TOXIC ~ STEVE ROGERS [1]

Chapter Twenty Two

"It's his M.O, isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're, we're a time bomb," Banners face was getting redder by the second. My fists were still clenched in anger, and I could feel the energy in my veins, waiting to be released.

"You need to step away," Fury warned Banner. Tony, on the other hand, grinned hugely. He slung his arm over Roger's shoulder.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" He said cheerfully. Rogers shrugged him off coldly.

"You know damn well why! Back off!"
Tony came face to face with Rogers.

"Oh I'm starting to want you to make me."

Tension was running high, and the only people who seemed unaffected were Natasha and Thor. Thor watched everything with amusement, while Natasha watched gravely.

"Big man in suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" Rogers said harshly. He was beginning to sound less like a perfect soldier and more like what I would imagine a real life Slytherin to sound like.

Tony continued to stare into his eyes.
"Genius, billionaire, Playboy, philanthropist," he rattled off. Rogers looked him hard in the eye.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah I've seen the footage," he paused, almost like for dramatic effect. "The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

I let out a breath a hadn't even realized I'd been holding.

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony mused, knowing it would piss off Rogers even more.
He was right.

Rogers smiled, not a nice smile but a terrifying one, one that had seen pain and suffering and was only shown when he was truly angry.

"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

Tony looked at Rogers, and I could tell by the steely look in his eyes a nerve had been hit by Rogers words.

"A hero, like you?" He said harshly. "You're a lab rat. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

A beat.

Things were getting out of hand. I stepped forward, still very angry and possibly about to get out of control.

"That's enough," I growled. I got no response. I was ignored. I had the sudden feeling that this was exactly what Loki wanted. Our mismatched 'team' falling apart before it even had a chance to be together.

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds," Rogers challenged, and I could almost smell the testosterone spiralling through the room.
Thor laughed loudly.

"You people are so petty. And tiny." I glared at him and he noticed. He stopped laughing and studyed my face intensely. I looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

Tony rubbed his neck and stepped away from Rogers.

"Yeah, this is a tee.." Banner muttered. I admit, I had no idea what he meant.
Fury glanced at Natasha before speaking.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr Banner to his-"

"Where? You rented my room," Banner said sarcastically.

"The cell was just in case-" Fury started.

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried!" Banner yelled.

In that moment, in the few seconds before he began to speak again, I realized how selfish I was. Here I was, making things all about me, all about my curse that has just been given to me, and here was Banner, who'd had to deal with his curse for years. He'd gotten so low, he felt he couldn't do it anymore. He'd had no one, isolating himself to a part of the world where all he could do was help people. I had always had people there for me, and even now I had people willing to try and help me, even if I couldn't be helped. I made myself a promise, right there. I would help this team, because honestly? It didn't seem like a team at all.

"I got low. I didn't see an end so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!" Banner looked angrily at Natasha. She stood, unfazed. I, on the other hand, hastily lit a cigarette to try and calm myself, much to the disgust of Rogers.

Suddenly, Banners hand reached out and grasped hold of the golden scepter on the desk behind him.

"You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" He said threatingly. Both Fury and Natasha went for their guns in fluid motion.

"Dr Banner, put down the scepter," Rogers stepped forward, arm out.

I puffed on my cigarette, and quickly realized I had made mistake.

The nicotine didn't make me calm.

It got the energy in my veins pumping faster and stronger than before.

It fueled my anger.