The New Avenger: Taming The Beast

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟾: 𝙴𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

[[ click photo above to see full first scene. "Only" - RY X ~ song for chapter. ]] Enjoy :)

I sit quietly in the soft, red chair inside Stark Tower, my eyes red and sore. My cheeks are stained with tears, and my hands grip the blanket around me tightly.

I'm feeling so many emotions.

Anger...sadness...fear...

What's going to happen to Bruce now? I can't help but feel this tightness in the pit of my stomach, a guilt that makes me nauseous. Have you ever wanted something so much it makes you sick? That's the only way I can describe this desire inside of me, the desire to have Bruce back. He should've waited. The team could've stopped them. We could've stopped them—together. That was our chance to rid of them, and now they've gone off somewhere else again—Bruce along with them.

I sniffle sadly, swallowing thickly with tiredness as small tears continue to stream like an unstoppable river from my exhausted eyes. There's no sound around me—just quiet. Tony wanted it that way. S.H.I.L.D. has already begun their search for Bruce, and as much as I want to head that search—the team agreed we all need a few days off. We really got our asses kicked. The team took a hit. Tony says I'm not in the right emotional state to look for Bruce right now. There are plenty of rooms inside Stark tower, the team has decided we all stay here for a few days together. Director Fury thinks it's well deserved.

The only thing that's running through my mind is Bruce being dragged away in cuffs—the scene...the memory...it keeps replaying in my mind over and over again. Just when I think I'm done crying, the wave washes over me again and I remember—the tears starting all over again. How did this happen? How did I become to love this man so much?

Tony walks across the large room from the bar area, crouching down in front of me once he reaches me. He hands me a cup of warm coffee he made for both of us. I grab it from him slowly, my eyes unable to make contact with his. Instead, I continue my dead stare, pulling the glass up to my hot, swollen lips. Tony looks up at the stitches on my forehead, raising a hand to lightly touch the wound.

"Is that feeling okay?" He asks calmly and softly. His voice is almost a whisper. He's delicate with me, as if I might break. I take a deep breath, slowly nodding before the tears begin all over again. I pull the cup away from me, my face falling as I begin to cry once more.

"Hey..." Tony whispers lightly, placing a hand on my knee. He gives it a squeeze, swaying it back and forth slowly. I sniffle again, shaking my head as I try to push back my tears.

"I've already called Fury—he says they're tracking them all down as we speak. They won't stop until we get him back..." He assures me.

I nod. I hang onto those words desperately.

"I tried to track him myself with the tracking device Stark Industries supplied he and I with—a small chip in his wrist. It's dead...they must have discovered it and cut it out—I'm not sure."

"...how are we supposed to find him?" I question, my voice shakes.

Tony moves his hand from my knee, standing up and sitting beside me on the arm of the chair. "We'll find him. One way or another. The guy's a freaking Steven Hawking, if we don't find him he'll find us." Tony says with a tone of voice that attempts to lighten the mood but it doesn't quite work—even for himself. I can tell he's trying to convince himself everything is going to be fine, but even Tony Stark, Ironman himself, knows how bad this could end up being.

My voice picks up the pace as I begin to get worked up. "He's totally off the grid, Tony. I don't—I don't know if he even wants to be found. Loki and Viola warned him they'd kill me. This was the bargain, I—."

"Shhhh—it doesn't matter what those idiots say. We're stronger than them, we're smarter than them—we're the Avengers. And you're one now, too." Tony interrupts me as he tries to calm me down.
"Trust me, I know how bad this one stings. I mean—I lost my best friend. My lab partner. My science bro. We all want him back just as much as you do." He continues before standing up to face me.

I nod, agreeing with his statements. "I just—I think he thinks he's protecting me, but...I don't need him to disappear to protect me. The damage this could do—."

"I know. I know..." Tony takes a deep breath and sits in silence for a few minutes, just sitting with me. I take another sip of my coffee. Tony stands up slowly, turning toward the hall. "I'm headed to bed. You know where your room is. Wake me up if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Tony..."

"I've got you. Always." He replies with a small smile before turning and making his way down the hall.