Forever and Always

As Bruce finally got home, the front door seemed to grow farther with every step he took. He hadn't eaten lunch and his body was slowly shutting down. He finally reached that tall thing, reaching up for the handle and grasping it. It took a minute to wriggle it open, his tiny hands not wanting to work with him, he didn't hear his dog bark, hopefully it got out, maybe it was with Thor. He hoped it was, he'd go check after he told his parents he was home.

As soon as he walked in the door, he smelled it. It smelled awful, he recoiled at the stench of it. His young mind didn't know then but he knew now. Bruce tried to turn on the lights, nothing happened. He flicked them on and off, on and off, but still, nothing. Bruce sighed, his father had probably cut into the wall again. His mom would need to call someone in again, maybe Odin would help them, he thought. He looked up the stairs, the smell seemed to grow stronger in that direction. He grabbed an apple, biting into it, feeling the chunk fall down his throat. Bruce began his trek up the stairs, on all fours like a dog at the bottom and as he reached the top, he stood up. The smell was horrifying enough, maybe his father was trying a new type of alcohol, maybe it was some sort of new body spray. Bruce wished that it was.

"Bruce, my baby..." He heard the soft whisper and turned to look at the corner. His mom lay, holding her stomach, crying. He didn't see the blood at first, until she lifted her hand and reached for him.

"Mommy..?" His soft voice said as he inched toward her. He had seen her bleed after fighting with father but never this much. The hole in her stomach kept pumping out blood, Bruce put his hand on it and felt it gushing.

"Mommy what happened? Did father hurt you?" He whispered.

"He did, my precious, you need to run, run far away. He told me that he'd kill you my baby, I love you so much but you must run." Bruce was taken aback as his mom caressed his face.

"But he said he'd always find me, mommy? Where do I go?" He was shaking, his moms eyes were going dark.

"I love you, my sweet one, I'm sorry..." He watched as the rise and fall of her chest slowed, slowed.... then stopped. He shook her, opening her eyes, putting his hands on the cut but, the bleeding had stopped.

"Mommy? Mommy wake up, we need to go." He whispered in her ear. Sweet little Bruce had no idea that his mother would never wake up again, she was gone, and he was all alone.

"She will not wake up, idiot child." Bruce felt all the hairs on his neck raise, he froze, eyes wide and turned toward the sound.

His father stood, staring at the boy who still clung to his mothers shirt.

"She cannot protect you anymore." His face turned into a wicked grin, Bruce could smell the alcohol from where he sat. His eyes were bloodshot, hair disheveled. Bruce made a move to get up and he yelled. "STAY THERE!" His words were slurred, the anger bubbling close to the surface. Bruce saw the gun, it was easy to spot, just in his hand. It was a pistol, the house hold one his mom had hidden just in case. Bruce ran, he started running down the stairs, his father screaming at him.

Then he heard the gun fire, then he felt the pain in his leg. Bruce tumbled, falling down the rest of the stairs and he lay still, clutching his leg and sobbing, screaming, it hurt so much, the blood was rushing, just like mommy, he screamed for help, someone to make it stop.

No one heard, no one would ever hear him scream as loud as he did then. He heard his father laugh as Bruce's cries quieted. Then, Bruce heard the gun shoot one last time. He tried to sit up, but he couldn't, his father had just shot himself, leaving Bruce laying on the floor with a concussion and a severe leg wound. Bruce cried until he couldn't, his voice choking up as he asked for someone to help.

No one ever came. Bruce felt the world go dark.

Bruce woke up in the middle of English, eyes wide, he panted softly.

"Nightmare?" He heard someone whisper. He turned around and saw someone he didn't really know, they had brown hair that fell to around his chin, a scruffy goatee on his chin. He had seen him hanging around Cap before he left the football team but, as he never attended the games, he had never learned his name. 

"Yeah, yeah it was just a nightmare." He smiled, and turned back around.

 "It's Bruce, right?" The other whispered.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"You where sitting with the Avengers yesterday, and Thor talks about you non-stop."

Bruce groaned, hanging his head.

"Why am I not surprised."

"James, Bruce, please focus on your poem, this isn't talk time." Their teacher called. Bruce looked down at his paper, and began to fake read.

"So it's James?" He murmured.

"Call me Bucky."

The day passed on, Bruce had taken the poem with him, giving the excuse that he wanted to study it further, find every meaning he could. The teacher loved him, so he wasn't surprised when he was allowed to take it home.

"So, how long have you known Thor? He acts like he's known you since birth." Bucky asked, turns out they also had math together, and they were moving seats that day, maybe Bucky would want to sit by him.

"Well, he kind of has? I don't know how long we've physically known him but he's in some of my earliest memories." He said, thinking back to the wheelbarrow race, Thor stood on his hands, Bruce holding his legs. They where the best wheelbarrowers in their neighborhood. Now it would be the opposite, Thor was too tall for Bruce to hold his legs.

"That's really cool! Did you guys grow up here or did you move?"

"We moved together when I got adopted, his dad found a new job here just because Thor liked me so much. Oh, hey Loki! What's up?" Bruce said, waving at Loki as he passed. Loki smiled and they did their little secret "Thor's a massive jerk sometimes." handshake. Loki winked, Bruce laughed and pat his shoulder.

"Okay, what the hell? I've never seen Loki smile, ever. I share most of my classes with that guy!" Bucky said, staring at Bruce in awe. Bruce laughed again and said "family secret."

Math was slow, the good kids, like Bruce and Bucky, got to choose their seats. Bruce chose the middle row of seats in the center of the room. He had vision problems so he wanted to see but he also had walking problems so he wanted to walk as little as possible. Bucky sat next to him, Bruce felt amazing. Normally, the only people to ever sit next to him where the people who were awful at math, Bucky was pretty good but Bruce had an inkling feeling that Bucky had other reasons to sit next to him. Bruce finished his lesson and the homework early and pulled out the poem, or quote apparently. It was by Lynn G. Robbins, and it said:

"Somewhere in the history of the English language the expression "Fall in love" began to be used to describe the sublime experience of finding someone to love. While it is a beautiful idiom, there was inherent risk involved in selecting the verb fall because it mostly means accidental, involuntary, with no choice involved. Too many believe that love is a condition, a feeling that involves 100 percent of the heart, something that happens to you. They disassociate love from agency, in commanding us to love." 

Bruce studied it, looking deep into the words. They reminded him of his mom, she had fallen in love with her captor, not realizing until she was pregnant how awful he really was, it was like him. A believer that love was the worst thing, that if he got attached, they would disappear. He rubbed his face, looking down at it once again.

A paper slid into his view. 'you alright?'

'I'm fine, thanks for asking. The poem is just bringing back bad memories.'

'tell me about it, all that guys poems are memory rouders, they grab the worst stuff from your head and project it onto a page.'

'you spelt that wrong.'

'I don't care, u aint my anglish techer.'

Bruce chuckled, looking at Bucky, who was smirking. He took the paper back, and scribbled something down.

'can you help me? I hate math.'

'sure'

Bruce didn't have time to mope while helping Bucky, the guy was alright at math, he just didn't understand some key points. As they walked out of the math room and headed towards lunch, Bucky chuckled.

"I guess I'm not the only traumatized kid in this hell hole, can I get your number? You're a real cool dude." He added.

Bruce grabbed his phone, bringing up the add contact button and typed in his information. Bucky told him to smile as he took a profile picture. He smiled, and before Bucky walked away, Bruce got a text.

"Hello! :)"

Bruce smiled.

"We should make a group chat for traumatized kids, we'll just adopt them." Bruce sent, laughing quietly to himself.

"DLDFJSKDJFJDLS YES" Bucky sent, and a minute later, he was added to a group chat titled "trauma squad"

"Why hello there Clint and Nat, a pleasure to add yout o our trauma squad"

"*to" Bruce sent.

"I am confused but I'm here for this" He recognized the contact as Clint, Hawkeye in his contacts.

"you're here for everything" An unknown number that Bruce assumed was Natasha said.

"Ouch, the tea is scorching" Bruce laughed at the message that popped up.

"Anyways, ignore Clint, he sucks, I didn't know you suffered from trauma Bruce?" Nat sent.

"Yeah, my dad killed my mom and shot me in the leg. Please don't tell the others yet I trust you guys more then them." Bruce said.

"Dude? That's 100% messed up?? Are you okay????" Clint sent.

"I'm fine, I was like 5 when it happened, that's why I was adopted by the Parkers."

"You? Adopted? You punched Tiny Stank in the face for an adopted sibling, Bruce you are the biggest mood I have ever had the privilage to know"

"*Privilege" Bruce replied.

"If you keep that up, Cap will be forced to kill you, spelling nazi"

"Okay, Nat that's mean, I was just informing him how he should spell the word privilege." He smiled at his phone.

"Got to go, class is about to start." Bruce quickly put in Natasha's phone number, giving her the nickname of Black Widow. He turned off his phone and slipped it into his pocket. He looked up at the screen as the teacher began, not bothering to notice the fact that Clint Barton was sitting right behind him trying to get his attention. Bruce felt something hit the back of his head and he turned around, looking dead in the eye at good old Hawkeye. He made a confused face, Clint signed "Trying to get your attention, can you sign"

Bruce replied with a simple "yes"

Clint pumped his fist, and Bruce turned around. A minute later, he felt another tiny paper hit his head.

"I'm asking because I'm actually deaf, sign language is also a good secret communication"

"You're deaf"

"Yes"

Bruce made a face, giving a thumbs up and turning around once more. He waited for another hit but it didn't come for a very long time. It was when the teacher announced a group project, he felt the tap and turned around.

"You and me"

"Yes"

Bruce looked at the board and back.

"Three people group"

"Damn it."

Bruce made a shocked face and Clint laughed.

"Hey Bruce, do you want to partner up?" Eddie Brock, school stoner and local pansexual stood before him.

"Yeah sure, Clint's with me, too."

"Cool, cool. So what are we going to do?"

Clint had moved up to sit by Bruce, Eddie pulling a chair up in front of the table with his markers, papers, and about all of his art supplies. Throughout the class, Bruce had to remind himself to look directly at Clint when he was talking so Clint would be able to read his lips easier. He had an old friend in his old town who was deaf, so he was familiar with things you can do for deaf people. At the end of the class, Venom, Eddies current boyfriend, walked into the room and lay his head on Eddies hair.

"Hey, Ven." Eddie said.

"What's up, Venom." Clint said, Bruce waved.

"Eddie come with me to the bathroom." Venom pulled on Eddies arm.

"Alright, alright." Eddie grabbed his things and waved to the two.

"That guy is so weird" Clint signed.

"Yes, probably doing something naughty"

Clint snorted, and smiled, gathering his things and standing.

"See you later" Clint signed, walking out the door. Bruce gathered his belongings, walking out a minute after Clint had left, he checked his phone, trauma squad had lit up.

"I am v happy, everyone on this chat knows sign language!!!!!" Clint had sent, Bruce smiled as Natasha replied.

"I'm not surprised Bruce knows sign language."

"Peter taught it too me, said that it would be our secret way of communicating, he forgot it a week later." Bruce said, Clint had a little fit on the electronic keyboard, then said "that? Is very accuracte tbh"

"*accurate." Bruce replied.

As he walked towards the lunch room, the sounds of kids running slowly grew. Bruce had stopped to grab his lunch, stuffing Hulk's emergency bag into his own. He had left it at school on accident and needed to take it home. Clint had been waiting for him at the entrance to the cafeteria, waving as Bruce approached.

"What's up, Dr. Green?" Clint said, smirking.

"I'm wearing purple, are you deaf and colorblind?" Bruce said, elbowing Clint as he walked into the room. He was hit with the overwhelming sounds of kids, he closed his eyes for a second, breathing. Clint strode ahead of Bruce, pausing every few seconds for him to catch up, Bruce was thankful, as Clint led him through the quietest area. Bruce had confided in Clint that he could get overwhelmed very easily, and Clint remembered, Bruce smiled as he caught the sight of the muscled back of Thor, inching his way forward, Bruce blew into Thor's ear, which caused him to yell in the middle of the cafeteria. All of the Avengers laughed.

"That was very rude, Banner!" Thor said as Bruce sat down next to him.

"Rude, but hilarious."

"It was not!"

"It totally was." Bruce said, smirking in Thor's direction.

Clint waved, grabbing Bruce's attention.

"Thunder is cat" He signed, Bruce looked confused before he put it together.

"Clint, no" Bruce was trying his best not to laugh, Natasha stared at Clint with a disappointed face, but the corners of her lips raised into a slight grin.

"What did he say, Nat?" Steve said, looking over at Natasha. That's when Bruce couldn't stop himself, he kept signing "Thunder is cat" to Clint who joined in on the laughing. Natasha soon joined, the three almost cry laughing.

"He called Thor a pussy." Natasha said, shocking the other three on the table before they all where laughing.

"I have no idea why that was as funny as it was!" Bruce said, trying to steady his breathing. Clint was still chortling, Bruce swore it sounded like the hiccups just a little bit. His lunch was relaxing, he talked to Tony about computers and robots, Steve was interested in how he got Tony to fly down a hall, Clint and Natasha just talked to him normally. Thor sat quietly, listening to everything Bruce was saying. He was relaxed, like he was in his element. Bruce had never actually managed to be this alright with socializing. He sighed, sinking into his chair, eating his last bite of turkey sandwich. He was alright, it was alright.

The bell rang and that jostled him out of his good sleepy mood, he guessed he had started to fall asleep on Thor, he grabbed his things and said goodbye, walking quickly out the doors with the crowd. His good mood was shattered as soon as the bell rang, he walked quickly to his next class, thinking about his bed and as soon as he got home, how he was going to take a nice, long, nap.

As the final bell rang, he heard a familiar voice call out for him. He turned and saw Bucky running in his direction. "Hey, Bruce, Steve told me that you have a motorcycle licence. Is that true?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I have a moped, one of the only types of transportation I trust." He smiled.

"Wouldn't you need a parent? Is it like a driving permit?"

"Not at all, I have an actual licence, not a permit."

"Do you think I could get one?" Bucky's eyes lit up, and Bruce smiled.

"If you take the training, then yeah."

"YES!" Bucky yelled, and Bruce laughed. Bruce felt a tug at his shirt and found Peter waiting for him.

"I got to go, I'll see you around, Bucky!"

As Bruce and Peter took off down the road, the whirring of the engine of his scooter rising and falling in volume. Bruce breathed a sigh, his day had been full of good things, the sun shone in his eyes, he didn't flinch. The grinding of the brakes soon fell silent as the boys parked in the garage, the barking of Hulk could be heard throughout the house. As the door slowly creaked open, Bruce's steps faltered, he walked up to his room and shut the door. Soon he was drifting off into a world of sleep, one where he could fly, love, be a normal kid. Then his nightmare monster appeared. He was a giant green monster with black hair, his electric green eyes and yellow teeth scared Bruce non-stop. He yelled, Bruce couldn't hear him. He woke up to find that it was now six in the afternoon, he sat up, rubbing his eyes, trying to remember what he had just dreamed about.