happily ever after was happy everyone was after me

[gammapulsed]

Who: Bruce Banner and whichever Avenging types are hanging abouts
What: Bruce discovers he has a few 'roommates' in the free hostel place for new arrivals. And is not happy about it.
When: backdated to late Monday afternoon
Where: basic-level housing in Residential Zone 01 aka Kurzweil
Warnings: Possibly lethal levels of derp? Nah, we're good.

Comments

[ironhowdoesit]

Tony Stark has never been the silent, stealthy type, but the guy in front of him seems so enamored by the site of public housing, it's easy to follow unnoticed. Fortunately for Bruce, Tony has no idea who he his. Ross and SHIELD certainly didn't give a physical description of the gamma monster, and even if they had, Tony would have probably filed it as 'don't really care'.

"Could you hurry it up, buddy? Some of us have better things to do than shop project housing."

Yes Bruce, he is standing only a few feet away, dressed in a smart suit and jerk shades, giving you the most dubious expression ever.

[wouldhavewords]

"Very well, friend Steven." Though Thor is currently not all that interested in Banner - he seems like a good individual, but as he's hardly spoken with him (or at all) he'll leave him in the Captain's capable hands.

"This man," and a pat of Thor's hand on Tony's shoulder "Offered me a drink. And Agent Barton had been among those at the SHIELD complex surrounding Mjolnir." There's a warm smile and genuine good cheer in his voice. "Trust me when I say I mean no one harm."

[gammapulsed]

The color drains out of Bruce's face when Barton drops his name like that, and redoubles his efforts to wriggle out of Steve's grip even as he shies away from Stark's questions.

"I don't know any of you at all and you obviously don't know any of me at all- I mean, me, just me, so just me should go and leave you all here to get caught up and acquainted because have I mentioned a place I had to be at? Because that's still there and needing to be gotten too, with time being an issue and all."

Oh god, Captain America needs to stop eating Wheaties and let go because he's got a grip like iron and it's matching way too well with the lead weight in his stomach.

[hawkwards]

Suddenly Clint has the feeling that he's in way over his head, here--and certainly above his paygrade. His arm flexes, like he's about to reach behind him, but then he remembers that he doesn't have his bow and forces down the impulse

[ironhowdoesit]

"Tabloids never get my good side. Check out next month's issue of GQ; that spread should be great."

Tony checks his wearable, going through recent history to pull up further information. "Captain America, the actual Captain America, not-so-secret agent man, Thor who needs no further title... and Dr. Banner. Read a few of your papers- great stuff, but highly theoretical. I didn't see much practical application in them." He then looks up from his version of the introductions, looking rather bemused at the fact they're still all standing there.

"So, can we put the good doctor down and speed up whatever we have going on here?"

[usavatar]

"I don't think I'm him," Steve says, quieting in that way that says he's getting well and truly upset. He locks on to Clint with those very blue eyes and manages to radiate anger without outright hostility. "My name is Steven Grant Rogers. I was born in Hell's Kitchen in 1918. Got recruited into the SSR after I went to a draft station at the Stark World Expo to try my luck when I was twenty-four. I work with Agent Carter - she's here. She can vouch for me. I don't care if you don't believe me, but stop calling me a liar

[wouldhavewords]

Thor has only one answer for this, and with the widest smile upon his face, declared: "My new friends, there is only one option left to us - drinking and feasting!"

And why not? It would seem that they were all at least connected in some manner or another - and sharing food and drink would do none of them any harm at all. Bereft of those he called friends it fell that he would simply have to find more. These men seemed as good as any other that he'd met.

He claps both Clint and Tony on the back with more force this time, trying to encourage them forward. "For how else are we to celebrate new friendships?"

[gammapulsed]

Bruce has to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. 'No practical application' - yeah, please share that with S.H.I.E.L.D., Mr. Stark. Instead he just shoots withering looks at both Clint and Tony while still managing to look ridiculously worried. He misses a step when Steve finally lets him go, and shoots a quick, hopeful glance at the door... Until he quails under that tone from Captain America.

Everyone else goes for the round robin of introductions, but he doesn't care. When he thinks Thor's enthusiasm has the captain's attention (while ignoring how his gut clenches at the idea - not now), he makes a break for it. The door to the barracks is still open and Bruce darts with all the years of being a fit bitch on the run affords him.

[hawkwards]

At Steve's response, Clint just fixes him with a hard stare. Of course, after Mjolnir and Peggy and all, he was almost convinced that this Cap was the real deal. But admitting that was an entirely different story. It felt like he would be giving up power, somehow. After all, Captain America was who SHIELD had been founded around, and that probably deserved respect. Respect which Clint wasn't ready to hand out, just yet. So his only response was a huff and a roll of his eyes.

"Friends," he began to question the title Thor seemed so content to hand out--what was he, Oprah?--but then he had the wind knocked out of him by Thor's rather god-like strength, enough so that he was knocked off his feet.

However, the upside of this was that he gave him a bit more room to maneuver when Banner made a break for it. Reflex took over and he slid across the ground, diving for Bruce's legs in an attempt to knock him over. The Hulk, running around unsupervised? Not. Happening.

[ironhowdoesit]

"And there goes our jailbird," Tony remarks before having the wind knocked out of his lungs. Christ on a cracker, Thor needed to lay off the steroids.

[gammapulsed]

There's a moment where Bruce teeters at an impossible angle, arms windmilling like he's fit to move to Holland. Then the moment passes and he hits the floor - elbows-first - with Clint grappling at his calves. He rolls over soon as he catches a breath and draws his knees up, half-dragging Clint forward while pulling himself back. Kicks out with more force than anyone would expect to look at him, he does his level best to aim for shoulders without hitting the guy's face.

"Let me go!"

[hawkwards]

Ouch. Damn, that actually hurt. But Clint is trained to fight through pain and take down guys about three times his size, and well, Bruce is hardly that. He recovers from the kick and throws his weight against Bruce, trying to get his arms pinned.

"Calm the hell down. You're not going anywhere until we get this figured out."

[wouldhavewords]

Nothing, in Thor's opinion, is going to get solved it they allow themselves to fight. With a quick look at Steven and a note that he's clearly thinking along the same lines, Thor reaches in and pulls out Clint by his collar.

(Which ends up with Thor accidentally dangling Clint above the floor but he doesn't notice that.)

"Friend Barton is right. Running away will not solve any of our problems. But neither will fighting."

[usavatar]

Steve pins Bruce's shoulder to the floor with one hand, looking the man straight in the eyes. "And Thor is right. So please stop doing both."

He hoists Banner upright, holding on to the man's arm now rather than trusting him not to bolt. "Where were we?"

[gammapulsed]

Bruce gives a halfhearted glare before he's suddenly back on his feet, and then the glare gets shot Clint's way. He's not backing down on this, super secret agent man.

"Sorry, but. Where is the 'our' in all of this? Nowhere in any of this did I go and join up with somebody, let alone any of you. There was absolutely no joining going on here."

[ironhowdoesit]

"Jesus, I feel like I've joined some kind of fight club and we're initiating the new, geekier members." Tony walks towards Thor, patting the larger man on the shoulder almost as saying 'that'll do pig, that'll do'.

"I hate to admit it, but Dr. Banner here is right. Personally- I don't know about you guys- I find it a little weird that I know you, he knows him... and that he knows all of us. Great coincidence. You know the greatest thing about coincidences? They don't happen."

Tony pauses, and gives a small ironic to Bruce before addressing Steve. "Yep, I'm him."