#since apparently marvel was too busy trying to get rid of the character to do it themselves | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

agentnico · 3 years

Text

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) Review

It all started with Sonic’s teeth. Ever since fans successfully bullied a studio into reanimating their titular hedgehog character after the abomination shown in the first trailer, fans realised that rallying together (on Twitter) can make a difference. So you’d think it would mean we could all come together to restore world peace and get rid of racism, injustice, poverty, war and negativity of all kind? Nope, nope it does not. But at least we get a better version of a bad DC movie that came out in 2017. I mean, baby steps I guess.

Plot: Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists newfound ally Diana Prince to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes -- Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash -- it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

I recall my younger simpler self in 2017 at the early age of 20 soon to be 21, sitting down and watching the new Justice League film with zero to no expectations, as by that point the DC Extended Universe was a trainwreck and was a franchise that was literally falling apart before out unblinking red hay fever filled eyes. However, after watching Justice League I was baffled at the fact that I still managed to be disappointed after having zero expectations! With zero expectations this film took me into the minuses, and we all know I’m not great at mathematics so boy are we in the danger zone when we hit the minuses! Looking back at my review of the film back then, I used extreme yet fitting comments like “generic”, “predictable” “messy” and plain “dogsh*t”. Which is what it was. 2017′s Justice League is exactly how I’d imagine a dog’s poop would look if it was turned into an abstract film! It was truly abysmal. After that I thought I’d never have to talk about this film again. How wrong I was. But, in a rare turn of tables, I am glad that I was wrong...

A little history lesson first. Alright, settle down kids, settle down.... Rob, put the paper plane down, do not throw it, I said DON’T THROW IT! NO! Stop! Stupid child!! Headteacher’s office right now! Also, say hi to your mother for me, okay? I’m having brunch with her on Saturday and you better not be there as you should be doing your homework watching the 4 hour cut of Justice League and questioning your life choices!! Anyway, now let’s have ourselves a history lesson. The topic is - What In The Flying Fudge Happened Behind-The-Scenes Of Justice League For DUMMIES: Condensed Edition. A really condensed version as honestly none of us have the attention span to read loads and I’m probably losing the vast majority of you due to this overlong rambling session. So anyway, to the last couple of readers left, here we go! Following the success of Man of Steel, Warner Bros. gave Zack Snyder the reigns to oversee and create a DC cinematic universe to rival the success of Marvel. And so came Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which turned out to be a bit of a hodgepodge, receiving mixed to negative reviews and though was a box office success, earned diminishing results to what Warner Bros. originally anticipated. However, by the time Batman V Superman released, Zack Snyder was already hard at work on the big superhero team up film Justice League (which was meant to set up many characters and future films for the DCEU) with a lot of filming already underway, so Warner Bros. couldn’t particularly pump the breaks on it by that point, even though they evidently lost trust in the Snyder formula. To be honest, at that point I too lost trust in Snyder’s vision and the DCEU as a whole, but my opinion doesn’t class for a single dime, whilst the opinions of Warner Bros. executives make millions, so there aren’t any hard feelings on my behalf for them not enquiring on my thoughts. Anyway, midway through production Zack Snyder was hit with a family tragedy with his daughter committing suicide, so Snyder naturally had to depart the project to be with his family during this grieving time. Warner Bros. had the option to pause production and await for Snyder’s return, or progress at their own accord. Naturally they decided to do their own thing cause they are a business and want that dollar dollar bill baby!! So they hired Joss Whedon who was riding fresh off the success of two Avengers movies and obviously had experience in cinematic universes and such, to rework the Justice League movie by condensing it into a 2 hour film (from the over 4 hour material that Snyder shot) and reshoot scenes to fit the smaller runtime. So you cannot particularly blame Whedon for taking out so many great scenes as he had a contract to fulfil with Warner Bros, but then you look at the many forced jokes and unnecessary reshot scenes and you realise how self-indulgent Joss Whedon was during filming, as he basically was spitting on everything Snyder did and was trying to do his own thing. Low and behold, the mess that is the 2017 movie is created, where its the visions and creative minds of two director with evidently different styles clashing and not really mixing well at all, and as such we have a messy movie that doesn’t really make sense and is a bit of a middle finger to DC fans and honestly everyone and all. Also, there was that little aspect of Henry Cavill’s deformed upper lip due to the fact that during reshoots he had a moustache that he’d grown and was contractually obligated to have for his Mission Impossible role, so the visual effects team had to digitally remove it in post production and the result is, well, see for yourself...

Yes, they made the dashing handsome my-sexuality-questioning Henry Cavill look stupid, and that is UNFORGIVABLE. Funny, yes, very funny but unforgivable!! So for this and many other reasons the 2017 film turned out horribly. Then after that many months later, Zack Snyder and cast and crew members began teasing of this mythical version of the movie that was befit of Snyder’s original vision. You see, apparently before he left the project, Snyder actually filmed everything he wanted and it was only awaiting to be reworked with visual effects and edited properly, but then Whedon came in with his scissors and cut everything mercilessly with a cheeky grin and his ginger beard. Speaking of his ginger beard, is Joss Whedon Irish? Or has Irish roots? Honestly, I would Google it, but wait, I don’t think I really care. So anyway, Snyder still had all of his filmed scenes saved on his ridiculously oversized hard drive just waiting to be looked at again. This is where the fandom did its magic by creating a Twitter hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and began spam posting for Warner Bros. to let Zack Snyder release what he originally intended to. Honestly, who would have thunk it, but this actually worked!! Warner Bros. allowed this, and not only that, but gave Snyder an additional $70 million to finish up the visual effects as well as to film a couple of additional sequences and gave it the prestigious honour to debut it on HBO Max, so as to boost the subscriber rating on Warner Bros. new streaming service. And here we are.

Honestly, I thought seeing this Director’s Cut of sorts wouldn’t bring much to the table as I didn’t believe that a film that was so broken had originally been in any way good. After finishing this 4 hour Snyder vision I must admit though that I was pleasantly surprised. Completely baffled by the studio and Joss Whedon, but really happy for Zack Snyder. The guy was fighting for it and finally was able to accomplish and bring out his true original vision, and though Zack Snyder’s Justice League has its flaws, its so much better than what we got in 2017, and in fact is a soaring science fiction sci-fi epic that literally feels epic!! It takes time establishing the characters and every single plot point as well as building out this rich mythology of this world of the DC Extended Universe, and so as you move into the second half of the film, there’s a feeling of pay off. You actually care about the characters and understand the plot points and it doesn’t feel rushed. Its truly astounding that there are producers out there who thought it was a good idea to get rid of all of that and instead bring out whatever the heck Joss Whedon did with the 2017 version. Look, I quite enjoy Joss Whedon’s work, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to Cabin in the Woods and his work on Marvel, the guy obviously has a talent, but also he obviously does not belong to the dark and brooding style of DC. Zack Snyder on the other hand, though makes his mistakes, truly embraces the epic feel of the DC material. And it seems once you give Snyder enough time and space, he can actually bring out something like this:

The main characters are all given so much more to do, or at least those that got side-lined in the 2017 version are given more to do here. One of my complaints with the original was how pointless the League turns out to be. Basically in the theatrical version the main team all end up being useless and only once Superman shows up he saves everyone’s asses and literally does EVERYTHING. Might as well have called the film Man of Steel 2 (feat. Justice League). However in this new version, every main character serves a purpose. Well most of them do at least. Cyborg and Flash are much more compelling characters with more layers and backstory, and in fact are a prime reason to defeating the great evil in the end. You now understand why Cyborg actor Ray Fisher was pissed at Joss Whedon, as the guy literally got rid of his best stuff. Superman strikes a cool black suit and is still powerful, however as the finale shows, he isn’t all-powerful and does need the help of the rest of the team. Wonder Woman gets a lot more to do in this theatrical cut, and in fact this is probably Gal Gadot’s best performance as Wonder Woman and she really shows herself as a powerful female superhero! Aquaman’s role stays largely unchanged, however to be honest Jason Momoa’s character was one of the only ones who didn’t suffer in the theatrical cut. That’s unsurprising seeing as Jason Momoa is such a naturally cool dude! A big panda that is friendly in real life, but when necessary can turn into a roaring bear. To be honest, the only League member that ends up a bit pointless is actually Batman. He still serves a purpose in the film in that he’s the one who assembles the team, but otherwise the rest of the group is so overpowered compared to him that in the end you do kind of think that he doesn’t really belong there. Still, Ben Affleck is great in the role and it’s a shame we won’t see much of him past Flashpoint film that will be released in the next few years.

There are a lot of characters in this film and one can still say the movie is overstuffed, but also seeing as the movie was originally intended to spring board the DCEU properly, all these teases are actually welcome. There are an abundance of cameos, and to be honest so many characters are so well cast that you do end up wishing that Snyder was given the opportunity to make his entire Justice League planned trilogy, but nevertheless at least we have this. There are truly an abundance of cool appearances here, from the menacing villain Darkseid (played by Ray Porter) to Willem Dafoe doing what Dafoe does best, only in this case underwater and I’m certain that’s gonna span many comparison memes with The Lighthouse. Joe Morton as Cyborg’s dad is given a lot more to do here and in fact is pivotal towards building up Cyborg into the important character that he is. There’s also a cameo from Jared Leto’s Joker, who in some ways redeems himself after his appearance in Suicide Squad. Also, we need to talk about Steppenwolf, who’s the main baddie in this film. In the theatrical cut the guy was the most generic one-note villain who also looked like a PS2 character. It was honestly embarrassing the way he was animated. Luckily in this version he’s been put through enough Skyrim mods to looks much more intimidating and is also given a better motivation. As we find out, the reason he does what he does is because he wants to go home. He’s been banished and he simply wants to earn his place back home, so it’s actually kind of sweet. Steppenwolf is a sweetie. I mean, yeah, he wants to destroy half of the world to fulfil his dream, but hey, haven’t we all taken something extreme measures to get what we want?

The film is far from perfect though. At the end of the day, the movie is just about a guy hunting down a bunch of magical boxes. That was the premise of the theatrical cut and its the same here too. Yes, there is more substance and gravitas to the proceedings, but at the end of the day the story doesn’t really surprise much. And with the entire thing running at 4 hours, it is definitely too long and there is the element where there is simply too much in this thing. Also visually, though the movie has plenty of gorgeous shots and Zack Snyder’s signature slow motion sequences are on full display here, there are still many sequences where the CGI and green screen are super obvious and look really fake. That being said there’s still so much visual goodness in this, and also I have to mention Junkie XL’s new music score that does reiterate the epic feel of this movie, in comparison to Danny Elfman’s weak uninspiring notes in the theatrical cut.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a massive surprise and completely changes the perception of what we saw in the original 2017 theatrical cut. It’s a sprawling massive adventure that’s a dream come true for any comic book fan. It shows how vital film editing is, and how important it is to have a cohesive plan when making a movie. Gone too are the silly forced jokes, and though there is still some humour here, it feels more grounded and fit of the setting and scenario. This is Snyder’s vision through and through, and though at times it is clunky, it overall is incredible to behold, as it’s this one guy’s mind and his love for the DC lore. It’s a credible achievement, and I’m actually sentimentally happy for Snyder that he finally managed to complete this. He even during the credits dedicates this to his daughter Autumn that passed away, and I found that to be truly bittersweet. Justice has indeed been served.

Overall score: 7/10

31 notes · View notes

blancheludis · 3 years

Link

@whumptober2020 Day 11 “Crying”

Characters: Tony Stark, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Tiberius Stone Tags: Asexuality, Friendship, Kissing, Tony Needs A Hug, Protective Rhodey Words: 4.121

Summary: What a coward he is. Maybe Howard is right and there is something inherently defective about him. It was only kissing and - Tony shudders and raises the toothbrush back to his teeth, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. “I didn’t say no,” he says when Rhodey asks him what happened. “That doesn’t mean yes.”

- Tony and Rhodey have a conversation about asexuality and the importance of consent.

---

Pink stains the sink when Tony spits out. His gums are burning from brushing too hard, and yet he cannot put down the toothbrush. There is this taste he cannot get out of his mouth, which is only enhanced by the faint trace of copper. One more time, he thinks, just to be safe.

His teeth must be cleaner than ever before by now. Then again, Ty has been very thorough in plundering his mouth, sticking his tongue where it should not go. All the brushing in the world cannot seem to get rid of the phantom feeling of Ty’s lips against his own.

But it is his own damn fault. He could have said no, could have made up some excuse why he needs to leave. And yet he stayed when Ty started kissing him. He does not like disappointing Ty, since his tongue can be almost as sharp as Howard’s if he tries, although he hits in very different places.

It is not that Tony is afraid of Ty hurting him. He could walk away at any time. But they have a good thing going, yes? Ty is smart and understands the world Tony comes from. He would not give up Rhodey for anything in the world, but sometimes it is nice to have someone who knows what it is like to come from a family with more money than sense. To have a name he is supposed to carry on, to live up to.

The door to their dorm room opens and Tony freezes in front of the sink. He watches himself go pale, his knuckles white around the toothbrush. Chances are low that this is Ty, who prefers people chasing after him instead of having to do any of the work himself. Still, the tingling of dread is there. Tony does not think he can get through another kissing session with Ty and keep up his smile.

What a coward he is. Maybe Howard is right and there is something inherently defective about him. It was only kissing and a bit of groping. They have not even gone any farther – not that Ty did not try. But all they touched was skin on skin, lips on lips – and lately tongue on tongue.

Tony shudders and raises the toothbrush back to his teeth, his eyes fixed on the door. When there is a knock, he relaxes. Ty is not the kind of person to let a closed door stop him. If he wants to enter, he does. Knocking only wastes time.

Keeping the toothbrush like a shield in front of him, Tony hums and opens the door, only to reveal Rhodey. That is good, he is safe. Not that he is in any danger from anybody else, really. But Rhodey is his self-proclaimed protector and will scare off anybody Tony does not feel comfortable with.

“Don’t tell me you just got up,” Rhodey says by way of greeting with just a hint of worry in his voice that does strange things to Tony’s heart.

Tony can only guess what Rhodey thinks. That he spent all night partying and drinking too much? That he collapsed in the lab and only now crawled home? That he fell into one of his listless, almost depressive bouts, that sometimes come over him, mostly after a visit home, and spent the morning in bed, moping?

It is nice that Rhodey worries without immediately voicing accusations, without expecting Tony to be guilty before he ever said a word. This is not disapproval or even mocking. Tony never came home last night and he generally has a penchant for keeping unhealthy hours.

The only other person who ever cared whether Tony gets enough sleep is Jarvis, and no matter how much Tony loves him, Jarvis gets paid to care. Nobody is paying Rhodey, although Tony tried, if only to make sure he would stick around. That has been their only big fight so far, and Tony is glad he lost it.

“I’ve been in the lab, but then I had rhubarb for dessert and you know what that stuff does to the teeth,” Tony replies and somehow manages to sound appropriately cheerful. When he smiles, he keeps his lips pressed together as if his shame could be visible on his teeth.

“I know you’re not supposed to brush your teeth immediately after eating rhubarb,” Rhodey says, but looks like he generally agrees with Tony.

Too much at ease already, Tony makes the mistake to grin and immediately sees Rhodey’s eyes zeroing in on his mouth.

“Is that blood?” Rhodey asks with a frown. “When was your last appointment with a dentist?”

He had one task, keep his mouth shut and nod along. He knew his gum was bleeding, knows that one drop of blood against the white of the teeth is impossible to miss for someone who constantly worries about him.

Tony swallows a dismissive reply and settles for a glare. Better not to go down that rabbit hole. He turns back to the sink and spits out, quickly washing away the pink evidence of his frantic brushing.

It is enough for now. He cannot go for another round with Rhodey’s all-seeing eyes on his back. But maybe he does not need to. Rhodey’s presence makes everything better, after all, and he just has to take care not to move his tongue too much, to avoid touching the places Ty did.

“You got somewhere to be right now?” Tony asks and carefully does not look at Rhodey as he picks up a towel to wipe over his face. He has been told that his eyes are too expressive and he odes not want Rhodey to feel obliged to stay if he has other plans, even if Tony is desperate for the company.

“Afternoon classes are over,” Rhodey says slowly, apparently not buying Tony’s nonchalance. “Why?”

Rhodey never asks why when he thinks everything is okay. And why would he? They hang out together all the time and never need a reason. Perhaps Tony looks more spooked than he thought.

“I thought we could go over some of Professor Brixton’s stuff together.” Tony used to be better at making up excuses, but they do often study together. And it is not like he can simply come out and say he needs to be distracted from thinking about having been kissed. Because he does not want to lie to Rhodey, though, he adds, “I need to get my mind off a problem I can’t solve in the lab.”

There, that was almost honest. He does have a problem he does not know how to deal with, and Ty did pick him up in the lab.

“Of course,” Rhodey agrees like there is nothing to it. “Let me get my book.”

Tony has a hard time hiding his relief. It still seems like nothing short of a miracle every time someone seeks his company without hoping for some advantage. And with someone, Tony almost always means Rhodey.

Rhodey turns back into their dorm room and Tony follows after rinsing his mouth one last time. He stops to watch Rhodey take the book out of his bag and sit down on his bed, patting the free space to him when he notices Tony just standing there.

And Tony hates himself for hesitating. They have done this a thousand times, cuddled up together on the bed or the couch to work together or just to talk. There has never been anything else to it. And yet, Tony cannot help but think of Ty’s wandering hands, brushing against Tony completely unexpected, how they ended up sitting closer and closer until Ty’s face had only been a breadth’s width from Tony’s and then not even that.

They had been talking about some lab experiment and Tony had forgotten to be apprehensive about hanging out with the son of one of his father’s business rivals. He is not sure how they turned from talking to kissing, does not know how he encouraged that, considering the thought never crossed his mind.

And now he is afraid of getting on the bed with his best friend. He does not think Rhodey would push him to do something he does not want, but what if it is something he should want? Kissing is supposed to be great, right? All the books and movies talk about it. Tony has seen how happily Ana leaned into Jarvis’ touch. He should not be repulsed by that. Even if he did not think about Ty in that way before, it should have been at least a bit nice. Right?

“Tony?” Rhodey asks, the concern back in his voice. “Everything okay?”

How long has Tony been standing here, staring at the bed as if it personally offended him? Shaking his head, he gets moving and gingerly lowers himself down next to Rhodey.

“Peachy keen,” he says and pushes his lips into a smile – only to have that turning into a grimace as he wonders whether smiling alone was enough of an invitation for Ty. “Still stuck on that lab problem.”

Rhodey keeps watching him for just a moment too long for Tony to think his excuse was believable enough. “Want me to take a look at it?”

“No,” Tony answers too quickly. Rhodey already has to deal with enough of his defects, so he does not need to add to that. In a much softer tone, he adds, “I just need a break from it.”

He holds his breath until Rhodey nods. “Very well, then. Come and let me distract you.”

Sometimes, Rhodey seems to know Tony better than he does himself, so Tony should be safe here, safer than anywhere else. Rhodey would not hurt him, not after being his steadfast protector ever since they met.

Tony sits down more comfortably and tries to sink into the familiar world of math problems and physical laws. It helps to apply his brain to something far more logical than thoughts or emotions. Rhodey helps, with his calm voice and his warm presence.

And yet. They sit too close and Tony is hyper aware of each of their movements. He just waits for Rhodey’s knee to shift or his face to turn just so. Perhaps it would be different with Rhodey. Perhaps it would not feel so wrong. Perhaps the problem is not Tony but Ty.

Tony is so focused on maintaining a safe distance between them that he does not hear a single thing Rhodey is saying anymore, and does not manage to give more than noncommittal hums in answer. Right up until Rhodey stops talking altogether and instead looks at Tony with the beginnings of a frown building on his forehead.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

This is it. Tony has to make up a convincing lie and – “Do you like kissing?” he blurts out, hating how small the question makes him feel. It comes out desperate too, but hopefully that means Rhodey will not take it as a suggestion.

Instantly, Rhodey’s frown becomes more prominent, although it does not quite feel directed at Tony. “Depends on who I’m kissing,” he answers slowly, the way he does when his thoughts are racing to connect the dots. “Did something happen?”

“Why would you ask that?” Tony laughs but even to his own ears it sounds too nervous to be anything but fake. He shifts farther away from Rhodey, a move that does not go unnoticed.

“Did someone hurt you?” Rhodey looks ready to jump up and rain down the fury of the righteous on whoever dared to harm Tony.

In his head, Tony makes a note to never ever introduce Rhodey to Howard. That could only end in ruin for everybody.

“No,” Tony says and tries to sound calm about it. “Nobody did anything.”

It is obvious that Rhodey does not believe him. “Then why do you look so spooked?” He could as well have asked, Why do you sit so stiffly and so far away from me as if you expect me to devour you any second now?

What lie could Tony possibly make up that would not sound either completely unbelievable or sound much worse than what actually happened?

“Ty kissed me,” Tony confesses and it sounds wrong to even say it. Again, kissing is supposed to be nice and not leave a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

“Against your will?” Rhodey asks and immediately straightens, already angry on Tony’s behalf.

They cannot start an all-out war on campus, especially since nothing happened, so Tony hurries to say, “No.” He does not quite manage to make that convincing.

Tony usually lies so easily. Then again, it is not really a lie when it is just some inexplicable, nonsensical part of him that did not want to be kissed.

To his utter frustration, tears well up in his eyes, undoubtedly a result of that broken part of him that does not quite know how to be human.

“Tony?” Rhodey asks carefully, much gentler now. And he does not move closer, which Tony is eternally grateful for. Even though he might like a hug from someone safe, someone he does not have to wonder with what the price might be for it.

“I didn’t say no,” Tony admits very quietly. It would not be fair to put this on Ty when he is the one having a problem with the most normal thing in the world.

To his surprise, Rhodey does not look convinced but actually even a little upset. “That doesn’t mean yes.”

Shrugging, Tony draws his knees up to his chest, wishing he had not started this conversation after all. He is sure Rhodey would not blame him, but he is often overly cautious with Tony, which means he is not always right.

“I mean, we didn’t really talk about it.”

These things are often just implied, right? People on TV do not ask every time before they kiss. On the contrary, the first time is usually that magic thing where they finally give in to whatever has been pulling them together. It is Tony’s fault that he did not feel that – and that he did not pull away when Ty stated kissing him. It does not matter that his mind went blank and he basically froze in place. He is responsible for his own actions, or inactions as it is.

“You do get how that’s worse, yes?” Rhodey asks, shifting so he faces Tony fully. The textbook lies forgotten between them and Tony wishes he could have concentrated a bit better on it. “If he forced himself on you, I swear I’ll –”

“He didn’t, I promise,” Tony interrupts hurriedly. The last thing he wants is for Rhodey to get into trouble for him, especially not with someone like Ty, who could make life very uncomfortable for the both of them. Especially since Howard would not lift a single finger to help them out. “I mean, he didn’t ask, but he wasn’t mean about it. I just – What if there’s something wrong with me?”

As soon as the words are over his lips, Tony wishes he could take them back. There are things wrong with him. Howard has been telling him so for years, and it is unfair to burden Rhodey with soothing his mind with lies. The list of Tony’s faults is ever-growing. They would never get up from this bed again if he wanted reassurance for every single point on it.

“Oh, Tones,” Rhodey sighs and the sheer gentleness of it breaks Tony’s heart. “Nothing’s wrong with you just because you weren’t into kissing someone else. I definitely wouldn’t want to kiss Stone either.”

Disgust flickers briefly over Rhodey’s face which has a smile tugging at Tony’s lips. That thought really is ridiculous. Rhodey has far more class than that, than to settle for some smarmy rich boy like Ty.

The amusement dies again quickly, though, because this is not quite what Tony was aiming at. “What if I don’t want to kiss anybody? Like ever?”

It sounds monstrous. How could he not want what everybody else does? What is wrong with him?

Rhodey’s face does not change, his confidence does not waver. “Then there’s still nothing wrong with you.”

Even if it is a lie, Tony is grateful for it, grateful that he has a friend like that, who will catch him when he is falling. He still needs an answer though, and he will not get that if Rhodey keeps pampering him.

“But everybody wants to kiss other people. And more.” There mere thought of that has Tony grimacing. Ty’s wandering hands were barely bearable when they were still clothed. “But it was just – weird.”

Weird fits it pretty well, those first moments of lips moving on lips. Right up until the disgust crept in. But by then it was already too late. It is not like Tony could have pushed Ty away several minutes in and said, Sorry, changed my mind.

“Not everybody likes kissing,” Rhodey says without the slightest bit of hesitation. No matter whether it is a lie, Tony loves him for it. Loves him for trying. “You don’t, apparently. Maybe that was because of Stone, but maybe it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. And that’s okay. You don’t need to kiss anybody to live a good life. And you definitely don’t have to kiss anybody to show them you like or even love them.”

The tears are back, burning at the back of Tony’s eyes. No matter how quickly he blinks, they just swell and soon there are cold tracks down his cheeks. Tony looks away, awkwardly aware of how embarrassing this is. To cry because his best friend said something nice to him. Because Rhodey always wants to convince him so badly that there is nothing wrong with him, no matter all the evidence to the contrary.

A hand appears in his line of vision holding a tissue – and Tony does the typical Stark thing and takes more than is offered. He snatches up the tissue but holds onto Rhodey’s hand with his own, eager for that contact even if he does not know how to ask for it. Rhodey does not comment on it but simply shifts a little so they can sit more comfortably.

“What if –” Tony sniffles, then tries again. “What if you loved someone and they loved you back but then they wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

“Then that would be perfectly fine.”

That has to be a lie. Or if it is not, then Rhodey must be the only person in the whole wide world who thinks so. Well, he already is the only one willing to suffer Tony’s presence without some sort of recompense. He is just too good, too pure. And Tony keeps piling up problems for him to sort through.

“But –” he tries to argue but is cut off when Rhodey squeezes his hand.

“You can come up with a thousand arguments, Tones, but the answer will stay the same,” Rhodey says, serious enough that even Tony’s mind cannot claim he does not mean every word he says. “You don’t owe anybody any part of you. If you don’t want to kiss, then that’s the end of the discussion.”

It will not be that easy, Tony knows that even without seeing the worried twist to Rhodey’s lips. People always want something from him. It never goes over well when he says no.

Before he can voice that, Rhodey continues. “And if someone doesn’t listen, you get out of there and tell me. Some people don’t like being told no, but that’s not on you.”

They have had this discussion about other things. About Tony throwing around money just so people would stop bothering him. About him doing all the work for group assignments. About him doing dares or outdrinking everybody else or working twice as hard as others, just to prove that he has a right to be here. All of that had to do with him being a Stark, however, and how that ruined him in a lot of ways. This, however, is just Tony. He cannot blame this on his father.

Very quietly, Tony admits, “It feels like his mouth is still there.” He reaches up as if to touch his lips but leaves his fingers hovering in the air, afraid to recreate the feeling of something moving against him. “It’s – gross.”

Rhodey nods like there is nothing strange about that. “How about we get some cheeseburgers and ice cream to get rid of the taste?”

Another wave of tears flows unbidden over Tony’s cheeks, and he hides his face in the tissue as he nods. Where does Rhodey take his kindness from? It is nothing short of a miracle that Tony managed to find the only anomaly in a see of demanding faces here, the only one who seems to value Tony as a real person.

After a long moment in which neither of them moves, Rhodey adds, “Do you want a hug first?”

Relief floods through Tony. He feared that this would be off the table now. They have been rather open with touching each other before. Or, Tony has and Rhodey just went with it. He always expects Rhodey to withdraw when he presents another broken part of him. And yet he never does.

“You don’t need to ask,” Tony says and moves in, ready to bury himself against Rhodey’s chest and forget all about the world around them.

Rhodey stops him, though, and it is as if all of Tony’s fears come true. “Of course, I do,” he says, still so very gentle. “Everybody should.”

So it is not a rejection but simply Rhodey wanting to underline his point.

“But you’re –” safe, Tony wants to say but swallows it down. He has made himself too vulnerable already.

In response, Rhodey’s face softens into something almost unbearably kind. When he opens his arms, Tony does not hesitate to sink into the offered embrace.

He still cannot quite believe what Rhodey said is true, no matter how much he wants to. The world they live in seldom is so kind. If he had asked anybody else, he is sure he would have gotten a vastly different answer. Something must be wrong with him. But it is nice, at least, that Rhodey does not seem to think so.

Then again, Rhodey sees life differently in so many ways. He cannot be wrong about all of these things. He cannot be right about them, either, because that would mean that Howard and Obie would be wrong and that is not a direction Tony can allow his thoughts to go. Not if he wants to hold on to his sanity and what little sense of self-worth he has left.

“Can we just stay here?” Tony asks quietly. Everything is better here where he does not have to see the world and is held by someone he trusts completely.

“Of course,” Rhodey agrees without the slightest bit of hesitation. He does not make a move to let go of Tony either.

Rhodey really is the best friend anybody could ask for. That he is here, holding Tony like there is nothing to it really makes Tony feel less defective, more than his words did.

Maybe Tony will even have the courage to tell Ty no the next time they see each other, to not let things happen to him because that is easier than starting an argument. Even though it was not that bad, after all. Right?

When Tony swallows, he still tastes the faintest bit of blood from brushing his gums raw. It is that bad, he decides. Worse than going home for Christmas and facing his father’s eternal disappointment.

“Will you stay nearby when I have to see Ty next time?” Tony asks, pretending that he does not feel like a coward for it.

“Of course,” Rhodey says again. “I’ll also make his body disappear if that becomes necessary.”

The seriousness with which Rhodey says that has Tony feeling giddy. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Rhodey tightens their embrace for a moment, which says so much more than words ever could. “Now, how about we let those cheeseburgers be delivered? That way we don’t have to get up.”

Perfect, Tony thinks as he nods. If he could, he would never let Rhodey leave his side again. He feels like a much better person with him close.

All it takes, really, is a friend, a best friend, and the entire grim world looks so much brighter. And lying here in Rhodey’s arms, Tony feels like the luckiest person alive.

#whumptober2020 #no. 11 #crying #marvel #fanfiction #tony stark #rhodey #asexuality #asexuality week #emotional whump #my writing #ao3

9 notes · View notes

momentofmemory · 5 years

Text

fictober - day five

Prompt #5: “I might just kiss you.”

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe (All Media Types/Iron Man Films)

Warnings: Canonical Major Character Death (referenced)

Rating: G

Characters: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Howard Stark (mentioned), Peter Parker (mentioned), Steve Rogers (mentioned)

Words: 2397

Author’s Note: taking a short break from the may & peter series bc the prompt didn’t fit, so instead we have a tony-centric character study. cap is referenced but the primary relationship is between tony and howard. i have mixed feelings about this one, honestly, but it’s done before midnight at least, so, ~le shrug~

>>Sins of the Father

Tony had never understood his father’s obsession with Captain America.

If he was being perfectly honest (which he wasn’t), part of that was because he’d never really tried—had actively avoided trying, actually, because Howard had never bothered trying to understand him. It seemed fitting to return the favour. So, when Steven Perfect-Posture Grant Rogers popped out of the ice, God, did it feel like a punch in the teeth.

(Teeth that weren’t as perfect as Captain America’s.)

There’d been one night three weeks before Tony was supposed to move out for college when Howard had announced he’d be going on a month-long expedition to try to find the almighty Captain America, yet again. Tony didn’t remember much after that except a lot of yelling and a lot of hurt, because how dare his father leave them to search for someone whose body had probably decomposed five times over by now.

(Steve popping up thirty years later, obnoxiously alive and younger than he was, would prove this argument to be factually wrong, but Tony still stood by his conclusion.)

He’d wanted nothing to do with Steve at first, furious at his father for being right about the man surviving more than anything. But fate and Nick Fury refused to let him have his peace, and he found that getting to know Steve—and maybe not hating him—had been an even stranger thing than discovering he was alive.

Then Sokovia and the Winter Soldier and Siberia and a grainy video tape from 1991 happened, and all he wanted was to hate Steve. And he did, because god if he doesn’t know how to hold a grudge—Howard taught him a lot about never letting go when it comes to Captain America. But he also didn’t, because he wasn’t Howard, and Steve… Steve wasn’t just Captain America.

Tony spent the next two years doing everything in his power to forget Steve ever existed, which included ignoring calls from Ross about the man’s whereabouts. After one such call that ended spectacularly badly after Ross hinted he wanted information on Spider-Man, Tony found himself sitting in his father’s office, staring at the mockup of the city. It seemed his life had boiled down to the same thing as his father’s: a consultant on the neverending search for Captain America.

Tony flicked up the schematics for a new iteration of Peter’s suit—the upgrades he’d made to his own nanotech needed to be incorporated, just in case Peter ever changed his mind about it. He tapped his fingers on the armrest and stared at the shield hanging on the wall.

He didn’t understand Ross’s obsession, just like he didn’t understand his father’s. He still didn’t care to try.

One man isn’t important enough to waste all of that time on finding.

Tony maintained this perspective until one moment Peter was standing in front of him, whole and alive and so, so young, and then the next he found himself falling through dust and air because Peter was gone.

He stared at the ash clotting the blood on his hands, and all he could think was, Oh.

This was how one life could be important enough.

An alien flew him across the galaxy and then another one carried him home, and when he saw Steve had survived he couldn’t help the bitter thought that at least his father’s life work wasn’t lost again.

Just his.

After Dr. Cho allowed him out of the infirmary, Tony hid in the penthouse with Pepper and filled every waking moment reading up on the latest time travel theories. The EPR Paradox in particular kept him up for three days straight, until he rejected it on the basis that quantum travel was too theoretical—not to mention risky, even for him.

Then Pepper told him she was pregnant, and Tony's heart lurched out of his chest because he was going to be a father, and seeing Morgan for the first time seven months later awakened something that felt like hope inside of him.

Three months into the kind of sleep deprivation only a newborn baby can provide, Tony snuck down to the lab he’d installed in the garage for the first time since Thanos.

_________________________

The hologram’s failure message projected blood-red light over his hands.

God damn it.

Tony dropped onto the bench and ran his hands through his hair, trying to get rid of the feel of dust and ash. He didn’t know why it wouldn’t work.

“Tony?”

He jerked his head out of his hands and saw Pepper, whose lips pulled thin as she took in the sight of Friday’s projection. “What is this?”

Shame curled in his stomach.

“Just, you know,” Tony slid to his feet and hid his pen behind his back. “Stuff.”

Pepper pulled up the list of iterations Tony had run through the simulation, and Tony winced at the sheer number of decimal places in Friday’s report.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time down here lately,” Pepper said, too casually for it to actually be.

“Gotta keep the old mind busy,” Tony said, closing the charts before Pepper could comment on the hours logged. “Wouldn’t want Morgan thinking her old man was slipping.”

Pepper looked at the physics papers on the desk. “And is he?”

“...Maybe. I just…” Tony paused, and then turned to gesture at the hologram. “What if there was a way to... fix all of this? I feel like I owe it to at least try.”

“I’m not going to stop you, Tony.”

Tony froze. He tore his eyes away from the hologram to look at Pepper, who stood with her arms crossed in front of her. “Hang on, sorry, I think I just had an auditory hallucination. Wanna repeat that?”

Pepper’s mouth twitched. “Tony,” she said, coming over to sit on the workbench. “If you really can do something about this, I can’t stand in the way of that.”

Tony stared at her, and then sat down as well, cautiously—unsure if it was a trap.

“But.”

There it was.

“I am going to request boundaries,” Pepper said. “One of which is that you can’t hole up in here for more than three hours at a time.”

“I feel like we could make allowances, maybe like an every other Tuesday thing, but continue.”

“And secondly, don’t beat yourself up over something you know won’t work.”

“…What?”

“I know you, Tony.” Pepper poked his chest. “You don’t like admitting when you can’t do something. So tell me: is this really possible?”

The Mobius strip rotated languidly behind him, the TEST FAILED alert blinking in rhythm with his heart.

“…No,” he admitted. “Or at least, not any more. The only thing that seems like it could work requires Pym particles, which we don’t have. Even with them, I can’t get the simulation to work.”

Pepper nodded, a mixture of relief and disappointment on her face. Tony wondered if this was how Howard felt: living in a world that couldn’t keep up with his ideas, knowing Cap was out there but not having the tools to do anything about it.

“Okay,” Pepper said. “Then three hours it is. And you have to read to Morgan every night before bed, when she’s old enough.”

“You strike a mean bargain.”

He looked at the simulation again. Pepper was right: there was nothing he could do. Howard had wasted years of his life chasing after Cap, and even though he’d been right about him being out there, that didn’t change the fact that there was nothing Howard could have done to save him, anyway.

“Okay, Pep.”

Tony stood and walked over to the projector, and turned it off. Pepper’s eyes softened.

“Don’t get too excited, I’m sure I’ll find something else to wreck the household with,” Tony said, shutting down the rest of the system. Pepper arched an eyebrow at him and he sighed. “Fine. You got me. I’m sorry I’ve been… Distracted.”

“Mm. That does seem like a problem,” Pepper said. She stood and came up behind him, wrapping her arms around him to trace her fingers along his collarbone. “I can think of a few other ways to distract you, though.”

Tony spun in her grasp and wrapped his hand around her waist. “Oh really? You got something in mind?”

“As a matter of fact, I was thinking I might take you upstairs—”

The baby monitor’s light blinked on and Pepper’s thought was interrupted by the sound of Morgan’s cries echoing through the garage. The six-month-old had apparently woken up from her nap.

Pepper winced.

“…Or I might just kiss you and leave it at that.” She disentangled herself from Tony’s embrace, and Tony whined in displeasure.

Pepper tapped him on the nose with her finger, but kept her promise by following it up with a quick kiss to his cheek. “And you can meet me in Morgan’s room in five minutes with a glass of iced tea and that book on caring for llamas.”

“You are no fun,” Tony said.

Pepper laughed and kissed him again, this time on the lips, which Tony enthusiastically returned.

“I believe Morgan requires your assistance sooner rather than later, Mr. and Mrs. Potts,” Friday said, with a practiced air of professionalism that still managed to sound incredibly pointed.

“Yeah, got that, thanks Fri,” Pepper said, pulling away from Tony with a final squeeze on his shoulder. “Don’t be late.”

Tony watched Pepper go, tapping his pen against his fingers. He looked at the projection table, and thought about all the lonely nights he’d had as a child, and how he’d wished Howard would’ve stayed home just once.

He turned the lights out, and went to be with his daughter.

______________________

Ant-Man was back, and Ant-Man had steam-rolled through all the theories Tony’d studied on and off over the last five years out of sheer dumb luck. And he had Pym particles, enough for a pretty decent sized team.

Tony couldn’t do this.

He’d never fully given up on bringing everyone back, toying with ideas on and off, but had never been able to figure out a solution to the forward progression of time. The Pym particles solved the issues with the Planck Scale, but as far as the Deutsch Proposition went… It’d been five years and he still hadn’t solved it.

When Cap asked him if he could do it, what he thought was I tried, and what he said was “I can’t.”

Tony felt Howard’s disapproval at his back as he watched their car drove off.

And yet he’d said I can’t, but when he stood in the middle of the kitchen and saw Peter Parker in that stupid picture that’s always been his favourite, with their smiles and upside-down certificate, everything clicked.

He asked Friday to pull up the schematics right there on the living room table, but this time, inverted: or, upside-down.

Friday’s simulation worked, and Tony felt like he’d just found Captain America.

Then Morgan walked down the staircase, and Tony felt like he was six years old, watching his dad leave them again.

Tony coasted through the next half hour in a blur, getting juice pops for Morgan and tucking her in bed, and mostly thinking about how incredibly lucky he’s been. He went downstairs thinking only about three thousands, but the second he saw Pepper everything came tumbling out. She tilted her head and asked a question he didn’t see coming.

“But would you be able to rest?”

Tony looked away, placing the popsicle stick back in his mouth. He worried it between his teeth as he thought about how to put into words everything he’d been harboring over the past… forever, really.

“I’ve been thinking about my dad,” he said, finally. “Howard… never knew how to let go of his failures, and he hurt a lot of people because of it.”

Pepper pulled her knees up onto the couch and rested her chin on her hand. “Sounds like he might have had some problems with ego.”

Tony looked at her in surprise, and she sighed.

“Tony, your father’s obsession with finding Cap was a problem because it was never about Cap—it was about Howard. His own guilt at not being able to do something he felt like he could. That’s not what Peter is for you.”

Tony frowned. “I don’t think we’re on the same wavelength here.”

“You’re not trying to bring him—and everyone else—back because it’s something you need. You’re doing it because it’s something they need. If it was an obsession, you wouldn’t have been able to put it aside all those years ago when it wasn’t feasible.”

This was true—ever since his talk with Pepper, the urge to figure out time travel had become more of a hobby than anything, because it was, after all, strictly theoretical without the Pym Particles didn’t exist. As Morgan had gotten older, he’d learned how to appreciate what was in front of him instead of regretting what was behind.

That didn’t mean he didn’t still want to make it right.

“This isn’t obsession, Tony. This is a desire,” Pepper said, and then hesitated. “...And it’s not just yours.”

Tony saw Pepper’s own grief over what had been lost flicker over her face, and took the stick out of his mouth and flicked it into the fire. She was right.

“You know there’s a good chance we won’t all make it back.”

Pepper pursed her lips and looked away, but her voice didn’t waver. “I know. But I also know you’ll make it worth it.”

They spent the rest of the night in companionable silence, and the next morning, Tony drove to the Avengers compound.

Tony had forgotten how good the rest of his team was, and it didn’t take long before they had drummed up a pretty solid plan, a full team, and enough time particles to make it work.

He went into the past with Pepper’s words ringing in his ears.

Tony ran into his father and finally said a thank you that he meant, and it was worth it. Tony hugged Peter, alive and whole and so, so young, and it was worth it. Tony caught a glimpse of Morgan, laughing and powerful and thirty-six, and it was worth it.

Tony closed his eyes and let Pepper’s voice wash over him, and drifted off into the black.

And it was worth it.

#fictober19 #mcu fanfic #tony stark #fanfiction #memsfic

8 notes · View notes

statusquoergo · 5 years

Text

Pour one out for the total lack of Mike Ross callouts in this episode; I guess they filled up their pre-episode 5 quota with that deluge last time.

In any event, we get the ball rolling this time with a reminder that Samantha served…somewhere…at some point… Not that the specifics matter overmuch, I just think that if they want to make this such a key feature of her personality, they should invest some time in fleshing it out instead of tossing a reference in whenever it’s convenient. Anyway her old Marines buddy Lucas was fired from SW Industries for botching a DoD contract, he suspects nepotism is at play, and she takes the case pro bono even though he’s got his pride and tries to turn down her charity.

Smash cut to Donna and Harvey visiting Louis at home, before work, to formally divulge to him their new relationship status, and the revelation that Louis apparently wears Speedos instead of underwear, because I super needed to know that. Louis is again explicitly mocked for not getting that they’re dating as Harvey marvels that he ever got through law school, and I, for one, am over it. “It” being this show’s treatment of Louis’s character. He’s mature until he’s not, he’s growing until he has the same setback for the fifth time in a row, he’s coming into his own until he can’t control his emotions or make a rational decision to save his life. I’m done with being told to laugh derisively at his cluelessness and his quirky habits while simultaneously being asked to admire his devotion to saving his firm at any cost as he insists that a man’s character is his most valuable asset. Louis could have developed into a really interesting character, but they can’t seem to stop shooting themselves in the foot every time they have the chance.

Side note, am I the only one who thought Harvey’s smile at “we’re happy” looked more like a grimace? Boy’s got some inner conflicts to work out.

Back at the firm, I do my very best to ignore the fact that the Bar Association doesn’t have the authority to install a special master, and a special master doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally decide to take over a law firm, as Faye Richardson steps right into my good graces with a severely truncated list of the firm’s biggest grievances. Namely, Jessica’s and Robert’s disbarments, Mike’s prison term (this doesn’t count as a callout, she doesn’t even name him), and the firm’s higher-ups definitely having been a party to the fraud, even though they were never charged. She undercuts it a little by “wiping the slate clean of everything [they’ve] ever done,” but I mean at least she’s there, so that’s a start. Her first act as supreme overlord is to take Robert’s name off the wall, at which point Samantha flips her shit and does herself precisely zero favors by promising to dig up dirt on Faye if she goes through with it; Faye, who’s apparently used to reactions like that, gives no fucks, informing them that their “days of operating however [they] want are over,” and all I have to say about that is better late than never.

Samantha’s reaction to all this is to threaten to quit rather than seek permission she won’t get to take Lucas’s case, and Harvey, who wasn’t the managing partner even before Faye showed up, takes it upon himself to give her permission to keep the case by lying that she took it last night rather than that morning and I don’t know who’s using the shared single brain cell right now, but I think Harvey needs to borrow it for a minute. Louis and Alex bitch at each other about whose fault it is that Faye is there at all and Gretchen, who’s apparently worked at every law firm in the city, confides that as managing partner at her old firm, Faye stripped her husband’s name from the wall and fired him for crossing “some kind of line,” indicating that she is in fact a cold-hearted bitch, but also giving Louis the idea that she does care about the Bar, and this is going to end well, I’m sure.

In her first move of actually making a move, Faye asks Donna, in her role as the firm’s COO, to set up a meeting with Thomas Kessler so Faye can ask him why he left. Donna snidely informs her that she has a reputation for solving problems rather than hiding them, and I’d like to bring to the court’s attention the events of “Break Point” (s02e05), in which Donna quite consciously and to potentially devastating effect went out of her way to hide a problem. By shredding it. In a shredder.

Donna promises to set up this meeting and then rushes to warn Harvey about it, and they have a very weird exchange that I honestly don’t know how to interpret. To wit, Harvey says that he knows she’ll disagree with him, but Faye needs to go; of course Donna doesn’t disagree, but like, why did he think she would? The whole firm was pretty abrasive toward Faye in that first meeting, and they all know just how many skeletons are buried under the floorboards; why would any of them want her around?

Cue flirty banter and my first major Darvey red flag of the evening: Harvey says it’s unlike Donna to not try to talk him out of it. Ignoring the fact that “it” is a vague concept rather than a concrete plan, this overt admission that their dynamic is him doing stuff and her trying to convince him not to do that stuff doesn’t do much to convince me that this relationship is particularly functional, or healthy, or makes either of them especially happy. They go back and forth on which of them became less uptight since they fucked (“Since we, uh.” “Since we what?” “Nothing. Since we nothing.” “That’s right.”) and Harvey declares that between the two of them, he’s the one acting consistently, and if by that he means “shoving his emotional turmoil way down deep until he’s almost walking on it and pretending everything’s fine until it explodes,” then yes, I have to agree.

Next up we have Samantha barging into Lucas’s former place of business to accuse the CEO of wrongful termination, her main argument seeming to be that Lucas deserves his job because he’s a veteran. The CEO informs her that “Lucas was far from perfect,” including missing work at crunch time and apparently assaulting an employee to the point of needing medical care; after beating us over the head with these hints that Lucas has post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he sends Samantha on her way, and here’s hoping they don’t botch this too badly.

Louis continues to erode my faith in his character by storming into Benjamin’s office—yes, Benjamin, the IT guy, who “just set up [Faye’s] firewall this morning,” because that’s a thing—to demand that he find a loophole in the Bar’s 3000-page long, non-digitized bylaws that’ll allow him to get rid of Faye. Couple things here: One, Benjamin is in IT, he doesn’t know how to find a loophole in the bylaws. Two, the New York State Bar Association’s bylaws are 41 pages long, including amendments and indices, and they’re available online, for free, in PDF format.

Part II

#suits usa #season 9 #s09e02 #analysis

5 notes · View notes

gwenjoon · 6 years

Text

Flash Thompson is Gay: A Comprehensive Visual Essay

TRIGGER WARNINGS: alcoholism, abuse, homophobia, brief reference to The Child Within, which contains pedophilia

Over the last year and half or so, I have read a number of Spider-Man comics and have reached many conclusions about them, but my utmost conclusion is that Flash Thompson is a gay man. It is very difficult for me to label male characters as gay, since we’ve all seen the way fandom can completely brush off women in favor of imagined gay men, but once this idea took hold, it stuck. I do not see Flash as truly having been intended to be gay since his conception, or even highly coded that way like Kitty Pryde or Johnny Storm. But along the lines of Bobby Drake, I just feel that it would be the final puzzle piece that would make his 50+ years of character development make sense.

This is not intended as propaganda or a way of seeing representation where it doesn’t exist, but a simple compilation of evidence.

We begin in high school.

Flash will probably always be known as something of a high school bully, even though he was only in high school for 28 issues in the 60s. It’s still hotly debated by fans and Spider-Man writers about how MUCH of a bully he was. In Lee and Ditko’s original comics, it certainly seemed like he and Peter were more mutually antagonistic towards each other, with the caveat that Flash was popular and Peter wasn’t.

No matter what, Flash had a fanboy obsession with Spider-Man, and maybe a bit of an obsession with Peter Parker, too, something both Peter and their classmates noticed and teased him for.

There were times when Flash actually made some sort of attempts to be Peter’s friend, but Peter being Peter, and Flash being Flash, the attempts didn’t go well.

Flash was dating Liz Allan at this point. She teased Peter too, but eventually got sick of Flash berating Peter and dumped him. She then pursued a bit of a crush on Peter (which didn’t really go anywhere since Peter was pretty into Betty at this point). Flash didn’t like being dumped, but he seemed to focus more on the Peter part of this situation and ended up, like, stalking him. In a cute way.

SO Peter and Flash both get scholarships to ESU and kind of . . . accidentally become friends. How does it happen? I don’t know. They don’t even know. But it happens. Basically, Flash is friends with Gwen and Harry and they all hate Peter and Gwen starts NOT hating Peter and then Harry starts not hating Peter so Flash might as well not hate him either.

Also, Peter is kind of hot now which helps everyone adjust.

Go get friendly with him, Flash.

It’s just hard to buy Flash as being into girls when he likes men SO much. Like in Spider-Man: Blue when Gwen and MJ are dancing and probably making out and Harry, like most people who are attracted to women, thinks that’s neato, but Flash waits for his husband to return from war.

Flash goes off to the army pretty quick. Harry and Peter watch Flash make out with their girlfriends because he is nonthreatening and handsome.

When Flash comes back from the army, he is even more handsome, but he tells Gwen that he’s super into her and Gwen is like “if you loved me you’d be nice to my sexy boyfriend Peter” and Flash is like “okay” so Flash starts being nice to Peter. Real nice. It gets weird. Did a threesome happen? I don’t know. But Peter is definitely getting hot and Flash is definitely noticing.

Gwen dies. Everyone is sad, me most of all. But Flash feels the need to clarify some stuff to Peter.

They graduate, Flash and Peter move in together, two bros chillin in a hot tub, five feet apart ‘cause they’re not gay.

Peter moves out and Flash thinks Glory Grant is hot but the relationship never goes anywhere because Flash is gay and Marvel comics is racist, but then Flash moves in with Harry. Flash was LONELY, you see.

And then Flash is getting up the courage to confess his undying love to Harry when none other than Liz Allan swoops in and snatches him right from under his nose.

But it’s gonna be okay because then Flash and Peter accidentally start dating!

It might not be an accident for Flash.

In his defense, Peter really can’t just say things like that.

Also this happens. I do not generally find CPR romantic but, like, what were they going for here? The shirtlessness. The rain. The close up on the mouth to mouth. This sure was some way to frame life-saving efforts between two manly men.

So while this is all going on, Flash’s love life is getting . . . messy. I generally try not to think about it too much because it’s SO messy. Flash saves multiple young women from cults. He dates Sha Shan, cheats on her with Betty (who is in turn cheating on her vaguely abusive husband), and eventually hits Sha Shan. He is immediately horrified and runs away, Sha Shan moves out within one issue and it’s just . . . gone for decades. It went against years of character development and no one seemed to remember it happening. It might have been a way to get rid of Sha Shan (again, the racism), or a way to make you THINK Flash is Hobgoblin but surprise, it was the other abusive guy all along.

It’s really really poorly written, and a cheap plot point. Sha Shan deserved better.

Then you have the thing with Betty. It’s like, they’re cheating! they’re forbidden! they’re in love! but it . . . doesn’t go anywhere either. Betty and Flash remain friends and seem pretty happy about it, until JM DeMatteis, the brilliant mind behind Kraven’s Last Hunt, tells us all in the 90s that actually they had a horrible breakup and Betty hates him. Wild.

SO once that business no one wants to touch and everyone regrets has been pushed aside for some time, Flash starts dating again. He has a new girlfriend every week that he only seems to want to spend time with around, you guessed it, Peter Parker.

Here is an example. Flash is boxing and Blaze tries to literally have sex with him and he’s like “nah, hygiene” and then she comes onto Peter.

Indeed, Mary Jane.

Then we have FLASH/FELICIA. It’s so good. I love them. Felicia starts dating Flash as revenge against Peter. Flash really wants to double date with Peter. Felicia is at first super annoyed that Flash is so GENTLE, but she falls in love with him. She even asks him to marry her.

Flash says no.

Things Flash tells Felicia Hardy when he breaks up with her: “I wasn’t attracted by your looks” and “I thought it would be cool to be this close to someone who was that close to Spider-Man.”

These are things he tells her. They were really things he said.

While Flash is recuperating from his injuries, he starts freaking out that he and Peter aren’t actually friends (you were his best man, but you’ve never gone to a baseball game with him, so that makes sense I guess), and he starts talking about poetry. Poetry is a common way to queer code male characters. Take a look at Dead Poet’s Society or A Streetcar Named Desire.

But here’s the poem he mentions.

Make of that what you will.

Flash gets pretty depressed. Starts drinking more. He can’t make a romantic relationship stick. He’s dreaming about the glory days. This is around when the retcon of his abuse starts to pop up too.

And somewhere along the line, Peter Parker got hot.

But things do get better for him! He reconnects with his sister and goes to rehab. He and Betty reconnect because APPARENTLY they’ve been fighting and Flash is a scoundrel and there is no evidence but I guess I’ll take their word for it.

He also gets a job with Norman Osborn. Things get weird.

In The Child Within, Norman Osborn’s abuse of Harry is paralleled with an explicitly sexual physical abuse from a father towards a son. In Sins Past, The Night Gwen Stacy died will be retconned to make it so that the woman Norman Osborn murdered will have had his children. I don’t like going there, but there becomes a distinctly sexual way that Norman’s relationships with Peter’s friends is viewed.

Flash is reminding Norman about his AIDS charity.

Flash would stick with Norman night and day if he could.

Anyway.

Here’s a fantasy of Flash’s! He loves Spider-Man!

Even when he’s fantasizing about a woman, he’s actually fantasizing about a man!

Okay, I will admit I have not read every Flash appearance in 616. I’m doing this whole “in order” thing right now and I haven’t gotten to a lot of Flash/Betty stuff. Maybe it will change my mind. I doubt it, but I like to keep my options open.

Moving onto Venom. Flash has been dating Betty long-term at this point, but his secret life as a superhero is tearing them apart (she thinks he’s been drinking again). Also, he just sort of . . . self-sabotages all his relationships. Guy’s got issues.

Then we have Flash involved in an incidence of gay-bashing.

He didn’t fully understand what being gay meant. Been there, buddy.

Peter gives him the guy’s number and Flash has a chance to apologize and see two happy gay men living together.

I don’t know, okay, but a guy calls Captain America Flash’s boyfriend. It happens. It’s there.

VENOM: SPACE KNIGHT. Please read this beautiful series about overcoming the cycle of abuse and learning to love again. Things get really gay with the alien goo.

Also, Venom has like always been pretty heavily coded as being . . . some sort of sexual metaphor. David Micheline went there real hard. Eddie Brock pretty much married the symbiote, but only Flash has the guts to make him a guy.

Anything he desires. Anything at all. Whatever that might be.

Now for some Flash Thompson Looks:

Okay, let’s move onto alternate universes.

Here, we have Flash in the Secret Wars version of Spider-Island.

He loved Lizard Betty the best he could.

Avengers Academy!

Then there’s Ultimate Universe:

Love me some pen-sucking.

Not convinced? Well put this in your pipe and smoke it:

And, of course, The Amazing Spider-Man.

“Chicks dig him,” he said.

I dig him, he thought.

Was this even about Flash being gay or about me loving him deeply and endlessly? Who knows. Who cares. It’s all true.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

#marvel #flash thompson #comics #meta

487 notes · View notes

noctemusfic · 11 years

Text

☵ It's Not A Beginning

A Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Fan Fiction by Noctemus. Can be read on: @AO3

Characters/Pairing: Christine Everhart/Tony Stark Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters portrayed herein. This is for fan enjoyment only and no profit gained nor sought.

Note:

I like Tony paired with people outside of 'mainstream' or fanfav (Stony comes to mind). This is one.

It's unbeated so so you're bound to find some errors. All mistakes are my own. If you find something glaring please let me know. Enjoy.

Summary: He can already feel whatever good his time spent with the blond vixen had done for his state of mind is draining away as the cloak of being Tony Stark comes around him again.

☵ It's Not A Beginning- 1/1

☳ ☼ ☳

The angle was wrong for the sun to shine right into the bedroom window but the light reflected from the building in front was glaring enough that Tony grimaces as he plants his feet on the soft carpet next to the bed, the chill of the floor warded off by the thick fabric.

He idly wonders if he can get the stubborn woman to invest in some blackout curtains, but he can already imagine her list all the numerous points against it. All valid enough that it wouldn't be worth the effort it would take to convince her.

After all, it was a rare enough occurrence for him to be in her room at this time of the day.

Standing up, Tony makes quick work to slip his watch back over his wrist, pulling his socks on while keeping his pants from sliding down his legs, and put on the wife-beater he favors that has the extra thick fabric in front to obscure the light emitted by his arc-reactor.

Eyeing distastefully the shirt that had ended up on the floor earlier that day he shakes it out, trying to get rid of as much of the wrinkles as possible.

A muffled laughter makes Tony look up, meeting the amused blue eyes of his favorite reporter who has apparently just woken up. Tony watches as she puffs up the pillow and wraps her arms around it before resting her head on it, primed to watch him dress.

“You know the suit is going to cover it,” Christine points out. Tony rolls his eyes and shrugs it on and says. “I know, that’s not really the point.”

“There is a point?” Christine smirks as she shifts and rests her head in her hand. She shakes her head as she watches Tony tug at the sleeves, mild irritation tugging the edges of his mouth down. Rolling onto her back, Christine scoots back towards the headboard and remarks, “you are such a snob.”

“And you’re not?” Tony shoots back as he looks around.

“I've said it before and I’ll say it again. You can always leave a change of clothes here.”

“Right, because no one would notice if I showed up dressed differently than how I was when I went out.” It is obvious what Tony thinks of that, the mockery clear in his voice.

“It wouldn't raise any eyebrows either,” Christine points out. True, Tony concedes, and his teammates would already know if they could get their head out of each other - not finishing that thought, thankyouverymuch.

Except...

How had they thought they could keep it from him. Jarvis gives him eyes everywhere. Not to mention subtlety isn't exactly their strong suit, at least not for the behemoth of a man, or god as the case may be, and the ferocious appetite he apparently has to anything in life, or Rogers for that matter with his supposed 40’s era sensibilities that turned out to be less than archaic.

He’d been more than surprised, downright shocked really when he realized the good Captain and the God of Thunder was apparently bumping uglies together. Obviously, at all those late night sparring session more happened than what they had let everyone believe.

He can deal. Tony is a lot of things, but he tries not to be a hypocrite. If his teammates want to do the horizontal dance with each other he isn't going to begrudge, or judge, them that.

And if Rogers doesn't think he can tell him then it is his choice. See, he can be mature Pepper. That people thought he wouldn't notice what is essentially happening under his very nose rubs him the wrong way. Willful ignorance was bound to cause pain and he has permanent scars to attest to that. Accusing him of being paranoid and then not expect him to be hyper-vigilant is just downright stupid.

Watching and learning is what he does. What he has always done. It’s how he realized that the twosome, had turned into more-some. Some digging later and it turns out everyone was playing tickle the sausage with each other.

How they made it work was something he hasn't figured out yet. Thor, Rogers, Barton, Romanov, and his little science bro, Banner.

Five, an odd number, that. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised to find out that Agent is in on it too. Everyone sans him. How fucking typical is that.

What did they have that he doesn't?

“Tony?” Christine’s voice brings him out of his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder he can see the small line between her neatly plucked brows. She had tucked the sheet around her, sitting up with her legs folded underneath her, head cocked to the side.

“Yeah?”

“You OK? You went waaay away there for a minute,” she asks, waving her hand about her head. Tony purses his lips, turning his attention to his shirt, mumbling something incomprehensible even to himself.

“Come again?”

“Am I really all that unattractive?” Tony throws over his shoulder nonchalantly after a lengthy pause while he buttoned up his shirt, inwardly cringing at how pathetic that came out. Christine snorts where she is once again gone back to lying prone on the bed.

“Not really the person you should ask that,” she says as she stretches, watching him go through the motion of putting himself back together.

“They do know that nothing gets by me, right?” Who ‘they’ were, did not need any clarification. “They are living in my Tower, for fucks sake!” Christine’s mouth quirks in clear amusement and if it had been any other time, that alone would have drawn Tony back to the bed.

“Yes, and you are one paranoid fucker. It is a known fact,” she states as she settles the sheets around her provocatively unashamed of her nudity and taking delight as Tony looks her over.

Tony hums, momentarily derailed from his train of thought. The sound of his cell phone jars him back and he shakes himself and quickly tucks his shirt into his pants and does them up.

“It’s not paranoia when it’s true.” Picking up the tie he had spotted earlier on the night table he quickly loops it around his neck.

“Anyways, if they are all banging each other, either they don’t give a shit about ‘big brother’ or they're rubbing in the fact that they haven’t invited me.” He can practically see his words go through Christine’s head and the moment it clicks what he is actually saying.

It visibly perks Christine right up and she sits up, the sheet forgotten where it pools around her waist. Tony smirks and preemptively says, “And no, you’re not allowed to write about it.”

She pouts but Tony can see in her eyes the acceptance. What they had worked only as long as both adhered to the few rules they've set up and for whatever reason, he’d found out over time that Christine is very reluctant to go against them, even if it meant losing out on some really great stories. He isn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Christine shrugs and leans over, grabbing a hold of his tie and tugs him down before licking into his mouth. If he wasn't already previously engaged he wouldn't mind getting back between those sheets and into her warm welcoming body but alas, responsibility calls, or has left several voice messages in the form of one formidable Pepper Potts.

“Their loss,” Christine whispers against his lips. Tony grins and pecks her before straightening up, looking for and finding his jacket before shrugging it on.

Trailing his fingers against the edge of her jaw he watches her flop back against the pillows, for all the world with no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Putting his sunglasses on he fished his earpiece and slips it into the shell of his ear before leaving the tempting and very much delectable woman behind, calling up his driver as he does and lets Jarvis know he is on his way back.

“Do you wish me to inform Ms. Potts, Sir?” his AI inquires and even through the small earpiece Tony can hear the amusement in its voice.

Shaking his head, Tony makes his way down the stairs that lead to Christine’s small but surprisingly cozy apartment while trying to tame his hair into something less of a ‘spent the last couple of hours fucking through to shear bliss’-hair and more the proper business look he knows Pepper prefers when he is on official Stark business.

The last thing he needs is for her to shit kittens because he got some ‘piece of tail’ quote and un-fucking quote.

Pushing open the emergency door that leads to the back alley of the apartment complex, Tony is not surprised to find his car waiting for him, his driver slash bodyguard holding the door open, a flick of his eyes acknowledging Tony before going back to tracking his surroundings.

Even though, these days, Happy Hogan rarely works as his chauffeur having been offered a promotion and accepting it, Tony's knee-jerk reaction was still to expect his familiar silhouette standing there. In spite of the time passed since Happy hanged up his hat, in a manner of speaking, Tony finds himself thrown for a loop seeing someone else in his place more often than he cared to admit. Apparently, some changes are harder for him to assimilate. It lasts only for a split moment, not even noticeable to anyone but Tony himself.

Between Jarvis and Happy and with Tony’s approval, Alex, last name unpronounceable, has practically been handpicked to take over most of Happy’s former duties which were harder than anyone would think. Alex is a ruthless, efficient and above all unflappable specimen of a man that had slid right into the vacant spot with barely a hiccup.

Seeing the ever-vigilant eyes of his ‘Driver’ roaming the surrounding Tony keeps the comment that wants to slip out where it belongs, in his head. Alex precautions weren't unwarranted even by Stark standards if the last couple of months had been any indication with two failed kidnapping attempts, and boy had that been a bitch to convince Happy to keep from Pepper.

His Head of Security of all things personal (and Tony just knows that he was in cahoots with Jarvis) is a stick in the mud when it came to his safety and the compromise had been Alex, a competent scary son of a bitch that can rival Captain America in size with a humor that is downright morbid and who would say fuck you right into the Boss’ face if the request Tony gave went against his main order: that of keeping Tony alive and as safe as possible, and not necessarily in a language Tony knows.

Slipping into the cool interior of his tricked up car, if the weight he could see on the wheels is any indication, Tony makes a mental note to find out what Happy and Alex has been up to and what they had done to his poor beauty as Jarvis had been surprisingly mute on the whole affair.

Fishing out his tablet as Alex rounds the hood of the car and gets behind the wheel, Tony pulls up the briefs he needs while letting Jarvis screen through the undoubtedly irate calls of his acting CEO.

He can already feel whatever good his time spent with the blond vixen had done for his state of mind is draining away as the cloak of being Tony Stark comes around him again.

The End.

#f: mcu #c: christine everhart #c: tony stark #p: christine everhart x tony stark

3 notes · View notes

journeysintowebcomics · 7 years

Text

Girl Genius Liveblog #130

UPDATE 130: Transition into the Next Plot Point

Last time it was interlude time, and the topic now was Maxim trying to earn a new hat. For that, he’s challenging someone to a fight, ol’ man Death. He’s a normal person who used to ride with the Jagers under the command of the not-so-good Heterodynes from before the Heterodyne Boys existed. It’s his last try before it’s decided he lost. So let’s continue.

This third fight lasts less than a page before Maxim gets the upper hand, and is about to take the hat. It can’t be that easy, right? And it’s right, it isn’t, but he’s not stopped by that old man’s action, like I expected. Maxim got a jar filled with stuff thrown to his head. Was it ol’ man Death’s granddaughter? She’s still around, I think.

Indeed, it was her. For most people, that’d have been against the rules and ol’ man Death would have lost by default, but Maxim argues she’s a course hazard. Hah! Really now? I can respect him for not taking the easy victory, even though his real reason to reject it is less than gentlemanly.

Hah! I don’t think she’d go out with you, what after you punched her grandfather and put his life in danger – from what she saw. Ol’ man Death likes it even less, and gets his second boost of strength, almost throwing Maxim out in one swift move. Maxim just barely manages to stay inside, announcing he’s not done being subtle. Announce it a little louder, your yell was so subtle nobody noticed.

It was subtle in Jager standards, at least, and to his credit, what he does right after that is genuinely clever! He asks for a sandwich, and since this is a business, ol’ man Death can’t just throw a customer out of the door like yesterday’s trash. Maxim’s order is, well, a sandwich with the hat as its main ingredient. Heck, he even asks it to go! I admit I never thought Maxim would be capable of doing something like this. I’m pleasantly surprised!

That hat fits Maxim very well. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it always was part of his attire. Congratulations for doing what no other Jager ever did, pal! And everyone’s satisfied. Maxim got his hat, Oggie got...well, he got nothing out of all this, and ol’ man Death is happy to get rid of that hat. Happy ending for this interlude. It was nice. Short, but it was nice. Nothing particularly special about it, but at least I liked it more than the Weasel Queen intermissions, so kudos for that. And with that, it’s back to the main story.

I suppose that Agatha and the rest of the sparks in the area are working on whatever they’ll need to exchange Otilia and the Castle’s consciousness, while Moloch helps around. He’s fixing the lift, apparently Snaug wasn’t capable of doing it, and not because she’s bad at helping.

That’s sweet! It could work. He may not have a chance with Sanaa, unfortunately, so maybe it’s for the better for him to forget about it. Snaug is a sweet gal, she’d be nice to be with – leaving aside the problem about being a revenant, but hey, nobody’s perfect. The nice moment is ruined with Snaug points out Moloch may have the natural skills to be a spark’s minion, something he really doesn’t like to think about. Don’t fight it, you’ll have to stick around with the sparks and do what you do best, be a natural at being a minion.

The current plan to save the Castle is to transfer the Castle’s mind into a sub-system, and after that start working to get the Castle to the rest of the structure. Alright, sounds like a plan, but what about Otilia? She’s not in the best state right now, and if she’s transferred to her original body she’d be at risk of dying, too. Tarvek is the only one who knows how to fix Van Rijn’s work, but he can’t fix it easily, can he? It’s starting to seem like Otilia got the short end of the stick here – which is kind of jarring, given that Tarvek and Gil care about her a lot. There must be some kind of plan I’m not aware of yet.

The clank that’ll be used as vessel for the Castle will be brought down here by the gaggle of minor characters that’s currently around here – plus Zeetha, not-so-minor character. Agatha gives Zeetha what I can only suppose is one of her tiny clanks, and Tarvek gets Gil aside for a conversation. Or...”conversation”, as Gil so kindly describes it, paraphrasing. It’s almost a wonder he’s not doing the big ole finger quotes here.

You didn’t know?! That’s actually a surprise! Okay, wait, that doesn’t have to mean anything. Even if Gil doesn’t know, surely his father does. It can’t be that the Baron doesn’t know at least who is the Storm King.

Gil immediately accuses Tarvek of being the creator of the plan that involved making Zola be the new Heterodyne, and Tarvek is insulted by that because this plan is not up to the standards of the great Tarvek Sturmvoraus, schemer extraordinaire. He doesn’t say anything like that, but it’s implied. I really wish I knew what he had been playing, it must have been a marvelous plan. Not that there’s time to discuss about the inelegance of this plan or anything like that.

So this is where Zola is. She didn’t leave the Castle or anything like that. I guess she couldn’t leave as long as all these loose ends still were around here, and now...I’m not sure what she’ll plan to do? It’ll be rather easy for her to harm anyone while they’re unconscious, but that’d be a very anticlimactic end to Girl Genius, so that won’t happen. Also there are seven volumes after this one.

I’ll leave Zola’s actions for next time – or at least I suppose she’ll proceed to do a villainous monologue and tell what’s going on here and what she will do. So, until next time, thank you for reading.

Next update: three updates

#girl genius #girl genius liveblog #webcomics #liveblog #webcomic liveblog

15 notes · View notes

sunflowersupremes · 6 years

Text

The Mutiny: Chapter 3

Anger over the exile and lack of payment for Peter caused Yondu’s crew to consider mutiny. By the time Peter was ten, tensions were at a boiling point, finally spilling over just like the soup pot the mutineers planned to stick him in.

Yondu hadn’t felt so helpless in years, not since before his rescue. But with his arrow out of commission and his implant overheating there was little he could do to prevent his former crew from selling him back to the Kree.

Stakar was conflicted. On the one hand, it served Yondu right to have his crew turn on him after he had turned his back on the code. On the other, it was a little too ironic that the man whose action had saved him from slavery was going to condemn him to return through inaction.

An AU in which the mutiny happens much, much earlier and help comes from the most unlikely of places.

Characters: Peter Quill, Yondu Udonta, Stakar Ogord, Taserface (Marvel), Gef (Marvel), Martinex T'Naga, Aleta Ogord

Additional Tags: Cannibalism, Child Abuse, Death, Suicidal Ideation

Read Chapter on AO3

Read Entire Story on AO3

“You gonna come out of there kid?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

Peter and Stakar stared at each other, the former wedged safely out of reach of the later in the Starhawk’s vents.

Almost as soon as Peter had placed the call to Martinex, the Pluvarian had gotten to the Elector’s brig with a medical crew, and Yondu had been stabilized. Peter had lost track of everything that had happened since, all he knew was that Stakar had kept ahold of his shoulder as they left the Elector and drug him aboard an M-Ship to Stakar’s warship, the Starhawk. Yondu had been taken away from them immediately upon arrival, and Peter had taken the few seconds of confusion when Stakar had been explaining why his implant was in pieces to run.

Although the Starhawk seemed much newer than the Elector (it was certainly cleaner and a lot more sparkly) it had a pretty similar layout and he had no trouble at all finding a vent to cram himself in. Unfortunately, he had picked one that abruptly got smaller about 20 feet in, and so his escape was cut off. Stakar had found him pretty much immediately after, now the two were having an intense standoff.

“You hungry?”

Peter’s stomach turned, the last time he had even thought of food he had almost become the main course. “No.” He had hardly spoken to anyone since the whole ordeal had started, only answering Stakar’s numerous question with monosyllabic grunts or simple yes and no answers. He wasn’t sure what he thought of all the new people they were subjecting him to, but he was certain he preferred Yondu and his Ravagers. At least with them, he had known which ones were friends and which ones were enemies. With these new Ravagers, he had no idea.

Stakar sighed, clearly unused to dealing with kids. At least he didn’t have a magical arrow to force Peter out of the vents. “Please come out?”

“No.”

They lapsed into silence again. After a short while, Stakar’s comm buzzed and he clicked to answer it, clearly pleased by the interruption. “We’ve found Obfonteri.”

Kraglin! Peter sat up, more attentive than before. Stakar didn’t fail to notice, still watching Peter as he asked, “He alive?”

“If he’s not, Yondu’s gonna gut someone!” Stakar ignored Peter.

“More or less.”

“Bring him on board,” Stakar said, “and send someone down to watch the kid.”

“I can watch myself!” Peter shouted, wishing they would just go away and let him find his way into a more useful vent. Preferably one he could use to sneak to the medical facilities to check on Yondu.

Stakar ignored him, still speaking with whoever was on the other end of the line. Peter curled miserably in on himself, wanting to disappear further into the vents, or just disappear completely. Try as he might, he couldn’t rid himself of the things Taserface had said to him, once they had drug him from the ventilation shafts.

He squeezed his eyes shut and slid his hand into his pocket, grabbing ahold of one of the metal chunks Stakar had removed from Yondu’s implant. He ran his fingers across the metal, whimpering slightly. He barely noticed when Stakar switched off his guard with another man, this one staring down the shaft at him intensely. Instead, he pulled several of the larger pieces of Yondu’s implant out to stare at them, running his grubby fingers over the rough edges curiously. When he’d first been captured by the Ravagers he had wanted nothing more than to touch Yondu’s implant, thinking it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. Yondu hadn’t allowed it of course, and somehow it wasn’t as fun while he wasn’t sure if Yondu was alive or not.

He needed to get to Yondu. They needed to get off this ship.

Shoving the shards of implant back in his pocket, Peter finally moved his head to survey his new guard. After a moment’s hesitation, he crawled forward, scrunching up his face as though he was about to cry. “I gotta pee,” he told the man.

“If you come out, I’ll show you where the toilet is.”

If Stakar was so determined to think Yondu was hurting him, then his crew probably thought that way too. Peter figured he might as well give them what they wanted. “Do you promise not to grab me?” he whimpered, managing to force a few tears into his eyes. “I- I don’t like being grabbed. It hurts.”

Predictably the man’s face softened. “Sure thing kid.” It seemed Stakar’s crew - or at least the man he’d handpicked to guard Peter - was just as soft as he was. Yondu always said that showing emotions was just baiting people to take advantage of them.

Peter edged out of the vent, his guard giving him a wide berth as he pointed him down the hall toward the toilets. “Just over there,” he said soothingly. “Then we’ll get ya cleaned up and something to eat.”

Whimpering a soft thank you, Peter edged into the bathroom, watching his guard the whole way as though afraid of turning his back on him. As soon as the door shut behind him he snapped into action, standing on top of the toilet and using it to access another vent, one that should be larger than his old one if it were anything like the Elector.

He pulled his thin frame inside and grinned when he saw the long expanse of the tunnel ahead of him. Bingo. As Peter crawled over the head of his still oblivious guard he felt a twinge of guilt for tricking the man.

“I ain’t tellin’ ya.”

Stakar resisted the urge to groan, biting back the noise in frustration. He’d never particularly been fond of Kraglin Obfonteri, the man had been Yondu’s pick to be First Mate, not Stakar’s, and he was fairly certain Yondu had picked him just to annoy his mentor. When he had followed Yondu into exile, seemingly never having questioned trafficking kids, Stakar had decided he liked him even less. Martinex, whom Stakar had left in charge on the Elector, had sent the man aboard the Starhawk in cuffs and Stakar had removed them, hoping it would gain him Obfonteri’s trust. It seemed it hadn’t.

Leaning back against the wall, he folded his arms over his chest. He was all too aware of how imposing his posture was, looming over Obfonteri who was sprawled comfortably at the table. The jackass didn’t even bother to seem intimidated, more annoyed. “All I’m asking is what Yondu is doing with that kid.”

“Ain’t my place to ta say.”

Alright. If he wasn’t going to get those answers then there were others he would be just as happy to ask for. “What caused the mutiny?”

“Capt’n’s business.”

Fucker. Stakar was through dealing with him, it was clear the man was loyal to a fault. “Alright,” he said after a pause. “You can sit in the brig and think this over.”

Obfonteri had the nerve to look offended, so Stakar continued, “I don’t give a damn if you were involved in this mutiny or not. The way I see it, the First Mate’s job is to question the captain. Tell me: you ever try and stop Yondu from trafficking kids or try and let any of us know before it was too late? Before any of them died?” Ignoring the other man’s glare, he turned to the man who was tasked with watching Obfonteri. “Arket, you think Martinex would let me get away with breaking the code?”

“No, sir!” Arket shook his head quickly. Stakar smirked at Obfonteri.

“Get him out of my sight,” he said to Arket.

“One thing,” Obfonteri said as they started to put the cuffs back on him. “Whats you savin’ the cap’n for if ya’s so mad at us?”

Stakar bristled. Then he shoved by Kraglin with a snarl of, “No funny business. You aren’t Ravagers anymore, cause any trouble and my men are authorized to shoot on sight.”

Apparently, the man didn’t know when to stop. “Ain’t outta the goodness o’ yer heart, Cap’n reckons you ain’t got one.”

Stakar turned sharply on his heel, fully prepared to punch Kraglin in the face, but before he could the man’s head jerked back and blood spurted from his nose. Arket at least managed to look slightly apologetic as he pulled his fist back from the now unconscious man. “With all due respect, he had it coming.”

The admiral shrugged. “The way I see it, it’s easier to get him to the brig this way.”

He waited until Arket was out of sight with Kraglin’s limp body - he’d be fine, Stakar had seen him take a hell of a lot worse - to pinch the bridge of his nose and groan. This day just can’t get any worse, he thought bitterly, wondering at what point he could dump all his duties on Martinex and get himself something to drink. Not soon enough.

His comm buzzed. He clicked to answer it. “Kid’s missing,” said the voice on the other side. Oh hell.

#stakar ogord #peter quill #yondu #guardians of the galaxy #kraglin #fan fic #my writing #series: the mutiny

0 notes

blancheludis · 5 years

Link

@ironhusbandsweek, @rhfenovemberbash Day 2: Surprise Party

Fandom: Marvel, MCU, Avengers Characters: Tony Stark/James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan Tags: post-Ultron, Family, Emotional H/C, Protective Rhodey, Love, Humor Words: 3.116

Summary: After Ultron, Tony expects to come home to an empty tower, another giant mess of his own making to fix. He is not alone, however. His family is waiting for him. They are not as fickle as the Avengers, who left at the first signs of trouble. They even brought cake.

---

After the Ultron debacle, Tony expects to come home to a wrecked tower. In a way, he is almost looking forward to it, because it gives him something tangible to fix instead of leaving him just with the mess inside him.

Everything went to hell so quickly. One moment, they were a team, working so well together as if they have done so for years. And then. Tony is not even sure what to blame it on, at what point things started to crack.

There was the witch who had certainly played her part. The question is whether she really put ideas in Tony’s head or whether she just amplified what was already there. Not much is needed, apparently, to get him to build a murder bot bent on destroying the very world Tony is claiming to protect.

That is over now, of course. He has handed in his resignation from the Avengers, has built them a new compound so they would not have to be so close to him, so he would not get in the way. That leaves him to deal with his guilt complex and his broken tower on his own. He can handle it, though. He always has.

Tony is surprised when he steps out of the elevator into a pristine foyer. No more glass shards, no more broken furniture, no more blood and robot parts. It looks like nothing ever happened.

A shiver runs down Tony’s back as he wonders whether his mind is truly his own again or whether there is still a remnant of Wanda’s magic at work. Perhaps Ultron was a dream. Perhaps defeating him was.

Before Tony can explore that thought further, he hears a noise coming from further ahead. His hand is shooting up without him making any conscious decision to do so. The watch turns into a repulsor and it powers up before he can even make out what made that noise.

This is how he finds himself pointing an Iron Man gauntlet at his only friends in the entire world.

Rhodey stands in the hallway to the living room, Pepper and Happy at his side. They do not look surprised at his reaction, but Tony knows Pepper’s face of disapproval too well to miss it, even though it is gone as quickly as it appeared.

Sheepishly, Tony lowers his hand. This could still be an illusion, but it does not matter whether this is real or not, he will not point a weapon at his family.

“Surprise,” Rhodey says, his tone at once dry and worried.

He wears that expression that means he would like nothing more than to tuck Tony in to bed and let whatever storm is brewing pass before he lets him out again. As if not all of Tony’s life is one storm or another.

“What?” Tony asks dumbly. His mind has not yet caught up with the fact that his tower appears whole again and that he is not alone.

“Come on, your favourite people are here,” Rhodey explains, almost too cheerful. Even more pointedly, he adds, “We’ve got cake, too. Don’t tell me you really need a banner with Surprise Party written on it to know what this is.”

Tony flinches at Rhodey’s use of banner and hates himself for it. Another thing he is not sure how to fix.

Instead of dwelling on that, on the fact that Bruce took the quinjet and disappeared, cutting off all communication, Tony walks towards his friends. Exhaustion is catching up with him, now that he has apparently been robbed of his next big task of tidying up his tower.

They should not be here. Pepper should be out saving Stark Industries from the expected stock crash that comes with Tony messing up again and almost ending the world. Happy is usually following her these days, but he too must have enough actual work. And Rhodey – Rhodey should be with the Avengers. Training with them, coordinating his future involvement with Steve. He should be taking over Tony’s job, with promises of doing it much better. That is mostly guaranteed even.

They should not bother with him, should not feel obliged to pick up another one of his messes. He has dragged them into too many of those already, and he should really make them stop piecing him back together.

“No, don’t do that,” Rhodey says. He sounds much closer now, and when Tony blinks back into reality, Rhodey is standing right in front of him. “Don’t withdraw into your head. We’re here.”

Tony’s head is not even a safe place, and yet he always gets lost in there.

“You shouldn’t be,” Tony replies tonelessly. He is not going to say how glad he is they are here. That would make it impossible for them to leave, which would be the sensible thing to do. For some reason, though, they care. About him and his well-being.

“Could we skip the part where you’re convinced you don’t deserve anything good in your life?” Rhodey asks. He is utterly serious. There is not even any exasperation to be found in his expression, although this is far from the first time Tony proves to be difficult.

“You don’t understand –” Tony tries to say, but lets himself be cut off easily.

“Tones.” His name in Rhodey’s voice is the softest thing Tony can imagine. It is a tone that promises everything will be well. After all these years, Tony still falls for that, no matter how often life proves them wrong. “I’ve been with you longer than anyone else,” Rhodey continues, “I understand. We all do.”

Tony is not convinced they do. A sickness sits inside him that he cannot get rid of, no matter how hard he tries. After Afghanistan, after becoming Iron Man, he was supposed to be better, less prone to always making things worse.

For some reason, Rhodey chooses to see Tony as someone who is good, who can do good. It has always been this way even back at MIT, no matter how many parties Tony crashed, how often he had to be carried home because he got blackout drunk, how often they argued over his stupid decisions.

“I –” Tony says but trails off. Rhodey is close enough now that Tony can pretend there is nothing in this world but the two of them. He feels immediately calmer like that.

“Come here,” Rhodey says and opens his arms.

While some part of Tony’s mind screams that he hardly deserves to be comforted, he moves immediately into the offered embrace. Rhodey’s warmth engulfs him, chasing away the lingering cold from Sokovia.

This is the one place in the world where he feels utterly safe. He has a talent for doubting everything, but Rhodey’s arms around him will always be right.

Distantly, Tony notices Pepper and Happy vanishing back down the hallway to give them some privacy, and he is glad for it. He uses the opportunity to bury himself further into Rhodey’s touch, hiding his face against Rhodey’s shoulder.

Positioned like this, he hears Rhodey’s heartbeat. Strong and calm. The most familiar sound in the world.

When Tony finally disentangles from Rhodey, his cheeks are damp but Rhodey does not mention it. Nobody here sees any shame in crying. They are all used to having to seem strong all the time. They are at home now, however, where they can just be themselves.

Without saying anything, Rhodey guides Tony towards the living room and pushes him down on the couch before following suit. Tony has not noticed how tired his legs were until he takes his weight off them. His entire body is on the brink of utter exhaustions. It feels like he has been running on just adrenaline and spite since Ultron interrupted their party.

He leans against Rhodey’s shoulder, unwilling to leave even an inch of distance between them, and sighs happily when Rhodey intertwines their fingers. Nothing grounds him as much as this.

As if on unspoken command, Pepper and Happy come back. They are talking quietly about nothing consequential, filling the room with enough harmless background noise to help Tony calm down further.

As promised, they have brought cake. Blueberry. Tony’s favourite.

That is a silly tradition from their college days. Comfort food, Rhodey had called it when he was trying to convince Tony that he needed to do something nice for himself whenever things go wrong, whether that was an argument with his father or a botched project. Tony had naturally argued it is easier to get drunk to put his mind on other things, but Rhodey insisted that it had to be something special. Self-Care Cake became a thing after that.

It is a nice touch, even though Tony hardly thinks he deserves cake after the stunt he pulled. Still, he does not stop Pepper when she cuts it and puts a piece on each of the four plates she brought.

Then, she puts one of the plates down in his lap before she takes a seat next to him, moving close until they are touching too. They fill each other’s space with an ease borne from decades spent together.

Happy takes an armchair, delicately holding his plate. Nobody says anything for a long moment.

“Eat something,” Pepper then prompts, as if food is actually going to make anything better.

The cake will not, Tony knows, but his people will. Rhodey, who should already be back with the military or at the compound, taking over as the Avenger’s aerial support, Iron Man’s successor. Pepper, who is so used to fixing Tony’s messes that she barely blinks anymore when he shows up with another one in tow. Happy, in a way the steadiest of Tony’s friends, who is always there to catch Tony.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Tony repeats, although he sounds far less convinced this time. It is harder to reject other people’s kindness when he knows they do not have an ulterior motive. Well, other than to make him take care of himself.

“Give us one good reason why,” Pepper says, while Rhodey is still busy bristling at Tony’s other side. Happy looks decidedly unamused too.

Lowering his eyes, Tony focuses on his cake, counts the blueberries, and wonders whether it will be as good as the ones he used to make with Rhodey in their tiny dorm kitchen.

“I created Ultron,” he says, his tone flat.

They know that, of course, but they obviously need the reminder. For years, he has created weapons, destructive in their own right. This was a giant step up, farther than Tony thought he could go. Yet he did, and the Avengers and Sokovia, the entire world even, barely made it out alive.

“You tried to do something good and it misfired,” Rhodey says, squeezing Tony’s hand in what would be a show of comfort or a warning. It is probably both.

That makes it worse.

“Ultron came from my brain, from my servers,” Tony snaps. “He was supposed to protect the earth and yet the only way he thought he could do it was by destroying it.” Much quieter, he adds something he has barely dared to think up until now. “What does that say about me?”

Ultron is arguably as much Tony’s child as JARVIS or the bots, only he turned out far less willing to do his creator’s bidding than them. He grossly misinterpreted the purpose Tony gave him, at least.

“It says that you care,” Rhodey says, voice tight. “That you know there is danger coming and that we need to act. That you see your mistakes and immediately get to work to fix them.”

The ultimate goal would be to not make mistakes like this. He should know better, be better. Not just as a former Avenger, but as a self-proclaimed futurist.

“I created –”

“First off, stop with the I,” Rhodey cuts him off. He shifts just far enough to better look at Tony, his face stern. “If I recall correctly, Dr. Banner was part of the whole process. Then there was the sceptre, which messed with all of your heads once before. And that witch kid? What did she make you see?”

So much death. That army Loki brought to Earth. A reminder that Tony will never be enough. Tony has his experience with nightmares. This one felt more like a prophecy. Like something he could prevent if only he were a better person.

“What if I’m going to make a mistake I can’t fix?” Tony asks instead of answering.

He has spoken about the army coming for them before and people have put it down as tale gone wild due to the trauma he suffered. His family might listen, but how could they believe without having seen it?

“You’ve done so many miraculous things, boss,” Happy speaks up while Rhodey and Pepper share a look, silently debating whether they should pry further into the topic of Wanda Maximoff. “You wouldn’t have done even one of them if you were afraid of going wrong at some point.”

Studiously not looking at any of his friends, Tony says, “These days, my failures tend to have bigger consequences than just setting our dorm on fire.”

“They have bigger gains, too,” Happy answers without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Tony does not deserve them. Not Happy’s loyalty, not Pepper’s patience, not Rhodey’s friendship. He has never deserved them, and yet he always manages to drag them along, from one disaster into the next.

“I can’t –” Tony says but does not know how to end his sentence. There are so many things he cannot do, and more still that he should not.

“You don’t have to,” Rhodey answers nonetheless. His grip on Tony’s hand is hard enough to anchor him. “I mean it, Tones. You don’t owe anyone anything.” He pauses a minute to convey how serious he is, then his expression morphs into something softer. “Wait, that’s not true. You owe me a vacation. Caribbean if I remember correctly.”

Clenching his jaw, Tony shifts a little so he is not as pressed into Rhodey’s side anymore.

“You shouldn’t make fun of this,” he says, although part of him wants to pick up the familiar banter, to let go of the horror of the past days.

“I’m not,” Rhodey promises. “You just shouldn’t feel like the entire world rests on your shoulders.”

“Sometimes it feels like it does,” Tony says quietly.

In Sokovia it had. Literally, even, as he tried to keep the flying city from wiping out mankind. He feels like he is stuck in that moment, straining against the entirety of his bad decisions threatening to crush him.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Pepper says on his other side. “To help you carry it.”

Tony looks at them. At their determined faces, tinged with worry. At the way they are all slightly leaned towards him. At the readiness with which they are going to counter any and all arguments he can think of.

He truly does not deserve them, but he would give up anything for them. He has known that before. Every time they do not give up on him despite plenty of reasons to, he realizes that a bit more.

“Can we go right now?” Tony asks, the words tumbling out unbidden. “To the Caribbean?”

He sees the way Rhodey’s face softens, and Happy and Pepper lose some of their tension. They all know this is not over yet – Tony’s self-doubt is legendary after all – but it feels like the immediate crisis has been averted.

“You know the answer, Tones,” Rhodey says lightly. “If it were up to me, we’d have gone long ago and never come back.”

As far as fantasies go, this one has very little chance of ever becoming reality.

“You’d get bored within a week,” Tony cautions, mostly because boredom is a better alternative than Rhodey getting fed up with him and finally noticing that Tony is not worth all the work they have put into him over the years.

“Time with you is never boring,” Rhodey argues, smiling when Happy is chuckling in agreement.

As far as virtues go, there might be worse, but Rhodey could still do so much better.

“Well, you’d get bored as soon as I accidentally burn down the entire island,” Tony amends. His limbs are growing heavier by the minute, slowly giving in to the exhaustion.

Rhodey shrugs, never disputing that Tony would actually manage to do that. “We’ll have to invent fire-proof palm trees then.”

With definite fondness, Tony looks up. “Do you have an answer to everything?”

Of course, Rhodey does. He has had years of practice after all.

“With you? Definitely,” Rhodey replies as if there is nothing to it, as if he would change nothing if he had the chance, “Since you tend to ask the same questions over and over again. The answers are simple.” He focuses completely on Tony now, making it clear he means everything he says. “You’re going to fix it. You’re going to make it better. I love you. That’s all I need to know.”

Warmth spreads through Tony like it always does when Rhodey looks at him like that, when he speaks of love with that same wonder he had decades ago. It is enough to make Tony believe that he is not a complete burden, not all the time.

“I love you too, honey bear,” Tony says and puts his head down against Rhodey’s shoulder, too tired to keep himself upright and trusting Rhodey to carry him.

“Good talk,” Rhodey says, his smile audible in his voice. He nudges Tony’s plate. “Now eat your cake or you might not get any.”

The tension in the air mellows into something far more palatable as they all pick up their forks to eat their cake. This is not all they are going to talk about the matter, but it is enough for now. Like this, Tony is almost certain he can sleep tonight and meet his own eyes in the mirror in the morning.

“Thanks for being here,” Tony says in between bites of cake. He takes care to look at all of them, both so they know he means all of them, and so he can memorize them here with him, ready to catch them when he falls.

“Where else would we be?” Rhodey asks, speaking for all of them.

That is the thing about a family that is hard won as theirs. Despite the misery still sitting in the depth of his chest, Tony believes them without hesitation. Things will be better again. Until then, he has them to hold him up.

#ironhusbandweek #tonyrhodey #RhodeyTonyNovemberBash #rhfe #ironhusbands #fanfiction #post-Ultron #family #protective rhodey #tony needs a hug #self-care cake #it's a thing #my writing #ao3

30 notes · View notes