

"Then that's what we'll do."

.

12:10 P.M.

Me: hey metal man, how's it goin?

Shellhead: Great! I've created a few things. This isn't old junk, Legolas!

Me: so the saying "another man's trash is another man's treasure" is true?

Shellhead: exactly

Me: huh

Me: alright, gotta go. Talk to you in a bit. Don't blow yourself up.

Shellhead: K

.

2:09 PM

Me: how ya doin Tones?

Me: Tones?

Shellhead: doin great!

Me: good. Remember, we'll be back in the morning

Shellhead: wouldn't forget

.
4:12 PM

Me: what are you having for dinner, shellhead?

Clint didn't pay attention to his phone, becoming occupied with his children and their food fight. He didn't look at his phone for another few hours after that.

He didn't realize that he hadn't gotten a message back.