The Mimic

118

"Oh, you're here to save me, right?"

Y/n's shocked and upset attitude seemed to fade away once she heard Bruce's voice. A small glint of hope appeared in her eyes, a slight smile on her face as she looked over at the mirror. She truly believed that the team were there to break her out. That was the only thing that made sense. The team wouldn't lock her up, right? "You guys were fast! I thought I'd at least be able to see who captured me before you all arrived." She hummed with a slight laugh. She was so relieved to hear Bruce's voice. All she wanted was to go back to the compound and sleep.

Bruce frowned sadly, watching y/n from the other side of the mirror. He felt terrible about it all. But, as much as it was a painful sight, he believed that it was best for y/n. She could learn to control her powers with no risk of casualties, and he could even try and wipe the code words from her mind. His hand hovered over the button to activate the microphone, but the hopeful smile on her face made him close his eyes. Y/n had no clue. He didn't want to watch that smile fall, but he knew he had to tell her. Bruce took in a sharp breath, finally pressing down the button. "Y/n-"

"Is Bucky with you? Can you put him on the microphone? I want to say hi." Y/n suddenly interrupted, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Her eyes were full of excitement and hope. She truly thought that the team were breaking in to save her. "Or is he busy? I don't mind if he's busy, I'll see him in a minute anyway." She smiled. Y/n couldn't wait to see Bucky again, all she wanted was to be in his arms. "Do I need to stand back at all? I'm not really sure where the door is, all the white in here just makes it blend in." She hummed curiously, confused on why she wasn't getting a response from Bruce. But, y/n continued to ramble. She was just happy to speak to somebody that she knew and trusted. "How did you guys find m-"

"Y/n. Let me speak for a minute." Bruce cut in, guilt and stress obvious in his voice. 

Y/n frowned as Bruce interrupted her. She sat up a little straighter, her smile seeming to falter. He didn't sound happy. He didn't sound happy at all. What had happened? Had Bucky been hurt? She took a nervous breath, tilting her head to the side slightly as she waited for Bruce to continue talking. Different scenarios were already racing through her mind of what Bruce was about to tell her, almost every single one being about the team. Did she hurt Nat during the outburst? Oh god, she'd never be able to forgive herself. Bruce was hiding something from her, but she still tried to hold out some form of hope. 

The team were there to save her, right?

Bruce sighed heavily, leaning his hands against the desk as he watched the excitement begin to falter. He wasn't even sure how to tell her, but he knew he had to. He took a few moments to collect himself, trying to find any way to soften the blow, but it was impossible. "What happened in Lagos was more than just a little slip-up. You losing control of your powers ended up causing hundreds - possibly thousands - of casualties." Bruce begun. He spoke as clear and as slow as he could, wanting to make sure that y/n could hear him correctly. "Tony and I were the first to be called out to the scene, and we had to make an on-the-spot decision of where to take you. So, we decided to take you to the Raft. I tried my hardest to plead your case when the world governments called for you to be locked up, I promise you, I did. But the points that they made were ones that I simply couldn't argue with-"

"I'm a criminal? Bruce..." Y/n interrupted. That hopeful smile had disappeared. Her whole face portrayed a look of utter betrayal, from the hurt in her eyes to the frown that was beginning to form. The people that she thought were breaking her out, were the ones that had locked her up. Wow. 

Her shoulders slumped slightly, gripping tightly onto the edge of the bed. Y/n felt like a child again. The man in the suit would betray her constantly, yet she still followed him blindly. It almost felt like deja vu. Her bottom lip begun to wobble slightly as tears begun to form, but she quickly shook her head, forcing herself to stop before she cried. She was so hurt, so, so hurt. To protect herself from the sadness, her body always resulted to anger. She could feel the anger bubble up as she glared at the mirror, acting as if she could see Bruce through the two-way mirror. "I'm not a criminal, Bruce. I don't deserve to be in here!" Y/n begun to rant, her voice slowly getting louder and louder. "You're supposed to be family! You're supposed to have my back! Why-"

"Because you're unstable, y/n!" Bruce suddenly yelled, stopping y/n's ranting before she could make him feel any worse. "You can't control your powers. You're dangerous. Letting you walk free will put too many lives at risk." He snapped as if he was a scolding father. He felt so guilty, but in his mind, this was right for y/n. "This is for your own safety, and for the safety of the public. We can't risk any other casualties, y/n. In here, I can run tests and help you gain more control, and I can stop you before your body shuts down again." He explained in an irritable tone. Usually he never let the frustration get the best of him when talking to someone, especially y/n. But he couldn't help it. He was sick of her interrupting him and making him feel even worse.

Y/n almost jumped at the sound of Bruce yelling. She'd never heard him yell before. This was serious. It wasn't a sick joke.

The anger and the betrayal continued to grow. She pursed her lips together to stop her bottom lip from wobbling, the tears in her eyes threatening to pour. All she wanted to do was curl up and cry, but that wasn't an option. She had to muster up some confidence and anger. She had to put on a front to protect herself. Usually she wouldn't have to do that for Bruce. But he'd made it clear that they weren't family anymore. They were strangers. The Bruce she knew would never do this to her. Never.