Chapter 95: Betty Ross
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial
Jen and I hung out for a bit longer in theDefiantafter Nat and Ruby scared the hell out of me before we decided to go for a walk in the tower.
Which is a lot more interesting than you'd think. The Avengers Tower is one of the most advanced buildings in the world after all. Despite that, the hallways and rooms were mostly full of people going to work.
"It's funny, I never really think of Stark Industries as an actual business," Jen noted as we walked past a room with glass windows where people in cubicles were working. A few looked up at us, men and women alike, then back to their work. Apparently, even tall buxom Hulk women were old hat by now.
"Yeah, it's tough to remember that the company isn't just an Iron Man suit factory sometimes," I noted, the two of us striding past a security guard. "Or, you know, Avengers support."
"I guess it helps with selling things," Jen said with a shrug, the two of us turning into a random hallway, one of the lesser used ones. She opened a door for me and the two of us entered.
Then we both stopped. In the hallway in question, one I was pretty sure never really got used, two other people froze.
Creel was resting against the wall behind him, his shirt half off and his lips slightly bruised looking. Isabelle, whose hands hadn't moved from his chest, was looking at us with wide eyes, her lips still on Creel's neck. Her shirt was on the floor behind her, and Creel's right hand was in mid-fumble with her bra strap.
"Oh damn," I said, blinking.
The four of us stared at each other. Jen and Isabelle smirked. Creel and I blushed.
"Hey, Jenny," Isabelle pulled away from Creel, reaching down lazily for her shirt. I looked away from the image of a shirtless and ripped Creel standing next to a bra wearing Lucy Lawless look-alike.
"Hey, Izzy," Jen crossed her arms, still smirking. "Carl. So you two have been-"
"Since a little before Rio," Isabelle admitted easily, looking at Creel, who coughed awkwardly.
"Before Rio," I blinked, wondering why that tickled my memory. I also mentally grumbled at the fact pretty much every Avenger except me looked like a model in some way.
"Yeah," Creel rubbed the back of his neck, pulling his shirt on to cover himself while Isabelle put hers on. "It just sort of happened-"
"You mean I pulled you into my room after a workout," Isabelle said shamelessly, rolling her eyes. "I swear, you're lucky your hotness outweighs your shyness."
Creel smiled slightly, looking a bit calmer.
"You guys are lucky the Avengers don't have any bylaws against this kind of thing," Jen noted, shaking her head.
"Also, that you got caught making out early," I said, cocking my head. "Seriously, this is a random ass hallway, are you guys exhibitionists?"
"Now now, Mahmoud, no need to kink shame," Jen snarked.
"It's more a question of sanitation," I joked back. "Also, Creel, you're resting against a plaster wall! What if your powers activate in the middle of- Oh good lord!" I yelled mid-way when I realized Creel was blushing even further and Isabelle was laughing. "That's happened?!"
Jen busted out laughing. "Oh man, that is awesome! You have to tell me-"
"Nope!" I shouted, shaking my head. "No, we aren't doing that."
"Hey, if you want to keep things fresh," Isabelle teased. "Besides, Skye is the one who gave me the idea. You should hear what she says about the Omnitrix."
I swear, I must have unlocked Heatblast, because my face seemed to light on fire.
"I-I-I don't-" I stuttered.
"Awww, how cute!" Jen pulled at my cheek, chuckling. "You broke him."
"I know how he feels," Creel grumbled.
"Anyway, the mood is ruined now," Isabelle said, walking up to take Jen by the arm. "What are you two up to?"
"Just hanging out," Jen answered for me, since I was avoiding looking at anyone.
"Well come by the apartment! We can hang out together!" Isabelle said, smiling up at Jen as they both started walking.
I shook my head, sighing, then chuckling a bit, Creel walking up with a look of chagrin. "Hey man, that's cool. You and Isabelle. Congrats."
"Er, thanks," he said, seeming to regain his confidence. "Honestly, I'm not sure what we are yet, but, uh… it's nice."
"I'll bet," I said, quirking an eyebrow. "You have lipstick on your neck."
He frantically rubbed at it while I came to a realization. "That day, when we were heading to Rio… you and her were together. And you smelled..." Creel winced. I scowled. "Dude, I am never giving you a ride again."
"Hey, come on!" Isabelle called back.
Creel and I followed until we were about a step behind our fellow Avengers. "Seriously dude, sorry I interrupted."
"Nah, you're good," Creel shrugged. Now that he'd calmed down he seemed almost proud, and really happy. When Isabelle gave him a smile over her shoulder, he seemed to walk a little straighter. "It'll be nice to hang out, to be honest. If I wasn't with you guys, I'd end up just walking around the city trying to find some trouble. And Izzy keeps telling me I need to relax."
"Huh," I looked up at my friend. "Well, if it goes that far, let me know so-"
"Yeah, I know, so I can find something smarter to do," Creel sighed sadly.
"No, so I can help you," I said, not having considered the other possibility. "I mean, we can also invite the others."
"..." Creel clasped my shoulder as we walked. "Thanks, Dial."
"No problem, bro."
"But just to let you know. When you have powers? Girls will have thoughts about them," Creel said, sounding somehow both haunted and happy. "Thoughts."
All in all I had a good day with my friends.
April 26th, 2014
Bruce Banner/Hulk
As the morning sun rose slowly over New York City, Bruce and Thor watched a quinjet made its way into the hanger of Avengers Tower, both men dressed in casual clothes, with Thor having removed his armor in favor of a blue hoodie and a brown jacket, and Bruce wearing a black shirt displaying Mjölnir prominently in silver.
Thor looked down at his friend and stared at Bruce's shirt. Bruce sighed.
"Don't start," Bruce said.
"I wasn't going to," Thor added.
"Look, Tony replaced my wardrobe in the tower with Avenger's merchandise. It was this or Natasha."
"Well, I'm flattered," Thor said with a dopey grin. "Mjölnir really makes your chest pop."
"Yeah, well you look homeless," Bruce returned with a scowl.
Thor blinked, looking down at his clothes. "Really? I think I look rather good."
"You look like your seconds away from telling me the bird-men are attacking."
"I'm not sure the Aeriens have any need to assault Midgard."
"...What."
Before Bruce could dig further into that, the quinjet landed in front of them. Bruce and Thor walked forward as the back door of the jet opened up, revealing those within. Bruce and Thor took a simultaneous deep breath. That breath was knocked out when the two within were revealed.
Betty Ross stood on the right. Bruce panned her up and down, noting her hair was shorter now, and she was wearing glasses. She was staring at him, those blue eyes so deep. He was staring too. He couldn't help it. Hulk growled inside of him, a soft and fond growl.
"...hey," she said, her voice so soft.
"Hey," Bruce said, his voice cracking a bit. He stepped close, into almost too intimate range. She took in a deep breath, not seeming to mind his closeness.
Thor, in the meantime, got punched in the face. He blinked, looking down at his attacker while Betty and Bruce gave her a look of surprise.
"Damn, Jane, you gotta hell of a left," Bruce looked at the speaker, a young woman wearing a beanie, with long dark hair and a bright smile.
"Yes, she does," Thor said with a sad smile.
"Darcy, don't talk," Jane Foster, the genius astrophysicist, said with a raised finger, the short woman particularly fierce looking. The young woman, Darcy apparently, simply raised her hands in a surrender gesture and stepped back. "And you. You are never leaving my sight again, do you hear me?" she said while pointing at Thor.
Thor only nodded, looking properly guilty. "I will do my utmost, Jane."
"Hey, uh," the group looked at the quinjet. Bruce felt something inside him die. Hulk, on the other hand, growled again. It was far less soft this time. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, Sammy, everything is fine," Darcy said with an eyeroll.
"Samson, actually," Leonard Samson stepped forward awkwardly, looking around at everyone. "Hey, Bruce."
"...Samson," Hulk said quietly.
Yeah. Maybe he should have invited Jen.
For a moment, everyone stood as a group, looking between each other. Jane looked at Thor, then at Bruce. Bruce eyed Samson. Samson swallowed fearfully. Darcy looked at Bruce.
"Hey, nice shirt!" she said cheerily.
Everyone looked down at Bruce's Mjölnir shirt. He blinked. "Oh, thank you."
"Yeah, Meow-Meow, love it!" Darcy said with a grin, punching Thor's arm playfully. Bruce blinked at the unorthodox way of pronouncing Mjolnir. "You should wear a Hulk shit, so you guys can be super-cute together."
"I will keep that in mind, Lady Darcy," Thor said happily. "I have missed you. Both of you."
"You didn't like it," Jane noted. "When people miss someone, they usually don't leave them. Twice."
Samson looked like he was about to say something. Bruce looked at him. Samson shut his mouth helplessly. Betty touched Bruce's arm gently, drawing his attention.
"Bruce," Betty looked around. "We've had a long flight. I think I speak for everyone, when I say I could use some breakfast?"
"Oh, yeah!" Darcy cheered. "You guys are rich now, right? Show us the sweet chow you've got!"
Jane nodded thoughtfully, sharing a look with Betty. Both women smiled.
"Uh, yeah," Bruce coughed into his hand, waving behind him. "Right this way."
He turned and led the way, trying not to look behind him at Samson and Betty. Why was he here? Were they still together? Did he even have a right to be mad if they were? When she said she'd wanted to invite someone, he had expected someone else, maybe Rick. Sure, Rick was currently busy with work elsewhere, but it would have been nice to see him.
But Samson? What did that mea-
A hand touched his arm. As he continued to walk, another hand joined it. A body pressed alongside him. A voice whispered in his ear.
"I missed you, Bruce," Betty said quietly.
She knew. And she choose to show him, in her own way, what she was here for. Maybe… maybe everything would be okay?
Why had he put this off for so long?
With that thought, he led the way, arm in arm with Betty.
Sitting down in the small room set aside for them all, at a table covered in a fancy cloth, they sat with Thor and Bruce on one side and their guests on the other. Notably, Betty and Jane sat side by side, with Darcy next to Jane, and Samson next to Darcy. A bunch of chefs took their orders. Thor, predictably, ordered a massive amount of food. Bruce ordered quite a bit as well, while the others got more reasonable amounts, though Darcy got the fanciest thing she could think of. ("Make sure it has gold flakes on it! I mean, it probably tastes gross, but I still want it!")
And then, they were sitting. Together. Just sitting.
"...You know-" Samson began to say.
"Know what?" Bruce interrupted quickly.
"...Well, I can tell we all have something we need to say to each other. Except for Mrs. Lewis, of course," Samson said calmly.
"Yeah, cause I never do anything wrong," Darcy said proudly while putting some silverware into her purse. When the others noted this, she rolled her eyes. "What, like Tony Stark can't afford more?"
Samson didn't seem to know what to say to that, so he coughed and continued. "In the interest of this, I think I'd like to start by apologizing. Bruce. I'm sorry."
Bruce didn't hide his surprise.
"When you came by, all those years ago… I called Ross. I told him where you were," Samson said. He was looking Bruce in the eyes. He flinched when those eyes turned green but kept speaking. "I thought I was protecting Betty, by doing that… No. I was jealous and I was looking for a way to push you out without blaming myself."
"Leonard," Betty said softly.
"It's true," Samson rubbed his face. "I may not have known about the Hulk. But I knew Betty loved you. And I knew that the best way to chase you away was to tell her father. Betty told me that Ross hated you. So, I told myself that you were suspicious enough to warrant a quick call," Samson took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry, Bruce. I-I'm so sorry. I should have done better. I should have-" He stopped, hands shaking. No one spoke.
Bruce stared at him. Samson was the reason Ross had found him at the college. He'd betrayed him. Because he'd loved the woman Bruce loved. Bruce clenched his fist. His veins begin to take an emerald shade, the Hulk within roaring.
Two hands landed on him. Bruce blinked, then looked at his right palm. Betty clenched it gently. When he looked at her, she gave him a supportive nod. Then he looked at Thor, who rested a hand on Bruce's shoulder. Thor smiled quickly.
"I understand how you feel, Bruce… but he is apologizing. He wishes to make amends," Thor said gently.
"You don't have to forgive him," Betty said softly. "But he came here today to say that to you. I just wanted you to hear it."
Bruce thought about that, looking at Samson. "...Samson. I don't think I can forgive you," Samson winced. "But I do understand," Bruce looked at Betty. "I… I really think I do."
Samson paused. Then he nodded. "That's more than I deserve."
"Man, these guys can get really heavy, right?" Darcy whispered to Jane, who nudged her with an elbow.
Bruce rubbed his head. "I have regrets of my own," he held Betty's hands in his own, finally looking her in the eyes. "I should have contacted you sooner. When I became an Avenger, when I was finally safe, I thought about seeing you again, inviting you here," he shook his head. "I think that I was scared. That this was all temporary," he clutched at her soft palms, rubbing a thumb on the back of her hands. "I've lost so much good in my life. I think I just thought of the Avengers as one more thing that would end. A home that wouldn't be safe for long. And as long as I didn't treat it like something permanent, it would hurt less to lose."
"Rather self-destructive thinking," Samson said. When everyone gave a look at the interruption, he chuckled guiltily. "Sorry. Therapist. I can't turn it off sometimes."
Bruce glared at Samson. Still, he was right. "Yeah. I guess I thought, that as long as I didn't make a real home, as long as I didn't try to make it work, that it would hurt less when it wouldn't."
"Bruce," Betty sighed, patting his cheek. "You idiot. Things were never going to be perfect. But you think that I'm not willing to fight to make them better," she shook her head. "You absolute idiot."
He smirked. "I have seven PHD's."
"And none of them helped you here," she teased.
"Heavy," Darcy whispered loudly, getting another elbow from Jane.
"I suppose, it is my turn?" Thor asked.
Betty blinked. "Well, we weren't exactly taking turns-"
"Lady Jane. I have none of the justifications Banner has," Thor's mouth twisted downwards, his brow furrowed. "I spent much time after our last meeting traveling the stars on the orders of my father. In fact, I haven't visited Asgard in months, due to the many missions he gave me and… and the personal sorrows I faced while there," Jane, from the look on her face, seemed to understand. "But, according to the great scholar, Doctor Phil-"
"Oh no," Samson mumbled in the background.
"Being busy is not a good reason not to focus on a relationship," Thor said firmly and almost too loudly. "I will continue my work. But now, my true focus will be a life with you."
"...I want to break up," Jane squeaked.
Everyone was quiet for a bit.
"Okay, that came out wrong," Jane squeaked again. "It's not that I want to break up."
"But, you said-" Thor stumbled slightly in his seat, face twisted and worried.
"I mean, we might have to? I mean, you've said all this before!"
"But, this time, I mean-" Thor looked at Bruce, who had no answers for him.
"I'm so happy to see you and be with you, don't get me wrong," Jane said quickly. "But I feel like that every time, and then you'll just leave for months without telling me, or even contacting me-"
"Well, you could always contact me through this, 'e-mail', everyone tells me of!"
"You don't have a computer!" she yelled, slamming her fists on the table.
Thor leaned back in his seat, eyes wide. Jane stared at him, breathing hard.
"...I'm sorry," Thor said weakly.
"I know you are," Jane said, her voice raw. "But I'm tired of you being 'sorry'. I just want you to be better."
Thor didn't seem to know what to say to that. Jane sighed.
"Man, I really thought a table of nerds would end up being boring to listen to," Darcy said, looking around. "Seriously, you're all sorry, you're all trying to stay together. Just stay together, talk about nerd stuff."
"Darcy!" Jane scowled at her intern.
"Hey, I'm just saying, it's been a whole five minutes since you started talking about the conver-whatever," Darcy said with a shrug.
"The Convergence," Jane, Thor, Bruce, and Betty said in unison.
"Yeah, that… what was it, again?" Darcy asked curiously. "Seriously, I was there, and I still don't get what was happening."
"The Nine Realms were in alignment," Thor said immediately. "It made the boundaries thin between them, allowing passage between worlds."
"Yeah, still not getting it," Darcy said, pursing her lips.
"Basically, the Nine Realms are worlds that are connected by a massively powerful connecting force, energy flowing between them," Jane explained.
"Wait, why those worlds specifically?" Bruce asked.
"We don't know yet," Jane admitted. "So far, all I have are theories. What I do know is that the border between those worlds have yet to close completely, and Rio may have something to do with that."
"Rio," Thor rubbed his chin. "That could explain Ulik."
"Wait, so, the Convergence caused those worlds to connect to ours?" Betty asked, eyes lighting up. "But if we could somehow replicate that, maybe point it at worlds other than the Nine Realms-"
"We could have instantaneous travel between worlds like Asgardians!" Bruce said excitedly.
"Not entirely," Thor intruded. "While I don't have intimate knowledge of the Rainbow Bridge, I do know that it requires the connection the Yggdrasil provides to function at peak capacity."
"It might not!" Jane reached into her bag and pulled out a series of folders, passing them to Betty and Bruce excitedly. "I've been doing research for months, and if you look here-"
"Wait, this looks like something I recognize from the Tesseract!" Bruce said excitedly. "Look, Betty!"
"You're right!" Betty said excitedly.
"Lady Jane," Thor intruded, pulling a paper out of the pile. "I recognize something like this in my father's notes!"
"Then I'm on the right track?!" Jane replied.
As the four began to speak at a faster and faster frequency, Darcy leaned over to Samson smugly. "Who's the therapist now?"
"Still me," Samson said with a raised eyebrow.
Darcy leaned back and eyed Samson for a moment. "You're a real buzzkill, you know that?"
Mahmoud Schahed/Dial
Standing in Tony's personal lab, I watched on a screen as Jane, Thor, Betty, and Bruce began to talk about science I could barely understand. I mean, I could understand how Jane, Betty, and Bruce could devolve (or evolve in this case) into science discussion, but apparently Thor, despite his lack of scientific background, was just knowledgeable enough in the standard science of the super-advanced Asgardians to contribute.
"So I guess this isn't as 'juicy' as you were hoping," I said sarcastically. I turned to Tony, who'd been the one to set up the spycams.
"Yeah, maybe not," Tony said, frantically writing notes as he listened intently to the conversation, his notepad full of equations. "Now shut up, I'm sciencing."
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