Chapter 17
Oh god. Why did he ever want to be pregnant?
Was that a thing he actually wanted at one point?
His feet were swollen, his back hurt and on top of all of that - while everyone else around him seemed to be excited about the baby - Clint was pretty much a nervous wreck. His nesting instincts were admittedly going a little crazy. And when he wasn’t rearranging the old office, he was snapping at his mate or cuddling his pup against his will.
He had already finished school for the semester and planned to take the summer off. So the Omega was not only bored and cranky, but also physically and emotionally exhausted. It was Tony who - probably after a plead from James - asked the three if they wanted to join them on his great uncle’s island for a weekend’s vacation.
At first Clint said no, cause as tempting as that was he was three weeks away from the due date and he didn’t want anything to happen so far away from Dr. Cho. But after being promised multiple massages and puppy eyes from Wade who had never been to the beach before - the Omega finally relented.
He still had the right to complain the plane ride over, which is exactly what he did until he fell asleep. The next thing the Omega knew, kisses all over his face woke him up again to an almost empty plane.
“Wade?” Clint asked his mate who hummed before responding.
“Our little troublemaker dashed off after his cousins. I wanted you to have a long nap before we started our vacay. Tony has booked a masseuse that is ready and waiting for you. There’s also a beautiful hammock set up on the beach. Or we could head straight to the water. Whatever you want, doll.” Clint yawned as he stretched his limbs out. He accepted the outstretched hand from his mate while also accepting the kiss once he stood up.
“I’m guessing Wade is trying to jump in the water along with Peter?”
“Steve’s with them and they put their swim trunks on while you napped. Nothing to worry about babe.”
“Well I want to see him swim for the first time. Did you put on floaties? Or a lifejacket?” Bucky chuckled as he grabbed Clint’s hand and led the two towards the beach. There was a fancy deck, sporting comfy looking patio furniture and shaded by a huge tent.
Clint joined Tony as the other Omega was laying out and smiling at the pair.
“Clint I can call the masseuse to come rub your feet while we’re out here? Since Buckeroo, there were demands from a small person about you promising to swim with him?”
“Does that sound okay, doll?” Buck asked as he took off his shirt. Clint was distracted by the abs, wondering how many favors he would owe Tony to let Wade stay with them later, when the Alpha waved his hands over his stomach to get the Omega’s attention. “Or I could stand here so you can oogle me, my love. Though it might be awkward when Tony oogles at me too.”
“Just get in the ocean, Alpha! If you try to tease a pregnant Omega I will personally kick your ass,” Tony growled at Bucky. Clint just laughed, enjoying the actually startled look on the handsome Alpha’s face. Before the brunette could turn to head towards the ocean the group heard sounds of laughter. Wade was racing towards them.
“Oh, babe before I forget he needs sunscreen,” Clint said as he settled back against a plush rocking chair, allowing the sounds of the ocean breeze and his family to wash over him. He watched with a smile as his son was scooped up by his Alpha, tickling the pup and getting delightful shrieks out of him.
“Daddy stop! You said you’d swim with me!”
“Sorry baby, Mama says you need sunscreen first,” Buck said with a smile, lowering the pup to the ground before grabbing the ointment. Steve, Harley and Peter made there way back, the three laughing as they joined them.
“Steve come here, you need sunscreen too,” Tony said as he took some of the ointment from Bucky.
“How come Peter and Harley don’t need it?” Wade asked with an adorable pout as Bucky lathered on cream all over his pale body. “Or you Daddy?”
“Because Peter and Harley luckily got my Italian skin, which tans and doesn’t burn. They still got some spray though, just in case. Your Daddy is Russian so he doesn’t burn either. Unlike you, your Mama and Stevie here - who will turn into lobsters if left out in the sun. Not sure about you or your Mama, but Uncle Steve is Scotts/Irish so he gets a bad burn and freckles when left out in the sun too long,” Tony explained as he covered the blonde Alpha’s body with the cream.
Clint couldn’t help rolling his eyes when his brother in law squeezed Steve’s ass as well.
“Hurry Daddy! Papa said he’d throw us in the air!” Peter whined as Tony finished up.
“You’ll be alright here, doll?” Buck asked after finishing lathering up their pup with sunscreen.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. I can see you guys from here and everything. Go have fun,” Clint said with a smile, puckering his lips to accept the kiss from his Alpha. The Omega watched with a smile as the Alphas and pups raced each other back to the water. “You don’t have to sit with me, you know.”
“Oh please, not everything is about you. I don’t like salt water, there’s a pool on the side I’ll dive in later,” Tony said as he lounged on the couches beside Clint, stretching his legs out. “I could go for a long island iced tea though. Want anything?”
Clint opened his mouth to decline when a sharp pain came from his stomach, making the Omega wince in pain.
“Oof, been there friend. Sure you don’t want some nice herbal tea?”
“I’m fine Tony,” Clint snapped, immediately calming down when he realized what he did. Even though Tony had been through this before, it wasn’t the same. “Fuck, I’m sorry…”
“Don’t apologize. I know this is sensitive and I know you don’t want to talk about it.”
“You must think I’m crazy,” Clint said after a moment of silence stretched between them. His hands moved on their own to his stomach, rubbing the bump while also trying not to think about it.
“I think you’re cautious. And super fucking brave. And if not talking about it makes you less anxious, then we should all respect that. I just...I’m here, you know? If you need to talk...I...I know it’s not the same...our experiences. But just, from one Omega to another...I’m here for you, okay?”
“Thanks Tony, I really appreciate that,” Clint said with a shaky breath, truly meaning every word. He kept his eyes on the boys playing in the water, unable to look his friend in the eye as emotions began to take him over.
Clint, so so badly wanted this to all be normal. Wanted to swap pregnancy stories with his friend. Wanted to talk about how excited he was to have not one but two pups. Freely ask for advice that didn’t make him want to throw up from anxiety.
It was a catch twenty two, you see. Cause on the one hand, Clint had to be mindful of how he treated his body. What he put in it, how many hours of sleep a night, how limited his caffeine could be...but while he limited himself to one cup of coffee a day - he never acknowledged the reason why.
Focusing on his breath, the blonde Omega inhaled the scent of the ocean and calmed himself down. Listened to the sounds of his family splashing in the waves. He finally turned his attention to his friend, smiling at seeing the genius sipping on his drink. Which appeared out of nowhere…
“Was that...like magic or…?
“Nope, your eyes were just closed. You missed the Beta server on staff, she just quietly brought me my drink. Unfortunately my great uncle didn’t like my idea of using floating robots, so instead we have sneaky ninja staff on hand. Now, would you like a drink? Or perhaps someone to come rub your perfectly normal feet?” That finally got a laugh out of Clint, since anyone within view could see how swollen the Omega’s feet were.
“You know what? I think I will take you up on that offer. But instead of tea maybe a virgin pina colada? And an assortment of some chocolate covered fruits? And chili cheese fries. And pickles!”
“Here, take the tablet, order whatever you want. We’ll order more when the boys are finished swimming,” Tony said as he handed the device to Clint. Who was getting more and more relaxed as a happy sense of relief flowed through the blonde.
The perfect distraction and everything he could have wanted from a vacation.
And - for the moment - gave the Omega a true sense of peace.