Alexei Shostakov - Blog Posts

Clint Barton’s House of Strays, by me and @geeodes

A whole one person said they were interested so get fuckin ready

In a post-S.H.I.E.L.D., post-Sokovia Accords world, where is Natasha to stash dozens of newly freed child assassins?

- is what she says when she shows up at Clint’s door with Yelena, Melina, Alexei, and five widows under the age of 20 trailing behind her

Clint:

Natasha:

Yelena:

Melina:

Alexei:

The widows:

Clint:

Clint: So are you guys staying for dinner, or…?

They did stay for dinner

And dessert

And breakfast the next morning. Clint’s kids come downstairs to find five child spies asleep on the floor in living room, and the five child spies wake to see three kids in matching pajamas openly staring at them

Clint and Laura talk, and soon enough, Widows start flooding in.

Sent by Yelena from all over the world, girls ranging from six to thirty show up in droves

After a while shoving Widows on couches and mattresses and guest bedrooms, Clint convinces Laura to let him start a new project.

With Natasha, Alexei, Melina, and eventually Tony’s help, he builds a lodge beside the farmhouse.

Bedrooms go in on the top floor; bunk beds for reunited sisters, singles for girls who have never known a quiet night’s sleep, a wide kitchen on the main floor stuffed with food the girls have never had the chance to eat.

Widows who don’t want to stay at the farm are sent to the Avengers Tower (which Tony did not sell, *cough*) and are given access to therapy and job opportunities, and anything else they could need while they adjust to life outside the Red Room

It brings more controversy down on Tony, but what else was he gonna do? Say no?

He considers it after one particularly indoctrinated 6-year-old tries kicking his ass and has to be pulled off him by Natasha

The lodge becomes a safe haven for Widows, even after they’ve found their places in the world.

It takes a while for some to forgive Melina for her part in their enslavement, but she does her best every day to earn their forgiveness.

She becomes friends with Laura Barton, their relationship awkward at first but eventually effortless. The two share looks that are indecipherable to others, but they conduct entire conversations without saying a word. Natasha is befuddled.

Alexei warms up to the Barton kids immediately. They hang off his arms while he booms war stories and nonsense, shrugging off Clint’s concerns

“Relax, Robin Hood. They are soft and squishy, they learn to be strong!”

“… Whatever you say.”

Thanksgivings at the Barton farm start moving outside. Long tables are stuffed with Widows of all ages, Avengers, agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., families, and anyone else who will fit, crowding around in the kitchens and living rooms and fields, swapping stories and inside jokes

Nowhere in the world is totally safe, but the Barton farm feels pretty close

Initial thoughts: Yelena looks like a goddess, Bob does not want to be here, Alexei and John are vibing together and Bucky’s hair is going through a mid-life crisis