Here we are! Chapter 4!WHOO HOO!

Yea this is getting updated pretty fast because I have had these written for awhile, just finally plastering them up here instead of my facebook. Hee.

ANYWAY, as always please enjoy, read, review, favorite, follow, or whatever your heart desires. As long as you are enjoying this, then I am as happy as can be! :)

Many Thanks!

I own no one but Veiri. :3

Trick or Kiss

"Natasha… what the heck do you get a Valkyrie for Christmas? Do they even celebrate Christmas? Should I just call it a Winter Solstice gift or…?" The question had come absolutely out of nowhere while they were laying down fire in the middle of a desert warzone. Yes, Hawkeye, of all people, was asking about finding a gift for the up and coming holiday. That was in two months. Less than that since technically Halloween was tomorrow.

A look of absolute confusion hit her eyes as she stared at the man asking such a question between taking shots at the enemy, "Are you serious right now? I think we have worse things to worry about than gifts!" The female agent ducked down as soon as a barrage of bullets soared over them. A groan as she watched him toss aside a now empty gun and start to pull out his limited supply of arrows as a last resort, "Besides, one holiday at a time!"

"I was just trying to get a head start!" The man replied with an exasperated sigh before the silence of an empty gun clicked. The chance was taken and he popped up like a rabbit and released the arrow. Head ducked down and there was a resounding BOOM before debris flew overhead in tiny pieces. There was a dead silence as he received a rather dark look from the woman, "What? I didn't have a clear aim on the gas tank before." A sort of smile before adding, "So now can you help with the gift?"

"Don't make me shoot you, Hawkeye."

Later…

"Clint! Natasha! You made it back and without getting shot!" The exclamation was from a rather happy blonde woman striding towards the two as they landed a helicopter onto the massive ship. Long legs allowed her to meet with them quickly as she threw her arms in a tight embrace first around Natasha, and then around Clint, "I was becoming worried."

Natasha gave an exasperated sigh, although she did smile, after all it seemed that the woman was starting to become happier. Certainly more talkative than before, which was a vast improvement to the mood she had for weeks. It seemed as though a certain archer was making a difference in the immortal woman, "We would have returned sooner, but your boyfriend here was slacking."

The words made Veiri laugh quietly, sensing the exhaustion and exasperation, "I'm going to skip the correction of terminology and instead I am going to tell you to go and get some rest. You deserve it, plus you never did seem to like Halloween. Go, rest, I shall punish the slacker by dragging him off for costume shopping! I promise to take plenty of pictures." Phone was held up as proof, as this one had a mightily nice camera on it. It got a smile out of the aburn-haired woman whom waved to the two and started to walk off inside for well deserved rest.

"You aren't really going to take pictures, are you?" There was a wary smile on his features, growing more so as she simply gave with a grin. No way in any universe he was going to be able to deny that warm and playful smile. Ever since she had first set that one on him, he had found himself obliging in any activity that continued to place that expression on her features. It was best to not even get started on what her laughter did.

It was only then that he realized what she was wearing, a navy blue cotton dress that swept its way down to her knees and that dark brown leather jacket over top. Blond waves were let lose, framing her face in the most beautiful way. Hell, she was even wearing make-up, natural tones on her lips and eyes just to hint enough at the natural vibrancy of color she already had. To finish off the look, she somehow made a tall pair of black knee-high combat boots fit with the rest of her look. For her, it worked far too well and it was distracting him from her laughter. Dammit, she was laughing! It was at him too and he started to recall why she would be… empathy. It meant she could feel every…

Dammit… gods damn it all, to her he was just transparent.

"Just get your civilian clothes on will you? Before the entire ship makes me die of laughter. Seriously, I will never understand what makes me so interesting to stare at." Hand rose to wipe away a mirthful tear, even the nails were painted in alternating oranges and black. Someone was certainly excited for the holiday, it was of course something he did not want to discourage.

A nod given to her and a meaningful smile, after all he didn't really have to tell her how in the past few weeks the woman was incredibly charming. That nearly every single man and even a few women stared at her with a sort of longing because she was just gorgeous without even realizing it. When happy, she simply seemed to light up those around her. How could he ever deny her? "Of course, just wait right here for me, then you can make me look ridiculous."

The man didn't think he had ever changed as quickly as he did right then, even in emergency situations. For crying out loud, he was pretty sure he was what one called 'whipped'. Beyond comprehension even. It wasn't as though she even lorded it over him, it simply came naturally to go along with her plans. How easily she managed to find things that normally he disliked but would just be tolerable enough for Veiri to make it enjoyable.

It was in his rush to get dressed that as Clint sprouted from below deck, he elicited another fit of laughter from the woman. It confused him as to why she was laughing so hard until he saw why. His socks didn't even match (a grey one and a black one, yeesh) and his shirt was on backwards. Sheepish smile formed as he was already standing beside her being laughed at, "I… will go back downstairs and try this again."

"No! I am sorry, I hadn't meant to laugh. Don't worry about it, just hand me your jacket so you can fix that shirt. That has to be uncomfortable." Hand was held out expectantly, not seeming phased on if he was shirtless or not. Not like she had much to say about her socks, which she kept hidden most of the time. It was inevitable, she really liked her brightly colored cotton footwear. So mismatched socks were no big thing. The jacket was finally relinquished to her and there was a moment of him removing his rust-red shirt.

Admittedly, Veiri enjoyed the view before the shirt was tugged on the proper way, showing a faded design of some sort of brand for soda. Clint wore it well, and it took her a second before she shook her head clear of silly thoughts. Coat was held out to him and she grinned, "Alright, ready to take off?"

"We're using the boat again, aren't we?" When she nodded in reply, he chuckled at her. There was a boat that she had wanted, a small motor powered thing that at most fit four people. One of the shopping trips she nearly gushed at the simple craft, mostly because it had a sail with it and the previous owner had it named S.S. Yggdrasil which tickled her fancy.

It seemed no one was really going to argue it with her, it had even been given space on the headquarters so it could easily be used if needed. There were some other things she had been tinkering with on it, mostly with the help of a certain Tony Stark, but otherwise she operated it like a normal boat. The two made their way over to the little vessel, the woman happily getting to work on unstrapping the boat from its place. Help given of course by Clint that felt this starting to become second nature. Soon they were standing in the boat, lowering it into the water. Freed from the headquarters, the S.S. Yggdrasil was already taking off for the nearest docks.

Travel did not take long, the two running along the water with a bright smile of enjoyment plastered onto Veiri's face. Infectious sort of smile that had him doing the same, although in a far more relaxed manner. Clint would help where he could, although it was easy to tell she had spent much time on various sea crafts that the thing could be operated on her alone. How interesting it was to watch her concentrate on her work so blissfully, as though nothing wrong had ever happened. It made the missions worthwhile if he could return and see that smile brighten up the day. That was the sort of smile people would die to protect.

Docking took even less time, the space rented had soon been filled by the craft and tied up. Now they could get to the intended goal of this trip, costume shopping. Although how they were going to find anything the day of Halloween was going to be the challenge. Missions for both of them had left them too busy to find anything otherwise. Several shops had the most ridiculous costumes left over, of which Veiri made absolutely sure to take pictures of Clint wearing, even making up for it by wearing a few herself to make him take pictures of with her phone.

No doubt a certain Natasha Romanov was laughing her ass off at the pictures of the antics. Finally, Veiri picked out a pair of glitter-decorated orange wings to pull on over her dress she already had on. It was a simple costume. For Clint, he had been delegated to dressing up as a vampire. Black cape tied onto him and fake plastic fangs put in. Now, they were ready for Halloween.

"You know, next year we should figure out some better costumes ahead of time. These fangs are horrible." A slight lisp with every word, making his jaw jut out awkwardly. It wasn't like he had dressed up for Halloween on an annual basis. Usually, it was simply another day, sometimes the sort of day where something was amuck. Although it looked like they were going to have a peaceful evening, dusk settling down and more people starting to come out in costume.

A smile formed on the woman, "Ah yes, perhaps. You really enjoyed this enough to do it another year?" Curious eyes settled on the Vampire-Clint who carefully wove his way around some children. Sure, she had felt the enjoyment from him, but it was another thing entirely for some people to repeat tasks. It was his reply that made her happy it was beginning to become dark.

"Well, as long as it is with you, I don't mind having to wear a clown costume for your amusement. If it makes you smile, I figure it is worth it." It was with hesitation he spoke, unsure of how she would react. All he could really see was the light reflecting off of her thoughtful eyes and the highlights of her cheeks and lips. The two continued walking in silence for several minutes, making him nervous as to how she would reply. It was hard to figure out the proper etiquette with a Valkyrie, much less one who was also immersed in Earth cultures as well. Perhaps he had been too forward.

They seemed to keep going until they reached a temporarily non-children filled portion of the sidewalk, dimmed lights of a closed shop lighting up her bouncing wings, "Next year we can always do something you want to do. I would like to see you smile as well. After all, it is a good look for you." Eyes had not tried to meet his, else they betray how she was suddenly feeling flushed. There was a sudden attempt made at changing the subject, "Oh look, someone made their house into a haunted house."

Attention was drawn to a house that had been decorated rather well to look spooky. Fake webs on an already worn down home. Windows broken, stone carved into and weathered to fit the spookiness of it all. It had a small sign for those to feel free to enter if they dared. Some gaggles of teens and adults were making their way to the home, the occasional scream and mechanical wail heard. "How about we do something this year? Have you ever been in a Haunted House? Some of them are alright, although I suppose after what we have seen, it really isn't that scary." For now, he would accept the change of subject, although he was not entirely sure if he was relieved or not.

"Actually no, I never have. In all honestly, this is the second time I have ever dressed up for the holiday. Haven't even celebrated it in this way beyond reading a few horror novels. I think it will be fun!" Fingers reached out to grasp his without thinking, beginning to tug him along towards the building. It was warm compared to the cool October air. After realizing what she had done, her heartbeat kicked up a notch. It seemed his did as well as there was a sort of shock mingled with elation coming from him.

When Veiri had not let go of his hand, Clint found himself smiling a little brighter as they started up the cement path leading to the front porch of the home. Already there were little finger-bone arrows to help guide the way towards the stairs. Slowly they would follow behind a cluster of teenage girls tittering about, clinging to each other. Little rubber spiders made them shriek, the dropping fake skeletons made them jump. For Clint and Veiri it simply made them laugh, hands still woven together.

It seemed as though the ones running the place really wanted to try and spook the pair, as they soon discovered with each room they passed through, the two simply laughed as though it were a walk in the park. It had even gone as far as to separate the two from the giggling gaggle of shrieking teens by having the floor drop out onto a pile of mattresses and cushions below. It startled them a bit, but it was the way Veiri reacted that seemed to keep the mood light, "I think my wing is bent, that's no fun. Are you alright, Clint?"

"Nothing to report here, although I think I lost my fangs. Which is something I can live with." He admitted with a chuckle before looking up above them as the ceiling was closing above them, leaving it dark. It took a bit, but the eyes started to adjust to the dim lighting filtering through the ceiling above, "Looks like we are in the basement. How about you, Veiri, are you alright other than a bent wing?" Pulling himself up onto his feet, he would turn and offer an arm out so she could pull herself up as well.

Soon the two surveyed their surroundings, "Pretty good here, I think they were getting upset that we aren't screaming our heads off. Hand motioned towards a corner of the room where there were steps. They could either continue with antagonizing the folk of the building or leave to find other things to enjoy. Veiri didn't want to leave, but she didn't exactly want to upset the owners either simply over the fact she didn't feel scared. There was a shuffle behind them, making them both spin around towards someone in a scarecrow costume trying to yell loudly at them.

"Are you finished? It is a good costume and all, but unless you have another drop floor, I think my friend and I might just be going." The Valkyrie smiled to the scarecrow whose shoulders sagged. Apparently, the person was disappointed and soon voiced such.

"Man, you guys suck!" The scarecrow being disappointed suddenly stalked off back to the shadows, presumably to the first floor to continue the terror. This action in itself elicited a chuckle before gazes met. Aside from the sounds above, it was quiet. A nice sort of quiet that made the tension between them just a little bit heavier.

Clint would begin to make his way towards the steps, gently grasping her hand to guide her over as well with as little collisions into a wall or beam as possible. Soon they made their way up the cellar steps and escaped into the cool night air, visibility much better especially with the starlight above. Again their hands would remain together while they stood in the little backyard. "Are the stars different where you are from?"

Such a spontaneous question, yet it was one built off of curiosity. The sort that was how her curiosity for Earth was. Similar thirsts for knowledge simply because they enjoyed learning about something different. Looking to the sky, a tired smile formed, "In their own way, yes. Different constellations but the feeling is still the same. It is better when you aren't in the city… sometimes I like to sit on the headquarters when it is flying. A little cold, but the view is worth it."

"Do you miss those stars?"

A shrug in response, "Not so much anymore. I've grown to enjoy the stars on Earth. I can see your stars pretty well at my house. Someday I suppose I will have to suck it up and go home again. Beds on the ship are pretty awful."

"To Asgard?"

"No, that hasn't been my home for a long time. Earth is my home now, it is something I don't want to change."

Gently, he would begin to lead her out of the yard and onto the sidewalks lining the street, "Well, we aren't going to be sailing back to headquarters anytime soon. Probably best if we find a place to sleep. Order some pizza, grab a cheap horror movie to laugh at. If you want to of course, not entirely sure how this all works."

There he went again, getting himself all nervous over how he was supposed to act around her. No matter how many times they went out to spend time together, or snuck in a conversation, it just seemed to get worse. Despite the empathy, she couldn't fathom why he would be nervous around her. Despite the fact he was nervous, his hand was still holding onto hers, "That sounds splendid, it really does. You don't have to worry how anything works with me, Clint. I'm no different than any other woman."

Head shook as they slowly made their way down the street towards one of the movie stores they had seen on their way in. His cloak dancing in the wind and her wings bouncing unevenly, one of the wings twisted and crooked. "Thing is, you are different. I doubt anyone else would have made me willingly come out tonight. Normally, I just treat it as another day and go on with life. I worried about work more than anything else, and if I had no work, I would just go find more. Guess you make me appreciate my days off, Veiri."

Silence as Veiri mulled over his words, her heart racing again to make her face flush and thoughts scramble incoherently, "It's Eir."

It was all she managed to say, but it was that simple statement that made him looked to her curiously, "What?"

"My name… it is Eir. Was… is… sort of the same thing really. I suppose when I left Asgard, I didn't want to be found. Changed my name a little bit and Veiri came about. Only those who knew me from there actually know my name. After he died though, I didn't want the name being used anymore. Made me think of him too much, so I made sure Thor and everyone else would call me by Veiri." A smile started to form as she stopped walking, causing him to do the same. It wasn't a sad one, but a hopeful sort of smile that would spread on her features. Such a smile was meant for him, "I mean… I guess I want everyone to still call me Veiri, but I want to make sure you know my real name. "

The smile was returned, albeit still nervous, "Eir. I like the name, it really is too bad you don't use it often. Perhaps… I can call you that sometimes? After all, it is your name. Not that Veiri is not a good name either, it is just that… ah… damn, I am bad at this." A laugh escaped his lips, the night air causing the slight fog to form. The way her eyes met his, it was a miracle that he was even able to form words at this point.

Why did she have to make it worse by laughing too? Such a sound that made heads turn. The one that made him feel a little too distracted when there was nothing else to focus on. "If you really want to, although I'd prefer if it wasn't around others. We had better get that movie before the stores close. At least before you die of nervousness."

Empathy, dammit. Not that anyone needed it to see how tense his smile was. Yet, there was a reassuring smile to her lips that started to erase that. Dammit, if he didn't do anything about this soon, Clint was sure that something ridiculous was going to happen. Keeping hand in hers, the man would finally turn towards her. Hell, he never actually thought about that few inches taller she was, it made this seem just that extra bit awkward. Thoughts were pushed aside, "We can always look for something on the television… there is something I want to do first, Eir." With that, nervousness was shoved to the side.

Veiri was pulled closer to him and his other hand gently cupped her cheek before pressing his lips onto hers. Imagination had nothing on this feeling of life that coursed through his body. Every small ache in his muscles that had formed from going on missions had suddenly melted away. Even the day before felt like a far off memory. The kiss was broken and Clint could not help but grin at her, "That is one heck of a kiss."

A very gentle laughter escaped her lips as head tilted into the hand still cupping her cheek, "You aren't too bad yourself, Clint. Now then, we should really get that movie. We can continue this 'conversation' while we watch zombies try to devour some teenagers." Needless to say, the night ended quite well for them both.