An Act of... Love? [An Avengers Polyamorous Fanfic]

Chapter 2

I don't know how long I was reliving my own nightmares, but I do know that when I finally came to, I was no longer in the lobby. I was in a white room, and groaned, of course, I'd ended up in a hospital. The room was incredibly bright, so I clamped my eyes back closed and sighed. Within moments there was the opening of a door, and I tried to open my eyes again, squinting at the brightness. Immediately, the shades on the gigantic windows closed and allowed me to open my eyes once again, without the pain the light was causing me.

"I'm glad to see you're finally awake," the individual in the white coat noted. There was another individual with him, and it took my brain way too long to recognize the man as Tony Stark.

"H-how long was I out?" I questioned, my voice incredibly hoarse.

"A week," the doctor responded, causing my eyes to widen. That is the longest I had ever been locked inside my own brain. I was exhausted, and I felt incredibly weak, so I knew the doctor wasn't lying to me. But I didn't know how to respond. A week? As I sat there, thinking, I realized that my friend, Angela, must have been worried sick about me. I started looking around for my phone, which is when Tony stepped forward and handed one to me.

"I do have to apologize, seeing as it is not the phone you had before you passed out, but it will have all of the same functions. It has all of your information and contact info and is more advanced than the phone you'd originally walked in here with. Everyone staying at Stark Tower was upgraded to Stark phones, considering anything with less encryption would be a gigantic security risk," he told me so quickly that I certainly had issues following. I grabbed the phone from him regardless and saw that I had several missed calls and text messages waiting for me. What made my stomach drop, though, is that they weren't all from Angela... I had a few messages from some family members and I was immediately queasy. I ignored everyone's name but Angela and clicked on her messages. The last one read 'I was contacted by Stark Industries on your behalf, and I know they're taking care of you, but please wake up and call me soon'. I looked up to them in curiosity.

"You guys called Angie?" I questioned.

"Mark said she was the only person we needed to inform, I hope he wasn't incorrect?" the doctor questioned. I furrowed my brow as I looked back at the phone and up at them once again.

"No, no, he was right," I muttered. I made eye contact with the doctor and realized I should really get his name. "I'm so sorry, what was your name?" I questioned. I felt a swirl of nerves reach me as I asked the question.

"O-oh, right. Sorry, I'm Bruce. Bruce Banner," he introduced, and I nodded.

"I'm Tony Stark," Tony threw in, and I had to suppress an eye-roll. Of course, I knew who he was, almost everyone in the world knew who he was.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Banner, I'm Jessabelle - but I go by Ollie," I said, holding out my hand for him to shake if he wanted to. He did quickly, out of habit, grab my hand to shake and it was like electricity traveled up through my body from where our skin touched, leaving me utterly surprised as he pulled back. I could feel the emotions of curiosity and anxiety swirl through the air, and I wondered why I couldn't block them out like I was used to. It must be related to being out for so long.

"Do I get a handshake, too, Jessabelle?" Tony questioned with a smirk. I raised an eyebrow at him as his feelings of confidence and cockiness also swirled in my brain.

"What do I get out of it?" I found myself shooting back with a smirk, surprised at my words but going with them nonetheless.

"Well, I am responsible for keeping a roof over your head," he commented.

I gasped dramatically, "Are you, Tony Stark, the genius philanthropist, threatening to kick me out?" I asked, holding back a giggle. His eyes focused on me harder, causing me to squirm a little bit. He wasn't angry, no... he was... intrigued? Impressed? I couldn't tell, and I wondered if he could even tell.