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Avengers movie'verse: "In the faces of our children"
Title: In the faces of our children
Fandom: Captain America: The First Avenger (movie), Avengers (movie)
Author's Notes: Okay, so, in the Cap movie one of the Howling Commandos is Montgomery Falsworth. (He seems to fill in Pinky's spot.) In the comics, Monty was a costumed hero in WWI, and it was his son Brian who fought at Cap's side -- along with Brian's lover Roger, and younger sister Jackie. This story is an exercise in incorporating the family's movie-adjusted timeline into things. (The title is from the song We Rise Again by The Rankin Family.)
A/N 2: This is unbetaed, and unBrit-picked, so if you spot any errors, feel free to point them out to me!
"Captain?"
At the sound of the familiar voice, Steve whirled. Standing behind him, dressed in a sharp modern suit, was an apparition from his past.
"Falsworth?!" he gasped. He didn't know what showed on his face, but the man beside the ghost -- taller, bulkier, sporting a mustache while Falsworth's was mysteriously gone -- looked concerned. (And blessedly unfamiliar.)
"Brian Falsworth," the lanky Brit said hastily. "You knew my father."
Steve took a breath, willing his heartrate to slow.
"Of course. Sorry." He offered his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Falsworth -- Brian shook his hand, looking a bit sheepish.
"Sorry to have given you a start, Captain. I suppose I underestimated the resemblance."
"It's --" Steve waved a hand, embarrassed. "-- at least half your voice. The accent."
"Told you," the man with Falsworth murmured. His accent, while also British, didn't sound the same. Thankfully.
Falsworth shot him an amused look, then touched his elbow, gesturing to introduce them.
"Captain, this is my husband, Roger Aubrey."
Steve shook his hand, feeling his face splitting in a big grin. Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at him, inquiring.
"Sorry. I just -- I'm not over that, yet. It used to be illegal." The future was far from perfect, even in this area, but he was happy about the progress.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain," Aubrey said.
"My father spoke highly of you," Falsworth chimed in. "Must say, I'm relieved -- many of his generation had a problem with this." He gestured between his husband and himself.
"I know," Steve said. He'd been there, after all. Then. "I never really understood why, to be honest."
"Oh, I like you," Aubrey said, laughing.
"I was just on my way to get some coffee and a snack," Steve told them, gesturing vaguely down the corridor. "Would you care to join me?"
"Certainly, Captain."
"Please, call me Steve."
Brian told him some of what had happened with his father. Monty had survived the war, clearly. Brian had one sibling, a sister named Jacqueline. She was married, with a son who would be Lord Falsworth after Brian.
"Jackie will be miffed that we met you ahead of her," Aubrey -- Roger, rather -- said with a chuckle, "but we came up with a reason to visit Stateside before she did."
Monty had been in an automobile accident in the early 50s that left him with impaired use of his legs. His brother John had been convicted of tampering with the car's brakes. There were still bad feelings between Brian and his cousins. Monty had died seven years before Steve was found.
"There's a memorial, if you'd like to visit. In fact, feel free to visit anytime. You're always welcome in our home," Brian told him, and Roger warmily endorsed this.
They'd brought photographs, snapshots of Monty's post-war life with wife, children, people Steve had known in the war, jumping dramatically in age. He admired a picture of the two men as teenagers, standing with a pony on which sat a younger girl with bright blonde hair.
"Jackie," Roger said, tapping the girl. "She was fourteen or so here, I think? I know I remember that pony." He twinkled at his husband.
"You've known each other a long time," Steve commented.
"Pretty close to all our lives," Brian agreed. "We were friends first, of course."
"The story of how we worked out that we both wanted more is a funny one, I think --" Roger began, grinning.
"Yes, but, perhaps best told another time," Brian interrupted, blushing, then set down another photograph.
Monty was usually seated in the photos, but one of Jackie in what was clearly a wedding dress showed him standing with the use of a cane, talking to --
"Is that Howard Stark?" Steve leaned forward to look more closely. He'd seen other pictures of Howard when he'd gotten older, but none of them showed him like this, with that affable cocky smile Steve remembered. He'd been starting to think he'd forgotten how to do it, somewhere along the way.
"Yes, the Starks came to Jackie's wedding," Brian said mildly, sliding another picture over.
Steve laughed at the sight of Jackie doing what must be a dance with a young boy in most of a suit. It could only be Tony Stark. He was grinning exuberantly, arms slightly blurred, caught in motion.
"Thought you might like that one," Roger said, amused. "We knew you'd worked with Iron Man."
"Yes." Steve looked up. "He took some getting used to, though. Hell, I'm still working on it, I think. He can be even more manic than Howard on meth, but he's brilliant and -- what?" They were giving him a strange look.
"Howard did methamphetamines?" Brian asked carefully.
"Lot of guys did, during the war. Your father included; they made him extra sarcastic."
"Oh Lord!" Roger covered his face with one hand. "More sarcastic? Nightmare!"
Brian laughed and smacked his arm lightly. "Sorry, Steve, that's just... not a part of the war many people talk about now."
Steve shrugged. "They weren't exactly good for you -- I know I hated taking amphetamines for my asthma because they aggravated my heart condition, before the, uh, procedure -- but a lot of soldiers will trade off an immediate benefit for problems in a future they might not live to see." He hesitated, then continued, "I've heard the phrase 'the greatest generation' applied to veterans and other survivors of the -- of World War II. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest, but it was a hell of a hard fight and I can see why people might want to downplay the drug use, so that kids -- or anyone -- don't try to emulate it. I've been reading a lot of the history I missed, and the news. Drugs seem to be a problem."
Roger had casually gathered up the photographs and tucked them away while Steve was talking, and he understood why when he heard Tony Stark say behind him, "You should do a PSA." Apparently in was his day for being snuck up on. Steve turned in his seat.
"A Public Service Announcement?"
"'Hey kids, Cap says drugs are bad', that sort of thing."
"Kind of hypocritical, considering." Steve gestured at himself.
"Yeah. Maybe you could do ads for better living through chemistry, instead. So, anyway, we're late, you're late, there's a briefing, c'mon. If I have to sit through Hill being all --" He waved a hand expressively, although Steve wasn't entirely sure what it meant. "-- then you do, too."
Steve looked at his watch, surprised. He was about to comment that the meeting wasn't for another half hour, but then remembered how Tony seemed to have a fairly blasé attitude towards punctuality. Hill must be trying a new approach.
"Shoot, I lost track of time," he said instead. "Thanks, Tony." He stood, and offered handshakes to his visitors. "Sorry to run off, but thank you for coming to see me --"
"I'm leaving, you be as late as you want, it's your funeral," Tony announced, wandering away with his hands in his pockets.
"Or you could stick around and blame your being late on me," Steve suggested. Tony wandered back.
"Falsworth, right? And Roger, did you keep your surname? Sorry I missed your wedding, I had a thing, I don't exactly remember what, so probably something boring and business-related."
Brian made a 'think nothing of it' noise. Roger was grinning at them.
"What?" Steve asked him.
"You both drop his title. I like it."
Brian rolled his eyes and gently jostled his husband, then said firmly over Steve's stammering, "It's fine, Steve, honestly. A lot of Americans do it, he just thinks it's funny because there's generally a load of horseshit over a peer marrying a commoner. Anyway, thank you -- both of you -- for saving the world from aliens."
"Seconded," Roger said immediately.
"Thanks," Steve replied awkwardly. He was still not quite sure how to respond to this.
Tony shrugged. "How about you two come for dinner? You three," he amended, eyeballing Steve. "Pepper wants to talk with you."
"Thank you, but we have an evening flight to Montana tonight," Brian said regretfully. "We should be back in New York by Wednesday, though. Perhaps then?"
"Sure, I'll tell Pep, we'll think of something. Hey! Steve can bring a date!"
"No, Tony --"
"C'mon, don't be the fifth wheel, Cap --"
"I don't want --"
"I could introduce you to --"
"I'll bring Natasha." Steve crossed his arms, glaring.
"Fine, don't bring a date," Tony backpedalled. "No rush."
An agent -- a fit young man in a catsuit, about Tony's height, with wavy blond hair sharply contrasting his dark eyebrows -- diffidently cleared his throat at the edge of their little group.
"Sorry to intrude, but, sirs --" He looked at Steve and Tony. "-- Deputy Director Hill sent me to get you."
"Cap's fault," Tony said immediately.
"Sorry, we'll be right there," Steve said. "Could you make sure these gentlemen don't get lost? They were just about to leave." He made an apologetic face at Roger and Brian. "It's kind of a maze."
"Yes, we had a guiding guard on the way in," Roger said. They exchanged handshakes again, and farewells, then parted ways.
"So, how was that? You seemed to like them," Tony commented as they walked.
"I do. It was a little surreal, hearing Falsworth's accent suddenly." He wondered if Brian's sister would sound the same. Surely not as much the same, unless she was a very low alto...
"And the homosexual thing? You're okay with that?"
Steve shrugged. "Always was."
"Huh. You know, when I say you can bring a date, it doesn't have to be a woman."
Steve recognised that Tony was fishing, but he was also being nice, so he just said, "Thanks, Tony, but I'm really not ready yet," and then opened the door to the conference room, at which point Hill distracted them with a mission briefing with lots of exciting video footage.
.
A/N 3: Yes, okay, in the real-world UK Roger and Brian could only have a "civil partnership" instead of a "marriage", but nothing stops them from calling it a "marriage", the ceremony a "wedding", and each other "husband". And maybe in the movie 'verse they could have legally had a marriage, who knows?
.
Fandom: Captain America: The First Avenger (movie), Avengers (movie)
Author's Notes: Okay, so, in the Cap movie one of the Howling Commandos is Montgomery Falsworth. (He seems to fill in Pinky's spot.) In the comics, Monty was a costumed hero in WWI, and it was his son Brian who fought at Cap's side -- along with Brian's lover Roger, and younger sister Jackie. This story is an exercise in incorporating the family's movie-adjusted timeline into things. (The title is from the song We Rise Again by The Rankin Family.)
A/N 2: This is unbetaed, and unBrit-picked, so if you spot any errors, feel free to point them out to me!
"Captain?"
At the sound of the familiar voice, Steve whirled. Standing behind him, dressed in a sharp modern suit, was an apparition from his past.
"Falsworth?!" he gasped. He didn't know what showed on his face, but the man beside the ghost -- taller, bulkier, sporting a mustache while Falsworth's was mysteriously gone -- looked concerned. (And blessedly unfamiliar.)
"Brian Falsworth," the lanky Brit said hastily. "You knew my father."
Steve took a breath, willing his heartrate to slow.
"Of course. Sorry." He offered his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Falsworth -- Brian shook his hand, looking a bit sheepish.
"Sorry to have given you a start, Captain. I suppose I underestimated the resemblance."
"It's --" Steve waved a hand, embarrassed. "-- at least half your voice. The accent."
"Told you," the man with Falsworth murmured. His accent, while also British, didn't sound the same. Thankfully.
Falsworth shot him an amused look, then touched his elbow, gesturing to introduce them.
"Captain, this is my husband, Roger Aubrey."
Steve shook his hand, feeling his face splitting in a big grin. Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at him, inquiring.
"Sorry. I just -- I'm not over that, yet. It used to be illegal." The future was far from perfect, even in this area, but he was happy about the progress.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain," Aubrey said.
"My father spoke highly of you," Falsworth chimed in. "Must say, I'm relieved -- many of his generation had a problem with this." He gestured between his husband and himself.
"I know," Steve said. He'd been there, after all. Then. "I never really understood why, to be honest."
"Oh, I like you," Aubrey said, laughing.
"I was just on my way to get some coffee and a snack," Steve told them, gesturing vaguely down the corridor. "Would you care to join me?"
"Certainly, Captain."
"Please, call me Steve."
Brian told him some of what had happened with his father. Monty had survived the war, clearly. Brian had one sibling, a sister named Jacqueline. She was married, with a son who would be Lord Falsworth after Brian.
"Jackie will be miffed that we met you ahead of her," Aubrey -- Roger, rather -- said with a chuckle, "but we came up with a reason to visit Stateside before she did."
Monty had been in an automobile accident in the early 50s that left him with impaired use of his legs. His brother John had been convicted of tampering with the car's brakes. There were still bad feelings between Brian and his cousins. Monty had died seven years before Steve was found.
"There's a memorial, if you'd like to visit. In fact, feel free to visit anytime. You're always welcome in our home," Brian told him, and Roger warmily endorsed this.
They'd brought photographs, snapshots of Monty's post-war life with wife, children, people Steve had known in the war, jumping dramatically in age. He admired a picture of the two men as teenagers, standing with a pony on which sat a younger girl with bright blonde hair.
"Jackie," Roger said, tapping the girl. "She was fourteen or so here, I think? I know I remember that pony." He twinkled at his husband.
"You've known each other a long time," Steve commented.
"Pretty close to all our lives," Brian agreed. "We were friends first, of course."
"The story of how we worked out that we both wanted more is a funny one, I think --" Roger began, grinning.
"Yes, but, perhaps best told another time," Brian interrupted, blushing, then set down another photograph.
Monty was usually seated in the photos, but one of Jackie in what was clearly a wedding dress showed him standing with the use of a cane, talking to --
"Is that Howard Stark?" Steve leaned forward to look more closely. He'd seen other pictures of Howard when he'd gotten older, but none of them showed him like this, with that affable cocky smile Steve remembered. He'd been starting to think he'd forgotten how to do it, somewhere along the way.
"Yes, the Starks came to Jackie's wedding," Brian said mildly, sliding another picture over.
Steve laughed at the sight of Jackie doing what must be a dance with a young boy in most of a suit. It could only be Tony Stark. He was grinning exuberantly, arms slightly blurred, caught in motion.
"Thought you might like that one," Roger said, amused. "We knew you'd worked with Iron Man."
"Yes." Steve looked up. "He took some getting used to, though. Hell, I'm still working on it, I think. He can be even more manic than Howard on meth, but he's brilliant and -- what?" They were giving him a strange look.
"Howard did methamphetamines?" Brian asked carefully.
"Lot of guys did, during the war. Your father included; they made him extra sarcastic."
"Oh Lord!" Roger covered his face with one hand. "More sarcastic? Nightmare!"
Brian laughed and smacked his arm lightly. "Sorry, Steve, that's just... not a part of the war many people talk about now."
Steve shrugged. "They weren't exactly good for you -- I know I hated taking amphetamines for my asthma because they aggravated my heart condition, before the, uh, procedure -- but a lot of soldiers will trade off an immediate benefit for problems in a future they might not live to see." He hesitated, then continued, "I've heard the phrase 'the greatest generation' applied to veterans and other survivors of the -- of World War II. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest, but it was a hell of a hard fight and I can see why people might want to downplay the drug use, so that kids -- or anyone -- don't try to emulate it. I've been reading a lot of the history I missed, and the news. Drugs seem to be a problem."
Roger had casually gathered up the photographs and tucked them away while Steve was talking, and he understood why when he heard Tony Stark say behind him, "You should do a PSA." Apparently in was his day for being snuck up on. Steve turned in his seat.
"A Public Service Announcement?"
"'Hey kids, Cap says drugs are bad', that sort of thing."
"Kind of hypocritical, considering." Steve gestured at himself.
"Yeah. Maybe you could do ads for better living through chemistry, instead. So, anyway, we're late, you're late, there's a briefing, c'mon. If I have to sit through Hill being all --" He waved a hand expressively, although Steve wasn't entirely sure what it meant. "-- then you do, too."
Steve looked at his watch, surprised. He was about to comment that the meeting wasn't for another half hour, but then remembered how Tony seemed to have a fairly blasé attitude towards punctuality. Hill must be trying a new approach.
"Shoot, I lost track of time," he said instead. "Thanks, Tony." He stood, and offered handshakes to his visitors. "Sorry to run off, but thank you for coming to see me --"
"I'm leaving, you be as late as you want, it's your funeral," Tony announced, wandering away with his hands in his pockets.
"Or you could stick around and blame your being late on me," Steve suggested. Tony wandered back.
"Falsworth, right? And Roger, did you keep your surname? Sorry I missed your wedding, I had a thing, I don't exactly remember what, so probably something boring and business-related."
Brian made a 'think nothing of it' noise. Roger was grinning at them.
"What?" Steve asked him.
"You both drop his title. I like it."
Brian rolled his eyes and gently jostled his husband, then said firmly over Steve's stammering, "It's fine, Steve, honestly. A lot of Americans do it, he just thinks it's funny because there's generally a load of horseshit over a peer marrying a commoner. Anyway, thank you -- both of you -- for saving the world from aliens."
"Seconded," Roger said immediately.
"Thanks," Steve replied awkwardly. He was still not quite sure how to respond to this.
Tony shrugged. "How about you two come for dinner? You three," he amended, eyeballing Steve. "Pepper wants to talk with you."
"Thank you, but we have an evening flight to Montana tonight," Brian said regretfully. "We should be back in New York by Wednesday, though. Perhaps then?"
"Sure, I'll tell Pep, we'll think of something. Hey! Steve can bring a date!"
"No, Tony --"
"C'mon, don't be the fifth wheel, Cap --"
"I don't want --"
"I could introduce you to --"
"I'll bring Natasha." Steve crossed his arms, glaring.
"Fine, don't bring a date," Tony backpedalled. "No rush."
An agent -- a fit young man in a catsuit, about Tony's height, with wavy blond hair sharply contrasting his dark eyebrows -- diffidently cleared his throat at the edge of their little group.
"Sorry to intrude, but, sirs --" He looked at Steve and Tony. "-- Deputy Director Hill sent me to get you."
"Cap's fault," Tony said immediately.
"Sorry, we'll be right there," Steve said. "Could you make sure these gentlemen don't get lost? They were just about to leave." He made an apologetic face at Roger and Brian. "It's kind of a maze."
"Yes, we had a guiding guard on the way in," Roger said. They exchanged handshakes again, and farewells, then parted ways.
"So, how was that? You seemed to like them," Tony commented as they walked.
"I do. It was a little surreal, hearing Falsworth's accent suddenly." He wondered if Brian's sister would sound the same. Surely not as much the same, unless she was a very low alto...
"And the homosexual thing? You're okay with that?"
Steve shrugged. "Always was."
"Huh. You know, when I say you can bring a date, it doesn't have to be a woman."
Steve recognised that Tony was fishing, but he was also being nice, so he just said, "Thanks, Tony, but I'm really not ready yet," and then opened the door to the conference room, at which point Hill distracted them with a mission briefing with lots of exciting video footage.
.
A/N 3: Yes, okay, in the real-world UK Roger and Brian could only have a "civil partnership" instead of a "marriage", but nothing stops them from calling it a "marriage", the ceremony a "wedding", and each other "husband". And maybe in the movie 'verse they could have legally had a marriage, who knows?
.
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