AIM

“what did i say about calling me ‘girly-girl’?” kate turned towards him with a frown. she had desperately tried to keep him from calling her ‘katie’ when the first met. the nickname made her cringe almost as much as her full first name did. yet, hearing the nickname from clint always made her day a bit brighter, but no one else was allowed to call her katie. “actually yes. it’s not fair you look that. not when your diet consists of pizza and coffee.” her fingers traced over the red mark adorning his bare skin. his skin was warm beneath her touch. the moment his eyes met hers, kate quickly pulled her hand away as if she were caught doing something she shouldn’t. kate desperately tried to hide her red cheeks, but, of course, clint noticed. he certainly wasn’t walking away without pointing it out which only made it worse. once his back was towards her, she turned to watch as he disappeared into the bathroom. 

kate loved to bake. she was pretty good at it too. it was the whole decorating part she absolutely sucked at. she poured the batter into two cake pans before sticking them both in the oven. kate heard to door open to the bathroom, and she glanced down the hall to see clint wrapped in a towel. she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him. propping herself on the counter, she held another mixing bowl on top of her thighs. the frosting was supposed to be purple, but it was more of a light shade of blue. “the cake’s in the oven,” she began, when she heard him coming towards her. he was dressed in obviously more comfortable clothes, and kate still wore her purple jumpsuit she wore when she was hawkeye. “i tried to make it purple, but now it’s blue.” kate watched clint as he peered into the frosting bowl, and she swiped a bit of frosting on her finger. she smeared the frosting over his nose and the rest across his cheek. she laughed, quite proud of herself. “happy birthday, hawkeye,” 

god he missed her , he didn’t out right say it but the way everything fell naturally into place spoke volumes for him. she cut through his shitty humor , knowing it for what it was : self-derogatory behavior and there were some convicted words behind it all that felt justified to him. but in the midst of figuring out his place in this world , kate was a wisp that kept his priorities mostly focused ... mostly. he’s still and will always be argumentative .” to be honest i don’t care if turned red . . .i’d be worried about how it went from purple to red , but - “ the frosting on his nose made him stop and the smile grew a bit more. “ you’re something else , lady hawkeye. “ he murmured and swept up frosting on his thumb and ran a line on her forehead. “ or maybe it’s simba now. “  that smile turned into a smirk as his blue eyes indulged on his work. 

Tony and Clint had never been the closest of friends but Tony did still care about him. He cared about all of the Avengers equally and if they needed him, he’d be there, like he was here now for Clint. “Tempting but I’ll give you a free pass this time, you look like you’ve already been in an unfair fight,” He replied, giving the man a small yet somewhat sad smile. “I’m glad you came back and whatever you’re going through, we’re here for you. I hope you know that,” He quickly replied, needing Clint to understand that he wasn’t alone. He was never alone and help or a friend was only ever a call away.

his position with the avengers has always been one based off tension , clint has his own issues that made it out to be that way. his general path in life waged towards a steep and unrelenting path -- and it all happened the day his hearing was lost him. luckily the hearing aids that he adorned salvaged some of it -- but it’s only a temporary fix. “ thanks . . . “ he nodded in his direction. “ i’d talk but i don’t think an alleyway is a little too conspicuous for a heart to heart , people might get the wrong idea. “ he joked lightly 

bloody :   my  muse  coming  to  your  muse  with  blood  stains  on  their  clothes  and  hands,  shaking.

hands shaking uncontrollably , fingers dipped in cool and tantalizing crimson pools. breathing rigid through gritted teeth.  the threat is no longer an active one -- no longer able to bring harm to the people he loved. ever since  the world had fallen upon deaf ears once more -- there’s been a change within clint that enthralled his usual persona. he didn’t feel like an essential asset to the team -- no -- not anymore. his behavior warped ; not many could cease or tame him -- very few people can reach him. 

and now stood the hypocrite that loomed over an unconscious body that would probably lie through their teeth if they could. “ i’ll get him cleaned up and escort him to the authorities. “ clint murmured as he heard footsteps -- his hesitation radiated a discerning moment -- his eyes avoided TONY STARK.

song for clint & kate’s first date 

“i bet you won’t make that mistake again, huh?” kate hung her own bow up at the front door, and her quiver of arrows on a hook beside it. “no joke that puts you down is funny. you know i hate that.” it hurt anytime kate heard him putting himself down, and she never let him walk away without her replacing it with something positive. she opened her mouth to apologize for hitting him so hard, but she quickly closed it. he did deserve it. kate had never forgotten clint’s birthday. he typically disagreed with kate doing anything special for his birthday, but he deserved to be celebrated. “did you expect me to forget it? i’m not throwing you any big party or anything. just me, you, and a poorly decorated cake.” kate was not a fan of her own birthday, but she would always celebrate clint’s. “yes, we do. you’re another decade older,” she teased. as he peeled off his shirt, kate took a look over him. “nice abs,” she commented before winking at him. “what the hell is this?” delicate hands traced over his skin and along the red mark on his back. “is this from the taser?” the red mark was nothing serious, but any injury (even a small scratch) worried her. “i’m gonna want a better look at that and that mark on your face when you back here.” kate was already busying herself with making his cake. she grabbed a bit of purple dye for the frosting. kate nearly dropped the carton of milk into the metal bowl at his compliment. her face turning red almost immediately, and she was hoping he wouldn’t notice. “i’m not, but i appreciate you thinking so. now, get your cute ass back here and you can help me make frosting.” she watched as he walked away, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself as he did. what on earth would she do without him? he made the world a little brighter, and kate could barely go 24 hours without speaking to him.  

He could never get away with the self-depreciating humor around her and it caused a sigh to drop and a couple yeah's to pass his lips. Birthdays were a pain in the ass , but she made it worth it. “ i'll remember this when we celebrate your birthday , girly-girl.  “ there is a promise in his voice – the compliment caused him to ruffle at his blonde hair in a modest fashion but there is an impish curve. “ jealous ? “ he's normally not bigoted on self-confidence , but boy did he know how to front it. The touch of her hand upon sensitive flesh caused him to cease in his place to turn his head to look over his shoulder at her. “ must be , “ he didn't even remember where they tased him , all he remembered was the general shock of it all. “ it's nothing serio – “ he noticed the redness of her cheeks as he glanced in her general direction. “ might want to turn a fan on , you're looking kind of hot over there , “ he said ever so casually as if he genuinely believed that that was why she was red in the face. “ Don't eat all the frosting before I get back,” he called back at her before disappearing into the bathroom. The shower didn't take long at all , biting his lip at the raw wound throbbing a the touch of steaming hot water. Of course it would sting more so than before … he was in a dumpster for what could have been hours. Hopping out the shower , he realized the mistake he made the instant he took a glimpse around the bathroom floor.

“geez, clint,” kate muttered. other than the bloody lip, he seemed to be fine. kate didn’t see any other outward injuries, and that was enough to put her at ease. “wait, really? you got tased?” kate couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. still, that didn’t explain how the hell he ended up in a dumpster, but she decided to leave her interrogation at that. clint was the closest thing to family kate truly had. her and her sister hardly spoke anymore, and she had a few choice words for her father. the two were too similar at times, but, at the end of the day, clint was all she needed. kate had never needed anyone in her life, and the idea of depending on someone else was terrifyig. at his self-depreciating joke, kate elbowed him in the side–hard. she hated hearing him talk badly about himself, and kate knew clint knew that. “how many times do i have to tell you there’s nothing wrong with you, huh? don’t talk about yourself like that, okay?” kate unlocked the door to their apartment, pointing down the hall to the bathroom. “i’m actually making you a cake since it is your birthday.” a grin stretched practically ear-to-ear on her face. “you may be thirty, but you still act like your twelve,” she teased. her grin fell, though, when she finally noticed the tears in his shirt. how he managed to tear so many shirts was beyond her. “take it off and i’ll throw it out. i’ve gotta start learning to sew.” kate started pulling ingredients out and setting them on the counter. “go take a shower before you stink about the entire apartment. i’ll get this cake made for you so you can brighten up a bit.”

“ go ahead and laugh , I didn't have a chance to grab my bow , if I did they would have been the one's in the dumpster. “ he couldn't help but huff as he rubbed at the nape of his neck , a pout forming on his lips that he couldn't fight off until he felt an impact in his ribs. “ okay , okay , but it was funny right ? I mean , I was in a dumpster – okay , fine i'll stop. “ clint rambled on and it eventually ended in a sheepish mumble as if he was caught doing something he shouldn't. It felt like his world just came to an absolute HALT. “ my birthday ? That's today ? “ he couldn't help but ask and then the feeling of shyness swept over him , but his eyes widened at her. “ of course you remembered , “ he stated remembering the last two birthdays he had with her and clint put up a front of resistance. Refusing to have anything to do with the day and even said that it would be a waste of her time. But honestly , as time went on – he found himself not hating whenever it was mentioned. “ do we have to bring my age into this  ; it's a bad omen and I won't have anything to do with it. “ he said defiantly but there Is a playful note in his voice. His complaining died shortly , and god he did that that a lot. Peeling his shirt off casually , there were was a red mark from the taser on his upper back. Sloppy aim , but when it came to a taser – you're staggering no matter where you get hit. Throwing away the damaged shirt , he reached for an m & m that resided in a bowl full of candy, eyes shifting to look at her get to work on doing something completely unnecessary in his eyes. “ you're perfect , you know that. You should know it. “ He complimented her as a reflex and meaning it as he began to walk away towards the bathroom , even though she just insinuated that his presence would just make the apartment much less appealing – smell-wise. 

“we’re in the clear and i need you to go back home. clint, are you bleeding?” kate wanted to say this was the first time she’d found her dear friend in such a state. he was fine, but even the slightest scratch on clint worried her. “you were in there long enough to smell like you live there. do you plan on telling me how you ended up in there?” she was already backing up to head back to their apartment. kate wasn’t entirely sure a batch of doombots wasn’t on her heels, and she certainly didn’t want to risk them finding her here. “yes, we do.” loneliness was a familiar feeling to kate, but there was a different feeling when she was lonely and missing her partner. kate didn’t need anyone except for clint. “don’t you dare,” she warned, ducking under his arms. she did grab his arm, however, and linked it with her own. “you’re going to have to let me look at that, and you can hug me after you shower. i’ll even cook for you if that’ll make you happy.”

of course she would ask him about his bleeding lip. And when it came to Kate Bishop , he was a terrible liar. He'd bullshit but then eventually it always comes out. ❝ maybe. ❞ he stated with an eye shift before looking back at her again with the softest of sub-conscious smiles on his countenance. ❝ you wanna know ? I got tased by a couple thieves that realized this guy isn't worth mugging. ❞ he explained casually while walking with her to their apartment . Despite his departuree and mission , clint will never deny that his place here with Kate and the rest of the avengers is where he will always return. He had a moment of discord with himself , but – she pulled him back. It was a rare effect that anyone had on him , and the attachment terrified him more than he'd let on. But he knew she understood exactly how that felt. There is a light smile when she took his arm , ❝ you should know better than to take the trash back home ,  ❞ the self depreciating humor couldn't be helped . The bad joked were always a thing. ❝ I guess I can wait , but i'm not happy about it.  ❞ he was pouting softly but his mood piqued at the mention of her cooking. ❝but  i'm going to be sad until you're done cooking. ❞ he confirmed that it would indeed do the trick. One surefire way to increase his mood is feeding him. his blue eyes dropped to his shirt as they approached the apartment , “ i haven’t had this one for twenty four hours. “ he murmured as he noticed the rips in sever spots in the shirt.

Since returning home, Tony had come to realise that things were not the same. Nor would they be the same for a long time and it was an idea he was struggling to come to terms with. He had expected to come back to the team, whole again. But he hadn’t even managed to get in contact with half of it and then he had Clint. “I’m not a ghost and don’t make me come over there and kick your butt to prove it,” He spoke, obviously joking, trying to lift his friends spirits. “I was brought back by S.H.I.E.L.D but I think the question should be, how are you here right now? What have you been doing, Barton?”

by far . clint had to be one of the hardest avengers to reach. if he didn’t fall short maybe two or three pegs. the ongoing status of whether his hearing aids are intact or not == greatly effects those results. ❝ that wouldn’t be a fair fight  but effective.  ❞ his downplay humor peaked and the curve of his lips formed a smile. it dropped at the question and his eyes averted with an act of avoidance.   ❝  i couldn’t stay in the city the way that things were . . . Kate got ahold of me , said i should come back . . . she wasn’t kidding. ❞ not that he didn’t believe her , but doctor doom himself is a hefty opponent. clint would be lying if he weren’t a little psyched under his defeated status. 

the doom bots were only multiplying, and kate somehow ended up alone out there. she took out one, but two more took its place. from a distance, she noticed the doom bots gathering. kate swore under her breath before ducking into a nearby alley to hopefully escape. she had an arrow loaded and ready to go. she had relaxed for the moment. at least until the dumpster beside her flew open. hawkeye leaped to her feet, ready to shoot. her fear was quickly extinguished when she recognized her mentor and best friend in front of her. “you have got to be shitting me right now,” she laughed. “you wish i was hear for the latter part,” she teased. “geez, you stink. let’s get out of here, and get you a shower.”

a sheepish smile existed on his lips as his there is a bit of a comical light in his ocean hues.  ❝  didn’t i hear explosions ? are we in the clear , Lady Hawkeye , or is this your subtle way of trying to coax me to go back home ? ❞ his words were teasing in her direction as the sound of a shower did draw him into temptation.  ❝ i’ll take you up on that  . i can’t remember how long i’ve been in there , might have lived out a lifetime. ❞ he stated the dramatics with a thoughtful expression that crossed his face as if it were an actual possibility. ❝ we have some catching up to do , it’s been a while. ❞ a week , a solid week without kate. never mind the daily updates , talking about felt more relieving. ❝ come here , give me a hug.  ❞ he opened his arms and walked towards her with a smirk on his face.

Tony had been trying to catch up on what he’d missed and that included catching up with old friends. He had been quite at home hanging around Stark Industries, until word had got to him that Clint was around in the city, not quite sounding like the Clint he knew. Sighing, he left the business and headed out into the city, eyes peeled for his familiar face.

He didn’t have to look for too long before he passed an alleyway and noticed a figure exiting from a dumpster. Weird. Stepping back, he headed down the alley cautiously, sighing in relief when he noticed his friend. “Barton, what are you doing here? They told me you went to crap, but I didn’t think they meant literally.” He quizzed, shaking his head at the sight of Clint. This was unlike him. Before he left, Clint was fighting with all the life he had in him, now it seemed almost like he couldn’t care what happened to him and Tony was determined to find out why. “C’mere, you’re bleeding,” He gestured towards his lips, “Let’s get you cleaned up, pal,”.

🂡 : Not everything is what it seemed , Clint Barton is learned that when he stumbled his way back HOME. Though he approached it with a very laid back outlook , or rather an indifferent one. One thing he did know though , is that Tony Stark shouldn’t be in front of him – in the flesh. ❝ what’s a ghost going to do for me ? Man I must have hit my head harder than I thought , or maybe some illusive spell. ❞ his hand ruffled his messy head of blonde hair as if it would actually do something. He believed in the afterlife ; but as someone who has personal experience with being brought to life … he knew there was no way Tony Stark would stay dead for long. ❝ the soul realm spit you out , how are you here right now ? ❞

“I’m not even sure I want to answer that question.” Angelica chuckled even as she wrinkled her nose.  Hopefully she wouldn’t become quite so blase about dumpsters … and ending up in them. Then again, of course, she’d ended up covered in various kinds of … junk from different fights, so maybe she shouldn’t point fingers. “How did you end up in there anyway?  One of the Doombots or something else entirely?”

🂡 :❝  fair enough.   🂡 his shoulders rolled lazily as there is an equally lazy smile along injured lips.   ❝  This happens on an every now and again basis , it’s not a cause for alarm , just trashy luck.  ❞  he chuckled softly as he ruffled the back of his blonde strands roughly as he showed a mild irritation. “ so doctor doom’s sending in his minions , huh ? :”

Billy arched a brow at Clint, shivers running down his spine at the seemingly casual act of climbing out of a dumpster. “Neither? No offense but you’re not my type, Clint,” he said jokingly followed by a short sad sigh. He missed his kooky quartet but nothing was stopping him from searching them out in this reality. He just hoped that maybe the other two versions weren’t dumpster diving like this Hawkeye. “Doombots?” He asked, fidgeting with his fingers inside his jacket pockets.

🂡 :  Deft hands swept along his arms to brush away any possible debris from the innards of the dumpster , you never know what trash could cling for a host. Blond brows lift at the comment , “ Ouch , if I had known I was going to get rejected , I would have planned a better setting , set a mood. “ he quipped in return . “ Doombots ?? Hell no , I got ambushed by some thieves , who realized that I wasn't as financially blessed as they thought. “  the sardonic words slipped past his lips with a casual roll of his shoulders .