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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]](http://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, Part 4. Skip to Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14.
"Love Is for Children" Part 5
Bruce liked the new coffee table, Phil noted with approval. Instead of legs it had solid slabs of wood at both ends plus a removable one under the middle, thus creating two separate spaces. It was large enough to fit Bruce and to keep him out of sight from Natka. Phil hoped the two of them would grow more comfortable with each other eventually, but he refused to push. They got enough of that from SHIELD.
Maybe if they had a chance to express their reservations openly, and have those respected for a change, they'd work through it. So Bruce and Natka didn't have to sit next to each other or play together any closer than the overall game of make-believe, unless Natka offered. That was all on her, because Bruce almost never initiated anything. You can't say you can't play wasn't an issue if someone never asked to play in the first place. Thus far, Natka had invited Bruce to play with blocks once, and he'd accepted. That was good progress.
They worked together adequately in the field, but Phil didn't like to see his people bottling up real problems so they could do their job. He had his own theories about what really created the Hulk. The gamma rays had just been a catalyst enabling a physical manifestation of an inner torment that already existed. I'm exposed, like a nerve; it's a nightmare, Bruce had once confided to Tony. Oh yes, Phil knew all about nightmares.
At least Clint and Natka were functioning smoothly as brother and sister again. It helped that they were secure in their orientations. Phil preferred their practiced ease to the mayhem that filled the hours outside of game night: Tony's never-ending stream of romantic meltdowns, Bruce's pining over Betty (who was still hiding from her father and had yet to respond to Phil's coaxing offers of protection), and Steve's blushing-stammering-gasping reaction to any detailed mention of sexuality whatsoever. Phil kept an eye on that last part in particular. He suspected that Steve might turn out demisexual. Demis sometimes bloomed late -- very late, in their twenties or thirties or more -- which meant Steve might be just shy of the age when it was actually appropriate for him to start exploring such things, orientationwise, nevermind his chronological or subjective ages.
Phil set out supper on the coffee table. He had bribed Tony's favorite Italian restaurant to make SpaghettiOs from scratch. The fragrant scent of tomato sauce wafted up as Phil opened the cartons. Then he had to confiscate the breadsticks as Tony and Clint tried to stage a mock sword fight. Bruce and Natka ate with the single-minded determination of people who had gone hungry before and never intended to do so again. Finally Phil convinced Tony and Clint to sit down and eat too. Clint just needed an outlet for his natural exuberance that didn't end with someone screaming at him. Perhaps it would be prudent to acquire a few toy lightsabers.
After supper, they turned on the Smurf video game. Tony was the best at it, but he happily let everyone else have a turn too. If there was one thing he was good at, that was sharing his toys. Unfortunately the viewscreen had developed an annoying tendency to skip now and then.
"I guess I'll have to get my repair guy to look at it tomorrow," Phil said with a wink at Tony. Tony giggled.
Then a muffled knock sounded at the door, followed by Steve's plaintive voice, "Clint, Natasha? Tony, Bruce? Agent Coulson? Anybody?"
Phil had asked JARVIS to mute the common room during game nights unless a crisis occurred. He really didn't want any interruptions. But now Steve had come out of his room for some reason, and presumably asked JARVIS where everyone was, so Phil needed to find out why.
"Try not to break anything while I'm gone, kids," Phil said as he got up from the couch. Tony and Clint scooted closer together. Bruce and Natka disappeared under the coffee table.
Dealing with Steve was always a little awkward. Reaching out to him felt like reaching for a missing rung on a ladder. Phil coped with that the way he usually did, by retreating into careful formality. "Was there something you needed, Captain Rogers?" he asked as he opened the door a crack.
"Um, not exactly, I just wanted to ask Tony about my suit and he wasn't where I -- why are you wearing a bathrobe?"
"We are engaged in a teambuilding exercise," Phil said.
"Without your clothes on?" Steve demanded. He started trying to peer over Phil, into the room.
Phil stepped outside and shut the door firmly behind him, then leaned against it. He parted the bathrobe to show Steve the t-shirt underneath. "Everyone is fully dressed, just not in street clothes," he said mildly. "I assure you there is absolutely nothing sexual, nonconsensual, or otherwise inappropriate about our activities."
Steve blushed and looked away. "I didn't mean that." Then he gave a little hm! of enlightenment. "Is this like the time you tried to get people to come play games?"
"We are playing a game, yes," Phil said. "This is game night."
"Okay then," Steve said, finally relaxing. "It's just, I dunno, when I couldn't find anybody I got a little worried. But if you've got some teamwork thing going on, it's fine. I know you look out for us."
That made Phil wonder if Steve might give him a second chance. It was worth a try. "Listen, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, with what I said when we first met," he said. "I didn't mean to sound like a creepy stalker."
Steve shook his head. "No, I heard what you meant. You stood watch over me while I was helpless. I get that," he said. "Thank you for doing it."
"You're welcome," Phil said.
"So who was it, Clint or Natasha?" Steve asked.
"What?" Phil asked, thrown by the apparent non sequitur.
"Nobody was in the room when I woke up. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because I didn't know about you then. Now I do. You had the watch. You would not willingly have left my side and risked me waking up alone like I did. Nothing short of a dire emergency could have dragged you away," Steve said. He caught Phil's eye with an intense look. "So I've been wondering. Who got hurt, Clint or Natasha?"
Phil swallowed hard. "Clint. Someone shoved him off a building," Phil admitted. It hadn't been too serious in the end, but he never would have forgiven himself if it had and he wasn't there for Clint. That didn't make him feel any better about failing his other duty. He'd let Steve down, badly. Phil couldn't ignore that any longer. "Steve, I never said this before, but I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I wasn't there when you woke up."
"I lived," Steve said. "You couldn't be in two places at once. Gotta wonder if someone planned it that way."
Phil had gone over that possibility with a fine-toothed comb ... made of razor wire. He couldn't prove anything, but Hawkeye and Black Widow had both been sent on dangerous missions with substitute handlers. It wasn't always necessary to arrange the accident, just the opportunity for one. Director Fury knew Phil well; that made manipulation easier. And look who had been there to rescue Steve from the bedlam of the modern world. That was all very convenient.
"There's nothing to prove," Phil said at last. "Clint got a knock on the head and some colorful bruises. I went to check on him, you woke up, and people handled it badly. That's all. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for my part in that mess."
"I forgive you," Steve said softly.
And oh, Phil hadn't been expecting that, but it untied a taut knot in his chest. "Thanks," he managed. Steve just nodded.
This, Phil thought, this was why people would follow Steve Rogers over the edge of the Earth: because he would always think of others and what they needed, even if he was the one hurting. But then who took care of Steve?
[To be continued in Part 6 ...]
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, Part 4. Skip to Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14.
"Love Is for Children" Part 5
Bruce liked the new coffee table, Phil noted with approval. Instead of legs it had solid slabs of wood at both ends plus a removable one under the middle, thus creating two separate spaces. It was large enough to fit Bruce and to keep him out of sight from Natka. Phil hoped the two of them would grow more comfortable with each other eventually, but he refused to push. They got enough of that from SHIELD.
Maybe if they had a chance to express their reservations openly, and have those respected for a change, they'd work through it. So Bruce and Natka didn't have to sit next to each other or play together any closer than the overall game of make-believe, unless Natka offered. That was all on her, because Bruce almost never initiated anything. You can't say you can't play wasn't an issue if someone never asked to play in the first place. Thus far, Natka had invited Bruce to play with blocks once, and he'd accepted. That was good progress.
They worked together adequately in the field, but Phil didn't like to see his people bottling up real problems so they could do their job. He had his own theories about what really created the Hulk. The gamma rays had just been a catalyst enabling a physical manifestation of an inner torment that already existed. I'm exposed, like a nerve; it's a nightmare, Bruce had once confided to Tony. Oh yes, Phil knew all about nightmares.
At least Clint and Natka were functioning smoothly as brother and sister again. It helped that they were secure in their orientations. Phil preferred their practiced ease to the mayhem that filled the hours outside of game night: Tony's never-ending stream of romantic meltdowns, Bruce's pining over Betty (who was still hiding from her father and had yet to respond to Phil's coaxing offers of protection), and Steve's blushing-stammering-gasping reaction to any detailed mention of sexuality whatsoever. Phil kept an eye on that last part in particular. He suspected that Steve might turn out demisexual. Demis sometimes bloomed late -- very late, in their twenties or thirties or more -- which meant Steve might be just shy of the age when it was actually appropriate for him to start exploring such things, orientationwise, nevermind his chronological or subjective ages.
Phil set out supper on the coffee table. He had bribed Tony's favorite Italian restaurant to make SpaghettiOs from scratch. The fragrant scent of tomato sauce wafted up as Phil opened the cartons. Then he had to confiscate the breadsticks as Tony and Clint tried to stage a mock sword fight. Bruce and Natka ate with the single-minded determination of people who had gone hungry before and never intended to do so again. Finally Phil convinced Tony and Clint to sit down and eat too. Clint just needed an outlet for his natural exuberance that didn't end with someone screaming at him. Perhaps it would be prudent to acquire a few toy lightsabers.
After supper, they turned on the Smurf video game. Tony was the best at it, but he happily let everyone else have a turn too. If there was one thing he was good at, that was sharing his toys. Unfortunately the viewscreen had developed an annoying tendency to skip now and then.
"I guess I'll have to get my repair guy to look at it tomorrow," Phil said with a wink at Tony. Tony giggled.
Then a muffled knock sounded at the door, followed by Steve's plaintive voice, "Clint, Natasha? Tony, Bruce? Agent Coulson? Anybody?"
Phil had asked JARVIS to mute the common room during game nights unless a crisis occurred. He really didn't want any interruptions. But now Steve had come out of his room for some reason, and presumably asked JARVIS where everyone was, so Phil needed to find out why.
"Try not to break anything while I'm gone, kids," Phil said as he got up from the couch. Tony and Clint scooted closer together. Bruce and Natka disappeared under the coffee table.
Dealing with Steve was always a little awkward. Reaching out to him felt like reaching for a missing rung on a ladder. Phil coped with that the way he usually did, by retreating into careful formality. "Was there something you needed, Captain Rogers?" he asked as he opened the door a crack.
"Um, not exactly, I just wanted to ask Tony about my suit and he wasn't where I -- why are you wearing a bathrobe?"
"We are engaged in a teambuilding exercise," Phil said.
"Without your clothes on?" Steve demanded. He started trying to peer over Phil, into the room.
Phil stepped outside and shut the door firmly behind him, then leaned against it. He parted the bathrobe to show Steve the t-shirt underneath. "Everyone is fully dressed, just not in street clothes," he said mildly. "I assure you there is absolutely nothing sexual, nonconsensual, or otherwise inappropriate about our activities."
Steve blushed and looked away. "I didn't mean that." Then he gave a little hm! of enlightenment. "Is this like the time you tried to get people to come play games?"
"We are playing a game, yes," Phil said. "This is game night."
"Okay then," Steve said, finally relaxing. "It's just, I dunno, when I couldn't find anybody I got a little worried. But if you've got some teamwork thing going on, it's fine. I know you look out for us."
That made Phil wonder if Steve might give him a second chance. It was worth a try. "Listen, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, with what I said when we first met," he said. "I didn't mean to sound like a creepy stalker."
Steve shook his head. "No, I heard what you meant. You stood watch over me while I was helpless. I get that," he said. "Thank you for doing it."
"You're welcome," Phil said.
"So who was it, Clint or Natasha?" Steve asked.
"What?" Phil asked, thrown by the apparent non sequitur.
"Nobody was in the room when I woke up. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because I didn't know about you then. Now I do. You had the watch. You would not willingly have left my side and risked me waking up alone like I did. Nothing short of a dire emergency could have dragged you away," Steve said. He caught Phil's eye with an intense look. "So I've been wondering. Who got hurt, Clint or Natasha?"
Phil swallowed hard. "Clint. Someone shoved him off a building," Phil admitted. It hadn't been too serious in the end, but he never would have forgiven himself if it had and he wasn't there for Clint. That didn't make him feel any better about failing his other duty. He'd let Steve down, badly. Phil couldn't ignore that any longer. "Steve, I never said this before, but I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I wasn't there when you woke up."
"I lived," Steve said. "You couldn't be in two places at once. Gotta wonder if someone planned it that way."
Phil had gone over that possibility with a fine-toothed comb ... made of razor wire. He couldn't prove anything, but Hawkeye and Black Widow had both been sent on dangerous missions with substitute handlers. It wasn't always necessary to arrange the accident, just the opportunity for one. Director Fury knew Phil well; that made manipulation easier. And look who had been there to rescue Steve from the bedlam of the modern world. That was all very convenient.
"There's nothing to prove," Phil said at last. "Clint got a knock on the head and some colorful bruises. I went to check on him, you woke up, and people handled it badly. That's all. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for my part in that mess."
"I forgive you," Steve said softly.
And oh, Phil hadn't been expecting that, but it untied a taut knot in his chest. "Thanks," he managed. Steve just nodded.
This, Phil thought, this was why people would follow Steve Rogers over the edge of the Earth: because he would always think of others and what they needed, even if he was the one hurting. But then who took care of Steve?
[To be continued in Part 6 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2013-02-18 10:27 am (UTC)Come to the Coulson side, Steve. They have cookies. Cookies and a safe space in which to heal.
Enjoying!
Thank you!
Date: 2013-02-19 04:56 am (UTC)Yeah, Fury will do whatever it takes to reach an immediate goal, but he sucks at considering the long-term effects. He and Phil are so going to clash over this again.
>>Come to the Coulson side, Steve. They have cookies. Cookies and a safe space in which to heal.<<
Sooth. It's interesting to compare the different challenges that the characters have. Steve has nothing like the trust issues that prevail in everyone else. But he does have a problem taking up resources, or even attention. He keeps expecting himself to be the strong one and not lean on anyone or bother anyone.
Phil isn't thrilled about that either.
>>Enjoying!<<
Thanks for taking the time to say so.