homeless forever.

[payitgladly]

I don't think you have thought this through very well. It's not good to do things in a rush. I mean, you didn't even make this username for me.

[ Sheepish laughter. ]

Look, I'm not an easy guy to play because [ vague handwave ] you know. There's so much research for you to do that you haven't even started. So it's really better to give up before you start and let me go home.

[ Pause, and he doesn't say: I actually want to see Stark tower. ]

Comments

/scoots on in

[drippingred]

Not encouraging research?

Doesn't sound like you, Banner.

Re: /scoots on in

[payitgladly]

[ He shrugs. ]

It's not to everyone's tastes.

[drippingred]

People need to do research for everything in their lives, no matter what it is.

I can't see how boning up on you would be a horrible waste of their time.

[allfatherissues]

Not even as much as a new 'journal' for you, but left with only the scraps? That is truly a shame.

[Don't mind Loki. He's always like this.]

[payitgladly]

[ No, it's okay. He knows Loki. ]

Not really. [ Pause. Shrug. ]

It's a respectable name, though.

[ That is an implicit insult. ]

[allfatherissues]

[SOBBING That elicits a noticeable frown from him; he's been burdened with his own terrible brand of 'username' for a long time now and has nearly resigned himself to his fate of his mundane NEVER CHANGING IT – but he doesn't enjoy having it pointed out, thank you very much.]

Then consider yourself fortunate that you've not a mundane that considers herself clever.

[That is an implicit explanation. However unamused.]

[cellulared]

I wouldn't fret too hard about the muns.

[payitgladly]

[ FREEZE. Stare. Deer in headlight stare- ]

Er. [ Pause. How does he speak to Betty Ross again. It's been years. Of deliberate running away. Now she's here and his head is just keyboard smash, okay. ]

I- er. I guess I'll have to take your word on that.

[cellulared]

[ YEARS. She thinks she deserves five seconds of face time now.

Her patience is eternal apparently. ]

I would never lie to you.

It's good to see you, Bruce.

[totallyupsized]

[ Curious, but uh, don't get angry at girls, Bruce. Have a reconciliatory captain: ]

Give it a chance, she probably thought you suited this name more than the other person did. [ DIVERTING POTENTIAL ANGRY TRAIN OFF ITS RAILS. ] Is she bringing you somewhere?

[payitgladly]

No, she was just lazy. [ Wryly. He knows this for a fact, and he shrugs. It's not really angry-train.

Another shrug, then, softer: ]

I hope not.

[totallyupsized]

[ Takes a seat beside him and smiles faintly. ] It looks to me like you've gotten it under control, Dr. Banner.

Who knows, maybe the place she's sending you to really needs you right now. [ A beat. ] Can't be any worse than where you were before, right?

[like_a_gerbil]

Some of the best things we get aren't easy, Mr. Banner. The fact that your mundane's willing to try says a lot about the situation. About both of you, actually.

[Pausing, he lets out a sheepish laugh of his own.] Um...Of the two of us, I think I've probably got the worse user name.

[payitgladly]

Aha. I hope so, really. [ Well, one good thing has come out of it. He gets to meet Betty again. That's always a 8D thing.

Then he blinks. ]

... I don't understand your username. [ Peers. ]

[like_a_gerbil]

[Slowly, Steve begins to grin. No matter how much he might act like the username was embarrassing, part of him is proud of the reminder of who he'd been when he was chosen for the program.]

It's from before they gave me the serum. They only kept me around as one of the volunteers 'cause they figured I might be useful to Doctor Erskine. Like a lab rat or - [For a second, he wonders if Bruce is expecting him to grow fur or whiskers.] - a gerbil.

[interrogation]

It wasn't made for you, but it works.

( the price of bruce's experiments. they've all got something they need to pay for. natasha knows this more than most. )

[payitgladly]

[ A flickering smile at her. He still feels bad about hasing her through the Helicarrier; probably always will. But- more importantly, he thinks that she should be afraid of him. ]

Really? [ Pause, he turns it over in his mind, then- shakes his head. ]

Now I do. [ Double meanings. ]

[interrogation]

( she had been visibly, and utterly terrified because all of her training and experience meant nothing in the face of unbridled rage. negotiation meant nothing. bullets were useless. and yet, despite all of that, she knows that without banner, they cannot succeed, and natasha is nothing if not a pragmatist. )

That's not something I thought I'd hear you say.

[mechatronic]

I for one fully encourage rushing into things recklessly: gives less time to think about self-doubt that way. Not that that's ever an issue for me, but it's just some thoughtful, responsible advice that I figured you could use.

I also fully encourage hands-on research. Learning by doing. That sort of thing. Can't do that if the main topic of research skips off home, right?

[payitgladly]

You're not supposed to be encouraging her, Tony. [ :| ]

[mechatronic]

Why not? Not a rhetorical question. The other kind that is actually after an answer.

[beguilement]

[ Don't mind him, just observing. ]

What better way to research than just jumping right in?

[normal]

My uh. My -- writer says she likes your name. Journal name, I mean. Obviously.

[payitgladly]

Really? [ Ducked head, raised eyes. Small smile. ] Thanks.

[ Pause. ]

I haven't seen you before.

[dr_pretty_boy]

If it helps, the more you work with them, the fewer horrible situations they tend to put you in. At least, that's how it generally works as long as you don't have a mun like mine.

[Have a small smile, Dr. Banner. And please don't mind the cross-fandom fanboying from one genius to another...]