They call her Human Torch! Chapter 16
2 Days later. Saturday September 10, 2011
Finally after flying for hours, I was landing in Kolkata. I had picked Kitty up on Thursday and spent the day with her, the next morning Tony showed up and promised to watch her that weekend until Sunday. I flew out of New York at 2 and had a 5 hour layover at Doha International Airport, those were some of the longest hours of my life and the flights were both long at well so the time change was just an extra irritating blow, I did not get a single minute of sleep because of the grabby men that sat at both sides, I was almost shaking with how bad I wanted to burn their hands off, or better yet, their dicks off! Even thinking about it now sets me off. Kolkata was a nice enough city, not a village like Fury had said but after doing some investigating on a map of the surrounding area, I figured the secluded village just an hour away would be a place to hide from the public eye. I booked a room in the city but took my things with me. I never knew if I was going to have to make a fast retreat. I chose to run as fast as I could instead of flying, I couldn't have anyone take a picture of me or video tape me because then attention would be put in this city and Banner's location could be compromised. Even though I had been slower than the wolves, now that I knew how to use my body and how to use the flames in my muscles, I was now way faster and stronger. I was a blur if humans were to see me. I made the hour trip in 15 minutes and what I saw was like a small isolated city, a colony. It was not as poor as a village would be but there were many people in need as far as I could see. The sun would be starting to set in about an hour so I opted to find him soon, find him and then what? I don't know what I would say but finding him was the first step.
An hour later I was still just walking around. I showed his picture to people and they closed up as soon as they saw it. Were they afraid of him or were they protecting him? It was so frustrating not being able to communicate with anyone! Fury had said that as part as my training I had to learn a new language, it came in handy on missions and so far I was able to pick up on them easily. I had learned Spanish first since I knew basic words from high school and then I had worked on Italian. I was pretty fluent in it now and I had started Portuguese 2 weeks ago while still working on Italian. I would have chosen an Indian dialect if I knew it would come in handy but now I just had no idea how to tell them that I just wanted to have a friendly conversation with him. I had 5 or 10 minutes until the sun fully went down and I had to use them fast. Spotting 2 kids on their own I made sure there were no adults around before I approached them. They looked alarmed for a second but calmed down when I smiled at them. I had exchanged some money at the airport and I took out the equivalent of 5 dollars and gave it to them. I don't know if it could actually help them buy anything useful but their eyes lit up and they smiled back at me. I showed them the picture and they nodded, understanding now why I gave them money. They jumped up and had me follow them to a market. They walked to the back and it looked like a house, I could hear voices and a lot of coughs coming from the second floor, honestly I could smell sickness and I don't think it had anything to do with the extra sensitivity I had gotten from Logan. Any human could smell it. The boys pointed up and ran away quickly. They did not seem scared of being here but maybe they ran thinking I would take away the money.
Deep breaths, deep breaths. I pushed down my nerves and silently took the steps up. Instantly I spotted him with the curly frazzled hair, glasses, and casually loose button up. He had his back turned to me, leaning over a man that looked exhausted, I could only see half of his face. There were other beds around the room but only 2 of them were occupied. I saw his shoulders tense up and could see the tension running through his whole body as I cleared my throat. He spun around and as his eyes met mine, I could see slight fear but mostly anger, pure anger. I saw green swirls in his eyes for a second before he took a deep breath and visibly calmed down.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I am hoping you can."
He looked back to the people in the beds and sighed.
"Can we do this somewhere else?"
"I am not here to harm you or tell anyone here about who you are."
"We will do this elsewhere."
I nodded and simply turned around to go back downstairs to wait in the market looking front. I browsed the isles and found an eyeliner that was thick and looked very creamy, I remembered Pepper talking about a new trend in make up, using kohl but this was called surma kajal, it was in a beautiful gold and black case. I took one for each girl and went to the front to pay. An older woman smiled at me as she took the money and gave me a bag while she wrapped each item individually. I put them safely in my bag and went to sit in the front steps. Soon a woman came and gave me a strange look, she spoke heavily accented and broken English as she directed her gaze to me with a glare in her eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"I am just waiting for someone."
"Are you here to take our Doctor?"
"No. I just want to talk to him."
She gave me a skeptical look but seemed to brush me off before leaving to go back to the house across the street. I saw movement behind the window and saw as she peaked from behind the cloth to stare at me, not even bothering to hide it. Well fuck you too bitch! Her nerve was getting on mine and I felt the heat start shooting through my veins. Fuck Logan too for making me so damn bipolar! My control was good before but now it was like I was hanging on by a thread. I had burned some more clothes the past month and so Tony paired up with Jane and they got the formula for unstable molecules to make some more clothes and to soak all of my existing clothes, now everything was me-proof but still I didn't feel better about my control. Banner didn't keep me waiting long and soon he came out, hardly looking at me, just gesturing for me to follow him. We walked until he lead me to the edge of the colony, to a rundown hut that was isolated from anything around. Finally we were inside and he sat in a table as I sat across from him.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Bella Swan. I am an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."
That seemed to irritate him even more and he clenched his fists.
"I am not here on a mission or anything. There is no one with me."
"Then why are you here? And how did you find me?"
"You were never lost. I was going through some paperwork and I ran across your file, I felt the need to meet you."
"Why?"
"Is that the only question you are going to repeat?"
"Until I don't need to. Yes."
"I need to learn how you do it. How you keep control of yourself."
"Control of myself? I am not known for having control am I?"
"No, not at all. Yet here you sit, angry but controlled. If you would have lost it and hurt anyone in the past year then we would know. So I am asking how do you do it?"
"Why do you guys want to know? How will it help the Agency?"
"It won't, I already told you that I am here alone."
He didn't respond for a whole minute. He just stared and studied me. It grated on my nerves and pissed me off to no end, to have someone look at you as if I were a damn project. He quirked a brow as I clenched my fists, trying to take deep breaths. It seemed to amuse him as his lip quirked, as if he were holding back a smirk. Bastard! My veins and muscles constricted and I felt the heat coming fast. I did not look at him as I got up, knocking over the chair behind me, and stepping outside quickly. I took off my shoes 2 seconds before my body exploded in flames, releasing all the energy I had been holding in. This was my natural state, this is how I always would be if I let go and relaxed completely. I don't know how my body makes it so that I don't burst into flames while sleeping but I was thankful for it. It was instant the relief I felt now, the anger just melted away and I was able to tone down the flames after 2 minutes. I turned around and saw a serious looking Banner leaning on the open doorway, again just staring.
"Could you stop staring as if I were an experiment gone wrong!?"
He seemed to understand why I was upset and instantly looked down.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."
He was so soft spoken, he seemed so calm, it almost frustrated me that he is the one that I was expecting would lose it but I am the one that did!
"Do you understand why I want to know how you do it now?"
"I am not a good example of how to control yourself. How did that happen anyway?"
"Dr. Banner, when was the last time you saw the news?"
"Couple months."
I nodded and sighed, knowing he would not know anything. I began to tell him how it all happened, he was interested in the cosmic exposure but didn't say anything, letting me get it all out. He told me his story and we discussed the scientific theory's behind both transformations. His mind was incredible. I could not help but think that I should have asked Tony to come. Those 2 men together, their minds together, could turn the world around. We talked science until I noticed the sun come up, I thought he seemed calm before but after getting to know each other he actually relaxed, actually smiled, although that shy edge never really went away.
"I need to go check on my patients."
I nodded, not really knowing what to say. Would he even want me back? We didn't talk at all about control so I did not gain anything, was he even doing anything? If he was, would he tell me?
"Bella, I don't know what I could do for you when it comes to control, I can only try to help you and talk to you about things that have worked so far for me."
"I would appreciate it Dr. Banner. I knew to not get my hopes up on perfect control, I was just hoping to get an insight to your way of doing things."
"Just call me Bruce. How long did you plan to stay?"
"I have 3 weeks off. I have a room booked in the city but if you need anything, even if it is just help with your patients, I would gladly be at your service."
"Are you a nurse?"
"No, not at all, just thought I would offer my help."
"Well, I could use your help honestly. I have a woman that I pay to help me 3 times a week to go buy supplies but I would appreciate your help on the science side of things."
"Sure, I will help any way I can. Just tell me when, where, and how."
He laughed and led me to the market looking place again. Honestly I felt so gross from the flight and being in the same clothes since Friday morning but if he was going to try to help me then I would do the same.
3 weeks later Thursday September 29, 2011
As I boarded the plane to go home I felt my chest tighten. I had gotten really close to Bruce, I formed a bond that went so much deeper than I ever thought it could go. During the morning I would help him as a nurse in the little hospital they had going, I had seen him stitch people up, cure their infections, and I had even witnessed the old man that was on the bed the day I arrived, pass away. He trained and turned me into an actual nurse, although I was grateful for the distraction and happy to help people where I could, it was not my calling. Nights were spent getting to know each other, he was holding back information in fear that I would use it against him and I did the same. As the days passed however, we ended up confiding in each other about every aspect of our lives, he told me about the love of his life, Betty and I told him about my past, I let go truly and trusted him with everything I had in me. I told him about my mother, about the Cullen's, about the wolves, I relived every negative emotion I had ever experienced. I cried, I yelled, I lost control and reached a new level of heat that scared both of us from how hot it was. I lost every ounce of control I had and he encouraged it every single night. He made me realize I had been lying to myself, that I had not really accepted that the Human Torch was me, that Bella Swan was the person bursting into flames. He slapped me with my reality and I had to come to terms that I was lost with who I really was, I had to realize that I still felt like a weak little girl but instead of hiding behind vampires or wolves, I was hiding behind a fire wall and I was calling it independence.
He did the same with me, I had told him to use me and let everything out like I had been doing with him but of course he was scared, he couldn't do it and risk losing himself and attacking these people. He told me about trying to kill himself and how he transformed only to have the big guy spit the bullet out.
"Bruce how can you help me accept that I am the flames and that I am the one that manipulates them when you can't take your own advice? It is not Bruce Banner and the Hulk. It is just one person in that body, you need to accept that, you need to let him out and keep your thoughts, keep your mind even when it is not your body."
"I can't Bella! I am not him."
"Yes you are! What are you afraid of? Is it the guilt? Can you not handle becoming one with him because then it would mean that all those lives he took and the destruction he caused would become yours?"
I could see the anger creeping into his eyes but I also saw fear, I knew I had just hit a nerve but I had to try to keep it going just like he had done to me.
"Come with me Bruce."
"What? Where? I have to check on the patients in less than 2 hours."
"You should be back to yourself by then."
"Bella, I am not doing this. You have no idea what it is like when he is out. I am serious."
"So am I! Have you ever chosen to let him out? Have you ever 'summoned' him yourself? No, you have not! You lose control and lose yourself with it. Or you get mad and again lose yourself. You owe it to yourself to try and keep yourself in him. I know you may not have full control but if you show him that you know me, that I don't want to hurt you, that I am your friend, then he won't hurt me"
"You don't know that!"
"Neither do you! Bruce, your life could be easier if you just had that little comfort that you could calm yourself down if you ever lost it again. Do this for yourself, do it for me, at least so I could know if I am capable of helping you."
"What if I kill you? What then?"
"I don't feel you will but if you want me to promise that I will shoot myself up into the sky and run away then I will."
"I will do it if you promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"If I cannot, if I lose and I get to close to anyone, even if it is a rapist or a serial killer, if I get close to anyone and I am going to hurt them. You use your fire. Don't run away, use it."
"I...don't think I can do what you are implying."
"I need that assurance, I need you to do that for me."
"God, Bruce. I promise I will try to stop you, but I will not try to burn you to death unless it is my last resort. I would just try picking you up and dumping you in the ocean before I try that."
He had nodded and let me pick him up to fly to a more secluded place, though he was not happy that I was holding him bridal style. I did not worry about people seeing me since we were so far away from the city and I was just flying us farther. He had his eyes misted over and was sweating from how nervous he was. It took 20 more minutes of calming himself down enough to get a level head. He nodded and I saw the tremors start, his veins turned green and soon he was roaring in fury. He quadrupled in size and for a moment I did feel slight fear at how he towered over me panting and growling.
"Bruce?"
His eyes had locked on mine and I saw a tiny speck of recognition but I took a step forward and got beat down quick. His punch threw my body 10 feet away but he did not advance towards me, I took that as a good sign and sat up while rubbing my stomach. Almost all of my ribs had cracked but I could feel and hear them popping back into place.
"I deserved that. I didn't mean to startle you big guy, I'm sorry. I am not going to hurt you, I am your friend, I have told you so much about me, remember? You remember me telling you about my baby girl Kitty? She is 15 remember? She is so smart and I showed you so many pictures of her?"
I remembered how he had nodded, he was just mad, always mad but in control. I had laughed in relief and smiled up at him. This was not Bruce, but it was not a monster either. That is what Bruce needed to see.
"Bella friend"
"I am your friend. I love talking with you."
"Bella nice."
I learned very quick he was like a gigantic, angry, baby. He couldn't hold actual conversations but he understood everything going on around him, even if he did understand he was still angry, that was just how he was and getting too close or making sudden movements when his focus was on you was a very bad idea, it agitated him and made him growl louder.
"Big guy, I loved meeting you but I need to talk to Bruce, can I have him back? I promise I will ask him when I can see you again."
He had gotten right in my face and growled.
"I- I know buddy, you wanna stretch out but Bruce has to go help the people in the hospital. You remember them? They need Bruce to help them."
He looked deep into my eyes, as if looking for the truth and it confirmed that he had the temperament of a child because as soon as I smiled at him and petted his huge finger he calmed down completely and melted away slowly to reveal a very naked Bruce. He looked into my eyes then looked around and lunged himself at me, hugging me and almost in tears. He remembered some images about me saying Kitty's name. He was happy and seemed relaxed. We did that once every 2 day's and it seemed every time it was easier, he even Hulk-ed out behind his little house, so close to the people. I could tell he was proud of himself and I was proud of myself too. I felt lighter and comfortable in my own skin, even more than before Logan's DNA got in my system.
"Thank you Bruce."
"No, I have to thank you. I gained much more than you did these passed 3 weeks. I am sad to see you go but I know you probably want to see Kitty already."
"I would love to stay more time but I do miss her."
"I hope I see you again Bella. I really hope I do."
"Maybe I could visit again some time?"
"You don't even have to ask. I expect it."
We had hugged as my flight began boarding and I last minute slipped him an envelope and ran passed customs before he could think to return it. I grew to appreciate so much what he did for the people, he had supply's ready and attended anyone who needed it, not just the ones who paid. I had gone to the city and took out 1 million dollars and gave them to him. I wrote a note, telling him to use it for whatever kind of supply's they needed. I knew that if anyone one put the money in good use, it would be him.
2 day's later. Saturday October 1, 2011
Once again the long flights and the long layovers made the simple trip home a huge affair. I was just relived and happy to be landing in New York. I had told Kitty and Tony that I would be home by 6pm but I was 30 minutes late, passing up a cab I just got my luggage and said 'screw it' I was home and I did not need to hide in fear of people seeing me in the sky. I got in through the roof access and went to dump my things on my floor first. As I walked downstairs I heard a lot of noise and voices, too many voices.
I stood in the doorway of the first floor lounge and there had to be over 20 people in here and I knew every single one of them. Again..
"What the fuck?"
Simultaneously they all turned to me and all conversation stopped as they looked at me in surprise.
Surprise? This is my apartment! I mean the place was decorated beautifully in cream and mint green colors, and everyone had drinks in their hands but who the hell planned this? And why? They looked at each other and yelled out 'surprise!' (not in unison, mind you). Tony came up to me and hugged me.
"Since you left to India for your birthday, we decided to throw you a party for when you got home! Don't worry, no one brought any gifts."
He leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"This was Kitty's idea so turn that frown upside down!"
And turn it upside down I did, as soon as I saw her, I hugged her and thanked her for being so thoughtful.
"Kitty you said you did not like the field trip, is this party the real reason you did not return this weekend?"
"No, I really did not like it. Instead I stayed here and Tony taught me a lot about your lab."
"Well then I am happy you enjoyed it here. 'd ya miss me?"
She laughed and launched herself at me again for another hug.
"Yes I missed you! I was worried too when Tony showed me videos of who you were going to go meet. Were you in danger?"
"No sweetheart, I am fine thanks to Logan's dandy DNA."
"Glad to be of service then."
I turned and saw him standing there with a smirk on his face. He hugged me and welcomed me back, everyone took that as a starter. Person by person came to hug me and wish me a late happy birthday. Aaron, Brian, Mrs. Grimm, Jane, Darcy, Pepper, Fury, Nat, Clint, Coulson, and a few agents that I had made friends with had been the group I had heard first but once I got through them I saw Charles, Hank, Storm, and.. What?
"Paul? Leah? Kim? Jared? W- what are you doing here?!"
They got up from where they were sitting away from everyone else and hugged me hard. I hugged them back and started crying. I was happy to have them here, I never imagined all the groups of friends I had would come together like this, though it wasn't the whole pack, and it was a little strange to see but I was happy nonetheless.
"Your daughter called and invited all of us to a party for you. How could we say no?"
"Is it just you 4? I am so happy to see you and that you get to meet Kitty, I just wish everyone could come."
"Everyone wanted to come but you know the younger guys have school, so Sam and Emily have to watch over them."
"Yeah I can understand, don't know how any of the boys would find food if Em wasn't there to feed them! I'll just have to visit real soon to see everyone else."
They were interrupted from answering by Tony and Kitty coming up with suspicious smiles.
"What did you 2 do?"
"Well we made sure to tell everyone not to bring gifts because you are strange like that, but we do have one thing that we want to present you with!"
"Oh I'm nervous now."
"Shut up and pretend to be ecstatic."
Everyone laughed and followed as the dangerous pair blindfolded me and led me up the stairs.
"Oh is the lane room done?!"
I heard Tony sigh in exasperation while he dropped the blindfold.
"How the hell did you know we were leading you here?"
"Advanced senses remember?"
"Well for future reference, always suck it up and act surprised! Damn buzzkill"
I laughed and started bouncing on my toes while talking sarcastically.
"Oh Tony! What is it?! What is it? I cannot contain my excitement! Please open the door!"
"God Bella just shut up. I am never throwing you a party again you brat!"
I laughed as I hugged his side, I saw his smirk come back into place, he acted annoyed but he enjoyed being the one on the receiving end of sarcasm. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leah and Paul smirk at the easy affection I shared with Tony but I also saw them size him up.
"Aw I'm just kidding Tony, you know you love me!"
He laughed but didn't say anything as they led me into the room, once he switched on the lights I had to gasp. It was nothing like what my mind conjured up, everything looked sleek and modern but with a playful edge. Instead of bright lights he had a dim black light scene going, there were LED neon lights framing everything and making it pop and the lanes had glossy black wood instead of the typical dirty looking one. What topped off the whole room for me was the sign in huge letters that went from the first lane all the way to the forth one, in sleek black letters that glowed from background lights.
"Avenger Lanes"
I looked in between him and Fury, hopeful that he was finally approved. Nat, Clint, Coulson, and Hill gave me knowing looks and Fury smiled as he nodded my way. The other agents and people in this room did not know about the initiative and what the sign represented or meant but I flung myself at Tony and hugged him as tight as his body could take. I was so happy that he was willing to tone down the sarcasm to be in the team, I know they were not too willing to deal with him because they did not understand the views and the zest for life that he has but once I started joking around with them and tried to make them see how laid back you have to be to understand his sarcasm, I noticed that they had much more patience with him.
"Thank you so much Tony, this room is so perfect! It is so nice and you even had customized bowling balls made!"
"Well Kitty helped a lot with the light colors, which you can change at anytime on that panel by the wall, and she helped to paint too while I did last minute bug fixes."
I went over and hugged her while I lifted her up and she giggled.
"Thank you so much baby girl!"
"I loved helping, especially since I couldn't get you a gift."
I smiled and shook my head at her way of thinking. Soon drinks were going all around and so was food while we got some games going, people were alternating between the arcade, game room, and bowling room. There was no shortage of activity's and I sat down to chat with everyone at one point or another. It was interesting to see so many people drunk, even Nat and Clint with all the other Agents, well Nat may have been acting as if the alcohol was getting to her but Clint and I knew better. Coulson was tipsy and chatting with Pepper and Darcy in the lounge while I walked Mrs. Grimm out. She had 2 hours of fun but I could see the exhaustion on her face.
"We have missed one too many lunches young lady! We better set something up soon and don't you dare show up without that angel of yours! She is a bright little lady and I have no doubt that you will both be so happy together."
My eyes filled with tears as I thanked her and hugged her. Once I put her safely in a cab I took the elevator up and was about to join the party again but was blocked by Paul.
"I am happy for you, you know?"
"Huh?"
"This life you have made for yourself? The friends in there that care so much for you? I am happy that you found it. I miss your blunt conversations with me, calling me out on my bullshit. I wish you could have felt like you belonged in La Push but that was never going to happen. You belong here."
"I miss you too. I'm so sorry that I left but I just-"
"Don't Bella. You have nothing to say sorry for, you literally have a family here, your daughter is not annoying like I thought she would be, she is a mini you and I am glad that you told her. When she met us she did not look at us differently or ask anything, she treated us like there was nothing wrong."
"She is great like that."
"Well look at you getting all proud of your cub. You are one hot mom I will give you that!"
I laughed and shook off his comment but suddenly he froze and his face broke out the widest smile I had ever seen on him.
"Bella! I just realized something!"
"What?"
"You're a milf!"
His smile turned into a salacious grin and he wrapped his arm around my waist to pull my body flush against his. I saw the teasing in his eyes but beneath that it was always a serious offer. I found myself pressing against him as well with a shy smile of my own. His teasing turned to shock and he looked at me questionably.
"Bella?"
"I don't know."
"What, did you decide you are tied of being a virgin?"
He teased a bit to cover the curiosity shining in his eyes. Am I? There's nothing wrong with being a virgin, but I have always felt like it was something that Edward held so close to himself, in a way I felt like a sick and twisted part of myself connected my virginity with him, something I tried so hard to give him, something he threw back at me almost disgusted at the thought but at the same time he valued it so much, as if it were a requirement that dictated if I were worthy of his attention or not. Because of him I felt that my virginity was not a gift that I could give someone that I loved on my wedding day, I mean why is it special? I did not save myself, I was just rejected until I gave up on giving it up. Besides, I did not see myself dating and falling in love. It was not my priority and I was not about to go looking when I had a family that took away the lonely feeling. Paul had known all of this and in his efforts to seduce me he had promised that our friendship would not change. I did not believe that, I have seen too many chick flicks about friends with benefits, but we are not even that, it would really be a one time thing. I knew I couldn't get attached to him because he would imprint one day and that made it almost perfect for me. I found myself thinking of the inner peace I felt and for the first time I actually felt I could do this. I had the control to relax enough and not burn him. I can at least try. He knows the risks right? After a minute he pushed up on my chin until my eyes met his.
"Stop the over thinking Bella. If you want to try it then what is holding you back? What are you so afraid of? Do you think maybe one day you will see him and he will judge you for it?"
No! I am not that scared little girl hiding behind things anymore. This right here is what I had talked with Bruce about over and over. Filled with determination I squared my shoulders and looked up at him before nodding. His eyes searched mine for a second before calling a cab and pushing me in it.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Going back to our hotel room."
"Hotel room? Why do you have a room?"
"We didn't know how full your apartment would be or how many rooms you actually had ready for guests so we booked rooms just in case. Now I am glad we did."
I didn't say anything as he sat me in his lap and tucked my head under his chin, my body resting against his chest. I felt relaxed and trusted him completely, though it was a bittersweet thought that I was not even nervous, did it really mean so little to me that I was not nervous about losing my virginity? Or was it that I trusted Paul so much
"Come on, we are here."
He paid the cab and took my hand as we rode the elevator up and as we walked down the hall to the room.
Once inside it started off comfortably, He slowly reached for me and kissed me until we both relaxed against each other. I let myself enjoy the moment of human contact, moaning softly as he ran his hands over my body, then slowly removing our clothes. I thought this could certainly go well once we were both naked, it was clear that although we didn't really feel romantic feelings for each other, we did have physical attraction. It had potential but well...
30 minutes later.
"Well.."
"I'm sorry Bells."
"No, no, it's fine, really.
I'm not sure what to call it but I think it does not qualify as sex. Definitely not sex... He of course, in Paul fashion had condoms in his wallet so once we were both undressed I watched in fascination as he rolled his condom on, I had seen naked men in movies and of course Bruce every time he transformed back, I had even seen the wolves after they shifted but I had never seen them erect. I started thinking this was most likely going to be painful because his penis was definitely larger than a tampon, not that I have gotten my period since the whole DNA shift thing. He gently laid me on the bed and tried to prepare as much as he could. It felt amazing what his fingers could do, he smirked and groaned at the sounds involuntarily coming from me, I started to think maybe it wouldn't be strange but once he actually entered me and broke through my hymen it was much worse than I imagined. I froze and tried my best to calm down and handle the heat. Flames were retained in me but my skin was releasing so much heat that even Paul with his naturally hot temperature, was sweating and panting over me. He stayed still, waiting for me to adjust but I could feel Logan's healing ability fighting to repair itself, I freaked out then and explained what was going on, he could feel it himself and though I could tell the pressure and pulsing felt good to him, he still didn't know how to go forward. I asked him to move, the pain was still there but he had to keep thrusting or my hymen would try to repair itself. It was awkward and painful and people must have realized that I was missing from the party because both of our phones kept ringing and ringing and ringing. I finally felt it stop trying to heal itself, almost like it gave up, that was interesting and something that I thought about bringing up to Logan, he was thrusting still but I was not aroused enough to lubricate properly, the pain was unyielding, the extreme heat caused the condom to break, and the irritation of our phones was pushing both of us over the edge, not of pleasure though. His shoulders were tense and he kept looking sideways to glare at the phones. We sighed when they stopped only to have them start ringing at the same time. He growled in frustration and roughly slipped out of me. We knew the moment didn't quite start but it was certainly over. And that was how we ended up here, showered, back in our clothes, and sitting side by side with our phones still ringing.
"Your first time shouldn't have been like that Bella."
"Paul, really, it's fine."
"I guess I did kind of start to see you more like family instead of just a friend. That was a little awkward. Hot, but awkward."
I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, it felt a little wrong. Not that you are not good looking or anyth-"
"No no, I get it and yeah you are very hot and my imagination did not do your tits justice, trust me but.. yeah. That's.. embarrassing."
"Which part?"
He smirked at that but then looked away.
"Come on Bella, No guy wants sex to last only like 4 minutes and I didn't even get you to… finish. I lost my damn hard on! That shouldn't happen unless a guy is over 55!"
"Paul, that was not sex. We-.. I mean."
I couldn't help it, I burst into giggles and after a second he put his head in his hands and started laughing as well. We had a good laugh for at least 3 minutes and started another round of laughter when we realized that we laughed almost as long as the 'sex' lasted. He reached for me and I went willingly into his arms, laying on his chest as he played with my hair.
"Bella, nothing changes right? I mean I love you, I love you so much but like a friend and I am just going to pretend this did not happen. Seriously, never bring it up to me again."
"This changes nothing Paul, really. We will pretend this did not happen and still be friends."
"Good."
I went to the bathroom and cringed when I felt the soreness down there. I guess since I did not let my hymen heal itself then I would have to deal with the pain for a day or 2. I want to go home and take a warm bath. We walked out hand in hand and took the cab back to my place. There were no romantic feelings or awkward stares. Just the feeling of humor and relief. Am I still a virgin though? Medically speaking, no. Pleasurably speaking? Kinda? I snorted and shook my head. Yes, this is something that I will try not to think of ever again. Once back in the apartment everyone wondered where we were and we just said that we were chatting in the lobby. Did they all believe it? No, but they did not ask anymore questions. Leah and Jared sniffed at us, giving us knowing looks and winks until Paul pulled them aside for a minute. I don't know what he said that caused them to stop the teasing looks but I knew it wasn't the truth. Pepper and Jane rolled out a beautiful cake in the shape of a flame, we all started laughing but they announced that it was a meringue cake and it still needed to be torched. I did the honor and did a light flame over the whole cake until the tips browned up enough. The taste was delicious, I had never tried anything like it and Pepper said she flew it with her this morning from LA.
"Thank you guys so so much for coming, I really appreciate it! And thank you also for taking the time to plan it. I can only imagine how much time it took to prepare all these decorations."
Kitty looked happy but Tony looked downright proud of himself. Most of the people left after cake, including Paul, Leah, Jared and Kim. Pepper went to sleep and took Kitty with her since it was already after 1 am. Darcy, Jane, Logan, Tony, Nat, and Clint were the only ones who stayed behind. Everyone had sobered up with the cake and had stopped drinking except for Logan but he had not gotten drunk in the first place. He had told me that it took a huge amount for him to feel some of the effects. We sat in the living room and all eyes turned to me.
"So? How was the big guy?"
"He was, so different from what I was expecting. Actually it was all so different from what I expected. Oh! I got you ladies a gift but I will wait until tomorrow when Kitty and Pep are awake."
They nodded but I could tell they were not satisfied with my answer.
"What was it like though? I mean he is always angry so was he grumpy all the time or did he lose it on you?"
"What did you mean earlier when you said our DNA came in handy?"
Of course Tony and Logan were the most impatient.
"Well, first of all, no he was not grumpy. At first he was guarded because he did not know why I was there or what I wanted from him. It irritated him that I said I was an Agent but he calmed down after 2 hours of us talking about my ability. He had stared at me, trying to analyze me and I just lost it, I ran out side and burst into flames. It helped him understand that I needed control and he helped me where he could. We both learned so much about ourselves together. I won't reveal any of his secrets, I can't betray him like that but I can say that his mind is brilliant, he is so smart and I feel.. I'm not very sure how to describe it but I feel lighter, I feel like my slate was cleaned and I have a new appreciation for my ability, I feel like I can embrace it now instead of trying to repress it and be afraid of it."
Darcy, Nat, and Clint smiled at me while everyone else looked thoughtful. Jane spoke up with wonder, not upset, just curious.
"Why didn't you ever tell us that you were afraid of what you can do? We didn't know you had so many negative emotions about trying to repress it."
"Honestly, I don't think I myself realized how afraid I was about hurting someone, I of course have to repress it because my natural state is the fire, if I relax then the fire comes out so I had to learn how to relax the right way. I came to terms that it's not just fire that I make and control, the flames are not random, they mean something, they are a part of me. I control them and I manipulate them however I want them to be. Their strength, their heat level, the place they appear, it is all me and I had been letting them control me instead of taking over and basically winning the dominance. I reached a new level of heat while I was over there and I learned how to practice more often to really know what I can do."
I put my palm up and made one single drop shaped flame. It started off as hot as a candle stick but keeping it the same size I kept making the same little flame reach higher and higher temperatures. Once I was sure they all felt the heat in their face from that small flame I lowered the heat and started moving it from place to place to show how I didn't even need to move for me to be able to make the flame appear and disappear.
"I know what my next project is."
"And what is that Tony?"
"I am going to build a machine to test out how hot you can go, somewhere that can handle your heat and measure it. If it works then I can even make a nicer one, a bigger one where you can go into if you ever feel out of control or you just want to relax, you can go in there and just let go."
I smiled at idea and got exited.
"That would be great! I have a lot of space in my bedroom, maybe I could have something in there built so I can just go in and relax once in a while, to release any tension I may have and avoid it getting out of control."
"Like yoga!"
"Yeah!"
We all laughed at Darcy's easy interpretation of it. I was now in an even better mood and I bounced on the couch in excitement, bad idea because I forgot about the soreness, I tried hiding the cringe but I know Logan must have seen since he raised an eyebrow at me in question. I know he, like Jared and Leah, had sniffed me when Paul and I came back up but he didn't say aything. As embarrassing as it may be, I had to think of a way to bring it up to him. I had to make sure that the healing actually gave up and didn't heal later on once the pain goes away.
