Chapter Text
He takes the note in his hand staring at what he knows now to be Wanda's handwriting, her handwriting and spelling was much better than Pietros, he doesn't know whether to chalk it up to being out of school for a while or English clearly not being their first language. If anything he's glad to have a last name to go with the twins now, he can give Natasha a call and help her get better search results for them, maybe they have a family looking for them. It's early in the morning, too early for his kids to be up and even Nate is still asleep most likely because he was up late with everyone else last night. He takes the time to quietly put away the air mattress and put the bed sheets to wash. Their clothes from last night are gone so at some point in the really early morning or late night they must have put them to dry so they could take them. He grabs the bear and places it on the couch taking the note and placing it inside his wallet for safe keeping.
Once the living room is back to its natural state he heads into the kitchen and brews himself a cup of coffee. He sits for a moment enjoying the silence while he adjusts his hearing aids, his backup pair aren't his favorite, the battery dies quicker and they are not his signature purple color that Nat teases him for. He keeps asking Tony to figure out how to make them fully waterproof but the man just keeps telling him to be patient. Clint has a sneaking suspicion he figured it out months ago and just refuses to tell him.
He thinks about calling Natashas, it's been too long since he gave her any updates, too preoccupied with keeping them alive. Now with the progress of their full names and ages she should have an easier time digging stuff up about them. He checks the time and dials Natashas number, her shift must have started by now and being mostly out of the field leaves her with a lot of free time.
She picks up on the first ring. “Hey Katniss.”
“Does that make you Peeta?”
“First of all, i'm surprised you got that reference-”
He sighs memories of him and Lila binge watching the entire series come to the front of his mind. He scoffs. “I have a 14 year old daughter. I've seen hunger games like 8 times.”
“Second of all, I'm totally Joanna.”
He clicks his teeth, something about Natasha being an axe wielding delinquent with a problem with authority fits a little too well. “I see that.” He pauses, taking a sip of his coffee. “I was actually calling because I have more information about those kids in the woods, was hoping it could narrow down the search for their parents or something.”
“Hit me.”
“Their names are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, both 15 years old.”
The phone goes quiet for a few minutes, the light sounds of the keyboard filling the speaker. “According to Child services they are a long way from home, and also not even reported missing.” She trails off like she's looking at something else.
It was pretty clear to him they were runaways and running away from a foster placement was the most likely scenario. Not being reported though? That's the weird part, CPS may have many faults but they typically report these things, runaway kids not only look bad on the placement but also the organization.
“Where are they from?”
“Apparently they are still in Minnesota with their Uncle, who was given sole custody after the death of their parents in a fire in Sokovia.” She says carefully.
Jeez, he heard about Sokovia being on the brink of war a few years ago, it's honestly a miracle someone was able to locate a living relative for these kids. He can't imagine what it must be like to be living with a new person in a new country where you don't speak the language. .
“How long ago?”
“Parents died about 4 years ago.”
“Why wouldn't their Uncle report them?”
Natasha sighs. "From what I could tell he's got a history of misdemeanors, nothing since taking the twins in but you and I both know records aren't always the truth.”
“Right. Well thanks, I'm going to try to get some more out of them.” He sighs rubbing his temples, “I got them to stay in the house last night.”
“How'd that go?” The change in voice and demeanor is immediate, and he already knows the inevitable teasing is coming.
“Left before anyone was awake and kept them away from the kids, but besides that it was good, i just- i hate not being able to do more.”
“You taking in strays now?” She says with a clear smile on her face.
“I took you in.” He retorts.
It had been one of the riskiest and best things he's ever done in his career. It almost got him fired, but he saved a life. Most days he thinks she saved his too.
“And now I'm a pain in your ass.”
“A helpful one at least. I'll talk to you soon.”
“Later Legolas.”
He puts his phone down and rubs his hands over his face. He pours himself another cup of coffee and gets started on breakfast. French toast is simple enough and reheats well since he can already tell the kids are sleeping in late today.
After a while he puts 4 pieces away in Tupperware to bring to the twins and makes his own plate.
“You're up early.” Laura says entering the kitchen with her robe on.
He shrugs. “Was eager to know if they were going to be here I guess.”
She kisses the side of his head. “I assume they were not?”
“Nope just left a note. You know they have surprisingly great manners. Even folded up the blankets they used.”
Laura goes over to the coffee maker and pours her own cup leaning against the counter as she sips. “Yea I figured that one out when I met them, Pietro is actually pretty sweet. Reminds me of when Coop was younger.”
He scoffs at the thought. “Sweet to you maybe.” He waves a forkful of French toast at her. “I think he likes you more than me.” He states, then plops the food into his mouth.
She smiles at him and scrunches her nose. “That's no secret babe.” She points to the tupperware he left on the counter filled with the still warm French toast slices. “You going to see them later?”
He nods, getting up to put his empty cup into the sink. “Yeah, I was waiting for you to get up so I could sneak off.”
She places a hand onto his chest. “No need to sneak out when the kids already know.”
He finishes off his last bite of breakfast before putting his plate in the sink. “Right, well maybe I just want you to deal with all their questions today.”
She squints his eyes at him in the way she does when he knows she's going to mess with him. “Well if that's the case, ill just invite Kate back over and you can answer her questions.” She says slyly.
“That's not funny.”
Laura pulls her phone out of her pocket and waves it around. “She'd come over in a heartbeat.”
The worst part is, she's not wrong. Kate had been attached to his hip while training and when he invited her over for Christmas that year, she didn't do anything to conceal her excitement. Sure it was endearing, but he'd rather die on the hill that she's annoying than admit that to his wife right now.
He puts his hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, how about this, I'll bring the kids food and when I get back you can pawn the rest of them off on me and I'll deal with their questions.”
Laura smiles, this was always the end goal. She gives him a quick peck on the lips. “Sounds like a plan.” She says wistfully.
He watches as she leaves the kitchen with more pep in her step than she entered with. He'd marry that woman three times over if he could.
He sighs and gets himself ready to go out, grabbing the tupperware of breakfast and some juice boxes.
The hike to their campsite usually feels shorter but with the damp ground and fallen trees he has to turn around a few times to reestablish his path. His shoes from last night were still damp so he's ruining yet another pair of shoes walking around in all this mud. Like the night before it takes him around 5 minutes to find their spot and when he does, the sight makes him sadder than usual.
Their campsite had never been anything to write home about but seeing it now made his stomach drop. Their tent was in shreds, the aftermath of a loose tree branch going right through the middle. They could have been seriously injured last night.
His eyes settle on the twins who haven't noticed his presence yet, they are pacing around the sight clearly unsure of what to really do. Pietro has a few sticks in his hand in his attempt to clean up the place. Wanda looks like she's checked out entirely, holding herself tightly with their shared backpack at her feet.
“You guys okay?”
The twins turn to him in perfect sync, one of those things that reminds him how connected they are, it's cute.
Pietro scoffs and tosses the sticks to the ground. “What do you think?” He says sharply.
Yeah that's fair, their “home” just got destroyed. He looks between the two, unsure of what to say. Their whole life has been flipped upside down and now the one place they call home is gone too.
What do you even say after that?
He settles on “Okay.”
Wanda sighs and looks at him, really looks at him. Then points to the container in his hand. “Breakfast?” She asks like her life isn't sitting ripped to shreds behind her. It's impressive how quickly she's able to make him second guess that it even happened.
He's grateful for the change in mood and quickly hands over the container. “Yea, yeah eat up.” He stands around awkwardly while Wanda opens the container, handing a slice of french toast to Pietro. He haphazardly wipes his dirty hands onto his sweatshirt before diving in.
The two eat their slices in silence and when Pietro takes his final bite he squints and looks back to Clint. “You made these didn't you?” He asks.
“Yes?”
“Mrs.Barton makes it better.” He says with a smirk on his face.
It's endearing, the way Pietro feels comfortable enough to sass him. If only it wasnt to insult him about his cooking skills, he hears enough about that from his own teenagers.
He raises his eyebrows at the teenager. “Oh really?.”
Wanda laughs a little, her own food gone.
He points a finger at her. “Is that funny to you?” He says without any bite.
She nods and tosses the container to him. “It is.”
Pietro and Wanda start laughing at him harder, their destroyed camp fading into the background. He starts to see them in slow motion, their smiling faces, their hand-me-down clothes, the bags under their eyes, and the way the sun shines on them. It takes him by surprise the way he sees their futures too, dropping them off for school in the morning, and making them breakfast in his kitchen, teaching them how to drive, learning new things about them everyday and not letting them go.
“Come stay with me.”
It shocks him how quick it leaves his mouth. It shocks the two of them too, their laughs cut off abruptly, as if they were never there at all.
“What?” They say in sync.
“Come stay with me.” He pauses, stepping closer to them, gesturing around to the destroyed sight. “I have a guest room, with a door that locks… a wife that adores you already, I have three kids who might annoy you at first but they'll grow on you.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “You don't have to keep running.” He says gently.
The two kids stare at each other, unblinking. Maybe it's too fast, but they don't have time for slow. Laura will understand, she always does. “Look, the fact of the matter is, you can't stay here.”
Pietro scoffs and steps forward crossing his arms. “We didn't stay one night and you want us to stay for-”
“As long as you want.”
“We haven't stayed in one place this long before.” Wanda says barely above a whisper.
“That's ok.” He pauses. “Just, come stay with me. Maybe it works and you have somewhere to stay, a real place to call home.” He shrugs mostly at Pietro. “Maybe it doesn't and you go back to sleeping in a tent, I'll buy you a new one if that's really what you want.” He swallows harshly, “But we should try.”
The two of them look to each other, their mouths opening not even an inch. He decides then that twin telepathy must be real, because somewhere in their heads they are having a conversation. The time ticks slowly, the sound of the trees whistling and birds chirping are the only thing to let him know time is passing. He doesn't look away from them, not for a second, they need to know he's not going to take it back no matter how long they make him wait for an answer.
He doesnt get an answer, Wanda simply sighs, picking the old backpack up from her feet and walking straight past him, Pietro begrudgingly following suit.
For a moment, he thinks he just lost them.
“You coming?” Pietros voice calls out from behind him.
It only takes a second to catch up to them, and from there the three of them walk side by side out the woods. He's thought about this moment before, in the silence of night long after Laura has gone to bed and he can't sleep. He used to think it'd be harder than this, that they'd fight him every chance they had. Maybe it's because they don't really have a choice right now that they're calmly walking side by side.
He catches the two of them looking over their shoulders at the life they are leaving behind. He tries not to think about the months they've probably spent curled up in that tent, just the two of them.
They're walking slow, he's fine with that, it gives him time to think of what he's going to tell Laura. How he's even going to explain this to the kids. One night is easy, but now they have to interact, they have to know who's going to be living with them for an undisclosed period of time. Cooper and Lila were so young when Natasha came to stay with them it didn't even matter what he told them. Now they're too old to not know the truth, and Nate is so kind, so trusting, his issue is going to be knowing when to back off.
They make it back to the door, he checks the time on his watch, it's still early enough that the teenagers could still be sleeping but Nate is definitely awake by now. He turns to face the kids before opening the door giving them one last chance to back away.
“You sure about this?”
“Are you?” Wanda says with a confidence that almost makes him believe this was her idea.
He smiles at them and just opens the door.
Laura greets him immediately. Giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Everything okay out there?”
He nods. “I have good news and bad news.”
Laura backs up burrowing her eyebrows at him.
“The good news is, I will answer all the questions the kids have.” He pauses purely for his own enjoyment and dramatic effect before stepping out of the way of the door to reveal the two teens behind him. “Bad news is, they're going to have a lot more.”
He watches as Pietro smiles at Laura putting a hand up to wave. “Good morning Mrs.Barton.” he says politely.
Laura's head goes between looking at him and looking at the twins. Once she has taken in all the information she guides the kids further into the house. “Good morning Pietro, Wanda.” She parks them in the living room. “Just a second.” She says before dragging Clint away from them.
When it's just the two of them in the hallway not far from the living room she stares at him dumbfounded. “Explain.” She says not unkind.
It's something he always liked about Laura, how straight to the point she was. They'd always been honest with each other, when Natasha had come to the house many years ago, she simply asked all her questions and welcomed her in with open arms. He knows she'll do the same here.
“I told them they could stay here for a while.” He sighs. “They couldn't stay out there anymore, their tent is completely unsalvageable.”
She nods. “Okay, well, it was only a matter of time. They wouldn't have lasted the winter out there.” Shs says simply.
“You're okay with this? Them staying here.”
“I've been okay with it for a while. We have the space and… they need stability.” She looks at him fondly and clicks her tongue. “I'll clean out Nat's old room, good luck with the kids' questions.” Shs says cheekily while walking away.
As if on queue he hears the familiar sounds of his middle child on the stairs. He manages to intercept her before she can get all the way to the bottom.
She stares at him for a moment, her hair still a mess, the sleep having barely left her eyes. She raises a brow at him. “Dad?”
He tries his best for casual. “Child.”
She crosses her arms at him. “Are they still here?”
He nods slowly and sighs. “Wake up your brothers, we need to talk.” She says seriously.
She nods and scurries off to their bedrooms leaving him a few minutes to prepare. He decides to talk to the twins first. Entering the living room you'd never think they'd stayed the night, they're still just standing in the middle of the space looking around at everything.
He leans against the doorframe waiting for them to notice before speaking. “Do you want to meet the kids now?” He says gently.
He doesn't miss the way Wanda perks up ever so slightly, ever since he mentioned having a daughter she's tried to be subtle about how much she wants to meet her. “Do we have a choice?”
He nods. “Yea, i mean you could meet them now and we explain everything together or I tell them on my own and you meet them a little later.” He says trying to offer them some sort of grace period.
“Everything?” Pietro asks.
“Just what you want them to know.”
Once again the twins look to each other, this time they communicate in their language. It's not much of a conversation mostly Wanda speaking and Pietro agreeing.
They turn back to him, Pietro swaying on his feet and crossing his arms. “You can tell them what you want. We will meet them after.” He says.
Their decision doesn't surprise him, this is going fast and this is the only opposite to slow things down a bit. That and they've never been super open about their circumstances even after all this time with him.
He nods. “No problem, just wait here, get comfortable. I'll be back in a few.” He says.
He heads upstairs and finds Lila in the hallway with Nate outside Cooper's door. “He up?”
He's getting dressed. Nate signs to him.
He knocks on the door. “Coop, meet us in Lilas room when you're ready.”
He gets back a grumbled acknowledgement and herds the other two into Lilas room. Nate and Lila sit comfortably on her bed as they wait for Cooper.
“Is this about those teens from last night? The ones we weren allowed to talk to?” Lila says.
“Yes, now just wait for your brother, I only want to explain this once.”
Cooper comes in a moment later taking a spot on the edge of the bed. He yawns loudly and wipes his eyes. “What up?”
“This might be a little hard to understand right now but it's important for all of you to try.” He pauses trying to find the right words. “The teenagers from last night, their names are Wanda and Pietro.”
“Yeah mom told us they are homeless or something?” Cooper says.
He clicks his tongue. He should probably speak to Coop about being a little more sensitive later. “Yes, only now they are going to be staying with us.” He watches his kids look at each other confused. Well not Nate, he looks completely unfazed. “Look, I know this is sudden, but they have nowhere else to go right now. This is the safest option for them.”
Cooper crosses his arms. “What about us? I mean they're strangers.”
“I wouldn't bring someone into this house if I thought they'd hurt you.” He exhales a deep breath. “They aren't dangerous Coop. They're kids, just a year younger than you.”
Nate looks up at him and speaks up. “Where are their Mom and Dad?”
His little voice somehow makes the question hurt more. He shakes his head at the boy. “They aren't around anymore.” He replies.
Nate looks down at the blanket covering Lilas bed. “Oh.”
“Any more questions?”
“Where are they sleeping?” Lila asks.
“They are taking Aunt Nat’s room, she doesn't stay over as much anymore.”
“How long are they staying here?” Cooper asks.
He shrugs. “I don't know, i'm trying to track down some relatives but it's moving slow. Could be a while.”
He watches Cooper nod, considering to say something else. “Is this going to be like when Aunt Nat lived with us?” The teen settles on.
When Nat was brought into his house for the first time she'd been only a few years older than the twins. Barely in her twenties, Lila and Cooper were around 4 and 6. It was easier for them to see that she was just someone who needed help and it was easier for them to bond.
Lila and Cooper were some of the first people who saw the good in Nat before anything else. They were too young to understand her full story so they learned to love the young woman that entered the house. Not who she was before.
Clint smiles a little. “Yeah, it's just like that. They just need some help.”
He watches the moment it clicks in Cooper's head that this is the best option. That this could make a huge difference in all their lives.
The three of them sit in their thoughts for a few moments processing the information. He doesn't mind waiting, it gives the twins a little longer to be by themselves.
Abruptly Lila gets off the bed and clasps her hands together. “I want to meet them.” Shs says firmly.
He smiles at her. “They're waiting downstairs. Just… be gentle, they're kind of jumpy.” He focuses his gaze on Cooper. “They've had a rough go at it for a while.” He says hoping to ease his oldest of any doubt that this is a good idea. “Go easy on questioning them right now, you have time to get to know them.”
Nate hops off the bed, his mood returned to excitement at the idea of having new friends. The four of them exit Lilas room and walk past Laura holding a fresh supply of bedsheets and pillows. She smiles as she passes the kids and goes into Nat's old room to finish setting up.
When they reach the bottom of the stairs Clint can barely make out the fact the twins are talking to each other. Hushed whispers in their own language, the words lost to him but the tone clear.
They are unsure about this.
Before they can even consider bolting again he knocks on one of the surrounding walls to notify them of his appearance.
When he walks fully into the living room he catches them quickly get off the couch to stand.
His own kids trail into the room slowly one at a time. They line up beside him and the teens just watch each other for a few moments. He can tell Wanda and Pietro are a little stunned, it's been a long time since they've been around kids their age. If hes honest hes a little worried about how this is going to go.
He clears his throat. “Okay, Wanda, Pietro.” He goes down the line motioning to each child. “This is Cooper-”
“Hey.” Cooper raises one hand in a wave.
“Lila.”
She smiles brightly at the two of them. “Hello.”
“And Nate.”
Nate walks right up to Pietro. “Peetro sounds like Peter.” He says while giggling in lieu of introduction. “That's my middle name.” He says proudly.
Wanda and Lila let out almost identical snorts at the meeting while Cooper tries to hide a smile behind his hand.
Pietro raises an eyebrow then kneels down to eye level with Nate. “I guess it does.” He says simply while holding out his hand for a handshake.
Nate's eyes go wide and he takes the older boy's hand. Shaking it while tilting his head to the side. “You talk funny.”
“Nate.” Lila chastises.
Pietro just shakes his head and stands up keeping his eyes on Nate. “It is okay, you talk funny to me.”
“No I don't, i'm just little.” Nate defends.
Cooper and Lila let out their own sighs of amusement. He finds himself holding his breath at the scene in front of him. Scared that something is going to give and hes never going to see the twins again.
Lila steps closer into the living room to face Wanda. He watches her analyze everything about the girl, it takes a few moments and Wanda is about 3 seconds away from bolting.
“Do you like nail polish? I can do your nails.” She says simply.
Wanda releases a breath, her shoulders relaxing at the normalcy. She nods her head shakily, a tear forming in her eye. “I would like that.” She says taking a second to observe her own plain nails.
Lila smiles. “Great, I'll be back.” Shs says before stepping away to her room.
Cooper stands around not getting any closer to Wanda or Pietro. He tries to act nonchalant about things like this but Clint remembers how scared he used to be when he came home late after work. How entrusting hed been when Clint told them he did undercover work, for six months he was convinced everyone in his first grade class was out to get him.
“So where are you from?” Cooper asks.
The twins turn to face each other the way they do whenever unsure about answering something truthfully. “Sokovia.” They say together.
Cooper makes a single step closer. “So you like speak another language?”
Peitro takes the opportunity to say something Clint just knows was sparky.
Cooper raises an eyebrow. “I said, Mrs.Barton makes better French Toast.”
Another step forward. Cooper laughs. “Dude, you're so right about that.”
Any tension or worries he and finally disappear completely, he can't even find himself to care that it was at his expense. Lila comes back to the living room with a bag of nail polish and she and Wanda settle on a spot on the floor.
“So you like video games?” Cooper asks.
Pietro shrugs. “I have not played any in very long time.” He admits carefully.
Nate jumps up at the opportunity and starts setting up their old Wii pushing a remote into Pietro's hand before he has time to react the idea. “You're going to love it!” He says all teeth.
Nate drags the older boy to the couch and puts on Mario handing a third controller to Cooper. He sees Wanda and Pietro give each other a look, like they can't really believe this is happening.
To be honest neither can he. This is the most carefree and relaxed they've ever been, the way Wanda's eyes light up at something as simple as the amount of color options to Pietro's confusion over the game. It also feels like they've always been here, or they were always meant to be here.
He feels Laura press into his side taking in the scene before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “They settled in nicely.” She says.
Cooper exclaims loudly about how Nate got him killed. Pietro laughs while Lila tries to get Wanda to open up a little.
“We've got good kids.” He says back throwing his arm around her.
“We really do.”