washed away ; a marvel avengers au (1)

three.

"Jake?" My lip wobbles, and I swear inwardly. (I'm not about to get caught swearing out loud. Again.) I've only ever cried to him when it came time for the sophomores to open their letters from their friends, teachers, upperclassmen, and family at their camp earlier this month. He'd read mine and instantly burst into tears, which in turn, made me cry.

"Kara Kamashiro?" The voice on the other end isn't Jake, and panic strikes me nearly as hard as it did in the living room. One, my best friend might be kidnapped. Two, if he is kidnapped, then Luke'll literally kill me. 

"Who are you and where's Jake?" And why isn't his older brother with him, I want to add? 

Even before I'd met the both of them, I'd wondered why in the world they looked so different. Then, when I actually did meet them, they'd said it was because Jake's adopted. Ran from foster home from foster home until finally, finally settling down with the Mabry's. The bond that the two have is somehow even stronger than the one between my own brother and I, so I'm stunned to silence that Luke would have let him get in any danger-

"Don't worry, he's right here." My still muddled brain tells me I should look around as if the person on the other end would just suddenly appear next to me. Yeah, totally. There's a moment of silence, and in those couple of seconds, my heart rate picks up tremendously. What if he was kidnapped? What would the person want from me? Ransom money? Nudes? Oh god, I hope they want ransom money.

"Kara, I'm here and I'm safe." I can't help a choked laugh of relief escape my dry throat and I let myself relax against my desk chair, continuing to chuckle. Talk about a heart attack. "I'm going to need you to listen to me, okay? Meet us at the corner of Ninth and Maunalei. I told you I'd explain everything, and I meant it." He's right, 100% so. My world may be changing in ways I can't even begin to imagine, but at least I know that Jacob Mabry keeps his promises.

"Look, Kara, I'm really sorry but I'm Doctor Bruce Banner and I'm going to need you to come and meet me and your friend at the given address. You really should listen to us, trust me on this one." Bruce Banner? The name strikes a familiar chord somewhere in the back of my terrible memory.

"Yeah, I understand. Just, uh, give me a few." I pull my phone away from my ear and start a quick Google search on 'bruce banner'. I don't even need to scroll further down the page, because the first search result tells me everything I need to know.

He's the Hulk. A doctor by day and a giant green monster by night. The sun's about to set, so I really hope he doesn't actually turn into the Hulk at night. I don't know whether the tingles that rush down my spine are of awe, fear, or maybe both. As I straighten up, brushing off the back of my sweatpants, I shake my head. A superhero. Jake knows a superhero. (Where the fuck is Luke?)

"Kara?" Jake asks, quieter this time.

"Yeah. I'll be there."

-----

Weirdly enough, the place where Jake tells me to meet him is where I managed to set up his first date. Long story short, he'd had a crush on this girl for the longest time and after months of denying it, I told a few fibs, got my brother and sister-in-law to get me an alibi, and got both him and the girl to that very spot to watch the sunset. Needless to say, Cupid should be my middle name. When I finally jog to a stop at the street corner and/or scenic lookout, I find Doctor Banner and said lover boy leaning against the railing. "Um. Hi."

Jake's never been one for physical contact, an exact mirror to his brother, so his bear-hug is nearly as heart-warming as it is bone-crushing. Thanks to his towering height, he nearly picks me straight off the ground, and I groan.