A/N: Hello everyone!
Happy August! I am posting this from my new laptop, Nicholas J. Fury. Nicholas J. Fury is new and shiny and I love him very much. His codename is Leaf Corduroy, if anyone was wondering.
This is a double update weekend! Follow to see the next update which will post up in a day or two! (Most likely Saturday.) In regards to reviews...I love them. Tony gives them a passing wave on his way to Angstville. He kinda likes them too. He also nods appreciatively at kudos. Give the boy some love, especially after this chapter (and the next).
Warnings: Non-graphic sexual assault; unwanted groping. Take care, in case it triggers anyone
Tony strolled into Dr. Banner's classroom after he left the nurse's office. Mrs. Carter had wanted to keep him until school ended, but Tony knew Dr. Banner's fourth period was free, and he would miss his bus if he wasn't careful (and walking home really fucking sucked, let alone with a head injury).
He was only a little woozy as he knocked on the door, sighing in relief when Dr. Banner's voice called out, "Come in!"
The chemistry teacher looked up as he walked in, eyes widening in alarm at the ridiculous amount of bandages wrapped around Tony's head. He moved to stand up, but Tony waved him off.
Tony grinned, but didn't meet his teacher's eyes.
"Smacked my head on some pavement. No stitches though. Sorry, it won't be enough to keep me from bothering you next class," he said with a shrug, feeling a pang of hurt in his chest at the idea of Dr. Banner being grateful of Tony's absence.
Something flickered in Dr. Banner's expression, almost like a twitch, but the older man just shook his head ruefully.
"Of course I want you in class, Anthony. I just wish you'd pay better attention."
Tony shrugged his shoulders, his head pounding around the dose of Tylenol he'd choked down in Mrs. Carter's office.
"Sorry, Dr. B," he muttered, studying the tile under his sneakers.
He glanced up to watch Dr. Banner shake his head, then rifle through his drawers until he found the makeup quiz. Dr. Banner was wearing his Disappointed Scientist face as he handed the quiz over.
"Please do your best and read the chapter carefully. Your grade can't take too many more hits like these, and I can only accommodate you so much."
Lifting one shoulder in reply, Tony shuffled a slow retreat to his desk. He had forgotten his book in his rush to not bleed to death from his head wound, and there weren't any extras stuffed in shelves or abandoned on the workstation in the back. Fiddling with the paper for a moment, Tony glanced over to make sure Dr. Banner was preoccupied. Once he was satisfied that his teacher's attention was elsewhere, Tony quickly filled out the quiz. It was easy, and he caught Dr. Banner's sneaky atomic number question at the end, smirking as he circled the last multiple choice answer.
It was kind of satisfying, answering all the questions correctly.
His head was still pounding, so he didn't want to linger for much longer in the classroom. Getting up and shouldering his bookbag, Tony walked his quiz over to Dr. Banner.
"Anything else, Dr. B?"
The chemistry teacher looked at the quiz on his desk, shifting his glasses higher on his nose with a small frown.
"No. Just try to pay more attention next time. I'd rather not have to move you out of my class," he warned, hazel eyes reflecting the no-nonsense tone he'd adopted.
Tony nodded, instantly regretting it as the pounding increased in tempo. Gritting his teeth, he flashed a strained smile.
(Stark men are made of iron.)
"Thanks, Dr. B. I'll see you next class."
Upon leaving the classroom, Tony took a moment to breathe. He was tired, and he ached everywhere, and he wanted to go moment was ruined when something heavy slammed into him from behind, and he went crashing to the floor.
He hit the tile hard, groaning as his head ached and a searing pain lanced down his spine.
"What the fuck?!" He growled, tilting his head back to see Justin Fucking Hammer sneering down at him. Hammer very rarely bullied alone, so it stood to reason that his cronies had gotten stuck in ISS for the asphalt incident.
"I don't know why you keep coming back, Stark. We're just going to keep up this little game, and you're always gonna lose. Do us all a favor and stay home."
Hammer hauled Tony up by his arm (who would have thought the fucker would have the strength?) and dragged him to the nearest set of lockers, slamming him up against them. Tony would have protested the padlock digging into his kidneys, but Hammer chose that moment to disregard Tony's personal space bubble.
"I know you make pretty birdhouses in woodshop, Tony," Hammer said, his tone conversational. "But that's just about all you're good for. I'm getting tired of you hanging around, skating on your daddy's money and acting like you're better than us," he declared, patting Tony's cut temple harder than necessary while wearing a cheery smile.
Tony couldn't help but whine in pain, jerking his head away.
"What the fuck, Hammer. Don't fucking touch me," Tony snarled.
"Word on the street is that you've slept with half the school," Hammer mused. He was still very much creeping in on Tony's space, and it was uncomfortable, to say the least.
"And your mom," Tony spat.
Hammer's body jerked a bit, but he continued on with his act, ignoring Tony's outburst.
"I happen to know that's an exaggeration, and where your preferences lean," he murmured, insinuating a knee between Tony's legs.
Hammer pressed up against him in all the wrong ways, and Tony's mind stuttered and froze. His breathing became labored as anxiety set in, and he began to struggle in earnest.
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME, HAMMER!" Tony snarled, grunting when Hammer pressed closer still.
The contact was unwanted, and it felt like Hammer's hands were all over him, until they weren't. That's when Tony saw Dr. Banner bodily hauling Hammer down the hallway. His knuckles were white where they were fisted in Hammer's shirt, and there was something dangerous about him as he dragged Hammer into Principal Fury's office.
Scientist Smash indeed.
Snapping out of his stupor, Tony dropped to his knees, trying to pick up the mess that was his spilled bookbag. His hands shook as he grabbed notebooks, making it nearly impossible to work the zipper. The tremors pissed him off, so he started a low chant of "Stark men are made of iron" to bolster his confidence, but in reality he just felt like shit.
A pair of hands with a darker complexion appeared in Tony's peripheral vision, landing on a notebook near his right knee. Tony jerked away, reeling backwards until he was pressed up against the lockers again.
Dr. Banner moved to crouch in front of him, expression concerned as he carefully kept his hands to himself, and visible.
"What was that you were saying?" He asked, his voice low and reassuring, leaving Tony grateful he wasn't asking about the most obvious fucking thing he could have.
"What? Oh...uh...'Stark men are made of iron', " he recited sheepishly.
"Company motto?"
"Family motto. My father...Starks are supposed to be made of tougher stuff."
"Strength isn't always measured by what you're made of," Dr. Banner murmured, his expression sickeningly understanding when Tony looked up at him.
"Desirability is measured in quantifiability," Tony snapped, struggling to his feet. He had to blink back tears when his head started aching again. He'd almost forgotten about the injury in lieu of getting molested by an asshole.
Dr. Banner's expression switched to Confused Scientist, probably because his boring, unwanted specimen was acting outside of normal parameters. Tony couldn't give a fuck, though. He'd probably slipped up more than he could afford to, but all he wanted to do was go home.
"Are you alright, Anthony?" He asked, peering closely as if he were looking for something specific.
Not up to falling under Dr. Banner's microscope, Tony grabbed his bookbag (thoughtfully repacked by his chemistry teacher) and got to his feet. He swayed a little bit from a tidal wave of dizziness, but managed to stay standing.
"Fine. Never better. Thanks for...that thing you did," Tony quipped, making vague gestures with one hand. "I gotta go, though. Can't miss my bus or I'd be screwed. See you next class, Dr. B."
Turning, Tony didn't wait for a reply before striding down the hallway more confidently than he felt. His chest was tight, and he wished that his parents were home, if only so that Jarvis could sneak him cookies. His mom would steal away from her sitting room and stroke his hair, and things would be okay for awhile.
The final bell ringing shattered Tony's daydream, and he could only trudge to the bus loading zone and pray that the driver was running on time.
Thanks for reading! Reviews are love!