Forever

6

Today is one of Bree's off days. She can't seem to keep up the fake smiles she's been giving everyone and they can tell as it slowly fades and she turns away.

She's laying on her back in the armchair with her hand over her eyes while some hesitate to ask. She moves the back of her hand to her forehead and stares up at the ceiling with a blank and numb expression with her bottom lip pulled into her mouth.

"Bree?" Tony calls.

"Hmm?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

She rubs her face before standing speed walking past the group with one hand on her face. She gets to the bathroom and closes and locks the door behind her before sitting against the wall right beside it. She pulls her knees up to her chest as the tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She sets her forehead in her palms with her elbows on her knees and squeezes her shut while trying her best to stay quiet.

-

After a few minutes of worried silence and waiting, Pietro's phone buzzes next to him and he turns it over to see that Bree is asking for his help to get her out of there.

They all hear the door unlock and their heads pop up before the blur comes in and out of there, taking her up to her room. A quiet and collective sigh passes through the room, though they know she asked for that.

-

Pietro gets Bree to her floor and sets her down in front of the couch that she quickly takes a seat on and lays her head back with dry tears stained on her pretty face. He cautiously sits on the cushion beside her and waits.

"You don't have to stay, I'm fine." She crosses her arms and sets her feet on the couch to bend her knees in front of her.

"Well, I'm not leaving until you tell me why I feel the need to be so worried, right now." He sits back and faces forward.

She turns her head to him and just stares for a moment as the tears fill her eyes. She turns forward again and he slowly looks at her as she squeezes her eyes shut before opening them with a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm not staying as far away from social media as I said." She states and he sighs. "I can't seem to bring myself to look at the good and amazing things people will say about me." A tears slips out. "I keep going back to the hate comments and the death threats. Did you know, there's people telling me to kill myself?" She cries lightly and he lays his arm over her shoulders to pull her closer.

"Why would they do that?" He shakes his head.

"I do it too." She quickly wipes away the tears with a sniffle before crossing her arms again and he brings his other hand to her cheek to pull her head to his chest. "The real reason I finally left LA was because I was in such a horrible place and I knew that I wasn't safe if I was alone." She cries and his eyes water. "Even if they don't know the real reason, I just needed to be with my family. You guys are the best I've got and I need you, but I don't want them to know."

"I won't tell them." He shakes his head and she sighs while slowly hugging his waist. "They won't know, if you don't want them too."

"Thank you." She shakes and he brings her closer with furrowed brows.

"No problem."

-

Bree managed to fall asleep on Pietro from the exhaustion and he laid her on a pillow before leaving her alone to go back to the common room about an hour after he left.

"She tell you what's going on?" Tony asks as he sits and he sighs.

"Yes." He nods. "But she doesn't want anybody to know." He adds and a few sigh as others nod in defeat.

"When did you become the one that knows everything?" Clint nods upwards and they all turn to him.

"Uh...when she asked me to be her best friend." He nods slowly.

"She did?" Pepper smiles a bit as some of them shake their heads with wide eyes.

"Mhmm." He nods.

"Wow." Bucky whispers, completely baffled and Sam and Steve nod.

"That's unbelievable." Nat quietly shakes her head and Wanda waves them all off to shut them up with a smile.

"Well, good for you then." She nudges his arm and he chuckles shyly.

"Yeah, real good." Tony nods with slightly squinted eyes and Pepper turns to him with a disapproving face, making him be quiet too.