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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]](https://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, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13. Read the sequel, "Eggshells."
"Love Is for Children" Part 14
Fury was pushy and ruthless, but he wasn't completely stupid. He didn't challenge the security on Avengers tower. He didn't accept anyone's resignation. He didn't follow through and attempt reassignments either, so there was no need for them to disengage from SHIELD and go independent. Besides, he didn't have anyone else willing or able to take on the Avengers. That had become spectacularly clear during the week Coulson was "dead." So the game nights continued undisturbed. Besides, Coulson was right.
The teambuilding exercise proved its worth in the field as promised.
One day, they were fending off a Hydra attack when Captain America shouted an order to Iron Man ... and Tony just followed it, without hesitating or arguing over the comm.
Then someone took aim at the Hulk with an anti-tank missile. Phil got the drop on the man and choked him unconscious. Oh yes, that felt good. He'd been yearning to do something like that for a very long time. Phil gave a happy sigh as he let the limp villain slump to the pavement. Then he tased the one trying to shoot at Iron Man.
Suddenly something hit the building next to him. Phil looked down and found another Hydra agent. From the trajectory and the bent gun, Hulk had caught the man aiming at Phil and thrown him against a wall. As Phil looked up, Hulk waved at him and bounded away to smash something else. Phil crouched down to fasten the three defeated enemies together with SHIELD-issue zip ties. That would hold them until junior agents could pick them up.
"Hawkeye, behind you!" Black Widow shouted. While Hawkeye whirled to shoot the enemies sneaking up on him, Black Widow took out the ones trying to lower themselves from above. They fell rather farther than they had intended, and landed on hard roof instead of soft Hawkeye. An arrow through the thigh dropped the one circling Black Widow.
She scrambled down from Hawkeye's building to the top of a bus, only to have several Hydra agents rush her. Black Widow kicked two of them in the throat simultaneously. The others knocked her off the bus.
Hulk caught Black Widow in midair, rolled to take the momentum, and set her gently back on her feet. A spray of bullets bounced off his green shoulders. With a roar, Hulk picked up the empty bus and smashed it into Hydra's formation of footsoldiers.
"Cap, assist!" called Iron Man, holding up his hands.
Captain America was almost a block away. He turned and passed his shield to Iron Man, who was in a perfect position to hurl it into the vulnerable underside of the Hydra troop transport. The vehicle went down with a gratifying amount of black smoke pouring from its guts.
After that it was just a matter of mopping up the last few enemies. Phil supervised the junior agents who came to take the Hydra casualties into custody. He kept the other half of his attention on the comm chatter as his team members called in. Everyone reported safe, except --
"Has anybody got eyes on Hulk?" Hawkeye asked in a worried tone. "I lost him after those guys tried to jump me on the roof."
This was not good. Hulk out of contact tended to mean Hulk wreaking unnecessary havoc on defenseless infrastructure, or worse, fleeing into the countryside to get himself good and lost. It had taken most of a day to find him on the previous two occasions when that happened. He hadn't done it recently, but still --
"Last I saw, he was standing on top of a wrecked Beemer," Iron Man said.
Just then, Hulk landed beside Phil with a ground-jarring THUD. He didn't look angry, despite the burnt patch on his pants that made Phil want to check him for injuries, nevermind that Hulk was well-nigh indestructible. He didn't look scared, either. He looked satisfied.
Phil announced over his comm, "Hulk just found me," then asked, "What can I do for you, Hulk?"
"Catch me, Uncle Phil," Hulk said quite clearly.
And just like that, Hulk was gone and Bruce was left in his place, knees already buckling. Phil hastened to grab him before he could fall. Phil hadn't been prepared for this; it was the fastest, easiest transformation he'd seen yet. Bruce proved surprisingly unwieldy in his arms. This was usually when ...
"Steve!" Phil yelled. "Come get --" your baby cousin, he almost finished, but managed to head off that part just in time. He'd said it so often, it had become almost automatic. That could be awkward, if he or anyone else let slip exactly what kind of exercise they were doing. Then again, role-playing was all over Phil's teambuilding manuals, and if "Saturday Pajama Party" was out of an abuse recovery book ... oh well, Nick Fury could just put on his big-boy shorts and deal with it.
"I've got him," Steve said, scooping up Bruce. It was no hardship for Steve to carry the smaller man tucked against his chest. Bruce gave a contented murmur and snuggled into Steve's grasp. The charred portion of Bruce's pants flaked away to reveal undamaged skin beneath.
"You sure do," Phil said.
"Good job, everyone. Let's go home," Steve said.
"Yes," Phil agreed.
Home. Steve had been right. Love could make anything real.
~ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ~
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, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13. Read the sequel, "Eggshells."
"Love Is for Children" Part 14
Fury was pushy and ruthless, but he wasn't completely stupid. He didn't challenge the security on Avengers tower. He didn't accept anyone's resignation. He didn't follow through and attempt reassignments either, so there was no need for them to disengage from SHIELD and go independent. Besides, he didn't have anyone else willing or able to take on the Avengers. That had become spectacularly clear during the week Coulson was "dead." So the game nights continued undisturbed. Besides, Coulson was right.
The teambuilding exercise proved its worth in the field as promised.
One day, they were fending off a Hydra attack when Captain America shouted an order to Iron Man ... and Tony just followed it, without hesitating or arguing over the comm.
Then someone took aim at the Hulk with an anti-tank missile. Phil got the drop on the man and choked him unconscious. Oh yes, that felt good. He'd been yearning to do something like that for a very long time. Phil gave a happy sigh as he let the limp villain slump to the pavement. Then he tased the one trying to shoot at Iron Man.
Suddenly something hit the building next to him. Phil looked down and found another Hydra agent. From the trajectory and the bent gun, Hulk had caught the man aiming at Phil and thrown him against a wall. As Phil looked up, Hulk waved at him and bounded away to smash something else. Phil crouched down to fasten the three defeated enemies together with SHIELD-issue zip ties. That would hold them until junior agents could pick them up.
"Hawkeye, behind you!" Black Widow shouted. While Hawkeye whirled to shoot the enemies sneaking up on him, Black Widow took out the ones trying to lower themselves from above. They fell rather farther than they had intended, and landed on hard roof instead of soft Hawkeye. An arrow through the thigh dropped the one circling Black Widow.
She scrambled down from Hawkeye's building to the top of a bus, only to have several Hydra agents rush her. Black Widow kicked two of them in the throat simultaneously. The others knocked her off the bus.
Hulk caught Black Widow in midair, rolled to take the momentum, and set her gently back on her feet. A spray of bullets bounced off his green shoulders. With a roar, Hulk picked up the empty bus and smashed it into Hydra's formation of footsoldiers.
"Cap, assist!" called Iron Man, holding up his hands.
Captain America was almost a block away. He turned and passed his shield to Iron Man, who was in a perfect position to hurl it into the vulnerable underside of the Hydra troop transport. The vehicle went down with a gratifying amount of black smoke pouring from its guts.
After that it was just a matter of mopping up the last few enemies. Phil supervised the junior agents who came to take the Hydra casualties into custody. He kept the other half of his attention on the comm chatter as his team members called in. Everyone reported safe, except --
"Has anybody got eyes on Hulk?" Hawkeye asked in a worried tone. "I lost him after those guys tried to jump me on the roof."
This was not good. Hulk out of contact tended to mean Hulk wreaking unnecessary havoc on defenseless infrastructure, or worse, fleeing into the countryside to get himself good and lost. It had taken most of a day to find him on the previous two occasions when that happened. He hadn't done it recently, but still --
"Last I saw, he was standing on top of a wrecked Beemer," Iron Man said.
Just then, Hulk landed beside Phil with a ground-jarring THUD. He didn't look angry, despite the burnt patch on his pants that made Phil want to check him for injuries, nevermind that Hulk was well-nigh indestructible. He didn't look scared, either. He looked satisfied.
Phil announced over his comm, "Hulk just found me," then asked, "What can I do for you, Hulk?"
"Catch me, Uncle Phil," Hulk said quite clearly.
And just like that, Hulk was gone and Bruce was left in his place, knees already buckling. Phil hastened to grab him before he could fall. Phil hadn't been prepared for this; it was the fastest, easiest transformation he'd seen yet. Bruce proved surprisingly unwieldy in his arms. This was usually when ...
"Steve!" Phil yelled. "Come get --" your baby cousin, he almost finished, but managed to head off that part just in time. He'd said it so often, it had become almost automatic. That could be awkward, if he or anyone else let slip exactly what kind of exercise they were doing. Then again, role-playing was all over Phil's teambuilding manuals, and if "Saturday Pajama Party" was out of an abuse recovery book ... oh well, Nick Fury could just put on his big-boy shorts and deal with it.
"I've got him," Steve said, scooping up Bruce. It was no hardship for Steve to carry the smaller man tucked against his chest. Bruce gave a contented murmur and snuggled into Steve's grasp. The charred portion of Bruce's pants flaked away to reveal undamaged skin beneath.
"You sure do," Phil said.
"Good job, everyone. Let's go home," Steve said.
"Yes," Phil agreed.
Home. Steve had been right. Love could make anything real.
~ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ~
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2017-04-02 02:33 am (UTC)It is-then realizing that I'll probably be able to stand up more effectively because of that confirmation.
Thank you. <3