insurgents | OPEN POST.

[ Bruce shivers slightly, though not from the cold, and for a while it almost looks like he's asleep, not quite there. Even the dark feels too blinding and he lets his eyes stay closed for a long while, deep breaths coming in and going out of his lungs, and eventually he forces himself to blink his eyes open, the blur and distant dots of light fading until he can get a more decent definition of the woods and bits of city stretching out before them.

Though he kept his mind and memories throughout all that, it's as if it all hits him again with particular force now. He reaches for one of her hands and tugs it to his lips, kisses the palm, presses it against his cheek before he tries to turn just enough to look at her. ]

Betty— Betty. Are you alright? Jesus— [ He tries to sit up, struggling through the soreness he can feel through his whole body. ]

[It's warm out but he's cool to the touch and moving stiffly. Some side effect, maybe, of the transformation. Or... the whole mountain thing might do it too.]

I'm fine, Bruce. Everyone is fine. Take your time.

[She can't really know how everyone else is doing, but there's nothing to be done about that for now. He seems so much more fragile to her in relation to his other self. She watches him come back to himself with more concern that curiosity - she hasn't seen this nearly often enough to find it unremarkable.]

[ Probably a mix of both, though Bruce doesn't feel cold, even if he's shivering a little. Eventually the exhaustion will catch up to him too, but not quite yet. ]

Back— we need to go back. We need to... find them. Who did that.

[ His head is a little dizzy but it's nothing he hasn't dealt with before. It's the lingering effects of the smoke and stiff air that make him feel even weaker now, no doubt, because he has come back from willing transformations before, and it rarely ever takes this much of a toll on him anymore.

He gives up on trying to move, and just lets his weight lean on her, head nestling on her shoulder. ]

I need clothes.

You do. You're like a werewolf. Are you cold?

[The temperature is a blessing, but it means she doesn't have a coat this time to bundle him up. Or anything really. No phone. No money. Not even shoes.

She brushes hair from his face and dirt from his hair, presses her mouth into a thin flat line, doesn't tell him to let himself rest for godsakes. Just tucks him against her more firmly, feeling a little like a mother duck.]

Your teammates are probably on it already, though. I'm sure all this has made the news by now. We can head back whenever. They're probably trying to find you, too.

No. [ He manages a weak chuckle, glancing at her. ] That your way of saying I'm too hairy?

[ Humor helps but also doesn't, even if it makes him feel more like himself again. He uses every ounce of strength he has to try and get up, away from her tight grasp. He does appreciate her caring for him like this, but he can't just stay here. They can't. At the very least they should find a way back to their hotel. ]

Let's find some way back now. I can't— don't want to stay here. Maybe there's a house... somewhere nearby. I can get some clothes there. [ And by 'get' he totally means 'steal from a clothes line on someone's backyard'. ]

[She's too resigned to him doing things the hard way to insist, but she does get to her feet first so she can help pull him up. She hadn't actually stood up yet, but her legs aren't shaky at all; maybe they're both in better shape than she thought, even without necessity to drive them. She still doesn't think rushing back is necessary.]

Are you kidding? Werewolves are in right now. Team Jacob all the way. [The distraction helps her too. Having sat around here for a while, she has a pretty good idea of the way back to the convention center, even without a column of smoke to guide them. It's just too dark.]

If we find one, I think I look disheveled enough to knock on the front door and ask for help, [not that stealing would bother her at all. But he's not a fugitive anymore and he's also not alone, and there are other options.]

[ Bruce follows after, gladly accepting her support as he gets to his feet too. True, he probably wouldn't need to rush back right now, but he still wants to— wants to make sure those people are alright, that the team has the information necessary to start on a search for the culprit as quickly as possible. He also needs to alert them to the possibility that he was the intended target all along, that they likely meant to use an incident to yet again show the world how the Avengers —or most particularly, powered people— are a danger to everyone. ]

God, I can't believe you just used that reference. [ He chuckles, putting an arm around her shoulders for support as he slowly regains his balance. He nods. ] That works too, yeah. Let's try that before actually committing a crime.

[ Besides there might just be a few people who will look at him, make the connection, or even recognize who he is. Bruce may have a lot of people hating on him because of the Hulk, but he's also gathered almost as many fans. In this case that may just work in their favor. ]

[He's right, she knows he's right. She tells herself that he won't rest well anyway, knowing there's a minuscule chance inaction now might put anyone in harm's way later. And if he's not actually going to rest, they may as well tromp around.]

Oh yeah? Well I can't believe you got that reference. What, you liked the creepy bloodsucker more? [There's some shuffling.] Also, do you want to use my shirt to- to cover up until we find something?

[She's already working it off, making a face at the dark that's partially woods and partially night as they start to pick their way over grass and gravel. It's hard to believe there could be anything, anyone, out here for miles and miles. Talking about vampires was a stupid decision.]

[ He's definitely in no mood to rest, or lie around at the foot of a mountain and let the cold creep up on him until he's all shivering and curled in on himself. They don't need to do that, not anymore. They can just go back and the Hulk won't have been a monster that terrorized hundreds of innocent people. He will have been who saved everyone in that school.

It's a nice change, admittedly. ]

Do I have to have a favorite? [ He chuckles, groaning softly as he takes the first few steps. ] Uh... yeah, that's probably... Wait.

[ He grabs what's left of his trousers and puts them on, then uses some piece of torn up fabric to tie them around his waist. It's not perfect but at least he's covered up, and Betty doesn't have to take anything off herself. ]

Come on. [ Reaching out to take hold of her hand, he slowly starts down the mountain and away from the hole he punched through it. ]

[At least it makes for a good landmark. Bruce is clearly matching her pace which feels frustratingly slow between the darkness and the sharpness of the ground. The soles of her feet are soft and stupid, but at least a cut for her would only be that. More than once, he directs her around some invisible obstacle before navigating around it himself with a thoughtless grace. There's a physicality that doesn't come out for things like science conferences, that he picked up in their years apart, that sometimes still surprises her.

So her mostly-naked superhero boyfriend is a little too hot when he's not trying to be, but it's a good distraction, it's something safe to focus on. She keeps her thoughts to herself and her hand in his, urging her feet to step it up a bit.]

Yes, [she decides after finding her third spiderweb with her face.] You have to pick a side. Werewolves or vampires, Bruce?

[The woods rise around them as they continue downward, primordial and shadowed and not very Eden-like in the end.]

Edited (typooo (this is edit 1 and hopefully the last)) 2016-08-31 04:30 (UTC)

[ It's a ridiculous conversation, not the least bit serious, but at least the dark can't swallow their words so long as they keep talking. Makes the walk a little easier too, and it helps distract Bruce from how some of his muscles still spasm and whine in pain and soreness.

He'll have time to rest later on. Now's not that time, though.

He sighs, hums quietly and looks up like he's giving it some serious thought. Finally, he shrugs. ]

Werewolves, then. Closer to dogs. [ It's a totally legitimate reason. ]

The judges will allow it on account of... we really should have seen it coming.

[It gets less creepy as they go along. Less creepy, more boring. Still arguing the relative merits of modifications to monsters in popular fiction, they change direction together when there's a hint of artificial light in the distance. It turns out to be a modern cabin with a hint of winding driveway, and two cars parked out front.

In this light, Bruce looks more tired than he had sounded when they'd been walking, but Betty expects it's the same for her. She squares her shoulders and kisses his cheek.] Well, it's not made out of candy. I'll get the bell.

[ Bruce chuckles a little tiredly, walking alongside her, and welcoming the distraction of their conversation as they make their way through the woods. The hint of light offers a promise of civilization, although as they get closer to that house, Bruce can't help a tinge of worry that grows steadily with each step.

What happened must've made the news by now, and he wonders if the Hulk's been mentioned at all. What's been said about his involvement. Should he be thinking of running away? Is asking for help one big mistake? He knows these days most people see him as a good guy, but he's still done a lot of bad things. Some people are still scared of the monster, and rightfully so.

Still, he smiles at Betty, nodding and waiting a few steps behind her, a little more hidden as he keeps himself away from the light that filters out of the house when the door opens. ]

[She's not as cautious and not as worried he'll be recognized; even with his previous reputation, he doesn't look much like his more popular merchandise and the two of them enjoyed relative anonymity in the past. Maybe not for midnight strolls through the woods, but... she should have known not to underestimate fans.]

Hi sweetie, can you get your parents? [she tries on the little girl who is much too young to be opening the door to strangers in the middle of the night, even in the middle of nowhere. Maybe especially in the middle of nowhere.

Her (younger?) sister seems to have the same idea, tearing away into the house announcing at the top of her lungs that Amber has broken the rules. Somewhere between bemused and nonplussed, it takes Betty a moment to realize Amber isn't answering because she's staring past her through the crack of the door, eyes wide and mouth round.

Oh no. How naked is he?

Too naked for an eight ear old*. She whirls around just as heavier footsteps reach the door and pull it wide open, but before she can even begin to explain, she's interrupted.

"Daddy, daddy, it's the Hulk!" Amber drags someone, presumably 'daddy,' to the front door.

"It's the Hulk! It's the Hulk!" her sister takes up the chant, previous enmity forgotten.

Betty opens her mouth and then closes it again.

The middle-aged man at the door meets Betty's eyes and they exchange an unspoken what do we do as first one and then the other little girl attempt to launch themselves at her practically-naked boyfriend and attempt to drag him forward.

"You have to lend him your clothes, daddy!" yells Amber, who is clearly the ringleader in all this. "He tore them up when he," followed by a credible imitation of a roar and some stomping.]

He is Dr. Bruce Banner, [Betty tries again, amidst the high-pitched roaring** that follows, and the man shakes his head and offers Bruce his hand, while Betty attempts to disentangle the girls.

"Annie, Amber, leave the poor man alone. Oh, I know. My eldest has a poster in her room," he adds, a little grimly. "She bought it off the Internet, god knows where. Unfortunately, she's not here tonight." He nearly smiles. "We're never going to hear the end of it.***" The almost smile drops and his gaze sharpens. To Bruce, "About four hours ago. The Corris Center. That was you guys?"

* Amber and Annie are fraternal twins, and look between 10 and 12. Betty sucks at this game.
** There may also be further enthusiastic commentary on Bruce's wardrobe situation. It's okay. Bruce can take it.
*** The older sister is probably a teenager, but you can't fault her tastes in mild-mannered alter-egos. ;) ]

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