Avengers Genderswap fic snippet
Snippet of my genderswapped!Avengers fic. Yes there's more after this which is why this thing is taking forever to write.
Toni walked into the dining room, a piece of toast dangling from her mouth, and holding up a white envelope.
“‘Nother invitation, addressed to all of us. Mayor’s office this time,” Toni said, sounding almost bored as she tossed it down on the table.
“When is it for?” Coulson asked, taking out her Starkphone.
“Week today.”
“Think we can get Fury to let one or two of those giant slugs out of holding for the day?” Claire asked, grabbing the coffeepot.
Phyllis gave her a disapproving look. “I don’t think the Director will go for that just so you can get out of a formal function. She’s more likely to make sure you go, in the hopes that it’ll help the team’s image, or at least get some of the local politicians on your side.”
Steph swallowed her mouthful of eggs with a grimace.
“Formal?” she asked, nervous.
“Black tie for the guys. What, don’t have a formal gown lying around, Cap?” Toni said. Her eyes brightened. “Wait, you don’t, do you? Awesome. Today you and I are going shopping. Besides, your everyday wardrobe looks like you could use a little of the Toni Stark touch.”
Steph gulped. When Toni wasn’t in her lab or hanging around Avengers Tower, a lot of the stuff she wore was a little...trendy for Steph’s taste. Not in a bad way, just...not something she could see herself wearing. And probably much more expensive than she could imagine.
“Don’t you have a multi-billion dollar company to run, Toni?” Claire asked.
“Pepper takes care of the boring stuff; he’s much better at that. I got my work done last night; one day of shopping isn’t going to put me off-schedule. Why don’t you join us? I doubt you’ve got a formal dress hanging around your locker.”
Nikolai didn’t miss a beat. “Not everyone can take a day off work, Stark. We’re needed at SHIELD headquarters.”
Steph caught the quick grin Claire sent Nikolai’s way and not for the first time she wondered if they could read each other’s minds and just hadn’t told anyone.
Steph looked around her, noticing that Bryce seemed to have disappeared sometime after the party was mentioned as Thor said that she was perfectly prepared for any kind of formal event and had an engagement with James Foster, otherwise she’d be delighted to come along. Steph gave Phyl a slightly imploring look.
“Actually I could use a couple things, if you don’t mind me tagging along,” Phyl said with her usual nonchalance, pouring herself another cup of coffee.
“Deal, because I am dying to see how you look in something that isn’t a suit. Unless you go the Marlene Dietrich route for formal events.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Phyl said, getting to her feet. “Meet you back here around ten?”
“Sounds good to me,” Steph said, getting to her feet. “You going upstairs?”
Phyl nodded, and they headed toward the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, Steph let out a breath. “Thanks, it’s not that I don’t want to spend time with Toni I’m just...not sure her style is mine and it would help to have someone else there. Especially someone with a better grasp of just what these kind of things should cost.”
“No problem. I know Toni can be...intense.”
Steph wasn’t surprised Phyl took the diplomatic route, but it still made her laugh as the elevator doors opened. “You could say that. See you downstairs.”
Phyl nodded, a slight smile playing around the corners of her mouth. “See you in a few minutes.”
Three hours later Steph stood, empty handed, in a store that seemed more empty space than clothes. Maybe it was a sign that the designer was so high-class, they didn’t need to have much stock in the place to make their rent, Steph thought, glancing around the store. Nothing she saw looked like anything she wanted to wear, though Toni was obviously having a whale of a time. She flitted from rack to rack, grabbing items and tossing them on the growing pile carried by one of the store assistants. Steph wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Toni wasn’t going to buy a quarter of the stuff she was pulling off the rack.
So far the experience had been repeated at two stores, and Toni didn’t seem to be slowing down. It certainly looked like it was going to be a long afternoon, though now that she thought of it, it maybe hadn’t been too awful. She had managed to find a couple pieces, mostly through Phyl’s interference. Mainly the kind of things she could wear for press appearances, as Steph balked at spending three-digit figures on jeans and other casual clothes. It was nowhere near a full wardrobe, but it was something even if none of it was an ideal fit, not that that was a surprise considering Steph’s physique. It was why she hadn’t done much shopping; she hated trying things on that fit her waist but not her chest, or shoulders, or arms. Phyl promised she’d give Steph the address of her tailor, so she could get things fitted.
Steph glanced over at Phyl, noticing she was a little pale and moving a little more slowly than she had earlier that day. Spotting a couple chairs near a full-length mirror, Steph took a seat, leaning back as far as the chair would allow. A moment later, Phyl did the same.
“I figure if Toni’s determined to make us comment on every outfit she tries on, she can come to us,” Steph said.
Phyl gave her a smile that made Steph think she knew exactly what Steph was doing, but didn’t comment.
“I hope the day hasn’t been too torturous so far,” Phyl said, finally.
“No, it hasn’t,” Steph said, realizing how much she meant it as she spoke. “Actually it’s been kind of fun. I never...I’ve never really done this kind of thing before. I didn’t really have many girl friends when I was a kid, as I was that weird kid who kept having to stay home from school. The only person I really hung out with was Bucky, and he wasn’t about to go clothes shopping with me. Not that we ever had money for it. And then there was the war, and I was in uniform, and I was surrounded by guys in a situation where clothes shopping wasn’t really a priority.”
Steph paused for a moment, then added. “I think the uniform was the first time I actually wore something that was made just for me; that something really fit me. But then it wasn’t really girly, either--not after I changed it so I could actually fight in it. Even when we were back in England I never really wore anything feminine, partly because the WACs didn’t make a uniform that would fit me. Besides, it wasn’t exactly something that would encourage others--especially the military brass--to take me seriously.”
Phyl nodded. “I can see that. Actually, that’s something Toni would know about, too. She had a tough time getting pretty much everyone to take her seriously, genius or not; about the only thing she had that could get people’s attention was her money. Same with Bryce, really, except without the money. It’s still not that common for women to go into STEM fields. And Claire knows what it’s like being a woman in a quasi-military organization like SHIELD.”
Phyl’s tone was casual, but Steph had the feeling she was making a point; if a gentle one. Now that she thought about it, her being displaced in time was the one thing she didn’t share with the rest of the team.
Steph looked over at Phyl, realizing there was one example she hadn’t mentioned. “I’d think you’d have even more experience with that than Claire, not to discount hers.”
Phyl didn’t look at her, instead watching Toni and looking around the store with her usual poker face. Steph had a feeling she wasn’t as cool and collected as she looked, though.
“Some. I...my parents wanted a boy, but it didn’t end up happening. My father was...traditional, didn’t think I would amount to much, partly because I was a woman. For a while, my pursuit of my career was to prove him wrong, then I did it for me, instead.”
There was a pause, but Steph didn’t rush to fill it. Phyl’s mouth had narrowed somewhat, as though she was pressing her lips together to hold something in.
“When I found the comic books about you, I knew I wanted to try and do whatever I wanted. Even before you became Captain America, you didn’t give up, so I wouldn’t either. If you could succeed despite everyone thinking you couldn’t measure up, then I could succeed too.”
Steph didn’t know what to say. She’d never really thought of herself as setting that kind of example, considering it wasn’t like her being part of the Howling Commandos had meant women could follow her lead and fight on the front lines. She was a one-off, a freak, only there because Dr. Erskine had lobbied on her behalf and the brass had eventually figured that at least if the experiment went wrong they weren’t losing a soldier. They’d only let her anywhere near combat after she’d stuck her neck out and destroyed an entire HYDRA factory to rescue Bucky and the other prisoners. She had a feeling Phillips had only gone along with creating the team because he knew if he didn’t, she’d do it anyway, and then most of her influence came after she’d crashed in the ice, building throughout those long years when she’d been sleeping.
It still seemed like what made her special “came out of a bottle,” as Toni had said, but maybe not all of it. And she couldn’t be sure that Phyl’s achievements weren’t as heroic as a lot of things Steph had done.
“Thank you,” Steph said, finally, manners winning out. “For telling me, I mean. I guess I never realized how much we shared in common--er, the team and I, and you too--despite being from different time periods. I guess I never really thought about what kind of example I was for others during the years I wasn’t around, either.”
Phyl finally looked at her, lips curving in a small smile. “Glad to help, Captain.”
Steph was just wondering what to say in response when Toni came over in a black dress that at first glance appeared to be sprayed on.
“So this is where the party poopers are. You’re not exactly doing a great job of finding a killer outfit for the event sitting around here.”
“I just don’t think any of this is really...me,” Steph said, trying to figure out how much diplomacy she could use when she just wanted to get out of there.
“I think I know just the place,” Toni said with a wink. A couple minutes later, Toni was back, this time in her regular clothes and carrying a couple bags (Steph was pretty surprised just how fast she’d made those purchases), then led the way out of the store to where Happy was waiting.
Steph didn’t hear where they were going, but it didn’t take long before they were stopping in front of a small boutique closer to the Greenwich Village side of SoHo.
“If Accoutrements doesn’t have anything then you’re completely hopeless, Cap,” Toni said, heading inside with a ring of the bell over the door.
Steph stepped inside as Toni was greeting a woman in a black-and-white polka dotted dress which looked like it must have a crinoline underneath. It was only as she got closer that Steph realized the white polka dots were actually tiny skulls.
“My friend Steph is looking for a formal dress, nothing too daring. She’s kind of a fan of 40’s-era fashion,” Toni said with a sly grin over her shoulder at Steph.
The woman looked Steph over, then nodded. “I think I know just the thing. Come with me,” she said, heading into the depths of the store. At least this place looked like it had more merchandise to offer.
With a glance back at Phyl, Steph followed her, wondering what “just the thing” would be in this place.
Five minutes later Steph stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room, staring at herself. This was...was...
“Come on, Steph, we want to see it!” Toni said from beyond the curtain.
Steph took one last look in the mirror and, teetering on a pair of borrowed heels, stepped out of the dressing room.
“So?” she asked, looking nervously at Toni and Phyl.
For a moment the only response was open-mouthed stares before Phyl cleared her throat.
“You look... That dress suits you perfectly,” Phyl said, her cheeks turning a little red.
“You look amazing!” Toni said, stepping forward. “Turn around; come on, do a twirl!”
Steph turned slowly, catching another glimpse of the dress in the mirrors around the store. The sapphire-blue silk skimmed her curves, flowing and rippling like a liquid. Gathered silk fell from the shoulders and wrapped around the bodice to make a V-neck that was low enough for a hint of cleavage, but not low enough that she felt exposed. Short, loose sleeves balanced out the width of her shoulders and biceps, so that she looked strong, but not like a linebacker.
As weird as it was to see herself in a dress, she had to admit that she felt like she fit in this one; not like someone playing dress-up or trying to be something she wasn’t. It looked like something Ginger Rogers could have worn, twirling across the dance floor with a tuxedoed Fred Astaire, without looking like it should be in a museum.
“It’s perfect,” Steph said with a sigh.
“Of course it is,” Toni said with a smug smile. “Did you really think I would steer you wrong?” Something about Toni’s smile made Steph wonder if Toni had engineered the whole day just for this moment.
“Anyway, if you’re taking it, then let’s go--now that you have the dress, we need to find you shoes and a handbag to go with it.”
Steph closed her eyes for a moment and tried not to groan.
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Toni walked into the dining room, a piece of toast dangling from her mouth, and holding up a white envelope.
“‘Nother invitation, addressed to all of us. Mayor’s office this time,” Toni said, sounding almost bored as she tossed it down on the table.
“When is it for?” Coulson asked, taking out her Starkphone.
“Week today.”
“Think we can get Fury to let one or two of those giant slugs out of holding for the day?” Claire asked, grabbing the coffeepot.
Phyllis gave her a disapproving look. “I don’t think the Director will go for that just so you can get out of a formal function. She’s more likely to make sure you go, in the hopes that it’ll help the team’s image, or at least get some of the local politicians on your side.”
Steph swallowed her mouthful of eggs with a grimace.
“Formal?” she asked, nervous.
“Black tie for the guys. What, don’t have a formal gown lying around, Cap?” Toni said. Her eyes brightened. “Wait, you don’t, do you? Awesome. Today you and I are going shopping. Besides, your everyday wardrobe looks like you could use a little of the Toni Stark touch.”
Steph gulped. When Toni wasn’t in her lab or hanging around Avengers Tower, a lot of the stuff she wore was a little...trendy for Steph’s taste. Not in a bad way, just...not something she could see herself wearing. And probably much more expensive than she could imagine.
“Don’t you have a multi-billion dollar company to run, Toni?” Claire asked.
“Pepper takes care of the boring stuff; he’s much better at that. I got my work done last night; one day of shopping isn’t going to put me off-schedule. Why don’t you join us? I doubt you’ve got a formal dress hanging around your locker.”
Nikolai didn’t miss a beat. “Not everyone can take a day off work, Stark. We’re needed at SHIELD headquarters.”
Steph caught the quick grin Claire sent Nikolai’s way and not for the first time she wondered if they could read each other’s minds and just hadn’t told anyone.
Steph looked around her, noticing that Bryce seemed to have disappeared sometime after the party was mentioned as Thor said that she was perfectly prepared for any kind of formal event and had an engagement with James Foster, otherwise she’d be delighted to come along. Steph gave Phyl a slightly imploring look.
“Actually I could use a couple things, if you don’t mind me tagging along,” Phyl said with her usual nonchalance, pouring herself another cup of coffee.
“Deal, because I am dying to see how you look in something that isn’t a suit. Unless you go the Marlene Dietrich route for formal events.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Phyl said, getting to her feet. “Meet you back here around ten?”
“Sounds good to me,” Steph said, getting to her feet. “You going upstairs?”
Phyl nodded, and they headed toward the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, Steph let out a breath. “Thanks, it’s not that I don’t want to spend time with Toni I’m just...not sure her style is mine and it would help to have someone else there. Especially someone with a better grasp of just what these kind of things should cost.”
“No problem. I know Toni can be...intense.”
Steph wasn’t surprised Phyl took the diplomatic route, but it still made her laugh as the elevator doors opened. “You could say that. See you downstairs.”
Phyl nodded, a slight smile playing around the corners of her mouth. “See you in a few minutes.”
Three hours later Steph stood, empty handed, in a store that seemed more empty space than clothes. Maybe it was a sign that the designer was so high-class, they didn’t need to have much stock in the place to make their rent, Steph thought, glancing around the store. Nothing she saw looked like anything she wanted to wear, though Toni was obviously having a whale of a time. She flitted from rack to rack, grabbing items and tossing them on the growing pile carried by one of the store assistants. Steph wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Toni wasn’t going to buy a quarter of the stuff she was pulling off the rack.
So far the experience had been repeated at two stores, and Toni didn’t seem to be slowing down. It certainly looked like it was going to be a long afternoon, though now that she thought of it, it maybe hadn’t been too awful. She had managed to find a couple pieces, mostly through Phyl’s interference. Mainly the kind of things she could wear for press appearances, as Steph balked at spending three-digit figures on jeans and other casual clothes. It was nowhere near a full wardrobe, but it was something even if none of it was an ideal fit, not that that was a surprise considering Steph’s physique. It was why she hadn’t done much shopping; she hated trying things on that fit her waist but not her chest, or shoulders, or arms. Phyl promised she’d give Steph the address of her tailor, so she could get things fitted.
Steph glanced over at Phyl, noticing she was a little pale and moving a little more slowly than she had earlier that day. Spotting a couple chairs near a full-length mirror, Steph took a seat, leaning back as far as the chair would allow. A moment later, Phyl did the same.
“I figure if Toni’s determined to make us comment on every outfit she tries on, she can come to us,” Steph said.
Phyl gave her a smile that made Steph think she knew exactly what Steph was doing, but didn’t comment.
“I hope the day hasn’t been too torturous so far,” Phyl said, finally.
“No, it hasn’t,” Steph said, realizing how much she meant it as she spoke. “Actually it’s been kind of fun. I never...I’ve never really done this kind of thing before. I didn’t really have many girl friends when I was a kid, as I was that weird kid who kept having to stay home from school. The only person I really hung out with was Bucky, and he wasn’t about to go clothes shopping with me. Not that we ever had money for it. And then there was the war, and I was in uniform, and I was surrounded by guys in a situation where clothes shopping wasn’t really a priority.”
Steph paused for a moment, then added. “I think the uniform was the first time I actually wore something that was made just for me; that something really fit me. But then it wasn’t really girly, either--not after I changed it so I could actually fight in it. Even when we were back in England I never really wore anything feminine, partly because the WACs didn’t make a uniform that would fit me. Besides, it wasn’t exactly something that would encourage others--especially the military brass--to take me seriously.”
Phyl nodded. “I can see that. Actually, that’s something Toni would know about, too. She had a tough time getting pretty much everyone to take her seriously, genius or not; about the only thing she had that could get people’s attention was her money. Same with Bryce, really, except without the money. It’s still not that common for women to go into STEM fields. And Claire knows what it’s like being a woman in a quasi-military organization like SHIELD.”
Phyl’s tone was casual, but Steph had the feeling she was making a point; if a gentle one. Now that she thought about it, her being displaced in time was the one thing she didn’t share with the rest of the team.
Steph looked over at Phyl, realizing there was one example she hadn’t mentioned. “I’d think you’d have even more experience with that than Claire, not to discount hers.”
Phyl didn’t look at her, instead watching Toni and looking around the store with her usual poker face. Steph had a feeling she wasn’t as cool and collected as she looked, though.
“Some. I...my parents wanted a boy, but it didn’t end up happening. My father was...traditional, didn’t think I would amount to much, partly because I was a woman. For a while, my pursuit of my career was to prove him wrong, then I did it for me, instead.”
There was a pause, but Steph didn’t rush to fill it. Phyl’s mouth had narrowed somewhat, as though she was pressing her lips together to hold something in.
“When I found the comic books about you, I knew I wanted to try and do whatever I wanted. Even before you became Captain America, you didn’t give up, so I wouldn’t either. If you could succeed despite everyone thinking you couldn’t measure up, then I could succeed too.”
Steph didn’t know what to say. She’d never really thought of herself as setting that kind of example, considering it wasn’t like her being part of the Howling Commandos had meant women could follow her lead and fight on the front lines. She was a one-off, a freak, only there because Dr. Erskine had lobbied on her behalf and the brass had eventually figured that at least if the experiment went wrong they weren’t losing a soldier. They’d only let her anywhere near combat after she’d stuck her neck out and destroyed an entire HYDRA factory to rescue Bucky and the other prisoners. She had a feeling Phillips had only gone along with creating the team because he knew if he didn’t, she’d do it anyway, and then most of her influence came after she’d crashed in the ice, building throughout those long years when she’d been sleeping.
It still seemed like what made her special “came out of a bottle,” as Toni had said, but maybe not all of it. And she couldn’t be sure that Phyl’s achievements weren’t as heroic as a lot of things Steph had done.
“Thank you,” Steph said, finally, manners winning out. “For telling me, I mean. I guess I never realized how much we shared in common--er, the team and I, and you too--despite being from different time periods. I guess I never really thought about what kind of example I was for others during the years I wasn’t around, either.”
Phyl finally looked at her, lips curving in a small smile. “Glad to help, Captain.”
Steph was just wondering what to say in response when Toni came over in a black dress that at first glance appeared to be sprayed on.
“So this is where the party poopers are. You’re not exactly doing a great job of finding a killer outfit for the event sitting around here.”
“I just don’t think any of this is really...me,” Steph said, trying to figure out how much diplomacy she could use when she just wanted to get out of there.
“I think I know just the place,” Toni said with a wink. A couple minutes later, Toni was back, this time in her regular clothes and carrying a couple bags (Steph was pretty surprised just how fast she’d made those purchases), then led the way out of the store to where Happy was waiting.
Steph didn’t hear where they were going, but it didn’t take long before they were stopping in front of a small boutique closer to the Greenwich Village side of SoHo.
“If Accoutrements doesn’t have anything then you’re completely hopeless, Cap,” Toni said, heading inside with a ring of the bell over the door.
Steph stepped inside as Toni was greeting a woman in a black-and-white polka dotted dress which looked like it must have a crinoline underneath. It was only as she got closer that Steph realized the white polka dots were actually tiny skulls.
“My friend Steph is looking for a formal dress, nothing too daring. She’s kind of a fan of 40’s-era fashion,” Toni said with a sly grin over her shoulder at Steph.
The woman looked Steph over, then nodded. “I think I know just the thing. Come with me,” she said, heading into the depths of the store. At least this place looked like it had more merchandise to offer.
With a glance back at Phyl, Steph followed her, wondering what “just the thing” would be in this place.
Five minutes later Steph stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room, staring at herself. This was...was...
“Come on, Steph, we want to see it!” Toni said from beyond the curtain.
Steph took one last look in the mirror and, teetering on a pair of borrowed heels, stepped out of the dressing room.
“So?” she asked, looking nervously at Toni and Phyl.
For a moment the only response was open-mouthed stares before Phyl cleared her throat.
“You look... That dress suits you perfectly,” Phyl said, her cheeks turning a little red.
“You look amazing!” Toni said, stepping forward. “Turn around; come on, do a twirl!”
Steph turned slowly, catching another glimpse of the dress in the mirrors around the store. The sapphire-blue silk skimmed her curves, flowing and rippling like a liquid. Gathered silk fell from the shoulders and wrapped around the bodice to make a V-neck that was low enough for a hint of cleavage, but not low enough that she felt exposed. Short, loose sleeves balanced out the width of her shoulders and biceps, so that she looked strong, but not like a linebacker.
As weird as it was to see herself in a dress, she had to admit that she felt like she fit in this one; not like someone playing dress-up or trying to be something she wasn’t. It looked like something Ginger Rogers could have worn, twirling across the dance floor with a tuxedoed Fred Astaire, without looking like it should be in a museum.
“It’s perfect,” Steph said with a sigh.
“Of course it is,” Toni said with a smug smile. “Did you really think I would steer you wrong?” Something about Toni’s smile made Steph wonder if Toni had engineered the whole day just for this moment.
“Anyway, if you’re taking it, then let’s go--now that you have the dress, we need to find you shoes and a handbag to go with it.”
Steph closed her eyes for a moment and tried not to groan.
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