Chapter Text
“Hey, Bruce.”
Kamala’s voice reverberated in the empty science lab, and Bruce blinked as the world suddenly snapped back into focus. He turned to find Kamala with her backpack slung over one shoulder, standing near the double doors of the science lab as they slid closed behind her. She was holding a green binder in one arm, rocking back and forth on her heels, and she looked uncharacteristically down; immediately, the equations and hypotheses that had been clouding Bruce’s mind melted away and concern took their place.
“Hey, kiddo, you’re back. What’s wrong?” Bruce set his stylus aside, waving the holo-screen he’d been working on out of the way. “You look upset. Did something happen?”
Kamala shrugged as Bruce stepped closer, dropping her gaze to her well-worn Converse. “Yeah, well… I just had a rough week at school.”
“Come on, sit down.” Bruce motioned to a rolling chair at one of the worktables, pulling one up for himself. “Tell me about it. What happened?”
“I bombed a physics test,” Kamala said, sinking heavily into the chair Bruce had offered. “Like, really bombed it, Bruce. And I swear I studied, and I’ve been doing all my homework, but I just… And then, I had this huge argument with Nakia about something so, so stupid and she hasn’t talked to me at all since Thursday. And my history teacher gave me a zero on an assignment because I left out one little thing and she won’t even let me fix it. And it totally tanked my grade, which already sucks because I already missed so much school during the whole, like, AIM stuff so my grades aren’t exactly stellar right now. My dad is so mad at me and I’m so afraid he’s gonna say I can’t come here on the weekends because my grades are so bad, but, like, Bruce!” She bounced in her seat, completely at a loss. “I need this. I need to be an Avenger. And I don’t want to stop being one because of stupid, stupid school.”
Bruce took a breath, planting his hands on his knees. He considered his next words carefully. “Maybe what you really need, Kamala, is to maybe… not… go on a few missions. For a little while.”
Kamala gaped at him, looking betrayed. “Bruce!”
“Not as a- a punishment, Kamala, just to… catch up on your schoolwork.” Bruce held up his hands to show he meant no harm. “Look, I know that being an Avenger is important to you. But it’s also important to maintain some normalcy in your life, and keeping your grades up is a part of that. I just think you need to take a little time to play catch up. That way, you won’t be worrying about school during missions, and you can keep your head completely in the game. Make sense?”
Kamala deflated. “Yeah, I get it.”
“You know, I told you that you could always bring your homework down here and I’ll help you with it.”
Kamala wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I know, and I know I was the one who asked in the first place, but, like, you just seem super busy sometimes and I wouldn’t want to pull you from work that’s… actually important.”
“Kamala.” Bruce reached out to lay a hand atop hers. “You’re what’s actually important to me. And if you ever need help, you know that you can come to me. I’ll drop everything and help in whatever way I can if you just ask me.”
Kamala chanced a smile. “Thanks, Bruce. That makes me feel a little better.”
“Good. Now, let’s take a look at that physics test and see what we can fix.”
***
“Hey, Cap, uh… Got a minute?”
Steve glanced up from the tablet in his hand to see Bruce venturing gingerly down the stairs on the command deck, looking for all the world as if he had no place being there. It wasn’t like Bruce was a little guy; he was taller than the average guy, and even though he was a little lean, Steve had always thought that if he were just a little more confidence, he could have as much presence as even someone like Tony.
But two Tonys would be too much for Steve to take. Bruce’s calm and quiet demeanor was preferable by far.
“Yeah, of course. What do you need, doctor?” Steve turned to face Bruce, lowering the tablet. Bruce stopped before him, shifting his weight back and forth from his heels to the balls of his feet.
“I know this is kind of sudden, but, ah… If it’s all right with you, I’d kind of like you to, sort of, bench Kamala for a couple of weeks.”
Steve blinked in surprise. “Is… there a reason?”
“It’s not anything like you’re thinking, she didn’t do anything wrong,” Bruce said quickly. “She’ll still be coming to the Chimera on the weekend, but, you know, she’s fallen a little behind on her schoolwork and I just want to make sure she catches up.”
Steve frowned, tucking the tablet under his arm. “How far behind, Bruce?”
Bruce winced a little. “Well… her grades are slipping a little. Across the board. But she’s smart and she’s quick. A week or two and I think I can get her back on track.”
Steve nodded. “Of course, Bruce. I said this before, but I want to make sure Kamala maintains some semblance of a healthy, normal life. I’m glad to see that you’re keeping an eye on her. And…”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t have to shoulder all this alone. I’ll speak to the rest of the team. I may not be much help, but I know I can give her a hand with history at least.” Steve smiled. “If you and Tony handle math and science, and I’m sure Nat and Thor would be willing to give her a hand…”
Bruce smiled back, laughing softly. “You know, I don’t know if Kamala knows how lucky she is. To have… all of you.”
“All of us,” Steve corrected. “She’s lucky to have you, too Bruce. She really is.”
***
“Well, Miss Khan. I must say, I’m impressed. You’ve really turned it around.”
Kamala drew a deep breath as Mr. Hartley looked over her work. He glanced up at her, his expression somewhere between skeptical and suspicious.
“It’s been three weeks, but you’ve really raised your grade quite a bit. Well done.” Mr. Hartley sat back, setting her paper onto his desk. “I’m curious as to how you managed to do it so quickly.”
“Well…” Kamala shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I had to take some time off from my… extracurriculars. To focus on catching up, I mean. And I have some really good tutors.”
Mr. Hartley’s eyes narrowed. “Tutors, you said?”
“Uh, yeah. Private tutors. They help me with my physics homework, my history, my math… They even help me with my electives.”
“Really.” Mr. Hartley looked her up and down. “Your parents paid for private tutors?”
Kamala frowned. She couldn’t place it, but there was something about the way that he said it that rubbed her the wrong way. “Um. No, no, actually… See, it’s kind of complicated, but they’re people I work with doing, um… charity work? Some of them are, like, experts in their field and during the weekends they help me with my homework and tutor me a little.”
“Right…” Mr. Hartley crossed his arms. “Miss Khan, I’ve been talking to some of your other teachers and I must say that we would all be very interested in meeting these tutors of yours.”
“What?” Kamala asked, bewildered. “I mean, I guess it could… I guess it’s possible, but why?” Something clicked. “Do you think I’m lying? Do you think I’ve been… cheating, or something?”
Mr. Hartley took a breath. “Frankly, Miss Khan, it’s interesting to me that a student who was otherwise completely average up until now suddenly starts to get absolutely perfect grades out of the blue. You have to agree that it’s a little strange.”
“Mr. Hartley,” Kamala said. “I really am getting tutored. I would never cheat.”
“If that’s the case, then by all means, let’s schedule a meeting with some of these tutors of yours.” Mr. Hartley made a grand motion towards her. “They can tell me exactly what it is they’ve been working on with you, and we can lay this all to rest. Otherwise, perhaps a meeting with the principal and your parents is in order…”
“No!” Kamala blurted, throwing out her hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll… you can meet them. Um. I think. I guess.”
“Excellent.” Mr. Hartley smiled. “I look forward to it.”