Live Long Enough to be a Hero

Pushing Him Away

~Chapter 9~

Tony glared across the room. Why did this bother him so much?

Hadley sat on the floor at the coffee table with Bruce, the two were locked in a game of chess and Hadley was winning

Tony glared as they laughed and had fun together.

"No!" Hadley said with a smile as Bruce took one of her pieces, Tony rolled his eyes as Bruce laughed

"Tony" Steve said, "you look like you're going to kill Bruce. What's going on?"

"Nothing Cap. Just thinking" Tony said, glancing at him as he sat back slowly

"Just thinking?" Steve asked, raising a brow. He looked over at Hadley and Bruce, watching Hadley win the game, it dawned on him "Oh. Okay. Well don't think too hard"

Tony glanced at Steve then sighed and stood "I'm going out" he said before leaving

Hadley looked up at him as he passed and gave a small smile. He gave her a nod in response and kept going

Hadley watched him go then sighed and looked back at the chess board, cleaning it up

"What with you?" Bruce asked

Hadley sighed, "I don't know" she said

Bruce glanced at where Tony had just left "Confused feelings?" He asked

"What? No of course not. Tony is just a friend, if that.. there are no feelings there" she said, "besides he's... Incredibly narcissistic"

"Some would agree. Including him" Bruce said, "but are you sure you just want to deny it? Trust me, suppressing feelings for someone isn't good for you, I know"

"I don't have feelings for him, I don't even like him" Hadley said, but even she knew she was lying.

She ran her fingers through her hair and checked her watch "I should go.. patrol time"

"That's earlier then yesterday's was" Bruce said, watching her stand

"Crime has no schedule" Hadley replied, stretching

"You sound like a vigilante" Bruce said as she walked off

"That's me" she replied, leaving the room

Bruce chuckled and shook his head as he finished cleaning up the chess board

~

Hadley sighed as she settled on a high rooftop

She ran her fingers through her hair quietly

She hugged herself. She didn't know why she was affected by Tony so much. She didn't like like him. But she didn't like the fact that she was so friendly with him..

She didn't want him to be hurt. She just didn't get why he didn't understand that. Even Bruce understood the dangers of their lifestyle. That was why she got along with him so well

She sighed and leaned back, staring up at the sky. This was the one thing she always hated about being in the city. You could barely see the stars

"If you look close enough a helicopter might look like a star"

Hadley sighed quietly. Really?

"Hi Tony.." she said, not looking back at him

"So you really do spend every day on a roof" Tony said, stepping out of his suit

"It's where I come to think and be alone" Hadley said as he sat next to her

"I go to my lab for that" Tony replied

"Okay" Hadley said in response. She knew that was rude but if Bruce thought she had feelings for him, she couldn't let anyone else think that

Tony looked at her quietly then down at the street. That was different..

The two sat awkwardly as the night went on

"Hadley... Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's fine. Why?" She asked

"I don't know I just feel like you're acting different" Tony said with a shrug

"I'm acting like me Tony. This is who I am. If you have a problem with that then that's your deal" Hadley said, looking away

Tony frowned "You're usually nicer than this"

Hadley hugged herself "Well I'm not nice so" she shrugged

Tony looked at her in confusion "Okay... What's-"

"You know I come up here to be alone Tony." She interrupted, Tony looked at her in slight confusion, "So... I want to be alone"

Tony frowned and nodded, standing "Alright then... I'll see you at the Tower.."

"Okay" Hadley said as he walked off, suited up then left

She waited a second before sighing deeply

"You're a bitch.." she mumbled to herself