Bruised (Irondad)

18

And from there it seemed as though they'd always fitted in.

All strange and scary habits that the twins possessed vanished in the blink of an eye. There was no more ass kicking, no more zoning out, no more silence or refusal to eat.

It was as though something just clicked, snapped, fell into place. The world shifted a little and somehow everything started to make sense.

Perhaps if anyone thought into it, they would've found it unsettling. They didn't. Everyone was so relieved at the absence of the unsettling fog that had suffocated them over the first month, that it was bliss. No one wanted to look for a sinister undertone, why go looking for trouble when everything is fine? Why seek it out?

Everything was fine.

Until it wasn't.

None of the alarms went off, all safety precautions which had been meticulously composed completely failed; everything happened so quickly that no one had the chance to even think of grabbing weaponry or fighting back before they were gathered in the living room, armed agents surrounding them.

There's no limit to the amount of Gods Tony would thank for the meeting which had Pepper occupied across the city today, but there are so many more he'd relentlessly curse for the fact that Giovanni is shaking where he's held against his side. His hand moves in circles on the boys back, a pathetic attempt at comfort in a situation in which he clearly has no power.

"You're okay bud", he reassures under his breath, "I won't let them hurt you".

The boy only shakes his head in response, a shaky breath leaving his lips, "I know them, they're here for Gia".

It's at this point that three things happen simultaneously.

One: Tony's stomach almost drops out of his ass.

Steve looks across from his position at the other end of the wall, sending a fearful look to the billionaire.

Two: Tony scans the group frenetically, only to realise that Gianna is nowhere to be seen.

Natasha seems to register the same thing, cursing in Russian under her breath.

Three: Tony catches sight of two of the men out of the corner of his eye. One is clearly in charge, radiating authority over the room. He pretty much grabs the other by the arm, yanking him a foot closer. It was unnecessary, probably just to intimidate, because the rest of the room heard it clearly. "Where's the girl?".

And it's only a moment later that the elevator dings.

When the doors open, Gia just freezes for a moment. Due to her lack of weight gain and Bruce's concern, she's had scheduled snacks. It just so happened that at the time of the attack, she'd been getting her cookie. She reluctantly steps into the room, silence smothering them all. Carefully and calmly, she places her snack on the bookshelf, slowly turning back to the 'visitors'.

Her eyes meet Geo's for a moment, the two of them seeming to communicate silently. Tony feels Giovanni shiver against his side.

Then she looks back to the agents, specifically the one who holds the authority. She's eerily silent and composed as she reaches her hands behind her head, collecting her hair and slipping a hairband off of her wrist to tie it into a ponytail on top of her head.

The leaders eyes seem to have locked with hers, something mimicking amusement shadowing his lips. "Hello Gia, long time no see".

Her lips stay sealed - her eyes totally unblinking.

"I see your vocabulary hasn't expanded since you decided to play a little game with us".

The tone of his voice seems to be balanced between steadiness and insanity, perching on the very edge of the fence. His eyes flair with a sick sort of satisfaction when Gia drops her gaze for a moment. When she looks up again, a fully fledged smirk adorns his features.