#you don't have to adore your body to recognize its worth *and* your worth

[uncanny-tranny]

I think abandoning diet culture and favouring the function of my body versus the ~aesthetic~ of my body has really opened my eyes and given me a new chance to be one with myself.

It is hard to get through this, but I honestly think it's worth the investment it takes to unlearn the idea that your body must serve others and must be out of the way, and must only take up so much space to be valued and for you to be loved.

#anti diet culture #celebrating what my body can do in the here and now has only taught me good things about myself #it's taught me how strong my body is and how i can push it further on my own time #like it can be really hard because the double whammy of dysphoria and body shaming of men but. fuck it i ball. i will continue to ball #haters mad i can ball and cry at the same time (joking) #also like... it will be a personal journey for everybody and there isn't the ~final stage~ where you'll pnly be happy with yourself... #...i don't think that's reasonable or fair to expect that from yourself... #...the important part of unlearning diet culture is that no matter what your body can/can't do and no matter how it appears... #...no matter all of that you're still worthy of love and respect and nourishment and happiness #you don't have to adore your body to recognize its worth *and* your worth #you could hate your body and still recognize that you deserve all those things #and lord knows sometimes we do hate our bodies and that is morally neutral at *worst* #i just hope that you all are able to internalize your inherent worth <3 #and i wanted to post about this because i think this conversation is important and unlearning these expectations is also important

[doberbutts]

I have to tell you I adore you and all your fabulous fur babies!

I would like to ask if you can talk about your experience being on t, specifically the mental and emotional aspects of the hrt process. I have read a lot about the physical changes that happen, but I don't see anyone talking about how your personality, mood, energy, etc. change.

Thanks!

Hey thanks!

Honestly while there is a lot of misinformation regarding what testosterone does to your emotions, I feel lucky that my endocrinologist never really said anything except that I may feel wild mood swings or have trouble controlling my anger in the first few months as my body and mind adjusted to the new swing in hormones.

This is pretty normal for any hormone you take- when you first start, you may find yourself experiencing mood swings and feeling emotions more intensely. That's why kids deep into puberty tend to be, um, a bit out of control with their emotions. It's also why this happens again as you age into your twilight years, when your body once again changes its hormone output and can set things a bit out of whack. Or if you get pregnant. Or if you start hormonal birth control. Or if you take a steroid for something not even sex hormone related. Messing with your hormones can seriously throw off your grasp on your feelings and moods.

But the good news is, it's not permenant. By the time you're 5 months in, you should start feeling more like "you" again, unless your dose changes for whatever reason. And, even better, the "you" you feel like? Usually is a much more mentally happy person.

On a personal level, I didn't have random fits of anger. Which is interesting, because I have a documented anger problem that I have taken anger management for because I have had black-out rages [usually inspired by one of my sisters deliberately hurting one of my pets] [for instance she swung one of my pet rats at the wall by the tail like she was going to kill him and the next thing I know our mother is pulling me off of her as I'm pummelling her face with my fists on the ground and I do not remember the in-between] [I'm not sorry, fuck around and find out, don't hurt my animals and I won't hurt you] [also this sister sent me to the ER in a previous fight where she'd bodily picked me up and thrown me through a window so like. Don't feel too bad for her that I finally snapped and gave her a taste of what she constantly did to me]

In fact, I've had *multiple* people who know the "before" and "after" tell me that I'm much calmer and more emotionally steady than I've ever been. And that I'm happier too. I also used to anger-cry a *lot*, pretty much any time I got angry I'd also cry, but that also stopped happening so now I don't really get angry and when I do I don't cry about it.

I would say anxiety's probably about the same but depression is much better. Compared to who I was before leaving my hometown vs now, I can confidently say that I no longer consider the odds of whether my shower curtain rod can hold me for long enough. I'm much better at recognizing when my mental health is getting bad and when I need to take a step back. I get stressed and I can go "okay, I need to break away from this before I completely lose it" well in advance. Which is great! Mental stability and joy and security for the win!

I will say I don't really cry anymore. It does occasionally feel like I'm not really able to. One of Creed's songs came on and I teared up and my throat got all fuzzy but I think only one of two tears actually came out, vs losing him pre-T we're talking ugly cry scream-sobbing in my [now-ex]'s arms. Which, yes, some of it is just distance from the grief since it was two years ago. But also I've never been so in control that I only cried a literal couple tears' worth. Usually the waterworks start and then take a long time to end.

[alucardownsmyass]

I know you probably already got this request a bunch of times but do you have anymore headcanons of Alucard with an ebony? I love em so much 😩

thank you! 💖

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expect a lot of hair play. with a variety of natural textures he's never seen before, curiosity and fascination will lead his hands right to your scalp, most of the time with your approval. "may i touch, my dear?"  he's quite gentle, too, and you might find yourself falling asleep against his chest.

merely looking at your skin gives him a feeling of warmth: a feeling he hasn't discerned in a long time. it appears as though you've been kissed by the sun, dipped in soil and nature had granted you your beauty to endlessly bloom even after spring has had her sayings.

absolutely adores black women and their powerful spirits. if all combined into one, he viewed them as people who would even be able to wipe him off of the face of the earth, and of course that excites him.

he can't control himself when seeing you clothed in the colors red or gold, his two favorites. he loves how the color of your skin makes them such vibrant shades. you'll feel his hands always trying to find a moment to roam over you even in public areas and in front of onlooking crowds. slapping or moving his hands away when they begin reaching towards your ass or between your thighs only makes him chuckle and eventually try again later on.

has a thing for plump lips and yours are gorgeous to him. though he dislikes the stickiness that it leaves on his skin when you two share a kiss, he still loves how they look when blanketed in your favored gloss. it grabs ahold of his attention to them even more. you'll know when he desires a kiss when his eyes flicker back and forth between your own and your lips, sometimes even while you're talking.

there are often instances where he will randomly grasp your hand and slowly start intertwining his fingers with yours. he's so quiet that you sometimes never notice; you just take it as a sign that he likes to feel your hand in his as to seek closer intimacy when he brings the back of your palm towards his lips and begins leaving his kisses.

we all know what'd he'd do if his lover were to encounter a racist and he was nearby, and even if you weren't much bothered by it, he was still going to take matters into his own hands, and you know how bloody he loves to get. needless to say, there was no longer a bottom jaw that allowed them the ability to spew their hate.

during a time that you two had a free moment alone, you began braiding his hair just for the fun, which he surprisingly took an interest in doing so. long story short, whenever you both had the chance to be together, you would notice that his hair is much longer than usual, almost down to his bottom, incase you planned to indulge in those locks. perhaps he developed a liking for it.

let this man catch your body covered in droplets of water after a bath or lathered in oil and it's over, especially when you're teasing him. he legitimately gets bestial. his stamina is inhuman and he can show you how much he cherishes you and your sex until the sun makes its presence.

he thinks that you have the right to do what you wish with your hair and he appreciates all of the different styles that you are able to create with it, but you came to find that he loves when it is natural the most.

"look at me when i say this, my love. i've lived long enough to know what kinds of people roam the earth. i don't want you to ever let someone tell you that you aren't as beautiful as you are, both your internal and external rarities. when you yourself recognize your worth, all else that was once a worry will crumble beneath your feet." was once an enlightening speech he gave you that you looked up to ever since. you are not only his queen, but you are a queen. he wanted you to be aware of that at all times.

[lov3nerdstuff]

Dark Stars {Part 6}

*Loki x OFC*

Part: 6/10

Words: 6.2k

Warnings: language, violence, death... Pretty much all except for smut 😂

Summary: ~Loki could just let her die here and now. His problems would be solved and he could go back to his usual ways. But then he would forever be left with an unsolved mystery and he hated the prospect of that even more than the fear of what would happen if she lived.~

A story of what happens when Loki stumbles upon someone who is like him in every way. Only better. Oh, and they just happen save Asgard too.

A.N.: To celebrate over 1000 people following me (how insane is that?!), I decided to share the newly edited version of the very first Loki fanfiction I ever wrote! Enjoy the mischief 💚

All Parts can be found on my Masterlist!

________________________________

Once they stood in the middle of the marketplace, Ivy realized that she needed to be more careful this time. She couldn't let something like yesterday happen again and she knew now that she was not worth the damage. Not her body, not her soul. She needed to use her own kind of magic carefully and wisely before it came bursting out like it had before. But she couldn't deny that after all this time it had felt… good... to use her own magic once again. Not the pure and shallow one Loki or the queen used.

Ivy sighed. They would be fine, she told herself. Then she simply started walking off, leaving Loki to follow her.

"No disguise? Nothing to keep the guards from recognizing you?" Loki finally asked, having himself appear as a random ginger man.

"Nah, boring… I'm up for a little excitement." Ivy commented and she knew that Loki wouldn't be able to resist a challenge. Deep down, her reasons were of a different nature nonetheless. Indeed she was right about Loki though, as he changed back into himself.

"Alright, but this is your responsibility. You want to prove to yourself that you can very well handle a situation like this, and I respect that. But keep in mind that you will have to be responsible for me as well." He smirked, enjoying the whole situation more than he should. Somehow it was rather exciting to have her in charge, so he held himself back and merely observed.

Ivy for her part grabbed Loki's hand to not lose him in the crowd and walked through the streets, which were still dominated by the day crowd; families, children and women with baskets instead of drunk adults who were looking for amusement. She preferred the way it was now. After a few minutes of casual strolling around, she finally noticed how many people were staring at Loki. He seemed at ease with it on the outside, but she could see in his eyes how uncomfortable he was with all those gazes on him.

There were stares of all kind: surprised, disgusted, longing… But everyone seemed to immediately recognize him. Of course they did… He was his very own kind of gorgeous and certainly not ordinary in his looks. Some people also stared at Ivy as she came to realize. After all, she was dragging Loki through the streets by his hand. Undoubtedly no one had ever seen somebody actually touching the raven prince without dying a painful death seconds later. It made her a little proud that she was still alive and a whole lot proud that he allowed her to touch him. On the other hand she could see the judgement in people's eyes; they probably deemed her insane for being with Loki. Well, screw them.

Shaking the feeling off, she finally reached a small shop selling beverages of all kinds. She gently dropped Loki's hand once she realized that she was still holding it tightly even though they had stopped moving. He only let out a huff in response.

"I'm surprised you didn't cut my hand right off…" Ivy teased him as she went to check what type of wine she wanted, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Don't tempt me…" He smirked and crossed his arms behind his back, patiently waiting for Ivy to finish whatever she was doing. "Must I remind you that soon the guards will be here?" He asked after a while, as Ivy still looked at the various bottles in search of something that would do.

"Oh hush! I know what I'm doing!" She answered, though not looking at him. Soon they heard shouting in the distance, and multiple people running.

"Ivy…" Loki growled, growing increasingly nervous, but she ignored him and smiled to herself.

A few moments later a dozen guards hurriedly entered the street, coming running towards the shop. Loki turned to face them, already starting to go over things to say to them in his mind. When the guards were only a few feet away, Loki moved to say something, but suddenly a hand pressed against his mouth from behind him. His eyes widened and he didn't dare to move while the guards were now standing right in front of him, looking around searchingly.

"They came this way!" One shouted.

"Maybe they are gone already…" Another sighed. "Why do we have to search for them?"

"What did they do anyway?" A third asked.

"That woman killed a troop of guards! Some of them were my friends… That little bitch ended them." The first answered angrily, and Loki rose an eyebrow.

"And what did he do this time?" A guard further to the back asked as they went to walk along the street, away from the place where Loki and Ivy were standing.

"Pff… Who cares. He always does something that upsets the allfather. Maybe he screwed the girl and taught her how to kill. Only two things he's good for…" They all laughed, nodding in agreement. "Y'all know what, if he didn't screw her, I definitely will!" One laughed, elbowing one of his fellows playfully. "She may have killed a couple people, alright, but she certainly knows how to pleasure a man! I can see that in a woman!"

"You wouldn't even fuck a woman if she fell into your bed! I tell you what I would do if she ever came to stumble into my chambers; I will make her scream my name so loud that the whole palace would know just how hard I took that dirty little minx!" They laughed once again, and soon ventured out of hearing range.

Loki felt the well known rage return to his body in an unreal second, filling his blood with a blazing energy that was forcing him to act.

"Don't…" Ivy's soft voice said from directly behind him as she removed her hand from his mouth. He closed his eyes for a second and turned around to her slowly, his eyes dark and full of pure hatred and disgust. Ivy prepared for the worst, but then he took a deep breath and his features softened once more. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"They didn't see us…" Loki remarked quietly, for now pushing the hatred back into the darkest part of his mind.

"No… They would have been able to hear us though, which is why I simply had to make sure you shut up. Sorry if that was a bit… inappropriate." Her voice was just as quiet, feeling highly uncomfortable after the guards' conversation.

"It's alright, considering I did want to say something… I'm just surprised. You didn't tell me you could do that... making us invisible to their eyes…" He leaned his head to the side and watched her blush for the very first time since they had met. It was completely and utterly adorable, and it made him forget about the guards for a precious moment.

"I did the same thing in the palace, you know… When we were walking to Sif's room." She bit her bottom lip, searching for any signs of mockery in his eyes. But there were none, he only seemed intrigued and honestly surprised for once.

"And I thought you were just insane. I must say, I'm impressed. I did not see the magic you worked right there and that definitely tells something about its qualities."

Ivy laughed. "How very humble of you." She said sarcastically. "But what would be the purpose of using magic to hide us, only for the magic itself to be seen?"

"Touche." He smiled. "You will have to teach me how to do that one day."

Ivy blushed even more, which made Loki chuckle. He liked making her blush, but it happened so rarely. And as quick as it came, the red tint disappeared from her cheeks.

"I hardly doubt you'd be able to do the things I do… My magic… it's different." She smiled sadly at him and shoved a bottle of wine into the bag she had brought. After a moment of thinking she shoved another one in.

"I hardly doubt that you have a different magic from mine... I might not quite know how you did that thing yesterday, but that doesn't mean..."

Ivy huffed in annoyance at his words, his unwillingness to believe her, and grabbed Loki's wrist once more, pulling him back into the streets. "C'mon, I'm gonna show you some of the other magic I am very well practiced in."

This time, they hurried through the streets without being seen. Loki smirked at Ivy's determination while she dragged him down the streets relentlessly, not even bothering to properly take his hand this time.

"Why exactly didn't you hide us right after we got to the marketplace?" He asked out of curiosity, once they had reached a particularly busy street, and he could be sure that no one would hear them over the loud noises of the other pedestrians.

"Wouldn't have been nearly as impressive once you found out that I could do that at all. And less fun, too." She smiled, but didn't slow down just yet. "And despite that, I maybe just a little bit enjoyed showing off that I get to drag you around at my pleasing."

He chuckled deeply, but more to himself. "You're such a tease… I love it."

"What did you say?" Ivy asked over the noise, but she had heard him very well indeed. She only prefered not to acknowledge it, since it would have done no good for the blush she tried to keep away from her cheeks so desperately.

Finally, she slowed down. "Watch this…" She winked, and before crossing another corner, she put a finger to her lips, ordering him to be silent. He immediately saw why, as the guards from before came headed towards them from the end of the street they now stood in as well. No one else was around, and Loki wondered what Ivy had planned, so he leaned against a wall and watched the ongoings with great amusement.

Ivy stood still in the middle of the street as the guards approached her, laughing and talking as they had before. Her eyes were solemnly fixed on them, intently and almost scarily as she didn't move at all. Suddenly one of the guards started scratching his neck, slowly at first, then more desperately. Then he scratched his face and his hands and his arms in the same vain desperation. The others laughed at him, until snakes came slithering from another's amor, crawling and winding all over his body. He let out a scared yell and danced frantically through the street in an attempt to shake them off, but it was of no use. A third one's legs turned to jelly and he dropped to the ground with a small cry, vainly trying to make use of his softened limbs. The fourth guard's armor disappeared altogether and he stood in the street completely naked, as he tried to cover up as much as he really didn't have to show.

Ivy laughed first at the spectacle in front of her, then looking over at Loki with pure joy at getting her revenge for the untasteful comments made about both Loki and herself. After a short moment, a fifth guard lost all his hair all of a sudden, grabbing onto empty air as he inspected his bald head with horror.

It was very funny to watch indeed, and Loki chuckled at the sight, bemused by Ivy's mischievous skills as much as they impressed him. It was all fun and games.

Until the sixth guard dropped to his knees, screaming in agony without reason.

The bemusement in Loki's face faltered, being replaced with genuine interest and also the first signs of alert. Then another guard dropped down, screaming in even more agony than the first. They all followed the example one by one, until all 12 men were all lying in coils on the dusty ground, writhing and crying in pain. The sounds echoed through the small alley, mimicking those of a battlefield.

Loki looked around himself, towards the main street, but no one besides him and Ivy seemed to hear their cries of agony, or to see their torture.

When his eyes fell upon Ivy's face however, he almost gasped. Her eyes were dark, distant and hazed, and they held the same expression in them that he had seen the day before already. It made his skin tingle in an oddly uncomfortable manner, and his body freeze and burn at the same time. But foremost it made all air leave his lungs while he couldn't move an inch, unable to stop staring at Ivy in shock.

Suddenly the guards were lifted off the ground, simply hanging in the air a few feet above the ground, still screaming and moving around in seek of relief from this internal kind of torture. A second later their bodies were brutally smashed against the walls of the street-framing buildings, again and again, bones breaking and skin tearing.

In an instant Loki stepped between Ivy and the guards, finally urging his body to obey his own mind once more instead of the trance she had put him under, be it intentional or not. The white of her eyes had almost completely disappeared and she was merely staring right through him, with empty eyes of the deepest black.

"Ivy, stop!" He called to her, forcefully and maybe even a little desperate. She jumped at his harsh voice, but didn't stop what she was doing, eyes still clouded over by whatever force seemed to have taken a hold of her.

"Ivy, please, stop this madness!" He begged, intently, shaking her by her almost frail shoulders.

She let out a gasp that sounded simply otherworldly, and only then the color returned to her face, to her eyes, and in an instant she looked a him with terror filled gaze. Behind his back, Loki heard the guards' armors clash on the ground, but no more screams, no more sounds at all.

Ivy stood there, breathing hard as she only stared into Loki's concerned eyes with the same confusion he had felt moments ago.

"What happened?" She breathed. "I just wanted… It was some innocent fun only, and then…"

"Come, we should leave…" He said, before gently placing a hand on her shoulder yet again. Then he brought them back to the opening without further explanation.

_______________

Ivy couldn't remember, couldn't understand how it could have happened again. She had meant to tease the guards, scare them a little and make fun of them as a punishment for what they said. Maybe even to show off that she wasn't as dull as Loki seemed to believe. But then… things had gotten out of control yet again, and yet again it had been up to him to pick up the pieces.

She sat down on the blanket, tightly hugging her legs to her chest as all she could think was how completely STUPID she had been. Stupid and reckless and inane in absolutely every fucking way. How, by the gods, had she believed that going back to the city was a good idea?!

Loki sat down next to her in silence, while his head tried to put sense to what had just happened, and his emotions were busy figuring out if he was scared, impressed, or anything in between. Neither dared to address the gruesome thing that had just happened for the longest time, and they simply sat next to each other, both silently glad for the other's company.

"Why do I have to be such a freak…" Ivy finally breathed to herself, closing her eyes in anger directed at solemnly herself. Loki gently placed a hand on the small of her back, trying to give her some sort of comfort, in any way he could. He wasn't good, or rather wasn't practiced in these kind of things.

"Don't touch me! Please…" She almost whined, and he pulled his hand back immediately. "Just leave me alone…"

He didn't know what to do, now… most certainly he would not leave her alone! But how should he comfort her, after something like this? After understanding so very little about it…

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, hoping she would open up to him, but honestly doubting it. "I do believe you, now… Your magic is something very different from mine. I'm sorry."

Ivy on the other hand grabbed one of the wine bottles out of her bag and began to empty it at a concerning speed. "I only want to forget." She finally said, lips red from the dark liquid.

"I could make you forget… would be better than drinking yourself into oblivion." He said without thinking, only feeling pained by her self-destructive tendencies.

"Would you do that? If you even care for me in the slightest, please, do it..." Her eyes shot up to meet his, a pleading expression so obvious within them that Loki felt a painful sting in his heart yet again.

"Because I care for you, I won't." He said quietly, cursing himself for bringing it up in the first place. Great, now he was being an arse again… but at least she had less energy to spend on hating herself if she hated him, and that was good enough for a start.

She looked away once more, in disappointment and pain. "You're a jerk, Loki."

"I'm sorry…" He breathed, barely notably, averting his gaze both in remorse and equal pain. The whole situation was so strangely familiar to him… only that usually he was the one needing comfort, and he would find it in the darkness within him. But he wouldn't let her go there, he wouldn't let her delve into the dark places he had been in so often. Had she been there before?

Loki sighed inwardly at the realization that he knew practically nothing about Ivy, but her name and favorite color. He didn't know what made her happy, nor what gave her comfort.

Just then, he had an idea. A truly stupid, ridiculous and puny idea, but it was the only one he had, and it would have to do. It wouldn't solve any of their problems, but maybe it might make Ivy feel better, and that prospect was enough to try. So he grabbed Ivy's bag, earning an angry glare from her which he kindly ignored. After a short while of digging through the pockets, he finally found what he was looking for.

He unlocked the ipod and chose a song he knew Thor had listened to when things between him and Jane had been… kinda dark. Just like things were currently for him and Ivy. He made it sound aloud all over the opening, then rose to his feet and held a hand out towards her. "Dance with me?"

Ivy only huffed and looked away, shaking her head to herself.

"Oh, come on, you said yourself that dancing makes one feel better!" He smiled at her the best he could. "Please, Ivy. Do it for me. I've had a rather rough week as well."

With a sigh, she unwrapped her arms from around her knees and placed a hand in his. "If you insist…" She still didn't look at him.

"Indeed I do!" He smiled as he gently pulled her towards him and into his arms. Of course he didn't really enjoy dancing all that much, but surprisingly enough, Ivy would dance for his sake rather than for her own. The thought that maybe she cared about his well-being more than about her own made his heart pick up speed, and his stomach do backflips… nobody had ever cared about him that way.

Thus, almost happily, Loki pulled her closer and they started moving with the flow of the music.

_____

The song was actually quite nice, and soon Ivy found her sadness and despair shrinking. Why was it that they only ever danced late at night? Dancing with Loki felt nice.

_____

For Loki's taste the song was a bit too sappy, but maybe that was just what Ivy needed right now, and he would gladly go along with absolutely anything that made her happy. He just felt beyond relieved that she was actually allowing him to touch her again. It was hard to comfort someone with only your words, when all you have ever done was to lie. Eventually, no one believed in your sincerity anymore. So Loki just held her close in contentment, and moved with her to the soft music.

_____

Eventually Ivy leaned her head against his chest, just not caring about appropriateness anymore. Should he behead her if he felt like it. But Loki actually found it alright… pleasant, even. What had been intended to give Ivy comfort now did the very same for him, and he found himself enjoying the dancing less than he enjoyed her body pressed against his own. They stayed just like that until the song ended at last.

And only then Ivy finally looked up at Loki, meeting his eyes in wordless questions he didn't know how to answer. They stood perfectly still in the middle of the opening, as Loki refused to let go of her. This time, he wouldn't run.

_____

"Loki?" She asked quietly, still entangled in his arms. "Do you think I'm a monster?"

"My dear, if you had seen what I have seen, you wouldn't even need to ask."

She frowned up at him, her eyes piercing his soul in a way that made him shiver. "You're evading the question."

He let out a huff, but it was rather born of desperation than of real annoyance. "Do you want to see a real monster?" His voice was so low it brought goosebumps to Ivy's skin. But she wanted to see. Anything he could show her, anything he would allow her to see… she was ready for it.

"Show me." She replied quietly, but with determination, and so he closed his eyes as she felt hers fluttering shut as well.

Images started flooding into her mind, images of war, of tragedy, of death. Pain beyond measure, deaths too horrible to describe and betrayal most brutally close. But also images of trust that was lost, a family without love and a home without comfort. Sometimes the pain those images, those millions of stories, caused her to feel was just too much for her to handle, but before she could scream, it had already shifted to the next. Those memories consisted of sounds, smells, tastes, feelings and knowledge of all and any kind. They all had one thing in common: they were part of Loki's life. Everything he had seen, had felt throughout his entire life was on display for Ivy to see, and to feel in return.

Yet, after a moment when it was all over, she opened her eyes once more for a wave of hot, salty tears to run down her face, and to drip off her slightly parted lips.

"What was that!?" She breathed, searching for his eyes, but he merely looked down, avoiding her gaze.

"Me." He replied calmly, but unable to keep the sadness out of his voice. "You wanted a monster, and I gave you all of me."

For a moment Ivy honestly didn't know what to reply. There had been such an incredible amount of sadness and injustice, not only inflicted by Loki, but also done to him… What was she to say? 'I know what it's like?' or maybe even 'it's not that bad'? She couldn't lie to him. Not right now and probably never again. So she did the only thing that felt right.

"Close your eyes." She commanded quietly, waiting for him to do as he was told, which he –surprisingly enough– did without question. Then she closed hers as well and did something she had always been afraid of. She let him in.

_______________

Loki saw pictures of a family, of a little girl… it was the same thing he had seen when they had met in the palace gardens not so long ago. But this time, it was clearer, unguarded, and it stayed. He watched how the little girl was beaten up and abused in the most devious ways… He saw her getting older, looking more and more like the Ivy he knew now.

He watched her being given away at a young age, to a much older man who mistreated her and did unspeakable things to her mind and body. He watched how the man taught her a peculiar kind of magic, watched her magic developing into something strong and dark and lethal… it made Loki shudder. The things they had made her do, despicable things, using her and her magic for the most wretched things… No one had taught her how to handle the power she held. Then, one day, Loki saw her running away, still a teen probably, even though she had suffered more already than anyone should throughout their whole life. He saw her becoming older, more independent, and wiser in her decisions. She had tried to make a living by working hard, but eventually the darkness within her would always get back the upper hand, leading her to destroy everything and everyone around her. Soon, she had been, she was feared all over the lands. No one would allow her to come near, and thus she had started to learn to use her magic not to destroy, but also to create. She had fought her way through life, until suddenly, there was a sharp cut in the things Loki saw. The pictures started back up when she was in the city of Asgard, trying to lead a normal life, enjoying every moment until the darkness would surface and she had been alone once more. That's how it always had been, and that's how it always would be. The darkness looming, patiently waiting until the time came to destroy her and everything she loved.

The last picture Loki saw was one of himself, dancing with Ivy in their little hideout in the forest. And upon that last picture he felt the crushing weight, the pain, the misery from before flood away and turn into something very close to happiness. Then everything went black, and he opened his eyes after a moment of hesitation.

He was at a loss for words, just like Ivy had been.

"You're not alone." She finally said, with a sad half smile. "I'm just as fucked up as you are."

Loki let out a sincere laugh at her words, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Yeah, it really seems like it."

Then Ivy laughed too, and they both laughed loudly and desperately because there was nothing else they could do. Loki let himself drop to the ground, laughing like mad as Ivy followed his example mere seconds later. After a few minutes, when they had calmed down, they lay next to each other, out of breath once again.

"Seems like we always end up on the floor…" Ivy snorted, turning her head towards Loki, who laid so close to her that their shoulders touched. "Maybe that's just where we belong."

"Nonsense. We belong wherever we want to belong. We can choose our home to be wherever or whoever we want it to be." He also turned to look at her, with a curious expression on his face.

"I think I might just have chosen mine…" Ivy said quietly and hoped he would not get all weird again at her slip of emotion. But he only smiled at her, so brightly, so beautifully, that she felt like melting away into the night right there.

"I'll be yours if you are mine." He said lowly, and it was the sweetest thing Ivy had ever heard, the deepest she had ever felt for someone. She smiled at him, then turned her head back up to face the stars. Maybe she would let herself love one more time…. maybe, she would allow herself to love Loki. But she wouldn't risk to scare him away by admitting any of it just yet.

"Loki?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think there's wine left?" She grinned at him, and sat up a moment later.

He rolled his eyes, but together they went back to sit on the blankets. Ivy took a sip from the bottle she had started on earlier, smiling in new found contentment. Then, she looked at Loki with a small frown.

"...yes?" He asked once he noticed her eyes on him.

"Can I ask you something about your family?" She surprised him with the question, making him feel slightly uncomfortable, but he had no reason to actually hide something from her. She had seen his life and felt his pain, condensed into mere minutes, but not any less raw, or any less complete.

"You can always ask… but I don't know if I'll answer." He finally said, leaning his arms on his knees. "I have never talked to anyone about them. At least not honestly." He chuckled lightly.

"So… What's up with you and Thor?"

Loki rolled his eyes. Of course she would ask about his brother… "You saw everything that happened between him and me." He answered rather stiffly.

"Yes, and yet I saw that you care for him. Very much so indeed." She placed a hand on his arm on instinct, and he took the chance to take her hand in his, squeezing it gently before intertwining their fingers, before his mind would come up with any reason not to. The sensation made Ivy's skin tingle immediately... she adored his touch very much and appreciated every moment they could enjoy like this.

"I don't care for a lot of people, Ivy, and I like even less of them. Sometimes, one has no say in who we care about and who not."

"But you care about me."

"Obviously."

"And you care about yourself."

"Nah, I wouldn't say that by general means... I have a strong interest in guiding things into paths that bears the best outcome for myself. For both of us, as of recently... But there have been plenty of times I didn't care whether I die or not… didn't care what would become of me."

"I know the feeling..." She sighed sadly. "I have been there."

"I know…" He caressed her hand with his thumb. "I wish you hadn't."

"Maybe just tell me this one thing… Do you trust Thor?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Why would you ask that?" He frowned.

"Because I'm starving and I need someone in the palace to set the table for me." She winked at him, nudging him in the side with her shoulder.

Loki smiled in return. "Yeah, a meal would be nice…" Then however he thought for a while about her question, before answering at last. "I really don't trust anyone but myself. Sometimes not even that. But I think I do trust Thor, in my own kind of way. He is very keen on obeying Odin's wishes, while I'm very keen on doing the opposite of what he wishes."

That made Ivy chuckle. "You did trust me though. I could see every secret, every thought and every feeling of yours. That's probably the most one can trust another being."

"Yeah, and it was by far the scariest thing I have ever done. But it made you feel better, and that made it worth it."

"It did…" Ivy breathed, slightly flustered at how far he would go to make her feel better, before she finally emptied the wine. "On to the next one!"

"Oh no, you've had enough, my dear. I want some as well!" Loki protested with a laugh and opened the second bottle, taking a large sip before Ivy could pull it from his hands.

"Geez, that stuff is so sweet!" He squeezed his eyes shut, and stuck his tongue out in exaggerated disgust. Then he quickly took another gulp and shook his head in even more disgust.

"C'mon, it's not even sweet wine! Stop acting as if it was disgust!" She pushed him lightly in the shoulder, chuckling.

"What?! It's horribly sweet… and I'm not even exaggerating." He frowned at her for real now.

Ivy took the bottle from him and smelled the indeed disgustingly sweet liquid. "Wow, it does smell sweet! Like berries… odd berries! But I'm sure I picked two bottles of the same kind…"

Then she watched Loki's eyes widen for a second, before he closed them in pure annoyance, or maybe anger, Ivy couldn't really tell.

"Don't drink it." Loki said sternly. "Put that down, now."

"What?" Ivy laughed, incredulous at his sudden change of mood. But still, she closed the bottle anyway and set it down as he had asked.

"Now listen carefully, this is very important." He said, grabbing her shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes with a seriousness that surprised Ivy. "I will most likely pass out in very few moments. There was a substance in the wine… It's called Atropa Belladonna. It's a Midgardian plant that can kill mortals in a small dose even, but I highly assume that a higher dose will kill me just the same. Anyway, what you will need to do now is to search my memory for a remedy spell. Or get rid of my body. Depends on your timing." His voice was too high pitched while he sounded breathless at the same time, and his face was starting to get really red and blotchy.

Ivy only stared at him in confusion and shock for a few long seconds, until at last she found her voice again. "If that's some kind of joke, I will kill you myself…" She said wearily, holding onto his arms on her shoulders.

Loki rolled his eyes and his fingers dug even deeper into her soft skin. "Ivy, please. You can let me die if you'd prefer that, but I would highly suggest you to do something to prevent it. It's in your hands now… I won't be any help."

"But I can't!" Her voice was now too high pitched as well, desperate even, and her eyes started to water involuntarily. "I… My magic can only kill and destroy! I couldn't possibly save you."

"I believe in you, my sweet." Loki managed to smile sadly, before his face gained a bluish tint and he coughed, laying down on the blanket beneath him as his strength gave out at last.

"Why the heck do you even know so much about poisonous Midgardian plants?!" Ivy asked in her confused state, not knowing what else to say.

"I read a lot." He tried to wink at her, but his body didn't obey him any longer and he let out a small pained noise that twisted the sinews of her heart painfully. Then his body began to shake and his muscles twitched, before finally he fell silent and his eyes closed completely.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god… Ivy didn't know what to do, what to think even! In all honesty, she was very g ood at hurting people, but healing them wasn't something she's ever had to do to anyone but herself. Fuck.

First thing, she checked his pulse. His heart was beating way too fast, but at least it was still beating at all. His body was losing heat rapidly, which seemed rather ironic due to the fact that he was indeed a creature of the cold. She covered his body with the blanket she had been sitting on anyway, and also took off her jacked and placed it under his head as a pillow. But now? She didn't know how to read his mind… Maybe she should've mentioned that before he had passed out. Fuck.

She then tried a normal healing process on him, her hands on his chest right over his heart, but it showed no effect at all. Slowly she started to panic even more.

Why hadn't he just healed himself when he still had been able to?? It would've spared her the agony of watching him die solemnly because of her inability to do anything about it.

Damn him. Damn wine.

Ivy promised herself in that very moment to find whoever was running around the city, merrily poisoning people, and to end them in the most gruesome way imaginable, whether Loki lived or not.

She looked down at Loki in her lap… he looked like he was only sleeping, his face now peaceful, but still a little blue.

No, she couldn't just sit around while he died in her arms. He had said that he reads a lot… and Ivy remembered the incredible amount of book he stored in his room. Maybe one of those would give her a clue on how to save Loki, a vague direction at least, but she couldn't possibly go through them all and still be back with him in time. She needed a plan, and she needed help. And she quite possibly knew just where to look for it.

________________________________

Tags:

@vodka-and-some-sass @t-sunnyside @lokis-high-priestess

General Tags:

@its-remy-not-ratatouille @wegingerangelica @thidls12333 @tomstoobeautiful @dreary-skies-stuff @averyhill4445 @wiczer @lotus-eyedindiangoddess @theweirdlunatic @caretheunicorn @kthemarsian @lady-of-lies @sadly-falling-through-wonderland @strawberrysandcream @noplacelikehome77 @theoneanna @mishaandthebrits @mygodisloki @i-am-a-mes @nonsensicalobsessions @exygon @hiddles-lobotomy @rjohnson1280 @annwhojumps @spookycatqueen @salempoe @headoverhiddleston @fanfiction-and-stress @createdfromblue @halszka-potter @thecreatiivecorner @themusingsofmany @inthemarvelvoid @from-hel-i-with-love @kinghiddlestonanddixon @scorpionchild81 @foodthatsgoodforyoursoul @crystal-28 @adefectivedetective @lokis-girl-in-mischief @booklover2929

Hope you enjoy lovelies! 😊💚✨ I'm so grateful for everyone who reads and comments on this story!!! You guys make me so happy 🥰

#loki #loki fanfic #loki x reader #loki x you #loki odinson #loki fluff #loki of asgard #loki (marvel) #loki x original female character #loki x oc #loki x ofc #tom hiddleston imagine #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x you #dark stars

[ekkline88]

@taylorswift is my artist of the decade, woman of the decade, writer of the decade, inspiration of the decade because of the following:

‘All that I know is I don’t know how to be something you miss.’

‘You and I walk a fragile line.

I have known it all this time.

Never thought I'd see it break.

Never thought I'd see it...’

‘And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear.’

‘No rules in breakable heaven.’

‘All the king’s horses, all the king’s men couldn’t put me together again. ‘Cause all of my enemies started out friends.’

‘Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh. We could follow the sparks, I’ll drive.’

‘He says "What you've heard is true, but I can't stop thinking about you." and I said "I've been there too a few times." ‘

‘I reach for you, but you were gone. I knew I had to go back home.’

‘The tricky thing is yesterday we were just children. Playing soldiers just pretending. Dreaming dreams with happy endings.

In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords. But now we've stepped into a cruel world, where everybody stands and keeps score.’

‘Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you.’

‘And you open your eyes into mine, and everything feels better.’

‘Two headlights shine through the sleepless night. And I will get you, and get you alone. Your name has echoed through my mind. And I just think you should, think you should know that nothing safe is worth the drive and I would follow you, follow you home. I'll follow you, follow you home.’

‘But I believe in whatever you do. And I’ll do anything to see it through.’

‘My mistake I didn't know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand.’

‘You cry; but you don't tell anyone that you might not be the golden one. And you're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone.’

‘One night he wakes, strange look on his face, pauses, then says, you're my best friend. And you knew what it was, he is in love.’

‘And you come away with a great little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.’

‘So, baby, can we dance through an avalanche?’

‘I was ridin' in a getaway car. I was cryin' in a getaway car. I was dyin' in a getaway car. Said goodbye in a getaway car.’

‘Headlights pass the window pane, I think of you.’

‘ ‘Cause we break down a little. And when you get me alone, it's so simple. ‘Cause baby, I know what you know. We can feel it.’

‘Distance, timing, breakdown, fighting.

Silence, this train runs off its tracks. Kiss me, try to fix it, could you just try to listen?

Hang up, give up, for the life of us we can't get back.’

‘If you live like that, you live with ghosts. If you love like that blood runs cold.’

‘When the sun came up you were looking at me. You were looking at me.’

‘And you were wild and crazy. Just so frustrating. Intoxicating, complicated.

Got away by some mistake.’

‘I can't resist before you go tell me this:

Was it worth it? Was she worth this?’

‘And now I know why all the trees change in the fall. I know you were on my side, even when I was wrong. And I love you for giving me your eyes, for staying back and watching me shine.’

‘I know heaven’s a thing. I go there when you touch me, honey. Hell is when I fight with you. But we can patch it up good. Make confessions and we’re begging for forgiveness. Got the wine for you.’

‘And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game. With that same big loud opinion, but nobody's listening. Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things.’

‘The way you move is like a full on rainstorm.’

‘Your string of lights is still bright to me. Oh, who you are is not where you've been.’

‘You were all I wanted, but not like this.’

‘These are the hands of fate. You’re my Achilles heel. This is the golden age of something good and right and real.’

‘It was good, never looking down. And right there where we stood was holy ground.’

‘The water filled my lungs, I screamed so loud. But no one heard a thing.’

‘Ooh, ooh, he’s talking crazy. Ooh, ooh, dancing with me. Ooh, ooh, we could get married. Ooh, ooh, have ten kids and teach ‘me how to dream.’

‘I see the high-fives between the bad guys. Leave with my head hung, you are the only one who seems to care.’

‘The stakes are high, the water’s rough, but this love is ours.’

‘Cause darling I’m a nightmare, dressed like a daydream.’

‘Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it, my love. They are the hunters, we are the foxes and we run.’

‘Kiss me once ‘cause you know I had a long night. Kiss me twice ‘cause it’s gonna be alright. Three times ‘cause I waited my whole life.’

‘Your eyes whisper “Have we met?” ‘

‘I hold onto the night you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me.’

‘My heart, my hips, my body, my love. Tryna find a part of me that you didn't touch. Gave up on me like I was a bad drug. Now I'm searching for signs in a haunted club. Our songs, our films, united, we stand. Our country, guess it was a lawless land. Quiet my fears with the touch of your hand. Paper cut stings from our paper-thin plans. My time, my wine, my spirit, my trust. Tryna find a part of me you didn't take up. Gave you so much, but it wasn't enough. But I'll be all right, it's just a thousand cuts.’

‘Braced myself for the goodbye, ‘cause that’s all I’ve ever known. Then you took me by surprise, when you said “I’ll never leave you alone.” ‘

‘And we know it's never simple, never easy. Never a clean break, no one here to save me. You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand.’

‘Remind her how it used to be, be, yeah-yeah. With pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks.’

‘Fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves. Chemistry 'til it blows up, 'til there’s no us.’

‘And there in the bathroom, I try not to fall apart and the sinking feeling starts, as I say hopelessly “He said he’d be here.” ‘

‘We can’t make any promises now, can we, babe? But you can make me a drink.’

‘Is this the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending with all these nights we’re spending- up on the roof with a school girl crush. Drinking beer out of plastic cups. Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff. Baby, all at once, this is enough.’

‘You hold my hand on the street

Walk me back to that apartment

Years ago, we were just inside

Barefoot in the kitchen

Sacred new beginnings

That became my religion, listen’

‘ When you think happiness, I hope you think "that little black dress" ‘

‘And maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much. But maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up. Running scared, I was there, I remember it all too well. And you call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here, ‘cause I remember it all, all, all too well.’

‘I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you. I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you.’

‘Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song.’

‘I was riding shot gun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car. I grabbed a pen and an old napkin and I wrote down our song.’

‘Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you. Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too.’

‘You took the time to memorize me. My fears, my hopes and dreams.’

‘Lantern, burning

Flickered in my mind, only you

But you were still gone, gone, gone.’

‘I bet it never, ever occurred to you that I can’t say hello to you and risk another goodbye.’

‘Long, long live the walls we crashed through. All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you. I was screaming, long live all the magic we made. And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid.’

‘I take a step back, let you go. I told you I'm not bulletproof. Now you know.’

‘But something happened, I heard him laughing. I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent.’

‘I’m waiting alone now. So come on and come out. And pull me near and shine, shine, shine.’

‘I can see the end as it begins. My one condition is..’

‘And the saddest fear comes creeping in that you never loved me, or her, or anyone, or anything!’

‘Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere.’

‘And when you find everything you looked for, I hope your life will lead you back to my front door. Oh but if it don’t? Will you stay beautiful, beautiful, beautiful?’

‘Why? ‘Cause she’s dead.’

#taylorlurking #taylor swift #taylornation #taylor swift lyrics #lover #lover album #fearless era #fearless #speak now #red era #red album #all too well taylor swift #tswift #artist of the decade #delicate #reputation #1989 #1989 era

[unreone]

Aren't You Glad to Have a Boyfriend Like Me?

PROMPT: SERIAL KILLER

Time Taken: 42 hrs 14 min (on/off)

Program Used: IBis Paint

Word Count: 4133

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

She beamed as I present to her my gift. An expensive perfume that she saw on a shop five days ago. She is squealing in delight at the second she recognize it.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I can't believe that you manage to buy it~

How could I even return the favor?"

I laugh at how cute she is being right now. Little did she know, I did not even spend a single cent to get it. Wait...no I actually have. Just not mine.

"Don't worry, Giggles. To see your smile is enough for me to say it's worth it."

Nice, that's a smooth one Cuddles. My remark brought a blush on her angelic face. She then pulls me into a hug, something that I expected to get but could still appreciate.

"Aww, this is why I love you my fluffybuns. I'm so glad to have a boyfriend like you!"

I smile as I pat her head. Her wonderful scent wafts in the air as I caress her soft, pink fur. Oh how much I wanted to stay like this forever. However, a ring destroys the moment.

Both of us stop and look at each other. Withdrawing, she apologize and picks up her phone from her shoulder bag. I watch her expression change from bright to neutral and then grim.

"I know I understand...I will be there as soon as I can."

She ended the call.

"Something's wrong?"

She looks at me with guilt in her eyes. I could tell that she wanted to stay a little bit longer but the call has given her a reason not to.

"I am so sorry Cuddles but I have to go. The nurses who are suppose to work right now got into an accident and Lumpy couldn't handle it all by himself at the hospital. I guess I need to start my shift early."

What a bummer. Her shift is supposed to begin five hours from now. Despite feeling unpleasant, I manage to keep my cool.

"Ah don't worry my love. I understand. Just call me when you need a backup."

"Oh Cuddles. The world will be a better place if critters are as understanding as you. See ya later then. I love you!"

She pecks me in my cheek and runs toward the location of a bus stop. I truly adore her. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shout out my response.

"I love you more!"

She turns around and copies my volume.

"I love you more than anything!"

Oh Giggles, my love for you is so much that I'm willing to do anything for you...

I wave my hand at her as she runs away. I did not stop until she is out of my sight. I sighed and walks away. I guess I have to continue my mission early too.

Pushing the boulder away from a certain spot, I stoop to pull the hidden latch, opening the entry to a bunker.

Jumping down, I swiftly takes my bag full of supplies and a vacuum cleaner. I also wear the "job outfit" that I borrow from a certain friend that must not be named.

After climbing up the ladder carrying my props, I close the hatch and push the boulder back to its original place.

As I stroll towards the house of my next target, I found myself recounting the moments I accomplished my first goal. It was...exhilarating. The adrenaline I got is much more than the one I have while skydiving.

True, I felt remorse and a tiny bit of guilt after doing it but I'd be lying if I say I regret everything. In the end, watching how that pedobear mofo suffers from my own paws is satisfying, and that's all that matters.

Critters tends to underestimate me since I'm just a kid in their eyes. Yeah I admit that I'm immature most of the times, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing serious stuff. I watch enough movies and documentaries to say I know a thing or two with slaying rivals creatively.

It all starts with swaying the prey. Luring him is unsurprisingly not that hard. I just have to send him pictures and epic one liners on his inbox at that stupid dating app and boom! Charmed. He's willing to meet me at a specific, secluded place only me and him know. Never suspecting anything for a bit. He's like a really dumb fish who suddenly bites the bait despite a hook sticking through it!

As the fool arrived at my rented apartment room, he did not see the lover of the girl he always flirts with. Instead, he sees a purple female bunny wearing a cute outfit named Toodles who is infatuated with him. I let him in and offer snacks and tea, which he blindly accepts. As he eat, we talks just as the way we do in our chat.

I remember how he makes that disgusting face at me that he dubbed as his "fierce and flirty look" from time to time.

I am keeping myself from puking at the moment as he leans forward with that breath, asking me for a dance.

Despite feeling unpleasant, I manage to keep my cool. I did not become the best actor in drama club for nothing. I have to convince him that my character is so into him. So I did what I have to do in my script.

I pull him even closer, catching him off guard and making the pathetic asshole blush. This malicious pervert flipping blush! I can't even express my repulsion against this filthy degenerate.

"Maybe I would if you finish your tea~" I muttered in perfect, feminine tone.

Oh I just really smile as I saw that he finally ingested the damn fluid into his system. He, however, thinks it's because I fell in love with him. He drinks the whole cup in one go!

He was extending his hand out to me, about to say something, but found himself unable to do so. Or do anything else at all. His hand trembles before he collapses to the floor. I giggled as he flops like a fish. His mouth is gaping as he try so hard to breathe. He looks up at me with utter confusion in his eyes. Can't talk dirty now that you're paralyzed huh sicko?

"Nothing personal Disco. It's just that I heard that you're really messing around this town. You're pretty famous for being a headache for everyone. Now, let me tell you something. This is for harassing and killing every girl you encountered ~"

I grab the kettle and pour its boiling hot contents on his chest. Oh how euphoric it was to see him writhes in pain. The scent of his burnt flesh fills the room. I was grinning ear to ear as I watch in fascination how the tea spreads all over his fur.

"And this is for assaulting my brother's girlfriend, Giggles~"

I suddenly smashed the kettle on his crotch. He would be wailing in pain at the time if his throat isn't numb. All that came out in his mouth is pitiful gurgles as he pees on the floor. I move and stand besides his ugly face. My entire body is quivering in excitement and rage as I clutch on the shattered kettle tightly.

"And this is for killing her with a fucking kettle you ignorant pimp~"

And with that, I found myself bludgeoning the shittyhead over and over again with a kettle until he resembles a squashed tomato. I keep bashing on his shattered skull even after he stopped twitching. Finally, I stepped on his heart with my heels to satisfy my ears with that squelching flesh. Then, I went to the bathroom to shower the dye away. It takes me four hours to remove the fake color entirely off my fur. Of course, I did not leave without taking his wallet.

It's been three days since the incident and I haven't seen him around, which is a good sign. What I've done is super effective. I think after all that, he wouldn't bother Giggles anymore. Heck, I am confident enough to say that he wouldn't even dare to look at any girl ... hehehe ... look. Something that my next victim couldn't do. That makes everything easier.

I found myself on front of the house I seek. I casually walk towards the doorstep and press the doorbell.

Now I would have skip Mole over since the idiot mistaken Lumpy as Giggles on their blind date. That means, my motivation of killing him is not jealousy if that's what you're thinking. No. It's something deeper than that.

His obliviousness and idiocy is what ticks me off. He killed my precious girl by literally stealing her heart with a freaking stick. Then he just throws it in a filthy thrash bag like it was nothing. Oh how much I wanted to punch him square in the face when I see him pries the door open. But I didn't.

Sounding lanky and awkward, I announced my assumed identity.

"Randell of Happy Tree Cleaners, leaving your homes squeaky clean. Our company is very sorry since we couldn't send Petunia today. However, I am here to take her place. I hope you wouldn't mind, sir."

"Oh. Of course I wouldn't mind at all lad but I think you came pretty early."

Feigning confusion, I responded to him in a shameful tone (which I applaud myself for such a convincing performance).

"Oh I truly am sorry sir. I'm still new to the job and kinda not listening to my superior when she's passing the information over the phone..."

"Ah a newbie. No, don't worry at all. I actually admire you! Working so hard, always ready to face the task at hand as immediately as possible. You're also modest. You remind me of myself back in my younger days..."

Then a long time was wasted for his flashback that I could not see. I really hate delays but I'm not rushing so I let him do his thing.

"Oh silly me. What am I thinking letting you stand outside for so long! Come, enter my humble abode young one."

I thanked him as I went inside. The contents of my shoulder bag clatters against each other for every move I make.

As he leads me to the room he thought I'd bother to clean, I am appreciating the edginess of the vacuum's flexible hose that I'm holding. I am very proud to say I assembled it myself. I have tried it on cows and boy the precision of the cut was just fascinating. I left a clean hole through the chest of the dumb animal.

My eyes are locked on his back as he talks about taking pictures of a case that an evil mouse wanted or something like that. His keys are jiggling as he unlocked the door to his kitchen. He turns around to face me.

"-anyways, here we are in the kitchen, Early Randell. You may begin your "germ extermination," as Petunia put it."

"Oh, only she could do that sir. I have a different method and it's called "trash assassination."

"Really? Sorry to break it to you son, but I believe there's no such thing that's present in this room. There is just dust and dirty dishes."

"Excuse my language sir, but I could see one standing out in the middle of the room."

"Oh my, that must be the apple that I lost a while ago. Could you please take it out?"

"It's my pleasure to do so. After all..."

In a second, I thrusts the vacuum hose on his chest. It delights me how its end easily punctures through his clothes then his flesh. The idiot didn't react at first and only notice what I'm doing when I successfully take his heart out.

"The only thrash I see in this room is you. P.S. I know what you've done to Giggles. I'll come back if you repeat it again..."

He actually tries to escape but oh its just too late.

Resistance is futile after all, no matter how much you struggle old guy.

A few seconds pass before his body finally went limp. I smile as I let go of the vacuum hose.

Whistling the theme song of this town, I grab his filthy organ off of my vacuum. I take a moment to observe how it weakly pulses on my grasp. I find it fascinating that this thing is still beating despite its raptured state.

Then I pick the note I left from and continued whistling. I dump his heart into the thrash bag filled with decomposing materials and feces. If you're wondering where the heck it came from, its hidden inside the vacuum.

Of course I didn't want his heart to rot alone so I let his body join in. It's hilarious that his body would regenerate in there. Imagine respawning covered with shit.

I take out something out of my shoulder bag. Opening his fridge, I start lacing his food with cyanide. The medicines in his cupboard also get the same treatment. A sprinkle for this, a bunch on that and I'm done.

An hour was spent of taking care of the evidence. Cleaning is boring and tiresome but I have to do it. After disassembling the vacuum, disposing my outfit, sanitizing the floor and taking a bath, I went out of the house. I casually dump the garbages in the bin and then I take my leave. Two down, few more to go.

Up next is Flippy. He may seem to be an invincible rival but everyone have Achilles's heel – and I'm about to strike it. Wait, I'm not literally saying my target is the tendon at the back of his foot. The point is I know his weakness and its pathetic.

Currently, I am on my way to the psycho's location. My ears are flattened on the side of my head because of the hood of the black robe I'm wearing. My smiling skull mask is partially obscuring my sight. I am holding a blowgun disguised as a trumpet.

Anyway, for those who don't know what the flipping pants a blowgun is, it's a long narrow tube that shoots out an arrow or dart when someone breathes into it quickly and forcefully. Its content is not a dart though. It's peanuts.

Leaping few minutes forward, I am waiting at the entrance of an alleyway. My clothing blends well in the darkness. Flippy is visiting his psychotherapist and any minute now, he would leave the building and take the path in front of me.

Flippy... he is once my bro. He used to be the man I looked up on since he is serving the military from the age of 15. I thought he was cool but what he have done states he is far from that. We accepted him in our town and boy do I cursed the day that we did.

Turns out he gains an alter ego from the war who is a sadistic, bloodthirsty demon. Giggles and I have suffered hell from his paws. Now, it's payback time.

My thoughts were silenced by a voice whose source I'm too familiar with. As he walks into the desired spot, I blow the trumpet the hardest I possibly could. He screams, obviously surprised. Wasting no time, I push a certain button which allows air to pass through the blowgun. I watch a couple of peanuts shoots straight into his throat at bullet speed. All of this happened in just two seconds.

It seems that he didn't notice what just enter his mouth since he is busy catching up his breath. He looks stupid with his pupils dilated in fear. I toss the trumpet on the ground and run into the alleyway. He follows me, trying to match my speed. Amusingly, his body did not react instantly as I expected. Maybe it's because the number is fewer than the ones he ingested at the party.

"Darn it kid, why did you-"

It's not too long before he falls because of the tripwire I set up earlier. As I hear a dull thud, I turned around and smile.

He is groaning as his lips inflate. Multiple zits appeared on his face. His allergy reaction has rendered him immobile. I take out a knife from my shoulder bag, making sure he didn't see it.

His paws are trembling as he tried to stand. I am towering besides him when his limbs puffs up like a balloon.

"Something's wrong?"

Listening to his whimpers, I could tell how much he is suffering as his body painfully swells. I smirk as I kicked his ass hard, making him squeak in pain.

"You know you deserve it, Flip. If you can't handle the consequences, then you shouldn't have done these..."

As I said that last word, I throw photographs down for him to see. He knows he's to blame for all the mangled corpses in it. In the middle of it all is Giggles with a rose puncturing through her head.

I am overjoyed when I hear him cry. Oh the taste of victory is truly sweet. As time passes, he looks like a balloon animal more than anything. His arms give up since it couldn't support his weight anymore.

He mumbles something that resembles to an apology, which is empty since I've heard him say it countless times.

"You could only pay for your sins with death."

Desperate to live, he tries to drag himself forward, hoping he could move away from me. It's amusing that such an indestructible beast lives inside this wimp. We both know that those stubby fingers never help him in this situation in any way. It only makes him more pathetic.

I then dug my dull knife into his back and watch as his skin bursts. His body contorted as unimaginable pain washed over his body.

"What? You say you want more?"

I poked his shoulder with the tip of my blade and it explodes. The walls are painted by its disgusting contents. It's like I'm playing with a living bubble wrap.

"You like pain right? Don't you enjoy this? Huh? Huh!?"

I found myself caught in a frenzied mood of hacking and slashing. His body is constantly receiving new, multiple wounds. His ugly face is squeezed against the asphalt road. His head is twitching every time I plunge my weapon into his body.

For the final act, I hit the top of his head and zip his skull open, splitting his brain apart.

Panting heavily, I laugh. I've done it! I've defeated the unstoppable force. I stand to observe my work.

I turned around and meet the eyes of a preschooler dropping his lollipop. I could tell that he was about to take my trumpet when he saw something in the darkness moves. I guess my robe is really black. Imagine a floating skull smiling down at you.

He backs away as he saw the blood dripping from my gloves. I wave hi to him and he runs away. Yep, I just scarred a child's life forever. I have a pretty good feeling that he's gonna have nightmares about a skeleton and a trumpet tonight.

Welp, time to dispose this body. Good thing there's an incinerator conveniently placed at the end of this passage.

Dragging Flippy by his foot, I hum the coffin meme tune to myself. He's not that heavy anymore since chunks of his flesh pops like a bubble earlier. Scrapes form on his skin as I pull him.

With a heave and a ho, to the furnace he go. Don't forget the knife and the costume~

I just finished disposing my stuffs when my phone plays that special ringtone. Picking it up from the shoulder bag, I greet my precious Red Ribbon.

"Heya Giggles~ How are you?"

My expression shifts from bright to grim when I hear her weakly whispers that one word.

"Help…"

This was followed by a thunderous crash and a white noise. My heart sank deep into my guts. Running out, I only have one thing in mind – save her before it's too late.

I'm not really paying attention so I collided with someone riding a bike. As my butt hits the ground, I groan.

"Gah! What are you thinking running into me like that- Cuddles?"

Looking up, it's my best friend, Toothy. As he help me stand up, I quickly steal his ride.

"What in the-"

"Sorry Toots! Emergency, I'll return it later."

Huffing and puffing, I pedal like my life depends on it. Cars are beeping as I zoom by them. I've taken sharp turns and gave heart attacks to crossing pedestrians. I didn't even bother to stop when the traffic light is red. The only thing I care about right now is to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

Smoke is rising from the horizon. It didn't take long before the building came into my view. My heart skips a beat as I see its remnants. My blood runs cold as a thought of her crushed body appears in my head.

I am preventing the tears that is burning my eyes to fall. I hop off the bicycle and run closer. I keep telling myself that I'm not yet late.

Broken glasses are scattered around. Shattered walls are laying against each other. I found an opening and force myself to fit through it. As I successfully did, I start searching for any sign of her.

I am frantically shaking the doorknobs when I heard her voice screaming for help. It sounds faint, which means she's far from were I'm at, but at least I know her direction.

I crawl under a fallen pillar then run to a door I haven't check. As I press my head against it, I hear her whimpering. I started to charge myself against it, my new attempts stronger than the last one.

Hang in there, Giggles...

Out of nowhere, something crash which makes the earth trembles. I press my ears against the door again. She's not making any sound anymore.

This prompts me to try harder. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins as I imagined the worst possible scenario. The door slammed open with the force I've applied. I can't help but stumble forward a little bit after that. There she was, six feet from where I am. I could not believe my eyes for what I'm currently seeing.

The Golden Idol is laying on the floor, crushed into dust. The crying face of my love is kissing the guy I assume is responsible for the damage of the cursed figure. A sun ray, originating from a huge hole at the ceiling, illuminates the spot where the two are standing. Her hands are around his shoulder. Giggles withdraw and mouthed the words "Thank You" to Splendid.

My whole body is trembling in rage. When did we kissed like that? Oh right! When we're fucking dead. I clutch something from my shoulder bag. I coughed loudly, announcing my presence.

The two turn to my direction. She gasp. She's saying words but I could not understand them. A plain smile is painted on my face as I quickly walks towards them. I brush pass the girl who turns me crazy in love.

Splendid chuckles and spreads his arms, expecting a hug. That's exactly what I give him...with an extra stab on his chest with my kryptonut dagger.

He's lucky because I'm not gonna do what I have in mind for him. He kneels and screams as his body quickly degrades. I snap to Giggles with a huge smile on my face...

The grasses sway with the wind. The view of the sunset in this spot is truly romantic. I sigh as I look into her eyes.

"I'm so glad that you could understand me, Giggles. I've only done all of that because of you. Now, nobody would ever bother you and we can stay like this forever~"

I smile as I pat her head. Her wonderful scent wafts in the air as I caress her soft, pink fur. Oh how much I adore her cute face.

"I know you didn't expect me to forgive you after what you've done. That's just how much I love you. I will do anything and everything just to make you smile."

I touch the spot at the end of her lips and help her to smile. After all, she couldn't done that all by herself in this state. I smiled as I remember what she said to me this morning.

"Aren't you glad to have a boyfriend like me?"

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

Since I turned Cuddles into a killer, does this story counts as a creepypasta?

Writing this is a doozy so I hope you like it the same way that I make it. Write your thoughts down the comments!

[hellogoodbye741]

Clint being recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D by either Pepper or Tony ( who are agents of shield ) or both of them them working together. With eventual Clint/someone ( I don't care who with just please no slash. Genderbent is just fine with me. ) Please?

Oh my goodness, this is the first fic req I've gotten in literal years!!! Feels good to see people are still reading my stuff haha. Sorry it took so long, it took awhile to get the juices flowing. I’m not sure this exactly what you wanted, but I hope you like it regardless

Hope you like it!!

Read it here: Take Me Home, Country Roads  or under the cut!

Hawk grunted as he threw himself onto the train car, rolling a bit as the train sped onwards at 100 mph. He was lucky to have caught this one, usually he train hopped when they were stationary.

Who would have thought that hopping a train would have been that difficult?

Movies and TV shows lie.

He groaned, leaning back against one of the walls, his bags laying next to him.

"I'm getting too old for this..." He said with a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck.

He wasn't actually that old, only 28 to be exact. But he'd lived a long life in that short amount of time, and it was taking its toll.

He'd been born to a poor farming family in the middle of Waverly, Iowa. His father was an abusive drunk, and his mother was too brainwashed to do anything about it. He had one older brother, but Barney wasn't sunshine and roses either. His father wrapped his vehicle around a tree one night with their mother in it, killing them both.

Off to the orphanage the boys went.

Clint had actually liked the orphanage, the nuns there had been really nice to him. But Barney couldn't stand it, so he dragged poor 6 year old Clint off to the circus.

The circus? Now that was an adventure. Clint had been too little to do anything important, so they had let him do menial tasks around the camp to help him earn his keep. His brother immediately started an internship with the circus's swordsman and archer. He followed them everywhere like a little lamb. But they never cared for Barney, not when they saw what Clint could do.

Clint was something of a prodigy when it came to archery, it was like his body knew exactly what to do from the moment he touched a bow. Same with a sword. A little bit of training, and he was all of the sudden a headliner for the show.

His brother hated him for it.

Clint teeter-tottered on the edge of fan adoration and family loathing for 12 years. Lasted all the way until his 18th birthday; Jacques (the swordsman), Barney, and Buck (the archer) decided they would let him in on a little secret.

They were stealing from the circus, and every civilian they could grab a wallet from.

They wanted his help.

Clint said no, and two days later he woke up in the middle of a hospital bed.

The nurse told him he had been left on the side of the road with wounds so bad they had thought he would never wake up.

Lucky for him, he had.

He had skipped out on the hospital bill and worked his way around the East coast. Took odd jobs here or there, took care of a few things if the pay was high enough.

But now he was train-hopping, running from something he wasn't even sure of yet.

Just knew he needed some change, and the best way to get that change was to ride North. No concrete destination yet, but he was sure he'd know when he found it. Ever since that incident with Barney and them, Hawk relied heavily on his gut. Hadn't failed him once since that fatal day. Ten years of instinct can't be too bad, can it?

He sighed, laying his Stetson over his face to block out the sun. He needed as much sleep as possible before the train stopped again and he would have to get out before they caught him. He'd seen what they do to train hoppers, and it wasn't very pretty.

*******

Hawk startled awake when he heard the brakes squeal as the train came to a stop.

"Shit, that's my queue" He muttered to himself as he grabbed his gear and leaped down to the ground from the train car. "Now, where the hell am I?"

He felt his stomach rumble and clench when he straightened.

"Definitely time for something to eat"

He slung his bag over his shoulder as he exited the rail yard. Outside was a pretty dismal place, but he could tell it wasn't the end of beyond. He could probably find a truck stop nearby that would serve him something hot and mostly edible. As long as it didn't give him a disease, he would be happy with anything at this point.

It took him awhile, but he eventually found some hole-in the wall shack that boasted having the 'best waffles' in the tri-county area.

"Guess I'll be the judge of that" He said with a chuckle as he walked through the doors.

The inside matched the outside. Dingy, a little dirty, old.... It was perfect.

He sat down at a tore up booth and tried not to set his arms on the syrup-sticky table. A waitress immediately came up to him, and within a couple of minutes he had a cup of oil thick coffee in hand. You could tell how thick it was by the spoon he stuck in there standing straight up.

He sipped it slowly, really trying to savor the caffeine. He had limited funds, so coffee and food wasn't actually that big of a priority right now. Every time he did stop, he had to savor it until he found another odd job to stock back up.

And odd jobs weren't that easy to find.

He stayed in the small diner for about an hour, really enjoying his meal (as greasy and unhealthy as it was), before being back on his way to the rail yard.

"Where we off to next boys?" He asked the trains parked in the yard, trying to decide which one to pick. He always tried to stick with the bigger trains, knowing it was less likely for him to caught with that many carts. He chose the biggest train he could find, and slid into a carriage about three quarters of the way back. Got in just in time too, within seconds they were pulling off.

"Another day, another train" He said with a sigh, throwing his hat back over his face. It really was a never-ending cycle.

He was just about to fall asleep, when he heard some rustling from the other side of the carriage. He immediately jolted up and onto his feet, a small dagger in hand.

Instinct told him to never ignore any sounds that he could hear. You ignore a sound, ten seconds later you could be sprawled out dead.

The rustling came again.

Clint narrowed his eyes, walking closer to the source of the noise. Usually when he hopped a train, the carts he went in to were pretty empty. This time, this one was full of product that was being transported. Plenty of spaces for anyone to hide out, as he knew well.

The rustling got louder as Clint stepped closer, he could see something moving in the corner of the carriage. He kept the dagger tight in his hand as he stepped right on top of whatever was making the noise. Lowering his hand, he yanked at the thing that was moving.

"AH!!!"

Clint jumped back six feet at the loud yell, his heart pounding exponentially.

He wasn't sure who was more scared in the moment; him, or the guy who had screamed.

"Hello?" Clint asked after a minute.

"Where in the fuccccck am I?" The voice asked, sounding groggy. "And who the hell are you?"

"You're on a railway cart. And I'm nobody, who are you?"

The body shifted on the ground, slowly rising to a standing position. "Shit, I didn't know Emily Dickinson was still around.."

Hawk blinked, "Who?"

"... Nevermind. Name's Stark, Tony Stark" The man turned around to face Clint. He was much shorter than the other man, with a stocky build and a full goatee. It took Clint a second, but he eventually recognized the man.

"Like Stark Industries???"

"Yeah, except I am Stark Industries. How the hell did I get onto a train cart?" He asked, walking around.

Clint shrugged, "No clue dude. What's the last thing you remember?"

Tony groaned, putting his hands on his back. "Pretty sure I was getting my ass handed to me... Blacked out, woke up here"

Clint let a snort out, "Sounds familiar. Where do you need to go?"

"New York, I guess... You never did tell me your name"

Clint waved his hand, "It's not important. Not right now anyway. But for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure this train is headed northbound. We got on somewhere in West Virginia, so it should lead up close to New York."

Tony groaned, "Ugh. And how long will that take?"

Clint shrugged, "No clue. I never stay on trains for that long"

Tony looked over at him with narrowed eyes, "Are you one of those train hopper guys? Like the homeless ones you see in movies??"

"Yup... Though it's not nearly as glamorous, as you can see. You might as well settle in, we're in for a ride. Maybe you'll get lucky and it won't stop until we hit New York"

Tony frowned, "What happens if I'm not lucky"

"You get off at the next stop and hope the next train is going in the same direction."

"Why wouldn't we just stay on the train?"

Clint shot the man a look.

"Right... Not quite legal, got it."

Clint chuckled, "You catch on quick. Get some shut eye Stark, you're gonna need it. There's nothing else to do."

Tony grunted, "Right. Night then... Nobody"

"Night"

The two men sat on opposite sides of the train, both settling in for a nap. Clint really did hope that the train was going all the way to New York, otherwise, who knew what was going to happen to that city guy. Upon closer inspection, Clint could see a host of bruises and cuts on the man. Probably from that fight he lost. Clint could have patched him up, but he had a feeling Stark wouldn't have been too appreciative of that.

Oh well, guess only time will tell.

*******

Clint woke up when the train stopped.

He looked outside, and he could tell they had landed in yet another small town railway.

"So much for New York," he said with a snort.

"Yo Stark, wake up!" He called over to the other man, who woke up with a snort.

"Who? Wha?"

"Train stopped early, we gotta hop off"

Tony groaned, stumbling to his feet. "How do you do this all the time?"

He shrugged his shoulders, grabbing his pack and helping the other man off the train. "Practice I guess, been doing it for years"

Tony looked over at him, "What did you do before this?"

"... Stuff" he said hesitantly.

"Wow, Mr. Nobody out there doing stuff. Real exciting life you led, huh?"

"Yup, that's me. Real exciting"

Tony rolled his eyes, "Right. Anyway, what do we do now?"

"Well, you've got two options. One, hop the next train and pray it's going northbound. Two, find the nearest phone and give a friend a ring so they can come pick you up."

"Option two it is. Not that you haven't been great company, but I miss my nice cozy car... Or plane... Or bed. I miss a lot of things"

Clint chuckled, "I don't blame you. Let's try and find some place that had a phone. Come on..."

Tony grunted but reluctantly followed Clint out of the rail station and out onto the road. Clint observed that they had a bit of a walk ahead of them, he couldn't see anything nearby for them to get to.

"Hope you have sturdy shoes on, we're going to be walking awhile"

"Ugh, kill me now"

*******

It took an hour, but they eventually found a city and a payphone.

Clint waited outside the booth while Tony made his phone calls. He would make sure the guy stayed safe until his ride got here, and then he was out.

"Your people coming?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, we're actually not that far out from New York. Only about two hours."

"That's good, I'm sure there's some place you can stay in until they get here."

Tony looked around for a moment, before pointing. "Boom. Food time. Come on, I'll pay when my wallet gets here."

"No, you don't have to-"

"You helped me out buddy, least I could do. Don't bother saying no, I'm super annoying"

Clint sighed, "Alright. I guess I could do with something to eat anyway"

"There we go Dickinson, let's go get some grub!!"

Clint rolled his eyes, following the man into the diner.

He really couldn't say no to free food regardless.

*******

"And THEN Pepper said "Tony, how could you be so stupid??" and I said "I was JUST trying to save the PRESIDENT," but she wasn't really having it. But hey, that's marriage, right?"

Clint stared at Tony with an aghast expression, "None of that story can be real"

"Oh it is! I assure you, I routinely make dumb mistakes and almost get myself killed. I am very smart" Tony said with stupid grin.

Clint just shook his head, he hated to say it, but this Stark guy sounded a lot like him... Minus the marriage and a partner that stopped him from doing stupid stuff. "Hey, I think your ride is outside"

Tony swiveled his head, looking out the window. "Pep!!" He jumped out of the booth, hurrying out the door to hug a strawberry blond female who had just stepped out of a limo. She was hugging him back just as tight, the two of them rocking back and forth.

Must be nice

Hawk looked away after a moment, focusing down at his empty plate. The diner door opened again, and Tony was back, dragging Pepper behind him.

"And THEN we walked like ten miles to get here. You gotta meet this guy Pep, he's great!"

"I'm sure he is Tony" Clint heard her say appeasingly. Clint couldn't help but chuckle, he could tell she used that tone a lot.

"Nobody!" Tony shouted, "Meet my wife, Pepper. Pepper, this is nobody"

Clint stood up, shooting out his hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you"

She took it and shook it quickly, giving him a smile. "You as well, thank you for saving Tony. I do tend to miss him when he's gone Mr... Nobody?"

"Barton, Clint Barton"

Tony gasped, "Nobody!! Dickinson!! You have a name"

Clint rolled his eyes, "Of course I do. It just wasn't important"

"But it is now???"

"You always tell a lady your real name, it's not polite otherwise"

Pepper let out a laugh, "Oh I like him. Come on Tony, pay for the food so we can get home. We have a bunch of paperwork to do"

Tony grimaced, "I hate paperwork. Hey! Maybe Clint should come with us?"

"What??" Both Clint and Pepper said at the same time.

Tony waved a hand, "There's always room in the organization for someone who saves my life."

"No... I... Don't... Uh" Clint sputtered out.

Pepper just shot him a look, "You're not going to be able to say no. I would just give in... Unless you have somewhere to go?"

"He doesn't! He's homeless!" Tony shouted from the counter, paying their bill.

Clint smacked his hand to his face as Pepper shouted "Tony!!"

"Well it's true!!!"

Clint sighed, "I guess a ride couldn't hurt"

Pepper sighed as well, "It's your best option unless you wanna hear him whine"

"Oh god no"

*******

Clint felt his jaw drop as they walked into Stark industries. "Jesus, I knew you were rich, but not THIS rich!!"

Tony waved a hand, "It's just a place to work. Come on, lemme show you my office"

"You really don't have to-"

"Come on!" Tony grabbed Clint's hand, dragging him to a set of elevators.

Clint didn't even know why he was still trying to argue with Tony, it was never going to work.

Pepper was just following behind them, an exasperated and resigned look on her face. She too was used to Tony.

The elevators went to the penthouse floor, and opened up to a huge office space. It was easily the size of a minor league ballpark up there.

"Jesus"

"Eh, it's not quite how I wanted it, but it'll do for now"

"Stark! Did you drag another stray animal home?" A voice said from deep into the room, making Clint jump.

"Fury!" Tony snapped, "How did you get into my office?"

The man, Fury, shrugged. "They just let me up."

Clint felt his jaw drop as the man came closer to them. He was a tall black man, with an eye patch over one eye, and completely bald. "So who's this one?"

"This is my friend Clint, he saved me" Tony said, wrapping an arm around Clint's shoulders.

"I didn't really save you, I just helped you out"

"Well, we must thank you. Tony Stark is one of our most valuable assets, isn't that right Coulson?"

A woman stepped forward from the shadows, making Clint jump. She was absolutely gorgeous, with long brown hair and a modest face. She was dressed in a pants suit, with a binder in one hand. "I guess you could say that, though there has been some contention"

"Aw, Agent Agent - you love me"

"Remains to be seen. Mr... Clint, you said?" She asked.

Clint blanked for a moment, before jolting back into reality. "Barton. Clint Barton"

Fury sucked in a breath, "Shit. You gotta be fucking kidding me. Leave it Stark"

Coulson just shook her head, "I don't know how he does it"

Tony looked just as confused as Clint did, "Do what? I'll take credit of whatever, obviously, but I'd like to know what it is first"

"Stark, you seriously didn't know who you were riding with?" Coulson said with a head shake. "That's Hawkeye"

Tony looked over at Clint, "Huh?"

Clint felt his face pale as he looked at the other man and woman.

How the hell do they know who he is????

"Stark, we've been looking for this motherfucker for ten years and you just HAPPEN to find him in the middle of a train."

"Ten years?" Clint asked, confused. "I don't understand"

Fury took a step forward, "You, son, have a gift. A gift that we wanted to use. But then you disappeared off the map... We 'bout gave up"

"Gift? What?"

"Your skills from your time in the circus, they're perfect for our organization. We could have used someone like you ten years ago. We could still use someone like you now, especially with-" Coulson trailed off for a moment, then continued. "With a little bit of fine tuning to make sure he hasn't lost anything in the last ten years, he could be a great asset"

"I agree," Fury said with a nod. "Get him some paperwork and a uniform"

"Woah hold up! I was gonna use him here," Tony said with a pout.

Pepper placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Now Tony, you know he would be better suited for S.H.I.E.L.D. Besides, what would he even do here? And don't say security, because you know Happy would be devastated"

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Ugh. Fine!"

Clint looked around the room, "I still don't know what's going on right now. Can someone please explain?"

Coulson took a step forward, giving him a smile. "I can explain everything."

Clint felt his heart jump in his chest just looking at the other woman. "Okay"

*******

Clint rolled to his feet with a groan, "I'm getting to old for this shit"

Pippa laughed at him, "You're not that old. Besides, you can't let the Young Avengers get ahead of you, now can you?"

"Hell no, somebody's gotta show them who's top dog!"

Pippa leaned down, giving him a kiss. "Then go get them tiger"

"Love you too Mrs. Coulson-Barton"

"Go!"

Clint shot her a wink and ran back into the fray. The Avengers were running a simulation with the Young Avengers, trying to make sure the kids were ready for battle. They were still too young to do anything too dangerous right now, but they still needed to be ready.

Clint jogged until he was standing next to Tony, Natasha, and Steve. Thor, Bruce, Sam, and Bucky were up in front.

"Can you believe how old these kids are getting?"

Tony snorted, "Don't remind me. These kids are almost 18 years old, and my doctor just wrote me a prescription for arthritis. How could this have ever happened?"

"Time is a bitch" Natasha said with a shrug.

Clint rolled his eyes, "So says the never-aging female. Next to the never-aging male. Lucky bastards, right Tony?"

"Right Dickinson. Guess we should get back into it, huh?"

Clint nodded, "Yeah. Quicker we get done with this, the quicker we can get something to eat."

"Thank god, it's schwarma night!"

Natasha rolled her eyes, "It's been how many years Tony and you're still making the same schwarma joke?"

"Hey, I saved the world dammit. I get to make that joke as many times as I want"

"Come on guys, enough." Steve said with a joke. "The rest of our team is getting their asses kicked, we should go help out"

"Fair enough. See you on the flip," Natasha said with a wink, before flipping her way over to where the kids were fighting the rest of their team. Steve ran off behind her, leaving Clint and Tony behind.

"We're the old men of this group, even in our own team."

Tony groaned, "I know. Seems like we were on that train together just yesterday. Glad to have all these years with you buddy"

"And I'll always be grateful you annoyed me enough to get me here. Who knows what would have happened otherwise?"

Tony looked over at Clint with a grin, "You'd be lost without me"

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah yeah. Let's get going buddy. Katie-kate just shot an nerf arrow at Bucky's forehead, and I think he's gonna go ballistic. We should probably go save them both"

"New day, same old men saving the day."

"Wouldn't have it any other way"

Tony and Clint started jogging over to where everyone else was still 'fighting'. Tony could have flown over in the suit, but sometimes he liked staying on the ground with his friends.

"Hey Clint, you know what talking about that train ride reminds me of?"

"What?"

"This old song I know. Take me hooooome, country roooaads"

Clint laughed, "Really? That's what popped into your head. The train wasn't even in West Virginia Tony! I was only guessing"

Tony ignored him, "To the plaaace, where I belooooong"

Clint knew he wasn't gonna win. If you can't beat Tony, join Tony.

"WEST VIRGINNIAA, MOUNTAIN MAMAAA"

Pepper looked over at Pippa, rolling her eyes. "How have we never trained the idiot out of our men?"

Pippa chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. "We wouldn't love them as much as we did if they weren't just who they are"

"Ugh. Why do you have to be right?"

Pippa winked, "Comes with the job."

The End.

#fan fic #ao3 #hawkybarton #clint barton #tony stark #pepper potts #nick fury #phil coulson #steve rogers #natasha romanova #thor #sam wilson #bucky barnes #hulk #kate bishop #girl!Phil #AU