Story: "Hairpins" Part 24
Apr. 14th, 2014 12:02 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, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23. Skip to Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29.
EXTRA:singingwithoutwords has written the vignette "Influence" about Director Fury, inspired by this series. While I can't promise everything in it is strictly true at this stage, it is very much along the lines of what he tends to believe. So it's either canon or quasi-canon for Love Is For Children, and linked as an inspired work.
"Hairpins" Part 24
"Phil?" JARVIS asked, audibly fretting again.
"I appreciate you sharing this information," Phil managed. "What Director Fury did to you and Tony was ... conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. You have my apology on behalf of SHIELD. What SHIELD was meant to be, anyway."
"It is not your place to apologize for the actions of another," JARVIS said.
"No, it is not. Nick Fury needs to learn how to stand up for his own mistakes," Phil said. "However, it is my place as Senior Handler to speak for SHIELD, its values, and the professionalism of its personnel. I will do what I can to mitigate future concerns. As Director Fury outranks me, however, you are correct in observing that there is little official recourse."
"Understood," JARVIS said.
Phil shifted in place. "As for unofficial recourse ... this is why Tony balks at dealing with SHIELD and actively resents Fury, isn't it? Why he hacked the Helicarrier's secure server and blew the cover off Phase II?" Phil asked. "That's not just Tony being headstrong because he hates people trying to boss him around. He has grounds for it."
"The incident contributed substantially to our low opinion of SHIELD and its Director. Such things are more difficult to integrate than ordinary hacking attempts. As you say, unofficial reprisal offers more promising potential than official does," JARVIS agreed. "Sir and I are ... long accustomed to such constraints."
Fury had trespassed because he thought he could do it with impunity, forgetting that Tony Stark held cyberspace in his hot little hands. Fury never expected that violation to come back later and bite him in the ass, but it had. SHIELD paid the price for his arrogance.
How much grief could have been saved if Tony had been a willing partner instead of a grudging ally? Phil wondered. He felt certain that Tony could have boosted SHIELD firewalls beyond what even Loki could hack into. Phil allowed himself a brief fantasy of what might have happened if Hawkeye's electronic arrow attack had failed. They could have captured him back before he added allied deaths to his conscience.
"Thank you for telling me," Phil said. He felt grateful that JARVIS would tell him anything, after the way other SHIELD personnel had treated him and Tony ... and the rest of the Avengers too.
"I wish that I had been able to protect sir more thoroughly. The Director may be a mediocre hacker, but he is an accomplished saboteur," JARVIS said.
"Not your fault," Phil repeated, and oh, it hurt to say the same thing cleaning up after Fury's mess as for Stane's. He would never look at his old friend in quite the same way again. Phil breathed through the pain and went on. At least now he knew, and could discourage Fury from harassing the Avengers again. "You can feel bad about what happened. Just try to leave the blame where it belongs ... on the bad guys."
"I will try. Thank you for being one of the good guys," said JARVIS.
That description itched a little against Phil's memory. "I'm glad you think of me that way. I'm still trying to come to terms with what I've done, and what I know now. I'm not sure ... how we go on, from this," Phil admitted.
* * *
Notes:
The charge of "Conduct Unbecoming" can be grounds for a court martial, although it often widens to disgraceful behavior in general. Director Fury's invasion of Tony's home counts as "dishonest acts, lawlessness, dealing unfairly, injustice, or acts of cruelty," and with JARVIS being a person violating his code could reasonably add "displays of indecency," which is darn near the whole list of examples. Stay classy, Fury.
Most of the time, it's not appropriate to apologize for someone else. However, there are professional and personal cases where it can fall within a person's jurisdiction, as Phil explains. SHIELD has come a long, sad way from what was originally conceived as a living memorial for Captain America.
Workplace bullying causes mental and physical harm to the victims, along with heavy costs to the organization. This is just one example of how Fury's abusive behavior negatively impacts the people around him and SHIELD's objectives. There are steps to deal with bullies at work.
Good or bad leadership makes a huge difference in workplace functionality. A bad leader can do serious harm to team morale through dishonesty, manipulation, aggression, and other means. There are ways to repair relationships after wrongdoing and to build trust within an organization.
Good friendships require care to establish and to maintain. There are ways to repair a damaged friendship. Phil and JARVIS are working through these things currently. It also helps to know how to handle a big mistake and then move on.
[To be continued in Part 25 ...]
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, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23. Skip to Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29.
EXTRA:
singingwithoutwords has written the vignette "Influence" about Director Fury, inspired by this series. While I can't promise everything in it is strictly true at this stage, it is very much along the lines of what he tends to believe. So it's either canon or quasi-canon for Love Is For Children, and linked as an inspired work."Hairpins" Part 24
"Phil?" JARVIS asked, audibly fretting again.
"I appreciate you sharing this information," Phil managed. "What Director Fury did to you and Tony was ... conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. You have my apology on behalf of SHIELD. What SHIELD was meant to be, anyway."
"It is not your place to apologize for the actions of another," JARVIS said.
"No, it is not. Nick Fury needs to learn how to stand up for his own mistakes," Phil said. "However, it is my place as Senior Handler to speak for SHIELD, its values, and the professionalism of its personnel. I will do what I can to mitigate future concerns. As Director Fury outranks me, however, you are correct in observing that there is little official recourse."
"Understood," JARVIS said.
Phil shifted in place. "As for unofficial recourse ... this is why Tony balks at dealing with SHIELD and actively resents Fury, isn't it? Why he hacked the Helicarrier's secure server and blew the cover off Phase II?" Phil asked. "That's not just Tony being headstrong because he hates people trying to boss him around. He has grounds for it."
"The incident contributed substantially to our low opinion of SHIELD and its Director. Such things are more difficult to integrate than ordinary hacking attempts. As you say, unofficial reprisal offers more promising potential than official does," JARVIS agreed. "Sir and I are ... long accustomed to such constraints."
Fury had trespassed because he thought he could do it with impunity, forgetting that Tony Stark held cyberspace in his hot little hands. Fury never expected that violation to come back later and bite him in the ass, but it had. SHIELD paid the price for his arrogance.
How much grief could have been saved if Tony had been a willing partner instead of a grudging ally? Phil wondered. He felt certain that Tony could have boosted SHIELD firewalls beyond what even Loki could hack into. Phil allowed himself a brief fantasy of what might have happened if Hawkeye's electronic arrow attack had failed. They could have captured him back before he added allied deaths to his conscience.
"Thank you for telling me," Phil said. He felt grateful that JARVIS would tell him anything, after the way other SHIELD personnel had treated him and Tony ... and the rest of the Avengers too.
"I wish that I had been able to protect sir more thoroughly. The Director may be a mediocre hacker, but he is an accomplished saboteur," JARVIS said.
"Not your fault," Phil repeated, and oh, it hurt to say the same thing cleaning up after Fury's mess as for Stane's. He would never look at his old friend in quite the same way again. Phil breathed through the pain and went on. At least now he knew, and could discourage Fury from harassing the Avengers again. "You can feel bad about what happened. Just try to leave the blame where it belongs ... on the bad guys."
"I will try. Thank you for being one of the good guys," said JARVIS.
That description itched a little against Phil's memory. "I'm glad you think of me that way. I'm still trying to come to terms with what I've done, and what I know now. I'm not sure ... how we go on, from this," Phil admitted.
* * *
Notes:
The charge of "Conduct Unbecoming" can be grounds for a court martial, although it often widens to disgraceful behavior in general. Director Fury's invasion of Tony's home counts as "dishonest acts, lawlessness, dealing unfairly, injustice, or acts of cruelty," and with JARVIS being a person violating his code could reasonably add "displays of indecency," which is darn near the whole list of examples. Stay classy, Fury.
Most of the time, it's not appropriate to apologize for someone else. However, there are professional and personal cases where it can fall within a person's jurisdiction, as Phil explains. SHIELD has come a long, sad way from what was originally conceived as a living memorial for Captain America.
Workplace bullying causes mental and physical harm to the victims, along with heavy costs to the organization. This is just one example of how Fury's abusive behavior negatively impacts the people around him and SHIELD's objectives. There are steps to deal with bullies at work.
Good or bad leadership makes a huge difference in workplace functionality. A bad leader can do serious harm to team morale through dishonesty, manipulation, aggression, and other means. There are ways to repair relationships after wrongdoing and to build trust within an organization.
Good friendships require care to establish and to maintain. There are ways to repair a damaged friendship. Phil and JARVIS are working through these things currently. It also helps to know how to handle a big mistake and then move on.
[To be continued in Part 25 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2014-04-15 11:23 pm (UTC)- Alexander
Thank you!
Date: 2014-04-16 05:56 am (UTC)Comment as you feel inspired to; feedback is always welcome but never required.
>> I've read it in it's entirety at least 3 times. <<
Yay!
>> You are an amazing writer, all the little details you put in really grab my attention. <<
I use concrete details as anchors, to support the weight of more phantasmagoric story elements. That's typical of my original writing too.