The White Wolf: Of Robots and Men {3}

Suits of armor

"̶y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶c̶r̶e̶a̶m̶.̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶B̶u̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶.̶"̶

*Adriana's POV*

When my eyes flutter open again, I have a blanket wrapped around me. I'm in the infirmary with Bruce and Peter. Dad across the room, looking out the tower window. 

I try to close my eyes again without anyone seeing me, but Peter does. He gasps, holding onto my hand tightly. 

"Now's not the right time to say I told you so...is it?" Dad asks, his body turned at a slight angle so he can look at me. Bruce glares at him

"What are you saying that to me for?" I ask sitting up, my head pounding. My dad takes a step forward, worried about my shaking arm holding my body up. I ignore it. 

My dad clears his throat, standing up straighter. "Why didn't you put on your armor?" He asks, and i roll my eyes

"Tony, you saw me in the jet without my armor. I'm okay, alright?" I say, using all my strength to make a point of swinging my legs over the bed and standing on wobbly legs. 

"You're shaking" He points out

"Am not" I say straight faced, looking right at him as a my legs shake

He rolls his eyes "Okay" He says throwing his hands up in mock surrender. When he looks back at me he looks as though he's seen a ghost. It makes me wonder what all I missed.

"Adri," Bruce begins softly. My head turns to him "When you passed out Bucky was saying that you just kept repeating that you couldn't transform. Do you think you could try that for me now?" He asks 

I look down at myself, my messy hair falling into my face. I try to take a step into the room, to get further away from my bed when my feet give out a bit and the ringing in my ears echoes into my head just a little more. 

Instantly, Peter is beside me. An arm underneath mine, a worried but silent look on his face. Dad is on the other side of me in the same position as Peter seconds after. "I'm okay, I'm okay." I whisper. 

"Yeah you may be wobbly at first, but no worries that should go away soon. There's nothing wrong with your spine or legs." Bruce says, now closer but not right on top of us. Gently, and aprictatively I take my arms away from Peter and dad. I can tell that they're nervous about letting me go, but they know that if I don't want them on top of me they aren't going to want to make me mad. 

For a moment or two I practice walking around the room, with my super healing I'm able to get back to fairly normal within minutes. I take a deep breath, turning my back to them. I hear the door open and close, but I try my best to ignore it. I concentrate the best I can.

Please

I beg, 

please. Just come back. I'm not me without you, as fucked up a way as I got you. I'm not me without it now.

I tell myself that over and over. Praying whatever is inside me. Wolf or a simple serum that it comes out. That it comes back to me. It doesn't. 

I turn back to Bruce, now Bucky and Steve are in the room. I give them a small, hesitating smile before turning back to Bruce. "She won't come out." I say quietly and he smiles sympathetically. 

"That's okay, you both had quite the shock. We can try again later if you would like." He suggests

I think for a second, before shaking my head "I'll try one more time, I need her." I say, and he nods hesitantly. 

I sit cross legged on the floor, closing my eyes. This time I try not to think, I just do as I've always done: Deep breath in, and when you breath out open your eyes and become what you were always meant to be. I breath in and when I begin to breath out I'm only met with blinding white pain. The feeling of my bones twisting and turning makes me sick. The feeling of being underwater hits me so hard that it feels as though I'm suffocating. I can see the boys in front of me. As the pain begins to subside suddenly I can feel that I'm in someone's arms. When I come back to, my throat is soar. Something inside me realizes that I've been screaming, the feeling of having too many people around begins to freak me out.

I scramble out of the person's arms, a needle in my skin falling out as I rip away from it and Bruce. It clatters to the floor as I back up into the corner. I shake for a minute, and then quietly I hear someone get up and the light flicks off. 

"Adri, it's okay." Steve says kindly. Somewhere from within, I know it's okay but I'm not in control. Not anymore. 

I low growl comes from within, something that scares even me. When my head whips back around I see myself in the mirror. I'm still me, but my eyes are an electric blue. Oh god. 

The group takes an unconscious step back, all except for Peter. Bruce taps him on the shoulder but he stays where he is. Crouched, looking deeply right into my eyes. Something of my rage calms, or at least is so surprised it pauses for a moment. My inner wolf pausing her protectiveness over me. 

Peter slips a little closer, and she bristles. Peter can tell I tensed, so he pauses. Both of his hands out, a classic way to show he means no harm and has nothing that could cause me harm. I relax as he comes closer, slowly slipping towards me. His shoe squeaks and my body tenses, my teeth barring and my body jolting forward as though I would bite him. 

Instead of backing up, he gets closer to me. Putting a hand near the nape of my neck, his lips crash into mine. I tense for a second more, until my inner wolf stops struggling. Melting with me into Peter's arms. When we break apart he smiles at me, my eyes are half lidded and sleepy. All of my energy drained. My limp body falls into his strong arms

"It's okay, it's alright" He mumbles into my hair, lifting me off the ground. 

"I'm going to take her to her room for a little so she can rest." I hear him say

"Alright, thanks kid" Dad says, I can hear how tired he is.

Knowing im in Peter's arms keeps me feeling safe as Bucky presses a kiss to my head first and then Steve. Bruce gives my hand a squeeze as we reach my dad by the door. "I'll come see you in a while kid. Sleep a little." He says to me before taking my favorite blanket off the infirmary bed and tucking me into Peter's arms a little more. 

Once we're to my room, Peter places me on my bed gently before heading back to the door. I catch his bed as he begins walking away. 

"Stay" I whisper

"Always" He says, squeezing my hand before laying down on the bed next to me. I curl my body to him as he wraps us in blankets. Tucking pillows all around us. 

"I love you Adriana." I hear him say 

Without thinking every part of me, the wolf, the broken, and the strong, responds quickly. "I love you too Peter."