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- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-23 02:51 am (UTC)He did win that once, in terms of leaving Betty because he felt that Hulk made a relationship unsafe to the point of impossibility. It was a fucking stupid idea that broke Bruce-and-Hulk, upset Betty, and nearly destroyed the Earth. So no, she is never going to listen to him on that topic again. He couldn't pry her off with a crowbar now. Also Hulk is on Betty's side in that regard, so Bruce is outnumbered. He can throw whatever tantrum he wants, it's not gonna happen.
I actually have a story completed, which is primarily interaction between Hulk and JARVIS prior to game night, but it includes several tidbits about Betty because that's the only other person who was ever nice to Hulk.
>> As difficult as it will be for Bruce in particular to come to grips with Hulk, they NEED each other. <<
Agreed. They will be so much happier -- and more powerful -- once they make up.
>> They're no more viable right now than conjoined twins joined at the spine. <<
They are conjoined twins. They just happen to be conjoined throughout their entire body. Based on what I've read -- and I've studied this phenomena for a different fictional context -- normally conjoined twins grow up with profound negotiation and cooperation skills. (If I ran the world, I would so hustle them to be diplomats.) The child abuse undercut that to the point that Bruce and Hulk are just now, barely, sort of, sometimes managing to agree on a few things as simple as "Smash the evil space dragon before it eats New York." A merely ordinary level of cooperation isn't enough for people whose lives are so thoroughly intertwined. They need to get it up to epic, and they are starting at "fucking hopeless disaster" level.
You can see why it's taking so long.
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-23 04:38 am (UTC)Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-23 07:03 am (UTC)Separating conjoined twins is dicey at best, and really depends on the nature of the juncture. Sometimes they can survive together, sometimes one or both can survive separation, other times there's just nothing to be done. The ethics of it are very messy in any case.
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-30 02:05 am (UTC)Bruce and Hulk have increasingly marginal life satisfaction if they don't get onto the same page. Hulk cannot see how saving Bruce's life makes him miserable and Bruce can't grok that's what Hulk is doing. He's been gaslight so much that he thinks he deserves the bad things that would happen if Hulk didn't run with the ball.
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-30 06:47 am (UTC)Yes, that's true. Individually, both of them are forming tighter bonds with the other Avengers. But that creates a new problem, because they better everyone gets to know Hulk as a person, the less willing they are to accept Bruce's snow job about him or Bruce's shabby treatment of him. Naturally this is making Bruce freak out, and Hulk isn't very comfortable with it either.
>> Hulk cannot see how saving Bruce's life makes him miserable <<
This is a classic problem with helping professionals. Everybody wants to "save" the suicidal or self-harming person. But they often fail to provide life improvement or coping skills that change the situation from unbearable to bearable. They just want the person to stay alive, even if life is torture. That's not really okay. Sentient beings have a right to decide they don't want to be here anymore.
The difference is that Hulk is attached to Bruce. While Bruce has a right to decide that he's done with his own life, he doesn't have a right to kill Hulk, and there's no way around that. (Bruce's constant efforts to murder Hulk are a whole different ball of very toxic wax.) I think Bruce just gets sympathy because he acts nice and looks like an ordinary guy, whereas Hulk is loud and green. But Bruce is the one who keeps breaking House Rule #1: Do not attempt to harm the body. Hulk is the one who does most of the work of keeping them alive and safe.
>> and Bruce can't grok that's what Hulk is doing. He's been gaslight so much that he thinks he deserves the bad things that would happen if Hulk didn't run with the ball. <<
Sadly so. Bruce is dislocated from reality, and like any untreated injury of that type, it's half-healed in the wrong position and ripping it lose to fix will be massively unpleasant. He flinches whenever people even tug in that direction.
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-30 04:38 pm (UTC)Hulk showing up in places he can't help matters (say in a china shop) is because a) Ross is a waste of skin or b)Bruce hasn't figured out better responses that would let Hulk stay dreaming of wiggly kittens. The gamma radiation gave Hulk a hatch so when the sh-tfan comes he just rolls up the blades.
The more that Hulk gets to come out with the team about, so they can keep him from randomly picking up taxis, and take piccies of Hulk as a person, the more Bruce will have to face he's been colonized to self-hate.
Provides Betty with pie, as she'll need that.
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-30 05:22 pm (UTC)Often true.
That kind of problem is typical of people with speed-healing, though; if Steve gets mashed up enough, his skin sticks to the stuff underneath, wherever two raw edges rub together. It makes sense for the emotional equivalent to apply as well.
>> He gets menaced, Hulk comes out and heads away, Bruce doesn't grasp that bullies or their catspaws just had potential and kinetic explained on them. <<
Yes. Bruce knows that because he's seen it, but he doesn't feel it in a way that lets him understand how Hulk just can't sit back and let people get hurt when he could stop it. And I suspect that the barrier between their awareness on this is their mother's death. Bruce pulls away from violence. Hulk acts to stop it, now that he can.
>> Hulk showing up in places he can't help matters (say in a china shop) is because a) Ross is a waste of skin or b)Bruce hasn't figured out better responses that would let Hulk stay dreaming of wiggly kittens. <<
c) Both of them lack the kind of problem-solving skills that would allow them to resolve issues in more effective ways. Bruce could handle things so Hulk doesn't need to come out, or Hulk could show up and use his emotional intelligence instead of his fists. Guess who's learning Lesson C faster.
>> The gamma radiation gave Hulk a hatch so when the sh-tfan comes he just rolls up the blades. <<
Yes, and that's a big part of what has Bruce so panicky that he's squeezing too hard. I think part of the reason why Hulk comes out less often now is control on Bruce's part, not sending up false alarms; but part is because Hulk is learning to identify real emergencies and doesn't want to upset Bruce, so stays inside unless disaster strikes.
>> The more that Hulk gets to come out with the team about, so they can keep him from randomly picking up taxis, and take piccies of Hulk as a person, <<
Exactly. Hulk needs positive experiences.
>> the more Bruce will have to face he's been colonized to self-hate. <<
Yeah, that's gonna hurt.
>> Provides Betty with pie, as she'll need that. <<
Pie makes everything better!
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-04-30 06:38 pm (UTC)"I gentle!"
"Sorry, Hulk, he fired off a few rounds and caught the bullets whinging off you."
"JARVIS, next YouTube video Physics for Bullies"
Hulk has learned that not everything that burns Bruce up is a five alarm. So Bruce panicking about panicking is much less likely to summon Hulk now.
Steve:I think this country needs more pie. Why is there so little pie now?
I can just see all the little shops putting out signs pointing out their American Pie. Cornish Pasties. Amish hand fruit pies. Pizza.
Later he can make a similar statement about dumplings.
Re: Phil in Canon- recruiting Bruce
Date: 2014-05-06 04:43 am (UTC)"I gentle!"
"Sorry, Hulk, he fired off a few rounds and caught the bullets whinging off you."
"JARVIS, next YouTube video Physics for Bullies" <<
*laugh* Poor Hulk.
>> Hulk has learned that not everything that burns Bruce up is a five alarm. So Bruce panicking about panicking is much less likely to summon Hulk now. <<
Exactly, but Bruce hasn't really figured that out yet.
>> Steve:I think this country needs more pie. Why is there so little pie now? <<
Hence the pies in "Hide and Seek."
>> I can just see all the little shops putting out signs pointing out their American Pie. Cornish Pasties. Amish hand fruit pies. Pizza. <<
He does in fact love pasties and pizza. And Cornish cookies with black currants.