Chapter 1
Nothing brings people together quite like murder.
Or so said the errant thought going through the mind of Tony Stark.
Tony was standing next to his neat red sports car that he had parked close to the entrance of the private school main building. All around students were catching up after the winter holidays with renewed energy for a new semester. But Tony was ignoring them all as he stared across the school yard. He was pale and drawn with unmistakable shadows underneath his eyes, but his expression was dark and steady as he observed the group on the other side.
The darling of the science department, Bruce Banner, sat at a picnic table despite the winter chill. He sat with his back towards him but Tony could tell that his shoulders were slumped, his brown hair messy and that he was fidgeting nervously. He seemed to be talking softly with Natasha Romanoff that was sitting next to him on the tabletop with her feet on the bench next to him. Natasha was beautiful with red hair falling in perfect curls around her heart-shaped face and her body fit from cheerleading, every limb placed calculatedly to give the impression of unintentional seduction.
Natasha’s foster-brother, Clint Barton, was standing on top of the table next to her. His lean body and muscular arms were loose, and his dark blond hair caught the sun as his sharp eyes took stock of the world around them with a devilish grin on his lips. It was those eyes that finally noticed Tony’s gaze on them and the grin melted off his lips as he sunk down on his hunches and spoke into his sister’s ear.
Natasha’s calculating gaze immediately cut to Tony, her expression unreadable, as Bruce twisted around in his seat to look at him as well. Bruce’s hazel eyes appeared troubled but Tony only stared back, revealing nothing.
Standing next to the picnic table were the two last members of their group. Steve Rogers and James ‘Bucky’ Barnes could easily be mistaken for adults rather than teenagers with their tall muscular frames. Bucky had long brown hair carelessly tied back out of his face, a jawline sharp enough to cut and a jaded wariness that left his pale eyes dull and lifeless. Where he came across as rough around the edges his best friend Steve had the earnestness and all American good looks that instilled instant trust. His skin was rosy, golden and healthy, his eyes a glinting sky blue and his blond hair bright and combed neatly.
Upon Clint’s observation the both of them turned their heads towards Tony as well. Tony had only time to notice icy grey eyes on him for a second before Steve stepped in front of Bucky and shielded him from Tony’s view. Tony couldn’t tell if he did it on purpose or if it was pure habit as he met Steve’s solemn gaze, a frown between his brows and lips pressed into a firm line.
The five of them made up the scholarship program of SHIELD, their private school, and had been a collected unit from the moment they had started there. It wasn’t strange to see them together as they often held on to their outsider-status protectively. That should have made Thor Odinsson stand out all the more as the joined them, but they greeted him with familiarity and he fit right in.
Thor was somehow even bigger than Steve. He had let his blond hair grow out until the locks touched his shoulders and moved with big gestures and confidence. Usually you would be able to hear his booming voice as it cut across the dim of the students, as he was loud and quick to laugh, but this day he appeared subdued. He slapped a big hand down onto Steve’s shoulder in a way that was probably meant to be friendly, but was done with enough force that had he done it to anyone else it would have made their knees buckle. Tony saw him say something that made Steve tilt his head slightly in his direction and reply, but Tony felt Steve’s attention remain firmly on him.
“Stark.”
Tony finally turned away at the call of his name from the front doors. Standing there with the straight back stance of a military officer, brown hair tied back cleanly, and a no-nonsense look on her face stood vice principal Maria Hill. She had initially caught attention from the students at Shield due to her good looks and young age, since she was still in her thirties, but had made it clear from the get-go that she would suffer no fools.
“Principal Fury wants to see you.” she relayed.
Tony didn’t bother to ask how Fury had known he was there before he had even stepped inside the school building, it was a well-established fact that Fury had eyes and ears everywhere. Normally Tony would have made a witty quip and escaped away, but this day he simply went to follow Hill inside silently.
Hill made no attempt at small-talk as they strode through the corridors. Tony could feel the eyes of the students around them watch him as he passed and heard them whisper, but no one called out to him. Being watched was nothing new for Tony, but normally he couldn’t walk through this school without constantly being stopped by people wanting his attention. It was just as well though, seeing as Tony was in no mood for conversation.
Hill led Tony to the office were the cheery Christmas decorations were still up and knocked on Fury’s door. What had sounded like an irritated grunt in Tony’s ears apparently registered as an invitation to Hill whom then proceeded to open the door. She motioned Tony inside and then closed the door behind him leaving him alone with the principal.
“Sit down, Stark.” Principal Fury ordered, and for once Tony didn’t argue.
Principal Fury observed him silently from behind his desk, fingertips pressed together. He was a bald man in his fifties, skin dark and single eye darker, the second eye hidden behind a patch. The eye-patch together with his love for long black leather dusters and often undiplomatic attitude made him an unorthodox choice for a principal of a prestigious private school, but somehow he was making it work.
“I didn’t expect you back so early.” Fury said and managed to make it sound criticizing.
“Didn’t know you cared. I am touched, really.” Tony sniped back, but it sounded hollow even to his own ears.
“You could have stayed home longer.” Fury remarked, ignoring Tony’s comment.
Tony shrugged and his knee started to bounce with impatience. “I didn’t want to fall behind in my classes.”
“You don’t give a shit about your classes. Don’t give my that. Why are you really here?”
“You doubt that I care about my education? I am the picture of the diligent student. I’ve been told if I work hard I could go far one day.” Tony sunk deeper into his chair in an act of nonchalance.
“The day you are considered the picture of diligence is they day we should all give up and learn Chinese.”
“That’s hurtful. Anyone ever tell you that you say hurtful things?”
“My mother. All the time.”
“You don’t have parents – don’t lie. You spawned out of children’s nightmares.”
“Go home, Stark. Take another week off.”
“No. I rather be here.”
“Bullshit.”
Tony couldn’t help the wry smile that sneaked onto his lips. “Are you allowed to curse at students like this?”
Fury only raised an unimpressed brow at that. “Why are you really here?” he asked once more.
Tony looked away. He ran his tongue over his teeth and fingers drummed restlessly at his designer jeans-clad knee. “...I don’t have a lab at Obie’s. I don’t do too well with having nothing to do.”
Fury sighed. “Fine. But I better not catch you doing something stupid, I have enough idiots in this place to keep an eye on.”
“And one eye is all you got. I get it.” Tony replied breezily and got back up on his feet, taking it as the dismissal that it was. “You can trust me; if I decide to do something stupid I will make sure not to get caught.”
“I would rather cut out my other eye than trust you. Don’t do something stupid to begin with. You hear me, Stark?”
Tony opened the door. “That’s seems extreme, principal Furious.” and with that he disappeared out of the office.
Tony navigated the corridors of the familiar building without making eye contact with anyone he crossed path with and soon enough he was by his locker. He reached out a hand for the handle only to stop and stare at the black circular lock. He put a hand inside his expensive coat to grab his phone but ended up hesitating. He pulled his hand back out empty and started to fiddle with the lock.
“You’re back.”
Tony glanced up as Tiberius Stone leaned his back against the locker next to Tony. Tiberius, or ‘Ty’, had wavy light brown hair and blue eyes in a bored face. He had the type of air about him that would have screamed ‘wealthy’ even if he wasn’t decked out in designer clothes.
“Yeah.” he agreed and continued with his fiddling.
“Hey, I am sorry about your-”
“Don’t worry about it.” Tony cut him off.
He could practically feel Ty eye him and they stood in silence for a moment. “Are you breaking into this locker?” he eventually asked.
“Yep.”
“Who’s locker is it?”
“Mine.”
“Then why are you breaking in?”
“I forgot the combination.”
“Don’t you have an eidetic memory?”
“Not for boring things.”
“Sure.” Ty replied, appearing to have lost interest already.
“Pepper usually unlocks it if I need something.” Tony mumbled.
“So call Pepper.”
Tony didn’t answer and then made a low noise of triumph as the door sprung open. “What even is with these medieval locks? We should have fingerprint-scanners or at least something digital.”
“Another pointless project. Typical Tony.” the dismissal and condescension was characteristic enough of Ty that Tony didn’t even react. Ty still tried to soften it by turning and giving him a lazy smile. “I am glad to have you back.”
Tony didn’t reply, busy rifling through the contents of his locker. He barley ever used it and only had a vague idea of the things inside it.
“What are you looking for?” Ty drawled as the bell rang and the students around them started to file out. He himself didn’t seem in any hurry to follow.
“A tablet.”
“What’s on it? Something for SI?”
“No. Avenger’s stuff.”
Ty snorted. “That after school club of yours is the lamest shit you have ever done, and that is saying something. How are you not embarrassed? I would have taken detention over hanging out with those Valley rejects every day.”
Tony found the tablet in question, quickly turned it on and flickered through the documents saved on it and then closed the locker. “Aren’t you late for class?”
Ty smirked. “No one cares if I show up with you.”
“Glad I can be of use.”
They finally made their way over to their classroom where the teacher - Helen Cho - paused to give them a pointed look. “So glad you could join us, Mr Stone, Mr Stark.”
Tony had his nose in his tablet and wasn’t paying attention while Ty strolled in with a smirk on his lips and a smarmy reply at the ready. No one expect Tony to be on time because he never was, and he hadn’t necessarily planned to show up at all but had allowed Ty to lead the way. Just as Ty had counted on, Cho let it go and started back up with the lecture.
Tony read over the notes saved in the tablet with a frown between his brows, looking carefully for something that hadn’t stood out to him at the time but now with more context gave a clue. Eventually he opened up a new document and started to put down his thoughts and memories that could possibly be of value. Before he knew it the class was already over.
“Hurry along, Mr Stone. And try to not be late again.”
“Absolutely, doctor Cho. See you later, Tony.” Ty said and sauntered off towards his next class with nothing but an absent-minded nod from Tony.
“Tony.” Cho said, suddenly standing right in front of the desk which behind Tony still sat. Her voice had grown softer then it had been a moment before as if it wasn’t enough that she was suddenly addressing him by his first name. Tony looked up at her with an inquisitive look while hoping that she would say nothing more. He was already regretting lingering long enough to to be approached.
“I am so sorry for your loss.” she said and Tony couldn’t quite stop his flinch in response.
“Yeah.” he nodded and stood up, needing to get away from the pity in her eyes.
“If you need anything-”
“Yeah.” he repeated, cutting her off and walked towards the door. “Thanks, doctor Cho.”
He hurried out into the corridor but suddenly people weren’t giving him space anymore. As if seeing Ty and Cho approach him had been a signal students and staff alike now seemed determined to convey their condolences.
When the bell finally rang and corridors started to empty out Tony drew a shaky breath of relief and didn’t follow. Instead of going to class he opted to head over to the science building where he had been assigned a lab of his own. He couldn’t take much more human interaction right now.
xxx
Clint Barton
Clint’s fingers were linked together behind his head as he balanced his chair on two legs.
The teacher droned on and Clint, as always, wished that Natasha was there next to him. At least then they could have gossiped or played a game of some sort to entertain themselves. But Natasha took advanced classes while Clint was stuck with the dummies.
He couldn’t concentrate. He hated classroom learning and could never focus on what the teacher was saying. For some years when he was younger during the time when everything went down he had barley attended school at all, which meant he was already behind. To make it worse, when they moved from public to private school it became clear that even if the classes were called the same the level of the education and expectations on the students were a world apart. The classes at public school had simply been easier since the rich and privileged kids of Shield appeared to have gotten some sort of advanced version of schooling. Clint couldn’t keep up. He had already been held back one year and would hate to add another but still couldn’t make himself focus.
Natasha kept saying it had nothing to do with his intelligence and that he shouldn’t put himself down about it, but that didn’t make him feel any less of an idiot. And the more of an idiot he felt the less motivation and concentration he had for his classes.
The screen of his laptop had already gone dark from inactivity and Clint’s gaze was instead directed outside the window. He wanted to go outside. He wanted to hang out with his friends. He wanted to shoot his bow. Anything but sit here and listen to a teacher drone on about things he didn’t understand because he didn’t have the foundation to stand on to begin with.
And there was Tony Stark.
Clint could see him clearly from his seat at the window as he strode across the campus. He was walking confidently and without shame even though he was cutting class and disregarding every rule as usual. Part of Clint was impressed, a larger part was jealous, but mostly he was disgusted at the double-standards.
Clint would never get away with the things that Tony Stark did. Clint tested a lot of boundaries, he was a prankster and a troublemaker at heart, and he knew where the lines went and it was not at the same place as it did for Tony.
Tony was arrogant, narcissistic and spoilt. He did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted and rarely had to see the consequences of his actions. He spent more time sleeping around and drinking than he did in class. And yet, teachers didn’t reprimand him when he showed up late or cut completely, instead he had been given his own lab even though no other student had been given their own anything.
And why?
Money and fame.
The answer really was that simple. Howard Stark had not only been rich and famous but a vocal member of the school board. He always got what he wanted, and even though Clint had benefited from that as well it didn’t mean he couldn’t be disgusted with how the world worked.
Tony in turn got anything he wanted. He hadn’t only grown up rich but also in the spot light, and like the stereotypical heir – or child-star if you want – he had grown to become a spoilt party-boy mess that could get away with anything. The students fought to be granted a speck of attention from the Stark heir and even the staff kissed his ass and gave him leeway they would never give anyone else, not even Thor.
Clint hated it. And he hated the Stark family that just took and took without a care for the destruction they left in their wake. Life sure was easier for some people, even though they didn’t deserve it. Tony Stark lived on the achievements of those that came before him, and Howard Stark was a twisted joke of a human-being.
Not that the Starks were having the best of times at the moment. After all, it had just been a little over three weeks since Howard Stark had been found dead in his home office, leaving Tony fresh out of family.
He deserved it.
Clint blinked and then grimaced at his own thought before feeling a twinge of shame and sympathy.
After having spent a bit of time with Tony the last few months he kind of got it. At least better than he used too. Tony was still an elitist asshole that loved the sound of his own voice but he did have an exuberant charm about him that pulled you in, and when he did deign to focus his attention on you it was so intense it was nearly heady.
Tony had so much money and resources that it was like he lived on another planet all together. It was exhilarating to be invited in for a second to experience even a fraction of it. So far from anything Clint had seen before.
But it was still disgusting.
As Tony disappeared inside the science building Clint thought back to earlier this morning.
He remembered Tony looking gaunt and pale. Tony was rarely still, rarely quiet, but this morning he had been. The look in his eyes had been dark and observant as he watched them. Clint had no idea what he had been thinking, but it had made unease gnaw at him.
Natasha had felt it too. She hadn’t said as much but Clint could tell. Something had bothered her for weeks. Had bothered her since Howard Stark died. Clint tried to shake that line of thought off. What reason would Natasha possibly have to care about some rich dude kicking the bucket?
If someone asks, I was there with you the whole time.
Clint couldn’t help but remember the promise he had made. Natasha hadn’t wanted to be asked about it, so he hadn’t, but what had she meant? Why did she want him to lie and say she had been with him the day that Howard Stark died?
xxx
Tony had his music blaring from the speakers just the way he liked it.
The lab was familiar and comfortable. He knew all the tools and had three large computer screens to work off of. It wasn’t optimal since he was working off of a school budget, even if it was Shield, but it was his and it was where he felt like himself. Everything was like it was supposed to be.
And everything felt wrong.
Tony spun his chair so that he was going round and around and around. And then he flung himself off it. He heard the chair crash to the ground behind him but stayed focused on pulling forward an old whiteboard. He was going old-school - made it feel more real. He used his teeth to pull the cap of the pencil and spat it out on the floor without looking where it landed. And then he was writing.
Howard Stark had been found dead in his home office at 10:17 a.m. on Saturday morning of the 17th of December. Housekeeping had found him and nobody else had been at the manor, Tony himself was sleeping off a party at a friends house at the time. The police had determined that he had died the evening before, somewhere between 5 and 8 p.m..
Tech mogul Howard Stark had practically invented modern home security, his own system was state of art and better than anything found on the market. It was impossible for anyone to have sneaked in without being noticed. That left very few people with the opportunity to have done it.
The police hadn’t made any statements, but Tony could tell what they were thinking, could read between the lines of what they were not saying as of yet. They believed it had been self-inflicted, either on purpose or by accident.
But Tony knew better – his father had been murdered.
In an effort to get to know each other and learn to work together better the Avengers club had met up after school on Friday December 16th. They gathered at Stark Manor for a club meeting and dinner before going to a classmates house-party together. Tony and his clubmates had been the only ones present at the Manor during the window of Howard Stark’s death.
With large letters he wrote down the six names of his club-members on the white-board.
Steve Rogers
Bucky Barnes
Natasha Romanoff
Clint Barton
Bruce Banner
Thor Odinsson
He circled each name and stared at the board. They had all been there that night, had been the only ones there, and things weren’t adding up. Someone knew something. At least one of them must have heard or seen something. And Tony was going to find out what. His mind had always been his greatest gift as well as his biggest enemy, and he knew that he needed to focus it on something before he broke, and he wouldn’t be able to rest before he knew the truth.
He turned back to his computer, his eyes flying across the scientific article he was reading. A frown appeared as he read and he started to flick between reports, documents and sites. A news article about a military operation in a foreign land. An old school essay. A notice on a science forum.
Tony grew aware of someone banging on the door to his lab and quickly turned off the screen of his computer and turned the whiteboard around to hide what was on it. He looked around for the cap for his pencil and when he couldn’t find it he tossed the pen to the floor as well. He shut the music off and the knocking was loud and jarring in the sudden silence.
“I’m good thanks! I am not buying anything!” Tony called towards the door.
“Open the door, Tony!” a gruff unamused voice shouted back. The doorhandle jingled but Tony had locked it for the very reason of being left alone. But he recognized that voice.
He walked over and threw the door open with a smile plastered across his lips. “If it isn’t my favourite dumb jock!”
“Whatever, nerd.” James Rhodes tossed back the familiar reply. Between the stern look on his face and the muscular frame he could come across as intimidating, but Tony knew him too well for that. He wasn’t dressed in anything designer or flashy but his clothing were neat and of good quality. His black hair was buzzed short and behind the irritation in his brown eyes shone genuine concern.
“You should have told me you were back.” he said.
Tony shrugged and strolled back inside the lab, leaving Rhodey to follow. “The holidays are over, why wouldn’t I be back?”
“I thought you would wait longer to return, or I would have been there. I wouldn’t have let you walk in alone.”
“I am never alone. I am Tony Stark.” Tony smirked.
“Tones.”
“Rhodey.”
Rhodey frowned and just watched him for a moment. “I’ve been calling you. Texting you. You could have answered, you know.”
“I know, I was ignoring you. If I wanted a clingy girlfriend I would have one.” The words came out more cruel than Tony had intended and he turned his face away to hide the frustration.
But Rhodey just sighed. “I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you are not alone.”
Tony winced before forcing himself to look back up with a smile. He could tell from Rhodey’s expression that his smile was a twisted hollow thing, and let it drop away in defeat. “I was not… I mean… It was the first Christmas without either of them? All these thoughts are running around my mind and I can’t sleep and-… I don’t know how to feel or how to act and-… I am allowed to just go on as if nothing happened- ...and it doesn't make sense.” Tony’s teeth clicked as he forced his mouth shut to keep the words from continuing to spill out.
Rhodey walked up slowly as if Tony was a wild animal about to flee and reached out to place his hands on Tony’s shoulders. The weight and warmth of his touch sent a shudder through Tony’s body and he couldn’t help but lean into it.
“You are allowed to be hurting and confused, Tony. It doesn’t make sense, sometimes bad shit just happens.”
Tony flinched and turned away, making the hands fall of him. “Can we not?”
Rhodey frowned at him but didn’t press.
“What do you know about Bruce Banner?” Tony asked, ignoring the heavy tension.
“The scholarship student?” Rhodey blinked, thrown by the random question. “Less than you, I am guessing. He’s more your crowd than mine.” Rhodey pointed out. “He’s in the Avengers too, isn’t he?”
“Do you know what he did to get the scholarship? Do you know what he did to end up in the Avengers?” Tony made his way back to his computer and flicked on the screen. His chair was still on the floor, but that barley registered as he leaned down over the desk.
“No. Why?”
Tony didn’t notice the suspicion in his friend’s voice as he got absorbed by his own thoughts. “I have been thinking. What if someone wanted to get access to Howard? What if they got into the Avengers for that specific purpose? What if they planned it? Thinking like that, what I should be focusing on is how that came to be. Who was there under strange circumstances. Maybe even-”
“Tones.” Rhodey cut him off and Tony finally looked back over at him. “What are you talking about? Is the police saying it was murder?”
Tony waved that away dismissively. “What does the police know? They are a bunch of overpaid mall-guards.”
“Come on, man. Don’t do this.” Rhodey sighed. “Let the police do their jobs. You are not helping anybody by stirring up drama. Why would one of your club-mates want to kill a classmates father? That’s crazy talk. You are just driving yourself insane.”
Tony gritted his teeth before turning back to his friend to flash him a smirk. “I am not saying they killed him. All I am saying is that theoretically if a high-schooler wanted to get access to Howard the most logical approach would be through me.”
“Don’t do this.” Rhodey repeated. “It’s lunch, let’s go eat.”
“Go on your own, I’m not holding your hand. I am sure you will find someone to sit with, don’t you worry my shy little friend.”
“Do you have to be difficult about everything?”
Tony sucked on his teeth for a moment before reluctantly replying. “I am not going to the cafeteria to be gawked at.”
“Fine.” Rhodey relented. “I will go and get us something and bring it back here.” he turned on his heels without waiting for a reply but threw Tony a look before exiting the lab. “Leave the door unlocked. I will get Pepper if I need to.”
“Traitor.” Tony muttered under his breath.
Within minutes the silence was eating at him, leaving too much room for his mind to start spinning. He turned his music back on, nearly loud enough to hurt and stood his chair back up so that he could sit by his computer. His fingers were flying across the keyboard, his eyes scanning.
He just needed to know.
xxx
After the final bell rang for the day students started to mill out of the class rooms with loud voices and steps filled with different amounts of purpose. It was the first week after the holidays and everything had as of yet to start up as usual but it was a school rule for all Shield students to participate in some sort of approved after school activity. Most students were members of several.
Tony had four official after school activities. His main one was of course his lab where he spent most of his time and which he often considered the only worthwhile reason to go to school at all. The one Tony liked to consider his second most important was the BLUFF Association, that will say the Bombastic, Legendary and Unlimited Fantastic Fun Association, for which he was the creator and president, and had managed to get acknowledged as a real school club on a technicality. It was also the club that currently had the largest membership of all Shield clubs with over 90% of the student-body having joined, despite meetings and events being haphazard and ill-planned at best. The third was the fact that Tony at one point had somehow managed to become, and since remain, the student body president. That one he ignored as much as possible, and was honestly a bit bemused that they hadn’t replaced him yet.
The fourth and last was the Avengers.
None of the seven members of the Avengers club had voluntarily joined, including Tony, but they had ended up spending some time together carrying out club activities. The only other member that Tony prior to the creation of the club could have seen himself willingly hanging out with was Bruce Banner and they had since become something like friends.
At least so Tony had thought.
Bruce hadn’t been given his own lab but it was well known in the science department which station was his in the science building. He was a quiet person that mostly kept to himself and appeared rather unremarkable, with a medium built, nervous hands and soft voice. Despite his timid nerdy air it was rare that anyone bothered him, within the science department he had gained respect and his work station was never touched by anyone else. In fact, it was so rare that anyone approached it at all that Bruce drew to a halt in bewilderment when he entered the room after his last class to find it occupied.
“Hello, Brucie-bear.” Tony smiled as he leaned back languidly against the desk.
“...Tony.” Bruce finally forced his legs to move as he took a few tentative steps closer. “How are you?”
“Good as can be. The sun is shining, Rhodey force fed me a hearty stew for lunch, science is sciencing. I am here with all my friends.” Tony smiled as he eyed the other boy.
Bruce swallowed, off-footed by his presence and the calculative light in his eyes. “...I am sorry about you dad.”
“I don’t know why everybody keeps saying that.” Tony waved it away carelessly. “It was so last year.”
“Last year was a week ago.” Bruce pointed out.
“Why are you sorry? Did you ever even talk to him? Did you do it?”
“What?” Bruce rocked back on his heel, startled.
“I am just joking.” Tony assured him and for a moment they just stared at each other.
“Are you sure that you are alright, Tony?” Bruce said at last.
Tony’s lips twisted. “Never been better.”
Bruce frowned but didn’t call him on the obvious lie. After a moment the silence clearly started to get to him as he started to wring his hands. “Did you want something?” he asked.
“Trying to get rid of me already? I am hurt, my friend, I though we were science-bros.” Tony immediately replied.
Bruce looked a little relieved. “Oh, so you want to work together? Did you have an experiment in mind?”
“In this dump? I have told you, when we work together we do it over at my lab.” Tony smirked. “But that’s not why I’m here. I am hurt frankly that you would think that is the only reason I would come looking for you. Do you believe I use you for your brain? I am shocked, appalled, that you think so little of me. I don’t only like you for your brain, I like your body and pretty face too, I assure you.”
Bruce only blinked at the barrage of words as Tony got up on his feet and started to stroll away from Bruce’s workstation. He got up to a window and eyed it critically for a moment before swinging back around towards the other boy.
“I haven’t seen you for weeks, I have missed you.” Tony smiled with too much teeth. “Makes me think that it might be time for an Avengers meeting.”
Bruce looked sceptical. “Are we still doing that?”
“Why wouldn’t we be? Have it fulfilled it’s purpose? I admit I wasn’t listening to Fury’s dramatic monologue about it, but I am quite confident the terms weren’t until one of you is orphaned.”
Bruce reverted his gaze at the last word but Tony only kept his calm pace towards the door.
“In fact,” he continued. “I believe he said something about all of us paying for our actions. I know why I was there, but why where you?” he paused as he reached the door and eyed the wall, thoughtfully reaching out a hand and running his fingers over a dent. “With my track-record it’s not a stretch, but you? The academic darling? Shy and studious? What actions are you paying for?”
Tony turned to look at Bruce who hadn’t moved and now had his back to him. He eyed the other boy’s hunched form for a second. “No answer?”
Bruce’s shoulder rose minutely. “That’s private.”
“There is no such thing.” Tony replied blandly. “But alright. Answer me this instead, how did you get the scholarship?”
Bruce seemed to force his feet to move forward until he reached his desk and put his backpack down on it. Still without looking back. “You know how, you just said it; through my academic achievements.”
“Which one?” Tony asked and watched closely as Bruce winced. “I have been looking around and found some interesting papers you have written. I must say, you really are a genius, and that is coming from me. Which one exactly of your academic achievements earned you the scholarship?”
“Stop poking at me, Tony!” Bruce suddenly raised his voice and leaned on tight fists against the desk. “They didn’t list any specific paper, and either way it’s none of your business. I know you are grieving, but I don’t wan to be angry with you so please leave.”
“What’s the matter, Brucie? You seem a little wound up.”
“Leave, Tony. Please.”
Tony nodded to himself. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t dream about invading someone’s space when I’m not wanted.”
As Tony disappeared out of the lab Bruce squeezed his eyes shut tight and started to breathe in a systematic manners. Under his breath he started to whisper a mantra; “I am in control. I will not hurt anybody.
I am in control.”