call me stinger

"If I were James Bond, I’d have a r e a l l y cute line for this moment." Cassandra Cassie Lang. Stinger. Stature.Young Avenger.

[staturestinger]

speedyshcpherd:

Cassie looked utterly confused as she swung the door open, and Tommy wondered idly if she’d just woken up from a nap or something. As a speedster, he required far less sleep than most people, and he didn’t entirely understand napping. In his experience, it made people crabbier and, impossibly, even slower than they already were. He sighed dramatically as she yawned, tapping his foot and waiting impatiently for her to catch up. He huffed, rolling his eyes. “Of course I’m at the right house. What, do you think Bradley knocked me up? I would never do that to a child.”

Finally, after an excruciating number of seconds, her gaze dropped to the pig he was holding in outstretched arms. Tommy wasn’t sure how he’d expected her to react, but the whole excited smile thing was somehow both a relief and a disappointment. Tommy loved nothing more than throwing people off their game, but he really did need Cassie’s help with this thing. He wasn’t dumb enough to think he was capable of raising a pig single-handedly without any outside help! Tommy Shepherd was a lot of things, but responsible? Not by any stretch of the imagination. “We have split custody,” he argued, walking into her apartment as if he lived there. “His name is Porksmith Bacon Lang-Shepherd. Bacon for short.”

Tommy was obviously not sympathetic to Cassie’s utter exhaustion. With his enchanted system, she guessed he never really would be. Tommy could run at a hundred miles a minute and not feel the burn behind his eyes that Cassie did, although since returning from her vacation, that had gotten a lot worse. She didn’t remember being this tired all the time, but she rarely rested, always terrified that she wouldn’t wake up. Yeah, she probably needed some therapy, but to start, Cassie was sticking with her self-help books. “I’m honoured that you let me knock you up,” Cassie replied, still sounding confused. It was easier not to question Tommy, he rarely made sense.

Rather than be at all shocked or upset by the sight of the pig, Cassie was merely ecstatic. For once, her smile didn’t feel at all forced, and when Bacon was finally in her arms, she sighed contentedly. The power of animals was truly incredible and Bacon’s calming effect on her was immediate. (Unfortunately, she doubted that it would last.) “No, I’m going to keep our son forever,” Cassie repeated stubbornly. Tommy should have been smarter than to believe Cassie would ever let him take Bacon back! He was fast, but she was a giant girl, and way more intimidating because of it. Minor the whole criminal record, although technically, Cassie guessed she had one of her own now. “I love you, Bacon,” she cooed at the pig. “Where did you find our son? I was worried we’d never get him back,” she said, playing along to avoid Tommy’s dramatics.

[staturestinger]

the-m3chanic:

Tony had made a lot of dumb choices in his life, long before he had the keys to Stark Industries and millions of dollars’ worth of weapons behind every decision that he made. He had also made a lot of bad choices after he became Iron Man, and people had died because of it, or at the very least were severely injured. Things were different now, he made a conscious effort to consider the consequences of his actions made easier by the fact that he was actually sober while deliberating them, but given the fact that he had struggled with it for the grand majority of his nearly fifty years on this planet, he wasn’t going to judge Cassie for fucking up now and again. Scott was gone, Tony had been there since Cassie was born, and that meant that there was a very close bond there, something that Tony wasn’t going to put in jeopardy. If Cassie made a mistake, if she was in trouble, he wanted her to be able to come to him rather than sneaking around, wanted to know that she would be safe if she got in a little over her head.

That didn’t mean that he trusted she told him everything, though. He would be an idiot to do that - she was a young girl in a world of superheroes, and superpowers often came with hasty decisions - and Tony Stark was far from an idiot. Still, he hadn’t expected anything to actually come up in regards to Cassie. His drones were not watching over her specifically, they surveyed the city regularly, but they had picked up something that was more than a little suspicious. “Right now it’s self warming towels for getting out of the spa,” Tony said. Pet projects were necessary to keep him calm, after all. He pushed himself out from the workbench, smiling slightly at Cassie. “Nothing bad’s happened,” he reassured her, “and I asked you to come over to make sure I can keep saying that. Before I tell you what I know, is there anything you want me to know?” It was mostly suspicion and circumstance at this point in time, but did Cassie need to know that? No!

There was no one in the world who could ever replace Scott in Cassie’s mind, and luckily, she was too old for anyone to try. Her father had been the person that she loved most in the world, and clearly, Scott had felt the same way. He had gone to extreme lengths in order to return Cassie from her ‘vacation,’ and before they could be reunited, he had died. It still wasn’t something that she had processed entirely; every morning, she woke up expecting to find a longwinded voicemail from Scott, and every night, she expected him to pop buy with ice cream, suggesting movies when they weren’t on the clock. Obviously none of it had happened, and with time, maybe Cassie would realize that it was never going to. For now, she was merely trying to do her best, and her best was as Stinger. She wanted to make Scott proud and if she’d had a blip in the road getting there, allying herself with the Power Broker, she imagined that Scott would forgive her. He understood how desperate Cassie was to protect the world.

With all that in mind, if there was anyone like family to Cassie, it was Tony Stark. He was way more of a father figure to her than her step dad had ever been, having watched her grow up and having supported her the whole way through. It was only natural that Tony was concerned about Cassie’s wellbeing, and they met frequently because of it (and because they had an awesome time). That being said, Tony rarely worded things so seriously and it was completely understandable that she was concerned about what he wanted. Tony was a genius! If anyone could figure out that she was struggling in just about every single aspect, it was Tony. “I bet you’re gonna nail it,” she said without a shadow of a doubt. “Can I test them out when they’re done?” Cassie asked, forcing a smile so she seemed less stressed. “Okay,” she said slowly, reminded of her mother’s after school chats. (As a Young Avenger, Cassie had missed a lot of school.) “Um, I stung a demon really badly yesterday? And once Tommy made me shrink one so he could keep it as a pet,” Cassie said, sounding confused. “Is there something you know that I don’t?” Oh man, she was totally busted! Scott had always taught her to go out swinging… or lying in this instance.

[staturestinger]

cftorch:

When it came to family, Johnny had gone from having next to nothing to having it made. He’d spent so much of his life with just Sue, spent so much time with a family that began and ended with one person. Now, he had so much more. He had Ben and Reed, who were the best brothers anyone could ever want. He had Peter and MJ, who weren’t quite siblings but fell somewhere into the family zone anyways. He had Wanda, who was incredible in every way. And, of course, he had Cassie. She was just about the closest thing to a younger sister that he’d ever had, and when he thought he’d lost her, he’d been devastated. He was lucky to have her back now, lucky that every now and then, the things he lost didn’t stay gone. “Maybe?” He sounded uncertain. “That sounds right. Just to be on the safe side, I figure we’ll keep him away from it.” It was always better to be safe than sorry in situations like this, he knew. “I’m not good at shame,” he admitted with a shrug. Johnny didn’t embarrass easily, something everyone who knew him was intimately aware of. Cassie’s moment of relaxation was just that – a moment. Still, it was more than she seemed to be getting lately, and that had to count for something. “I wasn’t gonna!” He lied quickly, though that had definitely been his intention. “I’m just — I’m curious. Have you ever tried it?” It was a fair question! Maybe he was inheriting some of Reed’s scientific curiosity! Glancing back at Cassie, he offered her a smile. “I am,” he told her honestly. “The FF have always made me happy, and Wanda… She’s incredible. How about you? Are you happy?”

Cassie was fortunate that her family was so expansive. Thanks to Scott’s status as an Avenger, several superheroes had essentially adopted her as their own, including Tony Stark, Clint Barton and Carol Danvers. They were all people she loved dearly, and while she was currently not at her best mentally, she was trying very, very hard to fake it for them. Obviously, she also had the Young Avengers, and since she was a kid, Johnny Storm. Few people were that lucky, and yet, every time she remembered that her dad was no longer among them, Cassie was about ten seconds away from a breakdown. It made her feel incredibly ungrateful although she knew that none of them would judge her for it. If anything, they would attempt to comfort her, and somehow, that made it even worse. She was living for Scott’s memory and he would never want her heartbroken. “I think that’s the best idea we have,” she agreed. “Hey, want me to grow and quickly get him a hotdog? Spock looks so hungry, Johnny,” she said, laughing as the dog continued to drool in the direction of the ice cream. “You don’t have to be,” Cassie replied. Johnny was a very confident person on the outside and honestly, she was proud of him. (Too bad his confidence wasn’t the whole way through.) “You were definitely going to,” Cassie disagreed. Johnny was not above asking her to grow his penis! “Um, once,” Cassie admitted, blushing as she spoke. Luckily, the topic quickly changed to Johnny and she was relieved to hear that he was happy. “I’m so glad,” she said honestly, beaming at Johnny. “Um, you didn’t ask me truth or dare,” Cassie pointed out.

[staturestinger]

@the-m3chanic​

When Tony asked Cassie to meet him in his workshop on a random Wednesday afternoon, she was understandably a little apprehensive. Typically, they went on outings, had fun, acted like a family, but this sounded way more serious. Unlike some of the other adult (old) heroes, Tony had never been outright against the Young Avengers forming. Tony had also never gotten mad at Cassie when it was revealed that she had been stealing Pym Particles from under his nose and she liked to think that was because uncle Tony was relaxed. He supported her regardless of how difficult it was! After losing her father, the person Cassie loved more than anyone in the world, the thought of upsetting Tony also made her nauseous. All in all, it was a terrifying meeting, but Cassie was fearless. She was a superhero, she could handle Iron Man at his worst!

When she arrived at the workshop, Cassie was still nervously chewing on her lip. She tried to act as cavalier as possible, but obviously, stage had never been what she excelled at. (Luckily, Cassie could ignore the fact that her fingertips were shrinking, and she could hide it thanks to her long sleeves. Thanks, Pym Particles!) “Hey,” she greeted Tony with a forced smile. Idly, she wracked her brain for what Tony could want to talk to her about. Scott was a possible, so was her status as ‘returned’ and… yeah, the minor issue of Cassie working briefly with the Power Broker. There wasn’t a lack of topics currently. “What’s up? What’re you working on?” She asked quickly, hoping to derail Tony entirely.

[staturestinger]

speedyshcpherd:

@staturestinger

Being trapped seriously blew. Tommy was beyond restless, and with nowhere to run to exert his endless energy, he’d been a lot more impulsive than normal. The pig he’d stolen from a local repeat offender was an obvious example of that, as was Tommy’s current situation. Aforementioned pig was on the ground at his feet, a collar attached to a leash Tommy held with one hand as he pounded on Cassie’s door with the other. He’d only been standing there a matter of seconds, but the knocking had been nonstop since his arrival. Tommy Shepherd was a lot of things, but patient wasn’t one of them.

When the door opened, he picked Bacon up and thrust him forward into Cassie’s arms, an accusing look on his face. “You thought you could just slide on by, huh?” There was mock outrage in his tone, and his lack of seriousness was betrayed only by the wild laughter dancing in his eyes. “Thought you could just leave me alone to deal with the fallout? Well that is not how it works, Cassandra Eleanor Lang! No siree.” Bacon let out a confused oink, and Tommy shook his head. “I know, son,” he said apologetically before turning back to Cassie. “Did you really think you could knock me up and leave me alone with our son?”

These days, Cassie kept weird hours. She assured herself that it was because readjusting was difficult. She had returned from her ‘vacation’ roughly two months ago, but in that time, everything had hit her hard. Scott wasn’t here to celebrate her victories with her, Cassie had gone to the Power Broker in order to get her powers back — and became a minor super villain in the process — and lastly, everything had changed. As a result, taking a two hour nap in the middle of the day was completely understandable. If anything, it was expected! Being awoken by rampant knocking, however, was not expected.

Groaning, Cassie rolled off the couch, rubbing her eyes. Judging by the urgency of the person behind the door, it was going to be Tommy Shepherd, and Cassie yawned as she opened the door. “Uh, what?” She said, sounding both groggy and confused. Tommy was always a little strange, but this was especially weird, even for him. “Are you at the right house?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. When she heard an oink in response, she finally noticed the pig, and a wide smile spread across Cassie’s face. “I’m keeping our son forever,” she informed him seriously, not bothered by the fact that the pig allegedly belonged to her now. “What’s his name?”

[staturestinger]

speedyshcpherd:

In the beginning, he’d sort of underestimated Cassie a little bit. He’d thought she was the sweet, innocent type, figured she’d rather handle every situation with a naive sense of right and wrong. He was big enough to admit that he’d pegged her all wrong, that she was an entirely different person than he’d initially assumed. She wasn’t sweet and innocent, wasn’t unwilling to break the rules. Cassie was someone willing to do what needed to be done, and Tommy respected that. She was also a person who knew how to have fun, and Tommy respected that even more.

“I have nice everything,” he replied with a huff, rolling his eyes as if she’d told him the world was medium sized. It was a gross under-exaggeration of just how handsome he was and she knew it. “My arms are muscular, and my hair is fantastic, and my abs are to die for. You can say it, Cassie, we all know it’s true.” The compliment wasn’t enough, but it was still something and he grinned at it regardless of his dissatisfaction with just how in depth it went. “I don’t know,” he admitted with a shrug. “I thought blowing up buildings was chill until you guys told me it wasn’t, so maybe I’m not the best guy to ask.” Growing up in juvie homes shaped a guy’s personality more than a little, after all. “That’s probably a good compromise. Hey, can I keep one in a fish tank? I think it’d be cool to have one in a fish tank.” Bacon needed more non-human friends. “Thanks!” It was probably saying something. Tommy could get kind of scary, even without meaning to. “If you pass out, I’ll only draw, like, one mustache on your face before letting you sleep it off on my couch.”

“Okay, okay, you have nice everything,” Cassie replied, holding up her hands in mock surrender. Tommy could be difficult sometimes, he was reckless, he moved quickly, he didn’t always make sense, his morality was questionable, but at the end of day, Cassie liked to think he meant well. Because of that, putting up with his eccentricities wasn’t impossible. (Unfortunately, one of his ‘eccentrics’ was his ego.) “I am not going to say any of that,” she informed him seriously. “You don’t need any encouragement!” That was the understatement of the century. Tommy was cocky on a good day, let alone a bad one where Cassie had complimented more than once. “At least you learned,” she replied, shrugging a shoulder. Tommy had come a long way since they first met him, Cassie was proud. “You want to keep a huge demon in a fish tank?” She asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. “You’re welcome,” she replied with a smile. “No, you will draw no moustaches on me and then let me sleep on the couch,” Cassie replied stubbornly. “I’m risking my neck for your entertainment!”

[staturestinger]

unstoppcblewasp:

The party was just as incredible as Nadia had suspected it would be. There was food galore, people all over, and spirits were higher than they had been since the day the Skrulls were defeated. Coming to the party had been an excellent decision, Nadia decided as much the moment they arrived. Asking Cassie to come along with her, too, had been one of the better choices. She always had fun with Cassie at her side, and so soon after her friend’s improbable resurrection, she definitely wasn’t ready to be away from Cassie for any real extended amount of time. It worked out pretty much perfectly!

Cassie’s laugh caused Nadia’s grin to widen, and she returned her smile with one of her own. She wasn’t sure how it felt, coming back from the dead, but she was sure it wasn’t easy. Ever since Cassie’s return, Nadia had been doing everything in her power to keep a smile on her friend’s face. For the moment, at least, she seemed successful. “You have to teach me,” she said seriously, putting on her most convincing desperate expression. It quickly faded back into a grin when Cassie agreed to show her some moves, and she followed her friend through the crowd with excitement clear on her face. As Cassie began to dance, Nadia let out a loud whoop of delight. “That’s incredible,” she announced. “You’re an incredible dancer!”

The party was a little strange in theory. Cassie understood wanting to calm and reassure the public, but in doing so, Doom was using a lot of their ‘precious resources.’ She wasn’t naturally suspicious of the government — she hadn’t signed or listed with Doom due to the questionable status of her… well, everything — but her father had taught her to be aware. Not everyone in authority had the best intentions, and Cassie had dedicated herself to fighting for the good of everyone. That being said, Doom wasn’t doing anything obviously wrong. This was for the public, a moment for them to relax, and Cassie figured she and Nadia had earned that much.

Spending time with Nadia was a no brainer, too. Cassie rarely liked to be alone since returning from her ‘vacation,’ and thankfully, Nadia never seemed to want to be parted for long. It was a relief, one that she was very grateful for. “I will teach you everything I know, but it’s not a lot,” she promised with a laugh. Unfortunately, her experience dancing was limited. She was a busy young woman! Partying hadn’t been very high on her priority list, and it still wasn’t as long as people needed Stinger. Still, right now Nadia needed Cassie, and she needed her to have fun. “Thank you,” she said with a bright grin. Wrapping an arm around Nadia’s waist gently, she shook her hips, a go to move, and said, “See? It’s easy! We’ll be incredible dancers together, Nadia, no problem.”

[staturestinger]

cftorch:

Growing up, Johnny had always known he could count on Cassie Lang for whatever he needed. That hadn’t changed as they’d shifted from childhood into adulthood, and her recent death and resurrection didn’t do much to alter it, either. Some things remained constant no matter how hard life tried to refashion them, and the dynamic between Johnny and Cassie was one of them. “Is ice cream good for dogs? I don’t think it is.” Had there been no risk of Spock getting sick, Johnny probably would’ve dropped some of the cone on the ground for the dog to enjoy. God, he was totally whipped by dogs now, wasn’t he? There went his reputation as a hard ass! “Truth or truth,” he snorted, flashing a grin. “Is that because you know I’ll do any dare?” They’d spent enough time playing truth or dare as kids for Cassie to know that there was little Johnny wouldn’t do. “That sounds good, though. I’ll catch you up.” She’d only been ‘gone’ a few months, but his life had changed a lot in that time. The life of a superhero was always like that, moving at breakneck speeds. He wrapped an arm around her fondly as she leaned against him, letting the silent understanding hang between them a moment longer. “He’s a pretty good fan,” Johnny agreed with a laugh. “Your skills are pretty cool. Hey, can you make anything grow like that?” He raised his eyebrows, grinning in a way that betrayed exactly what he was thinking. It was kind of an inevitable question, wasn’t it? “I’m ready to climb. Get ready for that ice cream river.” He approached the cone, tilting his head as he tried to work out the best place to start. “Ask me anything while I’m strategizing.” 

Honestly, Cassie was unbelievably lucky with the people she had in her life. Scott had been the most incredible father anyone could ask for, Johnny was the best not-brother she could ever think up, and Kate was a seriously wicked best friend. She couldn’t imagine anyone luckier in the world — at least as far as connections went. Her ‘vacation’ hadn’t been lucky, and her dad’s ‘vacation’ wasn’t either. Cassie guessed luck only lasted for so long. Forcing a smile despite the sudden turn in her thoughts, Cassie paused to consider Johnny’s question. “I don’t think dairy is good for them,” she replied slowly. “They say not to let dogs have cheese because of that, right?” She wasn’t a pet owner for that reason exactly, Cassie could not remember what was good or bad for animals. It was a complicated, long list! “Yeah, I’ve always tried to get you to do every embarrassing thing and you did them all,” Cassie quipped. Johnny was a real daredevil, he did anything and everything specifically to prove that he could. She had learned not to doubt him! When Johnny wrapped an arm around her, Cassie let herself relax for a moment, dropping her practiced routine. It was brief, but freeing nonetheless. Hopefully she could do a little more of that as time went on — they said time healed all wounds. “Um, don’t you dare ask me to make your dick grow,” Cassie replied, not missing a beat. “But FYI, I can make anything grow!” She hadn’t tried on penises, it seemed a little dangerous, but she was sure it was possible. “I’m ready for an ice cream river,” Cassie promised. As Johnny strategized, she debated on a question briefly before settling on an easy one. “Are you happy just overall? With the FF? Wanda?”

[staturestinger]

spidcrgwens:

Seeing your dead ex was something that Gwen had, unfortunately, gotten sort of used to. She’d watched Peter die, held him in her arms as his heart stopped beating, and now she walked in on him eating cereal in his underwear at least once a week. That was different than this, though. The Peter that she saw daily here was a different person than the one whose body she’d cradled in her arms, and though it was hard to wrap her head around sometimes, she understood that. He wasn’t the same boy she’d known, and she was learning to be all right with it. But this? This was different. There was no way Cassie could have come from another universe, not with New York separated from Earth 616 the way it was. And Cassie recognized her, seemed to have memory of her and their relationship. It sent a wave of pain and confusion washing over her.

For a moment, Cassie didn’t say anything and neither did Gwen. They stared at each other, wide-eyed and confused, and Gwen’s mind went a mile a minute trying to come up with some explanation. “No. No, I think — I think I must’ve hit my head. Because you’re not — You can’t be here.” God, she wished it were Spider-Ham instead. He was annoying, but at least he didn’t make her chest ache the way Cassie did. When she spoke again, Gwen shook her head. “Vacation? No. You were —- I went to your funeral.” She sounded a little hysterical now but, hey, she had a right to! She was maybe-hallucinating her dead ex! Something was seriously wrong here.

Gwen looked absolutely devastated to be seeing Cassie again and she felt her heart break at the sight. Gwen didn’t deserve to feel this confused and terrified merely at the sight of her, but Cassie hadn’t explained that she was back because of her father, and the idea of uttering those words made her throat feel tight. Taking a deep, calming breath, she imagined what Scott would be doing in this situation. He would most likely make a joke to diffuse the tension between the two of them, but if that didn’t work, her dad was a brave man. He would be honest — at least as much as he could be — and Cassie intended to do just that. It would be one of the hardest things she ever had to do, she’d cared deeply about Gwen and this finalized losing her due to her accident, but Cassie was a woman who had won faced the Power Broker! She could handle this, she had to.

“I’m here,” she said quietly. “Um, I’ll buy your coffee and then I’ll explain, okay?” Cassie offered quietly. After a second, she realized that wouldn’t exactly prove that Cassie was in fact herself. “We dated for a while, our favourite diner was the 1970s one in Brooklyn. Once we thought it’d be a great idea to wear roller skates there,” Cassie said quickly. For a moment, she wanted to break down in tears because absolutely everything in the world was hard, but she resisted the urge. “Yeah, you did,” she said quietly. Turning towards the barista, Cassie ordered two coffees, filled them with sugar — they needed it — and then lead Gwen into a corner of the cafe. “My dad brought me back,” she said quickly, her words quiet and filled with emotion. It was always best to rip off the bandaid.

[staturestinger]

futzyou:

Kate loved people with her entire heart, but few people made her feel as much love as Cassie Lang. She was a total badass, amazingly brave, and astoundingly kind on top of it all – and that was a tricky combination to pull off. Cassie even had more than an ounce of common sense, which was saying a lot considering the other members of their team. (Boys, honestly.) When she died, everything had stopped for a minute, including Kate’s heart. She had felt it crack into a thousand pieces, and it seemed like nothing would ever put the pieces back together. Just when she started trying, here she was again. Alive. Breathing. Safe. Well, as safe as anyone could be in an alternate dimension. 

She was showing Cassie around the mansion, because for the first time, it felt like a place that was hers. A place she could really be herself, instead of whatever the Bishops needed her to be. She laughed as they stepped into the bathroom. “I love that tub,” she admitted, walking over to a cupboard, and grinning when she saw her old swim suit still tucked in the back corner. “I like the way you think, Cass. We’ll have a total spa treatment, my stepmom’s got all this stupid-fancy soaps and stuff. Bath bombs!” she declared, looking further down the cupboard. “Girl, we are going to glitter for days after this.” And maybe, they’d find a way to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room, the one with its foot in a grave. 

Being alone with Kate always made Cassie feel like she could genuinely relax. She put on a brave, cheerful face, but in reality, her world had quite literally fallen apart between her ‘vacation’ and then her father’s death at the hand of the Skrulls. No one had asked her detailed questions, the closest she had come to discussing what she had been through was with Gwen, and that was out of necessity. Unlike the Young Avengers and Avengers in Cassie’s life, Gwen hadn’t been informed of her return and her ex-girlfriend deserved some context. Kate probably did, too, Cassie realized. Hawkeye was her best friend in the world and one of the best she could imagine, but that didn’t make confessing to her intense emotions any easier.

Alone in the mansion, Cassie knew that it was only a matter of time until Kate asked about how she was doing, and unlike Eli, Kate wouldn’t let her get away with avoiding the topic and changing the subject. Before that happened, however, she intended to enjoy the jacuzzi tub! Cassie deserved that much. “We need it,” she said seriously. She had never been into all of the pampering stuff, but she had to admit that when it was available, she enjoyed it. “This is perfect,” she decided with a grin. Leaning forward to run the water, Cassie adjusted the temperature properly and then looked back at Kate. “Should be ready in a minute! Um, so, how are you?” She asked lightly, a moment of awkwardness to fend off the upcoming conversation. Clearly, Cassie was doing great.

[staturestinger]

pctriot:

“It’s not the same Cassie, it’s like–good sugar or something. The experience is different when I know that there is only buttercream frosting and sprinkles, the joy is more pure. I know what I’m doing to my body, and I’ve made peace with that.” It was difficult, to figure out how he was supposed to live without one of the people he considered to be his best friends–he’s sure he never really did, never really accepted that turn of events, but it still feels like something in his world has slotted back into place where it should be, like the world has tilted back on its axis just a fraction. He grins, overcome with how grateful he is to see her in that moment. “I don’t even care anymore, what do people even do with history degrees? Y’know Sam laughed for three minutes straight when I told him and told me to just hang out with Steve more, that it would be the same experience.” Of course he has an idea of what he wants, it falls in line with what he’s always wanted to a certain extent–he wants to tell the stories of people who have been neglected by history, people like his grandfather, or Bucky and his time as a forgotten POW. “I’m just gonna film joke videos about how Iron Man sucks or something, become internet famous. Seems easier.” 

He had come over here with the purpose of ascertaining if Cassie was really all right, but it’s clear when she stops herself dead in the middle of talking about her dad that she’s not entirely–that she’s got more healing to do on her own. He can’t blame her, he’d felt the same way when he’d lost her, refused to acknowledge it as even a possibility. He feels confident that when she’s ready, if she ever is ready, she’ll come to him or Kate–that they’ll do what they always have done and have each other’s backs. “Even my normal is abnormal, like–Tommy won’t stop showing up at my apartment. I think he did it because it would annoy me, and it did, but now it’s kind of nice having him there? And I do not know what to do with that. Are we friends now Cassie?” He knows that talking about their teammates is an easy way to bring her to the present, and he  groans exaggeratedly. He thinks about telling her about Kate staying at his apartment the other night, how strange that had been, but he needs more time to figure that out as well. 

“That makes sense,” she replied thoughtfully, nodding in agreement. “I think I’m at my happiest eating the ones with frosting, sprinkles and fruit in the inside, but difference makes the world go ‘round!” Cassie quipped. As Eli continued, her brow furrowed and she leaned forward, tucking her hands under her chin as she asked, “Do you think it’s actually doing anything bad to your body with the serum? Your metabolism has to be so enhanced, right?” Superpowers were always a topic of interest for her, although that much was obvious. She had snuck into Stark labs in order to steal Pym Particles so she could become a superhero. Eli had lied to them in the beginning about the powers he had, but Cassie never blamed him for it. Desperate to be a superhero, she could imagine herself doing similarly. Realistically, Cassie had done something a lot worse, getting her powers back from the Power Broker, but without anyone knowing that, Cassie assumed it would be just fine. “You’re probably right,” she said with a laugh. “Hanging out with Steve is way cooler than getting a history degree, too. There’s a reason I dropped out of school!” It hadn’t been long before she died, but Cassie assumed it still counted. Idly, she wondered if the community college would accept her back. “Can I be in them? We can be a dynamic duo! Or one of those couples, people love seeing others in love, Eli. We could fake it.”

When the subject of her dad, Cassie was infinitely grateful — Scott had been the person she loved most in the world, someone she tried to emulate and it was the most difficult thing she’d ever had to overcome. Ironic considering that she had just died, but all in all, it made for an understandably difficult time. Still, Cassie was great at faking it! “That makes sense,” she said with a laugh. “I would rather have Tommy stopping by my apartment than be alone all the time. I hate being alone, Eli. Did I tell you Tommy just randomly informed me I’m his pigs mom? He stole a pig,” she spoke quickly, trying to cover up the confession. It was entirely true, she was terrified every time she was alone that she would be attacked again. “Maybe you guys are close acquaintances,” she suggested. “I ran into my ex a few days ago, too, and that was… very awkward,” she offered, shrugging a shoulder.

[staturestinger]

hcwkguys:

Clint hadn’t exactly been best friends with Lang, though he’d had nothing against the man. There was a certain level of respect among thieves, a certain amount of admiration. Lang was a better thief than Clint, of course – he knew more about electrical shit, could pick electronic locks as well as physical ones – but he liked to think that respect went both ways. If nothing else, Scott had, on multiple occasions, trusted Clint with his daughter. That had to count for something. Cassie was a good kid, and she always had been. She was smart like her old man, shared his ability to sneak around. It shouldn’t have surprised any of them that she stole herself some shrink dust. Clint, of course, couldn’t be blamed for that. He’d been sort of dead when Cassie joined up with Kate’s crew, but he hadn’t exactly discouraged the kids from doing what they were doing when he came back. Clint knew Cassie well enough to know there was no stopping her from doing something when she’d set her mind to it, and it was clear that she’d set her mind to being a Young Avenger. Privately, he thought it was fitting. She’d always struck him as the hero type, even when she was too young to understand what the hero type was.

Returning Cassie’s grin with one of his own, Clint couldn’t help but marvel at her presence. She’d been back a decent amount of time now, but it was still shocking. You’d think coming back from the dead himself would make it easier to accept when other people did it, but some things there were just no getting used to. “I can do that,” he agreed with an easy smile. “I got a target up on the roof, we can go throw some around now if you want.” Once upon a time, he would’ve done it in the living room, but Nat sort of put her foot down after the third pizza delivery guy he’d scarred for life. Throwing a knife right next to someone’s head apparently lost some of its humor when the person in question didn’t know that you never missed what you were aiming for.

A lot of the older heroes had hated when Cassie first took up the mantle of Stature. She hadn’t entirely understood it, they faced the same dangerous everyday, and a lot of them had been young when they first began, but Cassie and the other Young Avengers had fought against their opinions vehemently. They continued fighting, defending the world at any cost proudly, and Cassie had no intention of ever changing that. Of course she understood that her status as a hero would change after she’d gotten her powers back from the Power Broker, a very sketchy and disturbed man, and for a moment, she debated on admitting it to Clint. If anyone could understand, it would be Hawkeye. He had done some difficult things in his past, she had heard around the Tower, although Cassie wasn’t sure what. Clint was also nonjudgmental, the perfect candidate, but admitting her mistake would involve facing the reality that Cassie was kind of a super villain now. It was way too complicated! Honestly, she also did not want to worry Clint any further. Everyone seemed to be terrified about her mental health, admitting that Cassie had been ruthless in becoming Stinger to honour her father and herself would unfortunately not help.

“Sweet,” Cassie said excitedly, all evidence of her many thought patterns gone. (Apparently she had a lot she wanted to say to Clint, and apparently Cassie was incapable of saying any of it.) She returned his smile brightly, hoping to further cover up her doubts and considerations. “That sounds awesome and a little dangerous. I don’t think my aim’s gonna be as good as yours,” she informed him. What if the knives ended up soaring to the other apartment buildings or the ground? Hoping that Clint would broach the subject of safety, at least a little bit, Cassie left his apartment with daggers gathered in her hand. “So, what made you think the roof’s a good place to practice at?” Maybe for Hawkeye, it was easy, he never ran the risk of harming someone -- his aim really was amazing. “I always train in doors and away from people.”

[staturestinger]

unstoppcblewasp:

@staturestinger

There were a lot of things Nadia had little experience in. Truthfully, it would take less time to list the things she was familiar with than the things she wasn’t. The lessons of the Red Room had been brutal and focused, and they’d always been far more intent on insuring their students knew how to kill a man better than they knew how to speak to him. 

Nadia, of course, was retaliating now by experiencing as much as she possibly could. She was intent on catching up on the world she’d missed out on while caught beneath the Red Room’s thumb, and when Doom announced the party he was throwing for the city, she’d been quick to announce to her newfound roommate that they would absolutely be in attendance. Now that they were here, she couldn’t regret the decision at all. Smiling widely, she tugged at Cassie’s arm with no small amount of excitement. “There are people dancing over there!” She motioned towards them quickly. “Do you know how to dance? I learned some dancing, but none like that!” Ballet didn’t seem the optimal party dance based on the crowd’s movements.

Parties weren’t Cassie’s typical scene, largely because her experiences were a little different from most young adults. Rather than hit the clubs, she preferred to put on the Stature/Stinger suit and save the world. It wasn’t her fault that she just didn’t have the time! That being said, Doom’s party sounded like an important one and obviously she had to attend. This was celebrating their success and the military was handling the demons. Cassie had nothing to worry about.

Plus, she got to attend with Nadia! She was flattered that Nadia had asked her to come along, especially when her friend was so excited to have the opportunity to attend Doom’s crazy soiree. As Nadia tugged on her arm, Cassie couldn’t help but laugh and she smiled brightly at her friend. With Nadia around, it was impossible to brood and pay attention to her doubts. Really, it was amazing. “There are people dancing,” she agreed with a laugh. “I think I probably know how to dance! I do it all the time,” she said with a shrug. It wasn’t in these specific circumstances, but Cassie danced after victories, when she heard a song she liked… she could definitely dance. “I’ll teach you how to dance like that,” she promised, winking at her. Cassie lead her into the crowd and began moving along to the beat, swaying her hips. “How’s this look?”

[staturestinger]

rainbcwbright:

There was nothing embarrassing about being from California, but sometimes Karolina wished it didn’t roll off of her in waves. From the way she dressed to her coffee shop order, even her voice, she was obviously an LA girl. This was preferable to people recognizing her as the daughter of Frank and Leslie Dean, though it happened sometimes. She was older now than when she used to be photographed with her parents by the paparazzi, but her identity was made extremely public both right before and again following their deaths. Anyone who paid attention to national news was aware that they had died as secret crime lords rather than two successful actors cut down in their prime. But New Yorkers didn’t care about who you were or your past. This place had come to symbolize a new beginning, not just for her superhero career but for her personal life and the change in location made moving on from her past easier.

Another obvious perk of being in New York was reconnecting with people like the Young Avengers. They had first met in NYC and she never expected them to move to California. Although Karolina respected the West Coast Avengers, everyone knew that the big time was New York. Catching up with a ghost was new – not that Cassie was a ghost, or even that Karolina thought of her as one. She knew her friend had died largely thanks to keeping in touch with the rest of her team, but in many ways, her return was encouraging. First, because Cassie was alive, and that was indisputably good. And second, because…well, she still hadn’t fully let go of hope that Gert might one day do the same. “I love it. It reminds me of Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank.” Karolina smiled, even as she wondered where Cassie had found the time to miss her. “I missed you, too. I’ve been…surprisingly good! I’m going to NYU, interning at Stark Industries. Working on my powers a little, too. And you’re good, I hope?” Karolina never had the chance to send Cassie her condolences about her dad and there was no gentle way to bring it up now. Every life the Skrulls took, Karolina felt partially responsible for.

From time to time, people looked at Cassie in confusion. The brow furrowed, their eyes narrowed and after she grinned brightly at them, they seemed to relax. In all likelihood, that was most likely because of her death and the media frenzy. When the Syndicate had gone after her, she wasn’t in her Stature suit, but in her civilian clothes and the resulting media frenzy had been intense. Maybe that was a good thing in hindsight, helped anger the civilians, but for Cassie now, she absolutely hated it. She didn’t want people to think she was haunting them or ‘that dead girl!’ She was very much alive and very much ready to live.

At least Karolina wasn’t looking at her like a ghost. She’d definitely chosen to spend time with the right person, although none of her friends were bad about her return to life. They reacted great, albeit with some confusion and a lot of worry. Still, it meant a lot that Karolina was responding so well to her — and wasn’t bringing up Cassie’s small problem. “Bob’s Big Boy?” She repeated, laughing. “That’s such a cool name! What kind of place is it?” It sounded like somewhere Cassie would want to visit when she returned to Earth, and with Stinger’s wings, Cassie could make it happen easily. “That’s amazing, Karolina! Me and Tony are super close, I’ll come visit you at work,” she said with a grin. “How’re your powers coming along?” From what Cassie remembered, Karolina was always a little (understandably) confused about them. “Um, I’ve been pretty good!” She said easily. “Just trying to adjust and everything. I got a cool new suit, wanna see?”

[staturestinger]

prinxe-xavin:

Xavin liked the Young Avengers almost as much as their own teammates. It was easier to spend time around those other heroes that were close in age, if not in life experience, to them and to their closest friends. None of them had the same lives, the same histories, but that didn’t matter as much to them. They were quite literally an alien - nobody here had grown up the way they did. But they had the commonality of being young and trying to prove that they were competent in their own right, and as a team. That made up for a lot.

They’d heard about what happened to Cassie. It had been hard not to, with how much they worked to be sure they would fit in with the humans around them and know all of the things they were supposed to know. And they had grieved over it. And now she was, supposedly, returned. In all honesty, they were suspicious. They wouldn’t be any better at detecting an impostor now than they had been at the height of the Skrull invasion, but they still intended to find out what was going on. But their immediate reaction, when they saw Cassie, was to hug her tightly and quickly before entering her apartment. They couldn’t hold onto their cynicism when faced with the return of a friend. “I’m glad you’re back,” they said softly. If she wanted to pretend that she hadn’t been dead, that was fine. They were good at pretending. “I’m starting to think that I should have stayed in California, instead of coming here,” they said, which was almost true. They couldn’t have let the team go without them, though.

Xavin was officially Cassie’s favourite person! Besides Kate, but that went without saying. Surprisingly, they had given her a hug when Cassie opened the door rather than stopping and staring at her. Seriously, it went a long way. Lately, Cassie felt like a living ghost, and while that wasn’t completely inaccurate, she missed her friends’ warmth and affection. Cassie returned the hug enthusiastically before closing the door behind Xavin, not bothering to hide the smile on her face. This was going to go well! It would probably be briefly awkward like every single reunion Cassie had had recently, but she felt more confident going into this one than others.

“I’m really, really glad to be back,” Cassie replied. Her voice wasn’t quite as cheerful as she’d intended, but it was the truth. She remembered absolutely nothing about the afterlife, it was like a bad concussion, but she imagined it probably hadn’t been pleasant. That being said, she’d come back to her own variant of hell, having lost her dad, but… she had the chance to make Scott proud. Cassie would do just that regardless of the cost, her dad had personally taught her very, very well. “Ah, come on, you totally suit New York! I do miss California sometimes, too, but now that we’re together, we’re going to do amazing stuff, promise.” With the topic chance, Cassie was smiling once more. “We could scale the Statue of Liberty… wait, that’s weird and a little suspicious. Hanging out with superheroes has changed my whole view,” she said, pausing. “We could just do something normal, like shopping!” People loved shopping.

[staturestinger]

spidcrgwens:

When it came to relationships, Gwen often thought she might be cursed somehow. Peter had been the first person she’d ever loved romantically, and he’d died in her arms due to her own stupid recklessness. There’d been others after him – from real relationships to brief flings – but none really stuck. Cassie hadn’t been the first person on Earth 616 that Gwen dated, but thanks to the way it ended, she’d been the most prominent. Gwen didn’t think she’d ever forget the day Scott Lang showed up at her door, eyes red-rimmed and face empty, and explained to her that he’d wanted to tell her face-to-face about Cassie’s death. Gwen hadn’t known what to say, hadn’t known how to react. If she thought going through the death of a significant other once before might have made the situation a little easier to handle, she was thoroughly proven wrong when it hit her again.

So, needless to say, running into Cassie at a coffee shop? It brought up a lot of emotions. For a moment, Gwen felt like she couldn’t breathe. It was like the first time she’d seen the Peter of this Earth, painful and heart-wrenching. This was a little more confusing, though. She’d known, on some level, that Earth 616 probably had a Peter Parker, and she’d known that he might be alive. Seeing Cassie was different. There was no logical explanation for it at all. “Did I hit my head?” Gwen’s voice sounded far away to her own ears. “Usually, when I hit my head, I see a talking pig dressed up as a spider. This is sort of a new thing for me.”

Yeah, definitely could not claim that Cassie had been on a long, long vacation and that unpacking had taken her a couple of months. (Oh, that was a good excuse for the future though! Especially if she threw in something about jet lag.) Gwen, understandably, looked shocked and confused and for a moment, Cassie felt bad that this was being strung on her ex-girlfriend so suddenly. Their relationship had been brief, largely because of her… hiatus, but Gwen had been an incredible person, thoughtful and fun. Cassie never intended to hurt her and she definitely didn’t want to now, but that was the thing about hiatuses, they were sudden and they effected everyone horribly. All Cassie could do now was tell her an abridged version of the truth, largely because she was definitely not ready to admit what had actually happened to anyone.

Stupidly, when Gwen responded to Cassie, asking if she hit her head, Cassie merely stared at Gwen for a moment blankly. This definitely wasn’t going well, but in her defence, explaining the situation never got any easier. “No?” She said, punctuating it with a verbal question mark. “I mean, probably not, I don’t know,” she continued, obviously a little nervous. This was sucking more and more by the minute! “Wait, what? Why do you see a pig dressed up as a spider?” Nice going, Cassie, always asking the important questions! “So, I’m back from vacation!” She said with a forced smile, figuring she may as well try the excuse.

[staturestinger]

@prinxe-xavin​

Trying to catch up with old friends was always a little weird for Cassie. Still very much in denial about her extended vacation, she had no desire to explain what had happened or how she had come back to New York (life). Unfortunately, a lot of people had found out due to her friends and family spreading the news, and a lot of people had also found out by opening their local newspaper. Cassie hated it, she wanted to live in peace, without answering questions and trying to come up with explanations, but she cared about her friends more than her own sanity. Xavin was among that very group, like most Runaways, and rather than ask to catch up at a coffee shop, Cassie invited them to her apartment just in case they needed some privacy for their discussions.

When Xavin arrived, Cassie rushed over to the door and offered them a bright smile. “So, long time no see, huh?” She asked lightly, hoping that she could keep the charade up without being caught. Depending on whether Xavin knew many of Cassie’s friends or read the news — online or in print — she could get away with it! Was that lying technically? God, she really didn’t know how to go about this. Too bad there was no how to book about returning to the living. “I was just on this… extended vacation?” She said hopefully, stepping aside to allow Xavin to enter. After closing the door behind her friend, Cassie asked, “How are you doing?”