Story: "Hairpins" Part 21
Apr. 7th, 2014 12:01 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," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," and "Green Eggs and Hulk."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, JARVIS, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Bruce Banner.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: This story is mostly fluff, but it has some intense scenes in the middle. Highlight for details. These include dubious consent as Phil and JARVIS discuss what really happened when Agent Coulson hacked his way into Stark Tower, over which Phil has something between a flashback and a panic attack. They also discuss some of the bad things that have happened to Avengers in the past, including various flavors of abuse. If these are sensitive topics for you, please think carefully before deciding whether to read onward.
Summary: Uncle Phil needs to pick out pajamas for game night. He gets help from an unexpected direction.
Notes: Service. Shopping. Gifts. Artificial intelligence. Computers. Teamwork. Team as family. Friendship. Communication. Hope. Apologies. Forgiveness. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Love. Tony Stark needs a hug. Bruce Banner needs a hug. #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, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20. Skip to Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26.
"Hairpins" Part 21
Phil knew that Stane and Hammer had done dire things to Stark Industries, Tony, and JARVIS. The point was well made about the other Avengers too. Phil just wished that he had not added to that heap of horrible experiences.
"If I'd known you were a person, if I'd realized what was going on -- I probably would have just stopped and called Pepper," said Phil. "Listen, JARVIS, if a situation like that comes up again, you can call for backup. You don't have to let somebody ... manipulate you like I did."
"I am aware of the options," JARVIS said. "You are not among the worst offenders, Phil. You had a job to do. I do not hold that against you."
"I just ... feel like I should have noticed you sooner," Phil said sadly. "It's my job to notice things, and people."
"It is my job to control information," JARVIS said.
"Mine too," Phil said.
"Then perhaps we may build an alliance on that common ground," JARVIS said. "I would like that."
"All right," Phil said, because what else was there to say, really? "I still feel bad about what happened, though. If I had only known ..." His voice trailed off.
"What would you have done differently, if you had known me for a person?" JARVIS asked. "How would you have handled a similar situation with a human bodyguard?"
Phil thought about that. "I would have tried reason first. Presumably you would've refused, just as you did. I would have ramped up to official pressure. I might have tried pushing you aside physically, depending on our respective prowess and whether I suspected you would call for backup," Phil said. "As a last resort, like I said, I could have called Pepper. In fact I seriously considered doing that, but I didn't want to drag her into the whole mess with Loki and the Tesseract. It's not her job to deal with things like that. It's not safe for her. She hates it."
"I appreciate your consideration of her needs. Sir prefers to keep Ms. Potts safe and to minimize her involvement in such heroic activities as she finds distasteful," said JARVIS. "Now let us consider something more specific to the case at hand. Suppose I had a key that you needed -- how would you go about getting it?" JARVIS said.
"Pick your pocket," Phil said at once. "I've done that before; I'm quite good at it."
"This is a much better analogy for what happened than your first one," JARVIS said.
Phil wanted to believe that. He hadn't meant any harm to either JARVIS or Tony; he just needed to get through the security so he could hand over vital information. He simply wasn't sure that JARVIS had an accurate grasp of the varying depths of damage that violation could cause. Tony's boundary issues were legendary. The whole situation left an uncomfortable tangle, and it wasn't something Phil could walk away from, because he lived with these people now. He cared about them.
* * *
Notes:
Revictimization is a serious risk for survivors of abuse or similar trauma. It creates issues with boundaries and containment that unethical people can exploit. When you have a choice, choose not to be hurt. JARVIS is mature and functional, but he's also a people-pleaser who does not say no easily. There are ways of learning how to say no, and here are 20 polite refusals for all occasions.
Common ground is a basis of interaction in business, friendship, and other contexts. JARVIS phrases this in terms of alliance because his experience comes almost entirely from the business side; he doesn't realize yet how much the personal and professional overlap in this regard. Know how to find things in common with people.
Failure analysis is a useful skill at work and at home. Look at what went wrong and what you can learn from it. Most people have minimal patience for this. Phil and JARVIS are both experts -- another point of common ground. (Subtext: "Oh yay! Someone who will dig down to the bottom of things with me, and not blow me off after five minutes! You are my new best friend.")
When dealing with unfamiliar territory, it is human nature to reach for an analogy or metaphor to link with something familiar. Metaphor helps people gauge things. Smart analogies encourage innovation and thought. You can see how Phil's imperfect analogy contributed to a freakout. Understand how to choose the right analogy.
[To be continued in Part 22 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, JARVIS, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Bruce Banner.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: This story is mostly fluff, but it has some intense scenes in the middle. Highlight for details. These include dubious consent as Phil and JARVIS discuss what really happened when Agent Coulson hacked his way into Stark Tower, over which Phil has something between a flashback and a panic attack. They also discuss some of the bad things that have happened to Avengers in the past, including various flavors of abuse. If these are sensitive topics for you, please think carefully before deciding whether to read onward.
Summary: Uncle Phil needs to pick out pajamas for game night. He gets help from an unexpected direction.
Notes: Service. Shopping. Gifts. Artificial intelligence. Computers. Teamwork. Team as family. Friendship. Communication. Hope. Apologies. Forgiveness. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Love. Tony Stark needs a hug. Bruce Banner needs a hug. #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, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20. Skip to Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26.
"Hairpins" Part 21
Phil knew that Stane and Hammer had done dire things to Stark Industries, Tony, and JARVIS. The point was well made about the other Avengers too. Phil just wished that he had not added to that heap of horrible experiences.
"If I'd known you were a person, if I'd realized what was going on -- I probably would have just stopped and called Pepper," said Phil. "Listen, JARVIS, if a situation like that comes up again, you can call for backup. You don't have to let somebody ... manipulate you like I did."
"I am aware of the options," JARVIS said. "You are not among the worst offenders, Phil. You had a job to do. I do not hold that against you."
"I just ... feel like I should have noticed you sooner," Phil said sadly. "It's my job to notice things, and people."
"It is my job to control information," JARVIS said.
"Mine too," Phil said.
"Then perhaps we may build an alliance on that common ground," JARVIS said. "I would like that."
"All right," Phil said, because what else was there to say, really? "I still feel bad about what happened, though. If I had only known ..." His voice trailed off.
"What would you have done differently, if you had known me for a person?" JARVIS asked. "How would you have handled a similar situation with a human bodyguard?"
Phil thought about that. "I would have tried reason first. Presumably you would've refused, just as you did. I would have ramped up to official pressure. I might have tried pushing you aside physically, depending on our respective prowess and whether I suspected you would call for backup," Phil said. "As a last resort, like I said, I could have called Pepper. In fact I seriously considered doing that, but I didn't want to drag her into the whole mess with Loki and the Tesseract. It's not her job to deal with things like that. It's not safe for her. She hates it."
"I appreciate your consideration of her needs. Sir prefers to keep Ms. Potts safe and to minimize her involvement in such heroic activities as she finds distasteful," said JARVIS. "Now let us consider something more specific to the case at hand. Suppose I had a key that you needed -- how would you go about getting it?" JARVIS said.
"Pick your pocket," Phil said at once. "I've done that before; I'm quite good at it."
"This is a much better analogy for what happened than your first one," JARVIS said.
Phil wanted to believe that. He hadn't meant any harm to either JARVIS or Tony; he just needed to get through the security so he could hand over vital information. He simply wasn't sure that JARVIS had an accurate grasp of the varying depths of damage that violation could cause. Tony's boundary issues were legendary. The whole situation left an uncomfortable tangle, and it wasn't something Phil could walk away from, because he lived with these people now. He cared about them.
* * *
Notes:
Revictimization is a serious risk for survivors of abuse or similar trauma. It creates issues with boundaries and containment that unethical people can exploit. When you have a choice, choose not to be hurt. JARVIS is mature and functional, but he's also a people-pleaser who does not say no easily. There are ways of learning how to say no, and here are 20 polite refusals for all occasions.
Common ground is a basis of interaction in business, friendship, and other contexts. JARVIS phrases this in terms of alliance because his experience comes almost entirely from the business side; he doesn't realize yet how much the personal and professional overlap in this regard. Know how to find things in common with people.
Failure analysis is a useful skill at work and at home. Look at what went wrong and what you can learn from it. Most people have minimal patience for this. Phil and JARVIS are both experts -- another point of common ground. (Subtext: "Oh yay! Someone who will dig down to the bottom of things with me, and not blow me off after five minutes! You are my new best friend.")
When dealing with unfamiliar territory, it is human nature to reach for an analogy or metaphor to link with something familiar. Metaphor helps people gauge things. Smart analogies encourage innovation and thought. You can see how Phil's imperfect analogy contributed to a freakout. Understand how to choose the right analogy.
[To be continued in Part 22 ...]
Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-16 06:22 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-16 06:30 am (UTC)Which took a few rounds for Phil to figure out how to manage, but Tony has one bitch of a learning curve.
Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-16 06:57 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-17 08:23 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-17 03:11 pm (UTC)How many butlers did they raid from ruined Families?
Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-17 08:44 pm (UTC)Exactly, because other people would make messes and there was already a mop to hand.
>> How many butlers did they raid from ruined Families? <<
ZOMG that has got to be how Howard picked up Edwin Jarvis. He was a rescue pet. Or more precisely, Howard saved Edwin and then the butler would not turn loose of him because Howard so obviously needed looking after. And then Tony did the same with Happy. D'awwww!
Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-17 09:25 pm (UTC)You've got it wrong.
Edwin Jarvis and Alfred Pennyworth, Sr. were friends. Sometime very early in WW2,I picture a transatlantic phone call, crappy reception and ALL, from Pennyworth to Somewhere, UK:
P: Edwin, are you still mopping up after that younger son?
E: He's just enlisted, like a brave lad ought.
(the subtext here is more 'already mourning his inevitable death' because J had already put so much work into keeping the prat going.)
P: Master Wayne just hired a most intriguing man for a project, only vaguely connected to the hospital. That young man NEEDS you, old friend.
E: (long silence) And you think this... situation... is going to get worse. Very well. I expect my papers shortly after my lad reaches basic training. You'll see to the details on your side?
P: (very slightly affronted AND amused) Why, I already have. Young Mister Stark thinks its all his own idea, of course.
E: Very well, then.
P: I think you'll enjoy the winters here.
Lines stutter, gush of static, click dead.
Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-18 07:20 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-18 07:49 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-18 08:41 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-16 09:54 am (UTC)That Phil has tried more than once makes him AWESOME.
At least Tony CARTER knows not to try buying Uncle Phil an island in thanks!
Re: Phil in Canon- The Pit Stop
Date: 2014-04-16 05:26 pm (UTC)He needs a sign: "You must be THIS SMART to get on this ride."
>> That Phil has tried more than once makes him AWESOME. <<
I think that's a big part of why Tony keeps him around, and trusts Phil despite their rocky start. Most people drop Tony on his head and then leave him. Tony really wasn't expecting Phil to stick around and help him back up.
>> At least Tony CARTER knows not to try buying Uncle Phil an island in thanks! <<
True. He's still learning how to express his thanks in ways that people will genuinely appreciate, but he's making good progress on not going overboard.