insurgents | OPEN POST.

He draws back a little as she settles a leg to his other side, his hands again resting around her waist as he shifts a little closer. Her words are comforting, they always are, but the last bit does get a chuckle out of him.

"Our limitations aren't exactly the same as other couple's, though."

"Sure, most women don't have to worry about getting their boyfriends too excited or he might level the building, but my point is that I love you, just as I would love you if you... I don't know, couldn't feel anything below the waist or had no arms or whatever. Those things would mean there was stuff we couldn't do as well, and it wouldn't change a thing about how I feel about you."

She cups his face in her hands and leans down to give him a soft, tender kiss.

"Just like the other guy won't ever change how much I love you."

It's actually a pretty helpful enough comparison, even if not the same. She's right, they're not the only couple with limitations when it comes to intimacy and sex, and though being able to turn into a massive green rage monster isn't exactly the kind of thing other people have to worry about, he still gets what she means.

He closes his eyes, returning the kiss, his arms curling a little tighter around her as he shifts closer. He's smiling when she pulls away, and he gives her a small nod, then turns his head and leans in to rest the side of his face against her stomach.

"I don't know how I ever thought I could survive without you."

"Yeah, that was pretty stupid of you."

Obviously she's kidding, you can always keep on living after all, both of them are a testament to that in their own ways.

She strokes his hair with one hand, the other lightly resting on his shoulder, and she can't seem to stop smiling because she is just so damn happy that they're together again.

He smiles a little, more to himself considering she can't see his face from this angle.

"For a genius, I can be pretty stupid sometimes."

Kidding or not, that much he does agree with, yes.

She can hear the smile in his voice, and that is more than enough even if it is one of her favourite things to see in the world.

"If you were smart all the time I'd just get an inferiority complex anyway so it's all good."

He lets out a chuckle, turning his head a little to brush his nose against her stomach, kissing it over the t-shirt before he glances up at her.

"That would just be silly."

There is an odd sort of "we're having a baby" feeling about their positions right now that Trish finds somewhat amusing, looking down at him and tracing the bridge of his nose with a fingertip.

"Yeah well if you get to have unnecessary hangups then so do I."

No such thought even crosses Bruce's mind, which may as well be for the best, considering that something like that would strike him more as depressing than amusing. He hasn't even brought that up with her, yet-- but then he hasn't seen the need to do so up until now.

"Please. You're just as smart as I am. The only difference is that I make dumb science jokes that no one laughs at."

It's just another bridge they'll cross when they get to it.

"I'd laugh but you'd know I was acting."

"Well, I don't know. I'm sure you can be a very good actress when you want to be."

One way or the other, though, he wouldn't mind. He was just exaggerating there anyway - some people have laughed at a few of his jokes. (And some have laughed at him rather than the jokes but never mind that.)

"Pretty sure most of my acting fame came from my mom giving out lots of blowjobs."

She winces.

"Wow, that got kinda dark. Sorry."

He draws away at that, sitting back on his chair and looking up at her with a frown on his face.

"No, that's... alright." He pauses, a little hesitant. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do I want to talk about my crazy and abusive mother? Not really."

She folds her arms across her chest and sighs.

"All that mattered to her was Patsy. That's what she always called me. Even when I told her I wanted to be Trish."

"Hey, hey."

He reaches for her arms, tugging lightly on them and hoping that'll be enough for her to let that tension unwind. He recognizes a defensive stance when he sees one, and he wants her to know she doesn't need to put up barriers like that when she's around him.

"You don't have to talk about it. If you ever feel like venting, I'll be here to listen. If not, that's fine by me too. Alright? I mean, I... there's things I don't talk about either."

Probably more similar to her own than he even knows yet, but.

"What matters is that you are Trish. And I like Trish."

She sighs and relaxes a little, arms unfolding so that she can take his hands.

"She hit me. She forced me to throw up when I'd eaten too much. I had to wear a wig whenever I left the house so that I'd look like the Patsy character..."

She's not a fan of talking about this but she does want to spend as large a portion of her life as possible with Bruce so really it makes sense to tell him about this stuff.

With just the little Trish had said before, Bruce was already prepared for something pretty bad. Still, despite not too shocking, it leaves a sour taste in his mouth, almost like acid being poured down his throat - he's familiar with the sensation. But there's no point getting angry about this, even if he can control it. It's in the past, and as much as he already hates Trish's mother for what she did to her, he can't really change it.

The only thing he can do is show that it doesn't matter to him, and that he's here for her. For whatever she might need of him.

His fingers curl around her hands, thumbs brushing over her knuckles, and he tugs her closer, inviting her to take a seat on his lap if she wants to.

"I'm sorry, Patricia. That's... I'm glad you escaped that, but I know how those things just-- linger."

Even after years, decades, an entire life.

She does move forward to sit on his lap. Well, more like straddle his lap really since he was already sitting between her legs.

She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses his forehead.

"You know I'll listen if you ever want to talk about the things you don't talk about too."

Then she kisses his lips.

"And I'm okay, really."

She gives him a small smile.

"Just don't call me Patsy."

Kind of what he was expecting, and he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close once she sits on his lap.

"I know."

And he wants to tell her, really - despite having spent so long with all that buried deep within himself. He looks up at her with a small smile at the last remark, offering with a hint of amusement as an attempt to diffuse any tension.

"As long as you don't call me 'Bob'."

Yep, that's a thing.

It's a very comfortable way of sitting, she's always liked doing it.

"Wait... Bob?"

Why would anyone call him bob?

He drops his head back a little, mouth open for a moment before he sighs and just goes ahead and explains himself.

"My full name is Robert Bruce Banner."

"Robert Bruce Banner."

She has to repeat it, smiling as she does. Not because it's a funny name, she just likes knowing more about him.

"It has a nice ring to it. Good for that classic "I'm mad at you so now I'll use your full name" thing."

He nods at first in confirmation, then lets out a huff of amusement at her answer, though he tries to look as exasperated as can be. He kind of fails, though, because the thought of her calling him by his full name is kind of endearing. Even if it might spell trouble for him.

"Great. Now I'm going to dread the times when you use my full name on me."

"Maybe I'll use it in other contexts too, just to keep you on your toes."

It is just the cutest thing when Bruce tries and fails to seem frustrated.

"Robert Bruce Banner, take me to bed right now, or something similar."

He smiles at that, poking her on her sides playfully.

"Good. That does have a very nice ring to it."

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