Clint - Tumblr Posts
"I know... I'm sorry. I just haven't been taking the whole divorce very well." If she was being honest with herself, she still wasn't. Even now, all she wanted to do was fall back on her bad habits that she had worked so hard to get over. She wanted to drink, to smoke or get into a fight, anything to make her feel anything else.
" just because i'm generally a happy person doesn't mean i can't have an off day." (Sunshine/grump starters)
THIS POST ( accepting ) ╰┈➤ Barton, Clint
" Well, I know that. " He mumbled, leaning against her slightly. They sat together on a roof, looking over the city. " It's just been hard seeing you like this since everything that happened. You were always one of the bright and happy people. "
"I'm sure he'll keep going if I do so, sure, I'll keep going." When he mentions sparring a hint of a smile crosses her face for a second. "That would be nice. I've been trying to keep myself as busy as possible with work and everything else to keep my mind off things."
from here @strenuusvenator
" Tell you what. " He stretched his arms out in front of him, feeling his bad shoulder click. " You keep going to therapy, and make sure Loki keeps going too, and I'll spar with you when I come back from this next mission, alright? Nothing too much, but I'm sure you'll feel a little better getting up and doing something. "
She sighs softly.
"I guess. Not like I have much of a choice currently. I guess the divorce did bring me closer with Dante and Derrik. So, not all bad."
"I'm sure he'll keep going if I do so, sure, I'll keep going." When he mentions sparring a hint of a smile crosses her face for a second. "That would be nice. I've been trying to keep myself as busy as possible with work and everything else to keep my mind off things."
She swears under her breath, unable to hide how bad the injury really in from him any longer. "Fine! Can I at least sit down or something before you take a look at it?"
"Look, it's not that bad... I promise you I'm fine." - for Clint
@strenuusvenator ( unknown meme ) ╰┈➤ Barton, Clint
" Jade, the last time you said that was after you nearly died from dehydration. "
{txt}: just had a nightmare
{txt}: please stay safe
@lxmitlxss
Clint??? Are you okay??
{txt}: I know
{txt}: I'm just glad you're okay
{txt}: just had a nightmare
{txt}: please stay safe
my tmr headcannons
this is a work of disaster i am bringing over from my alarming twitter. my headcannons. all together. enjoy.
while minho runs the maze, he's thinking of everyone back in the glade, individually, and why he needs to keep going for them.
alby once got in a huge screaming match with gally over who should be second in command.
gally has a soft spot for newt and they've accidentally fallen into really deep conversations by the campfire.
when newt did his leg thing alby let him pick which job he wanted.
zart once started a food fight and alby threw him in the pit for wasting food.
ben once knocked a candle over and burned one of the huts down.
gally concussed himself on the job and actually shut up for a week.
chuck once called out for his mum in his sleep and everyone heard but nobody ever acknowledged it.
nobody ever told newt that they'd finished mapping the maze.
gally once got so mad he threw a hammer and alby put him in the pit for a week.
gally was the pit's most frequent visitor.
during an argument at a keeper's meeting, winston once told newt that "not everyone got to pick their jobs" and newt walked out.
winston immediately came out and apologised and there was a bit of crying, some confessions, and hug. from then, winston and newt really saw eachother eye-to-eye.
in ben's legendary hut fire of '85, gally threw his 'trade secret' drink on it and made it much much worse.
still on the topic of the hut fire, alby froze and didn't know what to do, while newt barked orders and managed to get it under control. people called him 'fire chief' for weeks.
jeff hated his job.
newt has insomnia and alby used to stay awake and keep him company as they walked around the glade.
minho used to just come and sit beside newt without saying anything and somehow that meant so much to both of them.
alby swore once and everyone threatened to throw him in the pit.
minho snores.
gally is janson's son or nephew i haven't decided.
when newt started working in the fields everyone came up and either hugged him or gave him a pat on the back and he teared up.
zart once fell on his head while trying to do a cartwheel and everyone thought he was dead until he got up and did another once, successfully, with the others all screaming at him to stop.
alby used to have this little spot in the deadheads where he'd go to have a breather and everyone knew just to leave him alone.
gally got sick once and lost his voice and minho took the opportunity to insult him until he got punched.
newt is gay.
newt had a crush on alby but never ever would have told him ever because he didn't think it was relevant to their situation and nothing would ever come of it.
newt found out he was allergic to sheep when wckd sent one up in the box and he had a sneezing fit every time he walked past it.
he'd insist he was fine until his eyes swelled up and winston realised what was going on and yelled "kill the sheep!"
gally and newt once got so drunk at a bonfire that they waltzed together.
it ended abruptly when gally tripped and they both almost fell into the fire.
minho and alby caught them and alby yelled at everyone to go to bed.
zart can draw. really really well.
when chuck first arrived he didn't speak for two days.
newt once fell asleep on alby at the bonfire and everyone just let him
they had glade-wide games of hide and seek and it was chaos
ben once ate a bug and was worried he'd get superpowers
gally's excuse for quitting being a runner was that he got bored
if someone's having a rough time, frypan arranges their breakfast into a little picture before giving it to them
alby's scared of mice
newt's double jointed in a lot of ways and it freaks alby out but zart loves it
ben replaced newt as a runner.
chuck once sat in some mud and gally lent him a shirt to tie around his waist to cover it up until he could fix it
when ben replaced newt they both found it hard to talk to each other
and minho literally only talked to ben about running and had no patience for anything else... to begin with
zart kept trying to come up with his own catch phrase and was always cycling through them
frypan gave everyone a safety briefing before they started work in the kitchen, mentioned it to gally once and he started doing the same with the builders
winston always slept in and had to be woken up by alby or newt
gally built the homestead before he had a growth spurt, so all the doorways are too low for him
when thomas got stung, teresa and chuck stayed by his side the whole time
and during that time chuck told teresa that he wanted to see his parents again
newt once said alby's name in his sleep and minho heard and starting laughing so loudly that everyone woke up
ben once sneezed on alby and everyone screamed and ran
gally once tripped on a fence and fell into the pig pen
ben decided he was going to give frypan a night off and cook for everyone. the kitchen caught fire.
there were relationships in the glade but none of them were ever 'public'
on bonfire night frypan always walked around making sure everyone was hydrated and fed and not drinking too much of gally's drink
on bonfire night gally always walked around making sure everyone was drinking too much of gally's drink
clint could sing
jeff could too and sometimes you'd be able to walk past the homestead and hear them harmonising together
ben was by far the most susceptible to gally's drink. by far.
minho was actually a super anxious person but really good at hiding it
for a week the glade had a pet caterpillar
it went missing and zart tried to launch an investigation before alby told him they needed food more than they needed caterpillars
alby remains the prime suspect on zart's list to this day
minho and newt literally ran into each other in the maze once and newt went FLYING
minho was laughing too hard to help him up
alby once called a meeting to put an end to everyone calling each other "bro" because it was "annoying and stopping work from getting done"
minho had started the trend
gally once got so annoyed with everyone that he went and sat in the box
minho checked in on the runners because he didn't want anyone losing hope
for a long time alby was the one who could really make minho smile
when newt and minho met up at the end of their routes, minho would look at newt expectantly, newt would just shake his head and then minho would pat him on the back and they'd run back to the glade in silence
newt used to give chuck his leftovers
alby fell asleep in the homestead during the day once and everyone started placing bigger and bigger items on him until zart tried to balance a table on his head and he woke up
winston really admired alby and wished he could lead as well as him
whenever frypan was sad, he would talk to alby
-there was this running joke that alby shaved every morning because he didn't want anyone to know that he was an old man
newt was initially REALLY shy
approximately 40% of them sang in the showers
frypan made special meals for anyone who'd been in the med shack that day
if anyone left rubbish lying around newt would kick it at them
zart would follow him around picking it up
minho was quietly fascinated by zart
zart was loudly fascinated by everyone
friendship bracelets were a thing for a while, thanks to zart and clint
alby would throw his arm around whoever was nearby
clint's job stressed him out big time but he couldn't imagine doing anything else. it was just really frustrating not having the resources to really help when he needed to.
if newt was in a stroppy mood he'd sit down next to someone and pull his legs up and drape them across that person's lap
in response to that: zart would smile, minho would pay no attention, alby would worry, jeff would start checking his legs over (and newt would try to kick him), and gally would laugh
oh and chuck would hug his legs
chuck secretly wanted to be a medjack but it scared him
there was one person who would always talk to whoever was upset or crying and that person was jeff
when ben and minho ran past thomas and chuck that very first time, they got to the map room and immediately cracked up laughing at thomas' face
alby was actually the best friend in that he would ALWAYS laugh at people's jokes
zart wanted to celebrate when each glader had spent a year in the glade but alby firmly told him no because it wasn't something to celebrate
but zart got frypan to sneak each person an extra helping of bacon at the bonfire when their day came around
when ben got made a runner he just subconsciously started spending all his time with minho. he was just drawn to him, wherever he was. so they ended up spending every minute of every day together.
ben was always the guy who didn't get the joke but laughed anyway
frypan was super perceptive and could always pick up on someone feeling upset or off in any way
chuck subconsciously looked up to EVERYONE. he wanted to be brave like minho, funny like zart (he always laughed at zarts jokes), smart like alby, friendly like winston, caring like newt, loyal like ben, cheerful like frypan, the list goes on
and my point is he didn't see any of this consciously but he took on little pieces of them all every time he spoke to them. they all influenced him like older brothers and helped him to feel at home, one of them.
gally did little things to make everyone feel at home. that thing he said to thomas about being "safe with us" he said to everyone in one way or another. he reminded them that the glade was their "haven" from whatever was out there
i don't believe thomas had a crush on newt "from the moment he saw him" but i think newt mesmerised him a little and once he mentioned being a runner thomas decided he was definitely worth getting to know above anyone else
there was one day when everyone had a turn styling chucks hair around the campfire
winston yells at flies
one day, when newt was sad, minho came up behind him and just starting brushing his hair until it fluffed up
chuck always had clammy hands and was subconscious about it until gally told him it just meant he was working hard all the time
oh and the fluffy hair newt thing, alby was watching and smiling from nearby as newts smile slowly grew too
ben was even more optimistic than zart and that's saying something
and minho went through moments of being SUPER pessimistic like "the world is ending" type stuff and ben would always be like "no i don't think so"
newt was honestly a pretty good runner
^but not in a competitive way, like minho was. he just quietly went out and got the job done really well.
there was a dance move known only as "the zart" and no i won't describe it
when alby cried you KNEW it was serious
they had three banishments before ben's
when newt felt sad he tried to help out more with the animals because it felt good taking care of someone else
alby arrived with a blank book and he kept a journal of every day in the glade.
zart has four aloe vera plants growing up the back of the vegetable garden and he treats them with utmost importance
they grow sunflowers and eat the seeds
gally was the one who taught chuck how to carve the little chuck doll
gally would tell people if they had food on their face
zart has a bad back
the medjacks had a little "how to-" book which was all of the information they'd learned over the years
newt wrote a sassy note in that book when he was in a bad mood one day that basically said "how to piss off newt: leave him in here, alone and bored"
clint drew little doodles around the entries
minho and alby used to have thumb wars
the runners had meetings each week to discuss anything they'd found
clint was really good at opening jars
zart and frypan figured out how to make herbal tea and they always left peppermint tea out on the kitchen bench for when newt couldn't sleep
ben and gally were mates
frypan was by far the best hugger
they all SUCKED at communicating their feelings
except for clint who's an oversharer - lena
they once had a limbo contest and jeff was the winner by far
going way back to the subject of zart being able to draw, he would stay up late drawing by candlelight before bed. and because they didn't have mirrors he drew portraits for everyone so that they could know what they looked like.
and back to the subject of newt not sleeping, sometimes he would sit with zart. zart tried to teach him to draw but newt got frustrated and found it much more relaxing to just watch zart create his magic.
and when newt was in a good mood he'd sit there making requests for zart to draw and zart would always put his own little spin on whatever newt asked for and complicate it.
like one time newt asked him to draw a cat and zart drew a whole forest of animals and hid a cat in one of the trees.
newt, minho and zart had discussions about sexuality together. nothing hugely revelatory like coming out, but enough to feel comfortable with each other and know that they could if they felt the need.
zart and newt both knew the other wasn't straight. minho gave nothing away and just said "i'm down with that" to whatever they were discussing
somewhat related to pride, newt was easily distracted by rainbows
gally became a builder because he wanted a job that kept his hands busy and that he could really keep track of his progress and see his achievements
newt and minho kept each other company whenever they sensed they needed it
one time alby told them all to shut up and go to bed, got in his hammock, it broke and it was so unexpected that nobody knew what to say
then newt quietly went "are you okay?" and zart started laughing
gally got up and silently helped alby fix the hammock before going straight back to bed
minho could keep a secret. and he knew EVERYONE'S secrets because he paid attention.
when thomas arrived they genuinely all thought he'd be a slopper and nobody doubted it
anyone who slept with their shoes on got their laces tied together by minho
once newt went to hug alby and accidentally kissed him on the cheek out of instinct, panicked, and started power walking in the other direction
minho witnessed the whole thing and immediately started crying with laughter
alby had to go after newt and check he was okay without laughing too
newts one of those people who, when he gets angry or frustrated, he tears up. and it just makes him more frustrated to he tears up even more and he hates it because he thinks people won't take him seriously if they notice.
gally and newt both fidget a lot.
oh and so does thomas but like next level fidgeting. he has to be DOING something all of the time or he can't sit still.
alby loved all of the gladers so much so so so much
winston, clint and ben were all left handed
the trackhoes used to have the worst back problems after gardening all day every day, so clint became the resident masseuse
zart used to literally have daily massages
newt always got leaves stuck in his hair
zart always stuck leaves in newt's hair
newt's favourite food was bacon. like he LOVED it and everyone else was like okay mate calm down and newt was like BACON
there was one day that little bouquets of flowers started appearing around the place and everyone knew it was zart but he never admitted to it
when minho wanted someone to know he cared about them he'd give them a little pat on the back
minho used to love taking part in the bonfire nights but as time went on he found them more and more pointless
frypan is one of those people who can really REALLY hold it together for so long. nobody gets to know if he's feeling sad until he breaks down.
alby is surprisingly good at impressions and accents
zart has a love-hate relationship with the goat: it's cute, but it can also completely destroy all of his hard work in the span of an hour
the goat had been put in the pit numerous times before newt suggested that was a bit cruel and they should tie it up outside and release it under supervision instead
newt has the biggest "okay, fuck you" face out of anyone in the glade and it comes out extra strong when he's being mocked (inspired by visro's brain)
and when newt's "fuck you" face comes out, it usually earns him a little ruffling of his hair, courtesy of minho of course
and every time, newt will swat his hand away but every time, he'll also smile
anyway that's enough about newt because clint makes necklaces
gally's biggest priority is making sure the med hut is in good shape and asking the medjacks if they need anything built or replaced
ben is the kinda person to say 'ow' even when something doesn't hurt
gally looks up to everyone (even though he literally doesn't show that ever at all, just believe me)
minho was really REALLY pissed when gally quit being a runner and they had this huge fight that they both never really got over
anyway minho doesn't know what it feels like not to constantly work hard
zart once tried to make alby a wig out of hay. alby wore it once and then didn't stop sneezing for a week
clint takes every decision and outcome to heart and jeff has to talk him down each time
after newts accident jeff forced clint to take a break because clint was convinced he was making the wrong decisions for newt
gally has ocd
they have this whole book of theories for why they're in the maze
alby contributed the least to the book because he was convinced that it didn't matter why they were there
winston was super brainy
somebody made a "caution: wet floor" sign and threw it in the pond
the bonfires were frypan's idea
zart was a big hugger
gally built crutches for newt and sanded them down until they were perfect
at first, newt was convinced he didn't need them but after a stern word from jeff about how hard gally had worked on them, newt gave in
winston is super flexible
whenever anyone's feeling down they eventually end up with a pep talk from alby or newt
gally built board games for when they had to shelter from the rain or rest inside for any reason
zart plays snakes and ladders with anyone who's willing
alby makes a point of talking to every single person on bonfire nights
newt tries to do the same but gally's trade secret recipe often gets in the way of that
because im watching tdc and minho dropping to his knees inspired me: when minho found newt in the maze he skidded to a stop on his knees beside him
when ben got stung minho tried to talk to him for hours because the others all thought he'd be the best one to get info out of him
newt had this big chat to alby about feeling bad for whacking ben in the head when he probably didn't need to and gally poked his head in and reminded newt that ben was trying to kill thomas
and newt took gally's word for it that it was okay because gally had been hit in the head so many times they'd all lost count
okay that's it for now oh my god
that was two years' worth of headcannons
Some people move on, but not us. Not us.
An Arrow?
“That an Arrow around your neck, Romanoff?”
Pairing: Clintasha
Takes place after Natasha was shot by Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Solider
A/N
Written by me :) Please do not copy, if so you may put credit
Maria was currently applying pressure to Agent Romanoff's bullet wound, the relief for Fury outwitted the pain in her shoulder. Relaxation consumed her as the anguish went numb.
"So, Sam… was it?" Hill started small talk, the awkward serenity was unusual due to the hole bleeding out. “Yup,” Natasha’s husk, yet soft voice was covering the winces. “That an Arrow around your neck, Romanoff?” She raised a brow.
Maria had been looking for more… well, action? No. Drama, In the office. She already had enough action considering her salary. Being an agent, it was her job to look farther into the personal lives of her co-workers. The romance area. Something obvious has been mingling between two certain assassins, and she took this opportunity to dig deeper.
“Yeah, Barton gave it to me for my birthday. Said it was a symbol for long-lasting companionship,”
“Thought you didn’t celebrate your birthday?” The brunette smirked.
“I don’t. Barton does.” Tasha groaned, visibly aware of where this conversation was going and visibly trying to prevent it from going there.
“It’s different with Clint, isn’t it?” Natasha could hear practically hear her partners cockiness growing by the second.
“Don’t start, Hill.” She smirked once again.
“Oh, I’m afraid I already have. I’ll continue, though.”
The Widow stood up, ignoring Maria’s protests concerning her wound. She quietly left, after being shot she needed her beauty rest.
The Avengers
They were seated in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating , though they each had a tray of food infant of them. They weren't gawking at me unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them. But it was none of these things that caught my attention.
They didn't look anything alike.
There were three guys; one I could tell was strong, he looked like he might be the captain of the volleyball team, and I was pretty sure you wouldn't want to get in the way of one of her spikes. He had short black hair parting to the left.
Another had hair hanging to his shoulders; there was something intense about him that made him look edgy. It was kind of weird, but for some reason he made me think of this actor I'd seen in an action movie a few weeks ago, who took down an entire army with a machete. I remembered thinking then that I didn't buy it—there was no way the actor could have taken on that many bad guys and won. But I thought now that I might have bought it all if the character had been played by this guy.
The other guy looked taller than the others, he had short dirty blonde hair. There was something kind about this guy, kind of like the guy you'd expect to see volunteering at an animal shelter.
The two girls there looked like total opposites. A blonde and a red hair. The blonde one looked like the schools prom queen, her hair was on a ponytail and she had a slight fringe covering her forehead. The red hair was the smallest in the table, she looked younger than the other four, who could easily be in college.
Totally different, and yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino. They all had very dark eyes—from here they looked black—despite the range in their hair colours. There were deep shadows under all their eyes—purple shadows, like bruises. Maybe the five of them had just pulled an all-nighter. Or maybe they were recovering from broken noses. Except that their noses, all their features, were straight, angular.
But that wasn't why I couldn't look away.
I stared at their faces, so different, so similar, were all insanely, inhumanly beautiful. The girls and the guys both—beautiful. They were faces you never saw in real life—just airbrushes in magazines and on billboards. Or in a museum painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to believe they were real.
I decided the most beautiful of all was the smaller girl with red hair, though I expected that half of the student body would vote for the blond prom queen girl. They would be wrong, though. I mean, all of them were gorgeous, but the girl was something more than just beautiful. She was absolutely perfect. It was upsetting, disturbing kind of perfection. It made my stomach uneasy.
They were all looking away; away from each other, away from the rest of the students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. It reminded me of models posed oh so artistically for an ad—aesthetic ennui. As I watched, the short dirty blond haired guy, with the kind face, rose with his tray—unopened soda, untouched apple—and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. As he glided though the back door he past another girl that shared the exact same features as the rest. She also had blonde hair and was significantly shorter than the guy who walked past her. I followed her as she made her way to the others, who hadn't changed.
"Who are they?" I asked the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten.
As he looked up to see who I meant—though he could probably guess from my tone—suddenly she looked at us, the perfect one. She looked at my neighbour for just a fraction of a second, and then her dark eyes flickered to mine. Long eyes, angled up at the corners, thick lashes.
She looked away quickly, faster than I could, though I dropped my stare as soon as she'd glanced our way. I could feel my blood rush to my face. In that brief flash of a glance, her face wasn't interested at all—it was like she had called her name, and she'd looked up involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.
My neighbour laughed once, uncomfortable, looking down at the table like I did.
She muttered her answer under her breath. "Those are the Avengers," She had a quick glance towards their table and continued, "There's Tony Stark, James Barnes, Pepper Pots, Natasha Romanoff, Yelena Belova and the one who just let is Steve Rogers. They all live with Dr. Vostokoff and her husband."
I glanced sideways at there perfect girl, who was looking at her tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with thin, pale fingers. Her mouth was moving very quickly, her full lips barely opening. The other four looked away, but I still thought she might be speaking quietly to them.
Then I finally remembered that my neighbours name was Maria.
"They're all very . . . good looking." What an understatement.
"Yeah!" Maria agreed with another laugh. "They're all together though—Tony and Pepper, James and Steve. Like dating, you know? And they live together." She snickered and wagged her eyebrows suggestively.
I didn't know why, but her reaction made me want to defend them. Maybe just because she sounded so judgmental. But what could I say? I didn't know anything about them.
"Well if they're not related then it doesn't matter." I said, wanting to change the tone but not the subject.
"Oh, Yelena and Natasha are sister but the others aren't related. Dr. Vostokoff is really young. Early thirties. All of them are sort of adopted."
"Sort of?"
"I'm not sure if they are adopted or some kind of foster kids."
"They look old for foster kids."
"They are now. Pepper and James are both eighteen, but they've been with Mr. Shostakov since they were little."
"That's actually kind of amazing—for them to take care of all those kids, when they're so young and everything."
"I guess so," Maria said, though it sounded like he'd rather not say anything positive. As if she didn't like the doctor and her husband for some reason . . . and the way she was looking at their adopted kids, I could guess there might be some jealousy involved. "I think Dr. Vostokoff can't have kids, though," she added, as if that somehow made what they were doing less admirable.
Through all this conversation, I couldn't keep my eyes away from the strange family for more than a few seconds at a time. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.
"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. How could I never have noticed them during my summers here?
"No. They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."
I felt a strange wave of pity, and relief. Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were still outsiders, not accepted. Relief that I wasn't the only new comer here, and definitely not the most interesting by any standard.
As I examined them again, the perfect girl looked up and met my gaze, this time with obvious curiosity. As I immediately looked away, I thought that her look held some kind of unanswered expectation.
"Which one is the girl with reddish hair?" I asked. I tried to glance casually in that direction, like I was just checking out the cafeteria; she was still staring at me, but not gawking like the other kids had today—she had this frustrated expression I didn't understand. I looked down again.
"That's Natasha. She's hot, sure, but don't waste your time. She doesn't go out with anyone. Apparently nobody here are good enough for her," Maria said sourly, then grunted. I wondered how many times she'd turned her down.
I pressed my lips together to hide a smile. Then I glanced at her again. Natasha. Her face was turned away, but I thought from the shape of her cheek that she might be smiling, too.
After a few more minutes, the five of them left the table together. They all were seriously graceful. It was a strange thing to watch them in motion together. Natasha didn't look at me again.
I sat at the table with Maria and her friends longe than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I didn't want to be late for class on my first day. One of my new acquaintances, who politely reminded me that his name was Clint, had Biology II with me the net hour. We walked to class together in silence. He was probably shy like me.
First Sight
I didn't sleep well that night, even after I finally got my head to shut up. The constant whooshing of the rain and the wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. I pulled the old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quiet drizzle.
Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning, and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a prison cage I'd imagined.
Breakfast with Nick was quiet. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked him, knowing his hope was a waste of time. Good luck tended to avoid me. Nick left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one the three non-matching chairs and stared at the familiar kitchen, with dark panelled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and while linoleum, floor. Nothing had changed. My mum had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago, trying to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace the adjoining, microscopic family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Nick and my mum in Las Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of my school pictures up to this year's. Those were embarrassing to look at—the bad haircuts, the braces years, the acne that had finally cleared up. I would have to see what I could do to get Nick to put them somewhere else, at least while I was living here.
It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Nick had never gotten over my mum. It made me uncomfortable.
I didn't want to be too early to school, but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I put on my jacket—thick, non-breathing plastic, like a biohazard suit—and headed out into the rain.
It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eave by the door, and Locked up. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots sounded weird. I missed the normal crunch of gravel as I walked.
Inside the ruck, it was nice and dry. Either Odin or Nick had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. The engine started quickly, which was a relied, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a flaw. The antique radio worked, a bonus I hadn't expected.
Finding the school wasn't difficult; like most other things, it was just off the highway. It wasn't obvious at first that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be Forks High school, clued me in. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-coloured bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the institution? It thought. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?
I parked by the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading FRONT OFFICE. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot.
Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; there was a little waiting area with padded folding chard, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, and a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there weren't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full o papers and brightly coloured flyers taped to the front. There were three desks behind the counter; a round, balding man in glasses sat at one. He was wearing a t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed for the weather.
The balding man looked up. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Y/n Fury," I informed him, and saw the quick recognition in his eyes. I was expected, already the subject of gossip. The Chief's daughter, the one with the unstable mum, come home at last.
"Of course," he said. He dug through a leaning stack of papers on his desk till he found the ones he was looking fro "I have your schedule right here, Y/n, and a map of the school." He brought several sheets to the counter to show me.
He went through my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each teacher sign, which I was to bring back at the end of the day. He smiled at me and hoped, like Nick, that I would like it here in Forks.
I smiled back as convincingly as I could.
When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. Most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. Ay home, I'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighbourhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the students lot. The nicest car here was a brand-new Volvo, and it stood out. Still, I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the earsplitting volume wouldn't draw attention to me.
I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorise it now; hopefully I wouldn't have to walk around with it stick in front of my nose all day. I stuffed everything in my backpack, slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. It won't be that bad, I lied to myself. Seriously, though. this wasn't a life and death situation—it was just high school. It's not like anyone was going to bite me. I finally exhaled, and stepped out of the truck.
I pulled my hood down over my face as I walked to the sidewalk, crowed with teenagers. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I was glad to see, though there wasn't much I could do about my height. I hunched my shoulders and kept my head down.
Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. I followed two unisex raincoats through the door.
The classroom was small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-coloured blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least my skin wouldn't be a standout here.
I took the slip up to the teacher, a narrow woman with thinning hair whose desk had a nameplate identifying her as Ms.Mason. She gawked at me when she saw my name—discouraging—and I could feel the blood rush into my face, no doubt forming unattractive splotches across my cheeks. At least she sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. I tried to fold myself into the little desk as inconspicuously as possible.
It was harder for my new classmates to stare at me in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was pretty basic: Brontë, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting ... and boring. I wondered if my mum would send me my folder of old essays, or if she would think that was cheating. I went through different arguments with her in my head while the teacher droned on.
When the bell rang, a pale, skinny girl with blonde hair leaned across the aisle to talk to me.
"You're Y/n Fury, aren't you?" She gave off the vibe of an overly helpful, chess club type.
"Yep," as soon as the word fell from my mouth, everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me.
"Where's your next class?" She asked.
I had to check my bag. "Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six."
There was nowhere to look without meeting curious eyes.
"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way..." Definitely over-helpful. "I'm Sharon," she added.
I forced a smile. "Thanks."
We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. Several people seemed to be walking too close behind us—like they were trying to eavesdrop or something. I hoped I wasn't getting paranoid.
"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" she asked.
"Very."
"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"
"Three or four times a year."
"Wow, what must that be like?" she wondered.
"Sunny," I told her.
"You don't look very tan."
"My mother is part albino."
She studied my face uneasily, and I stifled a groan. It looked like clouds and a sense of humour didn't mix. A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm.
We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Sharon followed me right to the door, though it was clearly marked.
"Well, good luck," she said as I touched the handle. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together." She sounded hopeful.
I smiled at her—in what I hoped was not an encouraging way—and went inside.
The rest of the morning passed in about the same way. My Trigonometry teacher, Ms. Varner, who I would have disliked anyway just because of the subject she taught, was the only one who made me stand in front of the class and introduce myself. I stammered, I could feel the heat rushing through my cheeks, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat.
After two classes, I started to recognise some of the faces in each room. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks. I tried to be diplomatic, but mostly I just lied a lot. At least I never needed a map.
One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She reached my shoulders in height and had long dark black hair. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she rattled on about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.
We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me—couldn't complain about the manners here. I forgot all their names as soon as she said them. They seemed to think it was cool that she'd invited me. The girl from English, Sharon, waved at me from across the room, and they all laughed. Already the butt of the joke. It was probably a new record for me. But none of them seemed mean-spirited about it.
It was there, sitting in the lunch room, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.
Just saw a fanfic about Kevin McCallister and Clint Barton fighting bad guys together and at first I was like,
"Wow, what and insane world we like in"
But then I thought about for a second and realized,
"Kevin and Clint beating the shit out of criminals actually sounds really badass and I kind of want that crossover"
So I'd say that I've lost all sanity, yes.