Chapter 2 : The beginning of something new

A/N: I want to thank Amber9, Dark Universe, Andrewthegreat1and Avengers fan for reviewing. You guys made my day.

And as some of you voted (and wanted), I made this chapter about Bruce. It's still normal POV but... Oh, you'll see...

I hope you guys like this chapter.

It was hard to focus with the screaming voices all around him. It seemed like everything was okay in one moment, but then in another one all hell broke lose.

The very second Fury spoke those few words, Tony Stark exploded.

"No, no, no, no, that wasn't the deal, Eye-patch. We were supposed to be an emerg-..." He started complaining over and over again, his voice raised but somehow emotionless, although Bruce knew better. He could see the mixed emotions in Tony's eyes, although no one else seemed to notice that because they were too busy with their own problems and thoughts.

Clint and Natasha were the only 'quiet' ones, only speaking when asked or when someone mentioned their names. And although the two of them were trained to mask their emotions, Bruce could see it written all over their faces that none of them was happy with the decision. He couldn't blame them either.

Steve and Thor, on the other side, seemed confused to a certain point. Thor was simply asking tons of questions about Stark Tower and the reason for such decision while Steve looked like he was sick. His skin looked slightly paler than usual and his eyes were wider than usual, covered with fear and disapproval. But he too wanted to know what the heck made Fury make such a decision.

And Bruce... Well, Bruce was trying to take a few really deep breaths.

The news didn't really please him, and we all know how that usually ends.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, counting to ten over and over in his head. His heart rate started slowing down a little, but he could still feel the Hulk sitting under his skin, waiting for a small slip or a careless action.

Being lost in his own mind and breathing, he failed to notice that all the noise stopped. He failed to notice that all eyes were on him and that they were waiting for some kind of reaction from him.

Waiting for him either to snap or calm down.

"Hey Big Guy, you okay?" He heard Tony speak to him in a shushed voice and when he opened his eyes, he was staring at a pair of chocolate brown eyes. It took him a few seconds to find his voice but he managed to flash them a weak smile, masking all the possible weaknesses behind it.

"I-I'm fine." He stuttered out as he failed to keep his emotions in line, his voice being weak and scared at the same level as their eyes.

He didn't miss the way Natasha's hand twitched around the gun and how Steve's muscles tightened as his fists clenched. Almost everyone, expect Tony and Thor, were alarmed, ready to take down the mindless beast. And he was supposed to live with those people.

"Are you sure?" Tony inquired and Bruce could see that he honestly cared for Bruce. Not the damage Hulk might make or the lives he might take... He cared for Bruce and Bruce only.

No, I must be mistaken. Why would everyone care about me?

A quiet but always present voice in his head spoke up as he pulled back, away from Tony's warm hand on his shoulder. He didn't miss the way hurt flashed in Tony's eyes, but he soon brushed it off as something Tony didn't mean.

Seeing that as the only opportunity to speak up without being interrupted by his team, Fury spoke.

"You will spend six months together in Stark Tower. No buts, no complains. This way, we are testing if the 'Avengers Initiative' has a future. To work as a team on the battlefield, you need to know each other. Before I came here, I talked to Jarvis..."

"Jarvis, you traitor..." Was Tony's quiet remark, but no one paid attention to it.

"... And Jarvis will inform me if someone refuses to follow the orders. I want you all to have some 'bonding' time and you have to share one meal together. All of you. Dismissed."

No one spoke as Fury cast one last glance in their direction before calmly leaving the room. His steady steps were the only thing heard in the room and when the doors closed and he was gone, silence filled the empty space.

Bruce lowered his head, refusing to look at his teammates' faces as tons of thoughts and ideas came to him.

At first, he wanted to run.

He was good at it, he got used to it and he knew that he would be able to pull it off. He was ready to run across the world, just to avoid living with other people.

But then he remembered how easily S.H.I.E.L.D. found him and how Natasha said that 'they never lost him'.

So why bother?

They will find me either way.

"So, I guess I will show you your rooms. Jarvis, could you...?" Tony was the first to speak, his tired voice breaking the silence. He slowly got up, his whole form radiating tiredness as he waved his hand towards the rest of the group and headed for his room or his lab.

No one was quite sure where he was going, but they knew that wherever he was heading to, a glass of some strong alcohol was probably waiting for him there.

And just like that, the group shattered, taking directions from Jarvis to their room and silently thanking him.

"Dr. Banner, your room is at this floor, first door on the left. Your bags are brought there, and everything you need, please don't hesitate to ask me."

"Thank you Jarvis." He smiled softly towards the ceiling, not really sure why he did that, and with his hands in his pockets, he moved to his new room.

A tired sigh escaped his lips as he located the doors and took the door knob with one thought on his mind.

These six months will be awkward and hard.

...He had no idea how right he was.

The time had passed painfully slow.

He's been in Stark Tower for only a few hours, and he was already prepared to beg Fury to re-think about his decision.

When the group shattered, heading to their own rooms, Bruce locked himself in his room.

The room he got was rather big, with huge windows and king size bed in the middle of it. But besides that, it was empty and... Cold.

Usually, the houses he was living in on his travels were filled with pictured of his host's family, friends or past. This room, on the other side, was plain and empty, without a trace of light and life.

A humorless chuckle escaped his lips as he realized how similar his life was to that room.

Empty and cold.

...

An hour later and he was still bored. He managed to unpack his stuff, check what was new on the TV, look up at Stark's technology and even take a long, long bath. And yet only a few more hours passed.

When he was about to go nuts from boredom, he was saved by the 'bell'. Or rather, a voice.

"Dr. Banner, I was asked to inform you that the dinner is ready." Jarvis spoke politely, making Bruce jolt at the new, present voice.

It will take quite some time to get used to him.

"Thank you Jarvis." Bruce answered in the same polite tone and jumped off of his bed, feeling rather optimistic about the dinner as his stomach growled in response.

But then it hit him.

I will have to talk to the others. And in a flash, his mood was gone.

He left his room, making no sound as he closed the door, and dragged his feet all the way to the dining room, where he was met with a sad view.

All five of his teammates were sitting by the table and eating pizza, but they sat as far as they could from each other.

Tony was at the center of the table, with two slices of pizza in his plate and one in his hand. He was eating with his both hands and was looking around him, observing every one of them with a fake grin on his face.

Next to him was Steve, who looked so small in his chair. He was sitting as far as he could from Tony and from time to time he would glare at him and tell his to eat more civilized. He would only get a small grunt in response before he would return to his own meal.

Across the two of them were the assassins, Clint and Natasha. They were both eating in complete silence, but they looked like they were ready to dash off the same second they swallow the last bite of their pizza.

The last person by the table was Thor, with a whole pizza in front of him. A big, sincere grin was on his face as he swallowed slice by slice, making a few comments from time to time. He was the only one happy in that whole scene.

For a stranger, this picture would seem strange but we would soon brush it off as a 'shyness' or something.

But to Bruce, it was much more. He could see every twitch, every emotion and every move they made, and he could easily read how uncomfortable they were.

"Hey Doc, come here, grab a slice before Point Break eats everything." Tony seemed to notice Bruce first and he pushed a plate towards the doctor with a grin on his face.

"Son of Stark, as a Prince of Asgard, I require lots of food, and this... 'Pizza' as you called it is quiet delicious."

"Yeah, yeah..." Tony muttered back, avoiding the argument (which was a first for Tony), before stuffing his face and watching Bruce as he sat down and took two slices of pizza.

Steve back away from Tony even further as he saw the way Tony stuffed his face with two slices of pizza at the same time, and then pushed his plate closer to Thor.

"Here, take mine. I lost my appetite." He said with a grimace on his face as he watched Tony eating like a pig.

After that conversation, no one spoke again. They all ate in silence, if you don't count the sound of chewing, and as someone would finish their meal, they would excuse themselves and leave the room.

Soon, one by one, they all left the table and the Tower became deadly quiet again, leaving only Tony and Bruce behind.

"So, I am off to finish some lab work. And tomorrow, Bruce-y Boy, I will show you the 'Candy Land'." Tony made a funny face as he mentioned his lab, aka the 'Candy Land' and Bruce chuckled lightly at his antiques. He watched as Tony stood up, throwing his paper plate into the can with a single move.

"Sure thing Tony. Good night."

"'Night!" Tony waved over his shoulder and stepping into the elevator, he was gone too.

The deadly silence filled the room and seeing no other thing to do, Bruce got up and headed for his room. The second he was left alone, that fake smile left his face and a tired frown formed on his lips.

As the time passed, the whole idea bothered him even more.

If the dinner was this awkward, I can only imagine how everything else will be.

And deep inside, he knew that it won't change. At least not in the next two months.

He sighed sadly as he brushed his hair out of his face, passing by the living room and heading towards his bed room again.

As he was passing through the hallway, he glanced up and caught his own reflection in the mirror. Staring at it for a second, he could only see a tired man who was too exhausted to even walk.

But as he was about to walk away, a flash of green caught his eye. A faint trace of green appeared in his eyes and he looked away violently, feeling his whole body tense.

He clenched his fists and hurried into his room, hoping that the following night will be calm and peaceful.

...

Little did he know that at night, everyone's demons would come out to haunt them...

...

That night, no one slept.

A/N: I hope you like it. As I said before, I need four reviews if you want me to update. And I have a question. Would you like the next chapter to be concentrated on Bruce, or on all of them?

Lemme know what you think and want.

Horizon :)