Story: "Dolls and Guys" (Part 6 of 13)
Mar. 11th, 2013 12:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children" and "Eggshells."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, JARVIS, Betty Ross, General Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Phil Coulson finally talks Betty Ross into letting him visit. General Ross is not pleased, but is no match for the opposition. Betty decides to take refuge with the Avengers ... and the interpersonal dynamics get complicated.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Past abuse. Verbal hostility. Angst. Control issues. Hurt/comfort. Non-sexual ageplay. Fluff. Cuteness. Toys and games. Teambuilding. Personal growth. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. General Ross' A+ parenting. Making up for lost time. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. Skip to Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13.
"Dolls and Guys" Part 6
True to his word, Phil announced their arrival when they reached the tower. Betty helped him maneuver a still-wobbly Tony out of the car. Tony tried to drag himself back to alertness through the fog of emotional overload and his body's resentment of getting pulled out of its recharge mode halfway through a much-needed nap. Seeing how little success Tony had with that, Phil got a shoulder under one arm and guided him up to the Avengers' common floor.
Steve was there to meet them, along with Bruce who hung back wringing his hands and shifting from one foot to the other. Bruce went still, though, as soon as he realized that Tony wasn't in very good shape.
"Does Tony need medical attention?" Bruce asked.
"What's wrong with Tony?" Steve demanded at the same time.
"The trip in the jet got a little rough," Betty said blandly.
Phil wondered if he might interest her in a few espionage lessons. He also felt torn between taking care of Tony, and watching over the reunion of Betty and Bruce. "Tony isn't injured, he just needs to rest," Phil clarified.
"Don' feel good," Tony said, rubbing his eyes under the sunglasses. "Imma go liedown now." He took three steps and then tripped over his own feet.
Steve grabbed him before he could fall. Tony braced himself against the wide chest. "It's all right, Phil, I've got this," Steve said. "You stay here and look after Bruce."
"All right," Phil agreed. He hated letting Tony out of his sight right now, but he couldn't be in two places at once. Steve would take good care of Tony. Phil trusted him with that.
Steve gave Betty a guarded look, then whispered a question in Tony's ear. Tony nodded. Still keeping an eye on Betty, Steve bent down and gently picked up Tony to carry him out of the room. Tony went limp as a big doll in Steve's careful grasp.
Betty made no comment on the mode of transportation.
"What did you give him for the nausea?" Bruce asked Phil, still following Tony's departure with his eyes. Phil wasn't surprised that Bruce had figured out the problem just from watching Tony. He'd seen it before.
"Just ginger ale," Phil said. "You know how he balks at taking anything stronger away from home."
Bruce raised his eyebrows. "You think he would've been in any condition to fight anyway, if something went wrong? More wrong."
"If necessary, yes," Phil said. "It's all emotional upset from an unpleasant confrontation, not physical injury. Tony held himself together until we reached the jet. If we hadn't been safe there, he wouldn't have let go. I'm actually impressed that he managed to do that outside of the tower."
"So what exactly happened to wreck him that badly? He's not an easy person to sucker-punch with words. He tends to do the punching," Bruce said.
Betty looked at the floor. "I think some of what I said to General Ross may have hit Tony by mistake," she said. "I didn't realize we had that kind of thing in common until ... until Tony started crying on the plane. He sassed around so much, I thought nothing would get through his defenses."
"Usually nothing does," Phil said. "Bruce was right about that. It's just that everyone has sensitive topics and you managed to find one of Tony's."
"Maybe I shouldn't have said all those things to General Ross," Betty admitted. "I hate that he's so awful. He makes me lose my temper, and I should not do that because then other people get hurt like this. I hate that he's my -- that he raised me and I still miss him a little and it's stupid." She sniffled.
"It's not stupid to have mixed feelings about someone who showed you a very unfortunate combination of approval and abuse," Phil said gently. He fetched a couple of tissues for Betty. "You needed to get that out in the open. It's just regrettable that you and Tony got tangled up in a way that hurt him."
"I'm really sorry about that," Betty said. She scrubbed the tears off her face and blew her nose, then looked around for the garbage. Bruce pointed out the hidden compartment that held the can. "The way Tony ran his mouth back at my house, I thought he knew what he was doing."
"If only," Bruce muttered. "Tony isn't the only one whose mouth would benefit from a two-key safety protocol."
"Well he asked me to do it!" Betty said.
"Tony also has a very low degree of self-preservation," Bruce said. "If he thought it needed doing, he'd have goaded you into it without considering his own safety at all. And friendly fire isn't."
Why don't you get that off your chest while I hold him for you. Tony's words echoed in Phil's memory.
"I'll keep that in mind for future reference, thanks," said Betty. She sighed. "It was an honor to meet Tony Stark, even if I did spend half the time wondering if I'd need to grab an airsick bag for him. I didn't mean to break him."
"You didn't break him, just dented him a little," Phil said.
"Future reference," Bruce echoed, his voice softening. "I kind of ... like the sound of that." Betty smiled at him.
"Before I forget, Tony asked me to show you this," Phil said to Bruce. He brought up the video of General Ross.
Bruce frowned. "Why do you have Tony's phone?"
"He gave it to me on the jet," Phil said.
"He just gave it to you?" Bruce said. He looked at the door where Tony and Steve had disappeared. A deeper frown creased his forehead.
"Yes, I know, not a good sign, but he wanted to make sure you got to appreciate the aftermath of Betty standing up to her father," Phil said. "Don't worry about Tony; Steve will take care of him."
"Okay, show me the clip again," Bruce said.
Phil did.
Bruce's eyes widened. "Wow, just, wow. You made old Thunderbolt cry on the carpet!" he said to Betty.
"Like a summer storm," Betty said, lifting her chin. She might have compassion for strangers, but she wouldn't hold back against people who tried to hurt someone she cared about. Even if some part of her missed them, just a little bit, after they were gone. What she had said to General Ross, aimed to wound as deeply as possible, had come from her own background; but what pushed her over the edge to cut him out of her life was his all-out assault on Bruce.
"I am a despicable human being," Bruce said slowly, "because I'm seriously tempted to use a still image from this as wallpaper on a computer somewhere. Maybe for combat planning."
"I'll send the file to your personal server before I give Tony his phone back," Phil said.
"Don't be silly, Bruce, you're still one of the best people I've ever known," Betty said. "Now come here, you. I've missed you a lot." She wrapped herself around him.
"Missed you too," Bruce mumbled as he melted into the hug. He buried his face in her hair and sighed. Betty ran her hands over him, his fingers and wrists, up his arms to his back, all down his sides. Bruce made happy noises.
Betty kissed him once, saying, "That's for you," then again, "and that's for the Other Guy. Send him my love, would you please?"
"Always," Bruce said, holding her tighter. It took a while for him to let go.
* * *
Notes:
Everyone has emotional sore spots. Working through personal issues can make them less sensitive over time, although major ones may never heal completely and always be tender if hit the right way. There are tips for responding to someone hitting a sore spot.
Survivors of child abuse often have mixed feelings about their abusive parent(s). This complicates the grieving process when the abuser dies or otherwise goes out of reach.
[To be continued in Part 7 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, JARVIS, Betty Ross, General Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Phil Coulson finally talks Betty Ross into letting him visit. General Ross is not pleased, but is no match for the opposition. Betty decides to take refuge with the Avengers ... and the interpersonal dynamics get complicated.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Past abuse. Verbal hostility. Angst. Control issues. Hurt/comfort. Non-sexual ageplay. Fluff. Cuteness. Toys and games. Teambuilding. Personal growth. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. General Ross' A+ parenting. Making up for lost time. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. Skip to Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13.
"Dolls and Guys" Part 6
True to his word, Phil announced their arrival when they reached the tower. Betty helped him maneuver a still-wobbly Tony out of the car. Tony tried to drag himself back to alertness through the fog of emotional overload and his body's resentment of getting pulled out of its recharge mode halfway through a much-needed nap. Seeing how little success Tony had with that, Phil got a shoulder under one arm and guided him up to the Avengers' common floor.
Steve was there to meet them, along with Bruce who hung back wringing his hands and shifting from one foot to the other. Bruce went still, though, as soon as he realized that Tony wasn't in very good shape.
"Does Tony need medical attention?" Bruce asked.
"What's wrong with Tony?" Steve demanded at the same time.
"The trip in the jet got a little rough," Betty said blandly.
Phil wondered if he might interest her in a few espionage lessons. He also felt torn between taking care of Tony, and watching over the reunion of Betty and Bruce. "Tony isn't injured, he just needs to rest," Phil clarified.
"Don' feel good," Tony said, rubbing his eyes under the sunglasses. "Imma go liedown now." He took three steps and then tripped over his own feet.
Steve grabbed him before he could fall. Tony braced himself against the wide chest. "It's all right, Phil, I've got this," Steve said. "You stay here and look after Bruce."
"All right," Phil agreed. He hated letting Tony out of his sight right now, but he couldn't be in two places at once. Steve would take good care of Tony. Phil trusted him with that.
Steve gave Betty a guarded look, then whispered a question in Tony's ear. Tony nodded. Still keeping an eye on Betty, Steve bent down and gently picked up Tony to carry him out of the room. Tony went limp as a big doll in Steve's careful grasp.
Betty made no comment on the mode of transportation.
"What did you give him for the nausea?" Bruce asked Phil, still following Tony's departure with his eyes. Phil wasn't surprised that Bruce had figured out the problem just from watching Tony. He'd seen it before.
"Just ginger ale," Phil said. "You know how he balks at taking anything stronger away from home."
Bruce raised his eyebrows. "You think he would've been in any condition to fight anyway, if something went wrong? More wrong."
"If necessary, yes," Phil said. "It's all emotional upset from an unpleasant confrontation, not physical injury. Tony held himself together until we reached the jet. If we hadn't been safe there, he wouldn't have let go. I'm actually impressed that he managed to do that outside of the tower."
"So what exactly happened to wreck him that badly? He's not an easy person to sucker-punch with words. He tends to do the punching," Bruce said.
Betty looked at the floor. "I think some of what I said to General Ross may have hit Tony by mistake," she said. "I didn't realize we had that kind of thing in common until ... until Tony started crying on the plane. He sassed around so much, I thought nothing would get through his defenses."
"Usually nothing does," Phil said. "Bruce was right about that. It's just that everyone has sensitive topics and you managed to find one of Tony's."
"Maybe I shouldn't have said all those things to General Ross," Betty admitted. "I hate that he's so awful. He makes me lose my temper, and I should not do that because then other people get hurt like this. I hate that he's my -- that he raised me and I still miss him a little and it's stupid." She sniffled.
"It's not stupid to have mixed feelings about someone who showed you a very unfortunate combination of approval and abuse," Phil said gently. He fetched a couple of tissues for Betty. "You needed to get that out in the open. It's just regrettable that you and Tony got tangled up in a way that hurt him."
"I'm really sorry about that," Betty said. She scrubbed the tears off her face and blew her nose, then looked around for the garbage. Bruce pointed out the hidden compartment that held the can. "The way Tony ran his mouth back at my house, I thought he knew what he was doing."
"If only," Bruce muttered. "Tony isn't the only one whose mouth would benefit from a two-key safety protocol."
"Well he asked me to do it!" Betty said.
"Tony also has a very low degree of self-preservation," Bruce said. "If he thought it needed doing, he'd have goaded you into it without considering his own safety at all. And friendly fire isn't."
Why don't you get that off your chest while I hold him for you. Tony's words echoed in Phil's memory.
"I'll keep that in mind for future reference, thanks," said Betty. She sighed. "It was an honor to meet Tony Stark, even if I did spend half the time wondering if I'd need to grab an airsick bag for him. I didn't mean to break him."
"You didn't break him, just dented him a little," Phil said.
"Future reference," Bruce echoed, his voice softening. "I kind of ... like the sound of that." Betty smiled at him.
"Before I forget, Tony asked me to show you this," Phil said to Bruce. He brought up the video of General Ross.
Bruce frowned. "Why do you have Tony's phone?"
"He gave it to me on the jet," Phil said.
"He just gave it to you?" Bruce said. He looked at the door where Tony and Steve had disappeared. A deeper frown creased his forehead.
"Yes, I know, not a good sign, but he wanted to make sure you got to appreciate the aftermath of Betty standing up to her father," Phil said. "Don't worry about Tony; Steve will take care of him."
"Okay, show me the clip again," Bruce said.
Phil did.
Bruce's eyes widened. "Wow, just, wow. You made old Thunderbolt cry on the carpet!" he said to Betty.
"Like a summer storm," Betty said, lifting her chin. She might have compassion for strangers, but she wouldn't hold back against people who tried to hurt someone she cared about. Even if some part of her missed them, just a little bit, after they were gone. What she had said to General Ross, aimed to wound as deeply as possible, had come from her own background; but what pushed her over the edge to cut him out of her life was his all-out assault on Bruce.
"I am a despicable human being," Bruce said slowly, "because I'm seriously tempted to use a still image from this as wallpaper on a computer somewhere. Maybe for combat planning."
"I'll send the file to your personal server before I give Tony his phone back," Phil said.
"Don't be silly, Bruce, you're still one of the best people I've ever known," Betty said. "Now come here, you. I've missed you a lot." She wrapped herself around him.
"Missed you too," Bruce mumbled as he melted into the hug. He buried his face in her hair and sighed. Betty ran her hands over him, his fingers and wrists, up his arms to his back, all down his sides. Bruce made happy noises.
Betty kissed him once, saying, "That's for you," then again, "and that's for the Other Guy. Send him my love, would you please?"
"Always," Bruce said, holding her tighter. It took a while for him to let go.
* * *
Notes:
Everyone has emotional sore spots. Working through personal issues can make them less sensitive over time, although major ones may never heal completely and always be tender if hit the right way. There are tips for responding to someone hitting a sore spot.
Survivors of child abuse often have mixed feelings about their abusive parent(s). This complicates the grieving process when the abuser dies or otherwise goes out of reach.
[To be continued in Part 7 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-11 04:49 pm (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2013-03-11 10:15 pm (UTC)I'm glad you're enjoying that.
>>Steve carries Tony off to bed in a totally platonic way<<
I think my favorite part of that is how protective Steve is, when he doesn't know Betty and isn't sure that she'll be sensible instead of teasing Tony.
>>and all the feels. lovely update can't wait for more.<<
The farther the series goes, the more feels there will be.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-16 09:45 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-04-17 09:05 am (UTC)Yay!
>> I'm just sitting here on my bed trying not to squeal too loudly cause this just makes me so happy. <<
Yes, my writing can be Not Library Safe.
>> Seriously, fics where the Avengers get help with their emotional baggage from each other just makes me so freaking happy, especially when they're as well written as this is. <<
Once a serious problem is set up, I expect to see it treated with respect according to its weight. Sadly, most authors blow it off. The Avengers are a giant Amazon.com magazine rack full of Issues. So I like to pay some real attention to that. You don't hit somebody that hard and have them walk away without a scratch. These are superheroes; they can heal the damage. But it's going to take some work.
>> I'm definitely going to be bookmarking this. <<
Thank you! That's always good to hear. There's more on the way.