TM 311: Thank Somebody.
Incorporates current New Avengers (Brian Michael Bendis) plots; some dialogue taken directly. All muses used with permission or are NPCs.
You want to know the plan? The plan is this. We go get him.
"Green Arrow." Bobbi chews her lip, thoughtfully. "You know, that relationship makes so much more sense now."
"I guess." Arms crossed, feet set, Clint's stance says 'I'm in charge'. If only anyone were paying attention.
"You knew?"
"No, who knew?" He thinks about it a moment. "Jessica knew."
"What did I know?" Arms crossed, feet set, Jessica Drew's stance says 'fuck this job'. Only, you know, nicer and less sarcastically. Or it would if she could make it.
Fuck.
Clint shakes his head. "Not you Jessica, the other Jessica."
Jessica waves her hand.
"Are you, like, Purple Arrow?" Peter asks Stephanie.
"Isn't there already a Purple Arrow?" Jessica posits.
"Yeah, Kate," answers Danny.
Jessica nods and looks over at Clint, "Didn't you used to be Purple Arrow?"
"No."
Bobbi gives a small smile. "Hawkeye."
"Right. Like Kate." Danny is rolling his eyes. You just can't tell because he wears a mask.
"Isn't Hawkeye sleeping with Ms. Marvel?"
"No, Vision."
Mia's eyes go wide. "Wait! Ms. Marvel slept with Purple Arrow, too?"
"Not that Ms. Marvel, the other one."
"I think the other one slept with both Purple Arrows."
Clint glares over his still crossed arms. "My name was Hawkeye."
"My name is Spoiler," answers Stephanie, amused that she's caused such discussion. "I'm not an Arrow, I'm a Bat. And this is eggplant."
"Eggplant Arrow?"
"Eggplant Bat!"
"You're an Arrow." They'd all assumed Ollie'd been ignoring the conversation as much as Ms. Marvel and Captain America are. Just goes to show.
"I'm an Arrow? Really?" Ollie gives her a curt nod. Mia moves to stand just behind him.
"What's going on?"
Cap answers, "We're waiting for the signal the other team is in place."
"You can do this, Jess." Carol is still speaking into the phone; she's their link to the other group. "We're ready." She gives a small nod her friend can't see and closes the phone.
Ollie's eyes narrow slightly. "She okay?"
Carol holds his gaze a split second, but doesn't answer. She straightens. "Everybody to the launch point." The team (plus) move into position as one as the doors to the quinjet open. Carol takes a breath. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
--
"So, are we Avengers now?"
Despite the circumstance -- hiding in an invisible plane after a hard battle -- Ollie gives Mia a half smile. "Nah, we're Arrows.
"She shouted Avengers assemble! not Avengers and Arrows assemble!"
Ollie places a hand on Carol's shoulder. "She's very efficient."
Mia stops herself rolling her eyes. Just barely. "Uh-huh. Is she an Arrow?"
His hand tightens on Carol's shoulder. "...Yeah."
"Then how come you aren't an Avenger?"
"We don't let just anybody in, you know." Peter honestly means it to be teasing. The look he receives from Mia, Ollie, and Carol says they didn't get that. Time to change the subject! "So... what's going on?"
"They're punching each other." Cap answers in clipped tones. Military. No nonsense. Carol appreciates it. The others not so much.
"Fantastic."
Peter looks at James' binoculars. "Let me see. Can I see?"
Cap stops himself rolling his eyes. Just barely. "No. These are expensive."
"We should go. Like now."
"Settle down."
"They can see us."
Bobbi does not stop herself rolling her eyes. "The cloak is on. We're invisible."
Peter shrugs. "I feel naked."
"Maybe it's the full body stocking?" As Clint speaks, Carol's communicator beeps.
"What are they doing now?" asks Bobbi, to have something to say.
"Same thing," answers James, trying not to clench his teeth. Really. Trying.
"Time to go." Mia cocks her head at the Spider. The boy Spider. Girl Spider is pretty quiet, comparatively.
"Yeah?" Carol speaks into her communicator, oblivious to the rest of them.
"Who is it?" asks Peter.
"Sshh," says Carol.
"Shhhh!" echoes Mia. Peter puts his hands up in mock surrender.
A moment goes by as Carol listens. "They got him." She's grinning. "Luke's okay."
There is a great deal of subdued rejoicing at her words. Carol hears something about Osborn leaving and the good guys winning, but her focus is elsewhere. Jascha is still looking through his binoculars, and the rest are making awkward 'are we allowed to be happy and touch or do we have to be serious and focused?' machinations. Mia not as much, Steph even less so, Bobbi and Clint are finishing each other's sentences, and Ollie is smiling at her.
"We're on our way, Jess," she says into the phone before turning to the controls of the plane. "Jacsha?"
He nods. "Buckle-up everyone."
--
No one likes hospital rooms, but Luke's is overflowing with heroes and good will. As after any battle, there is a lot of touching going on. Something about nearly dying that makes living more important. Those without someone to touch make do. Jascha places both hands on his shield. Steph taps her foot. Mia swallows her scowl. Ollie swallows his pride so Carol's hand on Jessica's back doesn't bother him, not any which way.
In fact, he loves her more.
When they finally start to disperse, Carol pulls Jess into an embrace before releasing her to her invalid husband and joining her own someone in the hall. "She's okay." She says it like he'd just asked. Like there hadn't been 10 plus hours and a battle in between question and answer. He smiles.
"Good."
"I think Peter has a crush on Mia."
"I think Peter has a crush on you."
She swallows a laugh. "So?"
"So." He puffs up his chest. Acting out possessive boyfriend or protective father, she's not certain. "He's entirely too old for her."
She swallows another laugh. Just barely. "Okay."
"I think Mia has a crush on Captain America."
Carol cocks her head. "He's taken." Ollie scowls. Carol chews her lip. "And entirely too old for her?"
He looks down at her. Funny she's so secure in battle. Over confident. But chewing her lip over a school girl's crush. "So, are we Avengers, now?"
She flashes him an entirely goofy grin. "You wanna be an Avenger?"
He gives her a grin of his own and pulls her in tight to his body. "Well, look, don't tell, but I'm not the lone ranger. That in there?" He indicates the hospital room. "That's the point."
Carol reaches around to grab an arrow from the clutch still on his back. "This point?" She draws the tip playfully across his cheek.
Ollie shakes his head and puts a hand to the very tip of her lighting bolt, right over her heart. "This point." She holds his gaze a long moment and finally nods.
"Thanks, Ollie-Ollie."
"Thanks?"
She knocks her head back, indicating the hospital room, as he had. "That in there? That's the most important thing I did this year. And you did it with me. So. Thanks."
He moves his arms around her to pull her in as close as he can. "Anytime."
You want to know the plan? The plan is this. We go get him.
"Green Arrow." Bobbi chews her lip, thoughtfully. "You know, that relationship makes so much more sense now."
"I guess." Arms crossed, feet set, Clint's stance says 'I'm in charge'. If only anyone were paying attention.
"You knew?"
"No, who knew?" He thinks about it a moment. "Jessica knew."
"What did I know?" Arms crossed, feet set, Jessica Drew's stance says 'fuck this job'. Only, you know, nicer and less sarcastically. Or it would if she could make it.
Fuck.
Clint shakes his head. "Not you Jessica, the other Jessica."
Jessica waves her hand.
"Are you, like, Purple Arrow?" Peter asks Stephanie.
"Isn't there already a Purple Arrow?" Jessica posits.
"Yeah, Kate," answers Danny.
Jessica nods and looks over at Clint, "Didn't you used to be Purple Arrow?"
"No."
Bobbi gives a small smile. "Hawkeye."
"Right. Like Kate." Danny is rolling his eyes. You just can't tell because he wears a mask.
"Isn't Hawkeye sleeping with Ms. Marvel?"
"No, Vision."
Mia's eyes go wide. "Wait! Ms. Marvel slept with Purple Arrow, too?"
"Not that Ms. Marvel, the other one."
"I think the other one slept with both Purple Arrows."
Clint glares over his still crossed arms. "My name was Hawkeye."
"My name is Spoiler," answers Stephanie, amused that she's caused such discussion. "I'm not an Arrow, I'm a Bat. And this is eggplant."
"Eggplant Arrow?"
"Eggplant Bat!"
"You're an Arrow." They'd all assumed Ollie'd been ignoring the conversation as much as Ms. Marvel and Captain America are. Just goes to show.
"I'm an Arrow? Really?" Ollie gives her a curt nod. Mia moves to stand just behind him.
"What's going on?"
Cap answers, "We're waiting for the signal the other team is in place."
"You can do this, Jess." Carol is still speaking into the phone; she's their link to the other group. "We're ready." She gives a small nod her friend can't see and closes the phone.
Ollie's eyes narrow slightly. "She okay?"
Carol holds his gaze a split second, but doesn't answer. She straightens. "Everybody to the launch point." The team (plus) move into position as one as the doors to the quinjet open. Carol takes a breath. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
--
"So, are we Avengers now?"
Despite the circumstance -- hiding in an invisible plane after a hard battle -- Ollie gives Mia a half smile. "Nah, we're Arrows.
"She shouted Avengers assemble! not Avengers and Arrows assemble!"
Ollie places a hand on Carol's shoulder. "She's very efficient."
Mia stops herself rolling her eyes. Just barely. "Uh-huh. Is she an Arrow?"
His hand tightens on Carol's shoulder. "...Yeah."
"Then how come you aren't an Avenger?"
"We don't let just anybody in, you know." Peter honestly means it to be teasing. The look he receives from Mia, Ollie, and Carol says they didn't get that. Time to change the subject! "So... what's going on?"
"They're punching each other." Cap answers in clipped tones. Military. No nonsense. Carol appreciates it. The others not so much.
"Fantastic."
Peter looks at James' binoculars. "Let me see. Can I see?"
Cap stops himself rolling his eyes. Just barely. "No. These are expensive."
"We should go. Like now."
"Settle down."
"They can see us."
Bobbi does not stop herself rolling her eyes. "The cloak is on. We're invisible."
Peter shrugs. "I feel naked."
"Maybe it's the full body stocking?" As Clint speaks, Carol's communicator beeps.
"What are they doing now?" asks Bobbi, to have something to say.
"Same thing," answers James, trying not to clench his teeth. Really. Trying.
"Time to go." Mia cocks her head at the Spider. The boy Spider. Girl Spider is pretty quiet, comparatively.
"Yeah?" Carol speaks into her communicator, oblivious to the rest of them.
"Who is it?" asks Peter.
"Sshh," says Carol.
"Shhhh!" echoes Mia. Peter puts his hands up in mock surrender.
A moment goes by as Carol listens. "They got him." She's grinning. "Luke's okay."
There is a great deal of subdued rejoicing at her words. Carol hears something about Osborn leaving and the good guys winning, but her focus is elsewhere. Jascha is still looking through his binoculars, and the rest are making awkward 'are we allowed to be happy and touch or do we have to be serious and focused?' machinations. Mia not as much, Steph even less so, Bobbi and Clint are finishing each other's sentences, and Ollie is smiling at her.
"We're on our way, Jess," she says into the phone before turning to the controls of the plane. "Jacsha?"
He nods. "Buckle-up everyone."
--
No one likes hospital rooms, but Luke's is overflowing with heroes and good will. As after any battle, there is a lot of touching going on. Something about nearly dying that makes living more important. Those without someone to touch make do. Jascha places both hands on his shield. Steph taps her foot. Mia swallows her scowl. Ollie swallows his pride so Carol's hand on Jessica's back doesn't bother him, not any which way.
In fact, he loves her more.
When they finally start to disperse, Carol pulls Jess into an embrace before releasing her to her invalid husband and joining her own someone in the hall. "She's okay." She says it like he'd just asked. Like there hadn't been 10 plus hours and a battle in between question and answer. He smiles.
"Good."
"I think Peter has a crush on Mia."
"I think Peter has a crush on you."
She swallows a laugh. "So?"
"So." He puffs up his chest. Acting out possessive boyfriend or protective father, she's not certain. "He's entirely too old for her."
She swallows another laugh. Just barely. "Okay."
"I think Mia has a crush on Captain America."
Carol cocks her head. "He's taken." Ollie scowls. Carol chews her lip. "And entirely too old for her?"
He looks down at her. Funny she's so secure in battle. Over confident. But chewing her lip over a school girl's crush. "So, are we Avengers, now?"
She flashes him an entirely goofy grin. "You wanna be an Avenger?"
He gives her a grin of his own and pulls her in tight to his body. "Well, look, don't tell, but I'm not the lone ranger. That in there?" He indicates the hospital room. "That's the point."
Carol reaches around to grab an arrow from the clutch still on his back. "This point?" She draws the tip playfully across his cheek.
Ollie shakes his head and puts a hand to the very tip of her lighting bolt, right over her heart. "This point." She holds his gaze a long moment and finally nods.
"Thanks, Ollie-Ollie."
"Thanks?"
She knocks her head back, indicating the hospital room, as he had. "That in there? That's the most important thing I did this year. And you did it with me. So. Thanks."
He moves his arms around her to pull her in as close as he can. "Anytime."