the iron fist

There are parts of the Book of the Iron Fist that are unwritten. And right now, I'm the only guy with the pen

[ironrand]

nobodysmystique‌:  

“Wouldn’t smelling it make you, like, allergic? Ugh. Don’t die on my table.”

“Wait a second, aren’t you the guy with the business? Just give them a big tip. Problem solved. Or I could give that server man a look. I’m out of his league, duh, but it gets the job done.”

“Nope, just ingestion! No promises; though, the autopsy might reveal it was the boredom, not the cilantro.”

“That’s me. Not that the look thing doesn’t sound swell, but tips are probably the safest way to go. Don’t want to break poor server guy’s heart over there.”

[ironrand]

captcincmerica‌:  

“Yeah, you.” Uncle Danny.

“And what tea places would you recommend, then, if you’re more a of a tea guy?”

Returning the gesture, Dani grabbed his own hand and shook it. “Danielle. Dani, for short.“

“Ah, well. For me, the best tea’s in Chinatown. I tend to like a little stronger, more traditional. Plus, Mee Sum’s has incredible sesame balls.”

“Oh... hey! That’s funny. Danny and Danny.” He said, exhaling a small laugh. “You’d think that’d happen to me more often, but you’re actually the first.”

[ironrand]

nobodysmystique‌:   

“Wouldn’t smelling it make you, like, allergic? Ugh. Don’t die on my table.”

“Wait a second, aren’t you the guy with the business? Just give them a big tip. Problem solved. Or I could give that server man a look. I’m out of his league, duh, but it gets the job done.”

“Nope, just the eating it! And no death. My tongue gets really swollen which is pretty gross but not lethal.”

“That’s me, Danny. Have we met before? I’m sorry if we have, I meet so many people these days, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s names.”

“A look, huh? How often does that work, usually?”

[context-is-for-kingpins]

[akaherosandwich]

FAO Defenders Crossover P.2: Chinese for Christmas Dinner

(Logistical note, this is the second half of a crossover thread between @foundoutthehardway, @atrxvido, @ironrand, and myself, of course (as Jessica). It, like Part 1, is somewhat unfinished, but the plot has moved well past.  Please enjoy these losers having dumplings on Christmas eve.)

Keep reading

[ironrand]

nobodysmystique‌:  

“Excuse me, is this your idea of fun?”

“...huh. I just realized how this looks to an outside perspective. I swear to god, I have not been sniffing this h’orderve for the past ten minutes ‘cause I’m just that weird. 

“See, I’ve got a cilantro allergy, and I have no idea if there’s cilantro in this, and I would ask a server except they won’t even make eye contact with me, much less talk to me. So I’m.... sniffing.”

[ironrand]

captcincmerica‌: 

“So, where’s a good place to get coffee around here?”

“Oh-- uh, me? Are you asking me?”

“The Missing Bean around the corner is pretty good, depending on what you like. I’m really more of a tea guy, though. Too much caffeine makes me nauseous.”

He extended a hand. “Danny, by the way. Danny Rand.”

[ironrand]

akaherosandwich‌:

Jess gave a bit of a derisive snort.  Never mind that she’d chosen to call herself ‘Jewel’ during her incredibly short stint as a hero.  And ‘Knightress’ in her even shorter stint as a pissed-off vigilante.

“Punching dragons sure sounds like a way to win friends,” she muttered, shoveling a mouthful of fried rice into her mouth.  Jessica still wasn’t sure, even after their group dinner at the Chinese joint, if he was being honest about the dragon bit.  Sure, Danny believed it.  But he seemed like he believed a lot of things. “Or at least scare people into wanting to be near you.”

Jess put down the fried rice and reached for the spicy pickle once again. “Just the paperwork,” she repeated. She hated asking for favors from others- especially her rich friends.  Trish, now Danny.  And she wasn’t about to ask for his help with Kilgrave in any capacity- especially since Danny was admittedly powerful.  Every person who got close to her became another possible toy in the Purple Man’s arsenal.

“I, uh,” she said, pausing to swallow her mouthful of food.  “I know Luke appreciates this too.  Let me sign the papers in just a minute… Y’know, I’ve put Alias on hold for a little bit. Trying to figure out my other options to make some money while Luke also looks for work. But we’re gonna make this thing work. Somehow.”

All of it- the new house, the new jobs, the baby. Ending Kilgrave. Fighting The Hand.  All of it.

Danny was appreciative that she’d mostly taken the whole ‘punching a dragon’ thing in stride. He was sure he’d be in for considerable ridicule at some later date, but for now he’d take the victory.

“Actually did not have the effect on my social standing that I once hoped. There’s respect, obviously, from the monks, but, uh. Mostly worked the same way ‘abilities’ seem to here, which is to say some people tried to kill me and then I stopped telling everyone my fist glows.”

There was a moment’s pause after the repetition of his words, and Danny waited with bated breath to see if she’d push him on it or not. He could never quite tell which gestures of friendship Jessica would heartily rebuke, and which she’d reluctantly accept. It was a dangerous game, even though Luke’s affection seemed pretty unconditional. 

His immediate instinct was to offer his own money - of which he had more than he knew what to do with - but he temporarily tamped it down, nodded in understanding at Jessica’s words. 

“Any particular field you’re looking for work in?” It was a nicer way of saying ‘what are you qualified for’, not that Jessica of all people would appreciate the extended politeness. 

Danny hesitated, then pressed forward, keeping his eyes resolutely on his takeout carton. “And, Jessica, it’ll work out. You guys are, um. Not doing this alone.” 

[ironrand]

akaherosandwich‌:

“I don’t know what any of those things you just said are,” Jessica muttered, taking one of the spicy pickles and taking a briny bite.  It crunched audibly, masking the sound of some of Danny’s words.  The investigator finished chewing and followed her guest to the counter, lured by the scent of fried rice.

“The Iron Fist, huh?  That sure is a name,” she mused, watching as Danny hopped onto the countertop.  He was awful familiar already, wasn’t he?  And Luke had chosen him for a friend.  Still, for as green as the guy was, he wasn’t a bad ally to have in their corner.  Especially after his help in the warehouse showdown- and covering the dinner bill after.  “I tried that crap once and honestly, it was a mess.  But lying?  You just have to get good at it.”

Jessica traded in lying.  Or at least, withholding truth to get information.  A fair exchange, if it got results.

As Danny slid the file over to her, she put down the pickle and wiped her hand off on her jeans.  Jessica scanned the pages quickly- this was all legit. On the level.  She looked up at him, frowning.  “Did you just say ‘obv’ as a shortening of ‘obviously’?  Is that what I just heard?”

She left the file open as she reached over for the fried rice she’d spotted in the bag, digging for a plastic fork as well.  “You know, I’m not really one to say thank you- so I won’t.  But can’t say I don’t appreciate this, Danny.  I have to admit I’m irritated I picked a shit time to get myself benched with a baby, but… we’ll survive.”

And then there was the matter of Kilgrave, but Danny didn’t need to get dragged into that.

“Was there anything else I could look into for you outside of the Mary case?”

“Yeah. I didn’t pick it,” Danny explains, chewing on the inside of his cheek and digging around a fast food carton. 

Jessica and Luke were pretty much Danny’s only friends -- well, Danny was pretty sure Luke was solidly on board the friend train, and he was working on Jessica -- and the thought of trying to lie about the Fist or how he came by it felt... dumb. He was starting to reconcile with the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to handle these abilities alone, and it might help to confide in people who found themselves in similar circumstances.

Although. It was Jessica, so, probably best to keep the ‘opening up’ to a bare minimum.

“That plane crash, ten years ago,” Danny started, gesturing idly with chopsticks and trying to compile a Spark Notes version of the events, “I was found by monks from the mystical city of K’un-L’un. They super didn’t like me, but I punched a dragon, so I’m their immortal protector, now.”

The corner of Danny’s mouth twitched into a smile at Jessica’s gruffness and he considered her proposition, thoughtfully chewing on a piece of Kung Pao chicken. 

“Nope, it’s just the paperwork,” he assured. Even if there was something else, Danny wouldn’t dream of putting Jessica and her tiny person in front of anything more threatening than a yappy chihuahua. “I was actually-- um... Well. I was gonna say, if you ever need an assist in your... activities. I’m not suggesting we’re a team, or anything, but. You can always call.”

[ironrand]

akaherosandwich‌:    

Jessica had begun a restless phase of her pregnancy- though she couldn’t exactly blame it all on the pregnancy.  A lot of it came from the cagey feeling she had around Luke lately, trying to keep her grand revenge plans under wraps.  He was so damn happy these days, there was no way she was spoiling it.

She moved around the house kind of picking up things and putting them down idly.  While she still had optimum mobility, that seemed like the best time to be arranging all those boxes, right?  Jessica’s swelling stomach was just moving out of the range of comfortably deniable as any sort of baby-related bump.  Still, it was modest, not too unwieldy, and honestly the way it got Luke going was something she fully intended to use in her favor.  And in a few weeks they’d be able to find out if it really was a girl or not.

The knock on the door- sharp, pointed- jarred her from her wandering.  Jessica had managed to find herself all the way back in the in-progress nursery when she heard the sound of her name from the front of the townhouse.  Was that Danny?

“I brought work.”

Hah, try again.

“I also brought fooood.”

Much better.

“You believe everything you read on the internet?” she muttered, poking her nose out the door.  Jessica looked up at Danny, still somewhat thrown from what she’d seen that night in the warehouse.  How this dude had all that power inside of him.  But then again, people were much more than their appearances in this town, she’d quickly learned.  “Here, come in.”

Jess opened the door and took the bag of food from him with gusto, ignoring the ‘work’ part of his offerings.  “You know I’m really not chasing down any more ninjas these days,” she said, digging around the crinkling paper and plastic bags to find the promised pickles.  “Luke would just about have a heart attack.  He might be unbreakable on the outside, but the man is as soft inside as a marshmallow.”

There’s a tiny person inside her, Danny thought abruptly, upon seeing Jessica’s face. He knew that she would punch him halfway across New York if she ever figured out he’d thought it, but there it was. Danny didn’t think he was the type to get all emotional about the miracle of life, but living in a sequestered monk society with no babies for several years perhaps did that to a person.

“No,” Danny said, immediately defensive. “I mean-- not everything. I thought that Avril Lavigne Double theory sounded pretty suspicious.”

Danny stepped in and made his way over to the counter, carefully navigating the moving debris to avoid taking a spill. He dutifully unpacked the takeout boxes, flipping the lids open and inhaling the mouthwatering smell of still steaming Chinese food. 

“Obviously,” Danny acknowledged, “We’re on the hunt for someone to step in for you. I’m trying to work out if I can just get the ‘Iron Fist’ to do it, but I don’t know if I’m slick enough to pull off the whole dual identity thing at work. Lying’s pretty hard, especially since so many people who work for me knew me when I was a kid.”

He hopped up on the counter, folding his legs beneath him and balancing a carton of Chow Mein on his knee. He flipped open the topmost file and slid it over to Jessica.

“These are formalities - closing papers for the case. And even when we take on someone else, I think I can fudge the papers a bit and get you paid maternity leave when the baby’s born. It’ll just mean more forms. ...if you’re cool with that, obv.” 

[ironrand]

@akaherosandwich

Today was a good day. 

Most people might consider a vaguely life endangering fight with ninjas to be a traumatizing experience, but Danny actually felt the complete opposite. While his homemade vigilante mask did kind of get torn, he also - as pathetic as it sounds - finally made some friends in this city. He’d always heard it said that it was hard to meet people in New York - he didn’t realize how hard until he came back from a ten year stint in the mountains to find most everyone he’d known uninterested, gone, or dead. 

He took the steps up to Jessica’s apartment two at a time, a case file tucked under one arm and a takeout back tucked under the other. The route was getting more comfortable these days, and it was nice to be familiar with something other than the inside of his own apartment. 

“Jessicaaaaa,” Danny called, administering two sharp raps to her and Luke’s door. “I’m here. I brought work.”

He considered the general attractiveness of this statement, then tried again.

“I also brought fooood,” he promised, shaking the takeout bag meaningfully. “I have egg rolls and chicken and spicy pickles, ‘cause the internet says pregnant ladies really like spicy pickles.”

[ironrand]

when: christmas eve

who: solo

summary: danny gets a phone call from jessica, and decides it’s time his friend to find out about his glowing fist.

Since coming back to New York, Danny had encountered some... difficulty with meditation. Though the penthouse was well-separated from the noise of the streets of New York, the silence in his apartment was deafening in a different kind of way. 

After two and a half hours of trying to focus his chi, he sighed and unfolded his legs, dragging a hand through his hair in defeat. Whatever. It was time to call it quits, microwave his Lean Cuisine Meal For One, and go to bed at 9:30. 

He padded into the kitchen, idly plucking his phone off the counter and scrolling through his notifications. His gaze snagged on Missed Call from Jessica Jones, brow sinking in a furrow as he quickly played back the left voicemail. 

“Hey, Danny, sorry to do this on Christmas Eve.  New update in the case.  I’m chasing a woman who tried to set my apartment on fire.  Something to do with Mary Walker- the girl we found connected to the disappearance of your company money?  We’re headed south in Hell’s Kitchen now.  I’ll let you know what happens.”

Danny didn’t hesitate. Clicking off his phone, he grabbed his go-bag from beneath the sink, shot off a quick text to tell the car he’d need a ride to Hell’s Kitchen, and started down the stairs. There were a million thoughts running through his head -- whether Jessica was alright, the fact he’d be giving up his identity as the Iron Fist, the reality that the person stealing from his company was also inclined to violence -- but he couldn’t focus on any of it now.

As he wriggled out of his sweats in the back of the town car, he felt something align within him, and every worry he had broke apart like scattering birds. For the first time in a long time, Danny Rand felt completely and utterly focused.

[ironrand]

colleennwings‌:  

And just like that, Colleen felt like an asshole. Telling him to sell his dead father’s company? Oh yeah, that was brilliant. “I didn’t mean to imply–” She sighed “You obviously have a lot of love and respect for your father but doing that because you feel that you have to ? You would do a shitty job and the company will fail.” Colleen could feel that she somehow made it worse “No, shit, okay– listen. My point is… If you do something because you have to rather than because you want to, that could only lead to failure. It’s– you should do what you want to do. And… I hope you get what I mean because I’m really struggling here.”

Danny’s lips twitched into a smile at Colleen’s awkward (but clearly earnest) attempts to advise him. All day he was surrounded by people who’d clearly rehearsed their words to him before stepping into his office. It was nice to talk to someone so off the cuff. So real. 

“You’re not doing so bad,” he smiled, taking a small pull from his water bottle. “And you’re right, too. The work is -- it’s not so bad, I even think I like it, sometimes. What’s harder is just not knowing anybody in the city. Can’t exactly make friends with people who work for you.”

[malaak]

danny rand: i was adopted by monks from this mystical place called k’un lun and trained to channel my inner chi to make my fist all glowy also i punched a dragon in the heart

everyone else:

[ironrand]

foundoutthehardway‌:  

On the radio. Luke had to stifle a flicker of annoyance. Honestly, his life had been a hell of a lot easier when he’d been staying under the radar — but he thought of Jessica, and realized it was probably a lot better now, even if they were currently, uh… well, whatever they were, not important, not immediately relevant.

There was something vaguely familiar about this guy, once the mask was off. Luke couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew that face, at least a little. It was hard to place anyone who didn’t habitually hold up one end of the bar, though, and this was not the face of one of Luke’s regulars.

He was about to ask for the name again when Danny stomach gave up its contents.

Oh, beautiful. Just beautiful. Luke stared in abject disappointment at his shoes. That wasn’t the way he’d hoped his night might go. He took a deep breath, and sighed.

“Yeah, you got some puke on me. Which, other than the fact that it’s absolutely disgusting, means you need to be on concussion protocol. So I got two questions for you. First, where’s your crib, because right now I ain’t got one. And second, fireman or bride? No way can you stand up on your own.”

Danny winced as it was revealed he did, in fact, get puke on this beautiful man. Great. Great way to start the weekend, Rand. 

“You don’t have a house?” Danny asked, brow knitting in confusion. Wasn’t he, like, ‘The Hero of Harlem’? If that guy couldn’t get a house, that was... pretty fucked up. “That sucks. What happened to your house?”

After a couple of seconds he pulled off his stupid mask, deciding if he was going to give Luke Cage his personal address, there was no point in attempting to retain anonymity. “I can definitely stand up on my own,” Danny declared, then attempted to actually do that and very nearly slipped in his own vomit. --Ew. He took a couple woozy, stumbling sets to the side, getting well out of the way of the spill zone. 

“Live in Manhattan. Upper East Side. I can pay for your shoes. I can also pay for your new house.” Danny took a small breath, closing his eyes and trying to steady himself. He thought, bizarrely, of Colleen, and how he kind of wished she was here, even if he’d made a strict promise to himself that he wouldn’t involve anyone nice in all his Protecting K’un-Lun bullshit. 

“Why are you being nice to me?” Danny asked, eyeing Luke skeptically. 

[ironrand]

colleennwings‌:

Colleen wondered if she had to thank him for saying she was amazing or just return the compliment but instead she just smiled at him before looking at her feet. She wanted to say that this was the best training session she had in a really long time but she didn’t know how to say it. So she decided to say nothing at all. 

“Okay, maybe it’s a dumb question but… Why are you working in an office anyway? Clearly this doesn’t make you happy so, quit ? Or sell, whatever it is you’re supposed to do with a company.” Except it wasn’t just a company. It was his. It had ‘RAND’ written all over it. “I would also be miserable if I had to work in an office all day.”

“S’not a dumb question,” Danny assured, wiping a hand over his face. “I wonder that a lot, too.” One part of his brain said: should you really be oversharing to this stranger you met in the park? And another part of his brain said: maybe you can’t afford to be so uppity about close friends and people you actually like at this stage in your life. 

“So - I lost my family in the crash, right?” he started, carefully settling onto the mat criss-cross applesauce. “And the company was my dad’s. He built it from the ground up. He loved it so much. For an immigrant nobody to create the kind business contacts he did - he was just amazing. And, what, am I supposed to be the asshole who walks in and tears it all down my first year back?” Danny hesitated, loosing a small, resigned sigh. “I don’t know. I think I could love it, too, maybe, I just need to give it time.”

[ironrand]

akaherosandwich‌:  

Jessica noted the expression on Danny’s face at the mention of the Meachums.  She didn’t comment, but it was interesting to see.  It was almost as if she had kicked a puppy, and it wasn’t going to get any better.

“Well, I can’t say for certain- correlation, causation, all that- but I’ve noticed that one of the newer hires takes an awful lot of sick days,” she said, shuffling the papers to find the printed employment profile of one of the Rand employees.  A young woman.  Not much social media presence, which was impressive, if not suspicious, these days.  

“Mary Alice Walker.  I couldn’t find and direct correspondences from her to either Joy or Ward, but I did find something else.”

Jessica produced a timesheet record and another record of fund transfers, laying them side by side.  “Every day that Ms. Walker has taken personal or medical leave, the foreign investments division has funneled money to one of numerous companies, most of which seem to be shells.  I’d like to find out why.  And I’m willing to bet if I can trace them, one might pop up to one of those recent artifact discoveries,” she explained.

She looked at Danny for a moment, studying his carefully put-together appearance, and then smirked.  “Deep web hitmen?  Danny, I’m a super-powered private eye who can benchpress a car.  Probably.  Not that I’ve tried.  The point is, I’ve been wrapped up in a lot of shady shit,” she stated.  “And keeping closer to you will make the whole situation a lot more obvious, and a lot more dangerous.  I’d like to continue working on the case, because clearly something is going on here.  Do you trust me?”

Mary Alice Walker. The company was big, but Danny made it to learn the names of as many people as he could during the first month. He hadn’t formally met the woman in question -- only looked at her employee file and occasionally smiled at her in the halls between meetings. It was silly, naive, and Jessica would definitely make fun of him for it if he said it out loud, but she’d seemed... nice. 

“That’s a red flag,” Danny mused quietly, carefully examining the records Jessica had produced. “Can you write down the names of companies you’ve deduced are shells? If they start coming up in board meetings, I want to take note of who’s mentioning them.”

Artifact Discoveries? He’d seen some stuff about that in the news - figured it was generally Avengers territory. Somehow the lines between whatever they were doing and whatever he was doing had felt so clear. Perhaps it wasn’t as neatly divided as he’d initially assumed. Perhaps someone had been manufacturing that distance to throw Danny off their scent. 

“I do trust you,” Danny started, because that much was certainly true, given that Jessica was one of six people to be entirely honest with him in recent months. “And I’m grateful you want to keep working on the case. Just, you know. Be careful.” He thought for a second, trying to translate the sentiment into words Jessica would understand and not be immediately dismissive of. “...It’d just be a lot of paperwork for me, if you got seriously hurt or... died.”