[ She remembers that message... well. Most of it? It had been a desperate moment, in the aftermath of the fight against Ultron, when things had been coming down. A questionable victory, but Ultron had been dealt with and they were regrouping, licking their wounds - for there had been many, in that fight. She hadn't been sure she could reach him, or that he would listen, but she'd tried, pleading with him to turn around and come back...
It hadn't worked. And that's the last they'd heard from him in years, even though she'd searched. But Bruce was excellent at vanishing when he wanted to. And this time, she'd suspected, he'd been hiding from her.
To know that it was that same message that finally got through to him all that time later...
She ducks her head for a moment, lips twitching in a ghost of a smile before she leans forward and reaches for his hand, giving it a light tug before shifting to the side on his couch, making more room. ]
[Bruce is genuinely surprised about what the Hulk did. Not that he went into hiding, that is what they are used to and it's an instinct they share. Maybe some part of his other self recognized the pain, guilt, and devastation within him and felt they needed to go farther than usual. Going that far was a genuine mistake, from the video he saw of Hulk lost in space. Waking up to what he did felt like the worst possible outcome, the one that used to keep him up at night, that the Hulk would take over and hurt others. And he did. Bruce doesn't know how many he killed in the ring, but it was substantial.
He doesn't want to be lost in those thoughts, he wants to focus on her. He hesitates only a moment before setting his drink aside and moving down to sit next to her. This is the kind of affection he secretly wanted from her for long before he realized that there were feelings involved. He felt safe with her. Bruce isn't always aware of his own feelings, so it was startling the first time he thought about her as anything other than a friend. He then decided it didn't matter, as she would never return them, and he couldn't do anything about it.
They lost so much time and their chance together, or so he thought, and he still is uncertain. But if she wants to be close to him, that he is happy to provide. He tentatively puts an arm around her, like a shy teenager might in a movie theater.]
Nat, I want you to know .... [Bruce keeps her hand, lacing their fingers together. The moonlacing is strong between them at the moment.] If I did crash land somewhere on Earth, I would have contacted you. I wouldn't have let all of you stay in the dark, even if I didn't come back.
If I stayed away, it would mostly have been because I know how much I'd want to come back.
[Bruce was happy for the first time since the Hulk. He had a home and friends and a lab. He felt like he was living again, and wanted to keep on living. For the first few months he was skittish and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for them to push him away or get tired of dealing with the danger of his presence, but he eventually got comfortable. And then he lost all of it. He sighs and runs his thumb on the side of her hand.]
I didn't want to bring trouble on all of you. After Johannesburg and Ultron, continued association with the Hulk and I would hurt the Avengers' public image, more so than it already did.
[It is all very rational but stems from a place of deep emotion and fear. He loves his friends and he couldn't see any other way to protect them than to disappear.]
It would have been wrong, you coming with me. [He swallows, looking away.] That wasn't the life you deserved. [On the run, unable to help their friends again. But he was weak and when she offered, he wanted it, selfishly. He made a lot of bad decisions during Ultron.]
[ His comments about the Avengers' public image gets a wry laugh from her as she leans back on the couch and stares up at the ceiling, lips twitching in a dry hint of a smirk, although it held no real humor. ]
I think we damaged the Avengers' public image pretty thoroughly on our own. I'm pretty sure your presence wouldn't have actually made things worse at that point. We're a magnet for trouble, Bruce. Every single one of us. At least as a team, we're a little better equipped to tackle those problems when they crop up out of nowhere. [ A pause, before she wrinkles her nose in a wry grimace. ] Well. Most of the time.
[ As for the rest of it... well. they'd all made some bad decisions during Ultron, hadn't they? She wishes those bad decisions had ended there, and not continued on to the struggles that had followed. They'd only made worse decisions then. ]
The Hulk can always make things worse, Nat. I agree we're all trouble makers, though. I miss all of it, before we created Ultron. [It was this period of time when everything was going well so it couldn't last, but he does long for it.] We're not going to be able to get that back easily, but I'd settle for something similar enough to it. [Meaning all of them at least attempting to get along and being able to be in the same room together. Specifically Tony and Steve. Everyone else is fine with each other, as far as he knows.
He's able to look at her the way he wants when she stares up at the ceiling. He allows himself a moment to simply appreciate her. His visible admiration of her was always done quietly and subtly in the past, and he doesn't want to be accused of staring, but he is being indulgent for this one moment. He snaps himself out of it and shrugs, glancing away.]
Well it sure beat being stuck in the Hulk, but ... you know me. Deserve is not something I feel qualified to estimate for myself.
[ She can feel his eyes on her, just as she can feel when he snaps his gaze away, head turning with it. Her gaze comes down then, a smile lingering on her lips at his reaction. She takes advantage of him forcefully looking away to lean up and press a light kiss against his cheek. Daring, yes, but... it just felt right, in the here and now. ]
Then trust me to estimate a little, hmm? You deserve more than that, Bruce. Maybe we all do.
[ A pause, before her voice drops to a quieter tone, thoughtful. And somehow... determined? ]
Finding our way back to that family again... or as close as we can get to it. It's not impossible. That would be good to have again.
[The kiss on his cheek feels like a brand; it's warm and lingers after she leans back. He looks back at her, color in his cheeks, and he smiles, feeling a little bewildered. He's far from against it, but it's an adjustment, to feel so free and welcome to touch her and vice versa. He is always so careful of her boundaries, but maybe that's him making them for her, not ones she intentionally put between them.
He reaches out to cup the face he admired, caressing her cheek with his thumb.] Maybe it's possible. [He agrees quietly.] I'm not usually the optimist, but I don't think we're broken for good. [If he means the team or Steve and Tony or the two of them, it could mean all or none.]
All this touching, just so you know, is going to feed us for at least a week. I might be able to get a new pair of shoes even. [Bruce is teasing while also speaking the truth, curling her hair behind her ear. He's been getting by barely with Chroma, but a few hours with her and he feels flush with it. Or maybe that's just her, making him feel that way.]
I'm hoping to scientifically get to the bottom of how this is happening. Why it works. [He isn't going to accept it's magic just yet. Bruce darlingly leans in to kiss the cheek he has been touching, making it quick, like he's still expecting it to cross lines despite her doing it first.] It, uh, heals people too, apparently. [He mumbles, unnecessarily shy.]
I think it is. [ Her voice is soft, as she leans into that soft touch, soaking it up, her eyes locked with his. A corner of her lips twitch upwards in a crooked smile, and that resolute tone still lurks in her tone. ] I'm not ready to give up yet. We've made more impossible things happen before, after all.
[ He leans in to kiss her cheek, and she's actually a little surprised at the movement, even if she'd done the same a moment before. But that's often how it had been with them, hadn't it? Her daring to dance a few steps forward and then waiting to see if he would meet her halfway or dance backward and away. Sometimes she didn't know the outcome - sometimes she wasn't sure he knew the outcome. But this... this was nice. ]
Does it? [ Amusement flits across her face at the mention that this can heal, along with everything else. She curls a little closer to him, setting her wine aside for the time being. ] Does that mean you are that kind of doctor now?
[ She doesn't even bat an eyelash that he won't accept the "it's magic" theory. She suspects Tony will be doing the same. Hell, so might she - even if she has seen things that she's not sure science will ever be able to explain. ]
I'm not ready to give up either. [He agrees, a bit more firmly than before. Maybe she is giving him strength again, she's always good at that, or helping him to focus on the better parts of their history. And that there are still things that are within their power, when in a place where they're powerless to get home.] We figured out time travel, I would have thought that was impossible. [Or just too dangerous and improbable.]
And let's face it. [He says very dryly.] There's only two people who we need to convince. I'm pretty sure the rest of us are on the same page. [Tony and Steve aren't there, all right? He can pin the nail on the head.
Bruce is more accustomed to dancing backward or rather fumbling backward, his list of reasons why not long enough to stack between the two of them. But so much has happened since then, for both of them. It's been years. It's been multiple traumas. Isn't there a point where they deserve this? There's no where to run at the moment and he doesn't want to. He wants to be right here and she does too. ]
This is more useful than actual medicine here, so I guess this is definitely the type of doctor I am. [Is he going to resent that just a tad? Probably. But he is better at compartmentalizing, and seeing touch as healing is an easy angle.] I can be any kind of doctor you want. [He tries hard to make that sound flirty and he makes a face. Fail, Banner.] That did not sound good at all out loud.
Lucky for the rest of us, we can be pretty convincing, when we wanna be.
[ Her lips quirk at his dry tone, because she's not about to let those two stand in her way. She never has before, why start now?
And then he tries to be smooth in his flirting and just...
Natasha starts laughing - a choked attempt to stifle it before just giving up and letting herself dissolve into mirth, leaning her forehead against his shoulder as she shakes with laughter. ]
It was a valiant attempt. I appreciate the effort. I feel like I should be offering some kinky fantasies here as a comeback but I think you might melt right through the floor if I tried.
[There were many ways to react to her laughing at him, but it's Bruce, so of course all he can do is blush and chuckle with her. He is not smooth at all, he's never been. Both women in his life had to be as blatant as possible before he even noticed they were interested.
Flirting is not a skill he's had to work at, and if anything this failure should teach him not to try, but he likes seeing her laugh. He likes making her laugh. She could use it, after all she's been through, and if him being ridiculous gets her there, it's worth the embarrassment.]
That's probably a good call, although I think it would be fun for you. You might get me to blush so hard I pass out.
[He smiles bashfully and kisses the top of her hair where it rests on his shoulder.]
You're the one who likes dorks who can't flirt, so this is your fault.
[ She smiles, remaining resting against him, comfortable and content for the moment. This is... nice. A stolen moment she hasn't had the likes of in far too long. It has her reluctant to relinquish that feeling just yet, wanting to savor it as long as possible. ]
[This is bliss, honestly. His feelings for her have never changed, will never change. He's as sure of that now as he is will be in five years. Having her in his arms no matter what way it is, Bruce is happy. It's too bad it took this situation for them to have a peaceful time like this, but he has no regrets at the moment.]
You've got lousy taste in men, kid. [He echoes, from that flirty moment at the bar when he thought for a moment maybe his life was taking a good turn.] Me, I have great taste. I fell for this woman who is amazing in every possible way. [Bruce settles his head briefly on top of hers.] Smart, funny, strong, empathic, accepting, beautiful. Sure, most of the time she's laughing at me, but I don't mind that.
[ Her eyes slide closed as she soaks up this closeness, the easy comfort of it. How long has it been since she's had something like this? She can't even remember. Maybe those brief moments before he left, but... ]
Mmmm. Sounds fake. I still think she's the lucky one.
[ She can't help but smile at his callback, though. Remembering that night, before it had all gone sideways. Ah, if only they could have frozen time there for a while...
Maybe that was why she was beginning to think this place really might be a gift. ]
[He didn't think they'd get this again, and he also didn't think they'd get to talk like this. There was always so much unsaid between them. Maybe if things hadn't gone so wrong with Ultron this is where it could have headed for them. Two people who understood one another so well and had this natural balance not easy to find. For the first time Bruce is feeling a little selfish and willing to be happy they're there, if only for this.]
Maybe we both were lucky. Or really unlucky with timing.
[It's amazing how she makes him feel both thrilled and relaxed at the same time. Warm and calm.]
Do you think .... [He hesitates, even with them being this comfortable with each other, even with the certainty that Natasha wouldn't be here if it wasn't what she wanted. With their flirting and dancing around the subject, while addressing it, being more direct could throw things off. But Bruce feels like he doesn't want another few years of question marks at this point.] That the window is closed or that it could be opened again? [She asked him once, if they missed their window, and until now he thought it was slammed shut and locked multiple times.] Sometime. Maybe.
[ For a moment, she's silent, her eyes still closed. And she's glad he can't see her face, because she's not sure she can successfully hide the sudden rip of aching agony that tears through her.
Oh, how she wishes.
His words float through her memory now, haunting her. We don't always get what we want. She hates that he'd been right. Again.
But he doesn't know that. She can't tell him that. Not yet. She's not ready. not ready for any of them to know. It's already affecting how Clint's treating her - she can see it every time he looks at her. She can't yet bear to see that mirrored in Bruce's eyes. In Steve's. In the others.
So she pulls out every bit of acting skill she possesses to tip her head back and smile at him, letting it warm her eyes. Focusing instead on the here and now. ]
[Her initial silence worries him because he is always worried if he stepped out of line. If he reads a situation wrong, and it isn't that he has a problem if he did. He respects Nat and her decisions, and if she let him down gently he would hear that and accept it without any bitterness. So much time passed, more so now for her, and if his choices led him to lose this, he is an adult. He understands that's the way life is.
He doesn't move and waits for her to process. Because she is so very good at what she does, and because he is worried about seeing a different reaction so he wouldn't be able to observe what's going on in her otherwise, he doesn't see anything she doesn't want him to.
He believes her. Bruce smiles back, relieved. Also more than a little shocked now that he got an affirmative, because does he deserve something so good? Deserve is always something he struggles with. But his heart pounds and he feels a light-headed and he is slightly giddy. That all shows because his face is open, so she can see her deception works. His head lifts to touch her cheek, looking back down at her. Caught in this moment.]
Is it ... out of line if I kissed you right now?
[Despite everything he asks permission. The one and only time they kissed was more of a goodbye one than anything but he doesn't want to presume.]
[ She feels a pang of regret. It wasn't a lie, not outright. But it was an evasion. She doesn't know if that's the right choice - it's probably not, especially when she feels so torn over it.
But right now, in this moment? She just wants to cherish the way he's looking at her, just a little longer. The way his hand feels against her cheek.
Dark lashes flutter against her cheek as she leans into that touch. ]
I can go hunt for an engraved invitation, if that clears the matter up any. [ She shifts slightly, moving in closer, her eyes on him. ] Yes, Bruce. I want you to kiss me.
[Bruce knows very well how sometimes white lies are necessary and that everyone processes grief in their own time, so he will understand. He too understands the value in letting this be just about them. You both deserve a win, Steve said to him, a long time ago. They've gone through so much apart and they are happy, in this moment. They've been happy snuggling on the couch, flirting, talking through once painful things, and damned if he doesn't care at this moment about deserve.
He chuckles at the joke and caresses her cheek with his fingers.] I think a yes will suffice.
[She gives him one and he is filled with nerve but the good type. He doesn't hesitate now. Bruce leans down, closing what little space is between them, and kisses her softly. it's as if nothing else about this place matters but her, she is the eye of the storm, the singular thing his world revolves around at the moment. Her lips are soft and while he noticed how the moonlacing made all of their touches stronger, this kiss burns almost immediately.]
The world doesn't end. The roof doesn't cave in. The apocalypse doesn't trigger.
Maybe they're not as jinxed as they both fear?
She makes a soft sound against his lips, leaning up to meet him. One hand lifts to curl around to the nape of his neck, fingertips brushing through the dark hair there as she holds him close.
[There were so many times in the past he thought about kissing her, wanted to kiss her, before he even knew she was feeling the same way. It was somewhere along the lullaby, after it worked for the first time, and it was because of her. She gave him that, and he was exhausted but hopeful and he was struck with how beautiful her smile was. The impulse to kiss her then took him by complete shock but it happened more frequently after that. He's an expert at pining.
Their one kiss was so fast, desperate on her end since she knew what she had to do and this time he wants it to linger. It's been a long time since he's really gotten to kiss anyone, and he treasures it. Bruce lets the first kiss break but they're still so close and he says to hell with it and kisses her again, this time with more intent and passion.
And the best part about it is that his heart is definitely starting to pick up in speed, but there is no trace of Hulk's curiosity in him he can sense. All he knows is Nat's taste and smell and the feel of her long hair when his fingers run through it.]
[ She's careful - even though she's certainly willing, she's been around him long enough to know his own fears and doesn't want this moment spoiled by anything. He's still five years behind her and she has no idea what sort of deal he's got with the Hulk right this moment, and she's gotta admit, she's far more fond of kissing Bruce than she would be his counterpart.
But he doesn't seem concerned, so for the moment, she follows him, letting him control the speed and the pace of this, although she is right there to meet him every step of the way.
She shifts, arms resting against his shoulders as she tips her head up towards him, giving him free rein. Her tongue playfully teases against his lips as she makes a soft hum of enjoyment, thoroughly relishing every stolen moment of this. ]
[Bruce is always concerned, just a little, and the moment he feels anything nearing green he'll be the first to spring back and get himself under control. As he told Tony, the concept of turning into the Hulk in an intimate situation is the obvious reason he's never tried, and it's been an active worry of his since coming here. This place makes people feel a certain way and that can be trouble for a dangerous split personality like his. So far he's been very, very lucky.
And this has nothing to do with the moons at the moment. This is her and him and Bruce finds himself unusually greedy in the face of being allowed to want someone again. At the least he is allowed to kiss the woman who owns his heart without fear and that is a gift. All these years between them and this isn't dead. It's burning back to life again.
His arms wrap around her waist in a close embrace, slightly clumsy in execution because practice is not something he's had in a decade, but he is a quick learner. Bruce hums right back, in agreement and in amusement, only breaking the kiss due to a required few seconds of breathing. Which he's doing shallowly at the moment, nuzzling her nose affectionately with his, not pulling away.]
I adore you. [The word is used very precisely, the same ones she said to him. There's nothing to be pushed off of this time, so the sentiment stays instead. He never got to use the words or echo them at her, his feelings suppressed so skillfully. But he's done with it. He gently kisses her again to seal it to them. She doesn't need to say it again. She only needs to know where he's at.]
[ Kissing is recoverable. If they get more intimate... well, that could cause some problems if the Big Guy suddenly showed up, but it's not like she hasn't been aware of that from the beginning.
But she's not overly worried about that at the moment, not when he's so calm and relaxed and clearly enjoying himself. And this contentment is easy to immerse in, as she curves into the wrap of his arms around her. It feels... perfect. Laughing softly, she nuzzles back against him.
Her eyes lift to his, however, at his words. Her words, actually, offered back to her, all this time later. Her dimples deepen for a moment as she pulls back enough to search his face. ]
You remember...
[ Maybe that shouldn't surprise her, but in a way, it does. ]
[For the first time in a long time he wants to try. It might stall a few times, if only for his hang-ups and anxieties, but if she is willing to be patient ... it could happen. He also can't deny that knowing there is someone he and the Hulk can trust to be with will be a giant relief when it comes to this place and its control over people. If she wants him the way she seems to, if she can accept him for who and what he is, he'll have a refuge to come to, a safe place and a welcoming embrace. He feels hope. Also, well, excitement and desire and a touch of giddiness.
He loves her laugh and the soft intimacy of their little touches. He breathes in her air and starts trailing kisses on her cheek and draw, finding contentment in this bit of freedom. Bruce doesn't know how much he'll be allowed, but this is a request for it. One arm stays around her while the other moves up her back and through her hair. She's so close. He could see every eyelash if he looked closely enough.
He raises an eyebrow at her, surprised she didn't know that moment between them was seared onto his mind forever.]
You said I adore you, kissed me, and pushed me off a cliff. [Dryly.] Not something I'd forget. [The last thing he remembered, before coming back to himself on Sakaar.] I thought I would never get to kiss you again. I accepted I might adore you in secret from then on. [Color flushes into his face but he stays firm, close, open to her in a way he was closed before.] I know five years in the future I would feel the same. Those feelings don't go away, not for me.
[It's so focused and eternally loyal of him, but true. He still loves Betty with everything in him, albeit from a respectful distance since she moved on with her life. Just as he kept his distance from Nat.] I don't expect the same. I just never got to tell you the truth.
To be fair, I expected the cliff part to be the more memorable for you in that instance, but maybe I'm underestimating my charms.
[ Her tone is equally dry as she drops her gaze - the movement almost apologetic, in its own way. She doesn't regret that action - she'd been right and she would stand her ground on that - but the cost had been higher than she'd wished for.
Lifting her gaze again, she watches his face as he talks, her hand sliding to cup warmly against his cheek. ]
You don't have to make excuses you know. In case I was being too subtle, I still adore you, too.
[ That hadn't changed, not in all the years he'd been missing, and then the five since the Snap. Although things had been different back home. he'd left - again - instead of seeking her out. But they'd all been so broken down by regrets and grief... maybe it wouldn't have worked anyway? This place, though...
[Bruce laughs quietly, shaking his head.] Nat, you could have stabbed me in the heart, and I'd still remember the kiss first and foremost. [It was the only one he thought he'd ever get, and that moment of passion was something he could have lived within for eternity given the chance.
He doesn't want or need her to apologize. He agrees with her. It was the right thing to do. Running away is what he does best and it was his instinct, but he was reverting to his old self, not sticking with his personal growth since joining the Avengers. It did come at a high personal cost. The Hulk took over for years because of it, but he still would not put that on her shoulders.
Despite the kissing and their closeness, he still is surprised when she says it is mutual. He knows the affection is mutual, that she still wants him for some reason, she's been clear about that. But the depth her feelings and that it hasn't changed in all these years? It awes him. He smiles wider than usual and looks at her with all of his feelings plain on his face and gaze, but it fades as quickly as it comes.]
I'm, um, not sure ... how much I can offer yet. He's been quiet so far, but I haven't tried .... [This is a point of nerves for him. He hasn't had reason to talk about it, but it came up a few times here, with people checking in about him and the Hulk. Bruce's answer is that he doesn't know. This is the first time he wants to know, and this conversation is awkward, and a bit presumptuous, but it feels necessary too. They're adults.] I want to try, um, carefully, with your safety in mind. [He has the most beautiful woman in the world kissing him.] It might require some patience. If that's not a deal breaker? [He really hopes not.]
[ She leans in, kisses him again. It's still gentle, but there's more of a note of playfulness this time as she peers up at him and smiles, warm and open and content. ]
We can experiment. I hear you science types like doing that, right?
[ Her hand still cupping against his cheek, she steals another kiss before continuing. ] Bruce, I'm not afraid of the Big Guy anymore. I haven't been for a long time. This isn't a deal breaker, it's part of who you are. Trust me when I say I'm okay with that. We can find out what you can do and maybe we can find out what his deal is at the same time.
[One of the struggles Bruce went through when this first came up between them was the reality that he wasn't sure he could even be a full partner for her. Not in the way he felt she deserved. He understands rationally that sex isn't everything, and she knew his limitations, but it still was a pain point of his. Another thing the Hulk took from him and made complicated so he couldn't have what he wanted.
He didn't realize part of that insecurity was still there until she reassured him. He takes both kisses and lets the surety she means them wash over him, pushing down his anxieties.] I really don't deserve you. [He brushes his fingers through her hair and looks into her eyes. He is ready to stop letting anything hold him back. She can make her own decisions and she chose this.]
I don't mean to be presumptuous about sex, we're only kissing, but I don't want miscommunication to get in the middle of us again. [He kisses her softly, nuzzling her nose after.] Also, I'm not sure you know this, but you are incredibly attractive. [Teasing now; of course she knows that.] I love everything about you, but wanting you is very easy.
[ She gives a soft laugh at that, just a whispered breath of one, and ducks her head a little, almost as if she hadn't been expecting that from him. Of course she knows what she looks like - she's honed every aspect of herself into a weapon for far too long, after all.
But there's still something in hearing those words from him that makes her stomach flutter in a way it never has before. A nervous sort of pleasure, giddy and flattered. It's ridiculous, but she's feeling it anyway. Maybe he's not the only one who can still be flustered by this... whatever this is.
Instead of voicing that, however, she just leans up to steal one more kiss, nuzzling in against him in return. ]
It's not presumptuous. It's... [ She pauses, humming softly as she playfully searches for the right words. ] ...keeping our options open? Maybe wide open in this case, since it may be that we can do whatever we want in this place. It certainly seems designed for it, after all.
[Bruce knows how attractive people are, especially the people around him, but that doesn't mean he's attracted to them. He was aware that Natasha was pretty, but he was already in a paranoid state of being, assuming they sent her thinking he would bend easier to a pretty woman, which wasn't the case. His feelings for her came later and by the time he realized that he longed for more reasons to talk to her, she went from aesthetically appealing to stunningly beautiful in his eyes.
They are too old and too weathered to find so much giddy warmth inside of them for something new and precious, and yet here they are. Thrilled and keyed into one another as the start of something is in front of them. Bruce nods and loves how close they are, how he can feel her warmth all along the side of his body and from their stolen kisses.]
Things have changed with the Hulk. He used to overreact to a faster pulse, thinking it was always danger. I had plenty of fast pulse moments later on and he didn't react. [When Ultron first attacked them, for example, or all their other heated moments. Bruce was in more control than ever before, and it helped that the Hulk rationally understood certain people were not a danger to them.] He also likes and trusts you. It makes a difference.
[Bruce sighs.] I just ... want to believe it's possible for us. [He wants to make love to her. He wants all those intimacies that he's purposely forgotten from his time with Betty. He wants to wake up with Nat beside him and to share that shower she joked about at Clint's house.]
[ She cups his face with both her hands this time before leaning in to kiss him again - deeper this time. Long and lingering and full of her own longing. When she pulls back, it's just because she needed air, and it's only as far to rest her forehead against his. Meeting his gaze again, she rests there, panting softly. ]
We'll figure it out, Bruce. Don't rule it out yet. We'll find our own way. Yeah?
[That kiss definitely purges his mind of most concerns. Bruce can only return it with a soft sound that might be the verge of a moan and he is a little out of breath when she stops.]
Yeah. [He laughs.] This is good. Let's do more of this. [It's been a long time since he kissed someone with no real goal other than enjoying it, and that's something they both deserve. Bruce draws her in and puts his energy from overthinking into distracting them both for awhile.]
[ There's something in that statement that sends cold chills all the way down her spine and she stills for one tell-tale moment before shaking her head in confusion, pressing for more information here. ]
What are... is... the Buried? That's not a term I'm familiar with. Except in the normal sense.
[ She's got a feeling, all of a sudden, this isn't a conversation she wants to be having. ]
It isn't a monster. Although it creates monsters? Has things that serve it. It's not something that can exist inside physical reality so it just... pokes bits in as it can.
So... supernatural coffin. You open it, there are stairs inside which go down for a long way until you're trapped in the dirt, crushed and helpless. Undying. Forever.
[ And here she thought a claustrophobia monster had been bad enough. This? This was infinitely worse.
She makes a face of distaste. ]
Welp, that sounds even worse. Congratulations. That didn't need to be outdone, but here we are. Did someone actually... create that or is that just an unfortunate thing that's always Been There?
[ She doesn't think she trusts you at all, actually. But then again, she only met you five minutes ago. Give her another decade or so. She'll get back to you.
At his clarification, she just cocks her head to the side, considering that. ]
That's different from 'created'?
[ She senses there's a nuance here she's missing. ]
[So cruel. Jon is the most trustworthy person. Really. He saved the world Natasha!]
Well, no-one made the coffin. It looks like wood, feels like it. But I don't think someone sat down and made it. It's just a part of the entity, like a limb, pushed into the world.
It's difficult to say since they are literally the manifestation of fear, but generally they're divided into fourteen entities. They kind... blur into each other. Like a colour spectrum.
[ She tucks her hands into her pockets as she shifts and takes in that information. ]
Manifestations of fear. And they just... exist, unchallenged? Your world sounds very... [ She pauses, looking for a tactful word before just giving up with a shrug. ] No offense, that sounds pretty horrifying.
You can't fight an entity that doesn't exist in reality and is literally the manifestation of fear. People aren't going to stop being afraid of the dark, or of death or of... rot and infection.
That's one way of putting it. The attack by living worm hives and stopping world-ending rituals came as a surprise. I'd expected more of an... office job.
[ She abruptly coughs on a laugh, looking bemused despite his chagrin. She wonders if he's met Bruce yet. The sentiment sounds very familiar, at least. ]
[ She inclines her head slightly at his answer, absorbing that and rolling with it. It's about what she expected from him. She falls into step with him again as he starts moving. ]
And what are our real goals here, exactly?
[ She didn't miss the fact that you avoided her question there, Steve. Nice evasion, but she's not going to give up on that so easily either. But approach from a different direction. As she works her way back around to it.
In the meantime, there's... all of that. Yeah.
She grimaces a moment, looking off to the side, losing herself a moment in examining their surroundings as she follows him. ]
No. A lot of people didn't. And those of us that did...
[ She trails off, her voice quiet, but there's something in her tone that she knows he'll be able to read, even without her saying the words. ]
[ Steve feels as if their goals should be obvious, but Natasha is still new to all this, and also coming in from what sounds like a difficult time. Even now, having heard as much as he has about the snap and its aftermath, it's hard to imagine that level of loss. To think about what it might do to a person. To him, to her. Natasha can't even put it into words.
She's at least implied that she's one of the ones who survived. Slowly but surely, Steve's getting a clearer picture of his future. ]
Weren't in good shape? Yeah, I wouldn't think so.
[ He keeps up a steady pace so that they can reach his apartment building. Thor, Tony, and Bruce also have rooms here, but Steve doesn't know if Natasha is going to want to join them. It's not always a good thing to be so close to your current or past teammates.
As he uses his wrist device to unlock the front door, he glances back to Natasha with a grim yet determined look on his face. ]
Our goal is to get back home. And to figure out how to stop Thanos either before the snap, or to undo what he did.
[ She's new here, but also she wanted to make sure, because this time... she's not sure her goals align fully with his. Not that that hasn't happened before but... it's been a while. Then again, while she can agree to helping the others get home - they're so very much needed there, after all - she's already had to start thinking about the possibilities of how long she can stay here. If that's even a possibility. It's not home, but...
It's somewhere.
She continues following him, glad he's taken charge with such a purposeful stride, focused on their goal and therefore missing the momentary flicker in her expression. When he glances back with his own determined look, her expression is completely composed and all business once more. ]
Well. I have... sort-of good news for you, then? Although it's going to sound completely ridiculous to you. Mostly because I've lived it, and it still sounds completely ridiculous to me.
[ Given that just about everything that Steve has heard about the state of the world post-snap has been terrible, he's not expecting Natasha to have some actual good news for him. It's wrapped up in a thick layer of caveats, but at this point he'll take what he can get. ]
I mean... I think ridiculous is kind of our way of life, at this point.
[ Steve had to accept that when he woke up in the future and his first big fight was against an alien army. To say nothing of the flying helicarrier.
He doesn't push Natasha on it further until they take the elevator ride up to the floor his apartment's on, followed by the quick walk down to his front door. He opens it up, waving her inside. She'll find that his place here is just as neat as the apartments he'd kept back home, though with less of a personal flair. A lot of the furniture and decorations he's kept the same as the first day he claimed it.
After inviting Natasha to take a seat in the living area, Steve heads for the kitchen to grab them some drinks. ]
[ She follows him into his new place, glancing around to take in the setting. it was very Steve. And yet somehow less, too. It was clear he hasn't put much effort into the place, other than keeping it tidy. But of course not. This wasn't a home for him.
Still, she makes herself comfortable on his couch, letting him play host as she tucks her hands under her legs and tries to figure out where to start. And how much she should tell him. ]
You remember Scott Lang? That guy that got really big at the airport? Friend of Sam's, I think you said.
It'd be hard to forget him when I got him thrown into the Raft.
[ Steve attempts to keep his tone neutral as he speaks the words, but Natasha will be well aware of the guilt he carries for those consequences, enacted on not just Scott, but Clint, Wanda, and Sam too. Scott had a family and he'd still put it all on the line because Captain America asked.
Steve doesn't have much in the way of refreshments, so he pours them both a glass of water and then walks over to join Natasha on the couch, handing her one of the cups as he sits. ]
[ Of course that would make him stand out to Steve. She should have realized. But that fact had slipped her mind, actually. She'd almost forgotten about the fact, since he'd been out on probation like Clint before the Snap - unlike Sam and Wands who had come into hiding with them. It made sense. They had families back home waiting for them, whereas the rest of them...
She shakes her head, pushing away from those thoughts and focusing on the explanation at hand. ]
Well. We thought we lost him in the Snap. He'd vanished without a trace, just like everyone else, so it was just assumed he was one of the casualties as well. Apparently that was a mistake and he'd actually been in the middle of an experiment with Dr. Pym - the one who made his suit. Something about exploring subatomic space and bring shrunk down to new extremes. Except the Pyms were lost in the Snap, so there was no one to pull him back out of that spacial experiment until he figured out how to do it on his own. But apparently, once he returned, it had only been about five hours for him, not the five years we'd experienced.
....So all this led to his crazy idea that if we could navigate that subatomic space and choose where we went in and where we went out, we could... time travel.
[ Her voice is rather dry as she completes that sentence because she still can't believe that had been their only remaining solution. Even if it had worked. Probably. ]
[ It's a drawn out explanation, some of it dealing with science and concepts that Steve hasn't had to contend with before now, but he's also used to that. Natasha is good at boiling it down to the most important details rather than over-explaining, so he's able to follow along with what she says.
And, well, the idea of time travel is definitely a bizarre one, but there's something else she said that he's tripped up on, which he needs clarified first and foremost.
He stares at Natasha, studying her face yet again as he holds his glass of water in front of him, almost suspended in place. There's the tiredness in her eyes, an extra couple of lines around her mouth... ]
It's been five years for you? Five years since the snap?
[ He'd guessed she was from the future, but not that far. ]
[ She pauses, reassess what she'd explained, and then sighs at her own slip. Lifting a hand, she wiggles her fingers in vague explanation and also apology. ]
Yeah, give or take a few months. I guess I should take that as a compliment, that I don't look as aged as I feel some days.
[ Five years? Steve can't begin to imagine what Natasha has been through in that span of time. It's one year longer than he's even been living in the modern day, and his head can't stop spinning with the revelation.
Not only has it been five years, but those five years have passed with half of Earth's population gone. Natasha has had to live with that failure every single one of those days. ]
I can't imagine what you've been through. [ There's a pause, and Steve leans forward to set his glass of water down on the coffee table. ] Obviously. That whole time -- you were looking for a way to fix it, weren't you?
[ He knows Natasha enough to guess at that much. ]
[ She looks down at her hands, fingers lacing around the glass he'd given her. ]
Sometimes. We... After the Snap, we did track down Thanos. But we were too late. Again. He'd used the Gauntlet a second time - he knew we'd come for him. For the Stones. So he used the Stones to destroy the Stones. There was nothing left when we reached him. Thor struck him down, but... it was hollow. We couldn't reverse what he'd done. We had no choice but to live in the world he'd created.
It all fell apart. Us. The team. The whole world. A few of us still tried, but... [ She looks up to meet his gaze, a wry smile twisting across her lips, but the expression doesn't reach her eyes. Instead, there's a tiredness there. A resignation not even Lang's crazy plan had been entirely able to shake loose. Maybe nothing ever will, now. ]
Mostly, we had our hands full just trying to keep what was left from falling apart, too.
[ It's a more in-depth version of the story that Bruce had told him. Dr. Banner had left out a number of the details, although now Steve can understand why that was. It had been an act of protection for those among their number who hadn't yet experienced it for themselves. A kind act, but one that was unnecessary for someone like Steve, who always preferred to know where he stood.
Or where he would stand, in this case.
Natasha's expression isn't completely broken, but it is worn down in a way he's never seen her before. If they're relying on time travel to fix things, that shows just how desperate they'd become. Of course Steve wants to know what his role in all of this had been, and maybe he'll ask that of her eventually, but there's a more important question that he needs cleared up first.
He fixes Natasha with a look that might as well bore right through her. He needs her to be honest with him. He knows she will be. ]
[ It's more or less the answer that Steve wanted to hear, and while it isn't an exact confirmation, he realizes that Natasha can't give him that. Not if she'd been pulled here when they were still in the middle of carrying out the plan. That's the best he can get for now, and he isn't going to begrudge that for a second. ]
Yeah, good point. Well, strange as it all might sound, I'd accept pretty much any option if it would bring everyone back.
[ Chances are that they've already had this conversation from Natasha's end, and he'd rather not retread too much ground, especially since she's likely had to explain this to others already. ]
It's more hope than any of his here had until now, so... [ He dips his head down for a moment, hiding a small smile. ] Thanks.
[ Not that it solves the more immediate problem of them all being trapped here, but it is some kind of weight off his shoulders. ]
[ She relaxes at the sight of that smile, even though there are still important things she left out. But the fact that he took encouragement from what she could share... that that hope was still there to be rekindled. That was enough for her. ]
You're welcome. I know it's not as much as some here are going to want to know. And if Tony and Bruce start babbling science questions at me... they're going to be really disappointed in my answers. I only understood about every third word in most of the explanations, and the rest of the team spent the time arguing about which pop culture movie got the time travel right. Apparently Back to the Future did not. Most of them felt very betrayed.
[ Her voice is dry as she relates these moments she does remember for him, letting him know that the team does come back together - what's left of them. That the old camaraderie isn't gone. It can still be salvaged. It's another little piece of hope she can offer, one she hopes will bolster the rest here who are still mired back in the division they'd all struggled with before Thanos. ]
Well, you don't have to worry too much about that from my end.
[ Steve's positive that Tony will at least try to wring every ounce of detail from Natasha that he can once he catches wind of all of this. He doesn't envy Natasha that conversation, though he's also sure that she can handle Tony with ease. She always has, come to think of it.
It is nice to get some tiny glimpse of what the future holds for the team, a promise that they come back together, even when losing half of their number. Of course he wants to know more. Who else was there? Who wasn't? He has a few names that have been confirmed already on either side, but getting an entire list is something that he knows will exhaust both of them. It's not fair to Natasha for him to ask, not when she's been mourning those people for five years now. ]
So, Tony and I. [ He takes a quick sip of water, though chances are that Natasha can already guess at his question. He doesn't look at her as he asks. ] We found some way to reconcile?
[ It's starting to get better here on Prismatica, though they've also been forced to forge that truce because of the circumstances. How long had it taken back home? ]
[ She takes a long moment to think about her answer for that before inclining her head and meeting his gaze. ]
Eventually. Once you two had a common goal to work towards together again. Tony... his loss against Thanos up there... it changed him. He walked away when he got back and I'm not sure he ever looked back until we showed up on his doorstep with Lang's crazy theory. And even then, he had to work around the problem on his own before coming back to join in.
[ Steve finds that Natasha's answer doesn't surprise him that much. Feeling responsible for what Thanos did, losing Peter and then almost dying out in the vacuum of space, that would screw with anyone's head.
Of course it was a common goal that brought them back together. That's what had happened here, too. ]
Well, I guess he did always threaten to retire. Figures that losing half the universe would be the final straw.
[ He keeps his gaze on Natasha, studying her features with a close eye. ]
You didn't ever throw in the towel, though, it sounds like.
[ She gives him a lopsided grin - one she feels like she's been giving him for ages now. It almost feels like deja vu, that last day he'd come to her, before Lang showed up on their doorstep. When they'd talked about moving on. Something neither one of them had ever managed to do.
It would take them both a lot longer than five years to accomplish that. ]
You know me. I'm really bad at knowing when to quit. Kinda like someone else I know.
[ Natasha isn't making any effort to mask the fact that she's calling him out, but she's always been good at telling him how it is without much in the way of fluff or hedging. It's part of why Steve had grown comfortable with her so quickly compared to some of his other teammates. He smiles wryly and bows his head, shaking it slowly.
Her words do serve to tell Steve at least a little about what his role in the future is going to be. There are a lot of blanks still left to be filled in, but he doesn't want to bombard Natasha with questions either. ]
I'm guessing you're still adjusting to this place. If there's any questions you still haven't gotten answered, I can try to help.
I'm also guessing you're making lists of questions in your head even now of things you want to know, but you're trying to take it easy on me.
[ She's still sounding very amused as she gives him a crooked smile. Leaning forward, she rests her elbows on her knees and cocks her head to the side to study him. ]
Works for me. I've asked you a lot already, so you first.
[ Steve knows that Natasha deals in information more than anything else. It's the most important tool that any spy can have; she taught him that too. That may mean she's already gathered together everything she needs to know, but he still wants to throw out the offer. ]
That she knows about his family drama gives him pause. There's no break in his purposeful stride, but some of the energy seems to leave him none the less. Thor's gaze is more distant all at once, though he takes care in keeping his tone light. ]
So you know about Hela? That saves us some time. [ He must have gotten to Earth and told her as much, which puts her somewhere after the collection of the space stone. The timeline is still vague in that regard, at least for him. Even Tony only knows so much. ] How much do you know about Thanos?
[ She just shoots him a deadpan look, wry amusement flickering in her gaze. ]
You didn't. But even if you had, I'm not the one on the team that supposedly talks to birds.
[ She sees that shift in his demeanor at the mention of his family, takes note of it, and starts carefully watching her step - just in case.
A nod of her head, in response to his question. ] I do. [ A pause, before she huffs out a breath. ] More than I care to know. I'm... from quite a ways ahead of everyone here, I'm afraid.
You speak to Hawkeye frequently enough. [ He says it as lightly as he can manage, but somehow it falls flat.
He should have known that Natasha would remain composed in the worst of situations. ]
I was traveling back to Earth when I was brought here - some of the others have filled me in what I've... missed. [ He pauses. ] How far ahead? What do you remember?
[ She can tell that he's trying to maintain his humor, but she can also tell that it's fallen away in light of more serious topics. He knows enough of what's to come to drift that way, to the angry god she remembers after the Snap, before he...
She sighs, glancing upwards as she squints at the sky for a moment before answering. ]
[ Five years. Thor stares at her, at the streaks of white in the edges of her hair and the way she holds her shoulders as if against a terrible weight. He steps closer and puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. ]
Let's get that drink.
[ The bar he turns them toward is called The Crow's Nest. It's fairly average, even if the interior has clearly seen better days. There's a definite nautical theme to the appearance, including the jittering hologram depicting a large pair of crows nesting in an alcove above the bar.
He likes it. There are plenty of quiet corners, the staff are neither overly friendly nor attentive, and they give him a discount for the eyepatch he wears. They order generously at the bar and find one of those quiet corners to drink.
Thor hesitates, when they're settled. They've been grilling each other the same way with every new arrival. What do you know? How far did we get? Do you think we have a chance if--? It all seems to go the same way. Natasha, of all people, is probably the most prepared for an impromptu debrief - and from the sounds of things, she's already been through one.
What he says, just this once, is: ] Do you want to talk about it?
[ She clutches the frothy beverage she'd ordered on the bartender's recommendation, eyeing the flagon it comes in with amusement. Leave it to Thor to find such a unique locale, but she can see why he likes it. He probably fits right in here.
Settling into the booth in the quiet corner he'd selected, she takes a moment to test out the beverage while he tries to figure out what he wants to say. Content to remain silent until he does, she savors the flavor of her drink and then arches an eyebrow at where he starts.
Not what she expected, to be honest, but it brings a small smile to her lips. She's missed this Thor. ]
I can. I expected you to have more questions than that, honestly.
[ Thor takes a swallow of his own drink; the stein it comes in is roughly the size of his head. It would be a pitcher, if not for the fact that he's not planning to share it.
I can, she says. Thor meets her gaze with a small nod nods. She knows what she can take, and he has always quietly suspected that Natasha was made stronger than even his hammer. ]
It seems I've nothing but questions, as of late. [ It's ironic - there was a time when he had even called upon the Norns for some glimpse of the future. Now, there are so many people willing to lay it out before him, it's difficult not to feel powerless - as if he's simply been unmoored from time, and it has long moved on without him. ]
[ Like she'd wait for him to share. If she wanted some, she could help herself. Besides, hers is plenty big as it is.
Instead, she gives him time to sort through his thoughts, waiting for him to decide where to start. Even if she knows where it will be. Where it will be for all of them. She recalls that conversation with Steve, before Lang had shown up. About moving on, and those of them that just... couldn't.
Her especially. But she knows this team. What they mean to one another. What they are willing to do. So she has an easy answer ready for his question when it comes. Even though from the serious note in her tone, he would be able to hear the answer is not all he hopes. ]
We did. You did, actually. Cleaved his head right off his shoulders. But... [ She stares down at her ale, knowing this part will be the most painful for him to hear. ] But we were too late. It took us too long to find him, and then to reach him. He knew we'd be coming for him. For the Stones. So he used them again - to destroy them. To make sure no one would ever be able to gather and use them again. When we found him... it had almost destroyed him in the process, using it twice, but he'd done it.
[ He remembers the promise he made to Valkyrie, to the people who died, to his brother - though Loki cannot know it, and will not know it. He will kill Thanos. Destiny has ordained it so, and that should bring him some comfort even for the briefest moment.
Instead, Natasha's words sink into him like a knife, and he knows he's suspended in that moment before the pain, before the blood, before he has registered the inevitability of the wound.
He had expected that Thanos would fight for the stones, that there would be a battle, a victory narrowly won from the jaws of defeat. He had always expected that the stones would continue to exist, and that he would wield them long enough to undo all of the horror. He'd held that belief for all of his time here. In return, it had held him together. ]
No, that's not... [ His drink clatters to the table loudly enough to turn heads. He barely registers the alcohol splashed over the sides, the stein only barely saved from tipping. ] What are you saying?
[ She inwardly curses at his reaction, but there had been no way to beat around that particular bush, and she doubted Thor would thank her if she did. Instead, she just reaches out to lay her hand on his arm, maintaining eye contact.
...Not all that different in how she reacted to an agitated Hulk, when she thinks about it. ]
I'm saying that Thanos destroyed the Stones... and for a long time, we thought we lost. That it was over. But that's not the case.
[ Because she won't let him sink back into that same hopelessness again, not if she can help it. ]
[ He struggles for composure, but it isn't until Natasha lays her hand on his arm that he seems to manage it. He's still tense, he holds her gaze as if all of his remaining strength resides in her.
He takes a breath. ]
I don't understand. What hope is there without the Stones?
[ She makes a face, because explaining science is hard enough, but taking science she barely understands and then translating into Asgardian space magic is a little out of her area of expertise. ]
So there was this scientist on earth who experimented with shrinking someone down to a subatomic level and.... look, he got made really really small and wherever he ended up, he found out that time moved differently there. So when he popped back into the real world, he'd only had five hours pass when it had been five years for the rest of us. Taking that, he ran with the idea that if we could find a way to navigate that realm, we could choose the time and place of our exit.
Meaning... [ She lifts a hand to wave it around and gesture at, well. Everything, because this still sounded utterly ridiculous to her. ] We figured out where and when we'd encountered each of the Stones in our past... and then went back to retrieve them to fix our present.
His answer gets a curious look from her, though, and she pauses her hunting through the racks to glance over at him. ]
You're a photographer? Or is that just part of what you do here?
And yes, I'm rather new. Arrived this morning, in fact. here, at least. We had a bit of a... lengthy transport down, apparently. Space jellyfish seemed determined to interrupt our trip.
[ She hums as she thinks over the difference in terminology. ]
Mercenaries would be close, except that their services can be bought - and, following that logic, so could their loyalties - for however temporarily. That wouldn't fly with our group, however. Some of them are a pretty straightforward bunch. As for who we guard... those who need it, those who can't do it themselves. The planet as a whole, mostly. We came together as a group originally to... to tackle the problems no one else could, the dangers most people wouldn't be able to face on their own.
[ At the sound of his wistful tone, she slides her hand out beside her, along the rock ledge she'd found beneath the surface to perch on. ]
There's a length of rock here, just under the water. It's pretty wide and makes for a good bench. I can help you down to perch on it, if you'd like? It keeps the pool from being too deep.
[ Belias looks as if he considers it. The beach always felt good at home, and the few times the Commander could bring him there with his daughter, he actually felt like his worries were all but gone and that everything was peaceful again. He could use that right now. ]
... are you certain? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.
[ There's an ease to the way he does just that without balking speaks to the possibility that he either regularly relies on others - or (and?) that he just does not care about being a Big Strong Man. He does seem a little cautious, but that seems more because he wants to be situated correctly and not be in danger of slipping. ]
Thank you. Ah... [ He exhales in relief. ] That does feel good.
Comfortable? [ She takes a moment to make sure he's settled before sinking back down on the ledge herself and casting him a crooked smile as she sinks down into the heated pool. ] It does. I needed this more than I realized.
[ It's not a five-star spa, but at the moment? She wouldn't trade it for anything. ]
[ She pauses at that, rolling her head to the side a moment to study him where he's relaxing. her own expression is mildly curious, but careful not to show too much. Just in case. ]
[ Better to keep her tone light as she counters the question, glancing over to study Wanda's face. Sarcasm makes for a great evasion technique. ]
I'm in another dimension that has space jellyfish and hormonal rabbits and god knows what else. I feel like I'm going to be playing catch-up for a while.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
TDM - Bruce (cont)
Re: TDM - Bruce (cont)
It hadn't worked. And that's the last they'd heard from him in years, even though she'd searched. But Bruce was excellent at vanishing when he wanted to. And this time, she'd suspected, he'd been hiding from her.
To know that it was that same message that finally got through to him all that time later...
She ducks her head for a moment, lips twitching in a ghost of a smile before she leans forward and reaches for his hand, giving it a light tug before shifting to the side on his couch, making more room. ]
Come here.
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He doesn't want to be lost in those thoughts, he wants to focus on her. He hesitates only a moment before setting his drink aside and moving down to sit next to her. This is the kind of affection he secretly wanted from her for long before he realized that there were feelings involved. He felt safe with her. Bruce isn't always aware of his own feelings, so it was startling the first time he thought about her as anything other than a friend. He then decided it didn't matter, as she would never return them, and he couldn't do anything about it.
They lost so much time and their chance together, or so he thought, and he still is uncertain. But if she wants to be close to him, that he is happy to provide. He tentatively puts an arm around her, like a shy teenager might in a movie theater.]
Nat, I want you to know .... [Bruce keeps her hand, lacing their fingers together. The moonlacing is strong between them at the moment.] If I did crash land somewhere on Earth, I would have contacted you. I wouldn't have let all of you stay in the dark, even if I didn't come back.
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I know. I know you wouldn't have. I wouldn't have blamed you if that's what you needed to do, though.
[ She glances down at how their hands are locked together, fingers entwined. ]
I would have understood any steps you needed to take to be able to walk away. It gets harder, after a while, doesn't it?
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[Bruce was happy for the first time since the Hulk. He had a home and friends and a lab. He felt like he was living again, and wanted to keep on living. For the first few months he was skittish and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for them to push him away or get tired of dealing with the danger of his presence, but he eventually got comfortable. And then he lost all of it. He sighs and runs his thumb on the side of her hand.]
I didn't want to bring trouble on all of you. After Johannesburg and Ultron, continued association with the Hulk and I would hurt the Avengers' public image, more so than it already did.
[It is all very rational but stems from a place of deep emotion and fear. He loves his friends and he couldn't see any other way to protect them than to disappear.]
It would have been wrong, you coming with me. [He swallows, looking away.] That wasn't the life you deserved. [On the run, unable to help their friends again. But he was weak and when she offered, he wanted it, selfishly. He made a lot of bad decisions during Ultron.]
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I think we damaged the Avengers' public image pretty thoroughly on our own. I'm pretty sure your presence wouldn't have actually made things worse at that point. We're a magnet for trouble, Bruce. Every single one of us. At least as a team, we're a little better equipped to tackle those problems when they crop up out of nowhere. [ A pause, before she wrinkles her nose in a wry grimace. ] Well. Most of the time.
[ As for the rest of it... well. they'd all made some bad decisions during Ultron, hadn't they? She wishes those bad decisions had ended there, and not continued on to the struggles that had followed. They'd only made worse decisions then. ]
That wasn't the life you deserved, either.
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He's able to look at her the way he wants when she stares up at the ceiling. He allows himself a moment to simply appreciate her. His visible admiration of her was always done quietly and subtly in the past, and he doesn't want to be accused of staring, but he is being indulgent for this one moment. He snaps himself out of it and shrugs, glancing away.]
Well it sure beat being stuck in the Hulk, but ... you know me. Deserve is not something I feel qualified to estimate for myself.
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Then trust me to estimate a little, hmm? You deserve more than that, Bruce. Maybe we all do.
[ A pause, before her voice drops to a quieter tone, thoughtful. And somehow... determined? ]
Finding our way back to that family again... or as close as we can get to it. It's not impossible. That would be good to have again.
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He reaches out to cup the face he admired, caressing her cheek with his thumb.] Maybe it's possible. [He agrees quietly.] I'm not usually the optimist, but I don't think we're broken for good. [If he means the team or Steve and Tony or the two of them, it could mean all or none.]
All this touching, just so you know, is going to feed us for at least a week. I might be able to get a new pair of shoes even. [Bruce is teasing while also speaking the truth, curling her hair behind her ear. He's been getting by barely with Chroma, but a few hours with her and he feels flush with it. Or maybe that's just her, making him feel that way.]
I'm hoping to scientifically get to the bottom of how this is happening. Why it works. [He isn't going to accept it's magic just yet. Bruce darlingly leans in to kiss the cheek he has been touching, making it quick, like he's still expecting it to cross lines despite her doing it first.] It, uh, heals people too, apparently. [He mumbles, unnecessarily shy.]
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[ He leans in to kiss her cheek, and she's actually a little surprised at the movement, even if she'd done the same a moment before. But that's often how it had been with them, hadn't it? Her daring to dance a few steps forward and then waiting to see if he would meet her halfway or dance backward and away. Sometimes she didn't know the outcome - sometimes she wasn't sure he knew the outcome. But this... this was nice. ]
Does it? [ Amusement flits across her face at the mention that this can heal, along with everything else. She curls a little closer to him, setting her wine aside for the time being. ] Does that mean you are that kind of doctor now?
[ She doesn't even bat an eyelash that he won't accept the "it's magic" theory. She suspects Tony will be doing the same. Hell, so might she - even if she has seen things that she's not sure science will ever be able to explain. ]
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And let's face it. [He says very dryly.] There's only two people who we need to convince. I'm pretty sure the rest of us are on the same page. [Tony and Steve aren't there, all right? He can pin the nail on the head.
Bruce is more accustomed to dancing backward or rather fumbling backward, his list of reasons why not long enough to stack between the two of them. But so much has happened since then, for both of them. It's been years. It's been multiple traumas. Isn't there a point where they deserve this? There's no where to run at the moment and he doesn't want to. He wants to be right here and she does too. ]
This is more useful than actual medicine here, so I guess this is definitely the type of doctor I am. [Is he going to resent that just a tad? Probably. But he is better at compartmentalizing, and seeing touch as healing is an easy angle.] I can be any kind of doctor you want. [He tries hard to make that sound flirty and he makes a face. Fail, Banner.] That did not sound good at all out loud.
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[ Her lips quirk at his dry tone, because she's not about to let those two stand in her way. She never has before, why start now?
And then he tries to be smooth in his flirting and just...
Natasha starts laughing - a choked attempt to stifle it before just giving up and letting herself dissolve into mirth, leaning her forehead against his shoulder as she shakes with laughter. ]
It was a valiant attempt. I appreciate the effort. I feel like I should be offering some kinky fantasies here as a comeback but I think you might melt right through the floor if I tried.
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Flirting is not a skill he's had to work at, and if anything this failure should teach him not to try, but he likes seeing her laugh. He likes making her laugh. She could use it, after all she's been through, and if him being ridiculous gets her there, it's worth the embarrassment.]
That's probably a good call, although I think it would be fun for you. You might get me to blush so hard I pass out.
[He smiles bashfully and kisses the top of her hair where it rests on his shoulder.]
You're the one who likes dorks who can't flirt, so this is your fault.
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Mmmm. Just the one dork, really.
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You've got lousy taste in men, kid. [He echoes, from that flirty moment at the bar when he thought for a moment maybe his life was taking a good turn.] Me, I have great taste. I fell for this woman who is amazing in every possible way. [Bruce settles his head briefly on top of hers.] Smart, funny, strong, empathic, accepting, beautiful. Sure, most of the time she's laughing at me, but I don't mind that.
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Mmmm. Sounds fake. I still think she's the lucky one.
[ She can't help but smile at his callback, though. Remembering that night, before it had all gone sideways. Ah, if only they could have frozen time there for a while...
Maybe that was why she was beginning to think this place really might be a gift. ]
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Maybe we both were lucky. Or really unlucky with timing.
[It's amazing how she makes him feel both thrilled and relaxed at the same time. Warm and calm.]
Do you think .... [He hesitates, even with them being this comfortable with each other, even with the certainty that Natasha wouldn't be here if it wasn't what she wanted. With their flirting and dancing around the subject, while addressing it, being more direct could throw things off. But Bruce feels like he doesn't want another few years of question marks at this point.] That the window is closed or that it could be opened again? [She asked him once, if they missed their window, and until now he thought it was slammed shut and locked multiple times.] Sometime. Maybe.
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Oh, how she wishes.
His words float through her memory now, haunting her. We don't always get what we want. She hates that he'd been right. Again.
But he doesn't know that. She can't tell him that. Not yet. She's not ready. not ready for any of them to know. It's already affecting how Clint's treating her - she can see it every time he looks at her. She can't yet bear to see that mirrored in Bruce's eyes. In Steve's. In the others.
So she pulls out every bit of acting skill she possesses to tip her head back and smile at him, letting it warm her eyes. Focusing instead on the here and now. ]
No time like the present to find out, hmm?
[ Especially when it's all she has. ]
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He doesn't move and waits for her to process. Because she is so very good at what she does, and because he is worried about seeing a different reaction so he wouldn't be able to observe what's going on in her otherwise, he doesn't see anything she doesn't want him to.
He believes her. Bruce smiles back, relieved. Also more than a little shocked now that he got an affirmative, because does he deserve something so good? Deserve is always something he struggles with. But his heart pounds and he feels a light-headed and he is slightly giddy. That all shows because his face is open, so she can see her deception works. His head lifts to touch her cheek, looking back down at her. Caught in this moment.]
Is it ... out of line if I kissed you right now?
[Despite everything he asks permission. The one and only time they kissed was more of a goodbye one than anything but he doesn't want to presume.]
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But right now, in this moment? She just wants to cherish the way he's looking at her, just a little longer. The way his hand feels against her cheek.
Dark lashes flutter against her cheek as she leans into that touch. ]
I can go hunt for an engraved invitation, if that clears the matter up any. [ She shifts slightly, moving in closer, her eyes on him. ] Yes, Bruce. I want you to kiss me.
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He chuckles at the joke and caresses her cheek with his fingers.] I think a yes will suffice.
[She gives him one and he is filled with nerve but the good type. He doesn't hesitate now. Bruce leans down, closing what little space is between them, and kisses her softly. it's as if nothing else about this place matters but her, she is the eye of the storm, the singular thing his world revolves around at the moment. Her lips are soft and while he noticed how the moonlacing made all of their touches stronger, this kiss burns almost immediately.]
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The world doesn't end. The roof doesn't cave in. The apocalypse doesn't trigger.
Maybe they're not as jinxed as they both fear?
She makes a soft sound against his lips, leaning up to meet him. One hand lifts to curl around to the nape of his neck, fingertips brushing through the dark hair there as she holds him close.
It's perfect. ]
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Their one kiss was so fast, desperate on her end since she knew what she had to do and this time he wants it to linger. It's been a long time since he's really gotten to kiss anyone, and he treasures it. Bruce lets the first kiss break but they're still so close and he says to hell with it and kisses her again, this time with more intent and passion.
And the best part about it is that his heart is definitely starting to pick up in speed, but there is no trace of Hulk's curiosity in him he can sense. All he knows is Nat's taste and smell and the feel of her long hair when his fingers run through it.]
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But he doesn't seem concerned, so for the moment, she follows him, letting him control the speed and the pace of this, although she is right there to meet him every step of the way.
She shifts, arms resting against his shoulders as she tips her head up towards him, giving him free rein. Her tongue playfully teases against his lips as she makes a soft hum of enjoyment, thoroughly relishing every stolen moment of this. ]
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And this has nothing to do with the moons at the moment. This is her and him and Bruce finds himself unusually greedy in the face of being allowed to want someone again. At the least he is allowed to kiss the woman who owns his heart without fear and that is a gift. All these years between them and this isn't dead. It's burning back to life again.
His arms wrap around her waist in a close embrace, slightly clumsy in execution because practice is not something he's had in a decade, but he is a quick learner. Bruce hums right back, in agreement and in amusement, only breaking the kiss due to a required few seconds of breathing. Which he's doing shallowly at the moment, nuzzling her nose affectionately with his, not pulling away.]
I adore you. [The word is used very precisely, the same ones she said to him. There's nothing to be pushed off of this time, so the sentiment stays instead. He never got to use the words or echo them at her, his feelings suppressed so skillfully. But he's done with it. He gently kisses her again to seal it to them. She doesn't need to say it again. She only needs to know where he's at.]
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But she's not overly worried about that at the moment, not when he's so calm and relaxed and clearly enjoying himself. And this contentment is easy to immerse in, as she curves into the wrap of his arms around her. It feels... perfect. Laughing softly, she nuzzles back against him.
Her eyes lift to his, however, at his words. Her words, actually, offered back to her, all this time later. Her dimples deepen for a moment as she pulls back enough to search his face. ]
You remember...
[ Maybe that shouldn't surprise her, but in a way, it does. ]
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He loves her laugh and the soft intimacy of their little touches. He breathes in her air and starts trailing kisses on her cheek and draw, finding contentment in this bit of freedom. Bruce doesn't know how much he'll be allowed, but this is a request for it. One arm stays around her while the other moves up her back and through her hair. She's so close. He could see every eyelash if he looked closely enough.
He raises an eyebrow at her, surprised she didn't know that moment between them was seared onto his mind forever.]
You said I adore you, kissed me, and pushed me off a cliff. [Dryly.] Not something I'd forget. [The last thing he remembered, before coming back to himself on Sakaar.] I thought I would never get to kiss you again. I accepted I might adore you in secret from then on. [Color flushes into his face but he stays firm, close, open to her in a way he was closed before.] I know five years in the future I would feel the same. Those feelings don't go away, not for me.
[It's so focused and eternally loyal of him, but true. He still loves Betty with everything in him, albeit from a respectful distance since she moved on with her life. Just as he kept his distance from Nat.] I don't expect the same. I just never got to tell you the truth.
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[ Her tone is equally dry as she drops her gaze - the movement almost apologetic, in its own way. She doesn't regret that action - she'd been right and she would stand her ground on that - but the cost had been higher than she'd wished for.
Lifting her gaze again, she watches his face as he talks, her hand sliding to cup warmly against his cheek. ]
You don't have to make excuses you know. In case I was being too subtle, I still adore you, too.
[ That hadn't changed, not in all the years he'd been missing, and then the five since the Snap. Although things had been different back home. he'd left - again - instead of seeking her out. But they'd all been so broken down by regrets and grief... maybe it wouldn't have worked anyway? This place, though...
She's almost scared to hope. ]
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He doesn't want or need her to apologize. He agrees with her. It was the right thing to do. Running away is what he does best and it was his instinct, but he was reverting to his old self, not sticking with his personal growth since joining the Avengers. It did come at a high personal cost. The Hulk took over for years because of it, but he still would not put that on her shoulders.
Despite the kissing and their closeness, he still is surprised when she says it is mutual. He knows the affection is mutual, that she still wants him for some reason, she's been clear about that. But the depth her feelings and that it hasn't changed in all these years? It awes him. He smiles wider than usual and looks at her with all of his feelings plain on his face and gaze, but it fades as quickly as it comes.]
I'm, um, not sure ... how much I can offer yet. He's been quiet so far, but I haven't tried .... [This is a point of nerves for him. He hasn't had reason to talk about it, but it came up a few times here, with people checking in about him and the Hulk. Bruce's answer is that he doesn't know. This is the first time he wants to know, and this conversation is awkward, and a bit presumptuous, but it feels necessary too. They're adults.] I want to try, um, carefully, with your safety in mind. [He has the most beautiful woman in the world kissing him.] It might require some patience. If that's not a deal breaker? [He really hopes not.]
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We can experiment. I hear you science types like doing that, right?
[ Her hand still cupping against his cheek, she steals another kiss before continuing. ] Bruce, I'm not afraid of the Big Guy anymore. I haven't been for a long time. This isn't a deal breaker, it's part of who you are. Trust me when I say I'm okay with that. We can find out what you can do and maybe we can find out what his deal is at the same time.
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He didn't realize part of that insecurity was still there until she reassured him. He takes both kisses and lets the surety she means them wash over him, pushing down his anxieties.] I really don't deserve you. [He brushes his fingers through her hair and looks into her eyes. He is ready to stop letting anything hold him back. She can make her own decisions and she chose this.]
I don't mean to be presumptuous about sex, we're only kissing, but I don't want miscommunication to get in the middle of us again. [He kisses her softly, nuzzling her nose after.] Also, I'm not sure you know this, but you are incredibly attractive. [Teasing now; of course she knows that.] I love everything about you, but wanting you is very easy.
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But there's still something in hearing those words from him that makes her stomach flutter in a way it never has before. A nervous sort of pleasure, giddy and flattered. It's ridiculous, but she's feeling it anyway. Maybe he's not the only one who can still be flustered by this... whatever this is.
Instead of voicing that, however, she just leans up to steal one more kiss, nuzzling in against him in return. ]
It's not presumptuous. It's... [ She pauses, humming softly as she playfully searches for the right words. ] ...keeping our options open? Maybe wide open in this case, since it may be that we can do whatever we want in this place. It certainly seems designed for it, after all.
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They are too old and too weathered to find so much giddy warmth inside of them for something new and precious, and yet here they are. Thrilled and keyed into one another as the start of something is in front of them. Bruce nods and loves how close they are, how he can feel her warmth all along the side of his body and from their stolen kisses.]
Things have changed with the Hulk. He used to overreact to a faster pulse, thinking it was always danger. I had plenty of fast pulse moments later on and he didn't react. [When Ultron first attacked them, for example, or all their other heated moments. Bruce was in more control than ever before, and it helped that the Hulk rationally understood certain people were not a danger to them.] He also likes and trusts you. It makes a difference.
[Bruce sighs.] I just ... want to believe it's possible for us. [He wants to make love to her. He wants all those intimacies that he's purposely forgotten from his time with Betty. He wants to wake up with Nat beside him and to share that shower she joked about at Clint's house.]
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We'll figure it out, Bruce. Don't rule it out yet. We'll find our own way. Yeah?
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Yeah. [He laughs.] This is good. Let's do more of this. [It's been a long time since he kissed someone with no real goal other than enjoying it, and that's something they both deserve. Bruce draws her in and puts his energy from overthinking into distracting them both for awhile.]
TDM - Jonathan (cont)
Re: TDM - Jonathan (cont)
What are... is... the Buried? That's not a term I'm familiar with. Except in the normal sense.
[ She's got a feeling, all of a sudden, this isn't a conversation she wants to be having. ]
Re: TDM - Jonathan (cont)
The Buried. It's and- an entity. The manifestation of the fear of Too-close-I-cannot-breathe.
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And she clearly doesn't like the sound of this entity. ]
Well, that sounds.... horrible. A walking claustrophobia monster, huh?
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So... supernatural coffin. You open it, there are stairs inside which go down for a long way until you're trapped in the dirt, crushed and helpless. Undying. Forever.
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She makes a face of distaste. ]
Welp, that sounds even worse. Congratulations. That didn't need to be outdone, but here we are. Did someone actually... create that or is that just an unfortunate thing that's always Been There?
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It definitely wasn't pleasant.
I don't think it was really created. Manifested is possibly more accurate.
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At his clarification, she just cocks her head to the side, considering that. ]
That's different from 'created'?
[ She senses there's a nuance here she's missing. ]
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Well, no-one made the coffin. It looks like wood, feels like it. But I don't think someone sat down and made it. It's just a part of the entity, like a limb, pushed into the world.
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Do you have many 'entities' like this, where you come from?
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Manifestations of fear. And they just... exist, unchallenged? Your world sounds very... [ She pauses, looking for a tactful word before just giving up with a shrug. ] No offense, that sounds pretty horrifying.
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Most people don't know anything about them.
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[ She gives him a curious look, wondering how he knows of them. ]
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[And y'know, apparently serve eldritch abominations from outside reality with varying degrees of knowledge and willingness.]
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[ It's not something she's ever heard of, but neither is this manifestation of pure fear. ]
What do you do with this Institute?
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[Which sounds less impressive but is better than 'I am literally a monster and had to stop the apocalypse'.]
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Something happened three years ago?
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Also the previous Head Archivist went missing and was found dead several months later because she'd been murdered.
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Sounds like a dangerous job, despite being an archivist.
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Let me guess. You didn't read the fine print.
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[Not his fault that the contract bound him to the Institute and to the Eye.]
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Okay, so you just didn't see the fine print, then.
[ There's always fine print. ]
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TDM - Steve (cont)
Re: TDM - Steve (cont)
And what are our real goals here, exactly?
[ She didn't miss the fact that you avoided her question there, Steve. Nice evasion, but she's not going to give up on that so easily either. But approach from a different direction. As she works her way back around to it.
In the meantime, there's... all of that. Yeah.
She grimaces a moment, looking off to the side, losing herself a moment in examining their surroundings as she follows him. ]
No. A lot of people didn't. And those of us that did...
[ She trails off, her voice quiet, but there's something in her tone that she knows he'll be able to read, even without her saying the words. ]
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She's at least implied that she's one of the ones who survived. Slowly but surely, Steve's getting a clearer picture of his future. ]
Weren't in good shape? Yeah, I wouldn't think so.
[ He keeps up a steady pace so that they can reach his apartment building. Thor, Tony, and Bruce also have rooms here, but Steve doesn't know if Natasha is going to want to join them. It's not always a good thing to be so close to your current or past teammates.
As he uses his wrist device to unlock the front door, he glances back to Natasha with a grim yet determined look on his face. ]
Our goal is to get back home. And to figure out how to stop Thanos either before the snap, or to undo what he did.
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It's somewhere.
She continues following him, glad he's taken charge with such a purposeful stride, focused on their goal and therefore missing the momentary flicker in her expression. When he glances back with his own determined look, her expression is completely composed and all business once more. ]
Well. I have... sort-of good news for you, then? Although it's going to sound completely ridiculous to you. Mostly because I've lived it, and it still sounds completely ridiculous to me.
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I mean... I think ridiculous is kind of our way of life, at this point.
[ Steve had to accept that when he woke up in the future and his first big fight was against an alien army. To say nothing of the flying helicarrier.
He doesn't push Natasha on it further until they take the elevator ride up to the floor his apartment's on, followed by the quick walk down to his front door. He opens it up, waving her inside. She'll find that his place here is just as neat as the apartments he'd kept back home, though with less of a personal flair. A lot of the furniture and decorations he's kept the same as the first day he claimed it.
After inviting Natasha to take a seat in the living area, Steve heads for the kitchen to grab them some drinks. ]
So... what's the news?
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Still, she makes herself comfortable on his couch, letting him play host as she tucks her hands under her legs and tries to figure out where to start. And how much she should tell him. ]
You remember Scott Lang? That guy that got really big at the airport? Friend of Sam's, I think you said.
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[ Steve attempts to keep his tone neutral as he speaks the words, but Natasha will be well aware of the guilt he carries for those consequences, enacted on not just Scott, but Clint, Wanda, and Sam too. Scott had a family and he'd still put it all on the line because Captain America asked.
Steve doesn't have much in the way of refreshments, so he pours them both a glass of water and then walks over to join Natasha on the couch, handing her one of the cups as he sits. ]
What about him?
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She shakes her head, pushing away from those thoughts and focusing on the explanation at hand. ]
Well. We thought we lost him in the Snap. He'd vanished without a trace, just like everyone else, so it was just assumed he was one of the casualties as well. Apparently that was a mistake and he'd actually been in the middle of an experiment with Dr. Pym - the one who made his suit. Something about exploring subatomic space and bring shrunk down to new extremes. Except the Pyms were lost in the Snap, so there was no one to pull him back out of that spacial experiment until he figured out how to do it on his own. But apparently, once he returned, it had only been about five hours for him, not the five years we'd experienced.
....So all this led to his crazy idea that if we could navigate that subatomic space and choose where we went in and where we went out, we could... time travel.
[ Her voice is rather dry as she completes that sentence because she still can't believe that had been their only remaining solution. Even if it had worked. Probably. ]
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And, well, the idea of time travel is definitely a bizarre one, but there's something else she said that he's tripped up on, which he needs clarified first and foremost.
He stares at Natasha, studying her face yet again as he holds his glass of water in front of him, almost suspended in place. There's the tiredness in her eyes, an extra couple of lines around her mouth... ]
It's been five years for you? Five years since the snap?
[ He'd guessed she was from the future, but not that far. ]
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Yeah, give or take a few months. I guess I should take that as a compliment, that I don't look as aged as I feel some days.
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[ Five years? Steve can't begin to imagine what Natasha has been through in that span of time. It's one year longer than he's even been living in the modern day, and his head can't stop spinning with the revelation.
Not only has it been five years, but those five years have passed with half of Earth's population gone. Natasha has had to live with that failure every single one of those days. ]
I can't imagine what you've been through. [ There's a pause, and Steve leans forward to set his glass of water down on the coffee table. ] Obviously. That whole time -- you were looking for a way to fix it, weren't you?
[ He knows Natasha enough to guess at that much. ]
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Sometimes. We... After the Snap, we did track down Thanos. But we were too late. Again. He'd used the Gauntlet a second time - he knew we'd come for him. For the Stones. So he used the Stones to destroy the Stones. There was nothing left when we reached him. Thor struck him down, but... it was hollow. We couldn't reverse what he'd done. We had no choice but to live in the world he'd created.
It all fell apart. Us. The team. The whole world. A few of us still tried, but... [ She looks up to meet his gaze, a wry smile twisting across her lips, but the expression doesn't reach her eyes. Instead, there's a tiredness there. A resignation not even Lang's crazy plan had been entirely able to shake loose. Maybe nothing ever will, now. ]
Mostly, we had our hands full just trying to keep what was left from falling apart, too.
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Or where he would stand, in this case.
Natasha's expression isn't completely broken, but it is worn down in a way he's never seen her before. If they're relying on time travel to fix things, that shows just how desperate they'd become. Of course Steve wants to know what his role in all of this had been, and maybe he'll ask that of her eventually, but there's a more important question that he needs cleared up first.
He fixes Natasha with a look that might as well bore right through her. He needs her to be honest with him. He knows she will be. ]
Do you think it's gonna work?
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Now, though. Now she pauses to give his question serious thought and making sure she gives him the most genuine answer she can.
Because there's something here she's not telling him yet. Can't. But that doesn't mean she can't give him an answer to the question he is asking.
Natasha meets his gaze, resolution in her own eyes, a stubborn lift to her chin - an expression no doubt familiar to him after all this time. ]
I think we're going to do whatever it takes to make sure it does. None of us will accept an alternative.
Besides, [ she pauses, adding a hint of levity with a twist of her lips. ] who in their right mind would suspect we're coming at them from the future?
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Yeah, good point. Well, strange as it all might sound, I'd accept pretty much any option if it would bring everyone back.
[ Chances are that they've already had this conversation from Natasha's end, and he'd rather not retread too much ground, especially since she's likely had to explain this to others already. ]
It's more hope than any of his here had until now, so... [ He dips his head down for a moment, hiding a small smile. ] Thanks.
[ Not that it solves the more immediate problem of them all being trapped here, but it is some kind of weight off his shoulders. ]
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You're welcome. I know it's not as much as some here are going to want to know. And if Tony and Bruce start babbling science questions at me... they're going to be really disappointed in my answers. I only understood about every third word in most of the explanations, and the rest of the team spent the time arguing about which pop culture movie got the time travel right. Apparently Back to the Future did not. Most of them felt very betrayed.
[ Her voice is dry as she relates these moments she does remember for him, letting him know that the team does come back together - what's left of them. That the old camaraderie isn't gone. It can still be salvaged. It's another little piece of hope she can offer, one she hopes will bolster the rest here who are still mired back in the division they'd all struggled with before Thanos. ]
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[ Steve's positive that Tony will at least try to wring every ounce of detail from Natasha that he can once he catches wind of all of this. He doesn't envy Natasha that conversation, though he's also sure that she can handle Tony with ease. She always has, come to think of it.
It is nice to get some tiny glimpse of what the future holds for the team, a promise that they come back together, even when losing half of their number. Of course he wants to know more. Who else was there? Who wasn't? He has a few names that have been confirmed already on either side, but getting an entire list is something that he knows will exhaust both of them. It's not fair to Natasha for him to ask, not when she's been mourning those people for five years now. ]
So, Tony and I. [ He takes a quick sip of water, though chances are that Natasha can already guess at his question. He doesn't look at her as he asks. ] We found some way to reconcile?
[ It's starting to get better here on Prismatica, though they've also been forced to forge that truce because of the circumstances. How long had it taken back home? ]
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Eventually. Once you two had a common goal to work towards together again. Tony... his loss against Thanos up there... it changed him. He walked away when he got back and I'm not sure he ever looked back until we showed up on his doorstep with Lang's crazy theory. And even then, he had to work around the problem on his own before coming back to join in.
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Of course it was a common goal that brought them back together. That's what had happened here, too. ]
Well, I guess he did always threaten to retire. Figures that losing half the universe would be the final straw.
[ He keeps his gaze on Natasha, studying her features with a close eye. ]
You didn't ever throw in the towel, though, it sounds like.
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It would take them both a lot longer than five years to accomplish that. ]
You know me. I'm really bad at knowing when to quit. Kinda like someone else I know.
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Her words do serve to tell Steve at least a little about what his role in the future is going to be. There are a lot of blanks still left to be filled in, but he doesn't want to bombard Natasha with questions either. ]
I'm guessing you're still adjusting to this place. If there's any questions you still haven't gotten answered, I can try to help.
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[ She's still sounding very amused as she gives him a crooked smile. Leaning forward, she rests her elbows on her knees and cocks her head to the side to study him. ]
Why don't we trade answers for answers, then?
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[ Steve knows that Natasha deals in information more than anything else. It's the most important tool that any spy can have; she taught him that too. That may mean she's already gathered together everything she needs to know, but he still wants to throw out the offer. ]
TDM - Thor (cont)
Re: TDM - Thor (cont)
[ Her voice is dry as she follows him, slipping into a relaxed pose as she saunters half a step behind him, letting him lead. ]
Besides, I heard you had your hands a little full with your own family drama. You know Tony and Steve butt heads a lot.
[ Even though this had been worse. A lot worse. And then there was everything that had come after... ]
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That she knows about his family drama gives him pause. There's no break in his purposeful stride, but some of the energy seems to leave him none the less. Thor's gaze is more distant all at once, though he takes care in keeping his tone light. ]
So you know about Hela? That saves us some time. [ He must have gotten to Earth and told her as much, which puts her somewhere after the collection of the space stone. The timeline is still vague in that regard, at least for him. Even Tony only knows so much. ] How much do you know about Thanos?
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You didn't. But even if you had, I'm not the one on the team that supposedly talks to birds.
[ She sees that shift in his demeanor at the mention of his family, takes note of it, and starts carefully watching her step - just in case.
A nod of her head, in response to his question. ] I do. [ A pause, before she huffs out a breath. ] More than I care to know. I'm... from quite a ways ahead of everyone here, I'm afraid.
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He should have known that Natasha would remain composed in the worst of situations. ]
I was traveling back to Earth when I was brought here - some of the others have filled me in what I've... missed. [ He pauses. ] How far ahead? What do you remember?
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She sighs, glancing upwards as she squints at the sky for a moment before answering. ]
Five years, or thereabout. And a lot's happened.
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Let's get that drink.
[ The bar he turns them toward is called The Crow's Nest. It's fairly average, even if the interior has clearly seen better days. There's a definite nautical theme to the appearance, including the jittering hologram depicting a large pair of crows nesting in an alcove above the bar.
He likes it. There are plenty of quiet corners, the staff are neither overly friendly nor attentive, and they give him a discount for the eyepatch he wears. They order generously at the bar and find one of those quiet corners to drink.
Thor hesitates, when they're settled. They've been grilling each other the same way with every new arrival. What do you know? How far did we get? Do you think we have a chance if--? It all seems to go the same way. Natasha, of all people, is probably the most prepared for an impromptu debrief - and from the sounds of things, she's already been through one.
What he says, just this once, is: ] Do you want to talk about it?
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Settling into the booth in the quiet corner he'd selected, she takes a moment to test out the beverage while he tries to figure out what he wants to say. Content to remain silent until he does, she savors the flavor of her drink and then arches an eyebrow at where he starts.
Not what she expected, to be honest, but it brings a small smile to her lips. She's missed this Thor. ]
I can. I expected you to have more questions than that, honestly.
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I can, she says. Thor meets her gaze with a small nod nods. She knows what she can take, and he has always quietly suspected that Natasha was made stronger than even his hammer. ]
It seems I've nothing but questions, as of late. [ It's ironic - there was a time when he had even called upon the Norns for some glimpse of the future. Now, there are so many people willing to lay it out before him, it's difficult not to feel powerless - as if he's simply been unmoored from time, and it has long moved on without him. ]
What happened? Thanos - did we kill him?
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Instead, she gives him time to sort through his thoughts, waiting for him to decide where to start. Even if she knows where it will be. Where it will be for all of them. She recalls that conversation with Steve, before Lang had shown up. About moving on, and those of them that just... couldn't.
Her especially. But she knows this team. What they mean to one another. What they are willing to do. So she has an easy answer ready for his question when it comes. Even though from the serious note in her tone, he would be able to hear the answer is not all he hopes. ]
We did. You did, actually. Cleaved his head right off his shoulders. But... [ She stares down at her ale, knowing this part will be the most painful for him to hear. ] But we were too late. It took us too long to find him, and then to reach him. He knew we'd be coming for him. For the Stones. So he used them again - to destroy them. To make sure no one would ever be able to gather and use them again. When we found him... it had almost destroyed him in the process, using it twice, but he'd done it.
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Instead, Natasha's words sink into him like a knife, and he knows he's suspended in that moment before the pain, before the blood, before he has registered the inevitability of the wound.
He had expected that Thanos would fight for the stones, that there would be a battle, a victory narrowly won from the jaws of defeat. He had always expected that the stones would continue to exist, and that he would wield them long enough to undo all of the horror. He'd held that belief for all of his time here. In return, it had held him together. ]
No, that's not... [ His drink clatters to the table loudly enough to turn heads. He barely registers the alcohol splashed over the sides, the stein only barely saved from tipping. ] What are you saying?
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...Not all that different in how she reacted to an agitated Hulk, when she thinks about it. ]
I'm saying that Thanos destroyed the Stones... and for a long time, we thought we lost. That it was over. But that's not the case.
[ Because she won't let him sink back into that same hopelessness again, not if she can help it. ]
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He takes a breath. ]
I don't understand. What hope is there without the Stones?
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So there was this scientist on earth who experimented with shrinking someone down to a subatomic level and.... look, he got made really really small and wherever he ended up, he found out that time moved differently there. So when he popped back into the real world, he'd only had five hours pass when it had been five years for the rest of us. Taking that, he ran with the idea that if we could find a way to navigate that realm, we could choose the time and place of our exit.
Meaning... [ She lifts a hand to wave it around and gesture at, well. Everything, because this still sounded utterly ridiculous to her. ] We figured out where and when we'd encountered each of the Stones in our past... and then went back to retrieve them to fix our present.
TDM - Prompto (cont)
Re: TDM - Prompto (cont)
Six months is quite the length of time. You must be an expert on this place by now then, hmm?
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Blushing slightly, he chuckles, a hand moving to the back of his neck to scrub at it. ]
H-heh, somethin' like that! I know where all the best camera shops are, anyway. Does that mean you're new in town?
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His answer gets a curious look from her, though, and she pauses her hunting through the racks to glance over at him. ]
You're a photographer? Or is that just part of what you do here?
And yes, I'm rather new. Arrived this morning, in fact. here, at least. We had a bit of a... lengthy transport down, apparently. Space jellyfish seemed determined to interrupt our trip.
TDM - Belias (cont)
Re: TDM - Belias (cont)
Mercenaries would be close, except that their services can be bought - and, following that logic, so could their loyalties - for however temporarily. That wouldn't fly with our group, however. Some of them are a pretty straightforward bunch. As for who we guard... those who need it, those who can't do it themselves. The planet as a whole, mostly. We came together as a group originally to... to tackle the problems no one else could, the dangers most people wouldn't be able to face on their own.
[ At the sound of his wistful tone, she slides her hand out beside her, along the rock ledge she'd found beneath the surface to perch on. ]
There's a length of rock here, just under the water. It's pretty wide and makes for a good bench. I can help you down to perch on it, if you'd like? It keeps the pool from being too deep.
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... are you certain? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.
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It is not at all an inconvenience. in fact, I'd enjoy the company. Here, put your hands on my shoulders and I can ease you down into the water.
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Thank you. Ah... [ He exhales in relief. ] That does feel good.
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[ It's not a five-star spa, but at the moment? She wouldn't trade it for anything. ]
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[ He closes his eyes as he says it. ]
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Do I?
TDM - Wanda (cont)
Re: TDM - Wanda (cont)
Relatively.
[ Better to keep her tone light as she counters the question, glancing over to study Wanda's face. Sarcasm makes for a great evasion technique. ]
I'm in another dimension that has space jellyfish and hormonal rabbits and god knows what else. I feel like I'm going to be playing catch-up for a while.