#they’re all grown up and busy trying to be good parents that safely foster a new generation of kid autonomy

[roguephenon]

What happens when you take your kids to get their shots, they’re nervous, and you decide to “get one yourself” to show them it isn’t that bad?

Your doctor friend who graduated from Harvard and won’t shut up about it gives you a shot on the bum to get a laugh out of the kids at your expense.

Nigel will remember that.

(A look at my adult Wally and adult Nigel done by @pinkmeanschaos that I got permission to share)

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Stark’s New Intern” Chp. 19

"When I first saw you You had a sparkle in your eye Like the stars at night High in the sky

How I wish That you were mine 'Cause to me You're one of a kind

When I look at you It seems so untrue How someone like you Can make me feel the way you do"

Cameo—"Sparkle"

"Erik, you here with us, man?"

Walter's keen dark eyes took in Erik's solemn face as they sat in a popular and busy diner on Pico and La Brea eating pancakes and thick cuts of Canadian bacon. Maria and his Aunt Shavonne shared nail care tips to prevent chipping as his Uncle Bakari cut up his food and ate with a contented face.

Erik pushed circles in the maple syrup on his plate and checked the thin cell phone near his half-empty cup of coffee. Devika still wouldn't return the ten or so texts he sent her.

"My mind is scattered, sorry."

Devika ignoring him, and Tony being cryptic had him on edge. He deleted messages from Giselle and Athena wanting another Ménage a Trois encore and looked Walter in the face.

"You still trippin' about earlier?" Walter asked.

"Nah. I'm over that. It's just…I was foul with that and I hurt my girl."

"Your girl? Which one?" Walter joked.

"Shut up," Erik said giving his friend a grin.

Walter's braided hair was pulled up into a palm tree bun.

"My dude, you've always been messy. Nothing's changed. You've leveled up though."

"Leveled up? I ain't never been with any questionable…"

He almost said hoes, but his Uncle was listening.

Walter leaned in closer and whispered.

"You did them both at the same time?"

Erik gave a subtle nod.

"Man…"

Walter chuckled and ate more bacon on his plate.

Erik glanced at his cell again.

"Expecting a call?" Bakari asked.

"Nah. Just checking for work messages. Sometimes Stark sends mass alerts. Gotta keep on top of stuff there. Even on the weekends."

"You look good. We're proud that you stuck with it," Bakari said.

"It turned out better than I thought," Erik said.

His stomach got tight and Maria glanced over at him. He caught her eyes sliding over to Walter.

"How's school man? We spent all this time talking about my internship, what's poppin' back home?" Erik asked.

"I quit."

Walter popped his last piece of bacon in his mouth.

"Walter!" Shavonne scolded.

"Why?" Erik asked.

"It's not for me. School was always your forte man, and I know my parents wanted me to be like you, but my talents are in fashion…textiles."

"Are you a designer?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, I am," Walter said holding her gaze, "I dropped out of SFSU and enrolled in the Fashion Institute. Going to start my own brand of sportswear. Merge tech and clothing together."

"Dope," Erik said giving Walter a pound.

"Call my parents and tell them that," Walter said.

"When we were in grade school, this fool designed bullet-proof clothing for elementary kids," Erik said pushing back his plate.

"A lot of shootings were going down, and I wanted to stay safe."

"That's, wow…that's kind of sad," Maria said.

"That's how it be in the East Bay sometimes," Walter said.

"Everywhere," Shavonne chimed in.

"I start in the fall and I have already lined up my own internship with Trekfit. They're new, hungry, and I can parlay my talents into maybe getting my own stuff out in three or four years."

Erik and Walter shared a joke in Korean and Maria watched them both.

"You speak Korean?" Maria asked Erik.

"Passable—"

"Barely," Walter said.

"Good luck with the educational changes," Bakari said. He stared at his watch, "Are we all ready to hang out at the pier?"

Bakari drove them all in a rental car, and Erik found himself sitting in the middle of a conversation between Walter and Maria. They had only been together for two hours but they already acted like an old married couple. Divisive opinions on anime, gaming, and sticky rice flew across his lap since he sat in between them in the back seat.

The weather was almost perfect, a little too hot as the temperature raised above eighty degrees, but Erik enjoyed strolling on the pier and talking with his Aunt and Uncle. Maria and Walter had paired off to ride the carousel and Erik kept checking his phone.

"Just call her," Bakari said.

His Uncle snacked on chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream as his Aunt Shavonne tried to shoot fake ducks for prizes with water guns.

"I saw how she looked at you when she stood at the door. I damn near had a flashback to your Pappy back in school. You actually had the same look on your face. What's her name?"

"Devika."

"You sure do like 'em grown," Bakari said winking at Erik.

"Everyone is older than me there, so I don't really have control over that."

"Walter is right too, those were some boss looking babes. The legacy continues."

"It is what it is Unc. But I didn't mean for that to happen. I was supposed to go see her last night and I just…messed up."

"Protecting yourself?"

"Always."

"Respecting them?"

"Yeah."

"But this Devika?"

"I got caught up and forgot to communicate with her. I wasn't expecting her to show up like that. I'm actually not supposed to be seeing her."

"Why not?"

"She's um…she's Stark's secretary."

"Erik…boy, I tell ya…"

Bakari ate his ice cream and Erik watched his Uncle's face.

The man was heavier in the face and body, and he was happy with Shavonne because it shone all over his face when he looked at her. His uncle treated his wife the way Erik's father treated his mother. Like they were one of a kind. And that was true. He learned how to treat women from his Dad and Bakari. His uncle raised him for six years a couple of years after Erik's parents died. Bakari gave Erik a foundation to rebuild his life when he floundered in the streets and foster care. His uncle begged his Grandpop to give him guardianship so Erik could leave Oakland and be somewhere that wouldn't remind him of the pain he suffered. It worked.

His aunt and uncle made sure Erik stayed connected to Walter and even his friend Shawn whom he met in juvenile hall. Flew them both out every summer and made sure they traveled to Martha's Vineyard for vacations and also allowed him to go to Brazil yearly to visit his cousin Marisol. They gave him life again, and he was eternally grateful. They also made sure to remind him of the special bond his parents had, and if Erik had the same romantic tendencies of his father, Bakari constantly reflected on honest communication.

Devika was beginning to feel special to him, and he couldn't understand how he could be so careless with her. All he had to do was call her and say he was spending some time with the other women and…

He had no real excuse or reason for his behavior. He did want to see her. Craved her even, especially with Tony Stark telling him what he couldn't have. But pitchers of Margaritas and pretty faces hemmed him up. The sex was everything, but now he regretted it.

"I like her Unc. She's been good to me the entire time I was here. She's fine. Smart. I don't know why I fucked up. Sorry for cussing."

"Young people make mistakes."

Erik put his phone away. He wanted to focus on his family.

The rest of his weekend was pleasant and he spent much-needed quality time with Bakari and Shavonne.

Walter spent quality time with Maria.

It was all good.

###

Erik picked out his best new blue suit to wear to Stark's office. Whatever was going down would happen with him looking his best.

He had a fresh line up and brand-new cologne. Eyes tracked him in the lobby of the Stark building and even Valentina did a double-take when she saw him walk past her on his way to the private elevator.

His confidence faded once he reached Stark's floor and he saw Devika through the glass office walls.

Damn that woman beautiful.

She wore thick wash and go curls all over her head, and her make-up was smoky and smooth like her skin. Erik took a deep breath and walked into the room.

"I'm here for Stark's eight—"

"Go in, he's expecting you."

She cut him off without looking at him. He stepped closer to her desk.

"Devika—"

"He's waiting for you."

"I don't have a good excuse. I'm sorry."

Her eyes finally took his in.

"Don't worry about it. We're good."

"It doesn't feel good. You wouldn't even talk to me this weekend."

"You were with family, remember?"

He chewed on his lip trying to keep himself from saying something smart ass to dig at her. He was shocked at how much he wanted her forgiveness. Anyone else he would be tossing to the side like, "Oh well", and then be on to his next conquest, but Devika snuck up on him emotionally. While he had been busy chasing after Giselle and falling in easily with Athena, Devika was just…there. Always there.

All the little things she did for him, the corny jokes they shared each time he was called up to see Stark…reminders to eat or drink water. The donuts to keep his blood sugar up when he worked late…she was a constant source of calm for him during the entire internship. He would be crushed if she iced him for the rest of his time there.

"Just tell me this, is Boss Man about to kick me out?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He called me after you left my apartment and told me my time in the internship was over."

Devika's nose crinkled up and her eyes were full of confusion.

"I haven't heard any talk about putting you out."

That made Erik breathe easier. Devika was the pulse of Stark. Right after Pepper, Devika knew the man better than he knew himself.

"Devika, have you heard from Stevens yet?"

Stark's voice came through on the desk intercom.

"He's walking in now."

She pushed him toward the door.

Entering, Erik was surprised to see Janine and two other upper-level suits sitting in the room.

"Take a seat," Stark said pointing to the only available chair in front of his desk.

Erik unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down with his legs wide apart. Stark fussed with a small touchpad and then finally stared Erik.

"How do you think you've done here, Stevens?" he asked.

Erik's eyes flitted to the other three people next to him and their eyes didn't shy away from his. No one looked down or fidgeted with their hands. Good sign thus far.

"Excellent." Erik shot back at him.

"Excellent? You sure?"

"Yeah. My last eval was stellar. Janine can tell you that. She wrote it up."

A smirk went across Janine's face.

"Do you want to add any addendums to that, Janine?"

Stark folded his hands in his lap and leaned back in his chair.

"No, Sir. The eval speaks for itself."

"Good. Stevens, I'm pulling you from the internship and placing you in the Stark Fellowship starting today. The Fellowship runs for a year and at the end of that year you will be offered a position with Stark Enterprises—"

"Wait, I start M.I.T. next month."

"M.I.T. is willing to defer your entry for next year. You are still a full-ride scholar."

"I would take what he is offering, Erik," Janine said. For once her eyes looked gentle.

Erik sat back in his chair.

Stark's eyes regarded him with amusement.

"Every intern in this entire building would give me their first-born child for the offer I just gave you. And yet you sit here like a lump."

"I appreciate the offer. I just want some time to think about it."

"Think about it?"

One of the suits glared at him.

"Unbelievable," the haughty suit grumbled.

"There's a paid salary, so you'd have to get your own place. No more Oakwood. You'd work directly with me and there will be a lot of travel, covered by the company of course. You have been a stellar young man. The last person to have this opportunity now runs one of my satellite offices in Hong Kong. It's a great opportunity and I want you to have it."

"How much is the salary?"

Tony pushed a blue and silver folder across his desk. Erik picked it up.

"That much, huh? With benefits…health/dental. Paid gym membership…"

Erik's eyes read the offer to the very bottom.

Why not?

Take advantage of being at the side of one of the most powerful and influential men on the planet. Get paid for it, and get access to tech that could help him figure out the vibranium he had stashed in his apartment.

"I'll do it."

"Wise decision young man."

Stark stood up and held out his hand. Erik gripped it firmly.

"Welcome aboard, Stevens. I'll have H.R. get paperwork set up and we'll get you transferred over tomorrow. You'll report to me in the Cypress meeting room tomorrow at ten a.m. I need you to pack up clothing for a week because you are coming with me to Monaco after the Intern party on my yacht."

"Thanks, Mr. Stark."

"Janine, say your goodbyes now, I'm stealing him from you," Stark said.

Janine stood up and gave Erik her hand.

"Keep up the exceptional work," she said.

"If you'll excuse us, Stevens, I need to meet with these folks. We'll talk tomorrow. Clear out your things from Janine's and go see Happy in security to get new clearance."

"Okay."

Erik took the folder with him and walked out of the office.

Devika worked on her laptop and her eyes flickered over to his when he stepped back into the outer office.

"I was offered a new position for a year," Erik said.

A smile. A slight one, but he caught it on her face.

"Congratulations," she said keeping her voice cool.

"I have to go gather my stuff from Janine's floor."

He turned away from her.

"Erik."

"Yeah?"

Devika reached into the large bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a bag of donuts for him. He took them from her.

"You worked your ass off all summer. You deserve this opportunity, Erik."

"Thanks."

They stared at one another. Her eyes took in his suit and there was a twinkle in those dark irises. All he could think of was that glorious weekend he spent with her after he got his ass kicked in her home.

He held the donuts up toward her.

"Thanks for this. You're always looking out for me."

"Better get going…get that desk cleared out," she said.

There was awkward staring once more.

What he would give to be brave and kiss her right there at her desk.

"He's taking me to Monaco with him…what was that look for?" he said.

Devika shook her head.

"What?" Erik pushed.

"Monaco is…well, Monaco is a place where Tony tends to get a little wild."

"Is it that bad?"

"No, but it's a playground for the ultra-rich, and the ultra-rich are very different from the basic rich. Put it this way. Millionaires are the double-wides of that set. Multi-millionaires are the working class. The lower working class."

"It's like that, huh?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Maybe you should give me lessons on how to maneuver that world."

"You don't give up, do you?"

He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes.

He walked away from her desk and took a big bite of a hot glazed twist once he was in the elevator headed down to his work-station.

His cell vibrated in his jacket pocket. Taking it out he checked for Stark Alerts. There was only one personal text.

"You are forgiven."

He didn't bother to text her back.

Rushing back up to Stark's outer office and Devika's desk, he grabbed her hand.

"Erik! What are you doing?"

Devika's startled face made him smile.

"Taking you to breakfast, and then we're going back to your place. I have some making up to do."

Chapter 20 HERE.

###

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[fatedfuturist]

things about my interpretation of tony stark. updated june 07, 2020.

here’s my exhaustive explanation for how i am not canon-compliant with the events and characterization of the mcu.

the reason for this is… well, there are several reasons, but i don’t want to stir shit up or just, in general, stomp on anyone else’s love for the mcu. and don’t get me wrong— i do love the mcu! but there are parts i’m critical of for personal reason, as we all have opinions on certain things. bc, yeah, you can love something, or someone, and still be logically critical about it or them.

anyway, here’s where my interpretation differs…

as per stated on my rules: i take inspiration for tony from multiple sources, including the mcu, marvel comics, the television show: avengers assemble, and my own personal headcanons. TONY IS ALSO ASIAN (SPECIFICALLY CHINESE) AMERICAN!!

i will admit that saying this isn’t particularly helpful if people don’t know, specifically, where i differ in terms of my interpretation of our dumbass genius. some of this info is scattered about on my blog, but here, it’s all consolidated into one post.

chen kun is my face claim, and i do use stuff from tony’s story from the mcu as a base. however, there are events and moments from the movies, that i selectively ignore due to personal preference; and then i build on top of my foundation with ideas, themes, and/or events from other sources such as the aforementioned sources listed above.

throwing this all under a read more because, like i said: exhaustive list. very. very. very fucking long. i’m serious– read at your own risk.

howard stark was an extremely abusive and absent father for all of tony’s childhood; tony did actively seek attention and approval from howard because he was rather aware of how famous he was and wanted the acceptance and validation from his dad; there wasn’t much shown in the mcu regarding his relationship with his father, but my inspiration for his father-son relationship comes from the comics;

an example of his verbal abuse: “you don’t want to be a sissy, now do you? stark men are made of iron!” (Iron Man, 1968);

an example of early exposure to alcohol: at age five, howard forced a drink into tony’s hand (which he did drink), stating that it would teach him “to be a man,” and that it’d “put hair on your chest” (Iron Man, 1968);

yes, this means that tony ‘forgiving’ howard in endgame is completely chucked out the window;

tony loses his parents the night of december 16, 1996 (not 12/16/1991), at the age of seventeen;

jarvis, the family butler, was more of a father to tony than howard ever was, and yes, this is why he names his first fully-functioning AI system jarvis;

tony was close with his mother, maria; she was his safehouse, and she taught him to be gentle and loving, and she also taught him the piano, which tony still periodically practices during his own time in private. in an avengers assemble episode, there is a piano in the tower that tony protects twice, which i reckon is because it has connections to his past with maria;

tony ain’t an old grandpa. i don’t see him being older than, like, 35–40 in the present time for my writing (chen kun is 44). this comes from comic and avengers assemble inspiration, which has been fairly ambiguous since they never mention his age. for plotting purposes in the mcu though, yes, he can be like 42–52 if needed.

tony is, by default, single unless otherwise stated. the reason for this is simply because i’m not big on tony / pepper in the mcu, and it’s not because i don’t like pepper (i love her as a character as an individual), but i just saw that the way they were written (so, this, yes, blames the mcu writers) was completely trash; they sort of redeemed it in endgame, but... in general, they had a lot of potential but then some writing choices pretty much ruined the ship for me;

this means that morgan does not exist unless otherwise specified and discussed, though i do enjoy the concert of tony being a dad to his own kid and breaking that cycle of howard’s shitty parenting;

i’m going to be as honest and transparent as i can: i do, for certain, love writing stevetony. they’re my primary ship. not simply in mcu dynamics, but from the comics and avengers assemble. however, like some can attest to, i will never force a ship on anyone. if you express no interest in them romantically? that’s fine. we can write them simply as good friends and comrades. i won’t stop writing or plotting with you if you don’t like them in a romantic dynamic. if you do like it that way? cool. i know it might be intimidating to discuss this given i look like complete trash for them, but i never choose who i will/will not write with based on whether we ship or not;

tony, publicly, hints toward being bisexual and biromantic a lot of the time as he’ll practically flirt with anyone at all times, but he never really openly admits it due to his oh-so ancient internalized homophobia (thank you for that one, howard and societal expectations of the time);

justin hammer is a long time rival in the industry, and often meddles with tony and his work all the time. it’s nothing new. the lack of foundation established in IM2 doesn’t provide much insight into their relationship. long story short (taken from avengers assemble): hammer is a punk bitch who’s jealous and tony is tired of him and will gladly beat his ass any day of the week whenever he drives a tank into his front door (which happens more often than not).

tony is fantastic with children. he loves getting to interact with children because he knows how excited they are to see him and/or iron man (seen in both the mcu and in the comics). this type of attention he’s okay about. if he can inspire children to do good things and be good people and be heroes in their own right, then he’s doing his job;

tony fosters the intelligence and dreams of bright individuals all the time by offering scholarships for high school graduates and post-secondary students, and also provides internship opportunities (equal opportunities regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, disability status, age, etc.)

we only see this occur with peter and harley in the mcu, but there are other kids— like riri williams! tony sees these kids for the bright minds that they have and he wants to help them and keep them safe as he knows these are the brains of the future.

let me run over iron man 3. like i said, i ignore some shit from the movies. tony doesn’t initiate the clean slate protocol, he doesn’t throw the arc reactor into the ocean, and he doesn’t remove the arc reactor from his chest. he will get surgery to get the shrapnel removed because if i were the follow the pain that comes with the comics, tony would literally be always on the verge of death at all times, requiring a chest plate to be recharged constantly to make sure the shrapnel doesn’t get closer– see? that’s a lot and i’m... lazy.

the reason for those choices are simple: clean slate protocol undoes his character progression;

the arc reactor is just a part of him as a person, stands as his heart;

avengers movie nights, (video/board) game nights, and training days exist and you will never be able to pry that out of my hands. tony always shows up fashionably late with coffee and pays for when shit gets broken by thor. team building exercises exist plenty within avengers assemble, including the fact that they share chores and decides who gets to do the next load of laundry from whoever chooses the short stick from the bunch.

tony has had anxiety and depression since he was a child. it just didn’t really flare up and get identified as a real, tangible mess of emotions and thoughts until he’d been kidnapped (and nearly died, at that). it got worse when he failed to address it until after IM3. into the present-day, tony deals with anxiety, depression, and PTSD all the time, but has improved (…sort of) when it comes to handling all of it, and certainly has grown to recognize similar symptoms in the people he cares about;

on another hand, tony has displayed symptoms of ADHD, but it’s not officially diagnosed, and some of these symptoms include, but are not limited to: hyperactivity (staying awake for days on end) and hyperfocus (hyper-focus on work), distractible (easily distracted when he’s not focused on something), rambling (talks a lot and often makes rather intuitive connections due to how busy his brain functions), impulsivity and recklessness (self explanatory), constant need to move around and/or do something (in meetings, he will be moving somehow, whether it’s tapping fingers or feet, or shifting around in his seat);

there are days where he feels inferior due to how human he knows he is (in comparison to most of his team), and other days, he feels as though he’s more machine than he is man. these feelings fluctuate depending on how he’s doing with his mental health, and/or if he hears and/or sees anything about him that points toward either idea;

there is always overwhelming guilt for those he can’t keep safe or people that die; tony doesn’t like to kill anybody (unless it’s robots, because… they’re robots, not human lives); though, if pushed far enough with no other choice, he will throw conventional morality out the window for the sake of protecting all that he believes to be for the good of the world;

tony isn’t jacked. he isn’t captain america fit, but he isn’t particularly thin, either. his body is sort of like a runner’s build (for visuals, refer to valerio schiti’s comic art of tony). i interpret tony’s body as a slight bit slimmer. he exercises, and being in the suit also is its own form of exercise. god forbid we discuss his eating habits, though. and–– he also isn’t short short, but he isn’t tall, either. he sits at 5’10”, which might be a little below the average male, but that’s about it.

speaking of eating habits, simply put: tony can’t cook for shit and that’s it. he’ll try to cook for his significant others’ on the occasion, but he can’t be blamed if he burns everything.

tony isn’t ‘woke’ or perfect, as it’s imperative to remember he grew up as rich and with financial and some social class privilege (since he was rich), despite the abuse and harassment he experienced during his youth. it’s taken him time to recognize this, and he realizes it really doesn’t cost anything to be a better person, which is why he tries to be better when it comes to his tone of voice when discussing certain topics he has no authority to be speaking of, and by taking action with simple manual labour when it comes to chores (so he doesn’t hire other people to do shit for him). he also knows he can’t be a man of ‘all bark and no bite’ when it comes to supporting people and causes, hence why he actively advocates for female and youth empowerment through both words and actions.

in regards to ca:cw events, i would prefer to ignore them. for specific-plotting purposes, this can be dropped, but i prefer the events of avengers assemble when it comes to ‘civil war’. it’s actually really simple:

tony was not honest about his intentions with the team regarding a robot that was initially made for him by howard, which ended up with an ultron reboot that nearly risked loads of civilian lives and the team’s lives;

steve confronted tony about it when they returned back to avengers tower. with tony’s insistence that everything was now fine, steve decided to resign due to tony’s dishonesty and lack of trust in the team;

this splits the team in half, where steve takes— well, they decided to leave since they didn't like tony's lack of honesty— natasha, the hulk, and the falcon to work under SHIELD as the ‘secret avengers,’ and tony, clint, and thor remain as leftover avengers (later with the addition of ant-man and temporarily, spider-man, in some missions);

in the end, they all join back together after learning to appreciate their differences and reconciling under the fact that there wouldn’t be any more secrets that could risk the world, and the team’s safety;

if i am to follow the events of the mcu— between ca:cw and infinity war, he develops nanotech for his armour, which is embedded into his very skin to accommodate for nanobots, which interacts via neural transmissions (visuals here);

tony recognizes that he lost his temper and let his emotions get to him in the moment, which fucked up shit that could’ve been talked through and fixed;

tony is an alcoholic. he recognizes that he always will be, though he’s always working toward sobriety. he certainly relapses every so often when things are rough and he feels as if he has no other options, but he’s aware that relapsing is part of the process of recovery. he has attended AA meetings (alcoholics anonymous), and has been AA sponsors for people in the past;

to skim through the events of infinity war and endgame should these be part of the things you’re curious about (this is getting really long and i’m sure you’re tired of reading this—how have you gotten this far?):

after returning from space, tony took a few months (~ five) to recover from those three months of malnutrition, dehydration, and the wound of thanos’ stab. tony sealed the front of his injury, but he sure as hell wasn’t seen dealing with the back end. during this time, he’s able to regain some muscle mass;

he lives on his own, retreating to the cabin to escape from the responsibilities of being a fallen hero who ultimately failed the people he was supposed to protect.

during the five year gap, he keeps in contact with the other avengers, but very rarely. they’re the only ones who know where he lives;

like i said— tony does not say any of that forgiving bullcrap to howard. victims of abuse don’t have to forgive their abuser, parent or not. let’s just imagine the entire interaction didn’t happen at all;

tony doesn’t die;

he used the infinity stones; but, to maintain consistency with what the mcu established w/ thanos: he sustained significant damage to his right arm, up to the shoulder and neck. it’s gravely scarred. the overall function of that arm also diminished greatly. vision out of his right eye is not as sharp as it once was, either;

a year of recovery and physiotherapy later, tony decides to amputate and go for a prosthetic. he works with shuri and wakandan tech to build an arm;

despite the end of the looming, world-ending thread, tony still battles resurfacing trauma. not every day is happy, but he is working toward recovery. there are days he doesn’t remember chunks of what happened due to the power of the infinity stones; sometimes, he doesn’t even want to remember it, anyway;

tony retires. sort of. for the most part. if the world really needs iron man, he’ll be there;

tony may have handed CEO-ship to pepper, but he still handles a lot of work for stark industries, and that’s what he primarily does post-endgame.

the multiverse and realm-traveling happens a-fucking-lot 

[mischiefandspirits]

Iron Legion (30/?)

Never let it be said that Tony Stark ever does things by half. He might have grown up with little family, but he wasn’t about to keep it that way.

Tony Stark was seventeen when his first child was born, and that was just the beginning.

For Masterpost, Casting, Timeline, AO3, and Fanfiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Iron Forge

Tony Stark was forty-three when his twelfth child was born.

“This is very pink,” Rhodey said, looking around the living room.

“Joe decorated. She’s very excited it’s a girl,” Tony sighed.

The room was, indeed, very pink. The chairs and couches were under light pink covers. The walls were covered in decals with flowers, pacifiers, and clouds in varying shades of pink. Flamingo shaped bowls were scattered around the tables with pink treats inside. The tables had hot pink tablecloths on them and matching transparent curtains had been hung over the windows to give the room a pink glow.

“I tried to stop her,” Karen pointed out.

“She did a great job,” Pepper said, shooting the men a look before turning back to Helen Cho, Maggie Paxton, Tori, Nebula, Jen, and J.O.C.A.S.T.A.

“Of course dear.”

Rhodey chuckled and knocked his shoulder against Tony’s.

“Are you ever going to settle down so I can tease you back?” Tony asked, returning the favor.

Rhodey chuckled. “Not my fault I’ve been too busy trying to keep you out of trouble. What about you, Jim, have you guys talked about giving Cassie a little sibling.”

Said girl looked up from where she, Karen, and Val were playing cards with excited eyes as her step-dad went pale.

“I think we’re good for now.”

Cassie frowned and turned back to the game.

“So have you decided on a name?” Maggie asked.

“Morgan!” Tony called out.

“We’re still deciding,” Pepper said flatly. “I quite like Patricia.”

“Morgan Patricia Potts-Stark!”

“Oh for the love of -- I will allow Morgan if you’d just stop calling yourself Potts-Stark. The board would have an aneurysm if you changed your name,” Pepper spat, rubbing her forehead.

“But -”

“No Tony.”

He pouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tony, no.”

“She’ll never find out.”

“She handles all your legal paperwork, she’s going to find out you changed your name.”

“Not until it’s too late. Come on, Hulkette!”

Jen sighed. “Look, I won’t help you, but I also won’t sell you out and I’ll send you the number of someone near you that I know who might be brave -- or stupid -- enough to help you.”

“You’re the best. See you at the wedding!”

She huffed and pulled up the number for Matt Murdock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tori raised an eyebrow as Tony paced back and forth. “You know, I don’t remember you being this worried when I had your kid.”

“He had Peter to distract him,” Rhodey said, texting Happy to give him an update and check that the girls haven’t burned down the cabin yet. Well, Val at least. Karen kept out of trouble, a rare gift in Tony’s brood.

“You weren’t back there this long when you had Harley or Val.”

“Some births are longer. Why aren’t you back there with her?”

“Pepper knew he’d freak out and didn’t want to risk him getting in the way,” Rhodey chuckled. “Helen’s with her, and Pep’s enhanced. Calm down.”

“What if the Extremis interferes with the birth?” Tony said, continuing to pace.

“Helen’s been monitoring her every step of the way. If there was going to be a problem, I’m sure we would know about it already,” Tori said with an eye roll.

“But what if -”

“Tones, sit down.”

Tony sat, but his leg started bouncing almost immediately.

“How’s it going?” Maggie asked, coming in with her husband and little Cassie. “Did we miss anything?”

“Only Tony’s panicking,” Tori said. “How was your guys’ flight?”

“Noisy.”

“I offered the private jet,” Tony muttered distractedly, but the others ignored him.

“Where’s Karen and Val?” Cassie asked, looking around.

“They stayed home. They’re going to come over once Morgan’s here and she and Pepper have had a chance to rest,” Rhodey said.

“How long will that be?”

“We’re not sure,” Rhodey answered and Tony buried his face in his hands.

Cassie looked up at her parents and Jim set his hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll take her there so she can wait with the others.”

“Is anyone back there with her?” Maggie asked once her husband and daughter had left, taking a seat next to Tori.

“Nebula and J.O.C.A.S.T.A. are with her and Helen’s helping the doctor to keep an eye on the Extremis. Jen couldn’t make it because of some case, but she sent her best wishes,” Rhodey said. “Oh, and J.A.R.V.I.S. is keeping an eye on things through the hospital’s security cameras.”

Maggie sighed. “I’m guessing it’s a good thing my police officer husband isn’t here to hear that.”

“Honestly, if you can’t handle a little hacking you probably shouldn’t be associating with this lot,” Tori chuckled.

“Tony.”

The group looked up to see Helen standing in the doorway with a smile. Tony was on his feet immediately and racing to her side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony bounced Morgan in his arms, ignoring the beautiful woman glaring at the back of his head.

“Look at me!”

“Can’t, it’s bad luck.”

“I can’t believe you!” Pepper shouted and Tony heard her start pacing. “How could you go behind my back and do this?”

“Because I love you.”

“I love you too, but do you realize how many problems this is going to cause?”

“People change their names when they get married all the time.”

“Those people don’t have a multi-billion dollar, multinational tech conglomerate named after them.”

“I kept Stark as you insisted. I could just be Tony Potts now.”

“I und-”

“It could be Potts Industries.”

“Oh my God, Tony!”

He heard the door open and Tori said, “I don’t know what stupid thing Stark has done this time, but we are still having a wedding, right?”

“It’s Potts-Stark now,” Tony said.

“Not yet it isn’t!”

“He’s trying to get you to change your name?”

“Tony changed his name,” Rhodey said from where he was hiding in the corner. “Behind her back.”

“… I’ll be back in five minutes, but then I need to know if we can finish getting you ready or if we should send everyone home,” she chuckled then shut the door.

“Pep-”

“You are ridiculous!”

“It’s only his legal name,” Rhodey offered. “He can still use just Stark professionally.”

“Don’t take his side,” Pepper groaned at the same time that Tony said, “What? Why?”

Rhodey stood up and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

America stared at the baby, who stared back at her.

“Tan pequeño.”

“She’s a baby,” Karen said in that cute, bemused voice she got sometimes when people said things that she seemed to think were obviously either correct or wrong.

“Yeah, but I didn’t realize babies were this small.” She poked Morgan’s belly and the girl giggled. “Or squishy.”

“You’ve never seen a baby?”

“I’m an only child. And Abuela only takes ten or older kids,” America said. “She’s so fragile. I can’t believe your Aunt let you babysit her on your own.”

“I’m not alone. You’re here.”

“Not much better.”

“It’s only for a couple of hours. Papa was supposed to watch her while Aunt Ginia and Uncle Anton are out of town, but he got called away so I’ve got her until Nebula gets here.”

“And they were all okay with you bringing her here?”

Karen frowned. “I told Papa I was coming here when you asked me yesterday.”

America froze. “Yeah, but did you remind him you were coming here when he told you to watch her.”

“No, why would I?”

Diosa, it was a good thing she was pretty. “You’re in so much trouble.”

“You girls good out here?”

America rolled onto her back and sat up so she could see her elderly foster mother looking out the backdoor. “Yeah, Abuela, we’re good.”

“You sure? Do you want some snacks?”

America shrugged and looked at Karen.

“I’m okay, but do you have a banana or something? It’s getting close to snack time, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all, dear. We don’t have any bananas, but we’ve got some peaches, blueberries, strawberries -”

“No strawberries. Her mom is allergic so she’s not allowed to have any until she can be tested.” Karen moved to grab Morgan. “She likes blueberries though, so if it’s okay, I can smash them up f-”

“Nonsense, you kids have fun and I’ll bring out her mash in just a moment,” Abuela said, waving her off.

“Oh, thank you, Ms. Joyce.”

“Thanks, Abuela!”

“‘Bue’!”

The two girls turned to Morgan as Abuela disappeared back inside.

“No,” America whispered.

“‘BUE’!”

“No way,” Karen said, pulling out her phone and pointing it at the baby.

“‘Bue’! Abue’. Abue-Abuela! Abuela! Abue’!”

“I’m in so much trouble,” Karen sighed.

“‘Buela!”

She lowered her phone and patted Morgan on the head. “Good job.”

“Abue’!”

“That’s her first word, right?”

“Yup. Uncle Anton has been trying to get her to say his name for two months now.”

“Abuela!”

Karen’s phone started ringing and she answered it without looking.

“WHERE ARE YOU!” Karen’s cousin shouted loud enough to America to hear.

“Nebula? I’m at America’s… I told Papa I was coming here yesterday… Of course Morgan’s with me, safe and sound… On my bike… I’m sorry, Papa didn’t say I had to stay home… Okay… Alright, I’ll come ho- … Alright, we’ll be here… Love you… Bye.” Karen hung the phone up. “Nebula’s coming to pick me up. Apparently I’m grounded.”

America snorted and patted her friend on the shoulder. “Next time, always double-check with the parents if you want to take a kid somewhere with you.”

“Nebula said something similar.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pepper frowned when she came into the living room to see Karen floating in the air, hands hanging down as she helped Morgan stumble across her play area on the other side of the room. “Karen, no flying in the house.”

“I’m helping Morgan learn how to walk,” Karen said, looking up at Pepper and not noticing Morgan’s attempts to turn to her mother.

“You can do that from the ground.”

“Ma,” Morgan whimpered, pulling one of her hands out of Karen’s light grip to make grab hands towards Pepper.

“But she won’t do it if I don’t float,” Karen said, neither noticing the baby’s actions.

“Mama,” Morgan huffed, taking a shaky step towards her mother.

“She will eventually.”

Morgan released Karen’s other hand and took another step.

“My Lady, Miss Karen.”

“Not now, J.A.R.V.I.S.,” Pepper said. “A rule is a rule, Karen. It’s dangerous for you to fly in the house. The area is too tight. You could hit something and either hurt yourself or break something else.”

“My La-”

“Hold on, J.A.R.-”

“Mama!”

Pepper looked down to see Morgan taking a few more stumbling steps before falling back on her butt at Pepper’s feet.

“Ma!”

“Oh,” Karen said.

Pepper’s mouth gaped open and closed for a moment before she said, “Please tell me you got that, J.A.R.V.I.S.”

“Of course, My Lady,” he said, sounding slightly annoyed, and Pepper flinched.

“Sorry for ignoring you.”

“All is well.”

“Oh my God!” Pepper scooped up Morgan and spun her around, earning the girl’s giggles. “You walked!” She pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Oh Tony is going to be so upset he missed this!”

A throat cleared and the two turned to see Tony standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a smirk. “I think Jay and I are the ones that didn’t miss it,” he chuckled before walking over to pull his wife and daughter into a hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“HAPPY NEW YEARS!” the group cheered and Tony kissed Pepper as he hit the button to launch a procession of fireworks.

Rhodey bounced Morgan, worried the two-year-old would be upset by the loud noise, but thankfully she only seemed dazzled by the lights, reaching towards them and muttering, “Fy-flies! Fy-flies!”

“Yeah, they do look like fireflies, don’t they,” he chuckled.

“Fy-flies!” Morgan cheered. Her hands closed up into tiny fists, then snapped open.

Twin bursts of tiny embers shot out of her hands like sparklers, dying out almost immediately.

“Fy-flies!” she cheered as the group went silent.

“Did she just…” Pepper trailed off.

She did it again.

“Ooookay! Jay, send Helen a message that I would like an appointment with her at her earliest convenience.”

“Right away, Sir.”

“Fy-flies!”

“Make sure she knows it’s urgent, J.A.R.V.I.S.!”

“Of course, My Lady.”

“Never a dull moment,” Tori chuckled into her drink as Happy collapsed backward onto the patio furniture.

Nebula downed her glass of champagne. “One. Just one normal sibling. Is that too much to ask for?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good news, she’s not about to blow up anytime soon,” Helen said as she read over the results.

“Better news, you can get rid of it?” Pepper asked doubtfully.

“Bad news, the Extremis seems to have mutated within her into something else and is in her very genes. It can’t be removed.”

“Can it be diluted?” Tony asked looking over her shoulder. “Or blocked or something?

“Maybe, but not permanently.” She hummed and moved some files around. “I’ve studied some of yours and Bruce’s notes from back when you faced Killian. I might be able to create a serum based on the one you used to dilute Pepper’s powers to temporarily block Morgan’s abilities, but she’ll have to take it repeatedly. Also, the older she gets and the more the Extremis mutates, the less it will work.”

“How long will it work?” Pepper asked.

“Long enough that we won’t have a toddler running around starting fires,” Tony said, watching as Helen started working on the formula.

“Hopefully. We will have to monitor the changes in her physiology carefully and account for that. It would be easier if Bruce could help.”

“He’s still laying low. I heard he’s been hiding out in some gamma lab in Nebraska the past two months, but I don’t know where.”

“Hulk has really been taking the defeat against Thanos hard,” Pepper said. “It’s started to get to Bruce. Jen and She-Hulk tried talking to them both, but that’s when he disappeared.”

“Poor man,” Helen sighed. “Well, I think we should send it out to a colleague of mine for a second opinion, but I think we’ve got enough to work with that it should work for at least a couple of years.”

“Can they be trusted?” Tony asked.

“Yes. We’ve worked together on a few projects. He’s… got a personal investment when it comes to enhanced people and is good at keeping secrets. He’ll be respectful and discreet.”

“Alright, we trust your judgment,” Pepper said, standing up and putting Morgan on her hip. “In the meantime, I’m going to fireproof her bed and put her down for a nap.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, she’s not setting things on fire at least,” Pepper sighed.

“Unfortunately, this is the best Helen, Morbius, and I could do.”

“Pretty,” Morgan giggled, watching the orange glow on her arms sluggishly move around like a lava lamp.

“You know, considering the army of AIs, Iron Lad, Spider-Man, and the alien terminator, Morgan’s probably still the most normal kid,” Rhodey offered. “As long as she takes her vitamins, all she does is glow.”

“For now,” Nebula pointed out.

“And Harley and Peter were normal until they hit puberty,” Pepper said.

“Let’s be honest, Harley was never normal,” Happy argued. “None of the kids have ever been normal.”

Tony nodded. “That’s fair.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know... between the pyrokinetic and the Frost Giant... I guess you could say Spider-Man is going to have... some Amazing Friends :)

It was an accident, I swear! I only realized it while writing the hospital scene when I remembered Pepper still had Extremis, which could be passed down to Morgan! She'll make an awesome Firestar when she's older though.

Two subtle references: America's foster mom, Ms. Joyce, is named after the original Miss America, Madeline Joyce. Morgan's middle name, Patricia, comes from Patricia "Pepper" Potts, Pepper's Iron Man: Armored Adventures incarnation (Love that show).

[holographic-feminism-blog]

Why you cannot be “pro life” and be a feminist

(TW: mentions of rape, abuse, gore, death and objectification may be mentioned)

Hey, you may yourself be “pro life” and have been sent this because you're a brick wall and/or this person does not have time for you or you could be an actual person with common sense and be pro choice who just wants to help grow your knowledge and understanding of the feminist movement and your debating skills. Ether way welcome, glad to have you.

I think we should disprove some idiotic points “pro life” feminists like to bring up:

“I’m fine with other women getting abortions, i just think its wrong”

*collective eye roll from all pro choicers* Alright there are two reasons i put this point first.

1. because i feel like you wouldn't even read up to this point if it weren't the first point because you're actively too lazy to read up on literally anything and 2. because i myself have had this point so much i lost count. Ill get to why abortion isn't wrong in a bit but just to say YOU’RE NOT “PRO LIFE” YOU’RE PRO CHOICE!!! The reason i said “you're actively too lazy to read up on literally anything” is because the literal definition of pro choice is

pro-choice

prəʊˈtʃɔɪs/

adjective advocating the legal right of a woman  to choose whether or not she will have an abortion.

That literally describes exactly what bs has just drivelled out your damn mouth. You're ok with a person having the choice. You seriously go and say you're pro life when you don't even know what it means. For gods sake the safari app is right there, you couldn't look something up before you embarrass yourself on the internet?

But anyway you're pro choice, pro choice means you're ok with others having the choice even if you wouldn't. Have a nice day.

“Most abortions are gender based, meaning more girls get aborted because they're girls”

Sorry but you need to get your priorities straight, there are so many things wrong with what you just said. First off, transphobia much? Second, I along with anyone with morals would place a fully grown pregnant person with responsibilities, relationships and memories over that of something that is about as alive as a blade of grass that has a vagina. Do you think that a person with a uterus is lesser than something that is barely alive? yeah......... yeah thats why you're not a feminist.

But anyway i don't think you know what gender based abortions really happen for. 99% of the time gender based abortions are in places where the parents are desperate for a boy and cannot have more than one or two children. Places such as china with its one child policy. The parents want to continue the family last name and also continue the businesses (because businesses are usually passed down from father to son). China is flooded with parentless girls already because so many parents abandon them because they wanted a boy, we don't need to add that.

Im in no way ok with gender based abortions but because these people are so desperate to have a boy if abortion became illegal in counties like these violence against women and death of women via massive blood loss with increase rapidly due to coat hanger abortions and husbands hitting their wives in hope to kill the foetus. It’s ether you're ok with violence and horrific torture of millions of people world wide or you're gonna let people have abortions when they need ones.

Hey heres an idea, instead of taking away a right to abortion from women, why don't you do what most feminists who aren't lazy do and try to get rid of the patriarchal idealistic surrounding gender based abortions. Thats actually useful and helps us get to equality, while being anti abortion stops that.

“Some abortions harm women!!!”

According the the NHS (the uk healthcare service) 1 in 1000 legal and medical abortions cause damage to the uterus in abortions carried out between 12-24 weeks. Most of these damages are mild infections that can be treated with antibiotics. 

Id also like to remind you that illegal abortions cause wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more damage to someones uterus than a safe and legal one. So your argument is kinda stupid. Like “some women are hurt by legal abortions so lets make it illegal and have EVERY woman be hurt but abortions! I'm fighting for women rights here guys trust me.” Birth is much more dangerous than abortion as well.

Also.... if you're talking about emotional harm...95% of people don't regret their abortion.

“Its against my religion”

Your religion applies to you, not others. NEXT.

“It doesn't say anywhere that I have to be pro choice to be a feminist”

I’m sorry do you have anything in that thick skull of yours?

feminismˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/

noun

the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.

Newsflash, you can’t advocate for equality when you see women as incubators. Also, yes you do see women as incubators. You think that if a person gets pregnant and doesn't want it or finds out that it is horrifically deformed or already dead that they should  keep it and have it. You’re kidding me right? That is the most misogynistic and sexist thing I have ever heard and its is 100% what you're ok with.

Let me tell you what you're also ok with that is completely anti feminist:

1. Child abuse

I will get into that next

2. Back ally/coat hanger abortions

You're pro people getting hurt via illegal abortions. You're ok with people killing themselves via mass blood loss all because you're selfish enough ignore their desperation. Have you read the stories of illegal abortions before it was legal? They're horrific. You're no feminist if you're ok with pregnant people killing themselves because a right was taken away from them.

3. Rape

No one consents to rape. Its kinda like someone stabs someone else and you tell the person who was stabbed “Don't go to the hospital! You'll be fine! You can handle it.” No one should be forced to continue a pregnancy if they didn't consent to becoming pregnant. you're no feminist if you think people should suffer like that and drag their trauma out. You're punishing people for being raped. Thats worse than victim blaming. Sick.

4. Self harm

People throw themselves down the stairs, punch themselves and even starve themselves to kill the foetus. Why should they be subjected to that when they could have a safe one? You're evil if you think people should be hurt for accidentally getting themselves pregnant then you're no feminist.

5. Poverty

Do you know how much a child costs? $14,000 per year. If you're working a minimum wage job which pays $15,080 per year, thats not good news for you. The fact you’re fine with single mothers or fathers struggling to feed themselves all because of a mistake they made once is NOT ok in any way.

6. People loosing their right to education

You're ok with people missing valuable education time because they need to look after their child and/or give birth? Resulting in them severely denting their life which links to argument 5. ...You’re getting what i mean now right?

7. CHILDREN.BEING.TRAUMATISED.AND.HURT

A 12 year old being forced to have a child isn't ok sorry. There is no way you're in the right for saying they should. Their body isn't built to have a child yet so they're more likely to die or be in immense pain. The labour will be way way way longer than an adults. If you think a child should be put through that, what is wrong with you? You’re so evil I cannot muster and you're the exact opposite of a feminist.

8. The objectification of women

By forcing people to go through with pregnancies you're feeding the patriarchal idea that women are here to give birth to and look after children. You're saying that women are incubators and exist to be impregnated. You're saying that women are lesser than something that doesn't know it’s alive and that she is a slave to the person who got her pregnant and the thing inside her. Thats like so unfeminist its amazing. Thanks.

“Why can’t they just give it for adoption?”

The percentage of adopted children who are abuse is 25%. 25%!!!!! Children who are adopted are also more likely to have depression and commit suicide. In fact, if you're a foster child you're 4 times more likely to commit suicide than a child with a known birth parent. Gay parents are also allowed to be refused to adopt my some agencies, where are you yelling about that? Why are you telling people not to abort when you should be protesting this abuse and homophobia? You're telling me you'd rather see a child suffer and have their whole life messed up than just let a person have an abortion? You're sick.

“Im only ok with it if it’s rape”

So a person has to have their body violated for them to get the rights to it? Consent to sex is NOT consent to pregnancy. Condom effectiveness have gone down to 85%. Its kinda like saying that you're only ok with STD medication if it was due to rape. You can consent to sex but not being infected, so its not their fault. So thats the same with being pregnant.

“I think people should take responsibility for their actions”

Well, they are. Aborting the foetus is taking responsibility for their action. And its rather anti feminist of you to think people should be punished for life because of a mistake.

“Its my choice to be pro life and feminism gives you the right to chose what you believe”

That sentence was a direct contradiction to what you believe. Feminism gives you the right to choose yes but who are you to feel that you can take away that same right to choose to other women. Are you that entitled that you think your choice to be “pro life” is greater than other peoples right to a choice? 

Your choice to be pro life is also not feminist at all. Kinda like me saying I'm pro lgbt but then kicking my child out if they're gay.  People choose to be racist, people choose to be homophobes. Your choice is your choice yes but everyone has a right to tell you why that choice is wrong.

“But babies are cute!”

...okay...? First off, that shit isn’t a baby. It’s a cluster of cells or a foetus. Second, what does that matter? Something being cute doesn’t put it on some kinda pedestal. I like boa constrictors are cute, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t shoot one in the face if it was trying to constrict my friend.

A thing being cute doesn’t make it more important. In fact it’s very ignorant of you to say that something being cute puts it above others.

You're not a feminist. Just say you hate people with uteruses and go

[upthenorthmountain]

Where The World Is In The Making - Chapter 9

Previous Chapters

Chapter Nine

“Anna?”

Kristoff was leaning over the bed, shaking her shoulder gently. Anna squinted at him, then sat up. “Wha’issit?” she said.

“Um.” Kristoff retreated a step away from the bed. “Mrs Easie says the service - the circuit preacher is in town - the service is going to start at eight, in the meeting house. And it’s twenty to eight now.”

Anna stared at him, still half asleep.

“If you want to go, you need to get dressed,” he said.

“Yes,” Anna said finally, and swung her legs out of the bed. “Okay, yes. It’s Sunday. Oh, no, we didn’t get to the store yesterday -”

“It’s all right, I saw Mr Oak downstairs. We can go by and pick up my things when we’re ready to go.”

“Oh, wonderful.”

Kristoff nodded and left the room.

Anna got up, yawning. She dressed - her dress was dry, but it was splashed with mud round the hem, and her shoes were dirty. She undid her hair and brushed it through with her fingers, but she didn’t have any pins to put it up properly, so just re-braided it and tied it with the same faded ribbons. She squinted at herself in the small fly-spotted mirror on the wall. Elsa would have a fit if she thought I was going to church looking like this, she thought. But surely not going would be worse? Well, it was what it was.

She went down the stairs and found Kristoff waiting for her by the front door. Main Street was as busy as Anna had ever seen it, with families and couples walking down to the meeting house; she recognised a few people from the barn-raising.

It was funny how crowded it seemed between the buildings, when you were used to the big open spaces. Anna found herself walking closer to her husband, then, after noticing all the other women doing it, slipping her hand onto his arm. Kristoff broke his step for a second, then bent his elbow to accommodate her.

——

Once they were finished in town they headed home, a very intriguing parcel packed safely in the back of the wagon. Kristoff refused to tell Anna what it was, but he’d carried it very carefully, and made sure it was secure and wouldn’t rattle about. She kept peeking over her shoulder at it, but it remained silently wrapped in plain brown paper, giving no clues.

“Is it something for the house?” she asked.

“Mmm?”

“The parcel, is it something for the house?”

“You can see when we get home, I told you.”

Anna huffed. “Why not now.”

Kristoff smiled. “Don’t be so impatient.”

The journey was completely different to yesterday. The sun had already dried out the ground and the wagon wheels were rolling along smoothly.

“I hope Elsa got along alright,” Anna said. “And I hope she wasn’t worrying about us. Oh dear, I meant to remember all about the sermon and everything so I could tell her, but I forgot…”

“Just make something up.”

“I can’t do that!”

Her genuinely shocked expression made him laugh.

“I can’t lie about what a minister said,” Anna said earnestly. “And especially not to my sister.”

Kristoff smiled and looked ahead.

“You don’t have any brothers or sisters, do you,” Anna said after a moment.

“Not blood, no.”

“What about your parents?” Anna asked. “Where are they?”

Kristoff looked at her, then back at the road. “Nowhere. Dead. My father died when I was eleven, my mother when I was twelve. And right around then some friends of theirs were heading West to take homesteads - three of them, three brothers and their families - and said they’d take me with them if I could earn my keep. ”

“That was kind of them.”

“Well, they made me work for it! But yes. They’re good people. When I was grown and I wanted to take up my father’s claim, here, they didn’t try and stop me, and without those years working with them I’d never have been able to manage here.”

“Is that who you write to?”

“Yeah. The parcel -” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the wagon bed behind them - ”is from them, a wedding gift.”

“So you told them you got married?”

“Well, of course. The advertisement was her idea. Mrs Solheim, my foster-mother.”

Anna laughed. “Really?”

“Yes - I’ll be honest. I placed the advertisement so I could tell her I had, I didn’t expect to get any replies.”

Did you want any? Anna didn’t dare ask.

“Why didn’t your father take up his claim?” she said instead.

“He was working in a factory to save up the money to get started. My mother took in sewing. I found the claim papers in with some of their things that I’d managed to keep. And now here I am.”

He was looking ahead again, his jaw set. Anna could tell that that was all she was going to get for now.

“So what’s in the parcel?” she said.

-----

She didn’t get a reply then, but as soon as they’d arrived back home and greeted Elsa she asked Kristoff the same question again. “What’s in the parcel?”

He laughed. “Alright, alright. I’ll show you.”

He took the parcel out of the wagon and carried it carefully inside, Anna right on his heels. Elsa also followed them into the cabin, and stood to one side as Kristoff put the parcel on the table and undid the wrapping.

“Glass!” Anna gasped. “For the window?”

“Yes. A proper window.”

He’d known it would make her happy, but he hadn’t expected her full reaction. Surely she was used to glass windows; surely it wouldn’t be that exciting for her. But Anna smiled all over her face, and clasped her hands, and then, to the surprise of both of them, leant up and kissed him on the cheek.

They both stopped stock still, staring at each other. Kristoff could tell he was blushing to the roots of his hair. Behind them, Elsa cleared her throat.

“Well, I’d better - get my tools -” he said, and backed towards the door.

“Right, right,” Anna said. “Good idea.”

After he’d left, she said “I don’t know why I did that.”

“He’s your husband,” Elsa said.

“I know, but…”

“He didn’t seem to mind.”

Anna stared open-mouthed at Elsa, who just turned away and went back to her housework.

----

That evening, once dinner was finished, Kristoff stood while his wife and sister-in-law cleared the dishes.

“Well, goodnight,” he said.

“You don’t have to sit out in the barn,” Anna said suddenly. Kristoff paused in the doorway.

“I mean, you can sit in here with us,” she continued. “I’m just going to read and Elsa will be sewing so we’re not very exciting company, but, um. If you like.”

Kristoff hesitated. “I do need to write a letter,” he said. Anna smiled and went back to her work.

-----

The room was not large, especially with three of them in it, and letting the sisters have the chairs meant that Kristoff had to sit on a stool, but he had to confess that it was still more comfortable than sitting on the floor of the barn, and warmer, too. The story Anna was reading was not one he would have chosen - not enough action, and more words he didn’t know than he would have admitted - but she read well and the sound of her voice was soothing, even if he couldn’t always follow as he concentrated on his writing.

It was easier to write these days, though, because he had more to say. When he had been living alone every day had been similar to the last, but now...well, he could probably fill the page just complaining about that goat Anna had made him buy.

Anna finished her chapter just as Kristoff was signing the bottom of the letter. He folded it and put it in his pocket, then stood.

“Goodnight, then, ladies,” he said. Anna stood as well, still holding her book. “Goodnight,” she said, hesitated a second, then stepped forward and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

It was just a peck, but Kristoff blushed just as brightly as he had that afternoon. “Goodnight,” he said again, then almost ran out of the door.

Anna glanced over at her sister. Elsa was looking down, calmly tidying her sewing things into her workbox.

“I’m going to bed,” Anna said, turned on her heel and went into the bedroom. Then she paused.

“Elsa,” she called through.

“Yes?”

“Why does my bed smell like - goat?”

[the-mob-brat]

Thaddeus & Elisa Detroit Tommy Lee Jones & Jessica Lange

The parents of the Detroit siblings. Elisa is a known socialite, and had a very strong presence in her younger days in Upper New York City society. She met Thaddeus one day in a diner, when he was there with a group of friends. The two dated for a while before he revealed to her what it was his family did. Elisa got over the idea quickly, and agreed to marry him without hesitation. Thaddeus is a ruthless businessman and Elisa has raised her kids to know that family always comes first. They’re supportive of their children, if not a little set in their ways. Thaddeus is a little homophobic, but could get better...

Dominick Detroit Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

The oldest of the Detroit siblings. Nicky has a passion for politics, and has had a part in them ever since he could first join student council. In highschool, Nicky used to play baseball, and is particularly handy with a baseball bat, a fact he’s had to remind people of before...Especially when they messed with his little sister. Nicky is a pretty nice man, and enjoys the arts, which is a platform he often talks about during his campaigns, wanting to work on funding schools, museums, and theaters. Nicky was House Minority Whip at one point, then Governor, and is currently a New York Senator. He has distanced himself from the “family business” as much as he can, though he knows his father is starting to think that he’s become a bit of a liability. Nicky has tried to be smart, and made Evangeline his Healthcare Proxy, just to be safe. Nicky was in a car accident with Helena Tate one night, totaling his car. Luckily, him and Helena were fine. Kingsley has a pretty good idea of who was responsible, though he knows the goal was to eliminate Nicky, not just put him out of service for a bit.

Relationships Helena Tate: The Prima Ballerina of the New York City Ballet Company. Helena and Nicky first met during a performance of Giselle, during which Helena played the title role. Nicky fell head over heels for her, and made sure not to miss a single performance during the season, unless he was out of town. The two began seeing each other after he met her outside of the theater.

Evangeline Detroit: Nicky’s youngest sibling, and only sister. He adores Evangeline, and even suggested to their dad that he take her under his wing to become head of the family, since Nicky had other things he wanted to do. Nicky once took his bat to a boy, shattering his shin bones when he broke up with Evangeline and made her cry. No one can prove he did it, though.

Kingsley Detroit Alexander Skarsgard

The middle child of the Detroit children. Kingsley is known to be a bit aggressive, if not a bit reserved. An odd combination. Kingsley has always been a bit indifferent to the family business, and had no interest in taking over, and also had no interest in the Hotel business they had. Kingsley wanted to make his own way, and figured out how to do that. Once, Thaddeus did make Kingsley kill someone, which made Kingsley very ill for several days. Nicky and their mother both yelled at Thaddeus for this, to which he responded that if Kingsley wasn’t going to do anything helpful, he would be better off finding another family. Eventually, this changed, when it was realized that Kingsley had a good head for numbers. He runs some of the books for the family, in an attempt to try and have something to do with the family so his father won’t look down at him at every single family get together.

Relationships Hadley Sparks: A beautiful young lady who was hired at PURE. Kingsley thinks she’s incredibly talented and is head over heels for Hadley. He isn’t sure about too much of her past, but is willing to take the time to learn about her.

Evangeline Detroit Holliday Grainger

The youngest of the Detroit siblings. Evangeline is the Heiress to the Detroit fortune and the chain of hotels that her family owns. She is also the future head of the Family Business. She’s beautiful and smart, and knows how to work her way around anything. Evangeline, like her mother, feels that family should always come first. Just like her mother, she’s become a well known NYC socialite. Evangeline is often mistaken for being a dumb blonde, and men often try to take advantage of her “simplicity”, especially when it comes to business. She likes seeing the shock on their faces when she schools them on the contracts that they try to get her to sign. 

Relationships Robin Wells: Evangeline’s bodyguard. Robin hasn’t exactly been subtle, hitting on the woman mercilessly. She loves being around Evan, though. She tries not to be too obvious when they’re in around Evan’s family.

Hadley Sparks Amber Heard

A young woman who works at Pure. Hadley is beautiful, and everyone can see that. The other girls are a little jealous of her, though they’re never bitter. Hadley had a rough childhood, bumping around in foster care. Kingsley doesn’t know too much about her. She had a very sordid past, which may have included turning tricks.

Relationships Kingsley Detroit: Hadley’s boss, and lover. Kingsley was more than eager to sleep with Hadley, but tried not to make his feelings towards her too obvious. He wants to know all about her.

Robin Wells Gal Gadot

An only child. Not much is known about Robin, other than Thaddeus hired her off the street, seeing her get in a fight with a group of men. She’s well liked among the guards and goons, but does act a little more stuck up compared to them. 

Relationships Evangeline Detroit: Her boss’ daughter. Robin’s had her eye on her for a while, and ended up seducing Evangeline. The two are dating behind Thaddeus’ back, trying not to get caught.

Jerome Tate & Marilyn Tate Malcolm MacDowell &  Frances Conroy

Jerome is an Englishman who came to America in his early years. He started working almost as soon as he was old enough, picking up everything from painting fences to running food at local diners. Eventually, he got ahold of a plane and began Tate airlines. Marilyn, a stuck in her way Irishwoman, came to America in her late teens, her father the owner of a small hotel. Marilyn and Jerome met one night in a bar, and began seeing each other. When they married, the couple took over the Hotel chain and began Tate Hotel & Airline. They’re not exactly the perfect married couple, but they’re still married, at least...Their marriage seems to have become one moreso of convenience than of love over time.

James Tate Sam Heughan

The eldest of the Tate siblings. James is very level headed and enjoys the family business. He’s taken over from his parents, already, running both the main business and the underworld business. He doesn’t like the Detroits much, but tries not to cross them, since the two families have always sort of stayed out of each others’ ways, and Thaddeus is a very...formidable enemy. James married Cathleen Tate right out of highschool, just before they found out she was pregnant. James isn’t exactly shy about how their marriage is purely for the sake of Bethany.

Relationships Cathleen Tate: James’ wife, The two met in highschool and were the “perfect” couple. Homecoming King & Queen, Prom King & Queen. She was popular and so was he, playing on the football team. They did the logical thing, getting married right out of highschool. Cathleen became pregnant with their daughter. Cathleen is usually off on vacations, staying out of James’ hair.

Orla Tate Alexandra Breckenridge

The middle of the Tate children. She’s beautiful and elegant, but has a temper. Orla has always been a hardworking young lady, having started figure skating when she was young. She works hard to be great, and knows that she WAS great. A lot of people fear Orla’s rage, knowing that she won’t hesitate to throw a punch. She’s taken down grown men before. Unfortunately, Orla shattered her leg knee during a performance. Though she still can skate, she’s instead become a coach, knowing better than to try to push herself that hard. She’s softened a little over the years, but her rage is still...something else.

Relationships Axton Shields: A man who works at the hotel. He buses tables in the in-hotel restaurant, but will sometimes fill in for the crooner. Orla likes being around him, and he keeps up with her sex drive pretty easily.

Helena Tate Sophie Turner

The youngest and possibly most beloved of the Tate children. Helena has had a passion for ballet since she was a toddler and her mother enrolled her in classes at the School of American Ballet. She attended the Summer Intensive at Julliard as a teenager, and has been a part of the New York City Ballet company for many years. She’s a very popular ballerina, and easily catches men’s eyes. Helena is more reserved than the rest of the family, though she can’t help but act her age sometimes. She’s not a teenager anymore, but she’s still young, and she wants to have fun.

Relationships Nicky Detroit: A senator who Helena met during one of her performances. The two became fast friends and even faster lovers. Nicky is head over heels for her, and she’s just as crazy about him. They get on impossibly well. He’s never missed a performance.

Bethany Tate Brec Bassinger

James & Cathleen’s daughter. Bethany just wants to have fun and be a teenager, but it’s hard when both of her parents are on her ass. Bethany wants to join the football team, but is currently doing figure skating, under her aunt’s coaching. She hates it, but it too afraid to speak up and tell them. She goes out and parties with friends all the time late at night.

Axton Shields Levi Stocke

A young man who works at Tate Hotel. He’s got a bit of an attitude but loves the nights when the crooner doesn’t show up, because those are the nights he gets to take over. It’s worth busing dishes for a chance to do something he loves. Axton is, generally, a pretty nice guy. But he’s not afraid to result to a bit of underhandedness to get what he wants and what he needs. He’s pretty good at slight of hand...

Relationships Orla Tate: Axton’s...girlfriend? they’re not exactly sure what they are, but they’re definitely fucking. Axton likes Orla a lot and is happy that he can keep up with her...demanding sex  drive. Her attitude doesn’t bother him at all.

Olivia Salzmann: Axton’s ex. They were dating seriously for a while until she got pregnant. Their relationship became strained, and they agreed it was better to break up. They agreed to have his name on the birth certificate. But Olivia let her parents have full custody. She really doesn’t care about her.

Ophelia Shields-Salzmann: Axton’s daughter. He isn’t super close with her, though they know each other. He didn’t want to be completely absent in her life, and visits every other weekend. They have a strange bond. Axton’s name is on her birth certificate, but her grandparents have custody. She sees her dad more than her mom, though, who really doesn’t care about her. Opehlia has asked, more than once, to live with Axton. He just doesn’t want her to, but knows better than to say that to a fourteen year old.