Chapter 2: Household Disagreement
Bruce's hand hovered over his mouse.
Numerous thoughts ran through his head as he stared down his computer screen. Did he really want to click the button? Was he ready to read the results? He took a deep breath, trying to decide if he was really better off knowing.
Then he figured he was being silly and decided to click.
He moved the mouse, found the results button, closed his eyes, tapped the left button, and-
"Hey Brucey! What are you up to?"
A pair of hands clasped Bruce's shoulders as the person who had just spoken, really shouted, in his ear leaned over his shoulder. The mussy haired brunette jumped a little in shock, but calmed down when he realized the voice belonged to an eleven year old boy, not a kidnnapper.
"Do you ever stop taking online tests?"
It was Tony. This didn't surprise Bruce much. None of his other newfounds friends came into his house unannounced. Well Clint did, but he only ever took food and left. He never snuck up on Bruce and he certainly didn't seem to be on a never ending quest to get him to freak out and throw things.
"Seriously," Tony asked in mock concern, "Is this a problem for you? Do you need an intervention? Can I get you a spot on 'My Strange Addictions'?"
"Can I get you to stop comming in to my house univited, after school, when my parents are still working and I'm not suposed to have friends over?" Bruce asked, the concern in his voice very real. "The rule hasn't changed since the first time you did this nearly two months ago."
"Not unless you start locking your sidedoor."
"Then I will."
"Then I'll have Thor bust it down!" Tony countered.
"Like you wouldn't get in massive trouble for causing property dammage."
"Fine then! I'll have Clint pick the front door! It's just a simple pin and tumbler setup, I've seen him pick more complicated things."
Bruce stared at his friends, eyebrows raised.
"Your dad's safe?" he asked.
"Yes," Tony answered. His slightly dijected tone led Bruce to believe that Howard Stark wasn't hiding anything of real interest like the boys had expected. "You know, the kid isn't lying when he says he learned a lot in the circus. Or when he says he was actually in the circus for that matter."
"So he really did know that clown..." Bruce difted off in thought, before snapping back to his current conversation. "Whatever, just stay out of my house."
"Whatever, just move over so I can sit on that chair."
Tony moved from behind the chair and nugded his way onto Bruce's seat. Bruce obligingly gave him access to half.
"What are you testing this time?" Tony asked, looking over Bruce's computer. "Which Hogwarts House are you in... Bruce I didn't know you liked Harry Potter."
Tony sounded surprised and maybe just a bit excited.
"I happen to love the series. Is that a problem Tony?"
Bruce jumped in shock again when his friend let out what he could only descibe as a high pitched squeal.
"I just knew you were going to be the best friend in all of creation," Tony gushed. "Great job getting Ravenclaw!"
"Oh did I!"
He realized now, that after all his fussing, he hadn't even bothered to read his results.
"Wait no don't do anything!" Bruce yelped. "I wanted to read those."
"Allready refreshed the page," Tony stated without a single hint of remourse. "You can read it when I get the same results."
Bruce was half way through completeing the test a second time - maybe he was being difficult, but he just wanted to read his Ravenclaw results not Tony's - when someone knocked on Bruce's door.
Bruce didn't hear them at first; they were small polite knocks. However, when the knocks were followed by persistant pounding and shouts, Bruce heard.
"Who the heck is at my door?"
He stood up from the computer chair and walked towards the door. Sneaking a peak out the front window did not garner him the answers he hoped for.
Tony perked up from his resting position on the desk. Bruce had been going through the test too slow for his attention span.
"I don't know, probably the others. I told them to come find me if I didn't come back in twenty minutes."
"The others?" Bruce questioned as if he didn't already know the answer.
When he got a bit closer to the door he could make out the voices of people. Three boys and a girl, muttering darkly.
"You ditched everyone and came here." Bruce turned on his heels and stared down his companion. "Tony you don't just leave your friends."
"I came over here to get you. We were chilling at my house and I decided we needed your preseance. So yeah, maybe I did get a bit distracted but you know, whatever." Tony waved his hands at the door. "Don't be rude Bruce, let them in."
The shorter boy rolled his eye, but did as was suggested. When he opened the door Bruce found exactly what he was expected. Three blond boys, all of various heights and one redheaded girl. Thor, Steve, Clint, and Natasha. They finally knew her name now, thanks to rollcall on a fieldtrip last week.
"Friend Banner!" shouted Thor, "Is the smallest man of the Stark house here?"
"Yes Thor, he's been here for awhile." Bruce replied, hand still on the door.
"Then why hasn't he come back?" Clint elbowed his was past his friends. He pryed the door open against Bruce's hands and stepped into the house. "Hey, fuzz for brains! Didn't we have an agreement?"
Tony spun the computer chair around.
"You mean me coming back and beating you at hopscotch ten ways to Sunday?" he asked indignatly. "I figured I'd stay here with Bruce and save you the shame."
"Вы должны быть бредовым" Natasha spoke aloud.
"I agree!" Clint confirmed.
Steve entered the house as well, but only after recieving permission from Bruce.
"Guys don't start fightining." The shortest blond added to the conversation. "We came here to gather up the group for hopscotch, but if Tony and Bruce want to play something else than that is okay."
"No, I can come play," Bruce insisted. "I've only been filling out a quiz-"
"Yet another online test Bruce?" Thor asked with raised eyebrows and a look of concern. "Are you sure this habbit of yours is not an issue?"
"Do you need a spot on my strange addictions?" Clint asked also looking concerened.
"Hey," Tony mumbled from the desk chair, "that's exactly what I said."
Bruce's friends looked to eachother, all wearing matching expressions of worry. For two solid minutes they did nothing but discuss weaning Bruce off the internet before the young brunett put his foot down, literally.
"That's enough guys!" Bruce utterred with a light stomp of his foot. Tony's eyes grew in excitement, but no further physical displays followed Bruce's words. "I said I would go outside with you alright, plus I see absolutely no harm in furthering my involvement with a beloved novel series."
Clint furrowed his eyebrows and gave the computer screen a glance.
"Oh my God, guys! He's taking a house sorting quiz!" yelped the blond.
With a few short bounds, Clint was at the computer. He hip checked Tony off his perch on the swivel chair and refreshed the computer page.
"Common room next to the kitchen here I come!"
Steve, Thor, and Natasha shared a look before they too scrambled to the computer.
Bruce may have rolled his eyes a bit, but mostly he smiled.
James used to like his neighboorhood.
Days like today were a joy. Gentle breezes rustled the leaves on the trees creating a soft murmur outside. The few sparring clouds looked airy and soft. The sun would reflect off his prosthetic arm, scattering cool light patterns everywhere. You could hear the birds chirrping and families outside doing yard work or just goofing around.
But since the new kid moved in, things were weird. For instance, Steve, his best and most rational friend was standing in the Banner family's front yard with a red scarf and a broom. In front of him the tall Scandinavian kid and the creepy redhaired girl were pelting eachother with soccer balls. The new kid and Cliff (Kurt... Clyde?) were beating swinging baseball bats wildly as they straddled brooms. All while wearing scarves, and all oblivious to the fourth grader running around in bright yellow flapping his arms like wings. Plus there were several hoolahoops hanging from tree branches.
Fricken weird.
"Steve," he called as he approached the strange scene, "your mom wanted you to know that diner's ready now."
His blond friend turned away from the kids in the yard to greet James.
"Oh ok. Thank's Bucky. I'll go home in a bit, I really should resolve this argument first."
"I don't think it'll stop for a while longer," sighed the curly haired kid not too far from Steve. Bruce, if James remembered correctly.
Bucky watched the strange broom kids with Steve, fully agreeing with Bruce's sentiments. All the kids looked dedicated to their actions, whatever they were.
"Can you... uh... what is this Steve?"
"Quiditch," Bruce responded matter o factly. His statement did nothing to clear Bucky's confusion. Steve seemed to pick up on that.
"He hasn't read the books Bruce or watched more than like five minutes of the movies." Steve faced Bucky before giving a full explination. "You know the Harry Potter books I'm always reading Buck?"
James smirked. "You mean the things that made you draw that scar on your forhead in marker for a month? How could I forget?"
"Shut up," Steve blushed. "Well we all took this test to see which dorm we would be in if we went to the magic school. Bruce and Tony got into the blue dorm while Thor and I got on the red dorm. Natasha tested for green while Clint was placed in yellow."
Steve pointed to each child as he said their name. Bucky noticed the scarves they all wore matched the color of the dorms they were hypotheticaly placed in. Also that Cliff/Kurt/Clyde was not Cliff/Kurt/Clyde.
"Now the yellow dorm is a perfectly good dorm, but Tony beind the jerk he is decided to tease Clint for living in it. Clint of course defended himself as did Natasha. That snowballed into a giant argument. So we decided to play the big sport from the books to settle the debate."
"Even though there really isn't anything to settle, just Tony's ego to keep intact," chimed Bruce.
"We gathered up the brooms and balls, then organized into teams. Clint, Nat, and I versus Tony and the begrudged Bruce and Thor."
James waited for more explination, but again there was no more.
"So let me get this straight. Your solution to an argument over fictional things was to, I'm assuming, throw balls through hoops while beating eachother with objects."
"Traditionally you're not supposed to beat each other. The situation has disolved"
"I see."
James observed the playing field. He could see how the game could be fun, but the brooms and the idiots made it a bit difficult.
"And the kid in yellow?"
Steve honestly looked surprised that Bucky mentioned him, as if he had forgotten the kid was still around.
"Oh Sam, he's acting as a ball you have to hunt down. His enthusiam is very high, but only because we said he could be a bird so some flapping results."
James nodded. It was the reaction Steve wanted.
He let Steve and Bruce go back to their attempts to control the situation. The two kids with bats were still swiging at each other. The red headed girl was on Thor's shoulders calmly braiding his long hair while he attempted to swat at her. And Sam was still flapping away.
James took a step back and waved goodbye to his friend.
"I'll go let your mom know what you're doing. Don't forget to come home and eat or else I'll just eat your food." he called.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Bucky" Steve answered as he pushed to kids apart.
Bucky turned and walked away.
Fricken weird.