I Was Never Yours

Chapter 2

Bruce P.O.V

I sprint into the work shop due to the sound of screaming and crashing I'd heard all the way from the kitchen. Tony and Steve are standing stunned in the middle of what looks like the aftermath of a bomb explosion. There's shattered glass littered across the floor and various books and papers laying askew on every surface.

"What's going..."

"Tony," Steve interrupts stepping forward, "you can't just let her getaway with this kind of behaviour."

"What? Obviously I'm going to make her clean this shit." Tony says, rolling his eyes and muttering, "She's faster at it anyways, mind powers and all."

By now I've already put two and two together that Callie was at the root of the disassembling of the shop, but I'm curious as to why so I slide into a rolling chair nearest me.

"No," Cap says, stomping for emphasis. "I don't mean this," he says, waving his arms emphatically, "I mean her behaviour towards me,  cussing me out, locking the door... she needs more discipline Tony."

"For fuck sakes Cap! I already punished her, if you want more done you can do it yourself." Tony yells, slamming the stack of papers he'd been organizing onto the desk.

"Telling her she can't go anywhere isn't good enough, she hardly goes anywhere as it is." Steve says rolling his eyes.

"And she starts high school tomorrow," I chime in. They both turn and glare at me as if they hadn't been aware of my presence until now.

Tony rolls his eyes at me and turns back to Cap, "Like I said, if you want a harsher punishment then go ahead, I'm not stopping you." He says with a sarcastic sweep of his arms.

"Okay, I will." Steve clips angrily.

"Perfect, so we're done here." Tony gives him a closed lip smile, raising his eyebrows in annoyance.

Cap turns briskly on his heel and marches out of the room and I jump to my feet, following him.

"Steve," I call out, hoping to do some damage repair.

He stops looking back, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Let me talk to her first, if you go in there now we'll end up with two destroyed rooms." I say.

He sighs and nods, "I'm not cut out for teenagers," he breaths, rubbing his face.

"Yeah," I agree, "but I don't think they're normally this intense."

"That doesn't help me," he laughs bitterly, striding off with a wave of his hand. And I carry on to Callie's room on my own.
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Callie P.O.V

I splash cold water on my face, looking up at my dripping reflection in the mirror.

My eyes are just returning back to their normal hazel from the unearthly ice blue that only appears when I'm using my abilities. My face is red and puffy from crying so I blast it again with cold water before turning off the tap. Grabbing the towel I begin drying off, pausing briefly to trace my finger over the cascade of freckles that have now wandered beyond my nose to my forehead and around my chin and lips. There's no hiding that I'm not a biological Stark, I couldn't look less like my dad. But at this point the magazines and newspapers—even talk shows—have already released the details of my adoption, there's no point in trying to hide it. I'm a freak adoption story and the entire school will already have a million misconceptions about me before I've even entered the building.

It's part of the reason why I was homeschooled up until now. Dad tried sending me to elementary but I just wasn't able to keep my emotions in check and my teacher was always sending me to the principal, who was constantly calling home to come pick me up. Not to mention, the other kids wouldn't play with me. I struggled through school for an entire year and didn't make a single friend. As soon as I'd start to become friendly with someone, their parents would either say they couldn't play with me, or they had an ulterior motive—we'd be having a play date and next thing I know their parents are pitching my Dad some business deal and that'd be the end of our so called friendship. So, needless to say, I'm nervous about starting school tomorrow.

A soft knock at my bedroom door pulls me out of my thoughts, I quickly tie my auburn hair up into a high bun and exit my bathroom to open my bedroom door.

"Oh hi Uncle Bruce, I thought you were my Dad." I say, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Nope, just me." He says with his easy, calming smile.

I turn and plop myself down onto the bed, and Bruce comes and sits on the mustard yellow sofa that faces my entertainment center.

"So," he begins casually, "big day tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I exhale, nodding.

"Are you nervous?"

"Are you kidding?" I groan. "I've never had like any friends or really any real connection with other kids my age... I'm dying inside." I say the last phrase softly, my gut is churning just thinking about it.

He smiles softly and gets up to sit next to me on the bed wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, we didn't really do a great job at integrating you."

"It's not your fault," I affirm him, "You don't have much a say in what I can and cannot do." I shrug, wishing that he did. "It's hard to get anything I want when the two people in control are polar opposites and disagree on literally everything."

Bruce laughs. "Yeah, you're right. I'll try and step in more okay?"

"Okay," I say, fully knowing it isn't likely. Stepping in isn't part of his nature, it's not really safe for him to get frustrated or angry.

He pulls out of the hug slightly, "um so, today..."

"Ugh, I know!" I cry exacerbated. "I fucked up hard today." Tears are threatening to fall now and I squeeze my eyes shut angrily. "I can't help it, he's just so easy to mess with and I don't know, when I see how shocked he is, I have to do it!"

Bruce laughs out loud at this, a reaction I wasn't expecting. "I know, he is so easy to piss off. But we've got to find you a better way to exert yourself. Maybe school will help with that." He raises his eyebrows at me.

"Yeah maybe," I shrug.

There's a knock at the door, and Bruce sits up abruptly, "Also, I forgot but I came in here to tell you that Cap wasn't done punishing you so... you're probably going to be grounded or something. Sorry. I forgot." He says quickly standing to open the door.

"What the fuck man!" I say angrily.

He gives me a guilty grimace and opens the door to reveal Uncle Steve. Who comes in looking defeated, a heavy contrast from the viscous rage I was anticipating.

"Steven." I say in a low mock voice. Cap's defeated face turns completely unimpressed.

"Callie!" Bruce cries, "you need to actually try."

"I know, sorry." I say to Uncle Bruce, "sorry." I mutter to Steve.

"My name's not Steven." He says, and I look up in shock to see that he is actually smirking.

"I know, I thought it'd be funny?"

"Not really." Says Steve.

"A little." Bruce chimes, mussing Uncle's hair.

"Get out of here." He grumbles, trying to lay the blonde mass flat again. 

After Bruce has gone, Cap sits on the arm of the couch. "Why are we having such a hard time here, Callie?" He sighs looking up at me, his eyes look so sad I can hardly stand it.

I look away. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

"But you always say that." He says crossing his arms. "I don't know what to do Cal, I don't want to ground you. You're starting school tomorrow and I really don't want you to have to say no if someone asks you to hang out. So what do I do?"

I shrug uncomfortably. "I think you're overestimating my socializing abilities."

"You're going to be fine," he says softly. "I'm going to let you off the hook then, though I really shouldn't. Just know you're on thin ice." He says standing, and putting his huge hand over my head and pulling it to his waist in an awkward hug. And then heads for the door.
"I love you, Callie."

"I love you too." I reply, and he smiles, shutting the door behind him.