| Seventeenth Faetality | Kenzi | private video

[onteamdyson]

[Private to Bruce Banner]

Still think I'm cute, Doc? I grew out of the tantrum-throwing stage so you can rest easier or whatevs.

[Private to House]

Giving a little girl candy, playing dress up, and then taking pictures to send to your friends? Wow. What a first impression, Doctor.

Comments

[greenisnteasy]

Totally. Even cuter. You know all about inside voices, and you're just about the same size.

[greenisnteasy]

Mohinder and Tony both called me a poodle, so yeah, it spread. I don't mind when it's out of love. [He smiles and gives her arm a squeeze. Really he isn't very touchy at all, but with Kenzi it's seemed so natural. She's just so calm about it.]

Those tiger bandaids are cool. I specifically request fun bandaids from the recovery team because otherwise what's the point? Good job on the not freaking, too. You're such a big girl. [He grins teasingly.]

[onteamdyson]

Fffffffffffffff shut up!

[She pulls away, pushing him over as she does so, and grabs the remote.]

Couldn't find my ducks, so we're gonna watch this movie about the ocean instead. How distracting can an ocean possibly be?

[greenisnteasy]

[He's still grinning as he resettles from being shoved. This is good. The kind of quiet friendship time he and Phil were going to have before hormones got in the way. He leans his head back against the sofa.]

Depends. Is it Jaws?

[onteamdyson]

Psht. No. Not even close! Documentary time, babycakes.

[Quiet friendship time is a lot easier when you don't want to scream stupid songs at the top of your lungs or chase cats around or make paper hats while the other kids get sheet metal out of a closet!

And since this place was beyond lacking in Jungle Jeeves episodes on DVD, Kenzi would just have to get her zoological education elsewhere. Oh hey, check out the sweet-ass jellyfish! She snuggles in, leaning against his shoulder because... he's still Bruce. Just tinier. Even if he's still bigger than she is.]

Jellyfish don't even know how good they have it, Bruce. They don't even have BRAINS.

[greenisnteasy]

[Oh. Okay. He'd meant what he said; she's cute and enthusiastic as she is now, and he likes her this way; she reminds him of Tony with how comfortable she is around him, and though it's different -- she doesn't prod him with things so much as literally embrace him -- he values it all the same. He'd snuggled like this with Phil too, but that was also different; they weren't affectionate before then, and they were mostly horny as hell. There's nothing here but open comfort, and it's... good.

Oh, there's a documentary they're watching. He'd been distracted watching her.]

Of course they don't know how good they have it. They have no brains; how could they know anything?

[He's not making fun of her for not being a genius with that, by the way. It still bugs him when anyone implies that about her. Maybe she hasn't written a paper on nuclear fission, but there are other things just as important that she could teach someone. A true genius knows that.]

[onteamdyson]

They know how to eat. And... jellyfloat. What a ripoff, too, I bet they aren't even made of jelly. Spongebob is a freakin' LIAR.

[Kenzi doesn't want anything from Bruce. She just loves hanging out with him. He's such a wonderful freakin' person and even with his 'condition' he just wants to help people. A guy like that deserves so much better than friends like her and a place like this.

But she's selfish. We've established that.]

Soooooo. How are things with you and your legal-again manfriend?

[greenisnteasy]

[He can tell she has no ulterior motives. It's such a rarity in someone who actually knows about the other guy.

And then Bruce just grins. It's a little wicked and a little shy, which is a good description of Bruce in general. They can talk about this, right? She'd been shocked to learn he couldn't have sex; she'd be happy to know he's getting some now, right?]

Very legal. I think. My body's age of consent in some places.

[He's not sure how much detail he should go into about the hows, about the trinket. Phil knows, but Bruce had felt obligated; it wouldn't be responsible to not let someone know he has possession of something that messes with his head. Kenzi and Loki are close too though, so it'd probably be okay.]

[onteamdyson]

Pretty sure no government or way out of the fog means no laws and you're kind of actually an old dude. So why the hell not. We might just get murdered by monsters tomorrow, anyway.

[Which isn't exactly an excuse for what she did, but it IS part of her reasoning...

She looks away from the screen to watch Bruce's face carefully. Her too-pale eyes hold his gaze.]

But things are good? You're ...happy and junk?

[greenisnteasy]

[He scoffs at being called old, but he's just kidding; he is old, probably especially so to her. Well, maybe not in comparison to Loki. He smiles at her, eyes soft and fond.]

I think so, yeah. [He slips his arm out from between them and wraps it around her instead, pulling her in closer.]

[onteamdyson]

[Well that just went and made it that much harder. She leans into him again, sighing softly. The jellyfish part is over and they've apparently moved onto octopi. Neat.

She wants to say something. She wants him to know how sorry she is and that it didn't mean half as much as it would ever mean with Bruce. She and Tony... they aren't like that. There's a pull, but no hold. Not that kind. She cares, but not like Bruce does.

And she knows how it feels. You get used to it, but it's never completely okay. If he's happy, what right does she have to ruin it? It shouldn't have happened, but it did, and now Kenzi is caught between honesty and protecting his state of mind. She's not scared of the Hulk. She's scared of hurting Bruce.]

You know I'd do anything for you, right?

[greenisnteasy]

[No, actually, he'd had no idea. He looks at her again, startled and disquieted by the sudden change in tone. It sounds like the precursor to bad news. The kind of thing someone says to sugarcoat that Bruce is being taken back into custody, no matter what frills or title they give to the role.]

Does that include just telling me whatever it is you're softening me up for?

[onteamdyson]

Yeah.... yeaaaaaah, it does.

[She can't lie to him. Not when she's holding onto his biggest secret. She pulls away again, the guilt shining through.]

I... slept with Tony. I am so sorry and I have no excuse whatsoever. I could have said no. I could have just left but I didn't... and I feel worse than terrible. When I warned you about their always being other girls, I didn't think that would include me and I just-- Bruce, I can't... say anything to make it right. I knew how you felt and I still did it so I completely understand if you hate my guts.

Just know before you stop talking to me for the rest of ever that he doesn't feel for me anywhere close to what he feels for you and I'm not trying to get all up in your business. I don't love him like that. It's just--

[Oh god. Kenzi, just shut up. You told him and you can't make this better so just shut up. She can't even look at Bruce. She slides back towards the arm of the couch and pulls her knees up to her chest.]

[greenisnteasy]

[Phil had told him that Tony and Kenzi were fooling around; he can't remember the details of what Phil had said, how specific, because he'd just dropped it on Bruce before he even knew how Bruce felt about Tony. Weirdly what hurts the most now is how kind she was being to him. It'd felt genuine, but what if it was guilt? Pity? Something on her part to make her feel better about herself?

He doesn't do anything about the distance between them, needing some for himself, and he holds his hands open on his lap, staring down at them, silently, for a long moment.]

Told you he didn't hate you.

[It's so not even close to an adequate response, but it's the best he can muster right now. He's still processing.]

[onteamdyson]

[She would have laughed if she didn't feel like shit.]

... He understands what it's like for me with Loki. He's probably the only one that understands that. Clint sort of gets it, but that was a completely different situation. Me and Tony... there just isn't a me and Tony, okay? There is you and Tony. There is Loki and whoever the fuck he wants. There's me and a trail of corpses and a guy that never really existed.

[It's lonely sometimes. She knows Loki cares, but he's distant. He has to be. He's protecting himself and she's trying to give him space but... it's just lonely.]

But... I understand what it's like to be so totally in love with someone and they just can't stick to one person. I know that and that's what makes this so shitty. I shouldn't have done what I did-- so. Sorry. I really am.

[greenisnteasy]

[So, he's working through this. It's hard with all the bitterness -- seriously he and Tony just had sex yesterday, and that isn't enough for him? Tony's way more of a sex machine than Bruce is, and -- okay. He can deal with that. It's slowly becoming okay -- he'd already been adjusting to the idea of it back when he realized his crush -- and if Tony's sleeping with other people, then... whatever. That's just what he expects out of Tony. His bitterness about that has abated somewhat since... Tony fucked it out of him, basically