I'm back. It's been a long while, hasn't it? Enjoy the new story; it'll be a story. I don't know anymore, guys. It's been rough around here; so... yeah. I don't really have time to write.
Tony.
Tony Stark jerked. His head hurt.
Tony.
Tony's fingers gripped his covers. They were calling him again.
Tony.
Tony threw off his covers, running to the window where the stars were. Calling him.
Tony. Come here, Tony.
The voice whispered; and Tony wanted to go. The stars were his home, especially with his power. "I can't," he whispered.
Why not?
"My dad's telling me that I can't. He says stars can't talk."
We're speaking to you, though. Right now, we are.
Tony hummed a reply. "Dad tells me that I'm never going to you. He says that he'll be damned if you take another one of his things. Do you know about that?"
Yes. Your sister.
Tony blinked. "I had a sister?"
Yes. You did. But, she tried to come to us, too. She couldn't. She died.
Tony gaped. "Seriously?"
Yes. We were sad; she was a beautiful soul.
"I thought I was the only one you communicated to." Tony frowned.
Yes. You are. Your sister tried to speak with us, but she couldn't hear us. She had a different... power.
Tony gripped the edge of the window. "She was like me?"
Yes.
Tony grinned, cheeks widening. "I've gotta go to bed. I've got school tomorrow!" Tony said.
School. We'll miss you, our little Astra.
Tony smiled. "I'll miss you guys, too!" He went to bed. He didn't notice his father standing outside the door; nor his mother's breathy little moan of "no." He didn't witness the fight brewing in his parents' bedroom; nor did he see how Howard left to sleep on the couch. He didn't see how his father won the fight by bringing up his sister; he didn't see the tears streaking down his mother's face.
Steve didn't like how his "gift" was immortality. It wasn't a gift it was a curse. No matter what his mother said; what Bucky said, or what Peggy told him. "It's a curse," he tells each and every one of them the exact same thing and they all give him this one look. It's always a sympathetic look, a "you-don't-know-how-lucky-you-really-are," look. A look that made Steve want to scream. At least he had Bucky, though. Until he died, and Steve lived.
Steve didn't even know when he'd stop aging. It could be at age five, or fifty. One hundred and two, or ten. He didn't want to be an old man, but he didn't want to be an young child either. He'd rather be over the age of eighteen (he wanted to be able to drink, man!) but under the age of sixty (he didn't want to be old). So he was so busy daydreaming, he didn't notice the call his mother made.
He didn't notice Bucky's disappearance from his life until two days later. Bucky always stayed away just one day, maybe shorter if need be. But he didn't this time. This time he was gone for two days. Full forty-eight hours of no Bucky. And he didn't know why. He still didn't see the concerned look from his mother; or her tapping the front of a pamphlet.
Natasha Romanoff loved her gift. She was able to hide from people anywhere she was. She was even able to stay away from her mother's drunk habits; and her father's abusive ways. She can sneak away from her grandmother's constant nagging for her to get a boyfriend; and her grandfather's stories of "the old way".
Her gift made her free. Being able to do what she needed to do. Especially if she's able to manipulate her body at will. She loved it. No matter who'd she become, though, she always would change back. Always to her normal hair color and body type and everything because no matter what, nobody said anything about Natasha The-Good-Girl Romanov couldn't be the freak who was able to change her appearance.
Natasha was so invested in going out and stealing and working to get things right in the world that she didn't notice her family's whispers; or their sudden increase of family meetings and their arguments.
"I don't want her to go," if Natasha was home, she would have heard her mother's and sister's cries and pleas for her to stay. She might have heard how hard her siblings fought for her; how long her mother had screamed, and how much her father had refused. Yet, her grandmother - woman of the house - and grandfather - man of the house - always had the greatest say.
So, she didn't notice the looks of sympathy until it was too late.
Clint Barton's gift made him feel restrained. Having enhanced eyesight wasn't good enough for nature. Instead, he's got these wings and he could disappear. So fast that no one could see him. He hated it. So bad. But he needed it, too.
Being just Clint Barton was dumb; being the Clint Barton that got stuff done, using his powers for good, he loved it. Pretending he was something he wasn't, that made him want to scream.
So into trying to help people in his life; parents, brothers, sisters, abused children, that he didn't see his foster father's calls. He didn't see his foster mother's pursed lips whenever she spoke to him; or his father's hesitant calls, or his biological mother's eyes flickering away whenever he went to visit her.
Maybe he could've saved himself.
Thor's powers were one he lived with forever. Odin always helped him, and his brother Loki would try to make him really see the power that Thor wielded. "You'd be the most well-liked person, and I'm sure the weather would agree with you more often, if you just try and understand the power; instead of just using it, Thor!" Loki would say, fingers gripping the edge of his books.
He didn't notice Loki's quivering lip, or eyes that basically begged Thor to listen. Thor didn't see his brother's eyes shifting over to Odin who sat, eye forward and mouth tight. Thor just shrugged and replied "Brother, why are you scared? Just don't worry about it. It loves me already; and Mijolnir will help if need be."
So, he didn't see Odin's eyes draw toward Loki; or the grave shift of the air. Nor did he see his father's absence for weeks, and Loki suddenly being the King for a week. He didn't notice his father's return; or the people's crying as Odin explained something.
Maybe he could've just ran away.
Bruce ran away when he was younger. He was found and placed back into his home, and wasn't allowed to leave his room for a week except for school. He was forced to listen to his mother's screams; and his father's yells. He wanted to help to show his father the real hurt that he gives Bruce's mother. Not just the physical hurt; but the emotional, too.
Bruce wanted to make his father scream as he makes his wife. But Bruce can't; because if he does then his mother gets hurt even more (broken bones; and more bruises on her face, rather than on the places where she can hide them easily.) Bruce fingers his covers, swallowing as his mother's pleas continued. Bruce cherished his gift when he actually uses it.
But when he doesn't, Bruce wants to hurt someone. The voice in his head grumbles. We can help, it argues and Bruce shrugs. We can, he agrees, but then we're just making it worse. He'll hurt Mom even more. The voice growls angrily and Bruce swallows hard. Maybe if he paid more attention, he'd notice his mother's screams of "Not my baby! Not my baby!" Maybe if he paid more attention, then he'd notice his father's yells of "He's going and that's final!"
Maybe he shouldn't have ignored the voice telling him to keep running.
Tony Stark was taken away in the middle of the night. His screams and pleads were taken away by a rag being placed over his mouth. Steve Rogers went fighting, in the day, when he left to find Bucky. Natasha Romanoff was taken away in the middle of a little con, something to keep people safe. Clint Barton was taken away when he was eating breakfast, his food drugged with a small dose to keep him cooperative.
Thor was taken the Midgard when his father ordered him to go; and was taken as soon as he entered Earth's atmosphere. Bruce Banner was taken during his lunch, at his school; given willingly by the teachers to a man who sneered and grinned evilly down at him.
Of course, their parents didn't do anything. They just watched. Howard Stark didn't even leave his room when Tony was taken; Steve's mother wasn't there; Natasha's grandmother forced her family to stay inside the house; Clint's parents watched; and Bruce's parents didn't even look at him as he screamed for them (they were both teachers at his school.)
The five children were taken away. The five children's parents were told, months later, that the children had died. The five children are still alive - they're just hidden; quietly in the basement of the facility. They will never see the sun again - that's what everyone says.
Perhaps it was lucky that their children had died. It brought four of five children's parents' together. (Well, four pairs of parents and a boy who'd claimed that one of the children was his brother.)
They wanted to do something about it. So, together, they opened Rejects; a place where Society's 'rejects' come to stay. (Months later, the children's (alive) grandparents joined after losing the fight with their own children.)
The parents thought that even though they didn't save their children; they can save someone else's.
What do you guys think? If you can't tell in the story: Tony's powers are the stars; Steve's immortal; Natasha can change at will and blend into a crowd; Thor controls the weather; Clint can fly, and has enhanced eyesight (he's still deaf; born that way) and he can turn invisible (threat but not as threatening as Tony's power). So review and favorite and things! Makes me wanna update faster!