i never learned how to miss!

CLINT

@foolhardily​

“i’m never wearing black lipstick again. i swear, i thought that stuff was stuck on me forever.” kate groaned, sat on the couch beside clint and offered him a cup of coffee. “some party, huh? i kept telling everyone i was dressed as a homicidal maniac. guess it fit the whole wednesday addams ordeal.” she sipped at her mug, cupping her hands around it to warm herself up. “i wish we had our weapons. we could take these doombots out from this window. maybe there is a way we can take them out without weapons. i think we could easily find a way to do that. what do you think?”

“If you ever reach for that shade of lipstick again I’ll remind you of what happened.” Clint promises with a smile, but can understand. He was stuck looking AND acting like GREEN ARROW. Which was more irritating than anything else. It truly made him appreciate how practical his own gear usually was. OH, he misses his bow. “I wish we had our weapons too. It feels weird not to have access to my arrows.” Although Clint had training beyond just that, and for now if needed martial arts training would have to do. “If we figure out their weakness it’s not impossible. They can’t be completely invincible, but this would have to be done where DOOM wouldn’t find out. Be careful, KATIE.” 

“Right. Yeah.” Pyro internally cursed himself, never having expected to actually have to go out there to help. Sure, there was a possibility going into the jungle would lead to some sort of fight- something that Pyro could get on board with- but toeing this line between good and bad was proving harder than he thought. He wasn’t currently aligned with anyone and he liked it like that, but just because he wasn’t working with Magneto anymore didn’t mean he wanted to play the hero. “Do you actually have a plan?”

Clint knows not everyone is ready to be a HERO, and he can respect someone not wanting to play that role. He knows better than anyone how being one of the good guys can take many different forms. The time he spent during those five years wasn’t something that was talked about. “Not at the moment, but it’ll together as we go. This place is full of surprises so it’s not easy to plan for the unexpected. SO FAR here’s what I GOT FOR A COURSE OF ACTION: try not to die AND figure out what the fuck is happening.” He says while heading out of the building. 

“Here we go.”

lorna was always what she’d consider fit – she’d taken up kick boxing as a teen to work out her aggression, but this seemed different. suddenly, in her lara croft costume, she felt unstoppable. she maneuvered her way through the party with relative ease and determination, as if on a mission. in a way, she was. “did anyone see where that doom guy went?” she questioned, her eyes scanning the room for him. “i’m really pretty sure i could successfully punch him in the face and i don’t want to let that opportunity go.” it wasn’t a smart plan, there would be consequences, but it felt like her damn duty to do so anyway.

Clint groans for a moment, of course some sort of ridiculous spell would turn him into the obnoxious OLIVER QUEEN. He mainly picked this costume to be funny, but now that somehow they’ve been combined into one — he has this urge to punch himself too. He doesn’t mind finding the toy arrows had become real though, maybe that would be useful later. “How about we just take turns punching him? I think that sounds swell — can even use this boxing glove arrow on him.”

Pyro rolled his eyes, “Right, I don’t have to go, but you’re going to so you get all the credit for helping them?” He scoffed, “I’ll come with you. Just don’t expect me to throw myself in front of a dinosaur for you.” To be perfectly honest, he was playing up his disinterest in helping. Pyro wanted to get out of here as much as anyone else, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about helping these people.

( @foolhardily​ )

if stephen had been entirely himself and not an odd mixture of two wizards, he would have been amused and delighted at the sight of clint dressed as an errol flynn type archer. instead, he affixed him with curious regard and decided that if he was comparable to anyone in this moment, it would be that of aragorn. sort of. also a dash of legolas. approaching him, he granted the other a warm smile as he nodded his head and leaned against his staff. “how very dashing and adventurous you look, i would almost suggest you retain this far after the party, what do you think?” he asked, a glint of mischievousness in his eye.

It was strange to be stuck in this appearance, memories that aren’t his own, but it all feels like it should be. Clint runs his fingers through the goatee, eyebrow raised as he looks over at the other. There was something odd about how Stephen was acting, but there was something going on. The fake arrows in his quiver are suddenly very real. “Being this handsome comes naturally.” The blonde admits as he places his hands on his hips, a playful smile forming on his face. “Purple is still more my color though. What’s going on?” Clint has this weird urge to punch himself.

“clint, i hate to say it, but i’ve got a feeling you and baking are two things that should never mix.” she teased. kate tugged her knees to her chest, letting her chin rest on them. “i’ll help you make cookies only if it’s for nate. i can’t say no to him.” the first few days here, kate had barely left the flat her and america shared. her hallucination in the jungle was still making her uneasy. thankfully, though, she was adjusting well here. she didn’t necessarily like it, but it was better than where they were. she puts an arm around clint, giving him a bit of a hug. she hated seeing him so upset. “he’s your family. it’s okay to be worried about him, but i’m sure he’s okay. we’ve all been thrown for a loop. barney’s somewhere out there.” kate shrugged at his next question. “i’m doing fine, but america and billy can’t use their powers and i think that’s been a pretty big adjustment for them.”

“Alright you got me there.” Clint teases with a smile as he looks at his partner. He knows that baking is an exact science which doesn’t leave much room for error. He isn’t bad when it comes to cooking, but baking is a completely different story. “Of course they’re for the kids — they deserve some kind of treat for being so good considering everything.” Nate has become attached to him like glue, which is sweet for the most part. Clint is thankful for the hug of sorts, knowing that Barney can handle himself if he’s out there somewhere, but STILL. “I hope you’re right, Katie.” It was a good reassurance, imagining him lost somewhere in this city. Which is better than dead. “I can imagine, it must be tough to go from having your powers everyday to not at all. I hope we can find a way to get rid of those dampeners one of these days.”

“well i hope your brother’s doing fine, wherever he is.” it was the least he could say considering clint also had his children to worry about. and he hasn’t really met his brother but he must have that big of an impact on clint for him to look for him like that. “hmm. i hope they behave but i’m willing to turn look the other way if they started rebelling. dictators like doom don’t really last long.” or at least that’s what he could remember from some of his undergraduate classes. “then again, some do. well, we may never really know.” politics was a complicated subject that some people seem to take for granted most of the time. “not really in their nature, no. i believe you know peter parker? he’s the one being framed for murder and…well. you probably know where i’m getting at.”

“I do too.” Clint doesn’t know where Barney would have been when everything happened — cursing himself for not having kept in touch more. No matter what happened they were still family, looking out for him when it counts, and reaching him how to defend himself against their dad. He hasn’t brought it up around the kids yet. “I appreciate that, you never know what teenagers will get up to.” They better behave though, but if they were anything like their dad it wasn’t likely. “What? Someone thinks PETER murdered someone? I don’t believe it for a second. He’s a good kid.” Clint knows about death — and ending lives, how it feels to live with it. He wouldn’t want a Peter to go through that too.

Pyro shrugged, “I don’t know. A couple of hours?” Time wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to keep track of here. “They’re probably fine. What could really be out there that they can’t handle?” Even as he said it though, Pyro knew something wasn’t quite right and he could see Clint thinking so too. “Ugh, you’re not going to make me go after them with you, are you?” He complained, wishing he hadn’t spoken to the man in the first place.

“You sure I’m not the only lawyer you know?” Matt was trying his hardest to keep the mood light despite their rigid frames. He could hear rapid heartbeats from the people surrounding them and he could also hear the unmistakable whirring of doom’s robots. “I’m happy you get to be with family here, even with all our current circumstance. It’s always nice to have family to come back to.” For Matt, getting back to Foggy and Karen was his raison d’etre. “I could imagine. But hopefully the students aren’t giving you too much of a problem? I’ve had a few cases fall on my lap involving a couple of the Spider-kids; one of them’s a high-profile one involving a frame-up for murder. I have my doubts about the report, especially after I talked to that one kid framed for murder.” Matt may have been allowed to practice his craft but that didn’t mean he had adjusted fully to the job again. Besides, he was lucky enough not to lose anything considering he wasn’t…well, he didn’t have powers, per se.

“You might be, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t GREAT!” Clint admits with a laugh, not bothering to try being quiet. Nathaniel was out like a light, not even the sound of the robots outside would wake him. He was luckier then most, but even HE has his share of loss. “I’m glad to have my kids here. My older brother is missing SO that has me expecting the worst.” Clint knows everyone has someone that’s gone, parents, friends — he wasn’t the only one. “They’ve been good so far, so I can only HOPE it stays that way.” He worries about no one actually settling, and the students deciding to stop behaving once eventually. He can deal with it when the time comes. “Oh? I don’t really believe those spider-kids would murder someone. What do I know though?” He shrugs his shoulders.

Logan was … mostly here for the food. And also the chance to get a look at the Dick-tator in the flesh, see if he could run him through a few times.

So far, the food was good - though the portions were tiny - but the star of the show hadn’t turned up to his own party. 

Staking out the food table, he moved to grab one of the last cocktail sausages at the same time someone else reached for it. “Hey,” he said, “That one’s mine.”

Clint pulls his hand away from the cocktail sausage, arms raised in the air as he looks over at Logan. He doesn’t know how to feel about this whole party yet, but the kids seemed happy about being able to dress up.

“You can have it. I’m sure they’ll bring more out.” He hopes at least, realizing that he was eating just because of his nerves. He crosses his arms over his chest instead, looking at the other man.

Clint always has a strange relationship with the holiday. It was hard to communicate when someone is wearing a mask since he can’t read their lips.

“Are we having fun yet?” Which is followed by some laughter.

kate never thought she’d be so thankful to have coffee again. it had been one of the first things she grabbed when they arrived. “i don’t know how much partner stuff we’ll be doing around here unless you want to go around and spray paint some doombots,” she joked. kate pulled her knees to her chest, the mug resting on top of them. she waited for his response, and she noticed the way he seemed to come to a full realization. “hey, hey,” she said, quickly setting her cup down and reaching out to grab his hand. “it’s okay. hey. i wish i was better at this whole comforting words thing,” she sighed, “but i swear it’s going to be okay. what if he shows up? just because earth is gone doesn’t mean barney is gone too.”

Everything was a mess with what has been going on since going through the rift. His youngest refuses to leave his side, but thankfully went down for a nap in his room. He chuckles, and shrugs his shoulders. “We could partner up for something more innocent for now — BAKING maybe.” The thought is funny, enough to make him laughs “We can make cookies with Nate. He’s pretty attached to me since we got here.” Which is sweet most of the time, but they all have their own ways to cope — through a four year old’s eyes that was his. His gaze settles on Kate though, and squeezes her hand gently as he breaks down a little thinking about Barney. “I hope you’re right. He can be an asshole sometimes, but he’s still my brother. How are you and your friends doing?”

he takes a sip from his cup, his posture and smile betraying how alert he actually is with his hands still not letting go of his walking stick. “we’ve been so focused on getting out of the savage lands that we weren’t sure we were getting out to new york once that tear came out. the kids were right: something was changing in our worlds when we were sent to live with the dinosaurs.” matt was not one to dismiss the younger ones but he can’t exactly say he gave them the time of day back in the savage lands. “i was allowed to practice law so a little bit better than when we were back with the dinosaurs. but i can’t say completely great for sure because…well, i have to learn a new set of laws conjured up at the whim of the overlord. you? how are you holding up?”

“We were all so excited to get out that we didn’t stop to think about what would be waiting for us on the other side.” Clint doesn’t even know what they could have prepared for, but they would have to make the best out of this situation. He hates thinking about their planet being gone — all those people. HIS OLDER BROTHER. “Sounds stressful, but you’re the best lawyer I know. If anyone can make sense of this place IT’S YOU. I’m okay — two of my kids are going to school here, my youngest is still not old enough for that quite yet and has become clingy since our arrival, but me? I’m stuck coaching at one of the universities. It’s been a lot to adjust to, but we’re taking it day-by-day.” Clint says with a deep breath. He doesn’t know how he’s holding it together.

pietro hated that everyone was playing along with this guy. sure, he heard word that there may have been something brewing in the works. but who knows how long that would take? he wanted to act now. take him down now. especially with nate, lila, and cooper to worry about. though they were also the reason he was at least a little more careful when it came to acting on his instincts. “i’m not the one to be worried about. how are the kids adjusting?” 

holding a cup of tea, he sipped gingerly at it before he shook his head in response. “no, i haven’t. i get the feeling no one has, and that’s probably how he likes it. i doubt anyone is dumb enough to attempt it, not with his threat of ‘doomgeons’, whatever that entails.” he paused for a moment. “truthfully, he sort of reminds me of the phantom of the opera.” he chuckles. “with the whole mask thing. and i suppose their attitudes could be considered similar as well.”

The archer may come off as an idiot, but truthfully he was smarter than he lets on. Although that isn’t to say he doesn’t have his moments, but Clint would bet on there being at least one person who would want to give it a try. “What do you think happens in those DOOMGEONS?” There’s a smile as he pulls the coffee mug away from his face. “I can see that. Don’t give him any ideas, soon we’ll be listening to DOOM versions of the soundtrack.”

“dang it. i mean, i have a partner already but he’s kind of annoying,” she joked, nudging her friend’s shoulder. kate was thankful they all made it through the rift safely. so far, everyone was okay. she wanted to keep it that way. “hey, i wouldn’t trade you for anything, especially when you offer coffee.” kate held out a coffee mug. “i can’t even begin to tell you how much i missed coffee. it’s been too long.” she had the mug cupped in both hands, drawing any of its warmth to her hands. “what do you think of this doom guy?”

The archer starts to pour two mugs full of coffee, taking advantage of having access to it again. He had a lot to worry about between adjusting to this place AND his two oldest children complaining about going to school again. “I’m HAPPY to hear that.” He walks over, placing the mugs on the table. He leans back in his chair, looking over at Kate while taking a sip from his own. HE REALLY MISSED COFFEE. “I think he’s full of himself from what I’ve seen. We have to play nice though since Earth is gone.” The thought settles in finally. “Earth is gone. Barney, NO —”