Opening Night Is Never A Bad Night For...
Finally finished it. It’s like 3600 Words and I’m not sure what happened. Normally I would also post it on Ao3 (and I will) but I’m having problems with the formatting. (like a part is fine and then it just changes in every form).
ANYWAY here, have some Frost Hawk, Avenger, Theater AU thing
Excited conversations filled the theater minutes before the play was set to start. The Avengers were The Play to go see this season. It had been revealed a mere month before Opening Night with absolutely no information about what it was about or who was going to be in it. The only thing revealed was that it was the fourth part in a series of play no one had even known was connected. Everyone had been talking about it and tonight was Opening Night, seats filled with news reporters and critics and just people who loved theater. The atmosphere was great and people smiled and talked to strangers, because everything was comfortable. There was a man though, strolling through the masses and sneering at anyone looking at him. Next to all the visitors having dressed up for the evening, the man looked like he wasn't in the right place. His sneakers were dirty and scuffed, his jeans two size too big and ripped in various places and his hoodie just as bad. He had a ticket, so no one could say anything, but it was clear more than a few wanted to throw him out immediately. A chime was audible and talking turned to hushed whispers, before completely falling silent as the lights dimmed and the room was bathed in darkness. Nothing happened for a minute. “Get on with it”, someone said, back in the back rows, loud enough to be heard by most of the audience but not loud enough to be completely disruptive. It was the man from the lobby. He earned another round of looks, even though they couldn't really see him, but just in that moment spotlights turned on, illuminating the stage enough to see two people, bathed in light blue. One was tall and broad, but shadows obscured them, no indication who or what it was. The other was smaller, hunched over with a hood obscuring his face. The air around them sparkled with simulated galaxies. “The Tesseract has awakened.” The voice echoed through the room and a few people shivered. “It is on a neutral world, a human world.” “They wield its power, but our ally knows it's working, so that they never will learn.” A loud snort from the rude man, this time louder breaking the atmosphere for just a second. “He's ready to lead, and our force, our Chitauri will follow”, the taller one said after a moment of silence. “The world will be his and the universe yours.” “And the humans, what can they do, but burn.” The words were a growl and there was a flash of blue light, before everything went dark again. Applause filled the room as a single spotlight came on, making Steve Rogers appear, a highly sought out actor who had floored many with his performance as Captain America. His scene was to beat up a punching bag while Nick Fury, playing the Director, was approaching him. It was to build the plot, to give a few laughs. “Boring”, the rude man said loudly. This time someone else told him to shut up. There were a couple more scenes with Tony Stark who earned so much applause and shouting that he had to take a minute, before he could continue the play, Natasha Romanov and Phil Coulson. They talked about the Tesseract and the Avengers Initiative and judging from the applause the audience seemed to love it. Except for the one man, shouting insults every now and then. He was told to shut up repeatedly and even the security gave him the last warning. A blue cube, the Tesseract, was glowing on one side of the stage, a flutter of unimportant scientists around it and the Director and Erik Selvig as The Doctor approaching it. “The energy is going through the roof in completely random spikes”, Selvig said and they stopped in the middle of the stage. “I don't recall you being authorized for any tests, Doctor.” “That's just it”, Selvig gestured with wide eyes. “I wasn't even in the room.” The low background music bathed the room subconsciously in dread. No one knew what would happen. “We should evacuate”, Selvig said, but Fury scowled. “Pull the plug and...” “We've tried.” Selvig shook his head and gestured towards the cube. “The tesseract is an energy source. If we turn off the power, she turns it back.” As if she had heard, there was a pulse of blue light and a rumbling sound. Everyone swayed as if the ground was moving. The rude man snorted and rolled his eyes when the person next to him looked over. It was a meek man who wouldn't dare speak up. He blue light didn't stop flashing, faster and faster as the people on stage shouted and scrambled in chaos, until the light didn't disappear again and the music swelled until. Suddenly there was a man stepping forward as if coming through the cube. The music fell silent and it took two second as the green and black clad man moved for the whole audience to realize that it was the actor Loki Laufeyson who had played The Trickster in a previous play where his character had supposedly died. Thunderous applause and cheers drowned out anything else. Loki smirked, holding a stick, a scepter of some sort, and looked as if everyone else was beneath him. It wasn't so much different to how he looked off stage, but here there was a bit more crazy on his face. “Sir, please put down the spear”, Fury said as it finally got quiet enough for him to get heard. Loki's smirk got meaner. “I am the Trickster of Asgard and I am burdened by glorious purpose.” “Like the animal or did you mean to say popcorn? Either way, it's pretty stupid.” Everyone seemed to freeze and hold their breath as Loki blinked and then slowly turned towards the audience. “Excuse me?” In the silent room the quiet words carried towards every corner. “I mean, come on. You're supposed to come out of some alien portal? And you decide that's the first sentence you say? It's ridiculous.” The rude man scoffed and the people around him shifted away, as if they wanted everyone to know they weren't associated with him. Loki stepped forward until he stood on the edge of the stage. “Show yourself, ant”, he commanded and one of the spotlights shifted, illuminating the crowd who helpfully pointed in the direction of the rude man until the light was on top of him. “It's Clint, not ant”, the rude man said and gave a two finger salute, sprawled in his seat. “Well, Clint”, Loki said, his tone exactly the same as it had been for ant. “I order you to kneel before me, as it is your natural state to be ruled.” Clint started to laugh and it took a minute of Loki glowering at him for Clint to get himself back under control. “That's even worse.” During the short exchange Selvig had approached from behind and looked like he was about to reach for Loki's scepter. Without looking Loki turned slightly and grabbed Selvig's wrist and put the scepter's point onto Selvig's chest, right over his heart. Blue light flooded the room. “You pitiful human”, Loki drawled. “You're mine now.” “Yes, sir”, Selvig said, his voice empty of any emotions, his body going slack. “Oh fuck that”, Clint exclaimed. “Now you're supposed to have fucking mind control? Seriously?” “How about you come up here and find out for yourself?” Loki was smirking as the blue light waned and he turned to one of the extras to put the scepter onto their chest too. “Keep the Director nicely occupied.” “Oh, why, I'd love to.” Clint stood up and pushed himself past the other audience members sitting in the same row who glared at him, disgruntled, but stayed silent. He jogged down the alley between the seats to the stage, while Loki mind controlled a couple more who then grabbed some stuff and kept Fury and his agents in check. The spotlight followed Clint and he just climbed onto the stage, ignoring the stairs at the side. Without hesitating he went up to Loki who smirked as he saw that Clint was smaller than him. “Little human”, Loki said, bringing the scepter up to underneath Clint's chin to tilt his head up further. Clint's look was challenging and he didn't step away. “You look even more arrogant from up close.” He said it at a normal volume, but he was close enough that Loki's mic picked it up and broadcast it through the room. “You said handsome wrong”, Loki said, eyes roaming over Clint's body. “I almost feel sorry for turning you into my slave. Almost.” He lowered the scepter to Clint's chest and blue light once again flooded the room. Just like Selvig Clint's body posture changed completely and his face turned emotionless. “Sir.” Loki smiled, satisfied, and then turned with a flick of his coat, moving off to the side towards the stage exit. As soon as Loki wasn't looking at Clint anymore, Clint rolled his shoulders and sketched an extravagant bow for the audience, before winking at them and following Loki. With the audience whispering and not really knowing what to think, the lights turned off completely, indicating the end of the scene. ~*~ “The Trickster took the Doctor, several of my agents and the Tesseract. Who knows what he has planed with all that.” Fury looked at the rest of the main cast gathered around him. “Let's find him.” ~*~ “We need the Iridium”, Selvig said and Loki scowled. “Clint”, he ordered and Clint nodded seriously. “Anything for you, sir”, Clint said, looking up at Loki through his eyelashes and licked his lips. Loki stared at Clint's mouth, not noticing how close they stood together. The moment stretched until Selvig cleared his throat and Loki straightened up. “Get it done.” He avoided looking at Clint after that. ~*~ “I have every camera out looking for him and his so called army”, Tony said and knocked on the table with his knuckles. “It's only a matter of time.” “This is a serious matter, Iron Man”, Steve glowered, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “Do I not look serious?” He pulled a grimace and Steve looked even angrier. “Guys”, Natasha interrupted. “Focus.” She pointed at Bruce. “We have a visual”, he announced and everyone straightened up. ~*~ The stage was separated into two halves with the right and left illuminated and a black space in the middle. On the right people were running around in panic while Loki stood on a raised surface with a haughty expression. “Kneel before me. Is this not your natural state? You crave subjugation. I said, kneel”, he shouted and everyone hunkered down, afraid. The sound of a plane was audible as Natasha, Tony, Steve and Phil arrived. A fight ensued. On the other half people were relaxed and in fancy clothes and having fun. A lone figure stepped to the railing of the walkway a couple of feet in the air along the stage. Blond hair combed back neatly, tight black pants and sleeveless jacket showing off muscled arms. Purple accents streaked along the seams and a purple mask hid the upper half of his face. Hawkeye, a minor character that had appeared for about a minute in the play about the Thunder God and the Trickster. A few applauded politely as the sounds of the fight quietened and the sounds of the party beneath Hawkeye grew louder. He stretched his neck from side to side and then hopped onto the railing in a crouch balancing effortlessly. “I don't need this”, he said and pulled off the mask to fling it over his shoulder, revealing himself as Clint. A shocked commotion rolled through the audience and talking erupted for ten seconds, before Clint stood up on the railing like it was normal ground. “Let's get this show on the road”, he said and smirked, before just flipping off and onto the main stage beneath. Now the people at the party were the ones running around scared as Clint grabbed a person and pulled them to the vault in the back. ~*~ “Can't do anything without me, huh?” Clint smirked at Loki who he had freed from a cage on the Helicarrier. His bow leaned against his shoulder. Loki brushed off dust and threw Clint a dirty glance. “I was about to break out myself.” “Mhm.” Clint stepped closer and grabbed the lapel of Loki's jacket with two fingers without looking into Loki's eyes. “They didn't hurt you, right?” “They wanted information, but had not resorted to torture yet.” “Good”, Clint said, his expression promising murder. “They wouldn't like what I'd do to them.” “For me?”, Loki asked hesitatingly, blinking in surprise. “Anything for you”, Clint said firmly, this time without the robotic edge to it. They were interrupted by another of Loki's men announcing that the Avengers were coming and they had to go. ~*~ “Now he has the Tesseract AND the scepter and we have no idea where he is going to be.” Fury scowled at the group of supposed superheroes in front of him. “He wants to make a statement. Stuttgart was just previews.” Tony rubbed his chin and Steve had his arms crossed with a glower. Natasha straightened up. “I know where he is going to go.” ~*~ One single spotlight lit up on the far right and Loki stood in it. He didn't have his scepter with him, but was wearing his green and gold outfit. His expression was not one of crazy mania or unhinged thoughts as it was before. It was one of contemplation. He made a few steps towards the middle of the stage, before a voice stopped him and he turned around. “Sir”, Clint joined him, wearing no mic again, so he got as close to Loki as he could without touching. Clint was still wearing his black and purple fighting gear with a quiver and bow strapped to his back. They looked into each other's eyes for a good thirty seconds without saying anything. “There has to be another way”, Clint said with the tone of someone who had already said it a couple times. Loki just sighed and started to turn as if to walk away. “We're doing it anyway.” Swiftly Clint grabbed the lapels of Loki's jacket pulled Loki closer, pressing himself to Loki's front, before kissing him. There were surprised gasps from those that hadn't seen this development coming and cheering from those that had. When Clint leaned back, Loki looked absolutely taken off guard. “Be careful”, Clint whispered, his hands flattening the jacket and then moving to the sides of Loki's face. “Please.” His voice echoed through the room and a couple of the audience members looked uncomfortable, as if they were encroaching on a private moment. Loki's featured softened and he pulled Clint in for another sweet kiss. “I will. Please do the same.” “Anything for you, sir.” Clint's smile was warm. The light went out and they disappeared. ~*~ The end battle was big with people all over the place, fights between two or three isolated and highlighted, audio switching from fight to fight, grunts and quips and exclamations. Clint was mainly up on the balcony, fighting with Natasha or shooting arrows all over the place, while Loki was downstairs whirling around with his scepter and fighting Steve or Tony or even Thor. “Watch out”, Clint shouted, jumping onto the railing and running full sprint on it until he was next to Loki. He drew an arrow and shot it at Tony in less than a second, but he wasn't fast enough. Tony hit Loki, sending him flying back and sliding over the ground, just before Tony was hit by the arrow in his shoulder and pulled back by Steve. Without hesitation Clint flipped off the railing again, much faster, much more reckless and everyone held their breath until Clint landed on his feet though he went down on his knees next to Loki immediately. Everyone raised their weapons, ready to attack Loki and end this, but Loki lifted his hand and there was a flash of green and they all froze mid motion. Except for Clint and Loki. Clint curled one arm around Loki's back and pulled him up into a half sitting position and Loki just slumped into Clint. “You were the one insisting on the plan and now you're not even following it.” Clint tried to keep his voice calm, but there was still a tremor in it. His free hand hovered over the red spreading over Loki's chest. Loki grabbed Clint's wrist, took a shuddered breath and looked up to look into Clint's eyes. “You're still going to do it. I'm ordering you to.” “Fuck you.” Clint's hand went up to Loki's neck, fingers digging into the skin a little. “After all the preparation and the killing and the lies, you're not going to leave me alone now.” “If this has to happen to achieve our goal...” “It's not worth it” Clint interrupted, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Loki's. Loki's eyes closed for a second. “You're not thinking rationally.” “You're fucking dying. Forgive me if I'm not keeping my emotions in check.” Clint sneered for a second, before he sagged a little. “Please. Use your magic. There must be something you can do.” Letting go of Clint's wrist Loki grabbed Clint's collar and pulled him down into a messy, desperate kiss, both clinging to the other. “I love you”, Loki whispered, just before there was a blinding light and everyone started to move again, though they stopped in confusion. Clint was still kneeling on the ground, but Loki's body was gone. The only sign of his death was the red stain on the ground and the tears rolling down Clint's cheeks. “It's ready”, Selvig shouted from the balcony and broke the moment. With a fierce expression Clint stood up. “Do it.” “What?” - “No!” - “Someone stop him!” Selvig flipped the switch and the sound of the machine using the Tesseract filled the air, humming with energy. “How dare you?”, a voice boomed through the hall, a figure stepping onto the stage from behind some crates, the silhouette recognized from the start of the play. Clint took his bow off his back and drew an arrow to point right at the man. “You have terrorized planets and now you took the man I love who didn't even know it. We're putting an end to it.” With those words Clint let loose the arrow, letting it fly directly through Thanos' eye, killing him. He fell to the ground with a thump and lay there, anticlimactically. “So, he is one of the good guys?”, Tony asked and all, but Clint glared at him. “What?” ~*~ The applause was deafening from the second the play was over. Everyone was rushing to their feet, even the critics, clapping and hollering. One by one the actresses and actors came out and bowed, basking in the cheers that exploding for each one. Although, when Clint and Loki came out together, there was another raise and Clint's laughter as he bowed was inaudible even to Loki and Natasha who were both directly next to him. Clint loved these moments. When they had finished basking in the praise and had praised the audio department and the behind the scenes crew, Clint felt like it was the perfect opportunity. He stepped forward out of the line they had built and raised his hands flatly into the air to quiet the hall. “What are you doing?”, Loki said, his voice sounding like a hiss in the noise, but Clint just winked at him, at which Loki pulled a face. Clint's expression never promised anything good. “After this absolutely amazing Opening Night”, Clint started. “An amazing performance by everyone, including the man that told me to, and I quote, shut the fuck up, dipshit earlier.” Chuckles, but there was still confusion. “There is still something I really want to do here, in front of everybody.” Clint paused for dramatic effect, not managing to suppress a grin. “Loki”, he continued, turning towards him. “We have known each other for a very long time now.” Loki's eyes narrowed. “Are you doing what I think you're doing?” With a flourish Clint pulled out the tiny purple velvet box and went down on one knee under the screaming of a hundred people. “I hate you so much.” “Loki Laufeyson, will you make me the happiest person in this room by agreeing to become my husband?” “You already fucking know the answer.” Loki grabbed Clint's arm and pulled him into a big hug, before kissing him senseless. Tony whistled sharply, but that and everything else fell into the background as Clint and Loki just grinned at each other and hugged in between exchanging more kisses. ~*~ Every single newspaper and online blog was full with articles about that night.
