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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 18:18:59 GMT -5
Bruce woke with a start, arm sore from being bent behind him, glasses askew. He'd fallen asleep at the end of the bed, as though he had only sat down for a minute. Dimly and barely consciously he put together facts into a coherent picture: the voice belonged to Megan, she was feeling timid (she had not called him Bruce), and he had fallen asleep at midday without much provocation, and this shirt, which, like all his shirts, had been ironed before he came to Greece, was hideous with wrinkles.
"Just a- just a moment-"
She'd leave if he didn't make it to the door quickly, but she might leave if she saw him like this. (Like -? He wasn't entirely certain he knew, and he didn't want to glance at a mirror yet.) Rubbing a hand over his mouth to be certain he had not drooled, and then trying to console his hair - it was inconsolable - he made it to the door, and opened it, bracing himself for an understated reaction of repulsion, which seemed especially easy to picture from a woman of her age.
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 19:20:49 GMT -5
"Nah, I don't even know how I fell asleep. You wanna come in?"
Inviting your young coworker - your secretary - into your room was probably not wise or kind. He made a flustered hand gesture and scrunched shut his eyes.
"Or out, out's good. We could go out to uh, one of the places around here."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 19:45:08 GMT -5
"Uhhhhh...."
He looked around, as though he did and forgot where it was.
"Nope."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 19:57:21 GMT -5
He was momentarily shocked speechless by her language, then began to pull off his glasses and try to clean them to occupy his hands - and look away from her.
"I don't- I'm not sure where Nina is. On the beach, I think. I don't know how long I've been asleep."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 20:33:12 GMT -5
"...whoa, whoa. Whoa, wait, slow down-"
But the pieces of what she was saying filled in to a much a bigger picture in his mind, as much as he was resisting it.
"Megan, are you... completely certain... that you haven't just... imagined this?"
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 20:44:34 GMT -5
"I believe you."
He had to take a seat himself at this point.
"Do you know of any... modifications that might have been done to you?"
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 21:06:22 GMT -5
He lifted a hand to try and visually cut her off. He never felt at full capacity anymore - he hadn't felt that way in years. It always felt like his mind was too crowded. It was the lack of sleep.
Or maybe you're jut not the only guy living in there. Maybe you know what full capacity is now, and you don't want to unleash it.
He approached her without a word, slowly, giving her time to dart off if she needed to, to let him know, with words or her eyes or anything, if she didn't want him there, if she didn't want to be touched. Gently, he lay his hand on her check, then quickly, her neck, checking her pulse with two fingers.
"...Well, I checked your vitals, and it looks like you're still here, kid. Thankfully."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 21:34:38 GMT -5
"You're allowed to be a miserable jerk, at least around me. I'm... well, you know."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 21:45:38 GMT -5
"If I can't handle unpleasant stimuli by now, I'm screwed. Or other people are screwed around me," he said darkly.
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 22:40:05 GMT -5
"And that's how it goes," he said, gently. "But you'll both be okay in the long run."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 9, 2015 23:12:17 GMT -5
"Nah, it's okay, sorry it's rumpled."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jan 13, 2015 2:32:17 GMT -5
"No, I don't mind, really."
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Post by Bruce Banner on Mar 5, 2015 20:05:12 GMT -5
"Hey, if I could go on medication for what I have, I'd do it. I mean, I've tried - a few solutions. Avoidance, uh... is the only thing that works."
He cleared his throat. "For me, I mean...I think you're....pretty normal."
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