#Avengers 211 fucks me up a little inside.

[positivelybeastly]

💬

"Hey, Shellhead."

It's a little weird to hear the Mansion quiet again - it's been one of the single most hectic days it's ever seen, to hear Jarvis tell it, but in its way, it's also been nice. To be flooded with people who all want to help, or, well, who help in their own way, even if they don't always want to do it the Avenger way.

(Thanks, Moondragon.)

"So, I got all my stuff packed up, did my best to get all the blue fur I shed everywhere."

Everyone likes to make the joke, but Hank doesn't shed that much, really. Jarvis has never complained, anyway. It's just an easy thing to make fun of, and Hank's always so bubbly and bouncy and high energy that it feels okay to throw that at him because he can take it and it lightens the mood.

It's only now that Hank might actually be leaving that there feels like there might be a great, big, laughter shaped hole he's leaving behind.

"Hey, uh, I know this is probably gonna sound like it's coming right outta nowhere, but I kinda have to get this off my chest before I leave, or I'm never gonna feel right about it. Okay? So, for once in your life, I'm gonna need you to just sit right there and - listen. Please?"

"Do you . . . do you remember what you said? Back when you were picking this line-up of Avengers, and it was a choice between me and a good few other people? People with a lot more cred than me? People who hadn't - y'know. Taken a pop at you."

The Brand Corporation.

"You said, 'The Beast has proven himself! We'll take him!' In that high'n mighty, Golden Avenger-y kinda way that you do."

". . . I never woulda told you, because, honestly, I kinda saw myself doing this gig forever and you never woulda let me live it down if you knew, but it was real nice to hear you say that, in that way. All Invincible Iron Man commanding and all. I did you dirty, tried to hurt you, and - you didn't let that colour the way you looked at me, when I turned up again at tryouts. You just - let me try again."

"When I was 17, I saved this kid, from up on a building. Dumb kid, real dumb kid, but we're all dumb, some of us are just lucky enough to outgrow it, so, you know, I saved him. Threw off my shoes and clambered up like Mighty Joe Young, saved him, put him back down, and . . . a crowd of people tried to - kill me."

He swallowed.

"That's a, that's a hard thing. To deal with. You stick your neck out, and you nearly get killed for it, just because you're a mutie. And it's not like I never got stick for it before, I got plenty, but it was usually pretty easy to pass, you know? For people not to know. But then I showed myself, as I was, and their first instinct was to try'n beat me to death. Put me off the whole . . . superhero gig, for a while."

Hank shrugged.

"And then there's you, I.M. I actually did do something wrong, I actually did try and hurt someone, and you just. Let it slide. And I've never really given you the props you deserve for that. So here they are."

"Best damn chairman I ever served under. You ever need anything, you just call Henry P. McCoy, and he's got your back.

. . . Anyway.

Gotta go, Iron Man.

See you in the funny pages."