Chapter 1: The Circle

Bruce popped another pretzel in his mouth. He had no idea why Steve looked so nervous, but he was sure it was probably not as big a problem than it seemed. It had only been a day since Thor told them his brother was coming from Asgardia, yet he, Steve, and Tony were tense about it. Bruce was curious as to why, but after Thor told them the news he didn't speak anymore on the subject. After lunch they all went about their business. Tony and Clint went out somewhere together. Natasha went back home. Steve and Thor to the gym. Bruce to the movies to see Three Kicks To The Head Part Four for the second time. He was ecstatic when he and his new friends had chosen the TKH series for their first movie night together a few weeks ago. Bruce wasn't normally into over-the-top action movies, but something about Three Kicks just felt right. Maybe because his first time was watching it with them all. His new circle.

Steve Rogers; it was impossible to hate this guy. His warm smile and good nature kept them all grounded and well rounded. Even after his surprise breakup with Sharon, Steve was still the good ole "captain". He was also such a natural leader. If Steve came up with an idea or agreed to go along with something one of the others suggested, Bruce just knew they were gonna be fine. Tony Stark; talk about fun! The millionaire and future CEO of Stark Industries was definitely the life of the party. True he had an ego issue and a tendency to get a little crazy, but Bruce couldn't help but get infected with his energy. Plus, Tony seemed to like him almost as much as he liked anything pineapple and Clint. Clint Barton; Tony's new boyfriend and certified badass. Bruce still had a little difficulty telling when Clint was being sarcastic or serious at times, but he enjoyed his company. He had a lot of interesting stories to tell, and he liked seeing him and Tony together. Boy was it an awkward start-off with those two, but things ended up working out just fine. Natasha Romanoff; what else could Bruce say about her? He loved his girlfriend Betty with all his heart, but he would be lying if he denied taking constant glances at the redheaded temptress. She was Clint's partner (whatever that meant because they weren't a couple) and the much needed feminine touch in their group. Sometimes she was quiet, but she was never afraid to set any of them straight if they said or did something out of line. One of her famous death glares were enough to even shut Tony up. It was strange. Bruce was a little scared of her, but mesmerized at the same time. Sam Wilson; he was so cool. The Harlem native was like a perfect mixture of most of their circle. Warm and open like Steve, sharp and witty like Clint, and big fun like Tony. Surprisingly smart, too. Bruce noticed his particular love of ornithology when he and Sam were assigned lab partners on a project involving falcons. Thor Odinson; oh boy. There was only one word for the Asgardian; big. His body? Big. His personality? Big. His voice? Really big. His appetite? Bruce was pretty sure the guy had a tapeworm. However, none of those characteristics were like Thor's heart, the biggest thing about him. Thor had so much heart and warmth and manly love to give it was ridiculous. It was why Bruce agreed to go to Tony's eighteenth birthday party a month ago. The only other person besides Betty who would've been able to convince him to go to a Stark party was Thor. Maybe Steve. Bruce ended up having one of the best times of his life that night. Dancing for hours, making awesome new friends, and of course, that game of Truth or Dare during Tony's after-party. From there the rest is history.

So, after he went to the movies, he decided to drop by Betty's house. Betty hadn't warmed up to his new circle as much as he wanted, but Bruce knew it was only a matter of time. Plus she'd been spending a lot of time with Jane Foster, Thor's girlfriend. That was at least a step in the right direction, right? When he arrived at her place, Betty seemed,...weird. She didn't put any heart into their hug when he walked in her house. Bruce had wanted just to spend time with her. Maybe hold her for a while and watch the science channel together, but she only wanted to study. She and Bruce always studied together, but they did all that other stuff, too. Betty didn't seemed affected when Bruce gave her an occasional kiss on the cheek, and when he asked if it was alright to spend the night she said 'no'. Bruce didn't bother asking why and left. Betty must've had something on her mind she didn't want to say, and that sort of thing never sat well with Bruce. He didn't like hints or passive aggressive behavior. To him, if something is on your mind, say it. Especially if you're in a relationship. They were all adults (mostly), right? Bruce went to bed frustrated that night, hoping sleep would help him forget about it.

In the morning, Bruce called Steve and asked if he could come over for a while. Steve said yes before Bruce could even finish asking, making Bruce smile. Steve and Thor rarely turned down the chance for company. Not knowing if Steve had any plans on going anywhere, Bruce got dressed in a collard green t-shirt and brown pants figuring it was semi-formal enough just in case. Steve came and picked him up from his house, dressed in a white t-shirt with a solid blue stripe and blue jeans. At Steve's, he made them both a bowl of trail mix and was currently making berry punch Kool-Aid in the kitchen. As Bruce ate some pretzels, he noticed Steve's shoulders were tense and his face looked stressed. Bruce knew he was an egg-head, but he also knew he wasn't a therapist. However, Steve was his friend, so Bruce took a deep breath and decided to nut up.

"Is uh, is something bothering you, Captain?" he asked lightly.

Captain was a nickname Clint came up with for Steve a long while ago. Bruce knew that Steve secretly loved it. In fact, their whole group had silly nicknames that tickled Bruce inside. The blond looked at Bruce and smiled softly while continuing to mix the Kool-Aid. Steve exhaled and said,

"Yeah, kinda. Sam called a little while ago before I came to get you. He said he had something important to tell me. It sounded serious. He should be here any second."

Bruce ran a hand through the thick curls that fanned out around his head. Maybe I should get a haircut or something.

"Is that all?" he asked.

Steve stopped mixing and furrowed his brows at Bruce.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday when we were all at the shawarma restaurant. After Thor said his brother was coming to town, he, you, and Tony stopped talking as much."

Steve scratched at his neck and pursed his lips.

"Yeahhhhhh. That. I've never met the guy, but Thor's told Tony and I some stories in the past. Let's uh, let's just say there's a reason Thor's been here in the U.S the past few years and not Loki. But you know what, that's a different thing."

Bruce nodded and Steve poured them two glasses. Things with Loki must be very complicated if even Thor seemed uncomfortable talking about it. Steve handed Bruce his glass and Bruce gave a thankful nod.

"So Brucie Boy, Senior Trip. You going? I am for sure." Steve asked.

Bruce scratched his earlobe as he took a sip.

"Not sure. Don't get me wrong I want to but, you know, little low on the cheese lately."

Steve chuckled a little, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the bowl.

"Don't tell me you're about to drive Tony crazy, too."

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Steve chuckled some more.

"Tony called me last night. Told me how Clint was making him bonkers with his stubbornness. Clint wants to go but he knows Barney doesn't have the money. Tony wants to pay for Clint to go on the trip, but of course he is refusing."

"But that's a different thing. Clyde has always been a stubborn bastard, and I'm not Tony's beau."

Steve grinned at Bruce.

"Like that makes any difference?" he asked.

Bruce laughed as he ran his hands through his hair again. Tony had a very generous side to him that Bruce had seen time and time again. He knew Tony would likely pay for everyone in their circle to go if they asked.

"I guess you have a point. I know Clint probably punched Tony for even bringing up the idea. I'll at least think about it. What about the others?"

"Well I know Thor's going no doubt. Jane, yes. Natasha is a maybe. I guess that depends on whether or not Clint is staying for sure. Sam is also a maybe."

There was a knock at the front door, and Steve got up from his seat.

"Speak of the devil. That must be him now."

Steve went and opened the door. Sure enough, there was Sam in a white long sleeve shirt with a red falcon on the chest and brown shorts. They gave each other a hug when Sam came inside.

"Birdie, nice to see you." said Bruce with a smile.

Birdie was Bruce's own silly nickname for Sam ever since their falcon project. Sam smiled back, but his head was down and his hands were in his pockets. Steve threw an arm around Sam's shoulder as he led him to the table in the kitchen. Sam took a seat next to Bruce, his head kept down as he grabbed some trail mix.

"Always a pleasure to have you here, Sammy. What's up?" asked Steve, pouring him some Kool-Aid as well.

Sam blew a raspberry, his eyes focused on nothing but his hands. Oh boy, this is probably something big. Bruce thought. Steve handed Sam his Kool-Aid and sat on the other side of him.

"Guys uh, I've got something to confess, y'all"

Steve raised an eyebrow, his lips puckered somewhat.

"What do you mean?" asked Bruce.

Sam took a few big swallows of his Kool-Aid before he started.

"Remember last month? The weekend of Tony's party when I went to see my grandfolks in Harlem?"

"Yeah." Steve and Bruce said simultaneously.

Sam licked his lips and looked up at the ceiling.

"Well uh, turns out Big Mama Wilson isn't doing so hot. Granddad's not faring much better. The night I got back in town, my parents and I had a long, long talk about their future. Turns out they'd been planning for a long time to move back to Harlem to help take care of them."

Sam closed his eyes and gulped.

"I agreed to move with them. It's why I couldn't make it to shawarma with y'all yesterday. I was busy packing. I haven't said nothing 'til now cuz,... I don't know, man."

Steve rubbed his hand over his mouth, looking to the side and swallowing hard. Bruce lowered his head, his curls hanging in front of his glasses. He was right. This was big. Nobody said anything for thirty long seconds. When Bruce raised his head, Sam was chewing on his thumb while Steve smiled sadly at him.

"I think it's great what you're doing, Sam." he said, his voice low.

Sam pursed his lips and nodded. Bruce pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"When do you leave?" asked Bruce.

"Monday morning. Early. I'm- I'm so sorry I waited this long to tell you guys."

Steve put his hand on Sam's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled his "Captain smile" at him, and Sam looked a little less sad.

"Sam, it's okay. I can understand. We're gonna miss you, too."

Bruce let out a thick chuckle, and Steve and Sam turned their eyes on him.

"You guys know what's coming next, right?" he asked.

Steve and Sam shrugged and shook their heads. Bruce crossed his arms and shot a knowing look Steve's way. Suddenly, Steve understood what Bruce was saying. The blond facepalmed himself and simply said,

"Tony."

A/N: To everybody who read The Circle, THANK YOU and welcome back to this particular AU! If anybody is new to this story, well, read the first entry if ya like. Otherwise the next chapter or two will catch you up to speed. There's so much going to happen in this story. Lots of pineapple flavored deliciousness. ;) Anyway, please review and thanks again for reading. ~Jesse Edwards