Unexpected

XX

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Stark asked. Steve stepped away, almost slapping Tony's arm away form him.

"You know damn well why!" Steve exclaimed. "Back off," he warned Tony, who stepped forward to stand face to face with Steve.

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," he told Steve.

"Stand down, everyone," Nina tried again. "You are at war with a being from another planet, there is no need to fight eachoter."

"There's no fight here, kitten," Tony remarked. "There's only a clear winner."

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" Steve asked provokingly.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Touché.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you."

And just like that, Nina connected with Steve and she simply knew exactly who he was talking about. Bucky.

"Yeah, I've seen the footage," Steve continued. "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 think I'd just cut the wire," Stark answered. Steve smiled in his face.

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

That did it. That made Tony Stark loose his cool.

"A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!"

Nina flinched. Stark didn't know how wrong he was.

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds," Steve sneered.

"Oh, come on, seriously?" Nina asked the two, astonished at their behaviour. Thor only laughed.

"You people are so petty.. and tiny," he said. Tony took a step back, moving away from Steve.

"Oh, Yeah. It's a tee," Banner commented.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr.Banner back to his..."

"Where?" Banner asked. "You rented my room."

"The cell was just in case.."

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

Nina's heart felt tight. She had only known Banner for a few hours, but she already knew the most basic thing about him. He's a survivor. He bears a curse he whished he didn't, and obviously would do anything to get rid of it, even killing himself.

"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." Nina noticed Banner's hand slowly moving towards the scepter. THAT WAS IT. that's what was wrong. The scepter, the mind stone. It was making them angry, making them fight themselves. Loki wanted to tear them apart form within, make them fight each other instead of fighting him. "I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!" Bruce yelled.

Nina took a risk herself and stepped forward, taking two steps before standing face to face with Banner. She placed a hand on his left hand, the one thay was now holding the scepter. She gave him a sad smile when he looked down to realise he was holding it. Nina knew both Nat and fury probably and their guns drawn by now. She slowly took Banner's hand in hers making him slowly open his palm to take the scepter in her own hands, putting it behind her back, out of reach of the doctor.

"Thank you," she whispers to him with another small smile. Nina hated using her powers, and even more when the person didn't even realised it. But it was a case of emergency, Bruce had to calm down.