( open ) it's been so long since I've been gone

[hyperkinesia]

Who: Bruce Banner and anyone
When: April 1st to 3rd, give or take
Where: All around the Moira
What: Bruce comes back after a 3-day nap on a cryo unit, but with over a year worth of memories. From his perspective, it's been a good while since he's been on the Moira.
Warnings: Nudity, an old man accidentally flashing a minor. (Whoops.) Also NSFW for sex in one thread.
( a note: I'm good with both brackets and prose, so just pick whichever you prefer and I'll match! )

WAKE UP; CLOSED TO ZATANNA.

He wakes up with a startle, but it doesn't show. He's just so used to controlling every aspect of himself that when the unit brings him back from his stasis with a jolt, he barely moves. His eyes open, there's a soft silent gasp, but he lies there for a while, letting the cold envelop him little by little, and the memories of his surroundings slowly trickle into his mind.

It takes him a while. It's been over a year since he's been here, and he didn't even remember any of his time here for all the while that he was back in his world. Not even a dream, a ghost of a recollection, just... a complete blank. As if his life had never really stopped, as if he'd never truly been kidnapped into a spaceship on an alternate universe to begin with.

He knew that it was highly likely this is how it would happen when someone goes back home, of course, but one thing is to know or theorize what happens, another thing entirely is to experience it firsthand.

Eventually, he climbs out of the unit, but he doesn't go too far. Still clinging to the edge, cold feet touch the hard metallic floor, his knees nearly giving in under the weight of his own body, and when he glances down, he realizes he's completely naked. Shivering from the cold, little droplets hanging from the tips of his short hair, he looks around, trying to spot some clothes or even just a towel to wrap himself up in.

WANDER; CLOSED TO OBI-WAN.

After the initial shock of waking up, and now wearing a pair of pants and shoes, he's slipped on a hospital gown from the medbay and stepped outside. The objective here is to find his way to his room as soon as possible, to try and figure out what's going on right now, how long he's been gone exactly— who even is around still. He's thinking of a particular someone, actually, but the fear that he won't find Trish's name on the directory is too great for him to even think of checking.

First things first, though: he needs to figure out which way his deck is. All it takes is a couple of wrong turns down a hallway and he realizes he completely lost his way. He's not usually the kind to get lost, but he's ascribing it to the haze in his mind, the disorientation from waking up just a few minutes ago.

He starts glancing around instead, trying to find someone. Hearing footsteps nearby, he walks towards them in hopes that whomever it is, they'll help him find his way again.

REUNITE; CLOSED TO TRISH.

With some details cleared out, some questions asked and answered, and a quick read over the MID and whatever information he can get his hands on, his mind focuses on the next thing to do. He needs to find Trish. He goes back to his room, takes a warm shower and puts on some fresh clothes, feeling marginally better when he steps back outside, short hair and beard both looking impeccable and far less messy than the tangle of curls Trish would normally be familiar with.

It's a strange thing, how this works. He didn't even remember meeting her for that whole year he was gone, but now that he's back here, he realizes just how terribly he missed her, and how scared he is that any memories he has of her can be erased from his mind so easily. It should scare him enough to not want to do anything about it, but it's the opposite, actually. Something about having love and lost, probably.

He distinctly remembers quoting a line from a movie at her that directly relates to the sentiment. The point is, he feels as if he's been given a second chance, and Bruce doesn't get those. Not ever.

The problem is in finding her, though. He goes to her room but it's empty, he tries the radio station but she's not there, he sticks to the most popular areas of the ship, such as the mess hall, the gardens, the recreation room, but she's nowhere to be found. His heart clenches a little in his chest; maybe there's an error in the directory. Maybe she's not really on board, or maybe it's a different Trish Walker. He pushes the crippling worry away, though, and instead starts tapping on his MID, not even looking ahead as he keeps walking down the hallway, much too focused on sending her a text instead.

REACCLIMATE; OPEN.

Bruce used to think getting brought to a spaceship in an alternate universe was the strangest thing to happen to him, but he's quickly revising his opinion. This whole cryostasis experience has been something else entirely, and the sleep part isn't even the weirdest. The weirdest is what's happened on a mental level, and how he experienced over a year of memories in the span of three days.

He has to catch up on some things now, or rather, he has to refresh his memory. He walks the hallways and drops by the most active areas of the ship with curiosity, watching places and people alike, spends hours in the science department rereading files and looking over the work he himself did, slowly filling in any gaps and holes he has in his memory.

Some might have known he was in stasis for the past few days and want to check up on him, some might find the short hair and beard a strange change, either way he looks very approachable no matter where one might find him. Probably even more approachable than he did before.

Or, if he's familiar enough with someone and recognizes their face easily, he might just be the one to go over to them, greeting them with a smile and a hello.

Comments

poses for her— i mean what

[hyperkinesia]

Someone would be around, of course, and Bruce should have thought of that. Calling out would have likely gotten someone there who could help him— but then, his throat is dried up and it's likely he wouldn't manage to say much, but he could have done something, anything that would make a sound and get someone's attention. This is the medbay after all, there's always someone around.

No time to think about that now, though. He nearly stumbles onto his knees when suddenly there's a supporting presence to his side, and instinctively he clings to that, an arm lifting up and his hand holding onto the shorter person's shoulder opposite of him. It's only seconds later, after a few deep breaths and a slow blink of his eyes, that he looks down and sees it's a young girl.

He eases some of his weight off her, first of all, gripping the edge of the unit instead. It's feeble at best, but it's better than falling to the floor, or getting back inside that thing. Definitely not happening.

"I'm fine," he says, his voice hoarse, a cough following suit. He clears his throat and wets his lips, swallows in an attempt to make it easier to speak again. "I just need some— some clothes."

Right, he's naked in front of a young girl. A very young girl. He tries to drop his other hand to cover himself up, but slowly realizes he's still recovering his balance and strength; the hand goes back to keeping himself on his feet, and he drops his head apologetically. "Sorry."

in a few years she'll appreciate it more

[noitatnacni]

"Oh yeah. So totally fine you can't even stand." Also known as not at all fine and it doesn't matter how stubborn he wants to be about it. Zatanna would magick him into a chair if she had to, but for now she figures the guy has to be disoriented enough as it is without levitation suddenly coming into play. For now, she just keeps supporting him as much as she can, or as much as he'll let her. She's only fourteen, and she's far from the strongest person she knows, but Zatanna's been through some physical training--enough that she can adequately brace him until he gets his bearings.

Hopefully.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, this isn't exactly going to leave me scarred for life, even if I'd much rather be doing something else." Because yes, propping up a naked and newly unfrozen guy isn't on Zatanna's list of must dos. Thankfully the question of clothes is actually pretty easy to solve--especially since there are a few towels and sheets stored nearby, if not within each reach.

"I can handle the clothes. Just stay still for a second, okay?" Not that she necessarily needs him to, but it's probably better for this guy if he doesn't move around all that much. He's likely expecting Zatanna to pull away, but all she does is raise a hand toward the storage container.

Two spells to do it: first a simple command, "Nepo!" to get the door open. Then a fun one, although right now she's going for function over form; Zatanna's pretty sure the guy isn't going to care too much what the pants look like, so long as he's got them.

"Evig mih stnap" She snaps her fingers, although that's honestly more for show (blame the fact that she's the daughter of a stage performer for that one). One of the sheets floats out off its shelf, slides over to Bruce and wraps itself around his legs. Instead of simply covering him up, the threads and the cloth both reform, until he's got a decent, if oddly colored pair of pants on.

as she should

[hyperkinesia]

It's just taking him a while, is all. Lying in a cryo unit for however long he was in there is more than enough to leave his muscles weak, and to take away most of the strength and ability to keep himself upright. It's just a matter of giving them something to do now, to start moving around, and before he knows it he'll be back on his own two feet.

Of course, that doesn't change the fact he's being a little stubborn about it. But he really means it when he says he'll be fine, and he definitely doesn't want to waste any of the medbay staff's time by having them look him over, because he doesn't need it.

He nods and does as she asks, his head lifting up as he watches what she's doing. It's a little surprising actually, but he doesn't so much as startle— he's been away for a while, but he's gotten used to expecting just about anything. Magic doesn't seem at all farfetched anymore.

He does tense a little when the fabric wraps around his legs, but mostly he stays still, until the sheet transform into a pair of pants instead. That's a handy one, actually. He muses with some amusement that that would be a pretty useful trick for him in certain situations.

"Thanks," he glances at her, offering a weak smile. "You just say the words backwards?" Because that's the thing to notice right now, Bruce.

Re: as she should

[noitatnacni]

He can be as stubborn as he wants; if Bruce is impressed with the little bit of magic he's seen so far, he's really going to enjoy the "tie him to a chair" routine she'll use if he falls and doesn't let her help him.

...Okay, so she won't go that far. Still, she's not going to let him hurt himself just because he doesn't think she can handle it. Hopefully the demonstration goes a long way towards fixing that, especially since he seems to understand at least some of what Zatanna's doing.

"You're welcome. And that's part of it, yeah. I mean, the words are just one aspect." And it's not as if either of the spells are unfamiliar ones to her. Still, Zatanna grins a bit to talk about it; it's always nice when her magic goes as intended, and helps someone. "Without magical training, it's just gibberish--although kudos to you for picking up on the backwards bit. Most people don't right away."

reacclimate

[handing]

"I have to say, I miss the curls."

It'd been something of a hunch, honestly, that led Pepper to the science department. She'd gone to check on Bruce's status in the medbay only to be informed that he'd suddenly woken up seemingly fine (except for a bit of weakness and a lack of pants, according to the girl who had explained all this to Pepper), and then left. There are a few places he could have gone to, but she banks on the fact that he's a scientist first, that at times she's noticed the same gleam in his eye that Tony gets when he's working on certain projects.

And lo and behold, there she finds him, reading through files as if it were just another day aboard the Moira.

When Pepper does greet him she's leaning against the frame of the open door, arms crossed as she looks him over. It's more than the hair that seems different to her, although the other changes are harder to name. Either way, she's glad to have him back. Bruce has become something of a confidant during her time on the Moira, and more; Pepper considers him a dear friend, and she's much happier to have him awake and out of cryo.

[hyperkinesia]

It's not just another day on the Moira, not for him. There's so much for him to read up on, so much information he's forgotten, and the fact that during the year he's been away he didn't remember any of this only means that a lot more of the details have slipped through cracks, left gaps that he's now trying to fill up again.

Then, there are other things that happened in the short time since he woke up, things that have definitely improved his mood and changed a lot for him, but he can save those for later. Or just... not mention them at all. Pepper will figure it out soon enough, anyway.

"What?" The word is more out of surprise than anything, as he turns around and looks at the source of the voice. "Oh— right, the hair."

He brushes a hand along his hair absentmindedly, smiling as he drops it and makes his way over to her. "I cut it a little while back, actually." Realizing that probably doesn't make much sense to her, when she's likely seen him very recently by comparison, he goes on to add. "I assume you know how I ended up in one of the cryostasis units? I wasn't really here. I mean, I was, but... I went home. I was there for a while."

[handing]

He's right; claiming to have cut it some time ago is confusing, since it hasn't been all that long since Pepper had seen Bruce. She's about to ask herself, but Bruce beats her to the punch--and it's almost a shame, really. Otherwise she might have also commented on the way he smiled, so much more easily than she thinks she's ever seen.

Too bad. What he claims easily steals her attention away, Pepper's eyes widening even as she nods her confirmation to at least the first part.

"I knew you'd ended up in cryo, but--" It makes no sense, not that she can claim. Bruce had been aboard the Moira all three days, stuck in that unit just like Tony had been once upon a time. She frowns as she looks him over, knowing he wouldn't lie to her about this, but still entirely unable to understand how it could be true. "Bruce, you were only gone for three days, and you were here. I checked on you every day."

The way she would have done for Tony, if she had known.

[hyperkinesia]

"I know," he starts simply, hands sliding into the pockets of his lab coat. "I got the rundown, I read up on some information. I'm aware of how long it's been over here."

He turns just so, glancing at the screens up by the holographic table. There are walls of text running across them, a few pictures here and there of recent events, but mostly speculations on what might have happened to him. It's to be expected that after an experience like that, Bruce would gather as much data as the current situation allows him, and try to make heads or tails of what happened to him.

"But I was there for a while. Over a year, actually. I met you— and there was the whole thing with Killian," he says that bit carefully, before he goes on to add. "Tony told me about it afterwards." Mostly he was looking for a therapist, someone to sort out his issues, but Bruce really doesn't think he could've helped with that.

"It's possible that it happens the same way our coming here does. Some kind of time suspension. We leave at a certain point in time, and get brought back to the exact same point." That, or they're all highly advanced clones. That's a whole existential can of worms he absolutely doesn't want to open, though, so he doesn't bring it up. "So that might be why I was never gone from the unit, or why I was away for so much longer."

[handing]

"Which is why you're here, trying to understand just how that works." Because she doesn't miss the way he turns towards his work, no. What she can gleam from the doorway makes it clear he's trying to answer the very same questions she's asking in her own mind, and no doubt with all the more determination for having experienced it himself.

She takes a few steps towards him as he approaches to help close that distance, although when he mentions the events he's now experience, Pepper stops as suddenly as she'd started. Despite the fact that Bruce is the only other person she's told about her condition on board, she'd left out any number of details regarding the whole affair. That Killian's attempt to infect her had been not just to motivate Tony, but in an attempt to make Pepper his trophy. That she'd trusted Maya Hansen, and that trust had been used to easily take her hostage.

That she and Tony had been having problems even before Aldrich Killian showed up at her office, or Maya Hansen on their doorstep.

That she could have easily died because Tony just couldn't reach her before she'd fallen.

That the process of having Extremis infused into her system had caused her so much pain, she screamed out for her lover who hadn't been there, in the futile hopes he could make it stop.

"How much did he tell you, exactly?" Because now it seems that she's the one from further behind, never having seen Bruce with his hair so short, or hearing about Tony's attempt to therapize himself with Bruce's help.

She swallows, knowing that this situation isn't about her, however. Bruce offers an explanation for how his "update" might have been possible, all scientific, and she nods even if she can't understand the concepts that might make such notions possible. In truth Pepper doubts they'll ever know for sure, so instead she puts on a small, somewhat forced smile.

"The important thing is that you're back, and you're okay. You are okay, right?"

[notpatsy]

It's only been three days, but it feels like an eternity. Those three days just seemed to stretch and stretch, and part of her clung to them because at least Bruce was still around, while other parts frantically wished that there was some sort of switch to fast-forward to when Bruce would wake up.

Only she wasn't sure that he would. Couldn't be sure by virtue of the unpredictable nature of the Ingress. That worry was a constant, naturally, but it became that much more intense when there was nothing to do but wait, and so much was hanging in the balance for them.

Three days, not a long time to be separated from anyone, she has endured far worse. She was apart from Jessica for six months of radio silence and she got through that. Then again the first few weeks were undeniably the worst. The time until she managed to make her peace with the fact that her sister and best friend had apparently decided to shut her out, to cut her off.

Three days is nothing, but when you feel every second that ticks by like a punch in the gut, "nothing" still finds a way to hurt like hell.

She has already been to see him once this day, but since she didn't have any other urgent duties to attend to she decided to go back. The sight of the empty cryo unit ties her insides up in a tight knot of hope and fear intertwined. Is he back? Is he gone?

She is so frazzled that she doesn't think to check her MID, instead she just heads to his room, which feels like a natural first stop. But he isn't there either.

She is unaware that she and Bruce keep missing each other as she wanders around the ship in search for him, growing more and more distraught. She is so focused on her goal that she doesn't even entirely realise that tears have started running down her cheeks.

She almost doesn't realise that it's Bruce when at last they do manage to be in the same place at the same time. His head is bent to look at his MID, his hair is different and he has a beard, for a moment she thinks he's someone else. A new arrival maybe.

But then awareness blooms within her, though she is almost scared to believe it.

"Bruce?"

[hyperkinesia]

The voice snaps him out of it just enough to look up, though by the blank stare on his face, it takes his brain a few seconds to actually catch on to what's happening. Almost as if it thinks that the eyes are deceiving it, the ears aren't working right. As if she's just some image he conjured up out of thin air.

But he's not crazy, he's not. He's been looking for Trish after all, hasn't he? So, here she is.

He's just not sure at all of what to do now, what to say. Staring at her in stunned silence is about all he can do for a moment that seems to stretch on forever. She's a mess, her expression twisted just so, her cheeks wet, but otherwise, she's just like he remembers her. Her voice has a ring of familiarity to it, and with a single word —his name—, it has already dug up all of his memories of her and brought them to the surface, like he has only seen her yesterday.

It's been a year. She doesn't know that, but the look on his face likely gives it away that he hasn't seen her in so long, and when he exhales there's a sound that's almost a gasp, almost a sob, but dies somewhere halfway up his throat.

"Trish," that's all he says, if the way he was looking at her wasn't enough to make it clear that yes, this really is him. Finally, he manages to tell his body to move, and he starts walking towards her, slow steps becoming surer until he's all but running towards her, wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace the moment they're within reach of each other.

"I was looking for you, I was just— just now, I..." The MID's all but forgotten by now, and anyway, it doesn't matter. He found her, or she found him, he really doesn't care. What he cares is that she's here.

"God, I've missed you so much."

[notpatsy]

She too is frozen in place at first, but the second he moves so does she, practically throwing herself into his embrace, arms wrapping tightly around him as tearful laughter bursts from her lips as a reaction to the sudden release of all the tension inside her.

He's back, he's really back.

"In stasis?"

Wasn't he asleep? Or something like it? How could he miss her then? She leans back just a little her hands cradling his head as she looks at his face, taking in the subtle differences. He looks older, somehow. There's more gray in his hair, or maybe it just shows more now that it's shorter.

"What happened to your hair?"

Did he decide to just get a spontaneous haircut the second he got out of cryo?

[hyperkinesia]

He almost doesn't want to pull away, but he loosens his hold just enough to draw back, his arms still around her as she looks over his face. He knows he looks different to her, in more than just the length of his hair, and he lets her make note of those differences before he even tries to explain any of it.

"I was sent back home. Or my mind was, at least— I don't really know how to explain it."

And frankly he had more pressing matters at hand than to make his way to the department to try and figure that out. This is a priority— she's a priority. He can make sense of his situation later.

Pausing for a moment, he lifts a hand up to cup her face, the base of his thumb brushing some of those tears away. Though it's hardly the time, he can't help but worry that she'd been crying because of him.

"It's been over a year for me. Since I've been here, since... I've last seen you."

[notpatsy]

"It's only been three days for me."

And she can't recall him looking any different when she checked on him earlier which only serves to confuse her more. But she believes him, of course, because he wouldn't lie about something like that.

She smiles through her tears, and tries for a joke though her voice is choked up with emotion.

"And here I thought I had it bad."

She doesn't really want to contemplate what it would have been like had he stayed in stasis for over a year.

[jedimindtrick]

[ It feels as if he's been awake for days. Again, it feels this way. When he'd first arrived it had made sense, but now that some time has passed, it almost seems ridiculous that he could be so tired. But, then again, after the day he'd had, it might be more ridiculous if he wasn't.

He just happens to be on his way back to MERO when he rounds a corner and comes face to face with Banner.

Kenobi blinks. The change is so great — both in appearance and in general aura — that it causes Obi-Wan to gape a moment. What happened? he asks himself, but the words don't pass his lips. ]

Bruce. [ He reaches out to grip the man's shoulder, to offer a steadying amount of contact. ] Are you all right?

[hyperkinesia]

[ Bruce's surprise when he comes face to face with Obi-Wan has everything to do with the fact that the first connection his brain makes is with the fictional character. It's been a while, and it takes him a moment to remember that here, he's far from fictional. He hadn't even remembered that detail yet, since waking up— which, granted, wasn't all that long ago. ]

Yes, I... [ His eyes fall to the hand, but he doesn't shrug it off. Instead he just nods, somewhat reassuringly. ] I just got a little lost.

[ Which, he realizes, probably wouldn't make much sense for someone who's been on board the ship for half a year, so he goes on to clarify. ] I was in one of the cryo units. It's been a while since I've been here.

[jedimindtrick]

[ Obi-Wan doesn't quite laugh — something about it doesn't feel funny — but he tries to offer some positive influences with a smile in response. He's concerned but that doesn't mean he needs to alert Banner to this fact. ]

Yes, I can see that. You've... [ Aged. But who wants to say that? ] You've changed. I like the beard.

[hyperkinesia]

[ Well, he has aged, and he wouldn't have particularly taken it to heart if Obi-Wan pointed it out. He does smile a little at what he chooses to say in the end, amused that he'd bring that up of all things. ]

Thanks. Thought I could give the scruffy look a try. I like how it's working out so far. [ Humor helps him deal with all this better, as if he can better situate himself. But he sounds more serious when he goes on to add. ] I've been gone for over a year. I... I went home, actually.

[jedimindtrick]

[ The suspicion was there that more time had passed, yes, but the idea of more time passing at home feels particularly interesting. ]

How does that work? [ Slightly chuffed, he folds his arms into the sleeves of his robe and tries not to look too offset. ] I can't imagine what it must have been like. How did you find you way back?

[ Too many questions. ]

reacclimate

[commontype]

Eggsy shrugs off the change in Bruce's hair, figures he just got a trim or something, but he'd been in cryo a couple days and that means Eggsy should bother him. Make sure he's doing alright. He also wanted to tell his best mate about his knew job and the skills that the captain had magicked into him.

"Hey, bruv. How're you?"

He's coming out the rec area after a swim, a towel wrapped around him like a blanket.

"Been meanin' to track you down."

Maybe plan another time to hang out, do something, because he'd told his new roommate James that Bruce was his best friend, but he hasn't been treating Bruce like that. Not visiting or texting him like he should. He's looking to change all that.

[hyperkinesia]

Bruce slows down just as he passes by the rec area, hearing and easily recognizing Eggsy's voice, despite all the time that's passed (for him, anyway). There's an instant smile shaping up in his features, a hint of sadness when he looks over and realizes he's missed Eggsy quite a lot.

"Eggsy. It's... it's really good to see you."

Hugging him out of the blue seems a little weird, not to mention that Bruce really isn't the kind to hug people like that, not at all. He settles for allowing himself to step a little closer than usual, letting Eggsy into his personal space, and hopes that's enough to convey what he's feeling.

"How have you been? It's been a while."

Over a year for him, even. 'A while' is putting it lightly.

[commontype]

"Been okay, yeah? You ain't gonna believe what happened, bruv."

Eggsy leans in towards Bruce, tugging on the ends of his towel, a pleased flush creeping across his cheeks and down the back of his neck.

"Got promoted since the last time we talked. Ship's first Vet."

He stands up straighter, bouncing on his heels.

"Was talkin' to one of the captains about it and they can make you smart? Like whatever you wanna know, so now I know how to be a vet."

Eggsy intends to earn it though, to put effort into the skills he was given so it's not just been handed to him.

[hyperkinesia]

Bruce looks impressed and admittedly surprised at the first words, eyebrows arching just so. As Eggsy goes on to explain, he listens in silence, nodding with a good amount of interest.

A little bit of distrust too, he can't help it. He has to wonder how exactly the captains are capable of doing something like that, and if that new knowledge comes at the expense of something, or if Eggsy might even suffer some consequence in the future. But he doesn't say any of that, not when Eggsy's clearly so pleased with the promotion. He can't bring himself to rain on his parade.

"That's great, Eggsy. Congratulations. I'm really happy for you." And he does mean that, at least. Part jokingly, he adds. "I'll have to come by with Banner sometime. Pretty sure he needs his shots, anyway."

[commontype]

Eggsy actually hadn't considered any of that before jumping head first into doing it. He probably should have, definitely should have, but for whatever reason, he'd gone through with it without thinking of the future.

"Thanks, bruv."

He shuffles his feet, nudging Bruce with the side of his arm.

"Was thinkin' about doin' somethin' for all the kittens, but there's so many of 'em wanderin' around now. Wish we could turn the tree off for a bit."

He loved them but he's pretty sure the crew all had two or three each.