((Hiatus for who knows how long. Sorry I’m unreliable.))
((I’ve been simultaneously away visiting friends and having sad feels about the upcoming school year. Sorry for my absences and also hello to my new followers~))
((I keep forgetting to check both accounts now that I switch back and forth on one browser DX))
@bannerhammer
Bruce rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He usually didn’t enjoy talking about his “alter ego” with anyone, let alone strangers, but Etch deserved to know the truth now that it had been brought up. He just hoped she would understand and not judge him too harshly.
“Well… I’m sort of the Hulk. On my off-days.” He shrugged before lamely adding, “Ta-dah.” No going back now, then. He waited, watching her for a reaction and mentally mapping the restaurant in case she freaked out and he needed to run.
Etch looked straight at him. “Those must be quite some off-days,” she remarked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not going to run away or anything,” she added hastily. “I’ve come into contact with rather a lot of unusual people in my time, you know.” There was a long pause as she finished her coffee. She ran a hand through her hair until it was slightly ruffled, and smiled slightly ruefully.
“I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Doctor. I’m sure you understand that it isn’t always safe to… spill your secrets to people, especially when they’re strangers you meet in a cafe at five o’ clock in the morning. I’ve had some difficulties before, so I try to be cautious.”
There was another pause. She was pretty sure that, being who he was, he wouldn’t freak out either, but so many people felt threatened by abilities that could affect their minds- it seemed sometimes even more so than those that could physically hurt them- that there was still an element of uncertainty, that made her very nervous indeed. “I’m a mutant. I have an eidetic memory, which means that I can’t forget anything, and I can transfer information from person to person. So. Yes.”
Bruce had to keep himself from breathing a sigh of relief and instead chuckled at her remark. He relaxed nevertheless, thankful that the girl was understanding and even unconcerned at the fact that he was the Hulk. “Haha, yeah, unusual is a good word to describe it.”
He frowned a bit but gave her his attention as she mentioned having secrets of her own. Bruce wasn’t too surprised that he had run into another super; God knows New York was like the most populated area for their kind.
“Huh,” he replied after a moment. He hadn’t actually met that many mutants in his travels and the ones he had met weren’t exactly all that kind. But he gave her a warm smile and nodded. “That’s… quite an interesting power. And now you will forever remember me as the guy you met in a cafe at 5 in the morning who turned out to be the Hulk.”
@bannerhammer
Bruce smiled earnestly. “You’re very welcome. Glad to help out a fellow science geek.” He though he heard a twinge of British slip into her speech, but he was probably just tired. He should probably head back to the tower soon, but it was kind of refreshing talking to someone who actually understood him for once.
He nodded, relieved that she wasn’t in over her head as he had once been. That fiasco ended badly for everyone involved. Bruce tried not to grimace as he recalled the weeks of preparation and research and how it had all ended with a misfire of gamma radiation and the Army now permanently on his back. “I, uh… I was sort of trying to play God, I guess you could say.” He removed his glasses and studied them absently as he tried to explain. “And it was something ‘big’, but no, I’m not without injury. You just can’t see it right now.” He stared out the window. Surely there was a better way to explain.
“Have you ever heard of the Hulk?”
“Believe me, it’s very appreciated indeed. I missed out on going to university after coming under some very… irregular circumstances,” Etch remarked, delighting in talking to someone who actually seemed to care. She took a sip of her coffee and turned to him as he replied, her pale fingers wrapping around its handle.
He seemed to be reminiscing about something- she knew the look well, of course. An awful lot of people like her had something in their past, and she was getting used to it. As he spoke, she started putting the pieces together in her head- she hit on just what it must be the second he asked her if she knew of the Hulk. Etch slowly put the mug down, watching him carefully.
“Yes,” she said quietly, eyes trained on him. “Yes, I have. I won’t claim to know much about the background, but the matter has been difficult to miss, I suppose.” She left it at that, not wanting to pry but desperate to know more.
Bruce rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He usually didn’t enjoy talking about his “alter ego” with anyone, let alone strangers, but Etch deserved to know the truth now that it had been brought up. He just hoped she would understand and not judge him too harshly.
“Well… I’m sort of the Hulk. On my off-days.” He shrugged before lamely adding, “Ta-dah.” No going back now, then. He waited, watching her for a reaction and mentally mapping the restaurant in case she freaked out and he needed to run.
@bannerhammer
Bruce kept a polite interest as the girl described herself to him. He hadn’t found someone this interested in radiation physics since… well, since college. “I’m glad you find it all so interesting. Not many people your age would give science a second glance nowadays.” He recalled the countless hours he himself had spent pouring over notes and books, trying to absorb as much detail about the effects and benefits of gamma radiation. He’d absorbed a lot more than knowledge, but there was no point in bringing that up. “This might sound weird, but I have a lot of notes and stuff about radiation - gamma in particular. If you’d like, I could lend them to you?” He hoped his offer didn’t sound too weird. Honestly, he was just glad to meet a fellow enthusiast, even if it was 5 in the morning.
Bruce saw her demeanor change when she mentioned her reasoning. He gave a sad smile and adjusted his glasses. “It’s okay, I know all too well about testing one’s limits. I learned that the hard way.” He looked up suddenly, meeting her eyes. “Just… be careful in your ‘experimenting’, okay? I know that sounds scary, coming from someone you’ve only just met, but… trust me, okay? It might not be worth it in the end.”
At his offer, Etch grinned. “That would be incredible. I usually study mostly English Literature, so I’ve never really had the chance to be around scientists doing proper research before, so this is really fantastic-” she broke off, going slightly red when she realised that her English accent was slipping back into her speech as it usually did when she was nervous or excited. “I mean, thank you so, so much, Doctor Banner.”
Etch took a sip of her coffee, incredibly curious but wary of overstepping boundaries. “I will be,” she said. “I don’t think what I’m doing could actually put me in any danger, but I’ll be careful. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to you? Clearly it was something big, but you seem to be uninjured.”
Bruce smiled earnestly. “You’re very welcome. Glad to help out a fellow science geek.” He though he heard a twinge of British slip into her speech, but he was probably just tired. He should probably head back to the tower soon, but it was kind of refreshing talking to someone who actually understood him for once.
He nodded, relieved that she wasn’t in over her head as he had once been. That fiasco ended badly for everyone involved. Bruce tried not to grimace as he recalled the weeks of preparation and research and how it had all ended with a misfire of gamma radiation and the Army now permanently on his back. “I, uh… I was sort of trying to play God, I guess you could say.” He removed his glasses and studied them absently as he tried to explain. “And it was something ‘big’, but no, I’m not without injury. You just can’t see it right now.” He stared out the window. Surely there was a better way to explain.
“Have you ever heard of the Hulk?”
Bruce & Natasha: Dinner and a Show
Bruce smiled but decided it would be best not to push the subject. She would tell him however much she felt comfortable telling. “I’m sure it was an adventure. Too bad your cat couldn’t appreciate the beauty of France.” The waiter approached and they gave him their orders. After he left, the physicist was at a loss as to what to talk about.“So…. anything interesting happen in Paris? Did you scale the Eiffel Tower or something like that?”
The woman laughed softly, shaking her head. “I was staying in a flat right off the Seine. I had a wonderful view of the tower but I can’t say I took time to go up. It was mostly me just trying to lay low. Loki got into my head and I…” She looked down, darkened hair falling forward as a veil. “… I needed some time to piece myself back together.” She admitted softly. For whatever reason, she felt— oddly comfortable with Bruce. At least, enough to tell him the truth.
Bruce had to resist the urge to take her hand and tell her it was alright, because he honestly didn’t know if it was. So he managed a sympathetic look and a crooked smile. “I bet it was beautiful though. I’m sorry the circumstances weren’t better.” He looked up at her suddenly, his expression serious. “We were worried, Natasha. We—I was worried about you.”
((Sorry))
((I meant to reply today, but I just undid all of my crochet I worked on today because I suck and somehow fucked up the entire thing, so now I’m depressed.))
