A/N: SO… The idea of this collection has been sitting in the back of my head for a VERY long time. And then a dear reader made something of a requests. Which means that here we are! (grins) Hooray…?

DISCLAIMER: PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE…! If I DID own anything I'd put my money on giving Hawkeye his very own movie, which he'd DEFINITELY deserve.

THE BASIC IDEA: This collection includes stories of the Farm. Everyday life, the kids growing up, sick days, injuries, nightmares, hurt and comfort, facing past monsters (and those hiding under the bed)… I'm all ears for requests!

Awkay, because time's a luxury… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

This takes place almost directly after Loki and New York. Which says everything necessary about the state of Clint's mind…

Softer Cognitive Recalibration

It wasn't the first time his dad's return from a mission was a surprise. And this time Cooper Barton even kind of knew to expect it. His mom had been stern in keeping him and Lila away from the TV since news from New York started pouring in but he'd had just enough time to catch a brief glimpse of his dad, as though it'd been a trick of his imagination. He also caught just enough information to realize that whatever happened in New York was almost over. Very soon his dad would be back home. The nervous aura around his mom and the worried look she had on her face whenever she thought that he wasn't looking confirmed as much. Clint wasn't the only hawkeye of the family. Cooper had seen enough to share his mom's anxiety.

Sometimes the wait was a grim one when they couldn't be sure what condition his dad would come back in.

Cooper nearly missed the return entirely. Despite how fried his nerves were he ended up falling asleep somewhere around midnight. He woke up a couple of hours later for a reason he couldn't figure out. After tossing and turning for a while he got up and decided to get himself a glass of water. It wasn't until he reached the stairs he heard the hushed voices and first froze, then craned his neck to see better, careful to not be caught.

Lights hadn't been switched on and only the faint glow from the porch's lamp illuminated the three people stood by the front door. Words that Cooper couldn't quite catch were murmured before his dad's shadow began to advance towards the toilet. The little boy didn't manage to catch even a glimpse of the man's face but he saw the slow and heavy, visibly exhausted steps and the tension that spoke of pain. The child tensed up as well.

By then his ears had sharpened enough to hear his mom's whispered words. "… seen him like that." She sounded worried, almost scared.

Natasha's face betrayed nothing, especially with the lack of light. But the redhead's jawline tightened. "Me neither. Loki shook him up pretty badly."

Cooper's frown deepened. What was going on? Who was Loki and what did he do to his dad?

Neither woman spoke for a while. In the end his mom sighed heavily. "Thank you, for bringing him back to us." Those words were heavy with meaning, Cooper would come to realize when he was older.

"Anytime. Just… Take care of that idiot." Natasha shifted and grabbed the door handle. "Tell him that I'm expecting a text in the morning." That sounded just as much like a plea as it felt like an endearment.

His mom nodded. The women exchanged brief and silent byes, and after that it was just the Barton family. Both Cooper and his mom shivered when his dad's quiet, hoarse voice whispered all of a sudden. "Did Nat leave already?" The man sounded nervous and Cooper couldn't understand why. He could get his dad being afraid of certain missions. ('Only the stupid are afraid of nothing', the man once pointed out to him in a gentle yet firm tone when Cooper still wrestled with his idiotic, childish fear of the dark. 'The smart ones know when to fight it and when to listen to it.') But to be afraid of coming back home to them…?

"Like she'd ever hold still for long." She beckoned her husband to come closer with one hand. When he didn't move a muscle she did instead.

In the shadows his dad stiffened when his mom's arms wrapped around the man. Soft words that were inaudible to Cooper were whispered. Then, all reservations falling away, his dad pulled his mom closer. The two embraced each other as though trying to melt into one. It took quite long before Cooper noticed the way his dad's whole body was shaking and realized what it meant. The understanding made his eyes widen a fraction.

It was the first time he saw his dad cry, break down so very completely in ways that the child was too young to understand fully. The sobs were soundless but visible, despite the lack of light. Tore at the boy's heart like nothing else ever had.

How many times had his dad comforted him when he cried? Far too many to count. And now, the one time when his dad would've needed him the most… Cooper didn't have the slightest clue what to do.

Cooper chose the coward's way out. Without making a sound he left his hiding spot and began to make his way towards his room. Before he got there Lila peered from her room, excitement and child-like hope shining in her eyes. "Is daddy home?" she whispered.

Cooper shook his head. His stomach hurt a lot all of a sudden. "No. Go back to bed."

Disappointment made Lila's face fall. She nodded quietly and retreated to her room. Cooper swallowed hard, unable to erase the bitter taste sitting in his mouth, then completed the journey to his bed and curled up, unaware of the tears filling his eyes.

The bedroom was oddly quiet as Clint and Laura sat on their bed, only a small nightstand lamp providing them light. Her husband's back was turned towards her so Laura couldn't see the look on his face but the tension, enough of it to make the man shiver slightly, told everything necessary. This was something they did after every single mission but things were different this time. The damage was different.

Laura's hand was gentle as she ran it down the cuts and massive bruises on Clint's back. "Crashed through a window and landed on my back", the archer murmured. He still didn't sound like himself but getting him to talk at all was a start.

"Hmm." Laura's chest clenched as her mind listed just how many things could've gone wrong, just how much more damage there could've been. She had to bite back a scold over how stupid it was to jump through windows. Her eyes trailed his arms, spotting numerous cuts and lacerations, and narrowed at the hastily made stitches. "Please don't tell me that you sewed yourself together again."

Clint shrugged and shuddered instantly at the pain it caused. "Everyone was busy. People…" His breath caught into his throat. When he went on his voice was considerably more quiet than before. "People were dying and… Phil…" It was like watching a clam close up. The archer's posture changed as he hid into his shell, fighting over self-control with palpable despair. "Maybe I should be elsewhere, for a while. Just in case."

Laura's hand froze from where it'd been tracing a particularly nasty looking cut on Clint's shoulder. Her eyes flashed and the other arm was draped tenderly yet uncompromisingly over the lowest bare bits of the man's midsection. "You think I'd let you anywhere out of my sight now? After how close I came to losing you? Consider yourself lucky if I let you out of this bed for the next few days."

How about that. Her playful threat succeeded in coaxing a tiny chuckle from Clint. Slowly yet surely he was beginning to relax. "That actually doesn't sound very bad."

Laura giggled. She pressed a light kiss to the mighty bump decorating his head, left by Natasha. A solid sign of how his husband had been brought back to her. "You little pervert", she teased. With a contented sigh she closed her eyes and nuzzled her head against his, taking in his familiar scent. "Now let's lay down. Okay? Because I'm exhausted and I need a cuddle."

Some stiffness began to creep back into Clint's form. He twitched against her but didn't pull away, her hold keeping him rooted. "Laura…"

"Are you really going make me beg, Barton?"

It was a tense, painstaking process. But eventually Clint's battered and weary form melted against her coaxing. They took the position that felt the most natural to them, the archer curling up behind her. It took a while but eventually he dared to wrap a cautious arm around her, clearly testing himself. Laura fought back the urge to wiggle closer to him. Instead she closed her eyes again and enjoyed of the fact that she could feel his warm, solid body against her. His shuddering breath against the back of her neck was a promise that there was still a chance to recover, to start again.

Laura wasn't fooling herself. It'd take a very long time before Clint would recover and there was a part of him that she might never get back. But giving up was out of the question. She was determined to help what was left of him back to his feet.

For better, for worse, that was the deal.

"Laura…"

"I know." She snatched his hand and kissed his fingers with all the affection she could muster. "'you too, Birdie. Always."

Neither of them managed to sleep a wink that night. The endless pitch-black hours were full of darkness that had nothing to do with the time of the day. But they made it through to face the dawn, tangled together. Upon hearing the first sounds of their children waking up they shifted so that they were face to face. Laura kissed the tip of Clint's nose, which he wrinkled adorably and returned the gesture by giving her a peck on the lips.

Still there, still alive, still fighting.

"Are you ready to face the little terrors?" Laura murmured.

"Hmm." Clint swallowed and she felt his Adam's apple bob, having pressing her cheek against his neck. "You coming with?" Most people would've missed the barely traceable hint of nervousness in his voice. She knew him too well.

"Of course." She gave his jaw another little kiss, then hauled herself out of the bed. "I wouldn't dare to let you anywhere near the stove for preparing breakfast. You'd burn up the kitchen. Again."

Cooper froze by the kitchen doorway, his eyes widening a fraction, when he saw his parents preparing what looked like one of their special pancake breakfasts. He stood there, not quite daring to approach immediately. He observed, assessed the situation.

His dad's eyes, which were currently fixed on the frying pan… Something had changed in them and it wasn't for the better. Something had changed about the man's entire posture. It was his dad and it wasn't. Cooper was much too young to understand it properly. It scared him.

Lila's sudden voice startled them all. "Daddy!" And then, before anyone else could move a muscle, she was in the man arms, holding on with all her might. "You're back!" She didn't ask when he returned or why. Nor did she ask how long he'd be back, most likely because she didn't want to know. He was there and that was all that she focused on.

Their dad was incredibly tense for a while. Then, slowly, began to embrace his daughter properly. "Yeah, I'm back." The man's eyes soon found Cooper. Whatever had been lost from them… A little hint of it was restored.

The change was all it took to push Conner into motion. With a few long strides he reached his dad and hugged the man, all former doubts and worries forgotten. His dad always made it feel safe.

"I'm back", Clint murmured, holding his children as firmly as he dared to. "I'm back." Perhaps he wasn't quite there yet. He still wasn't sure if he could trust himself with his kids. But as he began a breakfast with his family he started to believe that maybe, just maybe, he'd get back to his feet eventually. At least he wouldn't be fighting this battle alone.

End of oneshot.

A/N: Awww! If mini-Hawks won't be able to fix what Loki broke then no one can. (grins)

Sooo… Was that any good, at all? Would you like to see more of this collection? PLEASE, do let me know! This is something TOTALLY new to me (in a way, anyway) so I'd REALLY like to hear your opinion.

And remember that requests are always loved!

Awkay. It's getting pretty late so I'll have to get going now. Thank you so much for reading! Maybe you'd like to stop by again…?

Take care!