Hey~
Here's chapter 2! ^^ Also: CLINT'S SONG….Is Innocent by Taylor Swift. Go Readers. Listen to the song. Go. The (…) in each chapter will reflect the Characters Inner Thoughts on the stuff happening around them, or a mini-flashback to a conversation without having a flashback. It's not just Bruce this time. I'll try to make it obvious who is who.
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The Avengers had noticed that Bruce was the subject of many stares and whispers. Not the good kind either. Natasha recognized the look in some of the SHEILD agents' faces. It was a fear that could quickly cause problems. The kind of fear that makes people do very stupid things at the drop of a hat. (She dared them to try anything. This was her team. Her team and no one messed with her team.)
Clint recognized that look too. He'd even seen it in the mirror a few times as a kid. The kind of fear that one tries to hide desperately because no one can know, especially the person that fear is directed at, and Clint knew people suffering from that fear would lash-out the first chance they got at the cause. (He was extra vigilant around Bruce for this reason only. No one would touch any of his team while he was watching their back.)
Thor didn't understand why everyone was wary around Banner. He was a good man…a very good man. He understood that Banner could turn into the, as the Man of Iron called him, ' Giant Green Rage Monster', but…That was not Banner. Even he could see Banner was a good man, one of the most composed controlled men he had ever met, and he wasn't even from this planet! (Except when the Beast showed up, but that was not Banner even though it was Banner, and even then The Hulk was…protective of all of them in his own way).
Tony thought they all were idiots. Every one of them. Hulk was not just a rage monster. He was more than that even if a lot of SHEILD agents were being stupid about that fact. Honestly. Bruce was fine; he wouldn't Hulk-Out unless someone did something really stupid. As in stupid enough for Tony to make their lives horrible afterwards. ("No Director Fury, I can honestly say I didn't hack into that Agent's Accounts and spread around some of his less savory embarrassing moments. Yes I know I'm supposedly the only with any reason who can cause his Credit Score to drop like that, but I didn't do that either." What Tony doesn't say? He had JARVIS do it.)
Steve had served time in the Army. He knew good men when he saw them and Bruce was a good man. The Hulk…well… he just had a bit of an anger problem, but he wasn't a monster like he had heard some SHEILD agent whispering about. ("Yes Director Fury, I did lecture your Agent so badly I made him cry, but I didn't tell Stark about what they had said so he would make sure they never talk about Bruce like that again." What Steve doesn't mention? He told Clint, and may have told him to tell Tony. Maybe.)
It was through these observations and these individual conclusions that the Avengers noticed Bruce didn't react to any of it. That fact made them angry, because they knew he reacted this way because he had it enforced in his head that everything these Agents and these people on the streets were saying was true.
He was a monster.
He was better off dead.
He shouldn't be here.
He was a risk.
He'd kill them all.
It made them angry, so angry, because Bruce was theirs damn it and none of that was true. The fact that Bruce took that verbal abuse, and did nothing, expected nothing to be done for him…Well…It brought out the Ironman, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thunder God, and the Captain America in each of them. It roused every protective Family instinct they had. If Bruce was going to take the abuse and do nothing… (Which honestly, that right there proved all the bad-mouthing Bastards wrong, because if it were true Bruce would have Hulked-Out and given them a reason for the whispers and looks) Well if Bruce would do nothing, they would do something for him.
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I so lied. XD There's SO going to be a third update.
I couldn't help myself. I HAD to do a chapter from the Avengers POV.
NEXT chapter will be where stuff starts happening. XP
To those Anonymous Reviewers: THANK YOU!