#basically it'd be a clusterfuck of emotions and other things

[halfagone]

Alright cool, I just wanted to see if you knew enough for this upcoming prompt idea. This can take place in whatever marvel universe you’re most comfortable writing, but basically the prompt is that the avengers witness Danny lifting Thor’s hammer and the resulting shenanigans that occur. What do you think?

Oh I loooooove stories that have the most unexpected of people lifting Thor's Hammer. I am a sucker for "Peter Parker is Worthy" fics UwU

But let me see what I can do here~

---

It had been a joke, a PR stunt more like it. Come meet the Avengers, get an autograph and maybe a picture, and see if you're worthy to lift Thor's hammer.

It had sounded good in theory. Great even! Some of the other Avengers had been reluctant to the other, but once security had been cleared for the event, more had agreed. They agreed on what they could and couldn't talk about, what they were and weren't comfortable doing with fans, and planned accordingly. A job well done, if Tony did say so himself.

It had actually been Clint's idea to do the hammer lift in a separate room. At first Tony had thought that was kind of a mood killer. After all, half the fun was the crowd's anticipation as each person came to the stand. But Clint had pointed out how things could go sideways if it came out that a civilian could lift Mjöllnir. Thor seemed confident that the chances were rather low- the likelihood that someone worthy coming to this event were rather abysmal, after all- but had agreed to the compromise in the end.

I may have to give Clint a pay raise for this, Tony thought dazedly.

Everything had been going so well. The gang was all happy, the fans were happy, Tony could practically already hear Ross grinding his teeth at all the positive attention.

When another teenager walked into the room, Tony hadn't thought anything of it. He was one of the last few stragglers for the event, so most of the Avengers had lingered in this room, happy to hang out as they waited. They'd joked and laughed, even tried to wrap the kid into it. The teen- Danny- was a smart-aleck like the best of them; Tony was never going to let him and Harley meet if he could help it.

As Danny came up to the podium, they cheered him on just like everyone else. Tony himself had leaned back against a table and smiled serenely, feeling confident in the results. It was probably a good thing he hadn't reached for that can of soda because Danny lifted up the hammer without breaking a sweat.

Error 404. TonyStark.exe has stopped working. Please reboot your server.

"What the actual fuck?" Sam muttered, squinting at the kid as if that would suddenly fix the whole clusterfuck of a situation.

"Oh that's a lot lighter than I thought it'd be," Danny commented thoughtfully, gingerly shifting his grip so that he could pose. Wait, no- that wasn't posing. Danny was testing his stance to practice throwing.

"The weight of responsibility won't be," Steve said quietly to himself, gaze hooded and emotions indiscernible.

That didn't stop Tony from turning to the man in pure indignation. "I do not need the commentary from you right now, Capsicle." Steve honest to god rolled his eyes at Tony's remark. They didn't get to bicker about it any more (and no, not like an old married couple! Honestly Lang could take his commentary with his stupid ass out the door!) because Thor approached the boy with a solemn expression.

"I see you are a worthy lad," Thor announced to the room. Danny stared at him with a blank expression. He didn't seem super awed in Thor's presence- hadn't for any of the heroes really- but he still listened with rapt attention. "Those who are worthy carry a heavy load upon their shoulders. With the ability to wield Mjöllnir comes to the ability to rule over Asgard-"

"I'm good, thanks," Danny cut in before Thor could finish with his speech.

"What," Rhodey deadpanned, looking just as surprised as everyone else.

Tony's brain hadn't even got the chance to reboot completely yet and he felt like he'd need another right now.

"I've got better things to do, no offense," Danny replied with a blithe shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, I'm sure it's a great honor. But like... I have finals in a couple weeks? I can barely be trusted with my own sleep schedule, I don't think you want me ruling an entire realm."

"I- Well," Thor tried to recompose himself. He was failing miserably.

"What kind of kid doesn't like being worthy?" Tony scoffed in confusion. When in doubt, be an asshole. That had been Tony's motto for years now and he might be trying to do better, yes, but that didn't make him any less of a bastard.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Natasha giving him a look.

"It's just a lot of responsibility is all. What kind of kid wants that?" Danny shot back in return, innocently cocking his head to the side.

It was honestly kinda endearing.

Tony wanted to violently shake him by the shoulders.

"You're not wrong," Steve remarked with a chuckle, clapping Danny on the shoulder. "Good job, Danny. Very impressive." The kid brightened up, shining so bright that Tony had to squint.

"Can I throw it?" Danny asked excitedly, as he turned sharply back to Thor.

The Asgardian just looked amused at this point, chuckling boisterously. "Why, be my guest." He swept a hand towards a nearby target.

"Whoa, nothing expensive please!" Tony shouted just as Danny threw the hammer with stupidly impressive accuracy. It nailed a nearby post spot on, taking off a cardboard head. Thankfully it was only the Hulk and Bruce wasn't here right now.

Danny stretched his hand and sure enough, the hammer came barreling back. Barreling was a good term to use too, seeing as Danny just about got mowed over when he wasn't prepared for the weight this time around.

While Thor tried to help his new favorite human, Tony was just trying not to tear his hair out.

He was too old for this shit.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What would have happened after Nouda if both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus had survived? What would their relationship be like? Would Bartimaeus forgive Nathaniel for literally enslaving him for years, torturing him and nearly killing him multiple times? Would Nathaniel attempt to make amends to Bartimaeus for his treatment of him? Would he acknowledge the crimes he's committed to others via willingly and enthusiastically participating in an evil system of slavery and oppression? Is it possible to really make amends for such serious crimes?

I imagine they wouldn't have had one.

Nathaniel had reached a point in his character progression where he was questioning everything about himself: especially the foundations of the privileged life he'd led and the fact that it was built upon the backs of slaves as Kitty pointed out to him. In the aftermath, I could see him purposefully stepping out of central decision making both because he doesn't quite trust himself with power (after the years long power trip he had and the fact that it made him miserable) and because he trusts Kitty far more with that kind of task. Not to mention, of course, that he was too high up in the ranks originally and it'd have caused a great kerfuffle to leave him in charge. It was very pointed that it was minor and retired magicians placed on the council (in part because everyone else died, but also as a kind of purge). Nathaniel might have saved the city and been regarded as a hero, but he's the kind of hero people would want to look at from a distance and not up close.

(Not to mention, if Nathaniel did survive, he might not be in great condition. We don't know what being possessed, even if you're a willing host and the spirit doesn't go nuts inside you, does to you in the long term. More, while Nathaniel was crushed by glass and steel, he suffered catastrophic injuries before that point and the way he, Kitty, and Bartimaeus were acting... he didn't have long to live after that. If he did survive, he'd likely be in very bad shape.)

But to sum things up, basically, I don't know if Nathaniel would engage in summoning again (especially as Britain was moving in the direction of restricting it/if not banning it outright in the aftermath of the clusterfuck) and even if he was...

I don't think he would.

The entire third book is Nathaniel slowly realizing he's using Bartimaeus as a coping mechanism. Nathaniel hates the inauthenticity of himself and the world around him, so he keeps Bartimaeus constantly on hand to be a dick to his face/say something honest. He does this at great peril to Bartimaeus himself even though he knows, intellectually, it's stupid. He's now in the aftermath of that and I think he'd view it both with a) guilt (because of everything that happened) b) as slipping back into a very dangerous habit where he uses Bartimaeus as emotional support.

Better to just let things... lie...

I imagine Nathaniel wouldn't summon Bartimaeus again in his lifetime.

As for Bartimaeus forgiving him, were they to meet again, I imagine he would not (or at the very least would be pissed at hell for Nathaniel having learned nothing). However, from what we see of the end of the novel, Bartimaeus essentially already had. Certainly, when Nathaniel sacrifices himself but spares Bartimaeus, Bartimaeus takes that very seriously and at least comes to terms with everything that happened if not forgives Nathaniel for it.

(Not to mention that Bartimaeus I don't think ever really hated Nathaniel. I always got the impression that he viewed Nathaniel as a product of society and someone who had once had the potential to be different but was too near sighted and threw it away on a quest for power and acceptance of society. At Nathaniel's worst, I'd say he pitied him and viewed him with contempt more than he hated him.)

As for whether it's possible to make amends for all that happened int he books... that's on you to decide, anon, I can't tell you what to think.