brandingproblem | au shenanigans for icasm

"It is nice, yes." Lonely and strange at its worst times, but it remains the least stressful living arrangement he's had in quite a while. "I'm too intense for most, whether or not I'm already annoyed.

"Will you become the sort of people who host parties in order to fil the house with noise? I imagine not." But it does beg the question, what will the Bartons do with an empty house?

"I don't know. Maybe. For some of the people that are left, and some of the new kids, maybe. Probably not. We haven't really made any decisions and probably won't until Nate's about ready to graduate."

And then it really will be too quiet. What are they going to do with themselves?

"I imagine he'll be like his siblings and make sure to keep in touch with Uncle Loki all the time."

That seems like a late point to make decisions, but he supposes something should be said for avoidance tendencies.

"I'm not concerned about that, really." Mostly because he and Nate already have a shared language of memes and strange references to build off of, and he already texts Loki more often than his siblings do. "I am concerned about you, in the future, in a quiet house. What happens when you're bored more often than not?"

"Maybe we'll go back in the field."

Laura's been out of it long enough that she probably would only be logistical support. For whatever group she might fall in with. SWORD maybe.

"There's still plenty of trouble I can help right in the world. Or get into and get myself half killed. Could always try and take on new building projects, though. Keep my hands busy."

He squints out into the night. "Or maybe that's when you'll swoop in and really harp on the whole being your chosen weapon thing. Maybe you've got some chores for me to do."

"Hm."

Another sip of tea. He's not sure how he feels about either of those particular options, honestly. Clint and Laura going back into the field make him feel like his own actions towards making Clint stronger and longer lived than the typical earthbound human would probably hit the light nearly immediately.

"I would prefer you about as close to death as you are today."

A soft scoff. "You know the offer stands to see other worlds, at the very least. I am not going to force it on you." Once again, skirting too close to things they don't talk about. "Not this decade."

"I dunno, if you were going to, I'd hurry if I were you. God knows the next time I go somewhere and trouble lands right in my lap, I've lived on borrowed time for half my life."

"You say that as though I don't have the means to keep tabs on where you are when you wander away from home." A beat. Loki finishes his tea and sets it down on the coffee table. "Do you want me to convince you?"

"I'm not getting whisked away on intergalactic adventures with you." Not yet. Not just yet. Nate still needs to be cared for until he's out of the house. "Might be able to convince Laura she needs a vacation, though. What's a place you'd like to show me?"

"Well if I'm to take people on a vacation there's any number of spots." Loki hums. "Gibborum is beautiful mid-winter, Indigarr has gorgeous sunsets and fascinating horticulture. I could do a whirlwind tour, I suppose. Sights to see around the galaxy."

"What's your favorite place?"

He winces to himself after, recognizing that maybe Loki's favorite place is probably someplace that doesn't even exist anymore. "Favorite that we could go to, I mean."

A long pause on Loki's end. "I don't know, really. It's been... complicated."

People usually know who he is. Trouble occurs. Memories haunt him.

"Perhaps somewhere new."

It occurs to Clint what this whirlwind tour might actually be. "Starting to think this isn't actually a vacation you're planning." More of a leave and never look back, keep going until eventually one of them (Clint) croaks. Cause as much trouble somewhere as possible, take off to parts unknown, rinse repeat.

"Is there anywhere on Earth you want to see that you haven't already?"

"There are some places. Some of them possibly mythical, the rest simply uninterested in contact with the broader outside world. Should I compile a list?"

"Well..." Does Atlantis exist? He's not taking the likes of Loki to Wakanda. Shit, does Loki know more about the planet than he does? "I can't promise I'd be able to get you to any of those places."

But it's nice to dream? Ugh.

That's too bad because Loki would really like to see Wakanda.

"That's fine. This is an exercise, anyway."

"In futility?"

There's a soft sound that might be Clint thudding his head back against the wall. "Sorry, that was...rude. This was my idea in the first place." To talk. Just talk. Try not to ruin everything. "A list would be nice."

Loki makes a sound between humming and sighing. "An exercise meaning practice, not in futility, actually. I can send a list.

Anything else I should send you?"

"If I say anything, you're going to actually send it, and I'll feel kind of weird about it." He mulls it over. "Some heavy duty painkillers. Dignity if you have any to spare."

"Hm." There's the noise of Loki getting up, going to the kitchen, going through his cabinets. "Do you want pharmaceuticals or magic?"

"Can you send magic?" Actually curious. Because frankly, with the life Clint's led, of course they've got some heavy duty shit in their medicine cabinet. Some stuff they probably shouldn't legally have in an emergency kit. "Or do you have to do that in person? Or you mean like, runes, or a pouch of enchanted herbs to steep in tea, or something like that?"

"I can send items with magical properties, or I could send a potion of sorts. It would be an object, not... raw power. Is this for now or later?"

"It's for hopefully never but just in case."

He licks his lips. It seems dangerous, but fuck, if Loki was going to do something to him, he would've a long time ago. Or else this is the longest con.

"Did you learn it from your mom?"

Things that'll make interesting topics of conversation in a year or two, certainly.

"Ah, I see." The rattle of glass bottles being moved around. "She did. Some of my fondest memories are with her, learning magic and potioncraft.

Do you have any good memories with your mother?"

Loki might be able to hear the grin on Clint's face. "Yeah. Yeah, we were really close when I was growing up. Did everything together. Had dreams of a place just like this. Nice farmhouse...tree out front to practice shooting at...I think she'd be proud."

He can. It's nice, actually. "I have no reasons to believe otherwise. You've done well for yourself, to remain true to those dreams in the first place."

His mother, honestly, would be amazed that he decided to live here. On Earth. In this place.

au shenanigans for icasm

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