A little fic for #TigraBurningBright
This is a lost scene that happened during the early issues of the original West Coast Avengers run. There are a couple of inconsistencies with the comics, but nothing too lore-breaking.
She loved Clint. She did.
But man, her new husband was long-winded!
Bobbi sighed and took the opportunity to glance around at her new teammates. She still wasn’t quite sure she believed she, Bobbi Morse, Agent of Shield, was an actual, card-carrying AVENGER now. Sure, she supposed she was kind of a shoe-in given she was sleeping with the chairman of this newly commissioned West Coast branch, and she allowed herself a small smile at the little joke, but still.
Mockingbird. Avenger. It had a nice ring to it!
They were seated at a round table in a gorgeously appointed conference room in the main building of the new compound. Everything around her bespoke money, and lots of it. She supposed that could be laid at the feet of one of her new teammates: Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man. He stood impassively to one side, fully armored, the bulk of his suit incompatible with the comfortable office chairs the rest of them were in. Arms crossed and faceplate down, she didn’t think she’d actually seen his face since meeting him a few hours ago when he and Tigra first arrived.
The other woman sat across from her, long, sinuous legs curled underneath her. She was lounging rather than sitting, her body molded to the chair, her head tilted back far enough that her incredibly long hair was brushing the carpeted floor. She looked incredibly bored. Bobbi had been trying not to stare, because she knew that was rude, and she’d been around plenty of strange looking people, but Greer—her name was Greer and that alone seemed exotic—was going to be on her team.
The cat girl was covered in very fine fur, so short it looked like skin unless you were up close. Orange with black stripes, it looked exactly like an actual tiger’s, but without the white belly a normal animal had. She was curled up but her tail was dangling off the edge—she had a tail and somehow that seemed ridiculously cool to Bobbi—and the tip was twitching erratically.
From her angle Bobbi could see the bottom of one of her feet—it was padded like a cat’s, light brown, and her toes were tipped with scary looking hooked claws. The scientist in her wanted to get close and poke and prod, to see how Tigra’s unique physiology worked, to examine how the claws retracted into her fingertips, how her vertically-slit pupils functioned.
She must’ve been staring because the other woman glanced her direction. Bobbi knew she was caught staring, so she offered a quick, shy smile and returned her attention to Clint, who was droning on about some Avengers regulation. When she glanced back, Tigra was still staring, a small smile playing on her full lips.
“Tigra, are you paying attention?” Clint’s voice was sharp. Bobbi knew he was anxious to be a good leader, to follow in the footsteps of Cap and Jan.
“Not really,” the other woman commented. Her voice was deep, with a slight growling inflection that came across as raspy, and she had just a touch of an accent—Chicago if Bobbi was to guess.
“This is important, Greer,” Clint sounded exasperated.
“So is keeping me entertained, boss. If I get bored, I’ll get in trouble.” She’d turned back to face him when he addressed her, but Bobbi was watching her tail as it started lashing.
“You find my wife entertaining?” Oh Clint, don’t start getting hot on your first day…
“Have you seen her? I’m wondering why we’re having a meeting and boring me when you could be feeding her wine and chocolates back at your bungalow.” Bobbi snorted, and Tigra glanced back at her and winked.
“I…you know what, you’re not wrong.” Clint grinned. “Let’s get out on the field and just do some drills together. Stretch our legs.” Tigra stood and stretched, and Bobbi stood as well.
“Now you’re speaking my language, boss,” the cat girl said
Bobbi was good. She knew that, had supreme confidence in her fighting skills, but they were putting her through a workout.
Wonderman was on Thor’s level in terms of strength and was, for all intents and purposes, indestructible. He was serving as their practice dummy, and she’d done several combos on him and just had sore arms for her trouble. Still, she and Tigra worked well together, and though she wouldn’t be giving the Hulk any sleepless nights, Greer was strong enough to bench press a dump truck herself, and could actually take Simon off his feet.
“Ok, I’ll hit him high, keep him distracted, you hit his legs,” she’d panted, and Tigra nodded. Up close, Bobbi’d decided Tigra was legitimately beautiful, tilted, exotic eyes, thick lashes, full lips, model cheekbones.
“You got it Mocky. He’s going down!” The cat girl grinned, and so Bobbi rushed Simon.
Wonder Man stood, hands on his hips and a smug grin on his face. “You’re spending a lot of energy here, Mockingbird. Maybe you should just concede this one. I could use a lemonade.”
“Oh, no you didn’t,” she growled, her sticks flying in a blur. It felt like hitting a pillar of concrete. He laughed…and then he made a sound that, if she were to try and describe it, would be ‘ULP’ because Greer had snuck up behind and kicked his legs out from under him.
Bobbi let out a ‘Whoop!’ and Greer slugged Simon three times in rapid succession before bouncing away. Simon rose with a roar before Clint stepped in.
“Alright, alright, good job, ladies. That’s a good lesson, no matter how tough an opponent is, teamwork can overcome—”
Simon interrupted him. “Except for the fact that her punches felt like tickles to me and it was only a matter of time before I’d catch one of them and turn them to paste.”
Bobbi inwardly rolled her eyes and gave Greer a quick high five.
“Well, someone’s butthurt he got owned,” Tigra observed.
“You were awesome,” Bobbi whispered back as Clint and Simon fell to arguing.
“Maybe, but you really impress me, Mocky. You don’t have any powers and you’re so good…”
“Lots of practice. Lots of it.” Greer was smiling, flashing her fangs. “You know, after dinner, if you want, we could meet up and practice. You’re so fast I think a little training would make you unstoppable.”
Tigra tilted her head in thought. “I like the sound of being unstoppable. Ok.”
She circled to her right, away from Tigra’s right side. She’d learned Greer liked to lead with it.
It’d been several weeks since she’d offered to show Greer ‘some moves,’ and she was starting to think she’d created a monster. Tigra learned quickly, and combined with her speed and strength the extra skill at hand to hand was rapidly turning her into a scary prospect to spar with.
Tigra came in an orange blur, so fast Bobbi couldn’t follow it. Rather than trying to keep up with her, she stepped sideways and used her battle staves to create a web of blurring metal. In these private sparring sessions, Greer never used her claws or fangs, but Bobbi’d learned even taking a half strength punch could shut her down for the night. Best not to get hit at all.
Greer reversed direction and Bobbi shifted again, taking a half-hearted swing at the retreating feline form but she knew, to Greer, her strikes looked like they were in slow motion. The best way to land a hit on Greer was to lure her into committing to a leap or a pounce and strike while she was in the air. So Bobbi withdrew, poking just enough to keep Greer on her toes and baiting her to leap.
Sure enough, she saw Greer gather herself, and when she leaped, Bobbi threw herself down and went to thrust up—but Greer had used her tail to arrest her momentum, and with a sickening feeling Bobbi realized, for once, Greer had baited her, and suddenly she was on her back, Tigra straddling her, and the cat girl was pinning her wrists with one hand above her head.
Her eyes were blazing, and feral, and when she lunged for Bobbi’s throat for a half second of bladder emptying panic Bobbi though she was going to actually rip her throat out. Her eyes were squeezed shut when Greer growled in her ear, “Oh em gee I got you for once!”
Relieved, Bobbi opened her eyes. Greer was nose to nose with her, her thick red hair spilling down around them both. Her eyes were twinkling with mischief.
“You did great, Tee. The tail trick was brilliant.”
Greer’s grin had faded. Suddenly, the air was thick with…something. Bobbi realized her pulse was racing, and Tigra was looking down at her with something else in her eyes. Something hungry. She was suddenly hyper aware of being pinned, helpless, the other woman’s body stretched out of hers.
And then Tigra kissed her.
It shocked her. Surprised, she responded instinctively to the feel of Greer’s soft lips on hers, opening her mouth. Tigra’s tongue was rough and ticklish, and she was purring now—a deep, rumbling vibration that seemed to shake Bobbi’s entire body. Bobbi couldn’t free her hands, Greer was too strong, but she wriggled underneath the other woman, partly to try to break the kiss because it was…wrong. Wasn’t it?
Partly to get more, to feel more.
She felt horrified. She thought of Clint.
Just as suddenly as it had started, Greer broke the kiss and jumped off her, one hand going to cover her mouth, her eyes wide.
“Bobbi, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
Bobbi was trembling, her legs weak. The sudden rush of desire left her confused. “N-no, it’s ok. Greer, it’s ok, I know—”
Tigra started rambling, clearly close to panic. “I—I’m empathic. I can sense things. I could feel that you interested in me, but I mis-read it. And you’re married. I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad, it won’t happen again. Sometimes I can’t control myself, and—”
“Tee, it’s ok.” She took Tigra’s hand, pulling away from her mouth. “We’re friends. I’m not mad or offended.”
“I don’t…I don’t even know if you swing that way, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” She was smiling, trying to convince herself as well as Greer. “This is no big deal.”
There was a hug. Greer calmed down. They were ok. This was ok.
Clint was drowsy next to her, satisfied with the last few minutes of lovemaking. She loved him, and she was enjoying a few minutes of well-earned afterglow.
His voice was lethargic. “So, how are those sparring sessions with Greer going?”
She thought for a long moment about that searing kiss, the feel of the other woman’s silky fur and lithe body pressed against hers. Something that would never happen again.
