Inside Voices ▷ Bruce Banner | ✓

20 - TWENTY QUESTIONS

WITH THINGS RETURNING TO NORMAL, SHE HAD TO ADJUST TO PEOPLE GOING IN AND OUT SPORADICALLY. Tony made more meetings to go to, despite not being CEO of his company anymore, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had to go on missions, and Steve often went with them, though they all came home within three days, taking short ones to make sure that she and Bruce weren't alone in the Tower for too long.

She remembered certain things her masters told her about this specific mission of hers, but she tried not to think about them as much these days. It had been about two months, nearly three, since she had seen them, and while she could still remember more about all she had done, she didn't want to remember too much, no more than she could remember at the moment.

"How's the studying coming along?" Tony asked, still adjusting the sleeves of his dress shirt, leaning against her chair as she studied, eating her cheese danish that Bruce made her.

"It's going okay," she said, "And you were right. I still have my mutations even though I don't need the serums and drugs anymore. So I'm able to get through this faster than most, it's easy for me to piece things together, at least when I'm doing this."

"That's good," he said, smiling and patting her shoulder, "And yeah, I had a feeling that it wouldn't translate the same to social situations, but that's okay, you don't really have to worry about that just yet."

She didn't quite understand what he meant, though she had some suspicions, but she instead simply chose to continue her studies, waiting for Bruce to come back from his greenroom. He went in every morning, and while he continued to invite her with him, she knew that he'd rather be alone, so she decided to let him stay alone.

"Morning," Clint groaned, walking up the stairs with an entirely new set of bandages strewn all across his arms and cheeks, "How's it going, you guys? Morning, uh, Marnie."

She tried to smile, waving her danish in greeting. Clint was still having trouble getting used to her name, often calling her Cheese, and she didn't find much problem with that, but he kept trying with her first name, which she appreciated.

"I'm off to sleep in a meeting, I'll see you later, I got a new supply of coffee by the way, Barton, top right," Tony said, motioning towards the cabinet, and Clint made a sound of pure delight as he made his way over, and Tony smiled when he couldn't see.

But she saw, asking, "You bought that for him, Tony, why don't you want him to know?"

Tony froze, staring at her like a deer in headlights, and she turned to look at Clint who's face had turned red, staring at Tony, halfway to reaching towards the new supply of coffee.

"You got these for me?" Clint asked quietly, glancing towards the packaging, his eyes widening, "These are my favorite, you don't like this kind."

Tony cleared his throat, almost like he was choking, mumbling something about being late as he tore down the stairs and out into the elevator, disappearing in less than two minutes, and she had to wonder what she did wrong, looking towards Clint who seemed conflicted as he brewed a pot of coffee, mumbling to himself about how Tony didn't need to do that and if he was being a nuisance showing up all the time.

She just continued to eat her danish and study, hoping it would be explained to her later.

º º º

She found that the same sort of thing kept happening, and she wondered exactly what it was that she was missing. After all, Tony had insisted that she could say what she wanted freely, and she didn't see anything she was saying as anything too obscene.

She was sitting with Steve, Natasha, and Arabella in the common area, Arabella insisting that they watch this new movie she found on her own that she loved, and while Natasha seemed to want nothing more than to be anywhere else, she agreed, and Steve seemed to be far too fond of Arabella to say no, and he seemed incapable of doing that to begin with.