Consequences (Bruce Banner x Black Reader) Pt. 9

You rolled your eyes and headed upstairs to find them sitting at the conference table with papers in front of them. You enter the room to be welcomed by Mr. Rogers smile.

"Good afternoon Ms. (l/n), I hope you were able to rest well last night."

"Yeah...you know, you could've had Marco or Robert come wake me up. A note on his door said that you guys have been in here since 9," you answer as you sit on the far end of the table. 

"Well, it was mentioned that you don't sleep in often, so we figured it be good for you to get some rest," Natasha explained.

You nod your head as you look down at the folders. The pictures of you as an 8-year-old child causes something in you to freeze temporarily.

"I'm sure you all have questions, so shall we get straight to the point?"

"Do you remember a man by the name of Aldridge?" Clint asks.

You stare at him blankly as your hand moves to press against your cheek,

"I remember those beautiful steal grey eyes. I've never seen a man with a tan complexion have eyes like that. He was tall with short brown hair and was watching me; observing me because of my powers. He would always watch me and my family from a telephone pole a few feet away from the house. I pretended that I didn't know why he was in my neighborhood."

"How'd you know he was watching you from a telephone pole if you never saw the reports?" Steve asks.

"Shadow was the one watching him while he watched me," you answer as you feel Shadow move under your feet.

"Who was Erica?" Tony asks causing your left eye to twitch.

"You should already know who she is," you answer plainly.

"Avoiding the question won't make this any easier," Thor speaks up.

You look down to the carpet with your nails slightly digging into your skin,

"Why do we need to talk about her?"

"It's her brothers we're interested in. In Aldridge's report, it says that her two older brothers wouldn't allow you to get close to her again after what happened when you both were six. Why don't you explain to us what happened after she was exposed to your powers?" Clint pokes at the elephant in the room.

Shadow has moved from beneath your feet and was now hovering behind you,

"As you can tell by Shadow's behavior, this is a sensitive subject for us both." 

"Your shadow, it also has a personality of its own?" Thor asks.

"Sometimes she's her own person while other times she's the master of my strings." 

To prove your point, Shadow takes the form of a human above you as she moves her hands and fingers like that of a puppet master.

"We are one while also being two," you answer plainly as they look on with a mix of fear and wonder.

"What are you willing to tell us?" Dr. Banner asks delicately. 

You sigh as you look back at the papers as you motion for Barton to reach you one of the pictures beside him. He pushes it towards you and quickly stop it before it can fall off the table. You stare down at the frozen moment in time.

It's you standing outside of Erica's house, debating on whether to ring her doorbell or run back home. You remember the day as if it just happened:

.......
 
It was a bright day. You're mom had told you that the reason Erica hadn't been around so much was because she was sick. You knew the real reason though; she was still suffering from what YOU did.  You took it upon yourself to try and make amends (a word you'd heard your dad say more than once). You took a deep breath as you pressed the doorbell and listened for any sign of life behind the large wooden door. Erica didn't answer the door-it was her brother Tyler. He was sweet and played with the both of you when her other brother,Franklin, claimed he was too old to play with girls. Tyler was 11 and when you saw his smile directed at you, you quickly lowered your head.

"Um...is Erica here?" you asked trying to keep calm.

"(Y/n), why don't you come in?" he asked moving out of the doorway.

"No...I just want to know if Erica is alright."

He noticed your resistance and turned his head back towards the foyer. You stole a peak when you realized he wasn't looking in your direction. In the corner hid Erica and when she caught your glance, she ran back in her room and slammed the door with a loud bang.

"She still isn't herself, but don't let that stop you. I'm sure that if you come inside and be yourself, she'll come out and want to talk to you," Tyler smiled lightly taking your wrist and bringing you in the house.

Tyler pulled you toward the sofa and had you take a seat while he went to get you a juice box and a snack. Tyler, the sweet older brother, while 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Franklin the ruthless asked staring down at you angrily.

You retreated further into yourself until Tyler came to your rescue,

"Franklin, back off! (Y/n)'s just trying to be a friend. It's not her fault that Erica got sick."

"That's a lie and you know it. (Y/n)'s a freak and she did something to our sister!" the 13-year-old barked at him.

"I'm sorry, I'll go now. Please tell E-Erica that-"

"Don't you dare say her name!" Franklin lashed out hitting you in the face. 

You fell to the floor holding your face as Tyler quickly ran to shield you,

"Franklin, stop! Don't hit her!" 

Tyler was pushed out of the way while Franklin took out his frustrations out on you. He kicked and punched at you while you did your best to not cry out and protect your head. You knew that this rage wasn't all directed at you because of his sister. Shadow had showed you one night...Erica's mom and dad were fighting and Erica's dad had left. 

Franklin hit on you a little longer before he kicked you in the stomach one final time,

"Get out of here and don't come back!" 

You quickly got to your feet and ran as fast as your legs would carry you out of the house and ran towards the park. You hid in the tunnel until it got dark. When you got home, you lied that you got attacked by a dog. 

......

"Ms. (L/n), are you willing to tell us anything?" Steve asks again. 

You look up quickly, realizing that you were in a daze for a maybe a minute. You push the picture back towards Barton as you answer the question,

"Erica's brother, Franklin, kicked my ass for coming over to their house. He blamed me for what was happening with Erica and he was right. So, he kicked and punched me as punishment."

"How old was he?"

"He was 13. He took out his frustrations on me and he had every right to, so it's fine," you answer like it wasn't a big deal.

"You were 8! You were a child and he had no right to do such a thing!" Thor raised his voice.

"Calm down Sparky, it's all in the past," you cross your arms.

"What did your parents say?" Natasha asks.

You look up at her as you remember your parent's worried faces. Your mom had the police on the phone when you walked through the door. You remember the tears in her eyes as she quickly told them that you had returned as your dad picked you up in his arms. When you cried out in pain, he quickly put you down and saw the bruises on you.

"I lied and told them I was attacked by a dog. I told them a dog had chased me and that I had gotten the bruises from falling as I ran away. I don't know if they believed me or not." 

"They had no idea about your powers?" Dr. Banner asks.

"Nope, not until the day I k-" your stomach growled loudly cutting you off. 

"You haven't eaten all day?" Tony asks.

"No, I slept in, got ready and then came straight here," you grumble annoyed at your stomach.

"What do you feel like eating?" Natasha asks.

"Can we go to Panera Bread and finish this discussion there?" you ask looking around the table.

No one objects as they re-organize the folder and you all make your way out of the conference room.