Story: "Birthday Girl" (Part 11 of 18)
May. 3rd, 2013 12:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," and "Coming Around."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Inferences of past child abuse. Current environment is safe.
Summary: Doombots crash a beautiful spring day in the park. The Avengers clean up the mess. This includes Natasha's rather confused longing for something she never had: a birthday party.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. Friendship. Confusion. Hulk is a genius too. Fluff. Making up for lost time. Birthday. Cultural traditions. Games. Gifts. Cake. The cake is never a lie! Tickling. Trust issues. Safety and security. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10. Skip to Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 11
"It's a trick with helium. The different density of the gas makes voices sound funny; it doesn't do anything harmful," Phil explained. "Would you like to try it yourself?"
Steve hesitated. Phil could see the shadow of Steve's past in the sudden hitch of movement, years of ingrained habit protecting his fragile lungs, that hadn't quite worn off in the much shorter subjective time that he'd had his new improved body. "I guess I can now," Steve said softly.
Phil had never imagined Captain America singing chipmunk songs in a helium-induced squeal. It was one of the most ludicrous and uplifting things he'd ever heard.
Natka sidled over with a large licorice-black balloon in her hands. "It really doesn't do anything else? You promise?" Natka said. She was meticulously careful about what she did with her body -- had to be, given some of the quirks from its modification; chose to be, after how much had been done to her without her consent. That often complicated aftercare in the wake of battles, along with more ordinary matters, sometimes making Phil frantic. For her to venture this far for the sake of recreation was a momentous step.
Phil took the balloon from Natka and inhaled half the contents. "It just makes you squeak," he assured her in a chirping tone.
Natka drew herself up, inhaled the rest of the balloon, and squealed:
Кукушка кукушонку купила капюшон.
Надел кукушонок капюшон.
Как в капюшоне он смешон.
Steve and Tony cracked up laughing, recognizing the Russian tongue-twister. They both tried to top Natka with different ones, but neither came close to her speed.
The party games were a hit. Some of them needed a little adjusting, though, to compensate for the people involved. The "kids" blurred their ages a bit but nobody minded.
First came Pin the Blame on the Bad Guy. Tony and Steve set up the targets while Phil went into the kitchen for drinks because everyone was getting thirsty. When Phil came back, he found a row of faces with crosshairs, including AIM and HYDRA agents, a Chitauri dragonship, Victor von Doom, and...
Phil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tony ... would you care to explain why one of the targets has Director Fury's face on it?" he asked.
"No, Uncle Phil, I thought that would be obvious," Tony said, eyes wide and innocent.
Natka's tinkling laugh was infectious.
Clint won the first three rounds, no matter how carefully they blindfolded him and spun him around. He was just that good.
Then Steve gave him a thoughtful look and said, "Hey, Clint -- wanna play airplane?"
"Are you serious?" Clint said. "I haven't done that since I was, I dunno, four or five."
"I've swung bigger guys than you," Steve said.
Clint gave him a measuring look, then said, "All right. Let's do it."
* * *
Notes:
Trust is a complex factor in human relationships. Trust issues can impair a relationship. There are many reasons why such difficulties may develop. Early trauma can make it difficult for people to trust; this is one of the more common signs of abuse.
More obscure than sexual or emotional abuse is medical abuse, of which there are several varieties, none of them discussed very often. Somewhat related are medical torture and Nazi experimentation. These approximate the kind of bizarre human experimentation that Natasha survived. That has an impact on how she feels about her own body and about other people.
The process of earning someone's trust depends on their personality type; Natasha seems to blend aspects of Thinker and Promoter. Phil is actually fluent across multiple types of trustworthiness.
Natasha's verse came from a page of Russian tongue-twisters.
Кукушка кукушонку купила капюшон.
Надел кукушонок капюшон.
Как в капюшоне он смешон.
Cuckoo bought a hood for his young one.
The little cuckoo wore the hood.
How funny is the little cuckoo in the hood.
Birthday games include "Pin the (blank) on the (blank)" and many more.
Steve is offering what he remembers as a fun childhood activity, which has a practical application here. What Clint is thinking, from his circus background, is trapeze artist trust -- what is to be considered before placing himself in the hands of someone who could drop him.
[To be continued in Part 12 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Inferences of past child abuse. Current environment is safe.
Summary: Doombots crash a beautiful spring day in the park. The Avengers clean up the mess. This includes Natasha's rather confused longing for something she never had: a birthday party.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. Friendship. Confusion. Hulk is a genius too. Fluff. Making up for lost time. Birthday. Cultural traditions. Games. Gifts. Cake. The cake is never a lie! Tickling. Trust issues. Safety and security. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10. Skip to Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 11
"It's a trick with helium. The different density of the gas makes voices sound funny; it doesn't do anything harmful," Phil explained. "Would you like to try it yourself?"
Steve hesitated. Phil could see the shadow of Steve's past in the sudden hitch of movement, years of ingrained habit protecting his fragile lungs, that hadn't quite worn off in the much shorter subjective time that he'd had his new improved body. "I guess I can now," Steve said softly.
Phil had never imagined Captain America singing chipmunk songs in a helium-induced squeal. It was one of the most ludicrous and uplifting things he'd ever heard.
Natka sidled over with a large licorice-black balloon in her hands. "It really doesn't do anything else? You promise?" Natka said. She was meticulously careful about what she did with her body -- had to be, given some of the quirks from its modification; chose to be, after how much had been done to her without her consent. That often complicated aftercare in the wake of battles, along with more ordinary matters, sometimes making Phil frantic. For her to venture this far for the sake of recreation was a momentous step.
Phil took the balloon from Natka and inhaled half the contents. "It just makes you squeak," he assured her in a chirping tone.
Natka drew herself up, inhaled the rest of the balloon, and squealed:
Кукушка кукушонку купила капюшон.
Надел кукушонок капюшон.
Как в капюшоне он смешон.
Steve and Tony cracked up laughing, recognizing the Russian tongue-twister. They both tried to top Natka with different ones, but neither came close to her speed.
The party games were a hit. Some of them needed a little adjusting, though, to compensate for the people involved. The "kids" blurred their ages a bit but nobody minded.
First came Pin the Blame on the Bad Guy. Tony and Steve set up the targets while Phil went into the kitchen for drinks because everyone was getting thirsty. When Phil came back, he found a row of faces with crosshairs, including AIM and HYDRA agents, a Chitauri dragonship, Victor von Doom, and...
Phil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tony ... would you care to explain why one of the targets has Director Fury's face on it?" he asked.
"No, Uncle Phil, I thought that would be obvious," Tony said, eyes wide and innocent.
Natka's tinkling laugh was infectious.
Clint won the first three rounds, no matter how carefully they blindfolded him and spun him around. He was just that good.
Then Steve gave him a thoughtful look and said, "Hey, Clint -- wanna play airplane?"
"Are you serious?" Clint said. "I haven't done that since I was, I dunno, four or five."
"I've swung bigger guys than you," Steve said.
Clint gave him a measuring look, then said, "All right. Let's do it."
* * *
Notes:
Trust is a complex factor in human relationships. Trust issues can impair a relationship. There are many reasons why such difficulties may develop. Early trauma can make it difficult for people to trust; this is one of the more common signs of abuse.
More obscure than sexual or emotional abuse is medical abuse, of which there are several varieties, none of them discussed very often. Somewhat related are medical torture and Nazi experimentation. These approximate the kind of bizarre human experimentation that Natasha survived. That has an impact on how she feels about her own body and about other people.
The process of earning someone's trust depends on their personality type; Natasha seems to blend aspects of Thinker and Promoter. Phil is actually fluent across multiple types of trustworthiness.
Natasha's verse came from a page of Russian tongue-twisters.
Кукушка кукушонку купила капюшон.
Надел кукушонок капюшон.
Как в капюшоне он смешон.
Cuckoo bought a hood for his young one.
The little cuckoo wore the hood.
How funny is the little cuckoo in the hood.
Birthday games include "Pin the (blank) on the (blank)" and many more.
Steve is offering what he remembers as a fun childhood activity, which has a practical application here. What Clint is thinking, from his circus background, is trapeze artist trust -- what is to be considered before placing himself in the hands of someone who could drop him.
[To be continued in Part 12 ...]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-03 05:53 am (UTC)They're going to end up breaking the room, aren't they?
Yay!
Date: 2013-05-03 06:00 am (UTC)Yes, yes it is.
>> because I am currently mentally picturing Cap and Clint and ... yeah. Dying laughing. <<
That would make a fun picture.
>>Especially if Clint decides to try to shoot while Cap's doing that. Which, knowing Clint, he'll at least TRY to go there.
They're going to end up breaking the room, aren't they?<<
Not this time, not quite. But you're not all that far off either. Think about the amount of torque Steve can produce, and he's trying to make someone dizzy ...
Re: Yay!
Date: 2013-05-03 08:54 pm (UTC)>>Not this time, not quite. But you're not all that far off either. Think about the amount of torque Steve can produce, and he's trying to make someone dizzy ...<<
Yeah, they're gonna end up breaking something, somewhere. If only from an arrow that finally manages to *not* hit what Clint was aiming at because he did, in fact, get dizzy.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2013-05-05 06:45 am (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2013-05-05 08:00 am (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2013-05-06 12:52 am (UTC)True. I have mentioned, a little, the physical challenges of housing a team of superheroes; but I haven't gone into great detail yet. It is something I'd like to explore more in later stories, if I have time to go so far.
>>All it'll take is Steve losing his cool, given he not only broke a heavy bag, he sent it flying across the room, that's not going to end well.<<
For that Bruce frets himself to a frazzle over how much stuff he's broken as the Hulk, he really isn't the only one. Steve and Thor can smash stuff without even trying. Tony once cut a room in half with a laser and has been known to trash things out of sheer overload. Okay, it's not good to break things, but it happens to everybody sometimes and some people more often because of who they are. You pick up the pieces, and either work on your control or buy stuff that's less fragile.
>> And Thor has this habit of calling Mjolnir from wherever it was last at with a fine disregard for ... everything in its path. And he's used to Asgard, where pretty much everything is tailored to his level of strength, so ... yeah.<<
That's an important point. So many of the team members have super-strength to some degree, they need accommodations for that. How well would anyone else do living in a house of ricepaper and balsa wood? It's what I call a "fragile world" handicap when I'm gamemastering, and it's worth a substantial number of points the way I play it.
>> There WILL be furniture carnage at some point. It's inevitable. <<
I do have some possible ideas for that.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-04 12:50 am (UTC)-Rachel
You're welcome!
Date: 2013-05-05 12:20 am (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>> Your stories are thoughtful, serious and fun all at the same time. <<
The tone does vary over the series, but I generally aim for a fluffy outside with a chewy center. I'm glad it's working for you.
>> I'm impressed with your Notes, they're very thorough. Thank you for writing, I am very much enjoying reading. <<
The notes have become very popular in this series, so I'm keeping that up. I hope you stick with the series as it continues!
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-04 06:29 am (UTC)Okay...
Date: 2013-05-04 06:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-04 06:56 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2013-05-05 01:59 am (UTC)That's good to hear. They deserve some pleasure after all the grief they've gone through.
>>And I love how they're at ease with each other now. Fun chapter!<<
It's taken a lot of work for them to get this far. There will still be conflicts, but they've gotten to where most of the time they're comfortable as a team.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-05 12:15 pm (UTC)The helium thing is really fun.
Yay!
Date: 2013-05-06 01:48 am (UTC)I'd love to see it. Alas, nobody has done fanart for this series yet.
>>The helium thing is really fun.<<
I'm glad it worked for you.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2013-08-07 11:04 pm (UTC)Hmmm... And I've been wanting to find a drawing program for my tablet.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2013-08-07 11:11 pm (UTC)Good practice makes good progress!
I use fanfic for practice because it's faster, easier, and lower pressure than writing stuff to sell. So I can take bigger risks in a safe context, and then use what works in a different way for original writing later.
Same exercise works for art as for writing. Feel free to use any of my fanfic for art practice. It's okay if it doesn't come out perfect.
>> and since I'm not good with faces yet, could stage the scene with everyone facing the targets, so the targets would be the toughest part of the job... <<
That would do, if you're trying to work your way up to challenging faces slowly. You won't get better at them by skipping the practice, though.
>> Hmmm... And I've been wanting to find a drawing program for my tablet. <<
Go for it! There are a few open-source art programs that seem fairly popular, along with the expensive proprietary stuff.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-11-10 10:31 pm (UTC)Images