Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They only had been there for a month but now the neighbor knew. She saw Dad’s fist and where it ended up. She saw when Mom dropped on the floor after that last hit. It wasn’t the first time she heard Mom and Dad fight, but this time, Dad was really, really drunk. So drunk he didn’t even think of closing the window and the curtains before hitting.

Everything happened really fast. He took a step closer, then a second and a swoosh in the air later, Mom was on the ground, holding her bleeding nose. Bruce could see the blood dripping in her hand and on the floor, forming a puddle at her feet, from his hiding spot in the closet.

He heard the scream of the nice old woman living next door and he heard Dad when he said the F word (Mom always says to Bruce to not say that word, it’s bad and Bruce isn’t a bad little boy) after hearing it too. He also heard the door shutting way too hard after Dad stormed out of the room, probably to get even more drunk and then he heard the sound of a beer being opened. He wasn’t wrong, but then there were other sounds and then Dad was talking alone. For a second, he thought Dad had gone all crazy, he was acting crazy most of the time anyway, when he wasn’t asleep or in front of other people, but then he remembered the beeping noises he heard. Bruce wasn’t stupid (Mom said it multiple times, he was her little genius, even if Dad says he’s a freak) and Dad wasn’t crazy, well, not speaking alone kind of crazy, but just talking to someone on the phone.

Bruce was supposed to stay in the closet until Mom tells him to come out, but Mom was sitting on the ground, her nose was bleeding and a couple of tears that she wasn’t able to hold back this time were rolling down her cheeks. Bruce wanted to hold her and comfort her, and also tell her it would be fine because that’s what Mom was doing when Dad would hit Bruce a little too hard or too many times. Even if Mom was going to disagree, Bruce came out of the closet and then closer to her. He hugged her tight like it could protect them from him, his fists and the whole world. She was sobbing, but a word finally made its way out.

“B-Baby?”

He tightened his hold. If only he was big and strong just like Captain America, he could protect them, protect them both… but he was only Bruce, and Bruce was little and weak, small and fragile, and he couldn’t protect Mom, and superheroes don’t exist anyway. If they did exist, why weren’t they coming to help Mom and Bruce? Bruce saw a lot of superhero movies back then when he still believes they were awesome. When someone was in danger, they would come quickly to rescue the ones in need and beat up the bad guys. Where were they when Dad beat Mom so hard she needed to go to the hospital for a couple of days? Superheroes are stupid and people who believe in them are stupid too, Bruce decided that day.

She finally cleared her throat and give him a disapproving look, with a hint of worry.

“Mom told you to stay in the closet until she told you could come out, darling.”

“B-But...” She interrupted him.

“No discussion, you heard me, now get back in it before…”

It was her turn now to be interrupted. Only this time, it was the door opening again, letting in the room the smell of alcohol and the sound of heavy steps. It was too late to get back in the closet now, so Bruce tried to be as small and little as he could, but he didn’t let Mom go. His grip around her tightens even more.

He went straight to the window, without even glancing at Bruce or Mom, and started rumbling while closing the curtains.

“Alright, we’re moving. That’s right. That fucking house you found oh-so-beautiful in the other town, forty-five minutes from my work instead of five? Fortunately, it was still for sale. There we go! You’re happy? Are you fucking happy with what you’ve done? Told you to close the goddamn curtains at this hour, dammit! The sun is barely visible, not much light could enter in there anyway... It’s not that hard, is it? Didn’t ask you to step on the moon! Can you just do one thing correctly, for o… What is he doing in our room? Robert!”

He finally had turned towards them and acknowledged Bruce’s presence.

Way, way too drunk. And now he saw him, so Bruce couldn’t escape. He should have listened to Mom and get back to the closet when it was still time to. Or not even come out of it at all. Stupid, stupid idea. But then Mom would have been alone. Not good either.

Bruce didn’t say anything and Dad doesn’t like when Bruce doesn’t answer when he asks a question. Dad came closer and closer, and Mom said “No!” but Dad still grabbed Bruce’s arm. He tried to pull him out of Mom’s hold but she wouldn’t let him go, wouldn’t let him get Bruce. He shook hard enough that he was able to split them up but now Bruce’s arm really hurt. Dad didn’t stop though, he dragged him to the door and then shoved him outside the room.

He barely heard Mom saying “Goodnight darling, love you” before Dad shut the door and started to yell at Mom again.

Bruce ran to his room with his hands on his ears, picked the blanket and the pillow from his bed and went in his closet. He closed the door and settled in the comfort his blanket was giving him, trying to not think about the pain in his arm and Dad’s yelling. He finally gave in and let himself sink in the arms of Morpheus.

A few days after, they were gone, but the bruises were still there.

Chapter Text

It’s been the second day now that Bruce had moved with Aunt Susan. He had been obliged to stay with Dad during the trial of the “incident” since they didn’t have enough proof to remove him from here at the time. That was how all the adults liked to call it when he was around. It was nice of them to try to not hurt him, but Bruce wasn’t stupid. He knew they were talking about what Dad did to Mom. He knew Dad murdered her.

Of course, he knew, because he was there. He saw it all. He really misses Mom. Her smile, her scent, her laugh. It was following him around, like a silent guardian. But then, he would also think of him, dropping her still body, with the blood, her blood, spreading on the concrete as he was finally done unleashing his fury on her. He hates him. He hates him so, so much.

Yet, when the judge asked him what he saw, asked him if it was really Dad who attacked her, he said “no”. A tiny, barely audible “no”, who the judge asked to repeat. It was hard, but he did it anyway. He didn’t want to lie, didn’t want Dad to go anywhere but in jail… but he was scared. So, so scared. If Dad said he was going to kill him if he says anything about it to anyone, then he would really do it because Bruce knew… no, saw what he did to Mom and nobody had protected Mom so why would it be different for Bruce?

So he didn’t say anything. The judge knew he was lying, the policemen knew he was lying, but what could they do about it? He was the only witness that wasn’t dead or the actual murderer and Bruce’s testifying was the only way to put Dad in jail… or it was until Dad himself accidentally let slipped, while he was drunk, very, very drunk, that he killed her. They didn’t put him in jail, though. They said he was “mentally ill” and that he needed help, so they sent him to that place called asylum where other people who need help are placed.

When Dad… Brian was sent there, he moved with Aunt Elaine. He never really saw them a lot before, since Brian never really let them or anyone near him and Mom because what Brian was doing to Mom and Bruce was bad, and bad people go to jail, but Brian didn’t want to go to jail so he didn’t want people to see he was doing bad things.

Aunt Elaine and Uncle Morris were really nice. They didn’t yell or hit or throw things like D-... Brian when Bruce wouldn’t listen to them. They would listen to him, try to understand why he didn’t want to listen. Once, Bruce did something really, really stupid and he accidentally hurt Jen. He really liked Jennifer, she was always nice and funny, and some summers she would come over and play with him while Mom and Brian would talk inside with Uncle Morris and Aunt Elaine. Well, until Brian decided that they wouldn’t come anymore at all. Whatever, he really, really didn’t want to hurt Jen. Uncle Morris really didn’t look happy. He was talking louder than usual and his hands were moving in the air while he was talking and then…

Bruce didn’t think twice. He put his arms in front of his face and closed his eyes. But no hit came. He opened his eyes and moved his arms carefully away from his face. Uncle Morris was still there, but he didn’t look unhappy anymore. Aunt Elaine who was at Jennifer’s side a moment ago was now next to Uncle Morris. They were both staring at him with that look, the exact same one Mom would give him while she was taking care of him after Brian beat him hard. Bruce hadn’t had time to register what was happening before they both had their arms around him, holding him tight. Why...why were they hugging him? He did bad and Jen got hurt and... Bruce didn’t know why but he started to cry. They held him closer. He cried even more. Jennifer joined the hug too. It was confusing and yet… reassuring?

They stayed like this for a pretty long time... well that’s how it felt for Bruce, but not a long time like something boring or annoying though, more like something you wish you could keep doing forever, that you wish it would never stop… but part of the journey is the end. He read that somewhere once when Jen had come one summer and they went to the library. He also got beaten pretty hard that night for going there though. After his cousin had left, of course, because Brian wouldn’t do bad things in front of others. Can’t see, can’t tell.

Anyway, he didn’t stay with them. Not that he didn’t see them anymore at all, that they never hugged ever after, no. It’s just that the adults discussed, and there he was now, living with Aunt Susan and her husband. Bruce didn’t see him often before, the rare times she would come home, he was generally busy and couldn’t come, but he seemed nice, and everything was better than Brian anyway. Aunt Elaine and Uncle Morris promised they would come to visit them soon, with Jen too.

It was really nice. Until now, there was no yelling and no hitting. Once they were in the kitchen, talking about something Bruce wasn’t really listening to at first but they got a bit louder, and even though he was in his room, and this wasn’t Brian and Mom, he still hid in his closet just in case.

Half an hour later, he was still in his closet, even though the argument was long done. At the same time, in one of the other rooms, Aunt Susan was finally done with the papers that would make sure he wouldn’t have anything to do with Brian anymore. Then, she decided to check on Bruce, since everything was so silent in the house. She knew he was a quiet kid, but he was still a kid and no children can play without doing any sounds at all.

Aunt Susan entered his room (he had his own unlike in Aunt Elaine’s house where he slept in Jen’s room) and was surprised to not find her nephew inside.

“Bruce?”

He got his head out to peek at her. No bruises, not a single scratch, not… Oh right, Brian isn’t there... no one’s going to hurt them. He got out of the closet completely.

“Hey, there you are! What were you doing in the closet, playing hide and seek? You should have told me beforehand, I’m sure Uncle would have loved to play with us!”

She smiled at him. He stared back a little too long before finally forming an answer.

“Oh, huh... no, I…huh... I was only looking for… for something...”

“Were you?” She paused.

There was still a smile on her face, but it was a sad one. She knew what he was doing, after all, Brian wasn’t the neighbour’s son. She knew how Bruce was feeling, well, to a certain degree, since it didn’t end the same way… She tried to help him, so did Elaine, but it seemed Brian took the same path as their father anyway. She wouldn’t let him hurt Bruce anymore though... wouldn’t let him approach Bruce anymore. She was going to keep him safe, let him feel safe.

Aunt Susan knelt in front of him, gently posing her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

“Darling, how long have you been hiding in the closet?”

Bruce didn’t know how, but she knew, and if she knew then there was no point in lying. Why would he lie? Brian was lying. Mom and Bruce lied because of Brian. Lying was bad.

“...since you and Uncle were… were talking louder…” Bruce said in a tiny voice while looking away.

“Hey, hey… everything… everyone’s fine, ok? Shh…”

She gave him a quick hug and then slowly stand back to get up, then moved her hand forward, inviting him to take it.

“Plus, today, it’s movie night! Uncle saw an advertisement for this new movie called Star Wars, they’re passing it tonight! The title kinda makes me think of Star Trek… have you ever seen Star Trek?”

Bruce smiled than shook his head and took her hand. They went to the car, where Uncle was waiting for them and then they all went together to watch the movie. Aunt Susan talked about Star Trek all the way to the movie theatre, telling Bruce how she was sure he would love that serie and that they would watch it all the three of them next time it would be on TV.

Everything felt good, everything felt safe. He was safe.

“What do you want to eat during the movie, huh? There are popcorn, chips, chocolate bars…”

...yeah, he could really get used to that.

Chapter Text

He got it! He got the job! Somehow, it felt unreal.

If Bruce was honest to himself, the last couple of years seemed utopic. Sure, there had been at some point his aunt and his uncle’s divorce, which Aunt Susan had never been able to completely convinced him that it wasn’t because of him, somehow. At the time, as a child, they seemed happy and the only reason his younger self could think for them to part ways was himself. Maybe Uncle finally realized who the kid was, the monster and freak and monstrosity that had always been describing Brian.

Now though, he still remembered how they were interacting with each other. Their relationship was already on the verge of breaking apart… but it didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling like he’d been what made it quicker. No, he knew it.

Then a new routine replaced the old one, a peaceful little life with his aunt in a new home, school bullying apart, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He had been able to handle it before, was used to it after all these years. He knew Aunt Susan only meant good when she asked him if he would like to meet a woman who could help him with his ‘problems’, of course, she’d asked before making any calls, she wasn’t Brian, but the thought of talking about it made him sick. It was the past and he was trying to move on. Besides, they were fine. They didn’t need help. He was there most of the time now, most of them were somehow gone, and the others had no problem with giving him more time. They’d help a lot in the past, after all.

Years after years, it was getting easier as other students started giving less and less care about beating up the nerd who was always at the top of all the classes and more about trying to pass themselves. At university, he wouldn’t dare say he made friends, but some people appreciated his brain and with who he could have a good talk while waiting for the class to start, or would come to him at dinner time to ask his opinion about a particular subject for work.

Slowly but surely, he found himself more often than not with a particular brown-haired girl whose smile seemed to warm the whole room and would fill him with happiness. Seems that charm still wasn’t broken. Maybe the fact that their paths seemed to cross all the time helped… well, since he had the same classes as her, it was obvious they would.

One day, there was this project which they needed to do in teams. The last time, he had ended up with that Philip Sterns, but it was clear the guy, as smart as he was, had hated working with him. Bruce couldn’t pinpoint why, but since it seemed hating him was a popular thing (it had happened more times then he could count on his own fingers after all), he couldn’t care less. He thought he was going to end up with the last person, who sadly wouldn’t have found anyone else to team up with. He was agreeably surprised when, instead, an Elizabeth “call me Betty” Ross asked him to work with her, despite some of her friends were still free. What was even more surprising though was that she did it again on the next project, then the next, and the next…

Soon enough, they passed more and more time together. He never had anyone that he felt so close to in that way before, except Jen. Still, there was something… something different about it. He thought at first that perhaps the fact that Jen was his cousin, was family, made a difference, but after an (embarrassing) talk with his aunt, and then a (less embarrassing) talk with Jennifer, he knew it was more. It was love.

Romantic love. That scared the shit out of him. How Betty, beautiful and damn smart Elizabeth, could feel the same about him? He didn’t think so. Jen knew Betty loved him too, because… well, he didn’t know how but she seemed damn sure about it (and was damn right, as always). When she kissed him before dropping him at his house after a party, he thought he couldn’t be happier.

He was wrong.

One night, not so long after they had learned they both graduated and only waited for the ceremony to make it official, she called him, all excited. When Betty told him that her father had offered her a job in his new radiation resistance project, he was very happy for her, but then, also offering a job for Bruce? He was euphoric! After all, despite disapproving of his daughter’s relationship with Bruce, the general couldn’t deny the young man was a genius and a good asset for the project.

Yes, everything was so perfect and almost unbelievable. He was moving in an apartment closer to this new job, a job where he would see Betty every day, but most importantly, a job where he would be able to do good things! Every step he took away from his father made him feel good like nothing else. He could… no, would prove his father wrong, prove he wasn’t some kind of monster or freak or whatever his father tried to make him swallowed when he was younger. There were always times where it was hard to believe his family, the one that supported him, instead of that single person who ruined his childhood, but today, yes, today, this bastard had no place in his thought, his mind, his head, and certainly not in his heart.

A familiar voice got him out of his reverie, back to the real world.

“Bruce? Did you get the last one? Rick might have agreed to help us with the move, but we promised him some food and his stomach didn’t seem to forget about that part. It would also be good for you to get familiar with your new lab’ assistant… and other human beings in general.”

Betty was smiling and turns slightly mischievous at the last addition. She was so beautiful, Bruce thought, but she was always beautiful, whether when she was only smiling or when she would be talking about science with him like they would do so soon around a good meal… with the kid, of course. Funny how he couldn’t stop himself from calling him like that, seriously. Rick was younger, but Bruce… Bruce wasn’t that old, was he? He got a couple of PhDs along the years, but, technically, he was just out of school... not that he didn’t remember his own age, but he did forget his own birthday this year (again, but he didn’t think it was something Betty would like to hear after scolding him for it).

Bruce took the last box and glanced one last time at his now-empty apartment.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

He got the worse before, and now only the best could come, right?

...right?