Story: "Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 16

[ysabetwordsmith]

This story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk," and "kintsukuroi."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Nick Fury
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Minor character death. Bullying. Fighting. Suicide attempt (minor character).
Summary: This is the story of how a little boy named Flip grows up to save the world a lot.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Accidents. Emotional whump. Disability. Sibling relationship. Nonsexual love. Parentification. Manipulation. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Protection. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Comic books. Fixing things. Martial arts. Gentleness. Trust. Role models. Military. BAMF Phil Coulson.

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. Skip to Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21.


"Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 16


For his tenth birthday, Flip asks for a human anatomy puzzle and a filing cabinet. The human puzzle will be fun to play with, but also useful for learning about bodies. Flip is studying anatomy in science class at school, and vulnerable points in karate. He likes the way that ideas from different lessons can fit together. The filing cabinet will be ideal for saving finished paperwork and extra blanks. He's building up such a big collection that he's running out of room for binders in his bookcase. This way, Flip can keep his just current favorites in a binder.

Mom laughs and says that a filing cabinet isn't a real present, and he should pick something else. She takes him to buy a filing cabinet anyway, though, at a thrift store. Flip finds the perfect one tucked into a dusty corner of the office section between two dilapidated desks. His filing cabinet is tall and black, marred by scratches that gleam silver against the obsidian surface. Every drawer locks with its own unique key, all fastened together on a metal ring.

"That's the one you want?" Mom asks, although Flip hasn't said anything out loud.

"That's the one," Flip says, and she gets it for him. Flip loves it instantly.

While they're at the store, Flip also spots a bicycle. It is a girl's bike and loud pink, with blue handles and a white seat. It needs a bit of work, but it's only ten bucks.

"Is a bike an okay birthday present?" Flip asks.

"It sure is," Mom says.

He gets the bike too.

He gets a broken arm falling off the bike a week later, but it's so worth it.

Alexa's present comes a little late, because she has found -- somehow -- six issues of classic Captain America & the Howling Commandos comics. Flip spends hours reading and rereading the comics, even though the pages are awkward to handle with one arm in a cast. Finally Alexa takes pity on him and holds the comics for him to read so that all he has to do is say, "Page, please," and she turns it for him.

Flip falls in love all over again when he discovers the team of misfits who save the day. Each of them has a different knack, and he can see how they work together. Dum Dum Dugan handles explosives. Jim Morita is silent and serious, adept at karate. James Montgomery Falsworth is something of a clown, but also a highly trained fighter. The jazz trumpeter Gabriel Jones speaks both German and French, which helps him connect with the Frenchman Jacques Dernier, who is adept in subterfuge and forgery. Flip likes the fact that some of the Commandos have subtler skills than just shooting the bad guys.

Then there is Bucky, Captain America's best friend. Flip knows that Cap needs somebody to watch his back, because he's always so busy watching everyone else's that he gets shot a lot. Unlike the other boys, Flip has never wanted to be Captain America. He knows that he's not a hero. Now he traces his finger over the shadowy figure of Bucky standing guard while Cap sleeps. Flip thinks, not for the first time, that it would be a grand adventure to be the guy who looks after the hero. Somebody has to do it.

* * *

Notes:

See the anatomy puzzle, filing cabinet, and pink bike that Flip gets for his birthday.

The Howling Commandos have appeared in many versions. I'm using the one from Captain America: The First Avenger. They're led by Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Dum Dum Dugan is the explosives expert. Jim Morita knows karate. Montgomery Falsworth provides some comic relief. Gabriel Jones speaks foreign languages. Jacques Dernier handles subterfuge.

Leadership means taking care of your people. That way, when you need it, they'll take care of you. There are tips on how to be a good and caring leader. Know how to take care of other people and yourself.

Most heroes don't think of themselves as heroes. It's one of those titles, like shaman or master, that's meant to be bestowed by other people.  So don't argue. Just say thanks if you appreciate their work.


[To be continued in Part 17 ...]

Comments

Exellent progression!

[dialecticdreamer]

Flip riding a girls' bike in that era... even if he repainted it, I think he got some extra dodging and avoiding practice! But it's so very /him/, at least the way you've portrayed him, that it /works/.

Thanks for posting this.

[yamx]

The funny thing is, I know (and have seen riding around) a lot of guys who ride "girls' bikes" (not pink, but without the extra piece of frame) because they argue, quite reasonably, that all it achieves is giving you something to hit your crown jewels against if you have to stop suddenly. In fact, my "bike guy" tells me girls' bikes are more likely to get stolen these days because they are much easier to resell due to higher demand. Maybe eventually, "girls' bikes" will just be "bikes" and the ones with the extra strut will die out... Not that that would help Flip back in the day.

Flip thinks, not for the first time, that it would be a grand adventure to be the guy who looks after the hero. Somebody has to do it.
Well, isn't it nice to know he'll grow up to fulfill his dream? :)

[chanter1944]

Darnit, now I want to read all the things about Gabriel and Dernier, especially since I've previously been tipped to the fact that Dernier is Resistance. ... I have a type.

[thnidu]

"the Frenchman Jacques Dernier, who is adept in subterfuge and forgery"...
and who OF COURSE is listed last :-)

[mdlbear]

I think a filing cabinet makes a *great* present! So does the anatomy "puzzle" -- great teaching tool. The only problem with those is that there's empty space where the muscles ought to be; I'm finally learning the names of a few of them, more than half a century after learning all the bones in 9th grade biology.

From: The Tadpole

[(Anonymous)]

This puts the thing into words! I get really excited when fics I'm reading have at least a head-nod towards the moment when you realize that it would be great to get to be the person who backs up the hero and keeps an eye on them. I don't want to be socially important to a large group of people. I would, however, like to support the person who is.