Visiting the Bartons (for @streetlevel )

[hawk_shot]

Honestly, Kate figured that flying with a pony would have been way harder than it turned out to be. But between Matt's first class charm put to full power and everyone at the airport being captivated by Frodo? Despite of how their trip to Ohio had started at an ungodly early hour, it also seemed to be the beginning of one of the most pleasant of adventures.

It was a short flight, one in which Kate shamelessly claimed Matt's shoulder as her own personal pillow. Obviously, they were on first class, but domestic flight seats were definitely not as roomy as international were. But it was comfortable enough for Kate to still feel pretty refreshed once they made it back down to land. In Ohio, a car with a trailer to carry Frodo was already waiting, taking him for a drive that took at least another hours before they made it to Clint's farm. 

On their way, Kate described Matt everything that she saw. The crops, so tall they would probably be completely lost in them if they decided to make their way through them byt feet. A land full of greens on all kinds of shades. Horses grazing afar, sheep with  their growing lambs. The sun was bright and Kate could tell it would become even warmer as hours passed.

She was so excited to finally see Clint and his family again. 

The green land was interrupted by a path of dirth that lead to Clint's house, a three-stories home of that looked like something straight out of the fantasies of anyone who might have ever dreamed about living in the countryside. As they approeached, Kate leaned over Matt to see better through his window, spotting the tractor and Clint's van in the distance. The ducks near the pond.. You could tell this was a family home, as on their way to the house there was toys scattered all around. Bikes, footballs, dolls and a swing made with a tire.

Finally, by the house, Kate spotted Laura. She was filling some buckets of water with a hose, looking in their direction as she held a hand over her eyes, shielded the sun off her face. Squinting now, she held her hand well above her head to wave in their directon as the car and trailer finally reached the house.

With a heavy step that clearly said it all about how she had a start just as early as the one they had, Laura aproached the car as it came to a stop, Kate almost instantly hopping off. Running towards the older woman, they captured each other in a tight hug as they shared words about how glad they were to see each other again. 

While the driver got out and quietly greeted Laura, he headed back to take care of the trailer. Still holding Kate by the shoulders, Laura went straight to their other guest. "You must be Matt."  

Comments

[streetlevel]

"Hey, listen. They gotta look after Laura and I in our twilight years. If it takes poker to do that..." Clint teased about teaching his kids poker. He would never seriously want to be a burden to them or expect them to take care of him later on in life, but that just made it ripe for a joke. "Plus poker is in part math, so really, it's like an extra math lesson. At least, that's how I tried to sell it to Laura." His wife had sighed but her eyes had sparkled, letting him have his way. This time. Laura was a straight shooter for a SHIELD agent. She didn't let him get away with much shit, but on Father's Day? He had some wiggle room.

He had a perfect family. Wife, and kids. Including Kate.

Reaching out, he made a motion with his hands. A sign language gesture to match his words. "Family." His hands went back to their sides. "Glad you have that here and in the city, whether I'm there or not." Oh, there was Eleanor. That wasn't the same thing. Eleanor was complicated. Clint wanted to know she had someone she could trust without any tangles. Someone who would have her back no matter what when he was gone. "You're gonna have to tell me what went wrong with the Web-Head. For now..." He sighed theatrically and opened the door.

Inside was a lovely cat tower, dishes, bedding, litter box, and toys. The kittens wanted for nothing, and they felt more secure in a smaller space right now. The calico was on her back, lazily sunning herself in the afternoon hours by the window with her mother. A perfect princess of pampering and peace. The ginger cat?

"Get off that!" Clint went over, muttering, "How the hell are you even hanging onto..." The cat had somehow gotten upside down on the shelving unit Clint was still building. An angry, indignant mewl was the kitten's response as Clint untangled it, as though the cat was very insulted Clint hadn't let it figure it's way out of that puzzle it had gotten into. "This one is a demon, definitely Matt's."

[hawk_shot]

"That's obviously an extra math lesson, yeah." Kate waved a hand towards Clint as if wholeheartedly agreeing with his point of view there. "You're just teaching Nate ways to think out of the box and implementing maths, absolutely." How they were able to say this with a straight face, Kate would never know.

The sign, even if Clint had not said it outloud, she would have recognised. Little by little Clint had been teaching her, something they had picked on while they hanged together at her place or during quiet times at stakeouts. "Hey, we're always one phone call away from each other." Because as bad as she felt about not being there physically for Clint, she knew he understood why she couldn't leave New York. Why she wouldn't leave Peter and Matt on their own, specially not in a day when other people in their network also spent the day celebrating with their families.

Clint would never hold it against her.

As her mentor welcomed her into the room, Kate was shocked by the impressive, cat themed renovations around. Honestly, even though some of Kate's friends were cat owners, she knew little to nothing about caring after one. Just as she had certainly improvised when Lucky arrived into her life. Right away, she spotted the mom and daughter duo, taken away by how adorable the pair looked. "Is that...?" It had to be. Clint and Laura mentioned the others had found homes already.

And then, the ginger cemented that fact.

"Look at him! He's already a little Daredevil of his own. Meowdevil?" Certainly Matt's.

Approaching, Kate reached out in a silent 'may I?' before Clint handed over the kitten. Kate held it against her chest, petting the little guy as big blue eyes that had not yet defined their future color stared up at her. She cocked her head, trying to give him a closer look, the kitten leaning in to sniff her face. It wasn't long before she was gifted with some purring.

"You sure you're not keeping these guys?"

[streetlevel]

"Oh, I am very sure," Clint replied with a vigorous nod. "In fact, there's little more that I want in life than for Matt to enjoy these two sharing zoomies at four in the morning. We really can't split them, they've bonded a lot. They'll explore a little on their own but if one is in a different room, the other one will go looking for them." It was sweet, but it had also meant that he and Laura hadn't felt it was right to separate the siblings. Which had meant these two were harder to find a home for as a pair.

"We talked to the kids about it, and they decided they'd rather keep the mom than one of the babies. They figured the mom would be harder to adopt, and we can only keep one, so once the kittens were ready to be weaned, we started adopting them out." Clint had a touch of pride in his voice. Of course his kids, as loud and stubborn as they could be, had the sweetest hearts and wanted to keep the cat that was least likely to find a forever home. "Plus we know where Matt lives, so the Mama Cat can always get visits of her babies."

He went over and knelt down, stroking both cats lazing in the sun before gently picking up the female kitten. She immediately tucked herself under his chin, purring away. "She's really laid back and sweet. Just wants to be a cuddle puddle. That one makes some people have to earn his time and attention sometimes." He nodded at the kitten Kate was holding. "Although he seems to be doing fine with you so... yeah, that fits with Murdock." Charming the ladies. "I texted Matt that we had some feed and supplies he could use but he insisted he had everything handled."

A beat. "Don't tell me he had supplies just waiting for another duck."

[hawk_shot]

It was easy to imagine Matt sprawled on his couch and with these two little critters running up and down his body and chasing each other as he struggled not to pass out. Only then Kate realized: she couldn't still imagine him on his own couch, Matt would be homing these two in her apartment.

It added a sweet layer to it all.

"Honestly, Clint," Kate shook her head, even though she knew she shouldn't be shocked in the slightest. "Your kids are the sweetest. Of course they went for the mom." The fur behind the ears of the little ginger kitten was nothing but soft fuzz, her lips finding the top of the head of the kitten as she looked at how comfortable their mom was. She's a lucky cat, having found a home of five who would all pamper her and shower her with love every day. "You and Laura are probably glad to keep the most chill one of them all, huh? And extra perk to having those awesome kids."

As Clint approached her with the tiny calico, Kate reached out to pet her too. With that long fur she was like a tiny, breathing cloud. The ginger, almost as if it was sensing he didn't have Kate's full attention anymore, craned his neck and allowed his little tiny tongue to lick at Kate's mouth.

Indeed, a lady's man.

Kate melted instantly.

"Oh, dude. You're the sweetest," Kate pointed out in the softest of voices. "Clint, I think my ovaries just exploded."

Meanwhile, the calico herself seemed to be trying to get the attention of the man she also considered her dad. A little paw reached over to his cheek, patting it lightly in what seemed to be some petting of her own. How come something so tiny could purr that loud.

"I think someone is working extra-hours to steal your heart."

[streetlevel]

"Oh, we're definitely glad we're keeping the calm one," Clint agreed with a rueful smile. "Especially since we now have a mini-horse added to the family. Maybe go a few months before bringing over anymore? Especially if Frodo has the same attitude as Marshall does." Clint liked the duck, he really did, but the feathered fiend was a handful and proud of himself for it. Speaking of which, he should probably check on how Nate and Lila were doing with the new friend. Nate no doubt was showing him all around, but the farm was a big place. "The donkeys will want to say hi to you too while you're here."

A slight chuckle escaped him as the calico in his arms doted her attention on him. He ruffled her fur gently with his fingers. "I think it comes naturally to her. She's a real sweetheart. She'll try and guilt you into carrying her everywhere with you, including the bathroom, so I can't wait to tell Matt about his new codependent best friend. Shall we?" He headed for the office door, holding the kitten with just one arm. Since they had the babies with them Clint felt comfortable leaving the door open so the mom cat could come and go as she pleased. The babies were just a little too young to be given that much free rein.

They headed back to the kitchen, where Matt and Laura were now both wearing aprons and were busy working on the early dinner meal. It was a rustic farmhouse meal of chicken cutlets, roasted potatoes, and a tomato and corn salad. Perfect for the summer. Seeing the chicken on the counter, the little ginger cat tried to vault himself out of Kate's arms and onto the meal prep with a mighty for him meow. The calico in Clint's arms simply gave large eyes and purred to guilt them into a treat. Clint sighed. "There are two kinds of people in the world..."

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"Yeah, sorry about that." Kate had the decency to sound a little apologetic about bringing the pony along. She was certainly earning herself a reputation as a stray magnet. Her friends from college, after Kate sent her mandatory selfies with the mini-horse, had started teasing her about being a Disney princess who attracted critters with her songs. Maybe with cussing, in her case. "But, like Laura said, you have to admit it was a pretty original Father's Day gift." Better than another 'Best Dad in the World' mug for sure.

"Hey, it might be grounding to Matt. You know, stick to one lady from now on?" Oh, God. She felt bad jumping into the train of 'messing around with Matt's dating reputation', but it was served on a silver plater! "Yeah, sounds good." The ginger, Kate could already tell would be a handful. He was curious, trying to climb onto her shoulder and meowing as Kate attempted to hold him down. A little fighter, no doubt about it.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, the fact that it was the little guy who interrupted the moment. Because walking in to find Matt in an apron and making himself part of the family already? Kate smiled at the warm sensation that spread on her chest.

Before that little devil attempted to do a kamikaze jump to reach the chicken, that is...

"Humm, Matt? I think there's someone you need to meet." Specially if that meant putting some distance between these kittens and that chicken.

Taking the calico from Clint, Kate approached Matt with both kittens. "Hey," she said softly as they both meowed, clearly eager to explore more of the world. Even better, if that meant getting treats in the process.

[streetlevel]

While Matt Murdock had tendencies to withdraw from people in times of stress, while he often held a barrier up from letting people get too close to him, he was great at charming people off the bat and establishing good rapports with them. Talking to people, figuring out their likes and dislikes, establishing a common ground on which to amicably hang out? He excelled at that, and even more importantly, he valued it. Matt liked making connections with people even if he struggled to maintain them sometimes. Therefore he and Laura easily hit it off well talking about tea and cooking. Once Laura realized that Matt was a good cook she had no problem with having him help in the kitchen, and they were chatting about her processes for making jams and pickles when Kate and Clint approached.

Matt sensed a cat attempting to get at the chicken and he instinctively reached a hand out to hover over the pieces before Laura quickly moved them and laid a parchment paper over until they were ready to eat. He excused himself and went over to Kate when she called, and he could detect two little balls of fluff in her arms. One was a bit more squirmy but not out of fear or discomfort, he simply seemed curious to know everything that was going on. The other one was more docile but still focused on him and Kate.

"Hey." He reached out a finger to lightly pet one of the kittens and then the other. "It looks like you've made some new friends. Hope the donkeys don't get jealous."

[hawk_shot]

"What are you talking about? These are clearly baby donkeys," she pointed out as she did her best to keep the friskier one under control. Thankfully, Matt's gentle hand (and all those scents after he'd been helping Laura cook), was suddenly a million times more interesting than any attempts at parkour and jumping onto the kitchen counter.

The calico, already purring, started licking his fingers while the ginger tested if climbing up onto Matt's wrist was a good plan.

"Do you think you can guess which one is the red boy?"

[streetlevel]

"Hm. Either my senses are off or the city boy in me never knew that donkeys purred," Matt joked in response. His other hand was quick to reach out and try to cradle the cat that was attempting to stand on his wrist. "Hey buddy, careful." The little ginger cat let out a mew of protest until Matt used his other hand to pet him - and sneakily keep him steady in his stance in so doing. "Something tells me that the one with the single braincell is the one on my wrist," Matt said wryly. The bold ginger kitten was slowly trying to walk across his arm like it was a balance beam. The calico however seemed content in Kate's arms, licking at Matt's fingers.

"What did I tell you, Kate? Single brain-cells just understand one another," Clint joked as he walked past them, giving Matt's shoulder a pat. "Enjoy your first foray into parenthood, pal. They don't sleep when you should and they're gonna want to follow you everywhere. Everywhere."

"Yeah, but they grow out of that, right? ... right?" Clint didn't answer him, he just moved away chuckling. Matt gave a little sigh, pulling the ginger cat down from his attempt to scale his shoulder and sit on his head. The cat let him hold him for now, but there was a feisty look that said nothing could keep him down for long. Even wonderful cuddles. "You're gonna help me get them settled into the apartment later, right?" he asked Kate hopefully.

[hawk_shot]

"It's a natural attraction thing," Kate joined Clint into the joke even as Laura playfuly chastised her husband. With a flick of her wrist, she smacked Clint's side with a kitchen towel as she demanded them both to 'be nice'.

There was something truly sweet about the thought of Matt delving into feline parenthood, as nervous as he seemed to be following Clint's joke. Was Matt feeling the same kind of butterflies in his stomach as Kate did at the thought? She was well aware that this would be nothing like rearinga human child, but...

Maybe. Just maybe, nurturing a little living and demanding thing like a pair of loving kittens would be something like tiny, kitten sized training wheels?

"Huh? Oh, yeah, obviously," Kate agreed without hesitation. She hadn't visited Matt yet at the apartment since he moved in, so it would be sweet to see him moving around, to check how he had settled in, too. And the kittens? It would be adorable. "Did you set up the pen?" They had bought one exactly like the one Kate had brought for Marshall after Matt brought the duck home.

Leaning against his arm, she reached over to pet the ginger boy. "This one's so full of energy, but the little girl is so chill and cuddly. Did you notice how soft she is?"

[streetlevel]

"Yeah, thanks again for helping me pick that out. I set it up and did a little bit of decorating for it. To make it comfortable and engaging for them." Honestly, the only personal touches Matt had given to the apartment were related to the cats, and having a stocked kitchen. He knew Kate had told him to make the place lived-in with his influences, but he was still shy and hesitant to do that. It felt like taking over a space that wasn't really his. He otherwise just had his toothbrush, soap, and shampoo in the bathroom, and his few sets of clothing in the bedroom. It was a nice space and he knew it reminded her of his dad, so it felt wrong to do anything else to it. For the sake of the cats though there were toys and a cat stand, beds and food bowls.

He'd even done his research and realized he could actually prepare meals for the kittens in the kitchen. That had delighted him to no end, though he also had some frozen raw meals for them too for nights when he wasn't able to let them feast on the meals he prepared.

He tickled under the calico's chin and smiled as he heard her yawn. She lazily kneaded a little paw against Kate's shirt. "She does seem like an absolute sweetheart. She must have taken after her Mama and Laura." He gave the woman who'd been his defender against Clint and Kate's teasing a grin. "It does feel more like hair than fur. What a little angel you are," he crooned at the kitten. The ginger cuddled near his shoulder, not to be outdone, batted at the side of Matt's face. "And you... are the handful my dad said I deserved someday."

Laura laughed at that. "When you're ready to put them down for a nap, Kate you can show him the rest of the farm before dinner. Introduce him to all the family."

[hawk_shot]

Matt could claim all he wanted that all he intended for these cats was to foster them, but after going to the pet store to shop together for everything these kittens might need? Kate could tell he was ready to pamper the too. Would he simply let them go to somebody else's household after that?

She knew Matt's beliefs, even his way of life, it was all about sacrifice. But the tenderness in which he spoke to those kittens? How he had clearly looked forward to this moment?

Kate had hope.

With a chuckle, she rested her chin on his bicep as she watched the pair, not even noticing the familiarity in which she acted around Matt. The Bartons were well aware that Kate was never shy about a hug, neither were they. But Laura turned to Clint, her raised eyebrow speaking for itself as they noticed how easily Kate practically cuddled Matt as they petted the kittens.

"Yeah, that's a good point. There's so much I need to show you," Kate agreed.

Nate, how had returned from introducing Frodo to the farm and was eager for a glass of juice, was quick to jump in. "Can I feed the cats? I wanna feed the cats!"

[streetlevel]

Noting Laura's eyebrow raise, Clint's own gaze narrowed a little as he observed Kate and Matt. No, it was just friendly. Right? Murdock wouldn't charm Kate like that. ... like he did practically every single woman he came across. Like he had done with Clint's last partner. Really, the man couldn't be at least a little original? Although Clint felt more protective of Kate than he did Nat in this instance, he couldn't help having some fatherly instincts towards the young woman. Sidling over to his wife, he kept it vague because he knew Matt could overhear them as he muttered, "Should I be worried?"

Matt meanwhile smiled and leaned against Kate, only moving when Nate raced over to them. "Sure buddy, you can help," Matt agreed. "You'll have to show Kate and I what they eat though, and Kate can lead us back to where they stay."

"I can do that!" Nate agreed, racing over to get the cat food. It wasn't the fancy organic raw diet that Matt was going to put them on, but it was a perfectly serviceable wet cat food. "C'mon, this way!" Nate took the cans and a spoon and led them to the office where the cats slept and ate. The little ginger once again tried to leap to follow the food, with Matt having to work quickly to keep him held. "Stop trying to jump to your death!"

Clint snorted, calling after their retreating backs the following old commercial quote, "You, all right? I learned it from watching you!" Anyone who understood that reference was likely his age, but he didn't care.

Matt just barely remembered there were children around, raising his hand and about to raise his middle finger towards Clint but instead quickly rubbing the back of his head instead.

[hawk_shot]

"What was that?" Kate asked, double-taking between looking at a smug Clint who retreated back to his wife's side and a Matt who was clearly good-naturedly biting his tongue. "I mean, I do get the general idea," she admitted, reaching over to scratch under the chin that little devil Matt carried in his arms.

"So, your dad cursed you with the knowledge that you'll have a little Murdock that will drive you nuts?" She asked before kissing the top of the head of the fuzzball she carried. At least, Matt was blessed with a chill one. "You think that's something every parent does? I mean, so did my mom."

Eleanor had made it very clear that one day, once she is well into adulthood and far from making a young and rash decision, if Kate chooses to give her grandchildren she will remember every crazy thing she's done as a child. Eleanor had teased her, saying she'll get to relax as a grandma, spoil her grandchildren while karma kicks Kate in the ass.

It was a bittersweet thought now. Not that she was in a rush to become a mother, she thought as she adjusted the little bundle in her arms.

Kate glanced at Matt and thought about everything he'd done, how their friends had helped protect Eleanor. Would her mom still be in her life if she ever formed a family of her own.

"What does every parent do?" Asked Nate as momma cat met them halfway towards the office were their empty bowls waited for each feline. The white cat with orange markings meowed loudly as she headbutted Nate on his legs, calm but affectionate, patient with the awareness that soon she would be fed.

"Uh, they love you very much and make sure you have a pony of your own," Kate was quick to point out.

[streetlevel]

"It was just Clint being stupid," Matt assured Kate regarding the quoting of the old commercial. "You know how he is." His tone was good-natured though to show he wasn't really annoyed by it. "And yeah, my dad always said that if there was any justice in the world then I'd get a miniature me to raise someday." He supposed it was possible that every parent shared that sentiment, because wasn't every kid at least a little impossible to handle at times? Matt liked to think that he'd been a good kid for his dad, but even then, he'd had his moments of making Jack worry because of something reckless he'd done, or annoyed his father because of being stubborn. He knew that even prior to prison Eleanor and Kate had butted heads, so he wasn't surprised that she'd experienced the same growing up.

He laughed a little as Nate nodded, accepting Kate's answer. He leaned down to pet the mother cat, explaining, "We just call her Mama." After a few strokes of her head Nate led them into the office, with Matt closing the door behind them. He barely managed to hold the ginger cat while Nate scooped out the food into the bowls, figuring it'd be easier for the child if the little kitten wasn't all up in his business. Mama patiently waited, purring her approval. Once all the food was in the bowls, Matt gently set the cat down and watched him scamper directly to eat. Standing back up, he gave his lower back a small knead with one hand while holding his other to hi-five Nate. "Good job, buddy."

"Tell Spider-Man I'm a great cat sitter if he ever needs one," Nate said solemnly as he shook Matt's hand, then ran out of the room to get his juice.

"He's a cute kid," Matt said affectionately to Kate. The whole family was adorable, he could understand how they'd so easily wormed their way into her heart. "Shall we let the cats eat while you show me around?"

[hawk_shot]

For a brief moment Kate caught herself wondering if it would be much of a torture to raise a little boy, blind or not, with a strong sense of social justice and a love for helping people. A kid who'd stay up late to try and look after his dad and cheer on him. A kid with a love for midnight meals and an ambition to be his very best.

Jack Murdock might have teased his son, but Kate was sure that deep in his heart he couldn't be more thankful for the cards he'd been dealt with.

"Hey, Mama." Crouching down, Kate petted the gentle cat, watching her raise her rump as her purring grew louder. She was a sweet lady, no question about it, one that would fit in the Barton household easily. Almost as easy as Matt seemed to be getting along with everyone. Kate couldn't help but smile knowingly, watching her friend high-five the youngest of Clint's kids. Matt was a natural around them, it seemed.

On their own again, Kate patted the imaginary dust off her jeans before she got up on her feet, not thinking it twice before she wrapped her arm around Matt's as she guided him out of the room. Or was he guiding her? It didn't matter, really.

Passing by the kitchen, Laura let both know that they would be eating in an hour, before sharing another conspiratory look with her husband. Kate did not notice that, not when Lila looked like someone had just told her that Santa wasn't real. Assuring everyone they would soon be back, she guided Matt outside.

"So, I'm sure you know where we are heading first." It was easy to guess, considering she had brought up the donkeys about four times during their flight. "But, we're taking the longest route." Practically circling the house, Kate took Matt to the area where, not only did Laura and Clint growed their flowers, but some of their vegetables too.

The vegetables were closer, with colorful flowerbeds a little ahead of them. It was an enclosed area where the animals wouldn't walk in. Kate was sure Matt would enjoy the scents.

"How is it?"