labcoatgirl | Sleeping Awake: for brokeharlem

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It was only the second night she was staying over. The day had gone rather well, she had met Tony finally and the three of them had gone for dinner at a place where the prices made her head spin. Bruce even seemed to enjoy himself, though it was hard to tell, Betty knew he did.

They had worked on a bit of research before turning in for the night. Bruce kept insisting she take the bed till she couldn't say no anymore. She felt bad for having him sleep on the couch but he seemed like he would take it badly if she didn't accept the bed.

Soon, she was fast asleep, her arms around the pillow under her head.

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She keeps looking at him, wanting to help but feeling like he's still keeping her at arms length. It's not surprising, given their forced separation. But it still hurts.

A smile when he finally looks at her. "You can talk to me, Bruce. Anything you want to say, I'll listen." He should know that by now.

"I'm actually not sure what I was going to say," he says honestly, something small, sour and directed only at himself creeping onto his face.

He's still not used to people caring about how he feels, even though he's been here with people who, bizarrely, consider him a friend for a few weeks now. Even though there was a time he felt like he could talk to Betty about anything and, theoretically, he should be able to, still. Human contact is a foreign country to him anymore and he can't remember how to speak the language. Nor is he sure where he'd start, even if he did, still feeling as addled as he does now, in the wake of the nightmare.

It does look like it's up to her to make first contact, as it were. Since she knows him better than anyone...or she used to. Betty loops her arm around his, putting her hand on top of his own to interlace their fingers. Leaning her head on his shoulder as if to say you don't even have to say anything.

He tenses briefly, like all the other times they've touched since she's been here, and then relaxes, deflating with a sigh. If he tightens his fingers around hers, almost clinging, he doesn't really realize.

"... thanks."

She doesn't mind the clinging. If anything, it reassures her that he still cares for her very much, even after all this time.

Their coffee is left to go cold as they sit together. Not saying anything but understanding.

Edited Date: 2012-06-26 09:26 pm (UTC)