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“Listen: I'm not saying that you're wrong, exactly… It's just that if we follow the general pattern of things typically I have more experience with—hold on, is that a baby?” Tony’s train of thought left the station without him as Clint Barton walked into the common area of Avengers Tower with an infant cradled in his arms.
“Yep,” Clint answered casually. “She's mine.”
“General, I'm going to have to call you back,” Tony said into the phone before abruptly ending the call. “Since when do you have a baby?”
“Technically for about six months, full-time for about six hours,” Clint answered as he stroked the sleeping infant’s head.
“I—what? How did this happen?”
“I thought you were old enough to know how babies are made, love,” Natasha called over to Tony as she and Bucky entered the room as well. “Let me hold my niece so you can kiss your husband,” Natasha said to Clint, holding her arms out for the baby.
“You are fresh off a mission and still have someone's blood on your cheek, and she only just got her vaccinations this morning. Not a chance,” Clint replied, leaning away from her.
“That is so fair. I’m going to go shower.”
“What, and no hello for your husband?” Tony asked, mock-affronted.
Natasha smirked before sauntering over to Tony. “If you don’t mind the grime, feel free to kiss me.”
He pulled her into his arms for a long kiss before they broke apart. “Seriously, Nat, what is with the baby?” he asked in a low voice as he looked towards Clint, who was still cradling the baby like she was the most precious thing in the world even as he exchanged soft words with Bucky.
“That’s a long story,” she sighed. “Join me in the shower? I’ll tell you what I know. We can give them some privacy…and get a bit of privacy of our own.”
Across the room, Bucky and Clint were having their own quiet conversation.
“I know it was a bit of an impulse decision,” Clint began, “but I couldn’t just—”
Bucky cut him off. “It’s okay, I understand. I told you on the phone that I was fine with it.”
“Still, I should have checked in with you about it first, had a proper discussion—”
“Clint, it really is okay. You knew I wouldn’t say no, especially given the situation.” The situation being that one of the tenants in Clint’s apartment building had had a baby she didn’t want anywhere near her abusive ex-boyfriend or her criminal parents; and Clint, being the self-sacrificing walking disaster that he was, had offered to pose as the baby’s father—and pay her child support, since she had only recently graduated college and was struggling to find work while also taking care of a baby. Clint and Bucky both had spent time with the baby and liked her; and so when Kate was given a full-ride scholarship to law school in Massachusetts, Clint proposed that he and Bucky take on full-time parenting duties.
“What’s really bothering you?” Bucky asked softly. “I know you love this kid, and you know I love her too—so, what’s the issue?”
“Aside from the fact that once news gets out everyone will think I cheated on my husband with someone twenty years younger than me?” Clint harrumphed.
“We’ve gone over this; you know I’m fine with claiming we had a rough patch.” Bucky crossed his arms. “Spill.”
“Fine.” Clint took a deep breath. “I know I’ve talked about it for a while now, but part of it is just knowing that I’m going to need to retire from the field and from being an active Avenger.” The baby started stirring like she was about to wake up, and Clint rocked her slightly to calm her down. “Up until now, it’s all been theoretical. There’s just a lot of changes coming, you know?”
“True, but changes don’t necessarily have to be bad.” Bucky paused. “I was thinking of retiring too, you know.”
“Really?” Clint asked.
Bucky laughed. “Don’t act like you’re actually surprised.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m not.” The corner of Clint’s lip twitched. “I just wasn’t sure that it’s anything that you would admit to wanting. You’re very good at self-denial.”
Bucky shook his head. “I’m going to go shower, and then it’s my turn to hold our daughter.”
—
A few hours later found Tony in his workshop, as was his wont, though what he was designing was far from his usual.
“Are you going to come back to bed at some point tonight?” Natasha asked, after she had been leaning in the doorway for over half an hour without Tony’s attention ever drifting away from his task.
“Eventually. Probably,” he told her distractedly. “I’m in the middle of something here.”
“And that something is…?”
“Putting in new protocols for Operation Tiny Tot.”
Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Operation Tiny Tot?”
“Barton and Barnes have a baby, which, thanks for not telling me about that by the way”—Tony rolled his eyes—“and we have zero protocols in place for securing her safety.”
“I’m pretty sure Bucky and Clint have got some protocols in place already,” Natasha pointed out.
“Yes, but those need to be adapted now that they’re full-time parents and will be retiring from the Avengers.” Tony waved his hands wildly. “There are new policies that need to be put in place if we’re having a kid and two people who are technically now civilians around here.”
“I don’t know that they are planning to stay in New York, especially not with the baby’s mother moving several states away. Even if she’s in school and not full-time parenting, she’ll still want to see her daughter relatively frequently.”
“True.” Tony hummed. “JARVIS, add a search for properties in New England for purchase that can be properly fortified and protected.”
“On it, Sir.”
“You’re taking this uncle thing very seriously, aren’t you?” Natasha mused.
Tony frowned, scribbling another note on his tablet. “I take a lot of things seriously.”
“And I love that about you. I’d also love it if you would come to bed and get some sleep. The kid’s got superheroes for dads in addition to the rest of us looking out for her. She’ll be well protected.” Natasha kissed him on the forehead. “We’ll make sure of it. Now, will you please come to bed? I’ve been away on mission for over a week, and I’d like some private time with my husband beyond a shared shower.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Tony smirked before pulling her down for another kiss.