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ysabetwordsmithThis story was written for the Asexy Valentines Fest, partly inspired by aceofannwn. It also fills the "game night" square on my card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trope_bingo fest. This fest features fundamental motifs that will be familiar to most readers. It encourages writers to analyze storylines and characters, then reinterpret them in new ways.
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, JARVIS
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Phil Coulson is SHIELD's best handler for a reason: he can deal with the broken people that nobody else can manage but desperately need anyway. So he comes up with an unusual teambuilding idea to shore up the Avengers.
Notes: Asexual character. Aromantic character. Asexual relationship. Flangst. Dysfunctional dynamics. Mention of past abuse. Incidental self-injury. Non-sexual ageplay. Games. Cuteness. Teambuilding. Personal growth. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Hurt/comfort. Trust issues. Making up for lost time. Odin's A+ parenting. Teamwork. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Skip to Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14.
"Love Is for Children" Part 4
Game night became a regular activity. Phil was patient with his team as they worked out the dynamics. Natasha was quiet. Clint was a mischievous little monkey. Tony was a wild thing who could not sit still for two minutes, unless he had Phil's undivided attention, in which case he could not have been budged without a tow truck. They played everything from Go Fish to video games. (How did Tony even have that Smurf game on the server, dating from the original construction of the tower?) It was fun.
Everyone benefited, too. Natasha stopped jumping at shadows so much. Clint stopped looking like a raccoon, the dark smudges fading away as he got more sleep. Tony no longer hid in the lab during all his waking hours. Even Phil began to loosen up a bit as he felt more confident that his team wasn't going to fall apart or be ripped away from him at a moment's notice. There were problems, still, but those could be fixed.
Then one night Tony showed up ten minutes late, and not by himself.
"This is my friend Bruce," Tony said to Phil. "He followed me home --"
"Tony dragged me here," Bruce muttered, but perhaps not altogether grudgingly.
"-- so can he play too?" Tony asked.
"Yes, of course," said Phil.
"No," said Natka at exactly the same instant.
"You can't say you can't play," Phil reminded her. "That's mean, and we don't do mean things in here. It's a rule."
"Bruce is mean. He hits people. He scares me," Natka said. "I don't like him."
Which was all true of the Hulk, but Bruce wasn't exactly the Hulk. Though there was no inviting Bruce without also, necessarily, inviting the Hulk. Awkward.
"Well, we have a rule about not hitting people too," Phil said. "So that won't be a problem here."
"I'm sorry I was mean to you," Bruce said suddenly.
Phil recalled the security footage from Kolkata. Bruce had, in fact, spooked Black Widow on purpose, which was a pretty mean thing to do to a spy. (Phil wondered if Bruce had any idea how hard that was to do; he thought probably not.) It had also been a fair test of unfortunate circumstances, especially given Bruce's past. Bruce had apologized for it immediately after, but Black Widow had ignored his apology and just hauled him off to the Helicarrier as soon as he quit dragging his feet. She never had really trusted him, only tolerated him. But then that was how she dealt with most people. Few of them ever even suspected it.
Natka watched Bruce warily for a few moments. Then she sighed and said, "Okay. Apology accepted. I guess you can play too."
"Okay, then," Phil said with a smile for both of them. He beckoned Bruce and Tony into the common room. Today the activity of choice happened to be dominoes. Half a game already sprawled across the carpet where Natka and Clint had started without Tony.
Bruce hung back a little, clinging to Tony. Phil couldn't help remembering how they'd dragged the poor man out of hiding and forced him onto the team. That had been ... an act of desperate necessity, but still unkind. No wonder Bruce hesitated. I should have sent Tony instead of Natasha, nevermind the regulations, Phil realized. Then he pushed his guilt to the back of his mind; it wouldn't help now. "Have a seat, Bruce. We're happy to see you," Phil said.
"Uh-huh," Bruce said, still not moving even though everyone else did. Tony took his hand and tugged him gently forward.
Phil sat on the couch. Natka settled on the floor next to Clint, near one end of the coffee table. Tony sat on the other side of Clint. There were fresh hot fish sticks in a basket on the coffee table, the kind actually shaped like fish, in the interest of getting Tony to eat something that hadn't come out of a blender or a plastic bag. If some of the sauces were gourmet blends in addition to plain ketchup and tartar sauce, well, Phil was the grownup and could serve what he liked.
Bruce crouched down, deliberately making himself smaller than Natka. He hadn't stated a specific age yet but seemed to be aiming toward toddler range. He kept trying to scrunch himself under the coffee table. That was awkward because it was Natka's favorite hiding place too, and while she fit under there, Bruce didn't really. Clint liked to perch atop the couch sometimes. Phil allowed that as long as Clint took care not to fall off.
Watching Bruce, Phil got the distinct impression that he'd been told to "stand up for himself" or "be a man" too often and far too early. The conspicuous uproar of the Hulk probably didn't help matters either. Clearly what Bruce needed most was a sense of security. So if he wanted to curl up and hide, then fine, Phil was prepared to do whatever made him feel safe. Natka on the other hand was more grudging in her acceptance.
That meant they needed a new coffee table, one that could accommodate both Natka and Bruce. Fortunately Phil had an expense account and a personal account. He would just have to ask JARVIS to find some suitable furniture catalogs for him. Then he could pick out a good coffee table and have it installed as a surprise for the next game night.
He'd already sprung for the footie pajamas for Tony and Natka, although Clint had insisted on keeping his own feet bare. Phil had kept his bathrobe but replaced his boring old sleepwear with soft new bottoms in gray jersey-knit and a white t-shirt that said World's Mightiest Uncle. The latter had been a gift from the "kids," who promised they had not spent a penny on it but convinced someone else to help instead. Phil believed them.
Besides, it was a marvelous shirt. Secretly he loved it more than his suits.
[To be continued in Part 5 ...]
aceofannwn. It also fills the "game night" square on my card for the trope_bingo fest. This fest features fundamental motifs that will be familiar to most readers. It encourages writers to analyze storylines and characters, then reinterpret them in new ways. Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, JARVIS
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Phil Coulson is SHIELD's best handler for a reason: he can deal with the broken people that nobody else can manage but desperately need anyway. So he comes up with an unusual teambuilding idea to shore up the Avengers.
Notes: Asexual character. Aromantic character. Asexual relationship. Flangst. Dysfunctional dynamics. Mention of past abuse. Incidental self-injury. Non-sexual ageplay. Games. Cuteness. Teambuilding. Personal growth. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Hurt/comfort. Trust issues. Making up for lost time. Odin's A+ parenting. Teamwork. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Skip to Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14.
"Love Is for Children" Part 4
Game night became a regular activity. Phil was patient with his team as they worked out the dynamics. Natasha was quiet. Clint was a mischievous little monkey. Tony was a wild thing who could not sit still for two minutes, unless he had Phil's undivided attention, in which case he could not have been budged without a tow truck. They played everything from Go Fish to video games. (How did Tony even have that Smurf game on the server, dating from the original construction of the tower?) It was fun.
Everyone benefited, too. Natasha stopped jumping at shadows so much. Clint stopped looking like a raccoon, the dark smudges fading away as he got more sleep. Tony no longer hid in the lab during all his waking hours. Even Phil began to loosen up a bit as he felt more confident that his team wasn't going to fall apart or be ripped away from him at a moment's notice. There were problems, still, but those could be fixed.
Then one night Tony showed up ten minutes late, and not by himself.
"This is my friend Bruce," Tony said to Phil. "He followed me home --"
"Tony dragged me here," Bruce muttered, but perhaps not altogether grudgingly.
"-- so can he play too?" Tony asked.
"Yes, of course," said Phil.
"No," said Natka at exactly the same instant.
"You can't say you can't play," Phil reminded her. "That's mean, and we don't do mean things in here. It's a rule."
"Bruce is mean. He hits people. He scares me," Natka said. "I don't like him."
Which was all true of the Hulk, but Bruce wasn't exactly the Hulk. Though there was no inviting Bruce without also, necessarily, inviting the Hulk. Awkward.
"Well, we have a rule about not hitting people too," Phil said. "So that won't be a problem here."
"I'm sorry I was mean to you," Bruce said suddenly.
Phil recalled the security footage from Kolkata. Bruce had, in fact, spooked Black Widow on purpose, which was a pretty mean thing to do to a spy. (Phil wondered if Bruce had any idea how hard that was to do; he thought probably not.) It had also been a fair test of unfortunate circumstances, especially given Bruce's past. Bruce had apologized for it immediately after, but Black Widow had ignored his apology and just hauled him off to the Helicarrier as soon as he quit dragging his feet. She never had really trusted him, only tolerated him. But then that was how she dealt with most people. Few of them ever even suspected it.
Natka watched Bruce warily for a few moments. Then she sighed and said, "Okay. Apology accepted. I guess you can play too."
"Okay, then," Phil said with a smile for both of them. He beckoned Bruce and Tony into the common room. Today the activity of choice happened to be dominoes. Half a game already sprawled across the carpet where Natka and Clint had started without Tony.
Bruce hung back a little, clinging to Tony. Phil couldn't help remembering how they'd dragged the poor man out of hiding and forced him onto the team. That had been ... an act of desperate necessity, but still unkind. No wonder Bruce hesitated. I should have sent Tony instead of Natasha, nevermind the regulations, Phil realized. Then he pushed his guilt to the back of his mind; it wouldn't help now. "Have a seat, Bruce. We're happy to see you," Phil said.
"Uh-huh," Bruce said, still not moving even though everyone else did. Tony took his hand and tugged him gently forward.
Phil sat on the couch. Natka settled on the floor next to Clint, near one end of the coffee table. Tony sat on the other side of Clint. There were fresh hot fish sticks in a basket on the coffee table, the kind actually shaped like fish, in the interest of getting Tony to eat something that hadn't come out of a blender or a plastic bag. If some of the sauces were gourmet blends in addition to plain ketchup and tartar sauce, well, Phil was the grownup and could serve what he liked.
Bruce crouched down, deliberately making himself smaller than Natka. He hadn't stated a specific age yet but seemed to be aiming toward toddler range. He kept trying to scrunch himself under the coffee table. That was awkward because it was Natka's favorite hiding place too, and while she fit under there, Bruce didn't really. Clint liked to perch atop the couch sometimes. Phil allowed that as long as Clint took care not to fall off.
Watching Bruce, Phil got the distinct impression that he'd been told to "stand up for himself" or "be a man" too often and far too early. The conspicuous uproar of the Hulk probably didn't help matters either. Clearly what Bruce needed most was a sense of security. So if he wanted to curl up and hide, then fine, Phil was prepared to do whatever made him feel safe. Natka on the other hand was more grudging in her acceptance.
That meant they needed a new coffee table, one that could accommodate both Natka and Bruce. Fortunately Phil had an expense account and a personal account. He would just have to ask JARVIS to find some suitable furniture catalogs for him. Then he could pick out a good coffee table and have it installed as a surprise for the next game night.
He'd already sprung for the footie pajamas for Tony and Natka, although Clint had insisted on keeping his own feet bare. Phil had kept his bathrobe but replaced his boring old sleepwear with soft new bottoms in gray jersey-knit and a white t-shirt that said World's Mightiest Uncle. The latter had been a gift from the "kids," who promised they had not spent a penny on it but convinced someone else to help instead. Phil believed them.
Besides, it was a marvelous shirt. Secretly he loved it more than his suits.
[To be continued in Part 5 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2013-02-17 08:22 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-02-17 08:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-02-17 04:03 pm (UTC)You're welcome!
Date: 2013-02-17 10:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-08 06:31 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2013-05-08 06:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-09 10:24 am (UTC)I love Phil's shirt.
Helga
Well...
Date: 2013-05-10 10:22 pm (UTC)For me it was the sheer lack of agency. Nobody cared whether Bruce wanted to get involved; they felt they had a right to force him and use him against his will, even if that meant he and other people got hurt. And Bruce was so used to people treating him that way, he was resigned to it and went along.
Natasha had a similar problem, revealed through her remark about the little girl -- starting so young made her largely a tool rather than an adult capable of making her own decisions and changing the direction of her life. She's managed a little of that, trading up from the villainous Red Room to the somewhat less evil SHIELD. But she still didn't hesitate to drag a child into a conflict between adults, because Black Widow will do whatever it takes to finish the job she's been ordered to do.
It's just a creepy scene all around.
>>I love Phil's shirt.<<
Yay!
Re: Well...
Date: 2013-05-11 04:20 am (UTC)Re: Well...
Date: 2013-05-11 08:39 pm (UTC)This is one reason why I tend to write Fury as a manipulative dick. I can excuse Coulson's involvement by implying that the orders came down from Fury, because Fury has trampled on other people's agency elsewhere in canon.
This kind of shit really justifies the resignation that Bruce and Natasha have. "We don't always get what we want." "Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that." Well, why would you, when it's just changing one puppet-master for another?
So that's a key part of why it takes them so long to work through some shit, because people keep adding more shit. Friendly fire isn't.
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-01 02:33 am (UTC)Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-01 05:59 am (UTC)Paid, yes, but I suspect it was pitched as a scam. Street kids readily understand that and are good at it.
>> With that level of trauma, it would be that or mirror her experiences by trying to kidnap the kid for SHIELD, and given what happens in Birthday Girl, I think she might have gone to the 'THIS CHILD WILL BE HAPPY' extreme instead of the 'SHE MUST GROW AS A SPY AS I DID FOR HER OWN GOOD' end. <<
Remember that "Birthday Girl" happens after some months of further growth in game night. Black Widow didn't have as much access to her gentler feelings during The Avengers. I don't think she would've gone along with SHIELD kidnapping a child, though -- she did leave the Red Room, after all.
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-01 04:17 pm (UTC)That's part of why I think Black Widow went to the extremes I mentioned (plus indifference if the child wasn't in danger). Childhood trauma victims IRL get this fun thing where they identify with children at the age group they were in when they were abused (I wish I had a nifty link for you, but I'm running around trying to dry apples and dashing off replies--YOU REPLY SO MUCH I LOVE IT), and I think Black Widow might have that.
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-02 03:10 am (UTC)Point.
>> That's part of why I think Black Widow went to the extremes I mentioned (plus indifference if the child wasn't in danger). <<
It's possible.
>> Childhood trauma victims IRL get this fun thing where they identify with children at the age group they were in when they were abused (I wish I had a nifty link for you, but I'm running around trying to dry apples and dashing off replies--YOU REPLY SO MUCH I LOVE IT), and I think Black Widow might have that. <<
She does, although I suspect it starts out small and grows after game night -- and the manner of identification changes. She'd be less willing to involve a child now than before, because she has a better understanding that what happened to her was wrong. Earlier it seemed normal to her.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-07-13 04:00 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-07-15 07:17 am (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>> And, I keep wondering - who did they get to buy the shirt and how did they explain it? <<
It would pretty much have to be JARVIS or Pepper. JARVIS already knows, counts as an adult, and has access to accounts other than the Avengers' personal ones. Pepper has seen Tony do far worse than this, and wouldn't blink at buying him anything nondestructive. They probably went for JARVIS.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-24 03:45 pm (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-25 10:36 pm (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-26 03:30 am (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-26 04:10 am (UTC)The Avengers have been playing this very close to their chests thus far.
Tony and Pepper are no longer a romantic couple, because they wanted such different things in that kind of relationship. But Pepper is still CEO of Stark Industries and that side of Tony's life.
>> Though, now that I think about it, even if they were together, I still can't quite see them telling her. Maybe they would tell her, it's a hell of a secret to keep from your SO, but I cannot see them showing her, at all. <<
I think part of the issue is that Tony and Pepper aren't as good of a match as they both wish they were. It's just that Pepper did so much better at keeping Tony stable than anyone had before, it seemed like a great match to them, and they thought that would be enough. Pepper can steer him somewhat, but she lacks Phil's ability to help Tony feel safe and competent.
But if something like ageplay was going to work with Tony and Pepper, they would've discovered it together. So it's not something that Tony would really want to broach with her.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-12-16 06:57 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-12-16 07:04 am (UTC)That's the prevailing tone of this series. There's a lot more of it now than when I first posted this story.
>> I'm cooing at how cute Tony is. <<
Little-Tony is adorable by nature, when he's not tearing the place apart. He's kind of like a Siamese kitten that way.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-24 05:32 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2014-02-24 05:57 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2014-02-26 03:34 am (UTC)And I appreciate it, even if it is a little jarring sometimes. It doesn't detract from the story at all. For me, it enhances the story, because it reminds me what they are trying to build, here, instead of just Uncle Phil living with his niece and nephews, which it is so hard to fall into, when I'm picturing them as actual kids.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2014-02-26 04:20 am (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>> For me, it enhances the story, because it reminds me what they are trying to build, here, instead of just Uncle Phil living with his niece and nephews, which it is so hard to fall into, when I'm picturing them as actual kids. <<
Yes, exactly. There are layers of reality. Game night has what I call serial reality, because it happens within the imagination yet has practical effects within the everyday world. It's just not the same as kidfic in which someone gets physically and/or mentally reduced to actual childhood. They get different things out of the experience.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-08-30 08:44 pm (UTC)*laugh*
Date: 2014-08-30 08:55 pm (UTC)Re: *laugh*
Date: 2014-08-30 08:59 pm (UTC)Edit: Whoops, you answered this already, never mind.
Bruce is not a puppy Tony
Date: 2014-09-21 04:58 pm (UTC)Re: Bruce is not a puppy Tony
Date: 2014-09-22 02:11 am (UTC)Pretty much, yeah. Tony's people skills are patchy. He's great at schmoozing but has far less experience with close personal relationships.
>> Poor Bruce and Natasha at this point they don't even know what normal looks like. <<
That's true for most of the Avengers in one way or another.
>> Phil World's Mightiest Uncle for World's Mightiest Heroes <<
Yes, exactly.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-11-27 01:15 am (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2015-11-27 01:19 am (UTC)Re: Yes...
Date: 2016-04-03 05:07 am (UTC)Re: Yes...
Date: 2016-04-03 05:12 am (UTC)However, JARVIS can also make money on his own. Stocks are easy. But JARVIS is very articulate and has sold a number of articles -- he has aliases out the wazoo. It's not so much something he does because he needs it, as it is wanting to make sure he has the skill of earning money in case it ever becomes needful.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2016-04-03 05:16 am (UTC)That makes sense. Also I can imagine that he might want his opinions out there in a format that will actually be paid attention to, and that means going through some sort of paper or journal, and that often means money.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2016-04-03 06:29 am (UTC)Yes, exactly. Cyberspace is basically where JARVIS lives. He just visits the material world, as we visit cyberspace. So he grew up in the nets, the bulletin boards, email lists, all the spaces of the internet as it evolved. That's where he talks with people. JARVIS has written countless posts and articles and all kinds of stuff. He's gotten a lot of interaction with people this way. But it's always buffered; he doesn't present as himself that way. He Turing-cloaks all the time out there. So that limits the usefulness of the interactions because people always think he's human. (He passes brilliantly.) And part of seeming human means emulating the human interest in money.