So Wrong But Yet So Right (AU) (Part 5) 

One Shot #20

Tony's POV

The next day...

   When Bruce strolls into class with Steve and Thor, my heart starts beating rapidly. We make eye contact almost immediately and my stomach begins to do a series of flip flops. He gives me a shy smile and scratches as his neck a bit before he takes a seat at his usual desk in the middle of the room. Thor sits on his left and Steve on his right, truly a dynamic trio. Everyone shows up on time and we dive into our group sessions after attendance. Thor sighs and forces himself to join his group partners. Pepper then joins Bruce and Steve. She's a nice enough girl but has a know-it-all attitude at times. 

       I go around the room a couple of times during class to check in with each group and the progress they've made so far. Bruce's group is ahead of everyone else and that doesn't surprise me at all. Pepper is thrilled to be in the same group as the valedictorian of her senior class. Their final draft is just about complete and Steve gives it to me to preview five minutes before the bell rings. I skim through it and am very impressed. I give it the grade it deserves, an A. I grin at him. "Well done. I expect you all to dive full force practicing this scene starting tomorrow. Presentations start on Monday. It would be great to see you off script by Friday." Bruce pops up from behind him. "We can definitely manage that. The three of us were going to do our first read through over Zoom tonight." 

        I smile sincerely at Bruce. "I'm glad to hear that. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me." I directed that comment at him but all three respond in unison with "Okay." The bell then finally rings and everyone heads either to their next class or to lunch. Bruce and his friends stall as usual though. They joke around a bit before giving me one last goodbye. Bruce mouths "call me" and I can't help but chuckle at his adorable antics. I certainly plan on talking to him more soon. I might send him a text later but I won't disturb him tonight. I want to see him shine in the scene next week. Therefore, he needs to put as much focus into mastering the scene, the lines within it, etc as possible. 

Later that day...

   It's about three o'clock and there are only a few students lingering in the hallway... one of them is Bruce. I'm surprised to see him here because he usually takes the bus home or rides home with one of his friends. I decide to go out on a limb and offer him a ride home. I take a deep breath and approach him. "Bruce, what are you still doing here? You're usually long gone by now." He sighs. "I know. Steve had to stay after school for extra help in one of his other classes and Thor had to leave early due to a family commitment. As for the bus, I missed it by a minute. I couldn't get my locker to open on cue like usual and everything came flying out of it. It took me twenty minutes just to get everything organized." 

      I raise an eyebrow at him. "Do you live far from school?" "About a twenty minute walk, five minute drive. Why do you ask?" I smile at him. "I'll give you a ride home if you can give me a few minutes to tidy up my classroom and lock up. He blushes. "T-Thank you but I can't ask you to do that." I smirk at him. "You didn't ask, I offered. Now come on in. Take a seat and do whatever you feel like doing for a few minutes while I finish." He takes a seat up front and works on some math homework until I'm ready." I clear my throat politely to indicate that I'm done. He blushes and begins putting away his things. I lock the door and the two of us head to my car. There's no one hanging out in the parking lot so no one spots Bruce getting into my car. 

       He gives me his address and I punch it into my GPS before driving there. "Bruce, I don't live that far from you. I only live four blocks down from you. If I had known that sooner, I'd offer to give you rides home more often. Who do you live with?" "It's just my mom and I. My dad walked out on us awhile back so it's just us. I don't have any siblings either." I frown sympathetically. "I know that tune quite well sadly. My dad is a low life and I don't have any association with him either. You're so young though, I'm sorry that you had to grow up without a father figure in your life." He shrugs his shoulders. "It's okay. I've adapted, I just feel awful for my mom. I took so much of her time up. Now that I'm eighteen and graduating in a few months, I'm relieved. It'll lighten the burden for her a bit." 

       I look at him seriously as we approach his house. "Bruce, you aren't a burden. I can tell that your mother is a kind lady and she raised a wonderful son. Neither of you asked for your father to walk on you. He made the conscious decision to do so. If you were a burden, your mother wouldn't have cared for you as much as she has all these years. That my dear is called unconditional love. You're one of the lucky ones actually, a lot of children doesn't receive that from either one of their parents. You receive it day in and day out for your mother." Bruce startles me by giving me a sudden hug. It takes me a moment to recover from the sudden action before I return the embrace. "Thank you Tony, I really needed to hear that." When we pull apart, he gives me one kind smile before getting out of the car and heading inside. 

       I watch him until he gets inside safely and then sit there for a couple more minutes processing the moment Bruce and I just shared. The heat rushes to my cheeks and I'm a bumbling idiot, the smile on my face couldn't get any wider if it tried. I really feel a connection with Bruce, he's different than the rest. 

I hope that you guys liked this part of this one shot! :) -Mary