She was running in the hospital too, on the corridors. After she got out of the dormitory, she called Steve again to get the precise place where he was, and she sprinted. She could hardly stop before Steve, who was sittingon one of the chairs next to the wall. the corridor was empty, but they heared the nurses and doctors from near. Ban didn’t realise she was trembling until Steve told – ordered – her to sit down. He was pale and tired, not like today’s Steve she saw before. Ban fell down on the chair, gasping for air. She sprinted for almost twenty minutes.

- What happened? – she asked, though she didn’t want to hear the answer. Steve eyed her, then took of his jacket and – against Ban’s will – and put it on her shoulders before saing anything.

- It’s cold, and you’re too hot. Warm. From the running.

Ban would laugh at him, if she wasn’t so freaking worried.

- Craft.

- She’s in – Steve glanced at the closed door. – They’re exemining her since I don’t know when. Might have internal bleeding, something with her head, I don’t even know…

He covered his face with his hands and sighed, Ban just kept on blinking, and couldn’t believe a word.

- But… what happened?

- I don’t know – said Steve angrily, but backed immidiately. – Sorry, but I don’t know anything either. When my shift was over I headed to the dorm from the teahouse, you know, and I found Craft lying in an alley. She was already unconsious, and cold, it was night, I don’t know, I don’t want to imagine how long has she been there, or what has happened, so I just panicked and picked her up, she’s so very small and light, and ran here… I just realised that I should have called an ambulance, I may have worsened her state by moving…

- Hey, it’s okay – Ban papped his shoulder, and she felt it was awkward, so awkward, comforting a big man like Steve like this over her best friend, but like this she could trí not to think about what happened to her on the road a few hours ago, and what will happen when the doctors come out of the room.

oOo

Tony was genuenly pissed. Of the World. Or the people, Rachael, and first of all, himself, for being an idiot, and telling her everything – wanting to tell her everything.

Now she just ignored him. There was that problem, physical and a bit mental too, meaning psychological – that they were arguing about all of last year, and never finished it; the prof just asked a related question.
Their hands were up, of course, but the prof got another student to answer… and nothing happened. Tony tried to jam the performance, but Ban remained silent. It wasn’t fun.

After their „talk”, Tony drove to the next town to find something so he wouldn’t have to think, and only got back to the college at noon, that’s when he learned that Craft was in the hospital.
She accepted the flowers, and thanked him, but she was eyeing him so suspiciously, that he automatically felt guilty.

- I thought you wouldn’t hurt her.

- I didn’t – he said, and thought it was honest; maybe he was sudden and un-understandable, but the one who was hurt, was him. At least it seemed like Craft believed him, though she never arranged sort-of-dates, or helped him meeting Ban. But she didn’t ignore him.

- I fucked up so hard I can’t even tell you. And I don’t want to, either. I mean… I’d just like to forget it all and never try again. Do you think there’s anything that makes you forget things that happened? With some stuff, could I make Scarlett forget this whole thing? Not like I really care, it was just a hunch, an idea, you know, something to try out, I didn’t really need it, I just wanted it so bad, that I thought, I believed I could just reach it by… I don’t know, being myself.

Bruce shrugged. Tony wasn’t drunk, but he was honest, and it was strange, and he smelled trouble.

- But… I don’t know, how I thought that being myself would be enough, it never was. Not to… anyone.

So Bruce just sat next to Tony on his bed and hugged him, and he wished Pepper was there, cause she could handle him easier when he was drunk, but it was worse, a lot worse and Bruce didn’t know what the fuck to do, so he just stayed there until Tony has finally fallen asleep.

And it was a week ago, Craft got out of the hospital, and they couldn’t find out who did this to her. He was pissed at that too. He liked the little girl.
When they met back in summer, he just asked her to luch on a whim, and was surprised, when she said yes, but she turned out to be god company. Witty, and good listener. They visited each places; Tony tried out gardening and Craft has been to the factory, and she was there when he got hit too, she gave him first aid. Craft denied it, but she might have brought him back to life too.

- It’s just not fair – he murmured under his moustache, cause he started growing a moustache too.

They were there again, Steve noted while practicing with the team. They got a nice place for themselves, in the shadow of a big tree, next to the field from where they could see, and could be seen.
He spotted Bruce too, sitting on a bench next to Tony, who was doing some typing on his notebook, not paying attention to anything else. The cheerleaders were practicing too, int the corner of the field. Steve sighed, and turned back to Thor to explain the rules again, but the nors guy was only interested in the parts that included knocing down. He treated the rules like they were some kind of stories and he loved to bend them to match his taste.

Clint walked in; he promised to help in the training, but until now he was talking to Bruce.

- Please try to make some sense of Thor – Steve whispered, Clint nodded, and went to the smiling deliquent.

- Welcome to our fields, my athletic friend!

Steve giggled, shouted some orders related to the training and left the team to join Ban and Craft under the tree. They most likely had some food with them.

- Hey there soldier! – Ban exclaimed, and saluted; Steve had no idea where that came from, but he didn’t mind. Craft smiled and blushed, and he felt himself blushing too. He couldn’t stop, it was like a reflex.

- Still nothing on… - he asked while sitting down, but Craft cut in.

- No and won’t be – she sounded harsh, but there was no anger in her voice. Steve felt like she was hiding something, but wouldn’t want to push his luck with asking further questions. Craft was coming to their matches and trainings with a closed book, and uninjured, so it was fine.

He thought she would never look the same, when they could finally go to her in the hospital.

- They patched me up – she said with a smile, and she was like a zombie with her bandages and paleness. They sat down, Ban on th ebed, next to Craft, Steve on the chair, and she looked so happy, that they thought she went mental. She was smiling only because she didn’t want to start crying like when the doctor told her that her friends were waiting for her all night. Smiling was nicer.

- The head – Steve pointed to her head unsurely – was my fault, I guess. Sorry again.

- Nah, I don’t think so – Craft laughed, but grimaced when her head started to hurt. – I don’t quite remeber you shoving my head into a container.

Ban and Steve froze, but Craft didn’t seem to notice it. Steve thought that Craft was incredibly weak, fragile, buti t seemed as though she was stronger than an average person. Ban moved closer to her.

- Now tell me what the hell happened.

Craft trembled, and the smile melt down from her face.

- I don’t really know… After I left you with Tony – she looked up to Ban, but her face was all ’not now’ – I went straight to the dormitory; the shortest way, loads of small routes. And they were waiting in one of them, I guess. It looked like they were waiting. Men and at least one women – she did the talking, though she didn’t tell much. I couldn’t see thir faces, sorry.

- What did she say? – Ban seemed concentrated and calm, and Steve couldn’t feel anything but admiration. He felt broken, concerning himself.

- Not much – Craft pout her lower lip. – Like that I’m a little bitch… or witch, I’m not quite sure, I prefer witch, but they did say whore, I got that one.

Ban and Steve shared a concerning look, but Craft continued.

- She did say that you won’t be always by my side… I assumed to protect me, but I don’t quite get it. If you protected me before, then thanks, Ban.

The girl said something like nevermind.

- Oh, and she said, that if I told this to anyone, they’d kill me.

They couldn’t help, but laugh.

- Craft, you’re something else.

After Steve left, Ban stayed for a while, telling Craft what happened with Tony; that’s when Craft told her the other thing.

- Apparently I shouldn’t meet Steve – her voice trembled, and she finally looked scared. Ban hugged her tightly.

- Sorry for being a pushover. I won’t do it anymore.

Craft giggled.

- You don’t have to. I like him, so those bitches can suck my dick. I just didn’t wanted Steve to hear it.

- You really are something else, Craft. Couldn’t you decidet o like him before getting beaten?