LOOK OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY

"Look man, I got a master's in electrical engineering, alright? I'm gonna be fine."

“It’s totally fine. Don’t worry about it.” Nadia quickly reassured him. “It’s about the Pym Particles. Have they been functioning normally?”

janet interlocks her elbow around the first passerby she can find, falling into an easy pace, matching their rhythm. ❝ pretend to laugh! like i’ve just said something really funny. like you’ve been my partner for years or something! please? this creep’s been tailing me for the last mile! ❞

❝ come again? i’m clearly not dead. i’m standing right here. ❞

“I think you’ve watched too much Back to the Future, because that’s not how time manipulation works.”

“Do you want me to melt you? Quit while you’re ahead.”

“Being a restrictionist is all fun and games until the key to immorality is suddenly unlocked for everyone.”

“No, you cannot touch the wings. C’mon.”

“Of course there’s enough for you. Here,” she extended the bowl. “Take some. Sugar is good for you.”

“Oh, c’mon. It’s going to be fun. Everything’s about to fall to shit. I literally cannot wait.”

“Yes, the moon was colonized. If you want to cry about it, I’d highly recommend you find someone with the time to care. Do I look like I plan on spending one iota on your tears?”

“Don’t ask me about A.I.M. I don’t contract with them – or Monica Rappaccini – anymore.”

“You know that I’m not a kid anymore, right? I can handle it.” Like the letter from S.H.I.E.L.D. they’d gotten in the mail last week asking her father to come in for some kind of meeting. Maybe Cassie should have kept it to herself, but she couldn’t help it when the question came out. “Is it S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Cassie pretended to gasp as her father fell forward on the table, watching with an amused grin on her face as she giggled at him and just rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, you are so dramatic.”

And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Considering there was a good five years where she’d been convinced she’d never get to see one of his dumb jokes again, it was great to have him back. She’d never get sick of it, even as she grew older. She wasn’t his little peanut anymore, but that was okay. They could navigate their new relationship together, as a team again. 

“I play to win, Dad. You know that.” And maybe she wanted to see the look on his face when she snatched the longest road card right out from under him. Leaning her hand on her palm, she just smiled at him before letting out a content sigh. “I really missed you, you know. And I know I’ll be saying that for the rest of my life, but I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re back.”

moving to begin cleaning up their now completed game, scott shook his head, “i think that’s something you clearly inherited from me.” he wiggled an eyebrow, “exhibit a,” scott gestured vaguely to the table in front of them, and to cassie herself.

“i play to win, dad,” he repeated, mocking good-naturedly, “sure, let’s call it that.”

scott reached for the catan box, leaning away for a moment as cassie’s comments grew more heartfelt. he froze, mid reach before coming back up with the box and a sincere smile that only continued to grow as he reached for one of cassie’s hands, “i missed you too, peanut.” he let the moment play out, filled with temptation to pull his daughter into a hug right then and there, but he had time for hugs whenever now.

time to make up for lost time.

“It’s not coming back from the dead if you were not dead to begin with.”

“– No. The Black Panther is not just one person. My brother would have been the first to tell you that.”

“I might be biased, but the X-Men are doing a lot of good. I don’t think we should let recent revelations diminish that.”