Story: "Up the Water Spout" Part 18
Oct. 10th, 2014 12:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," and "Little and Broken, but Still Good."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Natasha Romanova, Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Betty Ross, Bucky Barnes.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mention of human trafficking and nonconsensual drug use. Slightly offstage sexual violence. Dubcon/Noncon.
Summary: Sometimes the Black Widow needs to hunt, and sometimes she needs help settling her personality afterwards. Uncle Phil arranges an extra ageplay session.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. BAMF!Black Widow. Black Widow is creepy. Spiders. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Caregiving. Competence. Girl stuff. Toys and games. Gentleness. Trust. #coulsonlives
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, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17. Skip to Part 20.
"Up the Water Spout" Part 18
That evening Phil put together a playlist of Scooby-Doo, The Great Grape Ape Show, and some Tom & Jerry shorts to go between the longer shows. Then he piled a platter with the Nilla wafers that Clint favored as Scooby snacks and a large bunch of red grapes. He stacked together several different cheeses and lunch meats, cutting them into fun shapes, and then added those to the arrangement. Finally he dressed for the evening and headed for the elevator.
When Uncle Phil arrived, Clint and Natka were already in their jammies, spreading a variety of pillows and comforters on the floor. That looked inviting, although Uncle Phil usually stayed on the couch and left the floor to his littles. He set the platter on the coffee table. Then he went to look at the tarantula, currently perched on her tree stump.
The door opened, admitting Bruce who was also in his jammies -- and Bucky, carrying a big plastic bowl and dressed in a midnight blue bathrobe over a faded Mickey Mouse t-shirt and plaid sleep pants.
"Uncle Buck!" crowed Natka, scampering over to hug him. "What's in the bowl?" She peered into it, but there was a lid.
"Steve made yogurt turtles. Settle down, princess, I brought enough for everyone," said Uncle Buck. "Clint invited me, so I walked Bruce up." In fact Bruce was still clinging to the hand that wasn't occupied with the candy bowl.
Natka burrowed into the nest of blankets. Bruce lay down beside her, which perforce put Clint on the other side since Bruce needed to stay on the outside.
Phil looked at the couch, looked at the nest on the floor, and fingered the edge of his bathrobe. Usually he needed a push, but tonight something was tugging at him. "Since Uncle Buck is here, would anyone mind if I switch down?"
"Switch down?" Uncle Buck echoed.
"Oh right, you haven't met Flip yet," said Clint, reaching up to grab a handful of Scooby snacks.
"Flip is little Phil?" said Uncle Buck.
"Yes," Clint said.
Phil realized that Clint had invited Bucky, or perhaps even Uncle Buck in particular, so that Phil would have the option of switching down if he wished. Because Clint saw everything, and had therefore noticed Phil's faint unease.
"Sure, go ahead," said Uncle Buck. "I can hold down the fort tonight."
Phil shucked off his bathrobe and tossed it on the couch. He closed his eyes and reached for the inward shift that was Flip. It was hard to do by himself, but he thought he could get the hang of it. "Thanks," he said softly. He picked up some of the meat and cheese from the platter, then paused.
"What'sa matter, peewee?" asked Uncle Buck. "You're frownin' all of a sudden."
Flip sighed. "I forgot the chocolate milk."
"I'll get it," said Uncle Buck, and he did.
Flip happily collected his cup and settled down on the floor beside Clint. Then Clint rolled over the top of him. "Hey! Get off me!"
Clint rolled off the other side and nudged Flip over next to Natka. "I am off."
It felt new and a little weird to snuggle on the floor with them, but he thought he liked it. Flip had not had many friends growing up, certainly not enough to make a whole pile with like this. Clint and Natka were warm and quiet on either side of him now. Natka hugged Flip, shoving a pillow a little farther under her chest to prop herself up so she could see the viewscreen better. She seemed lazy and happy. On the far side of her, Bruce was no more than a tuft of dark curls protruding from his blanket.
Flip looked over his shoulder. Uncle Buck sprawled on the couch, his long arms spread across the back of it and his legs stretched out in front, crossed at the ankles. He gave Flip a silent nod and then flicked the remote.
Flip felt safe. He settled down to watch Scooby-Doo as the cartoon started up.
* * *
Notes:
The featured cartoons are Scooby-Doo, The Great Grape Ape Show, and Tom and Jerry.
Nilla wafers are vanilla cookies, popular both as snacks and dessert ingredients. Many of Clint's favorite comfort foods are cheap junk food.
Canape cutters make fun shapes of meat and cheese for children's snacks.
Uncle Buck's outfit includes a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, plaid flannel sleep pants, and a bathrobe.
While I couldn't find a recipe for Yogurt Turtles per se, they may be made from caramel and pecans like regular turtles but replacing the chocolate shell with yogurt coating.
Making a nest of blankets and/or pillows is a good way to recharge, especially when you feel lousy but don't really know why.
Feeling safe is necessary for everyone, but often challenging for abuse survivors and for women. There are tips on how to make your home feel safer. These are less bloody than Black Widow's usual ways of making herself feel safe.
This is the end of the story proper. However, there are two bonus scenes to follow, showing how Agent Coulson negotiated with Daredevil and Spiderman.
[To be continued in Part 19 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Natasha Romanova, Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Betty Ross, Bucky Barnes.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mention of human trafficking and nonconsensual drug use. Slightly offstage sexual violence. Dubcon/Noncon.
Summary: Sometimes the Black Widow needs to hunt, and sometimes she needs help settling her personality afterwards. Uncle Phil arranges an extra ageplay session.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. BAMF!Black Widow. Black Widow is creepy. Spiders. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Caregiving. Competence. Girl stuff. Toys and games. Gentleness. Trust. #coulsonlives
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, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17. Skip to Part 20.
"Up the Water Spout" Part 18
That evening Phil put together a playlist of Scooby-Doo, The Great Grape Ape Show, and some Tom & Jerry shorts to go between the longer shows. Then he piled a platter with the Nilla wafers that Clint favored as Scooby snacks and a large bunch of red grapes. He stacked together several different cheeses and lunch meats, cutting them into fun shapes, and then added those to the arrangement. Finally he dressed for the evening and headed for the elevator.
When Uncle Phil arrived, Clint and Natka were already in their jammies, spreading a variety of pillows and comforters on the floor. That looked inviting, although Uncle Phil usually stayed on the couch and left the floor to his littles. He set the platter on the coffee table. Then he went to look at the tarantula, currently perched on her tree stump.
The door opened, admitting Bruce who was also in his jammies -- and Bucky, carrying a big plastic bowl and dressed in a midnight blue bathrobe over a faded Mickey Mouse t-shirt and plaid sleep pants.
"Uncle Buck!" crowed Natka, scampering over to hug him. "What's in the bowl?" She peered into it, but there was a lid.
"Steve made yogurt turtles. Settle down, princess, I brought enough for everyone," said Uncle Buck. "Clint invited me, so I walked Bruce up." In fact Bruce was still clinging to the hand that wasn't occupied with the candy bowl.
Natka burrowed into the nest of blankets. Bruce lay down beside her, which perforce put Clint on the other side since Bruce needed to stay on the outside.
Phil looked at the couch, looked at the nest on the floor, and fingered the edge of his bathrobe. Usually he needed a push, but tonight something was tugging at him. "Since Uncle Buck is here, would anyone mind if I switch down?"
"Switch down?" Uncle Buck echoed.
"Oh right, you haven't met Flip yet," said Clint, reaching up to grab a handful of Scooby snacks.
"Flip is little Phil?" said Uncle Buck.
"Yes," Clint said.
Phil realized that Clint had invited Bucky, or perhaps even Uncle Buck in particular, so that Phil would have the option of switching down if he wished. Because Clint saw everything, and had therefore noticed Phil's faint unease.
"Sure, go ahead," said Uncle Buck. "I can hold down the fort tonight."
Phil shucked off his bathrobe and tossed it on the couch. He closed his eyes and reached for the inward shift that was Flip. It was hard to do by himself, but he thought he could get the hang of it. "Thanks," he said softly. He picked up some of the meat and cheese from the platter, then paused.
"What'sa matter, peewee?" asked Uncle Buck. "You're frownin' all of a sudden."
Flip sighed. "I forgot the chocolate milk."
"I'll get it," said Uncle Buck, and he did.
Flip happily collected his cup and settled down on the floor beside Clint. Then Clint rolled over the top of him. "Hey! Get off me!"
Clint rolled off the other side and nudged Flip over next to Natka. "I am off."
It felt new and a little weird to snuggle on the floor with them, but he thought he liked it. Flip had not had many friends growing up, certainly not enough to make a whole pile with like this. Clint and Natka were warm and quiet on either side of him now. Natka hugged Flip, shoving a pillow a little farther under her chest to prop herself up so she could see the viewscreen better. She seemed lazy and happy. On the far side of her, Bruce was no more than a tuft of dark curls protruding from his blanket.
Flip looked over his shoulder. Uncle Buck sprawled on the couch, his long arms spread across the back of it and his legs stretched out in front, crossed at the ankles. He gave Flip a silent nod and then flicked the remote.
Flip felt safe. He settled down to watch Scooby-Doo as the cartoon started up.
* * *
Notes:
The featured cartoons are Scooby-Doo, The Great Grape Ape Show, and Tom and Jerry.
Nilla wafers are vanilla cookies, popular both as snacks and dessert ingredients. Many of Clint's favorite comfort foods are cheap junk food.
Canape cutters make fun shapes of meat and cheese for children's snacks.
Uncle Buck's outfit includes a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, plaid flannel sleep pants, and a bathrobe.
While I couldn't find a recipe for Yogurt Turtles per se, they may be made from caramel and pecans like regular turtles but replacing the chocolate shell with yogurt coating.
Making a nest of blankets and/or pillows is a good way to recharge, especially when you feel lousy but don't really know why.
Feeling safe is necessary for everyone, but often challenging for abuse survivors and for women. There are tips on how to make your home feel safer. These are less bloody than Black Widow's usual ways of making herself feel safe.
This is the end of the story proper. However, there are two bonus scenes to follow, showing how Agent Coulson negotiated with Daredevil and Spiderman.
[To be continued in Part 19 ...]
