Broken Remains || Bucky Barnes

I'm So Confused

Nikita's POV

"Come on, I feel like I'm the only one eating here. Try some of that. Have some eggs." Bruce pushed the giant bowl of eggs towards Scott and Nat.

We all just stared at him in confusion.

"I'm so confused." Scott said.

"These are confusing times." Bruce chuckled.

"Right, no, no. That's not what I meant."

"Nah, I get it. I'm kidding! I know, it's crazy. I'm wearing shirts now." He rolled a sausage into a pancake.

"Yeah. What? How? Why?" Scott kept asking.

"Five years ago we got our asses beat." His said with food in his mouth. "Except it was worse for me...'cause I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, the Banner lost...and then, we all lost."

"No one blamed you, Bruce." Nat said.

"I did. For years, I 've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease...something to get rid of. But then, I start looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in the gamma lab. I put the brains and brawn together...and now, look at me. Best of both worlds."

Three kids walked up to us and asked Bruce for a picture.

"Excuse me Mr. Hulk, do you mind if we get a photo." The girl asked.

"100% tiny person. Come on step on up. Do you mind?" Bruce handed her phone to Scott.

"Oh, yeah, yeah."

"Thanks."

Bruce took off his glasses and Nat got out of the way of the picture.

"Say "green."

The kids all said "green" as Scott snapped the photo.

"Did you get that?" Bruce asked.

"That's a good one." Scott handed back the phone. "Did you want to grab one with me? I'm Ant-Man."

All three of the kids looked at each other in confusion.

"They're Hulk fans. They don't know Ant-Man. Nobody does."

"No, he wants you to take a picture with him." Bruce said.

"I don't want a picture."

"Stranger danger." One of the boy said.

"Yeah, look he's even saying no, he doesn't."

"Oh come on the kid..."

"I don't want to take a picture."

"He's gonna feel bad."

"Sorry." Scott tried to hand back the phone.

"They're happy to do it. They said they'll do it."

"I don't want to do it." Scott repeated.

"We can do it." The other kid said.

"No, you feel bad."

"Take the goddamn phone." The kid took the phone back from Scott.

I had no idea what I just watched.

The kids thanked Bruce for the photo, and they all did some dorky good bye thing.

Steve grabbed his glass of water and I couldn't do anything but stare at the table.

"Bruce." Steve said.

"Listen to your mom. She knows better."

"About what we were saying."

"Right." Bruce said dully. "The whole time travel do-over? Eh, guys, it's outside of my area of expertise."

"Well, you pulled this off. I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible, too." Nat said.

***

Sorry for the short chapter but the next one is going to be good.