Reunion with brokeharlem

[labcoatgirl]

[follows this]

It was a long trip, almost six hours before she was in New York. Betty hadn't driven much in big city like this so she was grateful for the turn by turn directions of her GPS. Stark tower loomed in the center of town, the glowing sign lighting up the dark. It was still a wreck here, she had to avoid multiple construction sites, passing huge holes in the road and businesses smashed to pieces.

She parked in a lot a short distance away from the tower, who's sign was reduced to just a single A glowing overhead. Betty got out of the car and started walking, thumbing her phone as she posted on twitter, to make sure Bruce knew she was there.

@drbanner I'm here, walking towards the tower.

Comments

Done!

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

Bruce looks embarrassed by the video, though while he shifts a bit uncomfortably, he doesn't move to stop it or turn it to something else. He does, however, focus his attentions elsewhere, on one of the videos playing silently, mutely in the same corner she'd picked this one from. It's nothing special, just a loop of Steve launching Natasha off of his shield from what seems to be a street level camera in the instants before it's destroyed, but it's better than watching himself tear through Manhattan, actually doing good for once or not.

"Yeah," he mumbles a bit lamely.

woot!

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

His voice breaks her concentration and Betty realizes how intently she was watching. She blushes a bit and responds by hugging to his arm. "It's ok. I'm....really glad you could help." She smiles up at him. Betty knew who he was and she wanted to know what had happened.

She touches the X in the corner to close the video so he won't be further embarrassed. Maybe she could counteract it with something embarrassing about herself. "....did you know...I picketed Stark Industries while in college?" Ages ago, during her hippie stage of life.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

He looks immediately grateful for the subject change, though JARVIS doesn't seem to be so willing to let him out of it. The second she closes the one video, another pops up, this one on mute, unobtrusive but there, of the Hulk catching Iron Man as he fell. Bruce takes no notice of it, still not entirely willing to look at the screen, and it's likely JARVIS was counting on that. And that, hopefully, Betty will notice where Bruce doesn't. He, like Tony, doesn't seem to care much for Bruce's self-esteem issues.

"What for?" A beat. "I mean, not that I blame you, but ... "

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

She almost tries to close that window too, thinking she must have hit something wrong, but the video stops her, her hand hovering over the closing X. "...he caught him." Her voice betraying her surprise. That had to mean Bruce had more control than he thought. She has to ask, "Do you remember that?"

"There was a quick scare about the arc reactor technology becoming monopolized and not being used for anyone other than rich people. Not to mention the weapons that were being made." She shrugs with a sheepish smile. "I was slightly pro-active before you met me. I'm sure there's a picture of me tying myself to the front of the old Stark factory in protest with half a dozen other students."

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

He looks up at the screen, then higher, casting a black look at the ceiling. JARVIS remains almost merrily silent.

"I remember ... bits and pieces of it." More than he could remember before, the last time she'd asked him if he could remember anything while running around as the Hulk. It's progress, not enough, not by his standards, but it's better than nothing. "I can't remember that, though. But Tony made a big deal of rubbing my nose in it, after he was back on his feet."

He shrugs, failing to mention how Tony had thanked him, quietly, genuinely and all the while looking oddly vulnerable after he'd shown him the video before his bluster fell back into place and he'd started grumbling about having to hammer out the Godzilla hand prints someone had left all over his suit. He's not sure it's important or if it's his place to share that raw, honest moment with Betty, when Stark seems to wear his facade of not taking anything seriously as well and as proudly as he does the Iron Man armor.

"I'll have to look it up later," he says, trying to change the subject back to her again. JARVIS thankfully lets him, his work done here. "The picture, I mean."

that part about picketing is all headcanon for the mun, for lulz :3

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

"That was you though." She's almost insistent. The media always painted the Hulk as a mindless killing machine but this proved differently. "Like with the helicopter you..." Betty stops herself, realizing he might not remember that part either. That was right before he left the last time.

Missing accomplished! XD

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

"Like with the helicopter ... ?"

Judging by his tone, no, he doesn't remember. There's a vague impression of emotion attached to that particular gap in his memories -- anger, unusual if only because it's stronger, brighter than anything he remembers having felt before, and something like worry -- but nothing beyond that. Nothing solid. Just an animal sense of wanting to defend what was his. Between that and her comment about the helicopter, he imagines that Blonsky caught up with them at some point while he was trying to stop his rampage.

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

She's already started the sentence, she might as well finish it. "...when it caught on fire. After you jumped out to fight the other one, we crashed and it was going to explode..."

Betty can remember it as if it was yesterday. She lets go of his arm so she can use her hands to demonstrate. "I don't know how he knew what to do but he created a vacuum," Betty puts her hands together with a clap sound. "And it put out the fire before it could ignite the gas tank." Only a scientist would know to do that.

Only Bruce would have done that.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

Bruce has the same thought -- only a scientist would have thought to try that -- and really, it only confirms what he's been slowly realizing the last few years. No matter how much he hates the idea, no matter how much distance he tries to put between himself and his other half by talking about him like a seperate entity or coming up with clever terminology to avoid calling him by name, he and the Hulk are one in the same. He's still not sure he likes the idea any more than he has the few other times he's entertained it.

"Tony ... is probably the only person besides you who's looked at me like anything other than a monster." That's an admission somehow, a note of agreement.

The Hulk knew how to put out the fire because he did; the Hulk had saved Tony because he'd done something no one else had bothered to in six years. He was fearless around him. He'd given him the time of day. And yeah, sure, he'd poked and prodded at him, hoping to evoke a response, but that had felt more like a game, like harmless ribbing, rather than the billionaire proving he thought of him like everyone else did, as just another experiment.

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

The admission is enough. Her smile returns, just as fond as it always is of him. She could watch a zillion videos of the Hulk and still think him the same Bruce she fell in love with.

"I hope I'll get a chance to meet him." With Bruce always mentioning Tony Stark, she was wanting to see this supposed genius billionaire for herself.

Betty turns to get her things and bring them closer to the couch. "Have you eaten yet?" She was starving, not having eaten anything but a powerbar during the whole trip. Maybe there was a pizza place near here she could call.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

"Like I said, you probably will."

He shrugs, trying for a smile in return, and manages only once she asks if he's eaten, albeit sheepishly. "I've sort of been hanging out on what's left of the grounds since you said you were headed this way, so ... not really?"

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

"Pizza?" She offers, unpacking a few things for the night and finding a spare blanket for the couch. "Maybe Jarvis knows where to get some."

"Indeed, I do, Dr. Ross." And a list of nearby delivery pizza places pop up.

"He's very polite," Betty whispers to Bruce, as if Jarvis won't hear her if she does.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

"To you, maybe," Bruce whispers back, the amusement still apparent in his voice somehow in spite of that. Recently, and now that JARVIS is getting just as comfortable around him as he has with the AI, the computer has started taking verbal shots at him. Nothing low, nothing serious, just the same level of snark he maintains around Tony. It's kind of refreshing.

Case in point: "It may be interesting to note that I can, in fact, hear you, sir."

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

She looks up as the ceiling reminds them their whispering has not gone unnoticed and can't help a small chuckle. "Probably silly to whisper, I guess."

Jarvis even helps with ordering it and soon, a few minutes later, pizza is being delivered to the Stark Tower. At that point, Betty has been able to figure out the bathroom shower and gotten herself cleaned up after her long car ride, putting herself in some clean clothes, a sweatshirt and pants for the night.

She's toweling her hair when the delivery boy comes and she takes the pizza off his hands, bringing to Bruce. Wherever he was at on this floor.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

Bruce has changed, too, wearing a pair of slightly over-sized black-grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt now, where he was in a button-down and a pair of khakis before. He's sitting in a chair, the only furniture so far in what will probably be his living room, when Stark gets around to finishing the remodel, the book Betty brought back to him settled in his lap. He hasn't bothered to retrieve his glasses or liberated one of the pairs she'd packed along with the book, so he's resorted to squinting down at it, but he looks up when she comes in. He manages a small smile that borders on embarrassed.

"I'd tell you to set that down on the table ... " But there's not one. Not yet.

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

She does her best not to smile at that, but doesn't succeed. It was a little bare in here as far as furniture was concerned. "It's alright, the couch is big enough to double as a table."

Betty sits down on the white sofa, mentally telling herself that they really need to be careful with the pizza sauce so the sofa doesn't end up stained by the end of this.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

He gets up, hesitating rather than moving to join her immediately, then turns to grab a six pack of Coke he managed to track down while she was in the shower. Soda in hand, he moves to join her finally, settling himself and their drinks down on the couch carefully, as if he's afraid of ruining the couch, too.

"They should still be cold." He hadn't thought to bring ice up. Or cups.

wrong spot, sorry :S

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm not toting a television up here," Betty says with a laugh. The couch was enough moving for one night, especially after the long car trip.

Jarvis, however, is a life saver, making a large screen hologram appear in front of the couch with a selection of movies on the side. Betty sits up quickly, gaping at it. "...is that real?" She reaches to poke at it and the hologram gives slightly.

No worries. :)

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

"Hardlight hologram," Bruce supplies, one corner of his mouth tipping upwards. "Stark uses them mostly for his displays, but we've ... kind of been working on something bigger with them."

They both have their own, separate projects, but both of them are also used to multitasking. They're working on making a sort of training room using hardlight holograms, where he and Thor can get into pissing contests without destroying a forest somewhere. Or where he can let the Hulk out without worrying about racking up a hefty repair bill for the city of New York.

If Stark borrowed the idea from some friends up in Westchester, Bruce isn't going to call him on it.

/approves of xmen reference

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

"That's amazing..." She might have a hard time leaving this place with all these new toys around. Betty picks out a movie at random, something half comedy, half drama, and lets it run.

Her second slice ends up left on the floor, forgotten as she watches the movie with him. Exhaustion of the ride here finally sneaking up on her as her head starts to drift to the side, falling asleep on his shoulder without meaning to.

/grins and bows?

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

"It really is."

He's only really half-paying attention to the movie himself, his mind wandering, so when she starts drifting in his direction, he notices near-immediately, and tenses slowly. He doesn't try to immediately dislodge her from his shoulder, however, nor does he try to wake her up. Instead, he watches her from the corners of her eyes for a long moment, as she slips farther and father into sleep. When he starts to worry this might get uncomfortable for both of them -- really, physically uncomfortable as neither of them are as young as they used to be -- he pulls away slowly, one arm going around her waist to keep her from simply falling over.

If he has to, he'll carry her to the bed. He wasn't kidding about letting her have it.

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

If she was more awake, she would have still argued that she was perfectly fine staying on the couch. It was comfy enough, perhaps too much so if she was this much asleep already.

When he shifts, she mumbles something in her sleep, readjusting unconsciously to fit under his arm before she can slide off his shoulder. It's been a very long day.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

He shushes her softly, gently, and ghosts a hand over her hair as he gathers her into his arms. He pauses for a moment afterwards, making sure he hasn't inadvertently woken her, then, once he's sure, he stands up, Betty in his arms, and carries her over to the bed. He sets her down carefully, peeling up one corner of the comforter to drape over her, and takes a step back.

"Sweet dreams," he mumbles, retreating back to the couch to clean up.

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

He's the one person she actually feels safe with doing this, even subconsciously. Betty doesn't wake as he picks her up and puts her in the bed, shifting slightly as he puts the comforter over her to hold to the pillow as she gives in to sleep for the night.

Jarvis accommodates by dimming the lights on that side of the room.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

Bruce pauses, mumbling a thank you to Tony's AI, then turns to silently start cleaning up the mess he and Betty made. It doesn't take long and for once, he's grateful that he's managed to learn to be so sneaky over the course of the last few years. He figures he would have woken Betty, otherwise.

When he's finished, he settles down on the couch with a tablet in his lap. He plans on working until he's too exhausted to keep his eyes open -- there's a fine line between too tired to have nightmares and too tired to keep every little thing from irritating him while he's awake -- but it doesn't take him too long to think better of it and set the tablet aside. He contents himself to watching Betty quietly, instead, listening to the sound of her breathing and the sounds of the house, his mind wandering idly.

He falls asleep sooner than he would have liked, perhaps, but his dreams are thankfully empty.