𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄━︎━︎ C. Barton

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
❝︎The New House❞︎

THE HOUSE WAS EVERYTHING THEODORA HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE. She immediately fell in love with it and without hesitation Clint made sure it became theirs. Before buying it however, Theodora had to make sure of one thing. She had removed her gloves, touching the walls of the house and smiling in satisfaction when nothing came to her mind. It was a brand new house, one that wasn't filled with the horrors of someone's past. It was all theirs. They moved in immediately, buying furniture they deemed fit, and saving it for when they had painted the house. Theo claimed that they needed to bring life to the walls, give it different colors.

Their kitchen stayed neutral colors, a soft gray that looked beautiful with the white cabinets and marble countertops. The living room was a deep mahogany that looked beautiful with the fireplace and the brown couch and chairs. They moved in the furniture for the two rooms when they were completed, deciding to take it one step at a time. Clint had told Fury that until they were finished with their home, he wouldn't be going on any more missions. Theo had kissed him when he told her that.

There was a dining hall that they probably would never use―︎Theo even admitted to that. Then there was the best part of the house, a sun room. Glass window panes made up the walls and there was a door that lead to the back yard. It already had carpet in it and Theo simply left it alone, deciding it was perfect as it was. She would decorate it with a small couch and a few plants.

There were four bedrooms, and although they didn't need that many (at the moment that was), they still decided they would put beds in all of them except the one that would be their nursery. They left two of the bedroom walls their plane white color, deciding that when their child grew he or she could move into that room and decorate it for herself. Knowing the nursery would take up the most time, they went ahead with the bathrooms and what was going to become their shared bedroom.

Their bedroom was a painted a dark teal, a color they both liked. They put a king sized bed in their along with two side tables, a bookshelf for Theo that had immediately been halfway filled up by the time she'd placed all her books on it, a small black dresser and a table for the television. The floor was carpeted with a charcoal gray color. Theo loved everything about it.

When it came to the nursery, Theo was conflicted. The floor was originally hardwood but they'd both quickly agreed they needed to put carpet in it. They covered the floor with a soft grey after painting the walls a sky blue with Theo painting clouds on it. Building a crib was a lot harder than she thought, and while Clint had left to buy food for the home (telling Theodora to not touch the crib that he would handle it, but she never listened), she sat on the floor trying to make sense of the directions.

She scoffed. "This should not be this complicated." Her dark curls were pulled into a ponytail, two loose strands hanging in her face. She had a screwdriver in one hand with a pile of screws that she had absolutely no clue where they went. "It's a simple white crib." She continued to read the directions before slowly understanding what the directions were trying to tell her. She only a month a long, she wasn't even showing, she figured there was no harm in doing a little bit of labor. She was quickly beginning to regret her decision however.

The sound of the front door opening didn't phase her as she screwed in another screw. Clint was downstairs, putting the groceries in their respective places before making his way up the stairs. Along the way, he'd picked them up something to eat so Theo wouldn't have to cook. Of all things she'd been craving, she'd desperately wanted McDonald's, a burger with extra pickles--Theo hated pickles. Clint made his way up the steps, the bag of food in his hands. He came to a stop when he saw her in the floor, doing exactly what he told her not to do.

"I told you I would handle that when I got back."

Theo shrugged. "I'm impatient."

Clint rolled his eyes, taking a seat beside her on the floor. "Well, pause and eat."

Theo did as he said, turning to face him and grabbing the food immediately. "Extra pickles?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes. "Did you make sure they actually put them on there this time."

"Yes," he repeated.

Theo smiled and began eating. She pointed towards the crib. "That is a lot harder than it looks."

Clint nodded, taking a bite of his own food. "It usually is. You've made some progress though."

"After thirty minutes of sitting there confused." Theo muttered. "It really should not be that complicated." There was a comfortable silence as they ate before she piped up again. "We should get a dog."

Clint looked at her and chuckled. "Let's see how we do with a baby first, and then we can get a dog."

Theo groaned. "But that's still eight months away. I don't like it."

"Well, that's not in my control."

Theo narrowed her eyes at him again. "You're the reason I'm pregnant."

Clint let out a breath. "I thought the blaming would be at least four months in."

Theo finished her food, taking a napkin and wiping her mouth. "What can I say? I like to be ahead of schedule."

When they were done eating, they threw away their food and began working on the crip once more. It took more hours than Theo would like to admit, but once it was finished she couldn't help but smile. Clint wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in to him. She never thought she could ever be so happy, but in this moment she was the happiest she'd ever been. She wouldn't trade it in the world for nothing. Her hand subconsciously placed itself on her stomach and she couldn't help but think how happy she was for her child to arrive.