It Takes a Village

Epilogue

Click.

The shutter sound was unbelievably loud in the silent room, and Steve bit back a wince at the noise. Glancing down and seeing that nothing had happened, he braved another shot.

Clint was lying on his back, his legs propped up on the armrest of the couch and crossed at the ankles. One arm was tucked beneath his head and his other curled protectively around the little girl that was draped bonelessly over his chest.

Natasha's hushed entrance from the patio created the slightest breeze of chilly, night air, and Abby snuggled closer into Clint's warmth. At the movement, the archer simply tightened his grip to secure her. Steve glanced at the redhead when she stopped beside him.

"That," he whispered. "Is the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my entire life."

She smiled. "Agreed."

"Why the hell are you whispering?" Both soldier and assassin rounded on Tony, shushing him and pointing at the sleeping pair on the couch. Creeping forward, he peeked over the back of the sofa. "Please tell me you have blackmail pictures."

"I have pictures," Steve replied hesitantly. "But I don't think I'm giving them to you."

Tony snorted lightly, ghosting a hand over Abby's hair. "Whatever, Spangles. The next time Clint pisses me off, I'm hacking your computer and posting them all over headquarters."

"You will not," Bruce admonished, having followed Tony upstairs. "He's finally comfortable enough with us, and with her, that I don't think we should torture him anymore."

Tony frowned. "I'm not torturing him. Currently."

"Bruce has a point, Tony," Steve put in, and the billionaire threw his hands up in surrender. "Clint's come a long way since August. It might be nice if we cut him some slack."

"Appreciate that, Cap," Clint muttered, his eyes slitting open. He glanced at Tony. "The next time your hand enters my personal space when I'm sleeping, you lose it. You're lucky I realized it was you and restrained myself."

Tony looked curiously at him. "How exactly were you going to remove my hand?"

The arm tucked behind his head slid from beneath the pillow cushion and emerged, gripping a wicked looking blade. Steve whistled slightly and Natasha's face lit with surprise.

"I was wondering where I put that," she murmured, taking it from his hand. Thor walked in as she tucked the blade away.

"I'm not sure I wish to ask," he said. Shaking his head, he turned to Steve. "What film are we to view tonight?"

"It's my pick," Tony announced, shooting Steve a devilish grin. "The Star Spangled Man?"

"Absolutely not," the soldier replied firmly. "The last thing I need is you lot teaching Abby that damned song."

"That just moved up to number one on my to-do list," Clint muttered, grinning unrepentantly at Steve's glare. He rubbed a hand down Abby's back as she grew restless.

Bruce carefully eyed her movements as Thor began to make popcorn for the team. "Let's watch something innocuous," he suggested. "Just in case she wakes up while the movie is playing. What's in the DVD player?"

Natasha began the movie, slipping beneath Clint's propped up feet to curl into a corner of the couch. The opening menu of Despicable Me began to play and Clint groaned slightly.

"We are the biggest badasses on the face of the planet, and this is what we are reduced to," he muttered beneath his breath, stealing a handful of popcorn from Thor's bowl. "I feel slightly emasculated."

"Good, because I feel extremely emasculated," Tony replied, sprawling on the end of the other couch.

Steve frowned at them, taking the offered glass from Bruce. "We can still be superheroes," he reminded them. "As long as she's happy, why should we care?"

Tony stared at him, a handful of popcorn halfway to his open mouth. "Seriously, how have you not gotten laid yet?"

"Shut up." Steve tossed a kernel at Tony, the tips of his ears going red.

"Behave boys," Natasha reprimanded, wiggling her fingers at Thor for a popcorn bowl. "No food fights until I'm properly armed."

The banter continued good naturedly as Tony stole the remote from Natasha and began the movie. JARVIS dimmed the lights and the conversation died down as Earth's mightiest heroes settled in on a Saturday night to watch cartoons.

Abby shifted a little, tensing slightly as she blinked bleary eyes. Unnoticed, she glanced around at the assembled team and relaxed. Squirming to find the best spot, she rubbed her cheek against Clint's sternum.

"G'night, Uncle Clint," she whispered, almost too soft for him to hear. He smiled warmly, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Dipping his head, and praying that no one else could hear him, he whispered back, "Good night, baby."

Fin.