Archive of Our Own

It was the dead of night when it happened. Bruce was all by himself in an old apartment. He had been hiding there for months now. The only other human being to know he was there was an elderly woman. She would constantly stop by and “accidentally” drop necessities outside of Bruce’s door and give it a quick knock before going on her way. The young omega appreciated it. In a world run by alphas it was nice to know there was at least one good person left.

Bruce really was on his own though. His alpha abandoned him, saying it was just supposed to be a one night stand... the worst was that Bruce had been pregnant before the accident. When he went on the run he was sure that the baby was dead from all of the gamma exposure Bruce had taken, but a good couple of months in Bruce’s stomach had a distinctive bump. Bruce couldn’t tell if he was overjoyed or mortified. Overjoyed because his baby was still alive in there, mortified because he didn’t know how the gamma would affect the unborn child. Bruce was afraid that it would be like him, that it would have deformities or other problems and that he couldn’t care for the child because he was on the run. He didn’t want the baby to have his curse. He didn’t want this child to be hunted down mercilessly by the government.

He didn’t really have a clear head when he came up with the plan. His legs were weak. He was drenched in his own sweat, tears were still streaming down his face. He had taken the best blankets he had and wrapped up the little bundle that he had just spent hours bringing the child into this world. The child was asleep, unaware that his own family was going to abandon him. The child had a tuft of curly black hair and soft green eyes, there were a few... abnormalities though. The gamma experiment accident that had changed Bruce into what he was had also affected the small babe. The newborn had a wolf’s tail and there were some green splotches on his chest.

Bruce loved his little boy with all of his heart, and that was why he had to let the boy go. He had to give him to someone else. It was too dangerous to take the newborn with him. If Bruce was ever captured he didn’t even want to think of what could happen to his son. He knew that General Ross would want to turn him into a soldier and just use Bruce as a source of DNA to make more.

Bruce had written a letter and carefully pinned it to the bundle of blankets his son was wrapped in. See in the six months he had been squatting in the old apartment he had noticed a kind looking man. Bruce had studied him from afar and didn’t see any reason why the man wouldn’t be trustworthy (Bruce knew it was flawed logic but he was desperate at the moment. He knew what he had to do, so he ventured out into the winter night. He had made sure his little Oliver was wrapped up in enough warm blankets so that he wouldn’t get cold. Bruce didn’t care about himself though. He was barefoot, and in tattered clothing. He was still crying but managed to kiss his little boy’s cheek with a wavering smile on his face. He carefully set Oliver down in a small basket, making sure that the boy was bundled up and that the letter was visible. He rang the doorbell twice before running away as far as he could.

His chest heaved for air. The young omega had already exerted all of the energy he had in giving birth to his perfect little boy. He kept running though. He didn’t care how high his heart rate was getting. He actually wanted to change this time, that way he would go far away and he wouldn’t end up ruining Oliver’s life. Bruce’s feet were going numb. Every step made pain shoot up through his legs and he swore he could feel blood start to trickle down them. He knew the dangers of being too active just a mere hour after giving birth. The next step he took his leg buckled and he went tumbling down. He groaned in pain, every muscle tensing as the shift happened. Soon in his place there was a large green wolf, ears pinned back against its head. The wolf let out an eerie howl before racing out of the city. The wolf knew that it wasn’t safe here. It had to get somewhere safe, somewhere no one would bother it again, though it did feel a small tug back towards the porch where the newborn was. The wolf ignored it and kept running.

Bruce’s gamma experiment was supposed to be a big success. It was supposed to be a recreation of the serum used on Captain Rogers to make the perfect alpha, even if the soldier was previously an omega. With Rogers it was a great success and he was able to defend the country and take down Hydra. Bruce had always wanted to be a hero. He knew in his heart that if he were to be an alpha he would be a great one just like Captain America, so when the military funded his experiment he threw himself into his work. He spent countless nights without sleep, trying to find the right combination to make his dream a reality. There were only sparse notes on the original serum here and there. Bruce had to do some serious digging to even find those. After months of working he began to improvise missing parts of the serum with solutions and DNA splices he had calculated to be the best option.

The first time he had ever gotten a simulated success he had went out to celebrate with his lab team. They all went to a bar. Bruce had ordered a beer, watching carefully as it was made. He knew he was supposed to be having fun, but he also knew that the world was full of sick people. Bruce hadn’t expected to stay so late at the bar, or to get so drunk. Betty had left some time ago when one of the alpha’s across the bar staggered up to Bruce with a drunken smirk plastered on his face. Bruce was drunk as well (he hated being drunk because that was when he made decisions based on instincts, not logical thinking that would keep him out of trouble). The alpha had soft brown eyes and spiked black hair. There was a hint of facial hair starting to grow on the man as well. All it took was for the alpha to kick-start Bruce’s heat (which was easier considering Bruce was drunk and wouldn’t really resist). The two went back to the alpha’s place and had one wild night, but in the morning Bruce woke up with a massive headache and a bad feeling in his gut. The alpha told gave him some cash and let him walk out in the same clothes he had been wearing the previous night. Bruce felt like a fool... a sore and embarrassed fool. Bruce should have known that the alpha would do that. All the omega’s were warned about it. What made Bruce feel even worse was the money he had been given. It made him feel like some hooker... He could have used the money to get something for himself, but he ended up giving it to one of those donation boxes for researching cures for diseases. Bruce never learned the alpha’s name, and he hoped he would be just as quick to forget the alpha’s face.

The scientist had used a small amount of wolf DNA (considering they did have the natural order of alpha, beta, and omega). He had also decided that gamma rays would work as well; he figured that they would be the closest thing he could get compared to what had been used previously. The experiment wasn’t even close to being finished, but the government was impatient. Ross wanted his super soldiers. He didn’t feel the need to wait and see what some “crackpot” young scientist would come up with in test results. He wanted his soldiers right then and there, so he began to put pressure on Bruce and his team. The stress started to get to Bruce and he rushed his own work. He skipped past the animal test trials and moved right along to the human ones. Of course Betty, his lab partner and crush, had told him to think about what could happen, what could go wrong. Bruce assured her that it would work, that everything would be fine. The beta still had her worries about Bruce though. Ever since that night they had all celebrated at the bar he’d been a little different. Betty didn’t know what was wrong and she was worried that Bruce was only rushing to prove something, she knew how obsessed he was getting with this project, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. Bruce was determined to test his experiment out, and to prove that he could be great too.

It didn’t turn out like that though. The gamma and the wolf DNA concentrations had overtaken the serum. The next thing Bruce knew was that he was laying down in the tattered remains of his lab. There were claw marks on the walls and soldiers with guns aimed at him. When he was clothed again he was horrified to see the tapes. Terrified of what he had become, and it didn’t help when Ross flat out told him that he would do everything in his power to hunt the omega down no matter where he would hide. That was when Bruce ran. He felt like he had nothing left to lose.

***

Clint had just fallen asleep when he heard his doorbell ring. He groaned to himself and rubbed his eyes before checking the clock. When he saw what time it was he went on red alert. He was on one of his first undercover missions and someone had just rung his doorbell at three in the morning. There were only two conclusions Clint could think of, and it was either girl scouts working the cookie selling game on third shift or he had been found out. He carefully grabbed his gun, making his way over to the door slowly, crouching down so that if someone was looking in through the windows they wouldn’t see him. He opened the door slowly, crouched down and leaning against the wall next to the door. He held his gun tight, tensing as he waited for something to happen. When nothing did he cracked an eye open in confusion and frowned. There was no one shooting at him, just the faint whisper of a howl in the distance. He put his gun at it’s holster on his side and carefully walked out onto the porch. His eyes widened when he saw the little basket. He thought that this was only something that happened in movies.

Clint carefully brought the baby inside and checked to make sure it was warm and breathing. Once he was inside he noticed the note pinned to one of the blankets. Clint carefully unpinned it, making sure the boy would still be asleep and that the letter wouldn’t get damaged.

Dear Sir,

You do not know me and you probably never will. I am an omega and this is my son. I can’t take care of him and I fear I never will be able to. It’s my fault that he is different and I hope you won’t judge him for it. Please take care of him. Please give him a good life. Please, please don’t give him to the military. His name is Oliver. He was born just a few hours ago. He needs a home.

Clint rubbed his eyes. He was in way over his head here. Some poor omega thought that he was gonna be a good substitute father. He was a little worried about the whole ‘don’t give him to the military’ bit, so he carefully unwrapped the baby boy, holding back a gasp when he saw the puffy tail curl as Oliver began to whine and wriggle. Clint couldn’t believe the markings on the boy's skin either. He had to wonder if maybe this boy’s father was a mutant. He had heard about them from shield. Clint was all for mutant rights, but still it was a little shocking to see a baby with some green patches of skin and a tail. He had been so lost in his own thought that when Oliver began to cry he jumped. A frown appeared on Clint’s face and he carefully picked the newborn up. “Hey, hey it’s okay now little guy. I got you.” He murmured gently. He was at a loss. He didn’t know how to be a good dad... he didn’t know how to take care of a baby, let alone on a mission. He did the only thing he could think of and called his CO.

“Barton do you know what time it is here?” The man groaned from the other line.

“Yeah I do Coulson, but I just ding dong ditched and given a baby, and before you say anything I am not putting this little guy in an orphanage. Those places are just bad.” The alpha said indignantly as he gently rocked Oliver, who was sucking on Clint’s shirt, letting out small snuffles as he curled close to the man holding him.

There was a minute of silence before Coulson groaned from the other end of the line. “So what you’re telling me is the stork came and gave you a baby and you want to keep it.”

“Kinda, I mean there were no birds involved in this.”

“Yeah yeah quit bein a smart ass Barton. What condition is the baby in, how old, what’s the gender, and do we need to pull you out of the mission for maternity leave?” There was a smirk evident in the other man’s voice as he asked the last question.

Clint rolled his eyes at that. “Yes actually. This mission is no good for a baby and I don’t intend on leaving this little guy alone. His name is Oliver, apparently only a few hours old, and he’s a dude. Oh and... can we keep this off the records, like only you me and Director Fury know about it. I’ll explain it all later I promise, but I really need you to get here fast with like baby stuff because this little guy ain’t getting anything from my shirt.”

“Fine. Fine. He’ll be kept off of the records, but you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do when I get there.” Coulson said before hanging up. Just because he was Clint’s Commanding Officer didn’t mean he couldn’t do the young agent a favor once and awhile. Besides, who was he to send an innocent kid into child care. If anything he was mad that the child’s parent had just dumped him. He couldn’t think about that at the moment though. He rubbed his eyes and went to go get dressed in his suit so that he could “borrow” one of Shield’s planes and pick up Clint. The mission Clint was on wasn’t too vital... it was more of a test mission to see how well Clint would follow orders after the Romanov incident.

That mission was supposed to be a kill mission. Coulson could have sent any agent, but he had purposefully picked Clint. He knew Clint wouldn’t go through with the kill, but he also knew it would get the agent into a little bit of trouble. He was just glad that Fury hadn’t blown a fuse when Clint came back with the injured Russian. Coulson had a small hunch that Fury was acting along with this plan Coulson had come up with. Even so there still had to be punishments so Clint was sent on a boring mission to see how well he could follow orders. Coulson decided that having a baby dropped on you was one of the few exceptions that could be allowed to be pulled out of the mission.

Clint was still rocking Oliver gently. He kept rubbing the baby’s back, trying everything to lull the little guy back to sleep. He knew that babies imprinted on their parents as soon as they were born. He just hoped that maybe Oliver would imprint on him. It would be a lot easier on the both of them then. If he didn’t the boy would probably be scared and then cry. Clint could take out his hearing aids but that would just be mean. This baby just lost his parent or parents and then would be ignored by his new dad? The mere thought of that hurt Clint’s heart. He wasn’t going to ignore the baby. He was going to be a good dad and make sure that Ollie was taken care of.

The one thing Clint couldn’t account for was how his brother was going to react to him bringing home a baby. First it had been a Russian assassin (who was actually starting to get along great in the farmhouse), but at first it had taken a lot of Clint being the negotiator and keeping everyone from killing each other. At least now Natasha, she had decided to use that name now that she was in America, was starting to relax. He hoped that Shield would let her train to be a Shield agent as well. He had grown fond of her, and he could tell she had too. She stayed at the farmhouse because it was the only place Shield felt that she wouldn’t get into too much trouble, and Natasha seemed to like it a lot better than being stuck in a small, shared room with a bunch of other trainee agents. He hoped that Barney and Natasha could learn to love this little guy too.
Oliver sniffled again and began to cry. The newborn was starving (not really he was just very hungry). He wriggled in Clint’s arms, some of the blankets falling to the ground. Clint frowned and gently kissed Oliver’s cheek. “Hey little bud, it’ll be okay. Once Coulson gets here he’s gonna have lots of bottles okay? I just need you to quiet down.” He said in a soft voice, trying to soothe the child into being quiet again. It didn’t work. There would be no reasoning with a newborn. To Oliver Clint was a complete stranger. Sure the stranger was warm and made him feel a little better, but he didn’t smell like his father, didn’t smell like home or like something safe. It made the boy cry even more.

The few hours it took for Coulson to get there were the longest ones Clint had ever had to endure. The only way he could get Oliver to stop crying was to wrap the boy up in a warm blanket and let him suck on Clint’s finger (thoroughly washed of course). When Coulson opened the door he had a bottle in hand and went to go warm it up.

“You are a lifesaver Coulson.” Clint said tiredly. Oliver had his eyes open curiously, his little tail wiggled slightly.

Coulson just smirked. “I see you have your hands full. So tell me what happened. I’m going to need to know what time it was and see anything else that pertains to this.” He added as he gave Clint the warmed bottle.

Clint nodded and told Coulson what had happened, what time it had been when the doorbell rang. “And there was also this note.” He said as he gave it over to his CO in exchange for the bottle. Clint carefully teased the nipple of the bottle on Oliver’s lips and grinned when the baby boy latched onto it and began to eat. Oliver seemed to guzzle it down happily. He had a little milk dribble down his chin, still sucking on the bottle even though it was empty. He whined again, letting out a small burp when Clint patted his back softly.

Coulson frowned and read the note while Clint went to go make another bottle. “Hmm... this writing looks a little familiar. I’ll check the databases and see if anything comes up when we go back. For now you should start packing up... or... I will.” He sighed, seeing that Clint was a little preoccupied with feeding the newborn a second bottle already.

Clint gave the other a shy smile. “I owe you big time don’t I?” He said with a small laugh. Coulson nodded and began to shove the small amount of items Clint had brought on the mission into a bag. “You’re just lucky that the baby is pretty damn cute.” He grumbled. “If you can find that last vintage card I need for my collection I will consider clearing your debt to me.”

Clint laughed. “I will try and find it for ya. I will have a couple months after all, right?”

Coulson nodded. “Yeah you will. I cleared it with Fury. We’re saying you got injured on the mission and needed a few months to recuperate. That is the official story and what you will stick to when you get back on duty. You broke your leg and pulled a muscle in your back.”

“Got it. Broken leg bad back.” Clint repeated, smiling softly as Oliver began to slow down as he drank the second bottle. When the boy was finished there was just a small amount left in the bottle. Clint gently burped Oliver again and held him gently. He didn’t really know how he knew to do all of this it just... felt right. “There you go. All full now?” He asked gently. He took it as a yes when he saw that Oliver was falling asleep in his arms. “Poor little guy.” He murmured. He looked up at Coulson, noticing that the bag was packed. He put the two bottles in the bag as well before following the other out to the plane. He hoped that Oliver would sleep through the plane trip.

They were lucky that Oliver slept an hour on the flight. When the boy woke up he was not happy. He wiggled around and cried. Clint didn’t know what to do. He felt like he was getting in way over his head here. He had no experience being a dad, and his own father had been horrible so he really didn’t have an example on how to do it. He bit his lip before beginning to sing gently to the boy, rubbing Oliver’s cheek and nose, then his stomach and back. It took a few minutes but it calmed Oliver down and he was content to let Clint sing to him. Oliver seemed to trust Clint a little more since he had been fed, and Clint felt very honored. Eventually they both fell asleep on the plane. Oliver was sleeping in his little basket, and Clint was snoring in his seat. The poor archer was exhausted.

Clint only woke up when Coulson tapped his shoulder. He jumped slightly, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. “Were there aren’t we?” He asked tiredly, trying to keep his eyes open.

Coulson nodded and helped the archer onto his feet. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. He picked up Clint’s bag, and the bag of general baby necessities that Oliver would need. “Come on. You need some rest.”

Clint followed Coulson inside, Oliver in his arms. Clint hoped he could stay awake long enough to get Oliver all set up. The little boy was still fast asleep in his arms, he looked like a little angel. Clint smiled down at the little boy. He still couldn’t believe this was happening honestly.

Natasha was peeking in from the living room, she still had trouble sleeping. She noticed the baby, how tired Clint was, and decided the archer would need her help. She began to follow them to Clint’s room, not caring that Coulson seemed to go on edge a little when he saw her.

“Aw Coulson lighten up. She ain’t gonna do anything bad right Nat?”

“Correct Barton. Who is this child?” She asked as she looked at the little bundle in Clint’s arms.
Coulson sighed and rubbed his eyes. He just set out the baby supplies. “I’ll bring a crib over later today. For now just... make a pillow nest. And Barton? Get some rest.” He said before leaving the house.

Clint smiled sleepily. “This is Ollie. He’s part of the family now.” He yawned. “Can ya hold him? I need to make his little nest or whatever.” He said before putting the child in the redhead's arms. He crawled onto the bed and began to set up the pillows so that it was like a little fortress.

Natasha froze when the baby was in her arms. She frowned a little, seeing the green patches and tail. She hoped the child was just born like this and not... she shivered at the thought. When the boy’s eyes opened she couldn’t help but smile. She may be a hardened assassin, but who wouldn’t smile at a precious thing like this. She looked up when she heard Barney’s squeaky chair roll up to the room.

“Clint? Why the hell does she have a baby?” His brother’s voice came from the hallway.

“Cause m’a softie for babies, and Coulson left so I needed someone to hold Ollie while I made a nest for m’.” Clint replied sleepily, it only earned him a laugh from his brother.

“You’re gonna be a dad? Hey... that baby has a tail... Clint?” Barney’s voice went from joking to serious in a matter of seconds.

Clint sighed, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “It’s a long story, but Ollie is mine now and I’m keepin him safe. You got a problem with this little angel?” He asked with a raised brow. Natasha did the same. She didn’t want this child to be taken into the wrong hands. Besides Clint was a stubborn mind and he had made up his mind.

“No... but this means I gotta take care of the twerp while you’re gone doesn’t it?” He asked with a sigh as he wheeled himself into the room.

Clint smirked. “You know it, and hey you’ll have Natasha helpin you sometimes.” He said before laughing a little. “You guys are now Ollie’s Aunt and Uncle, so deal with it.”

When the nest was finished Natasha gently set the baby boy inside of it. She was smiling on the inside, keeping her stoic demeanor up. Clint smiled at them and carefully laid down in bed. He yawned again, rubbing his eyes. “Alright you two. Scoot. I’m going to bed so let me sleep.”

Barney just rolled his eyes and wheeled himself out. “I’ll be making some breakfast then at night.” It was a common occurrence when Clint came home from a mission. He’d sleep all day, have a breakfast at night, and go back to bed. “Don’t worry about the twerp tonight. We’ll take care of him today.”

Clint just nodded and passed out. Natasha stayed next to Clint’s door for a few hours. When she heard the boy start to cry she quietly crept in and took him out of the nest. The alpha sniffed at the boy’s diaper and frowned. Carefully grabbing the diaper and the wipes she carried Oliver to the living room.

“Hush now young one. Aunt Natasha has got you. I will make you feel better.” She murmured and began to undo the diaper. She made a face and held her breath before going to clean up the baby’s bottom. When she was done she tried to put a new diaper on him. It took a few tries, and a few glares at Barney when he laughed at her before she got it right. She smirked triumphantly and carefully put Oliver in one of the onesies Coulson had brought him. She murmured in Russian how cute he was in the little wolf onesie. She was glad Coulson had managed to cut holes so that the boy’s tail wouldn’t be constricted. It was amazing to watch it move... and it was so soft. Natasha began to hum an old Russian lullaby while she held him.

Oliver snuffled and began to suck on her shoulder. It was like a safety net for him since he didn’t have a pacifier in his mouth. Natasha snuck into Clint’s room again and grabbed the bumble bee pacifier. She smiled and put it into Oliver’s mouth before walking out again. She was very quiet, making sure that she wouldn’t wake the man who had saved her life. When she was in the living room again she looked over at Barney. “Does this thing... get children shows?” She asked while she held the boy.

Barney nodded and told her what channel would have kid shows on. “So all of a sudden this kid shows up and you're all motherly? Is this like an alpha thing?” He asked. Barney was a beta, so he didn’t really understand alpha or omega tendencies.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Yes. It is an alpha ‘thing’. It ensures that children will be kept safe once they are brought into the pack. Now Oliver is part of our pack. I must take care of him. Clint cannot right now and I doubt that you would want to, so I must act as a parent like figure to him, but Clint said I was only to be his aunt.”

Barney groaned. “You can be so weird sometimes, but fine. It makes a little more sense now.” He sighed and rolled off to his room again.

The rest of the day was like that. Natasha would calm down Oliver when he was hungry or needed a diaper change. She kept the TV on kids shows to Barney’s annoyance. Natasha didn’t care about that though. She didn’t want the baby boy hearing anything bad on TV. It was around 8 p.m. when Clint finally woke up. Barney started working on dinner as soon as he heard Clint shuffle around the room.

Natasha put the baby in Clint’s arms as soon as he was in the living room. She disappeared off to her room to calm herself down and reevaluate her situation. She knew if she stayed she could be a part of this pack. If she left she’d just be another target for this Shield to take care of.
Clint sighed and carefully held Oliver, grinning when he saw the onesie that he was in. “Oh my god you’re adorable. I bet you’re hungry though, aren’t you?” He asked quietly. He headed over to the kitchen and began to make a bottle for the little boy. “So aunty Nat’s been takin care of ya all day? That’s nice of here. I’ll have to say thank you tomorrow, but for now let’s get some dinner and then it’s off to bed.” He explained as the bottle finished warming up. He tested out how hot the liquid was before feeding it to Oliver. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched the boy eat.

“So Clint. How’s that alpha ‘protect the baby’ instinct working out for ya?” Barney teased as he cooked some scrambled eggs. He through some sausage bits and cheese into the mix as well. His little bro did have to eat well.

Clint rolled his eyes. “It’s workin fine. Oliver’s a cutie.” He replied as he gently burped the boy. “Did Coulson drop off the crib?”

“Oh, yeah yeah. Nat got it all built. All ya gotta do is put it in somewhere you want it. Man you wouldn’t believe how quiet she can be.” He sighed and set Clint’s plate on the counter.

Clint laughed. “Trust me I know. Hey can you hold the little guy while I eat and get the crib in my room? I’m gonna need both hands for those things.”

Barney groaned but held his hands out anyways. He let his brother put the baby in his arms and tried to stay grumpy, but couldn’t when he saw the little boy look up at him with those soft green eyes and the bumble bee pacifier. “You’re too cute for your own good kid.” He mumbled, ignoring the snicker from his brother.

Clint finished his dinner quickly. “Compliments to the chef.” He smirked before going to go get the crib. “Damn this is heavy.” He grunted as he picked it up by the bars. He slowly before going to move it to his room. He was going slow so that he didn’t accidentally trip over anything. He looked up when the load was lighter, only to see Natasha helping him move it. “Thanks Nat, really. I know I may not be your favorite person in the world but it means a lot.” He said with a tired smile.

Natasha just nodded. “Do not mention it. You saved my life and you have been nothing but kind to me. I like being a part of this pack.” In the red room they had been taught that your pack was your family, your everything. You only trusted your pack. Back in Russia her pack had been the team of assassins she worked with. Now that she was living with Clint she knew that this was her real pack.

Once the crib was in Clint’s room and Clint was in his pajamas Clint changed Oliver’s diaper and got him all set up in the crib. He made sure the newborn was all tucked in and safe before turning the lights off. He yawned and shuffled into bed, taking out his hearing aids. He knew now that Natasha would wake him or just take care of Oliver if she wanted to.

***
Oliver was about seven months old now. Clint had been back on the force for two months, and Natasha had joined up a month after Clint went back. Barney was usually home alone with the little boy for a few days, weeks even while the two agents were off doing missions. He’d never admit it but he was growing very fond of this kid.

Clint had just gotten home from a two week mission. He was tired, he had a sling on, and he just wanted to sleep. “Barn? You in here?” He called out. He was only answered by a snore from the living room. What caught his attention was a small coo from below him. He looked down only to see Oliver giggling up at him. His eyes widened and he picked the boy up. “Ollie bear? You’re crawling around now? Aw man I’m missing so much.” He said and hugged the boy, laughing as the seven month old tried to hug him back. “Oh you missed me too? Well I’m home for a good week. Isn’t that good? Yeah buddy. Yeah daddies home.” He laughed as he listened to Oliver coo and babble at him.

Barney woke up a little and yawned. “Clint you home? You got the little twerp right? He’s been crawling around like crazy. I had to put up baby gates or whatever they’re called.” He grumbled, smiling a little when Oliver reached out for him.

Clint laughed. “Yeah yeah I got him. You better have taken lots of videos and pictures for me.” He said happily.

“Oh really? I hadn’t thought to take videos of his milestones.” He teased and rolled his eyes. “They’re on the computer. Don’t worry.” He chuckled again. “I’ll make you some eggs and stuff. Wanna see if Ollie wants some cheerios? He loves those. It’s hilarious to watch.”

Clint nodded with a smile as he went over to the living room. “I’d love that. Man he’s just growin up so fast.” He sighed. Oliver had started to nibble on solid food at four months. Clint had looked up the safety precautions and all of the sources said it was fine as long as you started on soft solid foods like apple sauces and baby foods. Barney and Clint had been letting Oliver slowly work his way up to actual solid foods. Oliver had grown in a couple of teeth (that had been a nightmare when the first one started growing. Natasha was the one to figure out what was going on and made Clint and Barney go out and get teething supplies).

Barney laughed. “Babies do that. Hell when you were a baby it felt like one day I was holdin ya and the next you were chasing after me and saying we were playin tag.”

Barney came over after a few minutes. He gave Clint the plate of eggs, chuckling as Oliver tried to grab at them. “Ah ah Ollie. That’s your dads. You get cheerios.” The boy gasped and his tail wagged excitedly.

Clint laughed. “Oh my god that is adorable.” He said as he helped Oliver into the high chair. He sat back on the couch and smiled as Barney put a small bowl of cheerios on the little table part of the chair.

Oliver perked up and giggled as he stuck his chubby little hand in the bowl. He managed to get a few of the cheerios in it and brought it to his mouth excitedly. Only two out of the handful went into his mouth, but he chewed on them happily. He seemed to be wiggling happily, as well as his tail. “Nummmm.” He said excitedly.

Clint laughed, nearly losing the bite of egg in his mouth. “Oh my god. Barney. Barney he’s perfect.”

The rest of the week continued like this. Barney showed Clint what Oliver had done over the past two weeks. Clint played with Oliver and took care of him. When Natasha came back halfway through the week Clint and Barney showed her how much Oliver loved cheerios. Clint loved his weeks off, but when the week ended he had to go back to work, back on another mission. Natasha stayed a few days later before she had to go back as well.

***

Oliver whined and hugged onto Clint’s leg. He was giving his father the biggest puppy dog pout that he could. “Da... don’t go. Don’t goooooooooo.” He whined, tearing up as Clint grabbed his backpack and bow and arrow.

Clint sighed and hugged his son gently. “Ollie bear you know I gotta go.” He murmured to the four year old. “It’s my job. I gotta go keep the world safe. I know it’s gonna be a long time, but Uncle Barney is here, and Lucky is here too.” He said as he pointed to the golden lab pup that was sleeping on the rug. “I’ll call you every night okay? And you can draw me lots and lots of pictures too. That way when I get home we can put them all on the fridge.”

Oliver sniffled and rubbed his eyes. “P-promise you’ll call?” He asked quietly, holding onto his tail like a teddy bear.

“I promise bud. I’m going to call every night. Uncle Barney always keeps such good care of you. It’ll be okay, okay?” He said softly and knelt down to hug his son.

Oliver cried and nodded as he hugged Clint back gently. He sniffled and whimpered as Barney picked him up, putting him on his lap so that Clint could go.

Clint waved to his family before going onto the jet with Natasha. They both had missions to start, long missions. Clint hated long missions... he really did.

Oliver waved back to Clint and cried as his father left. Oliver should be used to his father leaving for his missions. He just... he didn’t like that his daddy always had to leave for so long.

Clint did what he promised. Every night he called his son, even though the cell reception was horrible in the desert. He knew why they were watching over the hammer for a reason. He still thought it was stupid. A day after they set up the spot though some blond with a god complex tried to move the immovable and failed. It was a couple days after that when he was moved the the facility where they were holding the tesseract. He didn’t trust the scientist there. Something was off about Selvig, he just couldn’t figure it out...

***

Bruce had spent years of his life on the run. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he tried he just... couldn’t get rid of the Hulk. It was haunting him, taunting him in all of his dreams. He had tried getting rid of his problem scientifically, all that did was create a second wolf monster called the Abomination, and have Hulk destroy Harlem. Bruce had tried killing himself and the wolf just spit the bullet out like a bad piece of food.

Bruce hated it. He couldn’t do anything. He was trying to be a better person nowadays. He was trying to run away from his past mistakes but they haunted his dreams. Betty... Ross... and his little Ollie. Even after all the years Bruce couldn’t help but think that he had made the worst mistake of his life by giving his little boy away. He felt his heart ache for his boy whenever he saw families out and about. He couldn’t help but wonder what his life would have been like if he had raised Oliver, but then he remembered the reason why he gave Oliver up to that man. If Ross got his hands on Oliver... the mere thought made the Hulk itch to get out.

Bruce was in Calcutta, trying to make a difference by doing something he knew how to do. He was giving medical care at cheap prices (he still needed the money for food). Bruce had just finished washing his hands when a little girl ran up the stairs even though the house was full of sickness. He frowned as he heard her beg for help.

Bruce went over to her and crouched down. He asked her if her father was like the other patients he had been treating.
She nodded and held out a fistful of money. “Please...”

Bruce nodded, grabbing his bag before he followed her through the town. When they neared the edge of it he stopped her gently, turning his face as a military vehicle drove by. Bruce could never be too careful these days. He did not want Ross to be onto his tail again. He just wanted to... have the most normal life he could have out here. He knew the thought was stupid.

When the vehicle passed the girl ran to the cottage across the road. Bruce glanced around again before following her inside, just in time to see the girl crawl out of the window.

“Shoulda got paid up front Banner...” He murmured to himself. That was when he met Natasha Romanov for the first time. She pricked his interest with the tesseract and he decided to go with her to the helicarrier.

Bruce regretted his decision as soon as he was on board the helicarrier. He was surrounded by Shield agents, and the last time he had had a run in with Shield they had been helping Ross. Bruce did not feel safe here and that made the Hulk very, very uneasy. It was hard enough keeping him at bay with one agent, now he was surrounded by them. He didn’t really care too much when he was introduced to Captain America. The man was lying to him about not caring about the Hulk. Bruce could tell that. Bruce wasn’t being too generous either though. As soon as he was shown to the lab he hid himself away. All Bruce wanted to do was finish his algorithm, help the world by doing that, and get out. That’s all he wanted.

He had spent hours working. The algorithm was about halfway done, but something... something interrupted his thought process. He looked up slowly only to see a pale man with jet black hair smirk at him. A frown spread across Bruce’s face and he rubbed his eyes, taking his glasses off as well. Soon after he was called down for a meeting. Bruce only went because he didn’t want to give Fury a reason to have him locked up somewhere. His unease only grew when he saw that this Loki guy was being kept in a cage, obviously made for the Hulk. Bruce had his arms crossed, staying towards the back of the room and ignoring the agents. He put his input in when he thought it would be helpful, even going as far as to say that Loki’s mind was the equivalent to a bag full of cats.

When Tony Stark entered the meeting the entrance was big and disrupted them, the normal Stark entrance. The only thing that caught Bruce off guard was the sickeningly familiar scent that wafted in with him. It didn’t help Bruce calm down. It made Bruce think of Oliver. It kept him on edge. Bruce looked down and tried not to bring much attention to himself, but when the billionaire asked a question that no one else would know the answer to he had to answer it.

Tony Stark wasn’t too bad. In fact Bruce kind of admired him, but he was still uneasy. He wouldn’t mention that night years ago. He doubted that Tony would even remember it. The only clue that could have triggered something in the other was Bruce’s scent, but that had long changed after the accident. He still smelled like an omega but his once pine forest-y scent had been changed into that of chemicals. The rest of the night was uneasy for Bruce. Sure the algorithm was completed faster and already looking for the tesseract, but he knew tensions were high. Not just for him, everyone seemed to be tense.

When the sun was just peeking up the whole ‘team’ was gathered in the small laboratory, even Director Fury was there. It was all very... coincidental. While everyone was arguing no one seemed to notice the small pulse from Loki’s weapon. That’s when things began to get heated. Stark and the Captain were near their breaking point when Romanov had the gall to tell him he needed to remove himself from the situation. Bruce was stepping over the line of losing it. His voice was low and dangerously calm. He didn't even notice as he grabbed for the weapon, holding it as he glared at the others, revealing that he knew he couldn’t be killed because he had tried. He noticed the look of shock on their faces only to barely hear someone tell him to put the scepter down. He looked down at his own hand, shock spreading across his face. He clenched his jaw as he set it down, only to hear the beep from the algorithm, telling him it had found the location of the tesseract.

“Sorry folks. Looks like you don’t get to see my party trick after all.” He said sarcastically. He put his glasses on to read the location, “Oh my god...” Was all he managed to get out before a shock wave threw him and Romanov out of the window and down the level beneath the lab.

The rest of what happened on the helicarrier was a blur to him. He remember the Hulk chasing Romanov, going in for the the kill. He remembered glimpses of fighting Thor, and then... falling. He groaned and rubbed his head as he woke up on cold concrete. He jumped slightly and managed to get an eye open to try and get his bearings. “Did I hurt anybody?” He asked when he saw an old man in a janitor’s uniform.

“Nobody here to get hurt.” The man replied before tossing some clothes at Bruce. “Here, didn’t think these would fit ya until you... were smaller.”

“Oh... uh thanks.” Bruce said shyly as he began to get dressed. To be honest Bruce was so used to waking up naked in strange places or in front of people that he didn’t really care anymore.

“So are you an alien?”

“What?” Bruce had never heard that question before.

“You know an Alien, cause if you aren’t then son, you have a problem.” The man said matter of factly.
Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle a little, “Not an alien.” As he talked to the man Bruce began to realize he did have a choice to make. He could run, do what he always did and go back into hiding, or he could go to where the signal had come from and try and help the only way he could in a fight. The man let him use his old motorcycle and Bruce drove himself to that signal.

When he arrived it looked like he was a little late to the party. He apologized to the team, pausing a little when he saw the archer. Something about him looked so familiar... His attention was soon brought back to the fight as a giant alien fish was brought towards them with Iron Man in front of it. Bruce smirked and began to walk towards it.

“Doctor Banner... don’t you think you should... you know? Get angry?” The good captain asked.

Bruce’s smile turned sad. “That’s my secret captain. I’m always angry.” He said before shifting, not fighting as the wolf tore his way out.

The aftermath of the fight was a little awkward. Tony had some spare clothes that he let Bruce borrow. All of the Avengers were exhausted. Bruce was still a little on edge as they went to go have schwarma. He was close enough to the archer to catch a wiff of his scent. He knew this was the man. This was the man he had given his child to all of those years ago. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if he should confront Clint or just leave it be. He didn’t want to make an enemy of a team mate. Besides Clint had been through enough in the past few days. He didn’t need an Omega pouring out his emotions on him. It didn’t seem like Clint had a kid either. He was an agent of Shield, so Bruce’s hopes dropped a little. Clint was an alpha, and what alpha would want to take care of a baby that wasn’t theirs?

Bruce was doing his best to stick around for a few months. He wanted to try and make friends with his teammates. It was easy to talk to Tony, especially since the man was allowing him to stay at his tower. The rest of the team wasn’t around much. They’d stop in for a day or two and say hello. Bruce would stay in his lab and work, he’d keep up on his suppressants, distance himself. He still wasn’t used to being social. It was odd for him to know that the team knew his secret, that they knew he was an Omega. They never treated him differently though, he found it a little odd, but it was nice for a change. He didn’t have to worry about being submissive all the time. Especially with Tony. He was able to be himself around the other genius. He had decided not to mention the whole... ‘I may have had your kid but I gave him up when I went on the run’ thing.

***

Bruce had been in his labs, of course, when Clint came in. He was flustered of course. He had been purposefully avoiding his archer so that he wouldn’t be reminded of the guilt he felt for leaving his son. He hoped he hadn’t offended the archer though. That was never the intention. He just wanted... he just wanted to be free of his past, but he knew it would be impossible.

“Banner... I uh.” Clint started. The archer seemed a little nervous himself. Bruce didn’t like it. “Look Banner.” He sighed again. “I know you were the guy that dropped Ollie at my door, I uh. I came to tell you that um, he’s okay. He’s safe, and uh... I might let ya see him.”

Bruce was absolutely stunned. “What? H-how? He-he’s okay? M-my baby’s okay?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Clint smiled a little. “Yeah he’s okay. He looks like you ya know... and uh... I guess what I’m sayin is he’s a good kid, just like his dad. He loves the heroes and you’re his second favorite. He is a daddy’s boy after all...”

Bruce laughed happily, tears starting to fall down his face. He grinned even more when Clint began to show him pictures. Bruce couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that his Oliver was safe, that he might be able to see him one day. He hoped his son wouldn't hate him...

***

A few weeks had passed since Clint revealed that he had kept Oliver. The two had started to hang out more. Bruce had still been surprised when Clint asked him to dinner. Bruce had thought that no one would ever want to be with him. He said yes of course. He had fallen for this kind alpha. It was hard not to. Clint was everything Bruce had ever looked for in a partner. He just hoped that he wouldn’t disappoint the alpha.

Clint grinned when Bruce agreed to go out for dinner with him. “Awesome. I know a great little Italian place, so... pick you up around seven tonight?” He asked with a small smirk.

Bruce couldn’t help but laugh and nod. “Sounds good to me...”

Seven rolled around and there was a knock at Bruce’s door. Bruce had dressed up a little and was glad that Clint had done the same. “R-ready to go?”

Clint nodded with a smile. “You look nice.” Clint was holding back a blush.

“Likewise.” Bruce said shyly. His stomach felt like it had butterflies in it. He was nervous, excited, and trying to keep himself calm. He did not want to Hulk out.

The drive over didn’t take to long. Bruce had been nervous the whole way there though. He was over thinking everything when he felt Clint put his hand over his. He looked up shyly, heart fluttering. He wasn’t used to comforting touches.

“Here it is.” Clint grinned. Honestly the archer was nervous as well. He had fallen for this omega. Sure Bruce had some problems to deal with, but didn’t everyone? He found himself wanting to be the one to help Bruce out of his shell. He wanted to be the one to comfort Bruce, to be the alpha that would give Bruce a family again.

“It looks great.” Bruce said softly. He was led into the restaurant by Clint. They made sure that they kept the date quiet. They didn’t want anyone to overhear it. They didn’t want anyone finding out. They both had a lot of enemies and if anyone found out it could be a lot of trouble, especially since the Avengers footage.

The date had gone great and soon they were going on more and more. The two had fallen fast for each other, but they did keep a secret. The only other person to figure it out was Natasha. It was no surprise though, she could read Clint like the back of her hand. She noticed how Clint and Bruce acted around each other, subtle smiles, whispered words when they thought no one was watching, not to mention how their scents were starting to mix. She wouldn’t tell anyone else though. If anything he’d help keep their secret safe and Clint and Bruce were both grateful for that. She also guessed that Bruce was Oliver’s dad. It wasn’t hard to piece things together. Giant green wolf, kid with some area’s of green skin and a wolf tail, it just clicked. When Bruce and Clint both confirmed it she smirked triumphantly.

***

The first time Bruce had ever seen his son since that fateful night was a couple months after he and Bruce started dating.

“Clint I’m nervous.” He mumbled as Natasha flew them to the farmhouse. Bruce was rubbing his hands together, trying to stay calm.

“Hey, hey that’s normal, but you shouldn’t be. Oliver is going to love you. I know he will.” Clint said gently.

Bruce nodded and leaned against Clint for the rest of the trip. When they arrived at the farmhouse Bruce couldn’t help but smile. This was a lovely place... his smile softened when he saw a little boy run out and jump into Clint’s arms.

“Daddy! You’re home!” Oliver giggled as he was hugged by his father. His tail wagged happily before he noticed the stranger next to his father. He blushed and hid his face. He wasn’t used to visitors. “Daddy who’s that...” He whispered.

Clint smiled softly, kissing Oliver’s head. “This is your other daddy, the one who came from you.” He said gently. “Remember how I was tellin ya everyone had two daddies or two mommies or a dad and a mom?” When the boy nodded he continued. “Well Mr. Bruce here is your other daddy. See when he got his cool powers he had you in his tummy. He needed to stay a secret so he left his greatest gift ever with me and that was you.” He said happily.

Oliver already knew that he wasn’t biologically related to Clint, he never cared about that though. The boy sniffled and glanced up at Bruce. “You... you’re the hulk?” He asked quietly, smiling a little when Bruce nodded. Oliver slowly climbed out of his father’s arms and went over to Bruce sniffing at him. His eyes widened. Bruce smelled like a safe place, like home. He hugged the man quickly. “You’re really cool... You gonna visit a lot right? Just like daddy? C-cause... cause you smell nice.”

Bruce’s eyes widened when they boy hugged him. He couldn’t believe that his son remembered his scent. He had heard that children imprinted on their parents, but he had never thought it was this strong. He gently hugged Oliver back, happy tears falling down his face. “Yeah. I-I’ll visit a lot, just like your daddy...” He said softly. “I really do love you Oliver... I hope you can love me too.”

As promised Bruce visited whenever he could. He made sure that his visits would not attract the attention of the other team members. He didn’t want to blow Clint’s secret, or expose their relationship. With each visit Oliver seemed to open up more and more. Soon he was even calling Bruce dad. IT was all Bruce could have ever asked for, but things turned a little sour when Ultron happened.

Bruce should have known that artificial intelligence in an android was a bad idea. He shouldn’t have even let Tony persuade him but he did. It turned into one giant shit storm. Ultron got out and set the twins after them. Everyone was rattled and shaken up after that, everyone but Clint.

Natasha and Bruce seemed the most shaken though. Bruce was mortified by what the wolf had done. He looked like he was fighting off a fever as he sat against one of the backs of a chair. Natasha seemed out of it, lost in memories. Clint couldn’t believe that everyone had been compromised. They needed a safe place to shake this off, and there was only one place in the whole world that Ultron wouldn’t know about, so he flew the team there.

Dawn had just started to peek over the clouds when Clint landed the jet in a far off field on his land. He managed to help the others into the house and laughed shyly when he saw his brother jump.

“Clint?! What the fu-dge happened to calling in advance?” Barney grumbled as he tried to play it off like he wasn’t too startled. He was trying not to swear because he knew Oliver could hear them.

“Circumstances changed. We need a place to lay low.” Clint said seriously.

Barney frowned and nodded. “Fine. I’ll start making more pancakes. You guys are just lucky I was up okay?”

Tony smirked as the man wheeled off. “Okay that was either an agent or Clinton here has a secret lover.”

Clint smirked. “Tony. Meet Barney Barton. My older brother.” Clint took great pride in watching the color flush to the other alpha’s face in embarrassment. There was a small pitter patter of feet running down the stairs before Oliver was jumping into Clint’s arms.

“Daddy! You’re home!” He said happily, still having bed head. “Did you bring aunty nat and Papa?” He asked hopefully as his eyes lit up and his tail wagged. Clint nodded and let the boy run to Bruce and Natasha who were staying near the back of the group.

Tony, Thor and Steve all shared the same dumbfounded look. They could kind of piece together that Bruce was the other dad. It was still shocking though, especially for Tony who couldn’t believe his science bro had kept this big of a secret for him. Well he did understand it, it just hurt him a little.

“Papa I missed you.” He frowned a little, noticing how Natasha and Bruce seemed tired and hurt. “You go to couch and get rest. Daddy and I are gonna make sure you guys are okay. Uncle Barney can help the rest of those guys.” There was an audible groan from the kitchen, Oliver just giggled.

Bruce and Natasha obliged the four year old and sat on the couch. They let him wrap them up in blankets and tell them all about what he had done while they were gone.

Bruce wished he could spend every day like this, no fear of being hunted down, hanging out with his family, just being a real father, not having to leave every time he came to visit.

The rest of the day had been odd. Steve and Tony were blowing off steam outside. Bruce, Clint, and Natasha caught up with Oliver and Barney. It was only when Fury came that they knew they’d have to leave again. Of course Oliver was sad, but it had to be done to save the world.

Clint and Bruce made use of the night by finally bonding each other. Bruce didn’t want the morning to come that night. He wanted to stay like that forever, but he knew what he had to do. He had to make up for the city that had been destroyed.

***

Clint knew the team was worried about where Bruce was, but it was part of the plan. After all that had happened because of Ultron Bruce needed to hide, and since he didn’t want to leave Oliver or Clint they had to come up with a plan. After the city had been saved the Hulk had flown off, when Bruce came out he purposefully crashed the plane near Fiji, he hulked out again and the wolf swam all the way to shore where Clint was waiting with another jet. Clint calmed the Hulk down and flew them home, assuring Bruce that everything was going to be alright. Natasha knew, sure she was a little pissed at the theatrics, but Bruce and Clint couldn’t not tell her. She deserved to know since she was a part of their pack. She said she wouldn’t tell a soul, and she meant it.

It had been a couple months since then and Bruce was laying on the couch with Oliver curled against him. Now that Bruce and Clint were back and they were both staying for a long time Oliver felt like the luckiest boy in the world, especially since he knew he had a sibling on the way. Bruce had a small bump that was really starting to grow now. Bruce was happy that he and Clint were making a family together, but he was worried. He knew that something was coming... he just didn’t know what. It terrified him not knowing.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Clint asked gently as he draped a blanket over his family.

Bruce gave a soft smile. “Nothing... I just have a bad feeling. I’m probably just being paranoid.” He chuckled and kissed Clint’s cheek. “Thank you for all of this... I-I never thought I could have a family... th-that I would...”

Clint smiled, kissing Bruce gently. “You just need to relax. Everything’s going to be okay. It’s not like there’s going to be a war or anything. “ He said softly. The alpha crawled in next to Bruce and wrapped his arms around his family.

Bruce nodded. “You’re right.” The omega murmured, eyes closing happily from the warmth. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he felt his son’s tail wag while he slept. He felt so safe in Clint’s embrace. He knew he could believe him. He knew that he’d be safe here. Their whole family would be. He slowly fell asleep, a smile on his face as he thought about what the twins he was carrying.

Clint smiled and watched over his family while they slept. He was just glad everyone was going to be okay for now. They team didn’t have to know where Bruce was for a while. They could find out when everything died down a little and there wasn’t so much news focussing on his omega. As the alpha it was Clint’s duty to keep his family safe, and if that meant keeping Bruce’s whereabouts hidden so be it. He was just glad that Bruce could hide at home and carry their child here instead of be alone in some third world country.

“I love you Brucey. Don’t ever forget that.” He murmured.

The omega chuckled tiredly, waking up slightly. “I won’t. I love you to Clint... you’re one of the kindest alpha’s I have ever met.”

Clint smiled even more. “And we’re together now. We’re a family, and families stick together. You and our little ones are safe here so you don’t have to worry. I would never let anything hurt you guys.” He began to hum gently, rubbing his omega’s stomach to lull Bruce to sleep. He still couldn’t believe that Bruce was having his twins. It was exciting, even more so since they’d be able to find out the genders in two weeks.

Barney smirked from the kitchen. It was a nice change to see his brother have a normal life, well as normal as it could get with an Omega that turned into a wolf and a son that had a wolf’s tail. He was secretly excited to have some more pups running around the house, though he was starting to realize he’d have to take care of them when Clint and Bruce were on missions. “Oh my god.” He groaned quietly. “The pups are gonna take over the house...” There was a chuckle from the living room from his brother. “Oh shut it ya old softy.”

“Didn’t say a thing.” Clint chuckled softly, making sure not to move as his family snuggled against him.