More, More, More For Lee’s Birthday 🎂🎁🎉
Since I missed Day 5 of the #RockLeeBirthdayWeek2017, I figured better late than never.
I actually posted this last year and thought I would run with it again.
@paintertainment @rockleeswillyouholdmeclose
@sausage-fist @ten-all-over @samlovesmaitogai @fruitysmellz @teacher-monica @strikeelectricart
Day 5: Universe Exchange
Have you ever thought that he would fit wonderfully in a different series? Have you thought it would be funny just too see him there? Well here is your chance! Whether it be for humor or even some angst send Lee to another universe and see what changes would be made. If you draw try that universes artstyle!!
“I do not understand your continual resistance. You know it’s over. You can’t be so foolish as to think it’s not…or…” He made a ‘tsk tsk’ sound. “…are you?”
Loki stood on the opposite side of the large room, glaring at the bearded human in the metal uniform. The helmet worn about the mortal’s head had been remotely removed seconds before, causing the son of Asgard to mockingly sputter on seeing the man underneath the armor of the one called Iron Man.
“And here he is - the all-powerful Tony Stark.” Loki tried not to laugh but was found it difficult. “Funny how we keep running into one another. Shall I call you Iron Man, or do you prefer Mister Stark? Oh, wait. I should call you Tony. We’re old friends after all.”
“Well, I’m Tony to my real friends. Mister Stark to my acquaintances, and you…For you, I’m just the asshole who’s been helping to wipe up what’s left of your Chitauri friends out there.”
“My ‘friends’ as you call them are simply a means to an end. A means to a great victory which neither you, my so-called brother,” he spat the word as if the very phrasing was a curse, “or the rest of your weak little lot will be able to stop.”
“Well, see…that’s where you’re wrong….Oh um…” Tony strolled over to the bar. “Scotch? Vodka? Vermouth - I’ve got some vermouth here. Bourbon?” Stark put down yet another decanter as he indicated each liquor. “You know, you strike me as a gin man.”
“Be still you fool!” Loki stalked towards Stark. “I’m tired of your incessant chatter. I don’t know how Thor deals with it. I don’t know how anyone deals with your arrogance, your posturing, that ridiculous thing you call humanity. I don’t know who you think you are. That you have the audacity to think…” Loki spun his scepter and Tony maneuvered backward. “Are you running? Don’t you know there is nowhere to run? The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?
“The Avengers,” came the firm response. Stark gave a wry smile. “That’s what we call ourselves. We’re sort of a team. ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ type thing.”
Loki chuckled. “Yes, I’ve met them.”
“Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I’ll give you that one.” Stark pointed towards the enemy, and in a casual manner continued, “But let’s do a headcount here. Your brother the demigod.” He saw Loki roll his eyes. “A super soldier - a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger management issues. A couple of master assassins. Oh and we got ourselves a new guy, and once he took in the situation, he’s not too thrilled either. And you, big fella…you’ve managed to piss off every single one of them.”
Loki shook his head and laughed. “That was the plan.”
“Not a great plan.” Tony took a moment to pour a single shot. After all, it might be his final taste of twenty-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Bourbon. If you’re going to go out, go out with a bang! “When they come, and they will, they’ll come for you.”
The bravado amused the Asgardian. “I have an army!” he bellowed.
“Well, we have a Handsome Green Devil,” Stark calmly replied.
“You have a handsome…what?” Momentarily confused, Loki stared then shook it off. “You mean you have a Hulk.”
“Him too.”
“Playing with words again, eh? I thought the beast had wandered off.”
“You’re missing the point!” shouted Stark, slamming down the glass. He was exhausted with the chatter as well. “There’s no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.”
The base of the scepter slammed against the floor. “Enough!” Loki screamed. “You are, all of you are beneath me!” His pace quickened as he challenged Tony. “I am a god, you dull creature! And I will not be bullied by…”
Only then did Loki sense the force of energy engulf him, causing him to look left then right and finally down, but too late. Above the whirlwind he heard the words ‘Primary Lotus!’ before a blow struck his jaw with such intensity, his feet left the ground, his body moving upwards. There was a second strike in the face, a third. Before he could organize any strategy, Loki caught sight of an undefined green blur flying past and behind him. Was it possible the Hulk had obtained new abilities and was…? But he couldn’t think straight. His muscles were constrained, secured with white tape which appeared out of nowhere…and he and it flipped upside down mere inches from the ceiling and began to spin, their bodies accelerating around the room until Loki thought the G-forces would tear him apart.
The world no longer existed. His sight distorted. He was certain blood gushed from his ears.
And the next feeling was of them bulldozing thru Tony Stark’s imported marble tile, the flooring collapsing around them and into the newly made crater.
The entire action from beginning to end took less than ten seconds.
Barely conscious, Loki coughed, groaned, wondered if it was possible a god could suffer broken ribs. Turning his head a half-inch at a time, he realized the being had somehow crawled or leaped clear of the wreckage and was in full view a few feet away, scrunched down, breathing hard, the white tape around both wrists askew. Loki blinked. Even his eyes hurt, but he saw that the thing appeared human, and…
How in the hell had this tall, slender, stupid looking boy done this? And it was a boy, younger than any of the so-called Avengers, likely no more than eighteen.
Loki blinked again, every facial muscle in pain. Black hair cut into a ridiculous bowl cut with a white ring encircling it…Sandals…Orange leg warmers…Green jumpsuit. Green flak jacket. That was why Stark called it a Green Devil. And a devil it obviously was, released from some pit of whatever constituted a Norse Hel in this existence, a devil with the bushiest pair of black eyebrows Loki had ever seen in his life.
“It…is…over,” the being muttered between deep gulps.
“Over?” Loki squeaked. He wanted to ask an important question - nothing emerged. Loki Laufeyson had never known fear until this bushy-browed thing left him damaged, bruised, defeated.
“You okay?” Tony asked, rushing around the enormous hole.
The young man stood at full attention, one hand behind his straight back, the other before him, palm up. He was obviously preparing to fight again if need be. “Absolutely, Mister Stark! I could not be better!” he exclaimed. “Do you feel that the Primary Lotus was enough?”
Loki moaned again. That voice! All that enthusiasm and passion was setting his teeth on edge!
“Oh yeah, yeah, I think that was plenty kid,” Stark said.
“Although…” The boy’s face fell. “I have promised Guy-Sensei I would only use certain moves if the lives of very important people were at stake.”
Tony shrugged, trying not to laugh. This boy was supposedly some kind of ninja with a code of Boy Scout ethics Stark hadn’t seen since Steve Rogers. It was no wonder Cap and he got along so well. “Well look, I think your Guy-Sensei if he knew you helped save millions of lives…Strike that…Billions of lives…I don’t think he’d mind you did. That’s about as important as it’ll ever get.”
The round black eyes flashed, a brilliant smile lighting up Rock Lee’s face. “Really, Mister Stark. You think so?”
“Oh, I know so. Trust me. You’ve got some nice moves on you kid. I don’t know if The Hulk could have done a better job.”
“Well, this Loki appears to be a puny god, do you not think?” Only now did Lee take a look at the property damage - broken pieces of tile still tumbling into the hole and on top of Loki; photographs and paintings sliding from the walls; a crystal lighting fixture hanging from several wires finally crashing to the floor. With a wail, Lee prostrated himself. “Mister Stark, I am sorry.”
“What the…What are you sorry about? You took out Loki.”
“I know, and I am happy I was here to help, but I wrecked your apartment. I do not think it can ever be repaired. And I am certain I could never earn enough in a lifetime of missions as a shinobi to compensate you.”
Tony glanced around, seeing the full extent of the damages. He knew the boy was pretty incredible, however, this was even more amazing than he expected when he concocted the plan. “Look kid…Hey Lee.” Stark pulled him up so they could look eye-to-eye. The billionaire found it hard to believe the boy was this anxious. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But…”
“Do you think any of this matters? Besides,” he joked, “Pepper said she’s been wanting to remodel.” When the shinobi didn’t laugh, Tony gave him a gentle shake. “You helped us defeat Loki. You’re as much an Avenger as any of the rest of us, do you know that?” Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw that the remainder of the group began to arrive: from the roof, from the sides of the building, even the normal use of the front door. They were all assembling to see if the final action in the operation had come to fruition. Stark felt so assured it would work, to place such a massive responsibility on the shoulders of the young stranger…
A blush came to Lee’s cheeks. To hear himself compared to these men and women he had learned to respect in the weeks since being tossed into this world… “I…I do not know what to say, Mister Stark.”
“Just say you’re not going to worry about paying for anything because…”
“Because…” Clint Barton shouted, giving Lee an enormous bear hug. “This kid is the best thing to drop into our lives in a long time!”
“Thank you, Mister Hawkeye.”
“Rock Lee!” a booming voice called out.
Now it was Thor’s turn to give Lee an embrace, lifting the boy off his feet. “You are a hero worthy of Asgard!”
The praise continued from all sides, intensifying the red in Lee’s face when he was surrounded by the group. But the compliment which meant the most came from the lovely redhead who kissed him on the mouth before she softly told him, “Nice work, Lee.”
Lee prayed his sigh was not audible and he gazed into her eyes. Swallowing hard, he heard himself hoarsely utter, “Thank…Thank…Thank you, Miss Romanoff.”
“What have I told you before? Call me Natasha,” she told him, giving his hair a light stroke before she hurried to join the others around the floor pit.
“Natasha,” Lee whispered, swallowing again. He barely noticed when Steve Rogers wrapped a paternal arm around his shoulders.
“She might be a little out of your league right now kid,” Captain America confided in a lighthearted manner. “Maybe another year or two…or ten.”
“She is still an angel, Captain,” Lee commented, his smile shy. “Do you not think so? I realize she is deadly…”
“That’s why they call her The Black Widow.”
Lee nodded in agreement. Since his arrival and after his acceptance into the S.H.I.E.L.D. community, the Russian had trained and sparred with him on numerous occasions before these recent events came to pass. One thing was certain: if anyone kept him on his toes, it was her and Rogers! “But I have told you of my teammate Tenten. She is deadly too, but now and then, she reveals a side which is…” The young man shrugged, becoming tongue-tied. He realized he was way too young and inexperienced for the likes of Natasha Romanoff, but it did not lessen his admiration. And she had kissed him!
Rogers comment snapped Lee out of his daydream. “I just hope I get to meet your team someday. We’re still working on a way of getting you home.”
“I know, Captain. Doctor Selvig has said none of you will give up until you do. Until that happens, if you do not mind, I will consider you as much my Sensei as I do Might Guy. I honor you that much, sir, for all you have done for me.”
For a moment, Rogers was speechless. When he did find the words, he was interrupted by a loud moan.
“I think Sleeping Beauty’s awake,” the First Avenger joked. “Want to go check out the damage?”
Loki had been dreaming…Earth was within his reach…He would be sole master over the entire world, bending it to his control, doing as he saw fit to put these mortals under his authority…No one would stop him: not Thor, not Odin-Father, not Iron Man, not the Green…
Green…
He moved. The unbearable pain was felt no matter which part of his body he attempted to adjust. He stopped, emitting a groan which caused the surroundings to quake then stop seconds later. Was he still breathing? Was he still alive?
Little by little, Loki opened his eyes, blinked…and saw that each of the Avengers stood above him, leaning down towards him. Hawkeye’s bow was positioned, the arrowhead pointing right towards the god of mischief. Mjölnir was raised menacingly above Thor’s head. The Hulk growled. That stupid red, white and blue shield appeared larger than life.
And then Loki saw him, jerked, and cried out again. With great difficulty, he attempted to raise one finger and point, his words so soft that no one could understand him.
“What’s he saying?” Clint asked, never losing sight of his target.
Loki muttered again.
Tony Stark chuckled, shaking his head. “He said ‘What are you?’”
The Avengers either turned their heads or their eyes alone to catch sight of their newest team member.
“Me?” Lee almost squeaked.
“He wants to know who you are,” Tony told him. “Or what you are.”
Cap nudged him in the arm. “You want to tell him, kid?”
Lee nodded, situating himself so that his foe might better see him. Standing straight, remembering everything he had been taught and all he represented, he bowed and proudly announced, “My name is Rock Lee, Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village; student of Might Guy, the Noble Blue Beast of the Leaf, and a member of Team Guy, the most worthy team in all of Konoha…And…” One corner of his mouth turned up into a smile. “…a proud member of The Avengers.”
Loki shut his eyes. He didn’t know who was more sickening: Captain America or this brat with the bad haircut. At this point, he no longer cared, muttering something more, the short sentence ending with the name “Thor.”
Thor bent closer, remaining cautious. He would not permit Loki to play yet another trick on him. “What is it, Brother?”
“Get me…Take me…Take…me…back…to…to…Take me to…Asgard…Get me…Get me…away…away…from…that!” He managed to point at Lee.
“And I think that does it.” Stark seemed satisfied. “Anybody up for some shawarma?”
Lee was astounded. Since first laying eyes on something so wondrous, he pondered if this was beyond his current skills, or if he even dared to challenge himself in such an advanced manner.
“I am certain Guy-Sensei could do it,” Lee whispered to Rogers, the two standing off to the side, “but he is already a great shinobi.”
“Well, you told me Guy has taught you more and more because he knew you could handle it.”
“True,” the chunin sighed, “but this…”
“I know, but I have a lot of faith in you, kid. The two of us have a lot in common.”
Lee nodded thoughtfully, recalling the stories he had heard about Captain America. While others spoke of him in awe, Rogers spoke of himself in the simplest of terms. “Yes, sir. I have thought that too.”
“And we’ve both known people who saw something special in us, even if we didn’t always see it ourselves.”
“Yes, sir.” Even without saying their names, Lee knew Rogers meant Peggy Carter and Bucky Barnes. For the umpteenth time, the younger man wondered how it might feel to have Team Guy ripped apart by circumstances over which you had no control; in every instance, he pushed such imaginings aside.
“So between you and me…I think you ought to give it a shot. What’s that you’re always saying?”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Lee smiled. It might be his one opportunity to accept this challenge. “Guy-Sensei would have great admiration for you, Captain. I have a feeling he would tell me the same. To accept this.”
“And if you can’t do it?”
“If I cannot do it,” came Lee’s defiant words, “then I will walk on my hands five times around the boundaries of your New York City.”
“As much as I’d love to see that…” Cap slapped him on the back. “You’ve got it! Nobody’s watching. Go!”
Lee made a swift move to one of the few pieces of furniture left intact. Only Rogers observed him at the moment; the others were busy with Loki as Thor secured him for their travels back to Asgard.
He knew there were only seconds to make the attempt no one had before tried, but which - in a short conversation between him and Cap while they waited - had been bandied about until the shinobi’s eager hot-bloodedness could take it no longer well. The situation was too good to resist. It wasn’t power he sought, but the challenge of whether or not someone besides Thor could do so. In his mind, it was yet another challenge to prove he could be as good as others. Thor was a ‘rival,’ like Neji or Naruto. Therefore without pause, Lee hurried up to the table where the god of thunder had placed the mystical weapon. Taking a deep breath, he wrapped both hands about Mjölnir’s grip…
Besides Captain America, only Loki witnessed what happened next, the sight shocking him to such an extent he gasped, went bug-eyed and came close to collapsing back into the crater! Thor’s assumption was that the pain was too much, even for a demi-god.
When the remaining Avengers turned about, Lee had returned to Rogers’ side.
Steve hoped he could maintain the stony expression as they all prepared to leave the shambles of the Stark penthouse, but it was almost impossible to keep his mouth from dropping to the floor - again. He glanced at Rock Lee, who looked almost as stunned. Although still attempting to wrap his brain around what had happened, Rogers gulped and finally whispered, “I think this can stay between you and me. What do you say?”
Still trembling and nodding his head over and over, Lee answered, “Yes Captain, I think that is an excellent idea.”
Silence.
“I mean,” Rogers spoke again, “I was kind of joking with you.”
“Yes sir, I know.”
“I mean, when you come down to it, I couldn’t imagine…I knew you were strong but…but you…” Rogers stammered, still disbelieving what he observed. “Lee…you picked up Thor’s hammer. That means you’re worthy.
“Worthy?”
“Only worthy people can wield it, a protector of Asgard - that’s where he and Loki come from, remember? And you…”
“A protector? Like a Hokage?” When Rogers nodded, the chunin paled. “But I do not wish to become Hokage over Asgard.” Lee’s quiet confession was nervous and frightened. “I do not even know where Asgard is. I only want to return home when you find a way for me to do so.”
“Lee…”
“Do you think Thor will know I did it? Does Mjölnir’s have some sort of an alarm?”
“I don’t think so.” That was a guess. Rogers wasn’t definite but figured if Thor - once the hammer was retrieved from the tabletop - had not made any accusations, then things were alright. Since Lee’s attempt, the sole person who acknowledged that he was aware was Loki. Although attempting to maintain an arrogant demeanor, that proved only a facade. The second he saw Lee, a fear briefly flashed in his eyes, something only the young man and Rogers caught.
The two were silent again. In the background, they heard Natasha call out, “Hey Cap, Lee! You two coming?”
“In a sec, Natasha,” Captain America replied, then sighing directed his next words to a concerned shinobi. “The secret’s safe with me, kid.”
“Thank you, Captain. I appreciate that.”
“All of this does give me an idea,” Rogers mused while he and Lee headed for the front door.
“What is that, sir?”
“Oh…I don’t know. I’d like to give it a shot sometime if I got half a chance. I could see Thor making some joke, some stupid challenge because he thinks he’s the only one. I’m sure a few of us might take him up on it though…Stark, Barton, maybe even Natasha.” He laughed and shrugged. “Not that I think I could…”
Lee grinned. “Do not doubt yourself, Captain. Guy-Sensei would tell you to have full confidence in yourself. If you ever have the opportunity, I would say try. You never know,” and being back to normal, he smiled more, winked and gave a thumbs-up.
Rogers just shook his head and smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. You never know.”
NOTE:
Lee had returned to Konoha by the time of Age of Ultron, but I’m certain he would have had a huge smile on his face when Captain America accepted Thor’s challenge to try to lift Mjölnir.
https://youtu.be/pvJiG-nnUOw
The shawarma mention was in the original The Avengers movie, and if you sit all the way through the final end credits, you see the gang sitting down and having some chow at the very restaurant Stark mentions in the movie. (Not sure where Lee was during that scene *bg*).
A good deal of the dialogue between Loki and Tony Stark was taken from the movie, The Avengers, and was copied from IMDB.
DISCLAIMER:
I do not own The Avengers or any of the individual characters. They are owned and copyrighted by Marvel Studios, Marvel Comics, Stan Lee and whoever else might be involved. I’m only playing with them for a bit - and hope none of them mind.
