(no subject)
Title: The Avengers Club (part two)
Author: hotfruits
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Thor. Loki. Steve. Tony. Bruce. Natasha. Clint. Fury. Hill. Coulson.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: AU! A story in which a foreign exchange student, a quarterback, a science whiz, a nerd, a drama geek and a quiet archer all become friends through detention.
Bruce quietly worked on his trigonometry assignment, ignoring Tony’s attempts at getting his attention. As much as he liked his best friend, he really didn’t feel like giving into his egotistical demands at the moment; Tony Stark could deal with not being the center of attention for a few moments.
Maybe.
Glancing over at Tony, Bruce bit back a laugh as the genius boy sighed for the umpteenth time, his blank assignment sheet resting on his desk.
“Just do your work,” he whispered, taking pity on his friend as he poked him. “It’ll make the time go by quicker.”
“So you say,” Tony grumbled, and instead looked around the room, his eyes catching those of Natasha Romanoff’s. “She’s kind of hot.”
“You have a girlfriend, you know,” Bruce rolled his eyes, focusing back on his assignment.
“I know,” Tony shrugged, still staring at the poor girl, “Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the picture though.”
“What would Pepper say?”
“Something witty and diabolical.”
Bruce snorted, causing the room’s occupants to turn and look over at him.
“Well, I think I’m going to go get a sandwich,” Mr. Coulson said, breaking the awkward silence as he stood up with a stretch. “Hopefully I’ll see you all when I get back. If I don’t, that’s another detention.”
“Enjoy your sandwich,” Tony called out, waving bye to Mr. Coulson. When the door closed behind him, he got up and sat on his desk, looking around the room.
“So, what brings us all here today?”
“Shut up Stark,” Steve said with annoyance, without looking up from his algebra book. In Bruce’s eyes, it seemed like he was really struggling with the concepts presented to him.
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport Rogers,” Tony replied, his tone happy and light, “Bruce and I are here because we were playing on our phones during class. And I think we all know why Thor is here.”
Thor, who had been resting his head in the palm of his hand, chuckled at that. “He had it coming to him.”
“He is my friend, you know,” Steve frowned, flipping to the next page.
“Yeah, well your friend threw potato salad at my brother’s face, and I don’t appreciate that.”
Steve had nothing to say to that, looking uncomfortable as he tried to focus harder on the text in front of him.
“We were passing notes in class,” Natasha said, pointing to her and Clint.
“And you, dearest Captain?” Tony slid off the desk and walked over to Steve, standing above him with his usual smirk. “Was it for being such a charming hero, leading our brave wildcats to victory game after game?”
“Tony,” Bruce called out, chastising his friend, “Leave the guy alone, he’s trying to study.”
“Ooooh,” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, “You’re failing, aren’t you?”
“Tony!” Bruce stood up quickly, “This isn’t funny.”
“I wasn’t laughing,” Tony replied, and although his voice was calm, his facial expression showed he was quite amused.
“Yeah, I’m failing, so what? Why does Mr. ‘look at me, look at me! I’m Tony Stark and I’m so cool because my daddy is rich and I’m smart, hurray!’ care?” Steve said mockingly, his voice imitating Tony’s briefly.
Tony glared, “I was going to offer my help, but now, I don’t think I will. Good luck, Captain.”
Bruce shook his head, not very thrilled with what he just saw. “Steve,” he said, coming over to stand beside Tony, “If you need help, I’d be happy to assist.”
“Not sure if Mr. Anger is better than Mr. Ego, no offense,” Steve replied, and Thor looked over at him, confused.
“None taken,” Bruce smiled, and then turned towards Thor, “I have anger issues, but I’ve been learning to control them.”
“Didn’t you break a desk last week?” Natasha asked, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.
“Yeah, maybe he did it while you were cutting yourself,” Tony snapped, ignoring the pained look on Natasha’s face as he wrapped a protective arm around Bruce’s shoulder.
“That’s enough.”
Everyone stopped, looking over at Clint in surprise. “We all have our problems. There’s no need to throw it in each other’s faces.”
“He’s right,” Thor said softly, a smile appearing on his face.
“You’re from Norway, right?” Natasha asked, still looking quite upset by Tony’s earlier comment. Thor nodded, and she continued, “I was born in Russia, and my family came here when I was five. Even though I speak English, and have an American accent, people can still be cruel. The land of the free isn’t always accepting of people like us.”
“Is that why you…?” Bruce trailed off, but it was obvious what he was getting at.
Natasha nodded, “All I wanted to do was fit in,” she looked down at her hands, her eyes slowly tearing up, “I got too much red on my ledger, and cutting was the only way to wipe it clean. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. If it wasn’t for Clint,” she paused, and looked over at the other, “I’d still be there.”
Clint reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her a rare smile.
“So, are you two dating or what?” Tony asked, ruining the tender moment as the two glared at him, dropping each other’s hands.
“You’re an idiot,” Bruce sighed, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he noticed Tony’s arm was still around his shoulder.
“Life sucks,” Steve said, closing the book with a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his chair. “Sometimes, fitting in isn’t that great. There are just too many expectations; don’t lose the game, we depend on you. don’t fail your classes, we depend on you. don’t hang out with those kids, they’re losers. don’t wear those clothes, they make you look gay…” everyone’s eyebrows shot up at this, but Steve didn’t notice, “There is no being yourself in that crowd.”
“And being yourself is being gay?” Bruce asked, gently, as the color drained from Steve’s face. Quickly, he began to stutter over his words, trying to correct himself.
“We won’t tell Steve,” Thor interrupted the frantic jock, “Right guys?”
“Right,” Natasha smiled, standing up and joining the others around Thor and Steve’s table, Clint coming up beside her. “You don’t have to pretend around us, okay? We accept you as you are.”
“I’m just so confused,” Steve said pitifully, burying his face in the palms of his hands. “Sometimes I’m really into Peggy, and sometimes I think kissing my teammates would be so much better. I feel like a freak.”
“You’re no freakier than the rest of us,” Bruce said, earning a collective nod from the others. “Me, I have to work constantly to control my anger. I don’t even know why I’m angry half the time, I just…I just feel like smashing everything around me. For awhile, I thought suicide was the answer, but Tony helped me through it. He still does,” Bruce smiled, his appreciation showing for his friend.
“I need a friend like that,” Steve said, coughing as his voice cracked.
“Well, you’ve got one, right here,” Thor said as he brought Steve in for a hug, who gladly accepted it.
“Yeah, us too, and if you need help studying, just ask,” Tony said, patting the boy’s back. “I can’t lie, I’m kind of jealous I don’t have any secrets to share.”
“Really?” Natasha asked, incredulous. “With your ego, it’s almost like you didn’t get enough love as a child, and so you crave it now, constantly going out of your way for people’s attention.”
Tony shook his head, shrugging, “Nope, parents loved me, grandparents, etc etc. I’m just a genius who likes to flaunt it. What’s wrong with loving myself, and thinking other people should love me for those reasons too?”
Clint snickered, “I like that. You’re alright, Tony.”
“How about you, Mr. ‘Quiet Archery Man’?”
Clint shrugged, and that was that.
“I feel really good right now,” Steve said, smiling for the first time since Coach yelled at him, “All cleaned up inside.”
“You know what we should do now?”
“What?” Bruce asked Tony, as the other slipped over to his backpack, grabbing his iPOD.
“80’s dance party!”
***
As Mr. Coulson approached the detention room, he could hear the tune of “Take On Me” through the door. With a big smile, he turned around and headed back towards the teachers’ lounge.
And inside the room, with all the desks pushed towards the edges, were six teenagers; a Norwegian exchange student, who realized there were more to these Americans than he previously thought. A nerd with anger issues, who felt free as he held a Russian-American girl tight, the scars on her arms long forgotten as they bopped around to the beat. A jock, who finally found friends free of judgment. A science whiz, who happily danced in the center of the room, and a quiet archer, looking at his new friends fondly.
The End
Author: hotfruits
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Thor. Loki. Steve. Tony. Bruce. Natasha. Clint. Fury. Hill. Coulson.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: AU! A story in which a foreign exchange student, a quarterback, a science whiz, a nerd, a drama geek and a quiet archer all become friends through detention.
Bruce quietly worked on his trigonometry assignment, ignoring Tony’s attempts at getting his attention. As much as he liked his best friend, he really didn’t feel like giving into his egotistical demands at the moment; Tony Stark could deal with not being the center of attention for a few moments.
Maybe.
Glancing over at Tony, Bruce bit back a laugh as the genius boy sighed for the umpteenth time, his blank assignment sheet resting on his desk.
“Just do your work,” he whispered, taking pity on his friend as he poked him. “It’ll make the time go by quicker.”
“So you say,” Tony grumbled, and instead looked around the room, his eyes catching those of Natasha Romanoff’s. “She’s kind of hot.”
“You have a girlfriend, you know,” Bruce rolled his eyes, focusing back on his assignment.
“I know,” Tony shrugged, still staring at the poor girl, “Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the picture though.”
“What would Pepper say?”
“Something witty and diabolical.”
Bruce snorted, causing the room’s occupants to turn and look over at him.
“Well, I think I’m going to go get a sandwich,” Mr. Coulson said, breaking the awkward silence as he stood up with a stretch. “Hopefully I’ll see you all when I get back. If I don’t, that’s another detention.”
“Enjoy your sandwich,” Tony called out, waving bye to Mr. Coulson. When the door closed behind him, he got up and sat on his desk, looking around the room.
“So, what brings us all here today?”
“Shut up Stark,” Steve said with annoyance, without looking up from his algebra book. In Bruce’s eyes, it seemed like he was really struggling with the concepts presented to him.
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport Rogers,” Tony replied, his tone happy and light, “Bruce and I are here because we were playing on our phones during class. And I think we all know why Thor is here.”
Thor, who had been resting his head in the palm of his hand, chuckled at that. “He had it coming to him.”
“He is my friend, you know,” Steve frowned, flipping to the next page.
“Yeah, well your friend threw potato salad at my brother’s face, and I don’t appreciate that.”
Steve had nothing to say to that, looking uncomfortable as he tried to focus harder on the text in front of him.
“We were passing notes in class,” Natasha said, pointing to her and Clint.
“And you, dearest Captain?” Tony slid off the desk and walked over to Steve, standing above him with his usual smirk. “Was it for being such a charming hero, leading our brave wildcats to victory game after game?”
“Tony,” Bruce called out, chastising his friend, “Leave the guy alone, he’s trying to study.”
“Ooooh,” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, “You’re failing, aren’t you?”
“Tony!” Bruce stood up quickly, “This isn’t funny.”
“I wasn’t laughing,” Tony replied, and although his voice was calm, his facial expression showed he was quite amused.
“Yeah, I’m failing, so what? Why does Mr. ‘look at me, look at me! I’m Tony Stark and I’m so cool because my daddy is rich and I’m smart, hurray!’ care?” Steve said mockingly, his voice imitating Tony’s briefly.
Tony glared, “I was going to offer my help, but now, I don’t think I will. Good luck, Captain.”
Bruce shook his head, not very thrilled with what he just saw. “Steve,” he said, coming over to stand beside Tony, “If you need help, I’d be happy to assist.”
“Not sure if Mr. Anger is better than Mr. Ego, no offense,” Steve replied, and Thor looked over at him, confused.
“None taken,” Bruce smiled, and then turned towards Thor, “I have anger issues, but I’ve been learning to control them.”
“Didn’t you break a desk last week?” Natasha asked, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.
“Yeah, maybe he did it while you were cutting yourself,” Tony snapped, ignoring the pained look on Natasha’s face as he wrapped a protective arm around Bruce’s shoulder.
“That’s enough.”
Everyone stopped, looking over at Clint in surprise. “We all have our problems. There’s no need to throw it in each other’s faces.”
“He’s right,” Thor said softly, a smile appearing on his face.
“You’re from Norway, right?” Natasha asked, still looking quite upset by Tony’s earlier comment. Thor nodded, and she continued, “I was born in Russia, and my family came here when I was five. Even though I speak English, and have an American accent, people can still be cruel. The land of the free isn’t always accepting of people like us.”
“Is that why you…?” Bruce trailed off, but it was obvious what he was getting at.
Natasha nodded, “All I wanted to do was fit in,” she looked down at her hands, her eyes slowly tearing up, “I got too much red on my ledger, and cutting was the only way to wipe it clean. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. If it wasn’t for Clint,” she paused, and looked over at the other, “I’d still be there.”
Clint reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her a rare smile.
“So, are you two dating or what?” Tony asked, ruining the tender moment as the two glared at him, dropping each other’s hands.
“You’re an idiot,” Bruce sighed, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he noticed Tony’s arm was still around his shoulder.
“Life sucks,” Steve said, closing the book with a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his chair. “Sometimes, fitting in isn’t that great. There are just too many expectations; don’t lose the game, we depend on you. don’t fail your classes, we depend on you. don’t hang out with those kids, they’re losers. don’t wear those clothes, they make you look gay…” everyone’s eyebrows shot up at this, but Steve didn’t notice, “There is no being yourself in that crowd.”
“And being yourself is being gay?” Bruce asked, gently, as the color drained from Steve’s face. Quickly, he began to stutter over his words, trying to correct himself.
“We won’t tell Steve,” Thor interrupted the frantic jock, “Right guys?”
“Right,” Natasha smiled, standing up and joining the others around Thor and Steve’s table, Clint coming up beside her. “You don’t have to pretend around us, okay? We accept you as you are.”
“I’m just so confused,” Steve said pitifully, burying his face in the palms of his hands. “Sometimes I’m really into Peggy, and sometimes I think kissing my teammates would be so much better. I feel like a freak.”
“You’re no freakier than the rest of us,” Bruce said, earning a collective nod from the others. “Me, I have to work constantly to control my anger. I don’t even know why I’m angry half the time, I just…I just feel like smashing everything around me. For awhile, I thought suicide was the answer, but Tony helped me through it. He still does,” Bruce smiled, his appreciation showing for his friend.
“I need a friend like that,” Steve said, coughing as his voice cracked.
“Well, you’ve got one, right here,” Thor said as he brought Steve in for a hug, who gladly accepted it.
“Yeah, us too, and if you need help studying, just ask,” Tony said, patting the boy’s back. “I can’t lie, I’m kind of jealous I don’t have any secrets to share.”
“Really?” Natasha asked, incredulous. “With your ego, it’s almost like you didn’t get enough love as a child, and so you crave it now, constantly going out of your way for people’s attention.”
Tony shook his head, shrugging, “Nope, parents loved me, grandparents, etc etc. I’m just a genius who likes to flaunt it. What’s wrong with loving myself, and thinking other people should love me for those reasons too?”
Clint snickered, “I like that. You’re alright, Tony.”
“How about you, Mr. ‘Quiet Archery Man’?”
Clint shrugged, and that was that.
“I feel really good right now,” Steve said, smiling for the first time since Coach yelled at him, “All cleaned up inside.”
“You know what we should do now?”
“What?” Bruce asked Tony, as the other slipped over to his backpack, grabbing his iPOD.
“80’s dance party!”
***
As Mr. Coulson approached the detention room, he could hear the tune of “Take On Me” through the door. With a big smile, he turned around and headed back towards the teachers’ lounge.
And inside the room, with all the desks pushed towards the edges, were six teenagers; a Norwegian exchange student, who realized there were more to these Americans than he previously thought. A nerd with anger issues, who felt free as he held a Russian-American girl tight, the scars on her arms long forgotten as they bopped around to the beat. A jock, who finally found friends free of judgment. A science whiz, who happily danced in the center of the room, and a quiet archer, looking at his new friends fondly.
The End