Bruce stayed late at school to work on his science project, if he had any chance at getting into an awesome college he needed to work his ass off. He was seeing the effects of gamma radiation on different types of cells. He was currently in his favorite teacher's science room calculating some things when he got Tony's texts. He was always the social awkward one in the group. His only friends were the ones in his group and Darcy. Now Darcy was the best girl he had ever known. She was smart and quiet just like he was, and she was pretty and just he could feel his face get red just thinking about her. He texted Tony in a separate conversation, because even though he was silly he was embarrassed.
Bruce: Hey Tony, whose coming to the party on Friday?
Tony: Anyone and everyone that wants to come. Why you have a specific girl scientist in mind?
Bruce: Maybe…
Tony: Don't worry dude, I'll personally invite Darcy
Bruce: Thanks man
Tony: Hey we're science bros dude, we have to stick together!
Bruce laughed and put up his phone and continued to work on some problems. A little smile cracked on his face.
After finishing up and leaving Bruce got into his craptastic car and drove back to his condo. It was only him and his mom who was barely home at all. She was a scientist for the government and was always somewhere where she couldn't tell him. She sent money back every month and it was enough to get him by and then some. He was no prince like Stark but he was lucky enough to be better financed than Clint or Natasha.
He went into his room and sat down in the middle of his room and meditated. Everyone thought it was really weird but it helped him a lot. Ever since his dad left him and his mom he has always had anger issues, something you wouldn't expect from a guy as tiny as him.
"Where's dad?" He asked his mom one day when he came home from school and wasn't greeted by his dad as he usually was.
"Your dad not coming home," his mom had told him in a stern voice. She was washing the dishes with her back turned to him.
"Why not?" he asked. Why wasn't daddy coming back?
"Because," his mom sighed. "Just because,"
"Mom," he quietly spoke. "Do you still love daddy?"
His mom stopped washing dishes. She put down the plate, placed her hands on her head and started to silently cry. He stood there watching her shoulders shake up and down violently. After a few seconds she turned and knelt down in front of him and placed her hands on his face.
"I do sweetie, I love him. But he doesn't love us back." She tried to compose herself.
"What? Why not?" Bruce was insulted by such a comment.
"I don't know honey, it's an adult thing and he just doesn't want to be with us anymore." She picked him up as he started to cry and rock him back and forth.
A couple of years after that he started getting angry at everything and everyone and his mother taught him to compose his anger into mediation. When Bruce got the hang of it he grew quiet around everyone, partly because he was just naturally shy and the other part was that he was afraid if someone pissed him off too much then he would go off on someone.
He thought about his closest friends, the one he could be himself and not worry about blowing up. You'd think they would never talk to each other since they all came from different social groups, but they all had met freshman year and hit it off. It just so happened they were all in the same homeroom and the other 4 people in their room where douchbags so they all became best friends. Another thing that they connected with was that they all had loss in their lives and hurt. Tony was hurt because he was convinced that his father didn't love him and his mom was barely around. Thor had suffered the loss of his brother, his best friend since birth. Clint had both of his parents taken away from him at such a young age. Also Nat had no mother to look up to, her mom was there but they all knew that Nat hated her and wanted her just gone. Steve just like Clint lost both of his parents to war and had his grandparents now. They all understood each other.
Bruce controlled his breathing. In through the nose 1…2…3… out through the mouth 1…2…3… he could feel the calmness wash over him like cold water inside of his body. He could hear every sound, every movement. Even though his mind was clear, he could still feel the anticipation of Friday in his stomach.
