It didn't take me long to fit into the Barton family way of life. On my birthday, Cooper's excitement helped me forget the pain of Nico not being there. The kid had really grown on me, and in just a couple of weeks, had started to think of me as an older brother. We had decided not to tell the children how I was related to their dad, only that I was. Any extra information would have confused them. The morning of my birthday, Cooper woke me up far too early in the morning, only for Clint to swoop in, and start to propel him out the door. "He wants to sleep, you know." he muttered.

"No, it's ok." I said, sitting up. Clint looked at me, but before he could ask me if I was sure, Cooper was climbing under my duvet next to me.

Clint laughed at his son, "I'll start on breakfast, shall I?"

Cooper nodded enthusiastically, grinning, as if he was hiding something, and at that point the doorbell rang, walking Lila up. She started crying, so I offered to get the door.

"No, you stay there. It's probably the post." Clint muttered.
I looked at him, sceptical. There was no post on Sundays. They were obviously hiding something. Part of my brain was telling me to find out what- I had been sent here to find out everything I could, after all. Another part of my brain was convincing me to go back to sleep. After all, I was still tired, and it was my birthday. I decided to listen to that part of my brain, and was already partially asleep by the time Clint had herded his son out of my room.

So I was practically asleep when a voice said "Come on, idioté. Get up. It's your birthday, and those kids are getting way too overexcited."

At first, I thought it was my imagination. A voice in my head, that just happened to be the one voice I wanted to hear.
I cautiously opened one eye.
So it wasn't in my head. I thought. But I hid how happy I was. I had to. He didn't know how I felt. I wasn't even fully sure of how I felt.
"If you wake me up so early, you're as bad as 'those kids' as you call them, Nico."