Story: "Birthday Girl" (Part 2 of 18)
Apr. 24th, 2013 12:01 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. Skip to 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, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 2
She shrugged. "No. I just never had the time for them. I do not see the appeal."
"Well ... because they're fun," Hawkeye said. "We used to sell 'em at the circus. Kids love balloons. They come in all colors, and the helium ones float." He picked up a purple balloon and turned to Hulk. "Here, buddy, hold out your hands." Hulk did. Hawkeye placed the balloon in the huge green palms.
Hulk gazed down at it resting safely in his grasp. "Pretty bloon," he said. Then he looked up at Hawkeye. "Show Bruce ... Hulk gentle?"
Hawkeye grinned. "You are a genius," he declared, backing a few steps out of Hulk's reach. Hulk shook his head. "No, don't give me that, Jolly Green. Bruce may be a hotshot with science, but when it comes to people, he's pretty much clueless. You are the one with the people smarts. Coulson, get a camera on us and film this, yeah?"
Agent Coulson tweaked the security apparatus to record the activity and sequester it in a secure location. "Ready when you are, Hawkeye," he said.
"And, action!" Hawkeye said. He held up his hands. "Hulk, toss me the balloon." The purple sphere wobbled through the air. Hawkeye caught it delicately. "Now I'm going to throw it back, and you do just what I did. Catch it real soft." Hawkeye lobbed the balloon at him.
Hulk cupped his hands again and caught the fragile thing with exquisite care. "Hulk do right?" he asked, hungry for praise.
"You did exactly right!" Hawkeye said. "Keep it going, big guy."
"Hulk looks so fierce, yet he is so tender inside," Black Widow said as she watched the game. "I am the opposite."
"We're all capable of being fierce or tender as the occasion requires," Agent Coulson reminded her. Some of us with more precision than others.
"It must be nice to live in that kind of world," she said, not looking at him. Her gaze fixed on the trappings of a childhood that she never had.
Hulk ambled over with the ribbon of a helium balloon pinched carefully between thumb and forefinger. Across the silver mylar, rainbow letters spelled Happy Birthday. Hulk held out the balloon to her and said, "Happy, Red."
She crossed her arms. "It's not my birthday. I don't have one."
"Everyone born, everyone have birthday," Hulk said in a stunning display of logic for someone who rarely used it. "Red here, have birthday." He moved the balloon an inch closer.
"He has a point," Agent Coulson said. It bothered him to see her shutting down her emotions so completely, but he knew better than to push when she got like this. The most he dared do was make factual remarks. I wonder what in the world set her off so badly, he thought. If any of the children got hurt, maybe ...
"Not me," Black Widow said in response to Hulk's claim. "That's one more thing the Red Room stole from me."
"Steal back," Hulk said. He gave the shiny balloon a tempting wiggle.
"Jeez, Black Widow, just take the darn thing from him already. You're gonna make him cry," Hawkeye said. He moved closer so that he could wrap an arm around Hulk's tree-sized leg. They touched often, now, after a battle.
* * *
Notes:
It is possible to play catch with a balloon filled only with air, although it's easier with a water balloon or some other weight. There are many other games and activities with balloons.
fannishliss has made an action-figure illustration of the balloon scene. :D
Hulk's genius stat is emotional intelligence, spanning both interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects. Conversely this is one of Bruce's weakest areas.
Gentleness is the virtue of being tender with people and things. It can be taught and learned. It is closely connected with power exchange. Notice that while the Avengers choose to continue their high-pressure profession, they compensate by cultivating a gentle home life.
The birthday balloon looks something like this.
Hulk really is using basic if-then logic. Black Widow is alive, therefore she was born, therefore she has a birthday. This is not Hulk's best mode, but he can pull it out of the shared brain and make it work for simple purposes.
The Red Room trained operatives in emotional shutdown. So Black Widow has a very flat emotional range, even now. Phil is working to help her expand that in more healthy ways, but it's a slow process.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
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. Skip to 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, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 2
She shrugged. "No. I just never had the time for them. I do not see the appeal."
"Well ... because they're fun," Hawkeye said. "We used to sell 'em at the circus. Kids love balloons. They come in all colors, and the helium ones float." He picked up a purple balloon and turned to Hulk. "Here, buddy, hold out your hands." Hulk did. Hawkeye placed the balloon in the huge green palms.
Hulk gazed down at it resting safely in his grasp. "Pretty bloon," he said. Then he looked up at Hawkeye. "Show Bruce ... Hulk gentle?"
Hawkeye grinned. "You are a genius," he declared, backing a few steps out of Hulk's reach. Hulk shook his head. "No, don't give me that, Jolly Green. Bruce may be a hotshot with science, but when it comes to people, he's pretty much clueless. You are the one with the people smarts. Coulson, get a camera on us and film this, yeah?"
Agent Coulson tweaked the security apparatus to record the activity and sequester it in a secure location. "Ready when you are, Hawkeye," he said.
"And, action!" Hawkeye said. He held up his hands. "Hulk, toss me the balloon." The purple sphere wobbled through the air. Hawkeye caught it delicately. "Now I'm going to throw it back, and you do just what I did. Catch it real soft." Hawkeye lobbed the balloon at him.
Hulk cupped his hands again and caught the fragile thing with exquisite care. "Hulk do right?" he asked, hungry for praise.
"You did exactly right!" Hawkeye said. "Keep it going, big guy."
"Hulk looks so fierce, yet he is so tender inside," Black Widow said as she watched the game. "I am the opposite."
"We're all capable of being fierce or tender as the occasion requires," Agent Coulson reminded her. Some of us with more precision than others.
"It must be nice to live in that kind of world," she said, not looking at him. Her gaze fixed on the trappings of a childhood that she never had.
Hulk ambled over with the ribbon of a helium balloon pinched carefully between thumb and forefinger. Across the silver mylar, rainbow letters spelled Happy Birthday. Hulk held out the balloon to her and said, "Happy, Red."
She crossed her arms. "It's not my birthday. I don't have one."
"Everyone born, everyone have birthday," Hulk said in a stunning display of logic for someone who rarely used it. "Red here, have birthday." He moved the balloon an inch closer.
"He has a point," Agent Coulson said. It bothered him to see her shutting down her emotions so completely, but he knew better than to push when she got like this. The most he dared do was make factual remarks. I wonder what in the world set her off so badly, he thought. If any of the children got hurt, maybe ...
"Not me," Black Widow said in response to Hulk's claim. "That's one more thing the Red Room stole from me."
"Steal back," Hulk said. He gave the shiny balloon a tempting wiggle.
"Jeez, Black Widow, just take the darn thing from him already. You're gonna make him cry," Hawkeye said. He moved closer so that he could wrap an arm around Hulk's tree-sized leg. They touched often, now, after a battle.
* * *
Notes:
It is possible to play catch with a balloon filled only with air, although it's easier with a water balloon or some other weight. There are many other games and activities with balloons.
fannishliss has made an action-figure illustration of the balloon scene. :DHulk's genius stat is emotional intelligence, spanning both interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects. Conversely this is one of Bruce's weakest areas.
Gentleness is the virtue of being tender with people and things. It can be taught and learned. It is closely connected with power exchange. Notice that while the Avengers choose to continue their high-pressure profession, they compensate by cultivating a gentle home life.
The birthday balloon looks something like this.
Hulk really is using basic if-then logic. Black Widow is alive, therefore she was born, therefore she has a birthday. This is not Hulk's best mode, but he can pull it out of the shared brain and make it work for simple purposes.
The Red Room trained operatives in emotional shutdown. So Black Widow has a very flat emotional range, even now. Phil is working to help her expand that in more healthy ways, but it's a slow process.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-12-13 09:15 pm (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-12-13 09:45 pm (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-12-13 09:47 pm (UTC)