Story: "Birthday Girl" (Part 15 of 18)
May. 7th, 2013 12:05 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, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14. Skip to Part 17, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 15
So Phil went to raid the pantry for what turned out to be an entire sheet cake. Steve gave a speculative hum when he saw it, and held out his plate for a slice alongside a second piece of the black walnut. Betty likewise sampled the new offering.
Natka made her leisurely way through the repurposed wedding cake and ignored the chocolate. She wound up with a dab of whipped cream icing on her nose. It was unbearably adorable, especially when she crossed her eyes trying to see where the smudge was.
"Hold still," Phil said. He wet a napkin in a glass of water, caught her chin in his hand, and fastidiously washed all the icing off her nose. There was some on her cheek; he got that too. "There, all clean." Phil let her go.
Natka leaned over, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a gossamer hug all the more precious for its rarity. She was not a demonstrative person. For her, this was effusive.
Phil had waived the rule about "Children don't buy things; adults buy things" for the sake of the party. So Natka had a small pile of birthday presents to open. She unwrapped the paper with meticulous precision, folded it, and set it aside. Steve picked up every piece and held them in his lap with a care that suggested he fully intended on reusing them himself if she didn't want them.
Phil's gift was a traditional wooden toy from Russia. A flat paddle held five brightly painted chickens. Under the paddle hung a ball, which when swung caused the chickens to peck up and down. It was the kind of thing that most Russian children had, often made by a relative. Natka smiled when she saw it. The wooden birds made a crisp tik-tik-tik-tik-tik sound as they moved in sequence.
Bruce gave Natka a tea tin, its creamy background decorated with leaves and butterflies. It was filled with her favorite Russian Royal Tea. Tony's gift -- tickets to a series of classical music concerts -- came folded into a surprisingly bohemian birthday card, handmade by some local artist whose name Phil did not recognize. Clint had procured a selection of candy from a dozen different countries inside a clear glass globe pressed with the continents of the world.
Betty handed Natka the last gift, wrapped not in paper but a box of American beech, the fine-grained golden wood gleaming in the light. "This is from me and Steve," said Betty. "I know you're not much for dolls but ... we love all of you." Betty lifted the lid off the box.
Inside, nestled in a bed of crimson velvet, lay a Russian матрёшка. The outermost shell glistened with gold leaf, across which the vivid sable and scarlet figure of Black Widow splayed in a deadly dance, the other Avengers tiny in the background. Phil recognized Steve's hand in the exquisite custom artwork; there would not have been time to commission something from anyone else. Natka twisted apart the two halves with trembling fingers. The next doll showed Natasha dressed for casual elegance against the cool modern background of the tower's interior. She traced a fingertip over the lines of her self, her home. Shells within shells, there were, each revealing a different persona. Clint gave a little gasp at the image of a painfully fierce Black Widow from her rogue days.
* * *
Notes:
There are many ways to reuse wrapping paper.
Here's an example of the pecking chickens.
See the butterfly tea tin and the Russian tea.
This is the globe candy jar.
American beech is popular for woodcarving.
The матрёшка dolls are also known as Russian nesting dolls. Each one splits into a top half and a bottom half to reveal the next smaller doll within. Sometimes they are all painted identically, other times they vary. In this case, the layers become a concrete metaphor for the recipient's complex identity.
[To be continued in Part 16 ...]
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, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14. Skip to Part 17, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 15
So Phil went to raid the pantry for what turned out to be an entire sheet cake. Steve gave a speculative hum when he saw it, and held out his plate for a slice alongside a second piece of the black walnut. Betty likewise sampled the new offering.
Natka made her leisurely way through the repurposed wedding cake and ignored the chocolate. She wound up with a dab of whipped cream icing on her nose. It was unbearably adorable, especially when she crossed her eyes trying to see where the smudge was.
"Hold still," Phil said. He wet a napkin in a glass of water, caught her chin in his hand, and fastidiously washed all the icing off her nose. There was some on her cheek; he got that too. "There, all clean." Phil let her go.
Natka leaned over, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a gossamer hug all the more precious for its rarity. She was not a demonstrative person. For her, this was effusive.
Phil had waived the rule about "Children don't buy things; adults buy things" for the sake of the party. So Natka had a small pile of birthday presents to open. She unwrapped the paper with meticulous precision, folded it, and set it aside. Steve picked up every piece and held them in his lap with a care that suggested he fully intended on reusing them himself if she didn't want them.
Phil's gift was a traditional wooden toy from Russia. A flat paddle held five brightly painted chickens. Under the paddle hung a ball, which when swung caused the chickens to peck up and down. It was the kind of thing that most Russian children had, often made by a relative. Natka smiled when she saw it. The wooden birds made a crisp tik-tik-tik-tik-tik sound as they moved in sequence.
Bruce gave Natka a tea tin, its creamy background decorated with leaves and butterflies. It was filled with her favorite Russian Royal Tea. Tony's gift -- tickets to a series of classical music concerts -- came folded into a surprisingly bohemian birthday card, handmade by some local artist whose name Phil did not recognize. Clint had procured a selection of candy from a dozen different countries inside a clear glass globe pressed with the continents of the world.
Betty handed Natka the last gift, wrapped not in paper but a box of American beech, the fine-grained golden wood gleaming in the light. "This is from me and Steve," said Betty. "I know you're not much for dolls but ... we love all of you." Betty lifted the lid off the box.
Inside, nestled in a bed of crimson velvet, lay a Russian матрёшка. The outermost shell glistened with gold leaf, across which the vivid sable and scarlet figure of Black Widow splayed in a deadly dance, the other Avengers tiny in the background. Phil recognized Steve's hand in the exquisite custom artwork; there would not have been time to commission something from anyone else. Natka twisted apart the two halves with trembling fingers. The next doll showed Natasha dressed for casual elegance against the cool modern background of the tower's interior. She traced a fingertip over the lines of her self, her home. Shells within shells, there were, each revealing a different persona. Clint gave a little gasp at the image of a painfully fierce Black Widow from her rogue days.
* * *
Notes:
There are many ways to reuse wrapping paper.
Here's an example of the pecking chickens.
See the butterfly tea tin and the Russian tea.
This is the globe candy jar.
American beech is popular for woodcarving.
The матрёшка dolls are also known as Russian nesting dolls. Each one splits into a top half and a bottom half to reveal the next smaller doll within. Sometimes they are all painted identically, other times they vary. In this case, the layers become a concrete metaphor for the recipient's complex identity.
[To be continued in Part 16 ...]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-07 06:47 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2013-05-08 07:30 pm (UTC)Nesting Dolls
Date: 2013-05-07 03:01 pm (UTC)Re: Nesting Dolls
Date: 2013-05-08 07:31 am (UTC)Yay! I'm glad this works for you.
>> In Natasha's case, it is particularly apt, cracking open each hard shell to find more and more layers. <<
Precisely. All of these things are equally true. I think it helps her understand the struggle that Bruce-and-Hulk are having with multiplicity. Hers isn't the same, but it's close enough to resonate.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-07 03:01 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2013-05-07 05:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-07 03:53 pm (UTC)So fine.
Thank you!
Date: 2013-05-07 05:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-08 05:04 pm (UTC)You're welcome!
Date: 2013-05-09 07:56 am (UTC)It has taken her a long time to get here, but she is slowly learning how to be physically affectionate and accepting of affection -- not just tolerate people without hitting them.
>> Loved hers and Steve's attitude with the wrapping paper, so fitting for them (sweet!). <<
As contrasted with Tony and Clint, who probably rip everything to shreds.
>> And the Russian dolls representing all of Natasha's personalities. Awesome gift. <<
I try to find things that are meaningful as well as cute. I'm glad that's working.
>> Beautiful chapter, thanks! <<
Yay!
Thank you
Date: 2013-05-09 12:18 am (UTC)Haven't ever read Age play like this and those little character-quirks of everyone are inspiring.
Hope that was somewhat understandable, since english is not my native language
Oh.. and if you want something to read that dives in the hulk-bruce psyche I can only recommend http://archiveofourown.org/works/592408/chapters/1066555
If you have trouble with slash (overtly) skip the last two chapters :)
Re: Thank you
Date: 2013-05-22 02:31 am (UTC)You're welcome!
>> I absolutely love those links at the end and that this story-series is entertaining, thought-provoking and a learning experience.<<
I'm glad to hear that. This is what I'm aiming for with the series.
>>Haven't ever read Age play like this and those little character-quirks of everyone are inspiring.<<
A majority of the character quirks are direct from canon, or close derivations. I just try to do them justice.
>>Hope that was somewhat understandable, since english is not my native language<<
It's perfectly clear.
>>Oh.. and if you want something to read that dives in the hulk-bruce psyche I can only recommend http://archiveofourown.org/works/592408/chapters/1066555<<
Wow, this is great! Thanks for sharing.
>>If you have trouble with slash (overtly) skip the last two chapters :) <<
I like well-done slash.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-06-12 01:47 pm (UTC)-JiM
Thank you!
Date: 2013-06-13 07:03 am (UTC)