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calacuspr · 1 year ago

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – Karen Carney & Jordan Henderson

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

HIT - KAREN CARNEY

Eyebrows may have been raised when Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries appointed former England international Karen Carney as Chair of the Future of Women's Football Review for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in September 2022.

Since retiring from playing in 2019, Carney had quickly established herself as a prominent voice in both the men’s and women’s game through her excellent punditry work for the likes of Sky Sports and ITV.

At the same time, while she had impressed with her knowledge and passion for the game on television, Carney had never previously entered the political realm.

Although she had been awarded an MBE for services to football in the New Year’s Honours List of 2017, Carney was, and still is, a very different figurehead to Tracey Crouch, the Member of Parliament who was the vanguard of the fan-led review into English football which was published in November 2021 after the European Super League debacle, for example.

In September, Carney was invited to participate at the UEFA Football Board in Geneva to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the women’s game across the whole of Europe.

So, how had the former Lioness so successfully transitioned from commentator to campaigner?

The answer is simple: clear, consistent and honest communication.

Though she lacked hands-on political experience before taking on this role, Carney was certainly no stranger to public scrutiny.

She had taken the decision to deactivate her Twitter account in December 2020 after the official Leeds United FC account instigated a ‘pile-on’ of sexist abuse in response to Carney’s wholly reasonable assessment that the Covid-19 pandemic had actually helped Leeds to regroup and secure promotion from the Championship the previous season, while she was working on Amazon Prime’s coverage of the Premier League

In addition, less than three weeks before her leadership of the review was announced, Carney inadvertently found herself embroiled in another sexism storm as she was sitting alongside Liverpool legend Graeme Souness when he described football as a “man’s game” live on Sky Sports in the post-match analysis of a fixture between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

These personal experiences left Carney in no doubt of the gravity of the challenge that she faced. In fact, from the very beginning, she publicly admitted that she had questioned whether she was the right person to be at the forefront of the review.

But, in taking on the challenge, her commitment to making it a success was immediately evident for all to see.

Her insistence that the review would “leave no stone unturned” set a clear precedent for the task at hand.

“I want the women’s game to be the best,” Carney stated in February. “I don’t want to put a label on where it could be. A lot of people have told me: ‘Don’t settle. Don’t settle, keep pushing.’”

Her passion and ambition was undeniable, and she combined this with the views of a panel of experts, including former Lionesses head coach Hope Powell and former men’s international Ian Wright, to assist her in the research at both the elite and grassroots level of the English game.

This bottom-up approach broadened the reach of the review. At a time when the women’s national team were making headline after headline, there remained significant issues in terms of facilities and accessibility further down the pyramid.

Carney herself highlighted this issue at the time of the publication of the report in July. She wrote an article in The Guardian newspaper suggesting that the women’s game was akin to “Instagram vs reality” when you scratch beneath the top level.

A clear example of this disparity came earlier in the year when Lewes FC faced Manchester United in their first-ever FA Cup Quarter-Final. The Women’s Championship club wrote an open letter to Carney ahead of the tie, calling for her to recommend the equalisation of the FA Cup prize fund between men and women.

The letter read: “Our progress in this season’s FA Cup has earned us £45,000 in prize money, incomparable to the £450,000 our male counterparts would have earned… Therefore, we ask that your recommendations address the gender inequality in English football’s greatest prize.”

Carney’s ‘Raising the Bar’ review was published a week before the start of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which highlighted the potential of the women’s game to be a “billion-pound industry.”

A key suggestion was also that the men’s FA Cup prize money should be redirected to the women’s teams, showing that Carney was not just talking a good game, but listening to the opinions of stakeholders and implementing them into her recommendations.

Carney told Sky Sports: “Players in the [second-tier] Championship are still on £5,000 and working three or four jobs – so when you play quality opposition the level of competitiveness isn’t there.

“The minimum standards, the facilities are not good enough,” she continued. “Female players are being treated as second-class citizens. That’s not my opinion, that what was told for me throughout this whole review.

“So there’s still some real big foundations that we need to fix. The Lionesses in the top part of the pyramid is thriving but the pipeline, the academy deficit, it’s 88 million [£] for boys, 3.25 [£ million] for girls.”

Carney’s messaging throughout the past 12 months has been grounded and relatable whilst remaining ambitious about the positive impact that her findings could have on the development of women’s football, culminating in a comprehensive and poignant 128-page report that has been greeted with widespread praise.

Senior organisations like the Football Association and the Football Supporters’ Association immediately welcomed the findings of the review.

Maheta Molango, CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association, described the review as “a brave, ambitious and detailed plan for the future of the women’s game.”

The Guardian columnist and women’s football author Suzanne Wrack noted the “sharp and thorough” nature of the review and insisted that it must not be ignored.

The clarity of the ten strategic recommendations makes it difficult to believe that Carney’s efforts can be ignored by senior sports executives and politicians alike.

Her invitation to speak with UEFA is hopefully proof that this is just the first step towards improving the women’s game both at home and abroad.

At the Football Board in Geneva, Carney said: “Everything is moving really fast but we have to build the sport on a solid foundation. Today has been getting people together to understand that there are so many countries and everyone is at different parts in their evolution of women’s football, so to understand and hear everyone’s side is really important because we all want the same thing.”

Again, her message remains the same. Great strides forward have been taken, but the authorities are not in a position to pat themselves on the back or rest on their laurels.

“Everyone’s got a responsibility,” Carney stressed after the review was published. “Government do, clubs do, sponsors. Everyone has a responsibility to help with the investment of the women’s game.”

The timing of the review’s findings is apt. English women’s football finds itself at a decisive juncture with the current broadcast agreement between the Women’s Super League (WSL) and the BBC and Sky expiring at the end of the 2023/24 season.

A new deal will need to be struck, and with financial investment being so fundamental to enacting the changes that Carney has recommended, to continue the growth of the women’s game it is essential that the WSL latches onto the tide of positivity and popularity created by the success of the Lionesses in recent times.

Despite all of her success thus far, Carney certainly isn’t preparing to slow down her efforts now.

MISS – JORDAN HENDERSON

It’s a sad fact of professional football that not a single Premier League player has come out as gay or a member of the LGBTQ+ community

Not since former Nottingham Forest striker Justin Fashanu came out in 1990, before tragically taking his life at the age of just 37, has a top-flight professional player in England felt comfortable enough to do the same.

And with the current state of the game, is that at all surprising?

It’s almost two years since Josh Cavallo came out in Australia, facing abuse for his sexuality on a sadly regular basis.

Meanwhile, FIFA, despite its claims of promoting the world’s game, chose to stage the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison.

A report from Human Rights Watch documented cases of Qatari security forces arbitrarily arresting LGBTQ+ people and subjecting them to “ill-treatment in detention.”

The Premier League has promoted sexual diversity with its annual Rainbow Laces campaign in collaboration with Stonewall to highlight the importance of inclusivity and understanding in society.

In Jordan Henderson, an England international and former captain of Liverpool, the LGBTQ+ community thought they had a high profile ally, who was regularly vocal about his support for Rainbow Laces.

“This campaign is important if there are still supporters out there who don’t feel they can be themselves or, even worse, have to hide who they are for fear of getting abuse or being discriminated against.

“I’m a parent, a husband, a son and a brother and the idea that anyone I love and care about wouldn’t feel safe or comfortable coming to watch me play if they were part of the LGBT community makes me wonder what world we live in,” he said in an interview with The Athletic from 2019.

“As long as even one supporter questions whether they are welcome or can enjoy football because of their sexuality, the campaign is important. It sends the message: you are welcome, we are on your side and the small minded idiots who make you feel uncomfortable have no place in football. Simple as that.

“In this day and age that anyone would make another person feel uncomfortable or unwelcome because of their sexuality is mind-blowing. I can’t get my head round it … this is a place for everyone and it’s up to all of us — players and supporters alike — to get that message across as powerfully and as often as we can.”

In his Liverpool FC matchday programme notes back in November 2021, Henderson reinforced the same message. He wrote: “Before I’m a footballer, I’m a parent, a husband, a son, a brother and a friend to the people in my life who matter so much to me. The idea that any of them would feel excluded from playing or attending a football match, simply for being and identifying as who they are, blows my mind.

“The idea they’d have to hide from it to be accepted? But that’s exactly how too many members of the LGBT+ community feel. We know this because they tell us. So we should listen, support them and work to make it better.

“I don’t feel worthy of being classed as an ally on this subject, but I am incredibly proud to be regarded as one. Improving knowledge and understanding is important.

That’s why the Rainbow Laces campaign is important – not least on our club’s own Community Day – because it gives space for those who do have a proper understanding to help us all learn.”

So, even with the Saudi Pro League, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, signing up high profile players on big wages over the summer, it still came as a shock when news broke that Henderson was set to agree a move to Al-Ettifaq for a reported £700,000 per week.

Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ fan group Kop Outs released a statement in response to the potential transfer, saying that they hoped that Henderson would “prove to be a man of his word”.

In a thread shared to social media the group said: “Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by Jordan Henderson.

“We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed and that regularly tops the world death sentence table.

“When someone’s made a fortune, should money tempt them to go to work? Maybe they should be asking themselves those questions.

“We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of.”

It isn’t difficult to conclude that the Saudi Pro League is sportswashing, a political project to garner some respectability in the shadow of lamentable human rights and intolerance.

By agreeing the move, Henderson went from being considered an honourable and decent sportsman to just another mercenary selling his soul for riches.

In the announcement video, the club made no attempt to disguise the cultural discrimination, censoring his rainbow armband during a montage of his career highlights.

Stonewall’s director of external affairs Robbie de Santos hopes the attention the move has attracted will help shine further light on Saudi Arabia: “I was shocked but not surprised at such blatant erasure of the LGBTQ+ community through that and it shines a light on just how systematic the Saudi authorities and the prevailing culture is, eliminating and eradicating the visibility of our community there.

"We can’t deny the reality of lives for the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia, and we hope that Henderson continues his work to build towards a world where sport is everybody's game."

No wonder former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger tweeted his shock at Henderson’s move to the Middle East: "So Jordan Henderson finally gets his move to Saudi Arabia.

"Fair play to him, he can play wherever he wants to play. Curious to know though how the new brand JH will look like. The old one is dead!

"I did believe for a while that his support for the LGBT+ community would be genuine. Silly me…”

Henderson’s hypocrisy in moving to Saudi Arabia has undone all the great work he had previously done as an LGBTQ+ ally, and the lack of comment for some weeks gave rise to more assumptions that he had sold his soul for the money.

In a tweet ahead of joining the England squad for their September internationals, Henderson said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the hospitality of the hosts, the enthusiasm of the fans, the exciting league and the irreplaceable sense of victory. Next is better Great win, looking forward to meeting up with the boys now.” It’s hard to imagine that he wrote what felt like a propaganda post by himself.

When Henderson was called up by England coach Gareth Southgate, Joe White, the co-chair of Pride in Football and founder of Three Lions Pride, believes Henderson will be shunned by some fans.

“I don’t think it will go hostile because ultimately we want England to do as well as possible but I do think that, say he came on as a substitute, where before there would be a lot of cheering, particularly from our group at Three Lions Pride, I think there will just be silence now .

“It may well be that there comes a joint message from the LGBT fans in the stadium who may well turn their backs on him coming onto the pitch in the same way he turned his back on us by going to Saudi.

“I don’t think he can regain the trust purely because he’s now living in a country where it’s illegal to be LGBT, where the local LGBT community have to hide and live in fear of arrest, of state-sanctioned abuse.”

In early September, Henderson finally spoke out in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic which was full of contradictions and fanciful comments that made a mockery of his reputation as a wise head on young shoulders.

He recalled a visit in Qatar - undoubtedly sanitised for the sake of the players - which saw him question the concerns about human rights he had previously been concerned about.

He said: “We had a meeting with the FA about human rights, about the issues around the stadiums. I think it might have been Amnesty who had sent the images and stuff. And then, half an hour later, I go into a press conference or some media and I’ve commented on that situation.

“I was like, ‘Well, it was quite shocking and horrendous”’ and that was quite hard for us to see. But then when I went to Qatar and we had the experience we had at the World Cup, you get to meet the workers there and it was totally different.”

Perhaps Stonewall’s de Santos will see his wishes granted if Henderson’s comments can be taken at face value.

Henderson revealed that he was prepared for a backlash: “I can understand the frustration. I can understand the anger. I get it. All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone. My intention has always been to help causes and communities where I felt like they have asked for my help.

"I do care about different causes that I've been involved in, and different communities… I do care. And for people to criticise and say that I'd turned my back on them really, really hurt me.

"All I can say is that I apologise, I'm sorry that I've made them feel that way. But I haven't changed as a person.

"I've gone above and beyond to help [the LGBTQ+ community]. I've worn the laces. I've worn the armband. I've spoken to people in that community to try to use my profile to help them. That's all I've ever tried to do.

"When I hear stuff like, 'You've turned your back on us', that hurts me. I do care. I have family and friends in the LGBTQ+ community."

“When I was making the decision, the way that I tried to look at it was I felt as though, by myself not going, we can all bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar. But then nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to change.”

He goes on in the interview to admit that he would consider wearing the rainbow laces in Saudi, although he then hints that it wouldn’t be appropriate: “I wouldn’t rule that [wearing rainbow laces] out. But at the same time, what I wouldn’t do is disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“If we’re all saying everybody can be who they want to be and everybody is inclusive, then we’ll have to respect that. We’ll have to respect everyone. And by doing something like that, if that did disrespect the religion, then no, I’m not going to do that. But if the opportunity comes where I can do it and it doesn’t, then yeah, because that’s my values.”

We could be waiting a long time, one suspects, with his interview dismissed by Kop Outs founder Paul Amann, who said: “I was very surprised that he thinks he can take the ‘oh sorry if people feel that way’ sort of approach. It doesn’t feel like any genuine sense of an apology.

“It almost speaks of a white saviour complex for Henderson to think that he’s going to be the individual that will result in change for that regime.

“His contribution as a player is untouchable. He’s captained Liverpool to everything that could be won. His behaviour as a human being is that’s the thing that has been trashed. I would not be happy to celebrate his legacy personally and I don’t think many Kop Outs would be happy because of what he’s done.”

There is often a debate about why high profile sports people are seen as role models and that they should not be held to the same standards as politicians, for instance.

But that misses the point, especially with the influence and platform that elite sports people have to reach, in many cases, far bigger audiences, avoiding the opportunity really stand up for the cause.

By positioning himself as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, Henderson had a responsibility to maintain that solidarity, both for his own reputation but more importantly for those affected by causes that athletes like Henderson have chosen to support.

The abandonment of his supposed principles has not just damaged Henderson’s reputation, but has also broken down the trust of the community in the support from other players, with everyone now conditioned to expect that player support will be taken away if it no longer becomes suitable or convenient for them.

Henderson still has an opportunity to right this wrong, and any public support of the LGBTQ+ community now has the potential to be even more powerful given that he would be doing it from Saudi Arabia.

Based on his recent messaging, however, it feels hard to believe that will ever happen.

#Karen Carney #Jordan Henderson #Saudi Arabia #WSL #FAWSL #UEFA #LGBTQ+#Women's soccer #women's football #Sky Sports #UK Government #Steven Gerrard #Hope Powell #Ian Wright #Pundit

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jackiequick · 7 months ago

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A Visit From An Old Friend — [ Marvel Fanfic]

Summary: What happens when an old friend comes to visit to recruit something bigger than himself? In other words, a small family reunion between friends, with a couple of ants crawling around.

Platonic Pairing: Hank Pym & Jason Underwood

Characters featured/mentioned: The Young Avengers, Janet Van Dyne, Liz Stark, Howard Stark, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne and etc.

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man (2015)

Fic type: Short Blurb

Small warning: Some fluff and angst

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The daylights were in full swing, the radio was high and bright as he drove down the road to a old house he used to call home. At the steps of the house stood a man he hasn't seen in the late 80s but never forgotten.

Above the steps stood the man with dark rich blonde curls spiked in a nicely manner, a blue colored shirt and black James Dean jeans wearing a pair of shades himself. He sipping on a cup of coffee with a half smile to boot.

He parked the car in the east side of the parkway as he existed the vehicle, flipping the keys in hand and removed his sunglasses with a smile.

As he took towards the step he heard the man said, "Hank."

"JJ." He replied, as he was handed a cup of warm coffee.

"What was the reason for this visit?"

"You got my email didn't you?"

"Yup."

"You missed seeing Hope."

"It was an 8 hour drive! You know how hard it was to get out of that house without Felton and Rei breathing down my neck?"

"This is why I stopped babysitting."

The blonde just playfully glared following the older one into his old home. Jason hasn't been in this house of his in more than a century, having took time to take care of his older one in Malibu. Yet, he never had the heart to throw away the keys, so instead he gave them to Hank. And by god, was he glad he did.

His old home was kept nice and cleaned, some mess here and there. A few dust particles in certain smaller areas but other than that it was fine. Keeping its cozy yet vintage style. Hank sat down on the grey couch that used to be a dark brown, sipping his second morning coffee taking in the moment of peace. Jason sat in the armchair beside him closing his eyes.

Neither man had to say a word to know that they missed the peace and quiet this house brought. No screaming children, calls from SHIELD, nor nagging neighbors trying to get you to babysit their dumb dog for the weekend. Just a moment of total silence from the world around them.

Yes, truth be told, after 1989 Hank was never seen again towards SHIELD's main offices due to his stupid fallout with Howard and the others. But he often kept in touch with people like him or Peggy, whenever possible. Mainly because Hope wanted to see her aunts and uncles, and after Janet's passing Hank couldn't deprive his daughter from not having any closer family or friends around.

Jason tended to be his go-to person whenever he needed a quick babysitter for Hope, whenever the blonde was in town and he happily said yes. He first thought Hank would want nothing to do with him after what Howard pulled on the man, but after a small debate on that very day both men realized they couldn't hold grudges against each other.

They already had too many grudges over their heads to even count, why add another? It would only lead to a bigger headache anyways.

So over the years, Hank and Jason would put aside a small time to check in on one another. Make sure the other man wasn't dead yet. It was a running joke on who would die first out of the two. But at this rate, knowing the people in their lives, they won't let them get bury in the ground so easily.

Yet.

He peaked an eye open as he rested his head and asked, "JJ? You got what I sent you?"

The others eyes were still closed as he hummed, "Yeah. I sent the small package and if I'm correct, it will be brought though word of mouth soon enough."

"Good. I hope this guys is worth it. If he's smart enough, he will do as I planned."

"Why Scott Lang anyway? I gave you a list of people you can choose from and you chose him..."

"Scott Lang broke into Vistacorp Headquarters to pay back the money VistaCorp had been stealing from their users, before he brought into prison. Heard of it?"

"Yeah, he pulled strong a stunt risking to pay back all that money they took. According to the file, he has a master degree in electrical engineering, which gave him the skills to hack into their grid."

Hank smirked, "That's why I need him. He has a special set of skills as a hacker and thief. I want to test him, see if he's able to play the game right."

"If he can break into the lock and steal the suit, then he was a right fit." Jason added with a grin, "..he also has a daughter Hank. You know better than anyone the length you would go to see your kid. Chances are, he ends up in jail again."

"He won't."

"Hank."

"I have a plan. Trust me on this one."

"And I'll be here to say 'I told you so' when it goes sideways."

The two crack a chuckle knowing it was bound to happen whether they liked it or not. But if the plan does end up going sideways, they always had other ways of doing things. Even if it meant going undercover to bait Scott Lang into the older man's plan. Both spent the rest of the day catching up, watching some tv and grabbing a bite to eat.

None of the Young Avengers knew that Jason was gone for a short couple of days. Well, some of them noticed as he has been receiving calls from a few thought the day. Mainly ones from Rei, Liane, Rochelle, Ji-Hoon, Lydia and even Wanda. Hank commented how he was still amazed he hasn't lost his head yet.

"Who said I haven't?" Jason joked with a small chuckle.

"Who's watching them?" He asked in returning smiling.

"Elizabeth, Nat and Bruce. I hope."

"Oh dear god. Now, I gotta know, who's the hardest to watch over?"

"Depends on the day. Rei is the easiest at most, Rochelle is rather shy and hangs out with her friends..but Liane.."

"Felton's what? Oh. You can't lie to me, and not say Rei Stark doesn't turn your gears one bit."

"Rei does make me question my life choices, but I love him to death. Felton, she is a handful and a total bitch at times. It's why I always hand her off to Hill to taken care of. I need my silence."

That caused Hank to snort and laugh. He knew the man was too polite to say anything to harsh per say, not knowing who's around to hear him but if possible he will let a rip.

"Now that's the Jason I know, call it how it is!" He shouted as he tossed a chip into his mouth, "Half of them ain't even your kids."

The blonde smirked nodding, knowing the grey man's words to be truth. There are good couple of them aren't his legally or even raised them from childhood, but a part of him does care. Even if he wants to shut up half the time.

Hell, even the ants joined in on the fun. They are 247 of them after all, the ants were bound to make their appearance in carrying items around and or, helping them with alerting any incoming news on the heist they were waiting to happen.

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Later on, that very night they went to the basement as they turned on the lights to reveal a high tech level of security cameras, microphones and chairs laying around. It was linked up to whatever humanity possible can find, in this case, the ants.

They watched Scott break into his house, as Hank seemed impressed by his work giving Jason a couple of approved nods, as they kept rolling the tape. The handy work, the levels of patience and precision Scott Lang had was amazing. His quick thinking and ways he moved around the area at quick speed was something he could only imagine to do when he was back in the 40s. Hank used to think and move that fast in the late 80s. More or less.

Without a better matter of minutes he took the suit and ran. They spend the better part of the next day, watching Scott and see what he would do.

That he was expandable. And that he was. Jason chocked out a laugh at how freaked out he was as Hank talked into the coms. Sadly of course, the moment he returned the suit, he was caught red handed by the cops.

It was Hope's doing. She didn't know much about the man or the fact that he had a track record he was trying to maintain. Which led Hank to toss a pair of suits over to Jason, telling him it's time to lawyer up, as the man rolled his eyes at his friend.

Once they were in the prison, Scott Lang was brought into a room confused more the most part, not understanding who they were. He didn't know about the fact that he had a lawyer watching after him. They told him second chances don't always come easily, especially for men like him, next time he gets one, he should take a closer look onto what it is. And he's smart enough, he will listen to them.

Thankfully he did, as Hank ordered the ants to get Scott escape the jail cell and be brought home that night. However the man got dizzy and past out, resulting him to be knocked out cold in one the guest bedrooms of the house.

Hank's house, since he had more tech and landscape to work around than Jason did. As they waited for him to wake up, the blonde went out grab some more supplies and food. He was hungry.

When he returned home with the items needed, entering quietly through the front door he heard it. Hope was here. He should've known she would've made an appearance at some point.

"Please tell me you didn't call JJ." She said looking at her father with her arms crossed.

"I didn't call JJ." Her father responded with a sigh, trying to enjoy his tea.

"He is busy right now."

"I didn't call him."

She pointed to the brown leather jacket that was on the chair beside her. The one she gave the blonde years ago for a birthday present when she was in high school. Her father said he was borrowing it from the man's closet when he went to check on his home.

"You liar. Like always. Just say that you did." Hope remarked.

Hank groaned, "I emailed him."

"You tipped him. Dragging his ass here, for what? I can handle the mission myself!"

"No, you can't! He needed one-"

"You never listen to me!"

"Hope!"

She looked over her shoulder at face the voice who called out her name like an old memory. Only to find her uncle standing there with a stern look on his face, his usual cheeky grin was exchanged for a pair of lined smile and frustrated eyes that glared into her soul. He made her feel like a child again, getting in trouble for yelling at her father or running away from school grounds to play with her friends.

She looked down, feeling less than, muttering a soft 'sorry' in his direction as he simply nodded. He shook his head and sighed at his niece. He hated seeing them fight, he knew they had their reasons but she walked away a long time ago, just to prove a point to her father that she was worth it. And she already was.

"I didn't know..I uh, would've liked a heads up that you were coming..." She admitted for being silent for a moment.

He placed the bag of groceries on the table as he gave her a small half smile, "I know..but I knew you would've said otherwise and convince me to stay home."

"You don't have to be here. I can handle this."

"I know. But I'm here now, it's not like I'm going to waste a long drive just to be stuck at home listening to ABBA on the radio."

"Still. You should've-"

"Hope. Just don't. What's done is done. I came at my own risk and I won't be staying long, just to make sure a few things are in check."

"..I uh, I missed you."

"I did too."

She pulled her arms out to be taking in by his embrace. The warmth of his hugs always felt like a nice blanket as he wrapped her arms around him and kissed her forehead. She rested her head against his shoulder having another moment of silence to relax, sending a small glare to her father. She chuckled hearing her uncle brought her favorite ice cream from Basin Robins to help ease the tension, causing a tiny grunt from Hank. Her uncle smirked and told her to get Scott as she pulled away with a small smile.

When Hope walked out, he turned around to see his old friend sending daggers swords him. Jason just shrugged, "What?"

"You can't win her over with ice cream and hugs." He remarked.

"Yes I can. That's my job as the uncle. Make you look bad, so you want to work harder for her affection."

"That's not how it's supposed to work."

"That's exactly how it's supposed to work."

Soon enough, Scott and Hope joined them in the dinning room, as they talked trying to explain the situation to the confused brunette. Hope and Hank bricked as they did, as Jason tried to defuse the issue at hand introducing the trio. Scott listened along, trying to piece together everything they said, hearing how they were impressed with his work as well. He was offered some sugar, watching the ants push it around.

"H-how do you make them do that?" Scott asked pointing to the said ants, watching one climb onto Jason's finger with ease.

"Ants can lift objects 50 times their size. They can build farms. Corporate with each other." Hank explained.

"Right. But how do you make them do that?"

"I used electromagnetic waves to stimulate their factor's nerves center using a device. I speak to the Ants. I can go anywhere, see everything and hear everything."

"And still know absolutely nothing. I'm late for a meeting." Hope injects with a clear tone, pressing a kiss to her uncles cheek and a nod to her father.

"Be safe!" Jason calls out with a half smile, sipping his tea.

"Always am!"

With that she walks out. Scott raised an hand asking who the hell they are, what the hell is going on and if he could back to jail. Jason rolled his eyes telling both men to follow him.

They walked and talked heading down to the basement to reveal a small headquarters as Scott looked around in awe. Hank explained the suit and his role in this as Jason finished setting up a few things adding in a jab or two as he went along.

"Pym tech? SHIELD?" Scott said muttering under his breathe as he followed their voices.

"Darren Cross had heard rumors around the Pym Particles. Something that both companies tried to keep under lock and key, with only a few knowing it existed." Jason explained.

"And he became obsessed with recreating my formula." Hank continued to explain holding a vial of Pym particles, "But I wouldn't help. So he partially voted me out of my own company. Hope was chairmen of the board, so that helped. But she came back to me when she saw how close he was with his process. But without a suit, the brain isn't protected."

"Causing a fiery sensational effect that can make the brain unstable. And Cross hasn't realized that part yet. So with our luck, he'll die."

"Be nice, JJ. Cross isn't the most stable guy to begin with."

Scott listen then asked, "So what do you want from me?"

Both men exchange a look as Hank walked over to Scott Lang and told him he believed in second chances for everyone. A redemption. Saying that if he does that, he can start a new path and get some insight wiped off his records. Scott looked pleased declaring that he will go along with the plan of theirs. Within a couple of hours, they all got to work.

Scott began to start training how to use the suit, understanding the plan and communicating with the idea on how to get into the building. He got learn about the concept of the ants and their behavior in the process of the world. Hope and Jason offered to teach Scott some fighting techniques to help him later on. Hope smirked getting a good swing at Scott punching him hard enough he fell backwards, as Jason snorted at their dynamic play between the tackles to the ground.

———-

—————

It got to a certain point where Scott was given the opportunity to learn how to control the ants. Hank acted as director for him, telling him to focus having faith that he can do it. Scott tried but it didn’t work. Hope groan annoyed telling him how he needed to commit to communicating with them, he has to mean it. The father daughter duo, once again began to argue over the subject. Jason reminded them on how the focus should be on helping Scott with the trails.

“Really? That’s where our focus should be?” Hope said, taking the device used for the ants and held it close to her ear controlling to do more than just add sugar to the tea. She caused to room to darken as the ants blocked out the lights, Hank caught her before she can act by further. Her voice broke as she muttered a few words at her father and sighed before exiting the room.

Hank knew he couldn’t do it without her. Since day one she has requested to be put in the suit, do the trails and get the mission accomplished herself, but her father refused every request she made. Jason knew the reason why. Scott noticed the problem being a father himself and went out to talk to her, hoping to knock some sense into Hope and have her see behind the act.

The two were alone in the house, standing in awkward silence as the moment of Hope’s departure replayed in their heads. Hank walked around the first floor, fumbling with a small piece of dice he found in the living room as Jason watched from the window the car sitting in the driveway with the two figures talking inside.

He broke the silence with a scoff, biting in the inside of his cheek as he said, “You have to tell her.”

“No.” He muttered in response, knowing exactly what he meant by those words.

“If you want her on your side, you have to break the ice here. She knows Janet didn’t die cause of some accident involving a plane. I know it’s painful for you, Hank, but she deserves to know.”

“Like you told Stark about his parents death.”

That silence Jason quicker than expected. He remembered how Howard and Maria died, when he was at his lowest moments during the holiday season. He told Tony what he knew and what he only could’ve revealed of that painful memory, going as far as to show him the photographs he dug up a few days later from news reports. Hank might’ve had a falling out with Howard but he was at the damn funeral for a short period of time before returning home.

Hank knew he hit a nerve and continued, “You couldn’t even wrap your head around fact that you lost them. Worse, telling a child their mother died and they never had the chance to say goodbye. I lost Janet that day because of my misfortunes during the mission.”

“I know, I heard the story. I can only imagine how you felt when it happened, when she shrunk down to that size..” Jason added trying to find his voice again.

“Please, don’t remind me, Jason, she went sub-atomic...”

“And you tried to get her back by studying for weeks on an answer to get her back”

“I made a mistake letting her come with me..I was stupid enough to let that happen..you know how hard it is for me just to relive that experience again…Hope might hate me when she finds out..”

“I know, she might but she will forgive you…Hank..you and I have made a lot mistakes in the past 3 decades. We made decisions that we aren’t proud of..thinking we are protecting them from harm..”

“That’s the whole point! That’s our job, to keep them safe and not be heartbroken by the truth. You only gave Stark the benefit of the doubt about his parents death and how it affected the outcome, you said he hated the world for it..I can’t tell her..we have secrets for a reason..”

“Yeah well, Tony could care less about his father…How about you only tell her what you can? When the time comes where she asks for more, you go into more detail about what happened. You are driving her away now…I know you hate the looks she gives you. You said it yourself..”

There was an unspoken number of casualties among those accidents that occurred during the death of their loved ones. Only so much information, they kept closed to their chest to prevent others suffering in those moments. The amount of consequences to their loved ones being gone felt like a huge blow to the head and stuffed around in secret.

Hank knew that, especially with the fact that his very friend lost more than he can chew.

He felt sorry for bringing it up, but it just didn’t occur to him the words would impact that hard. Hell, the memories of his wife were still so fresh in his brain like it was yesterday.

Hank ran a couple of fingers cross his hair muttering, “Sorry for bringing that up. It’s just…”

“I know..I know. But you do need to let her know what happened that day.” Jason responded taking a breath to regain himself.

That was when Hope and Scott returned from the car, about to say something but was cut off by Hank’s statement. He had a hand against the fireplace beforehand turning around to face the two of them, to face his daughter with the truthful remarks she desires to know. He slowly but surely explained what he could to his daughter onto what happened to her mother as her voice broke mumbling a few questions.

He did in best to answer them. It hurt to talk about it, as it felt like he was reliving the same day all over again. She wanted to know more but her thoughts didn’t seem to allow her to think straight as she teared up even more. Hank just told her in the end he lost her mother, he didn’t mean to lose his daughter too.

Scott ruined the moment with a quippy response that caused Jason to roll his eyes, telling him to go make some tea. Afterwards the four of them got back to work on training Scott and working with the plans they had in motion.

———-

At some point, Jason went upstairs to get something to eat and suddenly got another set of calls. He sighed deeply knowing they must've been from Liane or Rei, he ignored knowing it was probably something they could've handle themselves. They had to learn how to get along and figure out solutions to things without an actual adult fixing it entirely for them.

With a deep sigh he answered, “Hello?”

“Jason! Aha we might got an issue at the compound—dude shut up!” Said the voice that clearly belonged to Liane.

“Okay, who burnt the toaster again? Wait why are you at The Compound anyway? Your supposed to be at The Tower..”

“The adults went out on a small scale meeting, so we were left alone. Long story short, we had an incident at The Tower and decided to visit The Compound for breakfast instead—Ughhh Rei be quiet! Rick calm it’s gonna be fine—I was saying, we came here and Sam made us breakfast…and then..”

“Then what? Liane spit it out or put Rei on the phone.”

“Then we saw an issue and Sam told us to stay inside.”

Just as Liane and Rei’s voices were heard, along with the other members in the background, Jason was called downstairs by Hank to check on something. And let’s just say, he wanted to punch the older man for his actions. From the panels on the screen, shots of Scott fighting The Falcon to get inside Avengers Compound. Hope half smiled, annoyed and confused by Scott’s actions.

It was honestly hilarious yet stressful.

He put the phone call on mute as he whispered, “Hank, what the hell?! You said that the item you were looking for was at an old building, not Avengers Compound!”

“I didn’t know that it was remodeled after all this time! You could’ve said something.” Hank remarked looking up at the blonde from his seat.

“You weren’t speaking of the specifics either! Oh god..Scott better get out of there.”

“He’ll be fine. Besides he’s fighting an Avenger, this can be taken as part of his training for the next assignment. What are you worried about?”

“Half of the other avengers are inside the building now and they’re a little terrified.”

Hope said an eyebrow confused onto what her uncle meant until she heard the voices over the phone and almost immediately laughed at the sound.

She couldn’t make out the voices very well but one caught her ears as she asked, “Is that Felton? Since when is she freaked out over something like this, isn’t she an Avenger?”

Jason just shrugged at this point and responded, “It’s a great mystery to all of this. And yes that was her. I can already picture Rei’s annoyed expressions. Whatever we do, we just have to get Scott out there and fast.”

“Or they might call the other heroes for assistance. Damn it.”

“Days like this, I wish my retirement plan was completely different.”

“You can always come stay with me instead. Wait, I’m still in the Will right?”

He winked at her meaning a clear ‘yes you are, honey.’ As they both returned their focus back onto the screen watching Hank navigate Scott across the field to fight Falcon, suddenly they lost visual contact with him as the ants couldn’t see what was happening inside. It went silent as the only sound came from the cell phone in Jason’s hand.

He raised the phone up his ear to respond, “Whatever happens stay instead. I’ll be there in a couple of hours to check up on—”

“About time you picked up the damn phone!” Yelled the voice that belonged to his first godson.

“Rei?! What happened to Liane?”

“I took it off her hands, she went to help calm Rick and the others down or whatever. I really don’t care. Do I have permission to take her down Felton and shut off the systems?”

“Permission granted—wait, hold off on shutting down the systems for a few minutes and then reboot The Compound.”

“Does that mean I’m in charge of everything?”

“Does it mean the house won’t be fire when I come over to check on you guys?”

“Yes sir.”

“Then you’re in charge. And please get a hold of an adult!”

The phone called ended with Rei’s voice being heard over the speaker as you can imagine the others not sounding too pleased about the news. Jason just smirked already picturing their faces as he watched the panels of Scott escaping and Falcon on the floor. Him and Hank fist bump at the process of the mission turning out decently well.

He knew Hank was gonna have a talk with Scott on his actions and how he handled it, but Jason knew based on the files that Scott must’ve gotten the item needed for the job.

And he was right.

Hope was very impressed with what he did as her father sighed in relief at the assignment being completed. Scott Lang had skills and knowledge to be used on a battlefield one day, possibly even a hero. The four of them talked about upcoming events that were set in motion as Jason texted his nephew for updates on the situation from earlier as it seemed like things have calmed down over there.

He will need to drive over there to check up on them later.

As of now, all he knew is that the four of them were headed into a very dangerous environment within the incoming hours. Especially after Darren Cross’s appearance at the household, assuming he was just speaking with Hank Pym, as the others were silently standing in the kitchen.

The next couple of hours were gonna be a wild ride.

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s what I got! Thanks for reading I hope you liked it. 📺

Let me know what you think in the comments below 👇

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#agent carter oc #marvel oc #marvel cinematic universe #ant man #hank pym #the young avengers #scott lang #marvel fanfiction #marvel blurb #hope van dyne #original male character #mcu fanfiction #mcu fancast #agents of shield #marvel x oc #janet van dyne #glen powell

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