The Chaos Squad

My Kid

Maybe that night, maybe the next morning-- Bruce had no idea what time it was-- he woke up to nightmares. Again. They weren't like the ones he used to have.

The ones he used to have were...

"No! Mom! Please, don't hurt her!"

"Monster!"

Those dreams had come to Bruce ever since he was a kid. His childhood sucked. Period. His mother tried, she really did, but she was submissive to his father. Abusive. Horrible. One time she tried to defy him. One time she tried to get her son and herself away from that horrible life.

He grabbed her and threw her hard on the ground.

Blood.

Oh, so much blood.

But those dreams had faded after some time. They faded after he found a real family. They faded when he felt welcome, even if some people were cautious around him.

Now the nightmares were back. A different kind. It was the same thing over and over.

"We don't need you."

"I prefer the other guy."

"Why don't we just get rid of you?"

Trust ripped from him as he was pushed.

Falling, falling, falling.

Betrayal.

Bruce wasn't ready to look Natasha in the eyes. Not yet. Not even after this long. He went missing because of her so if she was anxious then she only had herself to blame.

So for the nth night, since Bruce had changed back from Hulk form after several years, he sat up straight in bed and stared at his surroundings. The guest room, slowly becoming his permanent room, wasn't too bad. It was mostly undecorated. The only thing that you could use to identify it was his was a little stack of books on that table and an already filled-up notebook. One week of living with Asgardians could make any scientist ecstatic.

With a sigh, Bruce got to his feet. He wasn't really in the mood to sit still. And he was hungry. Food is a great stress reliever and sweets are better. He quietly crept out of his room, making sure that he didn't make noise. If the Hulk was a rhino, Bruce was a mouse. Not that rhinoceroses couldn't be quiet. They had padded feet so-- never mind.

He rubbed the grainy feeling out of his eyes as he flicked on the kitchen lights. A small rustle in the living space next to him made his head perk up. 

"Anyone there?"

No one responded. Bruce walked towards where he heard it from, near the full-sized window overlooking the grassy landscape below. They weren't that far from the city, but far enough to properly see the stars and moon. They were on the third floor, so it was quite a view. He noticed a shadow on the ground like someone was there. But there was nothing visible.

He calmly walked back to the kitchen and went through the drawers. There was nothing there. Obviously. This was Stark's building and his diet consisted of various takeout. Bruce grabbed a box of those purple Pop-Tarts Thor liked so much and went back to the window. He sat down cross-legged and looked outside.

"I can see you. Your shadow is showing."

There was a soft sigh before the illusion fell. Loki sat with his legs pulled to his chest, staring at the night sky.

"Did I awaken you?" He asked.

"No, it was nightmares," Bruce opened the snack box.

"Sorry."