A/N: PHEW! Now this… has been a long absence. (winces) Last week I had the option to either publish something that wouldn't have had my heart in it, or to keep you waiting. I think the latter one was a lesser sin…?

But DAAANG, it's good to be back! (BEAMS)

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for all your ABSOLUTELY AMAZING reviews! You can't even imagine how much they mean to me. (HUGS)

Okay, because I've already kept you waiting… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy this long-awaited chapter.

Keep Talking

Cooper couldn't remember falling asleep. But he must've, because when his head began to clear out his eyes were closed. He peeled them open with a tremendous amount of effort. To discover that the whole world had been flipped upside down. The first thing his bleary gaze managed to focus on was a broken car-window. A whimper broke through his throat, no matter how hard he reminded himself to be brave.

"Coop?" His dad was whispering, but the voice still managed to catch all his attention. "It's okay. Try…" The man coughed. "Try not to look around too much."

Cooper fought his hardest to calm down his panicking mind. The son of Hawkeye wasn't supposed to do panicking. "What happened?" he managed in a pathetic, quiet voice. He blinked when rapidly forming tears stung his eyes.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry!

"A little accident. Another car hit us." His dad's voice was still quieter than usual, but calm and soothing. "Good thing we left the girls home, right?"

"Yeah", Cooper agreed, just as silently although he wasn't sure why he felt the need to keep the volume down. His mom and Lila were safe at home, they were okay. He found a great deal of comfort from that knowledge.

"How are you holding up back there?"

Back…? Ah, that's right. Usually he enjoyed those far too rare times he got to go somewhere with his dad by car, just the two of them. And almost every time he took the front seat, so he could sit right beside the man. But today he'd had a school project with him, a volcano… "I'm okay", he assessed. "Head hurts a bit, though." He probably hit it, which might explain why it was so fuzzy. "My arm, too." He managed to shift just enough to look down. The crushed remains of his volcano lay on what used to be a car's roof, covered in vomit. "I… I ruined the volcano. And threw up", he revealed miserably, every syllable full of humiliation.

"That doesn't sound so bad", his dad comforted him in a soft tone. "We can ask uncle Phil to help you build a new one. Remember how much he likes doing stuff like that?" The man sounded out of breath, and the terrified boy could've sworn that heard a barely audible hiss.

Cooper gulped, hating how his mouth tasted. "Dad? Are you okay?"

It took too long before there was a response. "Leave worrying to adults, buddy. It's my job."

Easier said than done… Cooper fidgeted but didn't manage to get out of his seat. Wasn't able to leave behind the wreck the car had become. Panic made his chest feel uncomfortably tight. "Dad? I wanna go home."

His dad gave a weird, wheezing laugh. "Me too." Several endless moments, maybe full minutes, dragged by. (It was impossible to tell how many with how badly the child's head hurt.) His dad broke the silence. "Coop? I may not be able to answer you soon, but… Know that I'm right here."

Cooper definitely didn't like the sound of that. Although he was a little too young to understand why. "Okay." Of course it wasn't okay! But what else could he say?

"If I go quiet…" His dad swallowed so loudly that he heard it. "Just keep talking. So I know you're there."

Cooper did just that, glad to have someone telling him what he was supposed to do. Especially when he could hear that his dad was in pain and wanted to do what little he could to make it better. He rambled on and on, said more than he had in his whole life until that day. Desperately filling the silence that was far scarier than anything else.

After what was nothing short of an eternity Cooper saw feet rushing towards their car. "Dad!" he exclaimed immediately. Not caring about how much it made his skull throb. "Dad, someone's coming!"

There was no response, and the boy found himself feeling even colder than before. He swallowed thickly, sheer terror making his pulse race. "He's still there", he reminded himself in a whisper. "He's still there. He said so." And his dad had never lied to him. "He's still there." He had no idea how many times he repeated that mantra.

Until all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice. Loud among those of strangers. "… emergency contact …" And then uncle Phil was kneeling on the ground, in one of those suits his dad always said were ridiculously expensive. The small smile on the man's face didn't seem right. "Hey."

"Hey", Cooper echoed, determined to keep his tone as strong and even as he could.

Phil listened to someone outside the vehicle, nodded and muttered in return. Then focused on him once more. "Things are going to get really loud soon. It just means that you'll be getting out of there, so don't get scared."

"I'm not scared", Cooper denied instantly, even though he very clearly was, like suggesting something like that out loud was an insult.

One corner of Phil's lips twitched. The man shook his head. "Do you have any idea how much like your dad you are sometimes?"

Despite the current circumstances those words made Cooper feel a little warmer and his painfully tight chest puff up from pride.

Then the noise Phil warned him about began. Cooper pressed his hands to his ears and yelped when the injured one protested. The far too loud chaos lasted a lifetime. Until all of a sudden the boy slumped, only to be caught and pulled close by safe arms. "I've got you, I've got you…", the man in a suit murmured.

Cooper didn't really hear. He tried to look for his dad with his gaze, but Phil was blocking his view. (He was too young to understand that it was on purpose.) "Dad? Is he okay?" When there was no response he went on frantically. "Where's dad?" He lost consciousness before getting an answer.

When Cooper woke up he realized fairly quickly that he was in a hospital room. The horrible smell was hard to misplace. His head and arm hurt, but at least he was able to think fairly clearly. And he remembered, far too well, what happened.

"Hey, kid. I was starting to wonder when you'd wake up." Natasha's voice made him shudder from startle. (And not much later heat rose to his cheeks, as always when she was around.) She nodded towards his arm. "Can I sign your cast? They gave you such a boring white one."

Cooper nodded slowly, not trusting his voice. She'd been working on his arm for a while before he finally managed to ask again. "Is dad okay?"

Natasha's hand froze. Only for a couple of seconds, but he caught it. "He… was banged up pretty good." She was the only adult around him who considered him mature enough to be able to handle that much honesty. It made him appreciate her all the more. She met his eyes unwaveringly. "But you know how stubborn he is. We've just gotta trust him." The agent focused on his cast once more and pursed her lips. "I'm not much of an artist. But maybe that'll do."

Cooper checked eagerly to see what she made. He felt even the tips of his ears turn red. 'Get better soon' was followed by a tiny heart. "Thank you", he managed.

"No problem. I needed something to keep my hands busy, anyway." Natasha squeezed his shoulder gently. "And Coop? You were really brave today." The look in her eyes said that she meant it. "Your dad's going to be proud of you."

Cooper really, seriously wanted to believe her.

"And kid? Don't ever tell anyone that I drew the heart. I have a reputation to maintain."

Cooper almost smiled. A heavy but not uncomfortable silence fell on them. Every time steps passed by the room they tensed up in sync, both waiting anxiously for news. Eventually Cooper fell asleep, comforted by Natasha's presence.

The second time Cooper woke up his mom was there. He'd never been the kind of a child who actively sought out for hugs and affection. But after everything that'd happened he couldn't help himself. He wrapped his good arm around her and held on with all his might. And finally let the tears he refused to shed right after the accident roll.

"Your dad will be okay", his mom whispered. Like it was a secret. (How was he supposed to know that she couldn't manage anything louder?) "It'll take some time, but… He'll be fine."

For some weird reason those words made Cooper cry harder. No matter how fiercely he tried to be brave and stop the tears. Afterwards he slept soundly.

A few long days later Cooper woke up to someone shaking him lightly. His eyes fluttered open to find Phil's tired but smiling face. "Your mom just called. Do you want to stop by at the hospital and see your dad?"

Cooper nodded eagerly. The car-ride to the hospital had him so tense that his whole body hurt afterwards. But in the end it was more than worth it.

Cooper entered the room slowly. Dreading what he might find. Only to discover that there was no reason to worry.

His dad sat on a chair, wearing his own clothes instead of those provided by the hospital. There was still a lot of bruising on the man's face, and his facial muscles seemed too tight. But he was awake and smiling.

Cooper was running in a flash.

The child didn't notice how his dad shuddered when still healing injuries were aggravated. (Clint didn't, either.) They both needed the hug too much.

There was still a lot of healing to do. Inside and out. But for the time being they were content with the knowledge that no words were needed.

They both knew that the other was right there, safe and sound.

End of tale

A/N: Heh. Something small and rather sweet. (smiles fondly) Somehow I have a feeling that Cooper will be just like his dad when he grows up.

SOOOOO… Was that worth the wait? PLEASE, let me know! Hearing from you always makes my day.

Awkay, my bed's calling my name. Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope that I'll see you all there.

Take care!

MLAkittenz: The funniest torture method, right? Poor Tony, though! (snickers) Couldn't resist the tiny scare. (whistles innocently)

And GO CLINT, saving another innocent one! (BEAMS) If only there were more people like him in the real world…

Massive thank yous for the review! It makes me SO HAPPY that I managed to give you inspiration. Until next time!

Guest: Unfortunately such slip-ups happen in real life. (winces) Thank gosh Clint made it! I'm SO HAPPY that you enjoyed the chapter!

Gigantic thank yous for the review!

Bookfreak: Clint's just too awesome, isn't he? (BEAMS) Those kids aren't gonna forget him for as long as they live!

Oooh! Awesome prompt! We'll see if it shows up in this collection one day.

Monumental thank yous for the review! Until next time.

TheDamCow: (giggles and hugs) Aaaaw! I'm SO HAPPY that you enjoyed the chapter so much. I really hope that the next one turns out worth the wait!

Enormous thank yous for the review! Until next time.