Amelie Stark - Expensive
Amelie Stark - Expensive
I waited outside Bruce’s door, straining to hear. No sounds reached me.
“Give them a moment, kid. Annoyed as I am, even I know he’s struggling.”
I sighed. Nat had gone into the room to convince Bruce to talk to me while Tony remained in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, eyeing me cautiously as if still trying to convince himself I was unharmed. I stood facing Bruce’s door, willing him to open it.
The handle turned and I straightened, desperate to see Bruce’s face but it was Nat who peeked around the door. Her eyes glanced at Tony before settling on me and I held my breath. Nothing but silence stretched between us for what felt like an eternity until she finally nodded. Exhaling deeply, I followed Nat into the room with Tony close behind. I could almost taste the tension in the air.
Bruce was sat on the edge of his bed, facing away from us. I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably as I noticed he was still covered in dust from the destruction. He hadn’t even changed out of the ripped trousers or t-shirt he’d had on. Tony stood in a wide stance, arms still folded, while Nat went to close the door. I looked to my uncle, silently signalling for him to stay quiet. He just stared back at me, lips pressed into a thin line.
I turned my attention back to Banner. “Bruce?” My voice sounded quiet even to my own ears, but I was sure he’d heard me. I swallowed thickly before continuing. “Bruce, please. Don’t punish yourself. This is not your fault.”
“Who’s fault is it then?” Bruce whispered.
I frowned, turning to Nat. Her face held no expression. “I’m okay, I’m not hurt.”
“But you could have been.”
Taking a step forward, I raised my chin defiantly, determined to make him understand. “But I wasn’t. You didn’t do this; it was whoever that group is. Bucky followed their van, we can find out what they…”
Bruce stood quickly, spinning to face me and I took a sharp breath in as I saw the look on his face. He looked furious, almost crazed and on the verge of tears. Behind me, I felt Tony stiffen and I held a hand up to warm him to stay out of it. “He would have caught them! Natasha could have caught them! We wouldn’t have lost them if I hadn’t lost control!”
My throat felt tight and tears welled in my eyes as I watched Bruce. Time had transformed this man into an invaluable figure in my life. He was kind, never hesitating to nurse me back to health or give me his undivided attention when I needed it. And despite being away on missions, he never forgot about me, sending me books and other gifts that he knew would make me smile.
And now he’d forgotten all the good that he was because of this godforsaken group and their bloody serum.
I shook my head. I was not prepared to lose any of my family, blood-relative or not. Bruce continued to watch me, visibly shaking from his outburst. Slowly, I walked around the bed. He faced me warily as Tony edged slightly closer.
I could no longer contain my emotions and I let out a soft cry, unsteadily making my way towards Bruce. He stood steadfastly before me, not moving a muscle as if he was trying to steel himself against the onslaught of emotion. My arms reached for him and I hugged his middle tightly, awaiting his response. After a moment, Bruce slowly buckled into the embrace, conceding and letting out a choked sob. He held me just as close as I did him, releasing years worth of pain in that single moment. “Kid, I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry!” His voice broke, and I could feel his chest heave as he silently sobbed, my own tears wetting his shirt as I hung on.
“It’s not your fault, I’m completely fine. We can still get the serum back.”
He pulled back from me, his hands on my shoulders. “Amelie, can you ever forgive me?”
I smiled. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
Tony cleared his throat. “Not true. Not sure I can forgive you for wrecking the most expensive floor in the building.”
I glared at Tony as Bruce chuckled quietly. “Since when do you hate being given an excuse to buy new stuff?” I asked.
“Oh I don’t, but Banner doesn’t need to know that.”
Bruce turned to Tony and smiled softly. “I’m sorry Tony. You can take it out of my paycheque.”
Nat quickly interjected, frowning slightly. “He’s paying you?”
Tony rolled his eyes and glared at Bruce. “See what you’ve started?”
I laughed, relieved to be back to our usual bickering. “Before focusing on the tower, maybe you should direct your attention towards fixing yourself a shower.”
Tony smirked. “Yeah, because you’ve currently got more of the science lab in your hair, then there is on the actual lab floor.”
Bruce laughed good-naturedly as I walked back to Tony, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted. "Well I think that I left it with a few more dents and scratches than when I arrived - an artistic expression if you will.”
Tony suppressed a laugh. "Oh you're paying double."
I sat smiling as the boys bickered around the kitchen island. Tony and Clint were arguing light-heartedly as Bruce sat between them. He’d showered and changed his clothes, looking much more like himself and seemingly happy to be back to some form of normality.
Thor walked in quietly, drawing my attention. He looked troubled, and I felt uneasy as I watched him sit down on the stool next to me. I’d seen that look a million times, but not since Loki had moved into the tower.
When his brother had been recovering in Asgard, Thor had often looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It had been a joy to watch him relax now that Loki was on the mend, but it seemed something had Thor worried again.
I smiled softly at him as he approached. He let out a small sigh as he sat down, returning my smile with a small grin of his own - clearly having decided to shake off whatever was bothering him.
“Face it Legolas, anyone could’ve made that shot.” Tony’s quip pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see Clint smirking at him.
“Everyone except you, apparently.” Clint’s statement earned an eye roll from Tony and the rest of us laughed quietly.
“It’s simple physics. I didn’t calculate for wind variation, an easy mistake. An algorithm would solve that issue and I could replicate your so-called talent perfectly.”
Clint smirked and held his mug up slightly in toast. “Great, I could use the break.”
We all laughed again as Tony huffed in resignation. It was extremely rare that Tony was bested in banter, and I expected that he’d allowed it in order to keep things jovial in light of recent events. I looked to Bruce. He kept a soft smile on his face, looking entirely at home in-between a bickering Tony and Clint.
Stretching my arms above my head, I sighed contentedly as my joints popped. “What’s everyone doing for dinner tonight? I seriously can’t be bothered to cook.” I looked between everyone expectedly.
“I’m out with Nat.” Clint stood as he spoke, turning his watch to check the time as if just remembering his plans. “We’re joining Steve and Bucky for drinks and the game.”
“I promised Pepper we’d check out that new Thai place on Maddison.” Tony said, opening a wall cabinet and throwing me a chocolate, taking a second for himself.
I caught it, smiling as I turned to Bruce. “Seems we’re being abandoned. Wanna order takeout and binge bad TV?”
Bruce grinned. “Never gonna say no to that. You in Thor?”
Thor opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Tony, who stood facing the doorway. “How’d it go? Found anything?”
I turned to follow his line of sight as Nat, Steve, Bucky, and Loki came into the room. Loki walked a short distance behind the others, hands clasped behind his back and eyes on the ground. I sat a little straighter on my stool as Steve moved to answer Tony. “Nothing yet. We’ve left Friday to run the plates.”
I looked to Bruce as the others spoke. He glanced briefly to the group, his eyes lingering on Loki before concentrating back on his mug.
“Well, nothing more we can do until Friday comes back with a match.” Nat said. She turned to Clint and smiled, shaking off her serious demeanour now that she was no longer required to focus on the mission. “We should be getting ready.”
Clint nodded, patting Bucky on the back as they turned to leave again. Steve went to follow them, smiling at us before turning on the spot and exiting the room.
Tony moved into my line of sight, deliberating. “You’re always welcome to crash my night, kid. Potts won’t mind.”
I smiled. “Nah, you owe her a night to yourselves. Plus, I’m pretty sure me and Bruce have got better plans. You joining us Thor?”
Thor grinned, giving me a thumbs up and Tony smirked, tilting his head. “Good, I was lying about her not caring. Pretty sure she’d kill me if I changed our plans again.”
I laughed. “Go get ready. Wear a shirt.”
He squeezed my shoulder before leaving, giving Loki a cautionary nod as he went. I glanced at Loki before sharing a look with Thor, unsure how to engage with him. Luckily, Thor spoke for me. “Brother, will you join us?”
Loki walked slowly to the island, hands still clasped behind his back. “I am here.” He said simply, not looking up from the worktop.
I frowned. Had something else happened?
“Loki.” Thor tried again. “We are to have food and a good evening in the tower. Will you join us?”
Loki looked up for the first time since entering the room, his eyes immediately meeting his brothers’ before briefly flicking to mine. “I do not wish to intrude.”
Sighing, Thor turned to fully face his brother. “You are not intruding and I did not suggest as such. Do not be difficult.”
A flicker of irritation burned through me unexpectedly, and it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t in the best mood. I was bloodied and bruised, and every single attempt to make sure others saw I was alright had flown out the window and been replaced with my waning patience. I'd had it.
A loud sigh escaped me as Thor and Loki's petty bickering grew tiresome.“Boys.” My voice was firm and they all turned to look at me. “This is one of those moments where you better just be honest about what's going on here. We’re all in tonight, Bruce and I are going to enjoy ourselves. You’re both welcome to join us.”
Thor glanced down at his hands as Loki looked me in the eye, his expression unreadable.
Bruce cleared his throat. “Rephrased, it’s just us here this evening. We’d like for you both to join us.” He looked to Loki, an unspoken message in his words and I watched as Loki reluctantly turned to face him.
Thor was quicker. “We would love to!”