WARNING: This story contains a relationship between three people!
Clint and Laura Barton had decided to stay to themselves after the fight between Captain America and Iron Man. Clint wanted time with his family, and that was something he didn't get...
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Althea, Clint, and Laura were definitely happier than they had been in a long time — not that they weren't happy before, but they were more happy now. It was almost as though they had met their soul mate. It was like Althea was meant to be the last piece of their puzzle, and now that they had her, they felt complete.
The longer Althea was with the Bartons, the closer and closer she got with the kids. The three children absolutely loved her, and she was definitely happy to be around them. They made her happy, especially on the days that she was depressed about her mother. It wasn't really her fault, but randomly she'd feel sad about her mother. She figured it was because she hadn't really been able to say goodbye to her mother one last time before she died.
Clint and Laura had found out that Althea's birthday was soon, and unlike on Asgard, Althea was going to have a nice birthday. Odin never really allowed her to have a big birthday celebration like her brothers, especially Thor, considering she was a girl, and she wasn't as important. He only ever let her have a small birthday dinner, and the cake wasn't exactly amazing like Thor's had been.
Clint and Laura worked for hours on the birthday celebration, as the kids kept Althea occupied. They kept her almost completely oblivious to everything going on inside, the only thing she knew was that Clint was grilling and Laura was baking. She didn't know why they were doing this, considering she was under the impression they didn't know when her birthday was.
Natasha had sent them a letter letting them know about the girl's birthday though, which she had heard from Thor months ago. Natasha didn't know the extent of what Clint, Laura, and Althea's relationship was, but she knew they were close. She knew they would all be close at this point, considering they were living in the same house — she just hadn't known yet that they were together.
Anyhow, after a few hours of keeping Althea occupied, the kids were told that they could finally come inside for the day. Lila was the one to lead Althea to the house, and per Laura's request, she brought the girl straight to the kitchen where Laura and Clint were waiting. Cooper and Nathaniel were there as well, since they had run in quickly before Lila and Althea. When Althea entered the kitchen, the others all cried out, "Surprise!" causing her to jump.
"What is this?" Althea asked, as she looked at everything displayed in front of her.
"Happy birthday, 'Thea." Clint said, making Althea gasp.
"How'd you guys find out?" She asked, making Laura smirk.
"That's a secret," She replied,"but we decided to give you a surprise birthday."
"First, we'll eat, then we'll have cake, then you can open your gifts." Clint said, making Althea smile happily.
"Go sit down, and I'll fix your plate." Laura commented, and Althea nodded.
Althea and the kids headed to the living room, and one by one, each of them got plates with food and a bottle of Mellow Yellow. Their plates consisted of a cheeseburger fixed to their preferences, a hotdog with their favorite topping, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans. Althea's mouth watered at the sight of the food that was handed to her. She waited until Laura and Clint got their food and sat down before she started eating.
Clint turned on 2 Fast 2 Furious, Althea's favorite movie, since it was her birthday. She absolutely loved the movie so much since Clint had showed it to her, along with the first two, and the movies that came after. This movie just so happened to be her favorite out of all of the ones that had come out so far. There were more to come, and she was excited to see the ones that would come out in the future.
"Do you want us to sing to you before we cut the cake?" Clint asked, but Laura quickly swatted his arm.
"It's tradition. We're singing so she can blow out her candles to make a wish." Laura scolded, and Clint held up his hands in mock surrender.
Althea listened with a happy smile on her face, as the family sang to her for her birthday. This wasn't a song that was sang on Asgard, but it made her feel happy. She felt special as they sang, and she was excited to blow out her candles. I wish for our future to be as happy as I am in this moment, she wished as she blew out the candles.
"What did you wish for?" Clint asked, but his oldest kids shushed him.
"She can't tell us, or her wish won't come true." They scolded in unison, making the adults laugh.
Laura handed out pieces of cake, and Althea was the first to take a bite. She loved chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, and Laura had made this cake perfectly. The icing wasn't too sweet, and it was just the right amount that the cake didn't take over and have too much chocolate flavor.
After cake, the kids and Clint walked off to get the gifts. Nathaniel was the first one to give her a gift, and he had given her a drawing of herself when she was wearing her armor, and he also gave her a stuffed puppy, that looked very similar to his own. Lila got her a new book that she had been wanting to read since she had heard about it in a podcast. Cooper got her a hoodie that had the Jurassic Park logo on it. Clint and Laura gave her gifts that were from both of them. They gave her a new pair of shoes, a new outfit, a beautiful necklace that Clint put on her, and finally, they gave her a picture of her and all three kids. The four in the picture had big smiles on their faces, and Althea's heart skipped a beat. This was the best birthday she had ever had...
