They call me sensational

After a brief moment of contemplation, Bruce tackled the rest of his cousin’s question. Something he wasn’t sure the answer of but he gave what sounded best. “Right now? I think staying in the City might be the best choice. We both know I’m not good at staying in one place long but I’ll be here as long as I can stand it. I certainly haven’t missed this place. But, this is all tired, old information. What’s new with you?” As much as Bruce cared what she was up to he was far more eager to turn the attention off him. 

“You know everyone’s happy to have you for as long as you’ll stay.”  She said before she answered his questions.  “Well, Tony, Steve and I are finally off the back foot.  We have heroes coming to us now, rather than us having to go hunting every time.  I’m putting together the final arrangements to purchase a property we want to turn into a school for the younger ones we pick up though, if we can encourage them to finish school while we also train them to be out there with us like they want to be, it’s a whole lot of risk to the public and to the kids that we’ll be averting.”  She tossed some more carrot out onto the grass, “It feels less like damage control and more like we’re building something in that tower now.  I’ve been living and working there, my legal practice shares a floor with the psychiatrist.  It helps now that I have my two jobs working in the same framework -- my secretary knows exactly when she needs to start rescheduling appointments.”

Clint nodded when Jen started her story. He let out a whistle when she mentioned prosecuting serious guys. Jennifer Walters was a badass before she even got gamma radiation on her veins. “I’ve been shot and hit by car, but never in one day…” he tried to make this less serious, it was his MO when things got grim. After that all he did was nod, take in every word she was saying, trying not to wonder how SHIELD had managed that, another Hulk lose in New York. “Mmh I really regret not being there, I would’ve pitched Hulkette” he said with a small laugh, “I’m glad it worked, the transfusion…” he didn’t know it yet, or maybe he did, but Jennifer Walters had saved his life. Had saved him from himself, from wasting away his life hiding out of fear. She had given him a second chance. And he would always be grateful for it. 

She was actually grateful when he didn’t make a fuss about her ‘origin story’.  She was usually as flippant about it as possible.  “I favour a good cheesy portmanteau.  Gammazon would have been on the short list if anyone had asked.”  She chuckled, “I suppose you’ll be offering the young lady running around with your codename ‘Hawkette’?”  She asked with a smirk.  She wondered if he was going to ask again about the difference between her and Bruce, about why she could control this, be at one with it, when he was constantly at odds with the Hulk.  At least now she had some experience in explaining it without giving out the whole, horrible truth.  Bruce would hardly like it if Jen was going around telling everybody and their mums about the roots of her cousin’s anger.

When Jen sat down there was a momentary calm that washed over Bruce in having something so familiar. Reaching up to tip his hat backwards, stop blocking his face with it, Bruce gave a smile that looked more genuine than fake. “Can’t complain. How about you, kid, everything going well?” he didn’t take the offered donut, unable to remember the last time he’d had food, Bruce knew better than to start with something like that. 

She took one of her own donuts, pulled it apart in her jade fingers, and took a surprisingly dainty bite.  She was entirely at one with this form, the same hands that could crush cinderblocks could also type affidavits and handle bone china.  She brushed a little cinnamon sugar off of her white pencil skirt.  “Where have you been?  Are you staying long?”  She asked.

Steve laughed and nodded. “I agree.” he said. “I think Tony would too. Hell, he hears that idea and he’ll probably have the shirts made by that evening.”

She laughed at the thought of Tony’s industrious behaviour towards branding.  “You should have heard the conversation where I had to convince him not to call his new coffee chain ‘Starkbucks’.”

She moved up to the ledge, “I come up here a bit, actually.”  She pointed down to the construction site below, “I used to work in that building, it was levelled by the Chitauri.  They’ve finally started building on it and I dunno, I guess it gives me a little perspective to watch it grow into something new.”  She was human back then.  On the day itself, she had been at a job interview with the District Attorney.  She wondered what the outcome would have been if she hadn’t told her boss she was sick so he wouldn’t know she was moving on.

“I fell like he would be insulted at them simply being called parties.” he laughed, shaking his head. “There has to be a better word to describe his crazy shindigs. Though most of the time, they are a lot of fun.”

“I feel like we need an equivalent of the ‘ain’t no party like a Gatsby party’ t-shirts in honour of Tony’s Avengers parties.”  She joked, agreeing that there was certainly a level well beyond the term ‘party’ that needed to be assigned for Tony’s dos.

“I don’t think there’s anyone here who doesn’t want to see him.” he said. He shook his head, “I haven’t, but I can try to contact her.” he said. “I know there are a few who have been in touch with her, I could ask them as well.” Steve nodded in agreement, “I think so too, but it could take a while.”

“Oh of course, everything takes time.  He’ll need time to come back out of that shell he seems to have confined himself in before too long, though.  I can tell that he wants to.”

“I’m sure having the gang back together will help speed that along.” he said. “We always had fun in the times when we could relax.”

“Well, I think we all know that Tony throws the best parties.  Be they Avengers parties or otherwise.”  She pulled open the bag of biscuits and slid the tray out of the packet, setting it down on the table and choosing one.

“I don’t think there’s anyone here who doesn’t want to see him.” he said. He shook his head, “I haven’t, but I can try to contact her.” he said. “I know there are a few who have been in touch with her, I could ask them as well.” Steve nodded in agreement, “I think so too, but it could take a while.”

“Oh of course, everything takes time.  He’ll need time to come back out of that shell he seems to have confined himself in before too long, though.  I can tell that he wants to.”

“You and me both.” he said, giving her a smile. “I can only hope that the silence doesn’t mean something bigger and badder is on it’s way.”

“I think he especially needs to see people from before, be sure that nobody hates him.  Have you heard anything from Natasha lately?  Maybe you can find out if she’ll send messages to him too.”  she suggested.  “But forming new bonds will likely also be helpful.”

He put a teaspoon of sugar into his tea before stirring, “Not too much.” he said. “A few more people have showed up wanting to help, but nothing else so far.” He looked up at her, “Unless we’re both out of the loop on something, things were pretty quiet while you were gone.”

“Well, in that case, I guess I’ll rest easy tonight.”  She smiled and took another sip of her tea.

“Clint came back with me on the jet.  He’s jumpy, but part of that is just that he hasn’t been around people for four years.  But physically, he’s fit; and he likes the idea of helping to train the new recruits.”  She offered him his cup so he could add whatever he liked to it.  “Did I miss much?”  She hadn’t been gone more than a day, but things happened fast in this town.

She pulled out onto the dusty road as he asked the question, “I suppose I did say I’d explain.”  She gave a slight laugh.  “I mentioned that Bruce is my cousin?  We also share a blood type.  When I was an ADA in New York, I was prosecuting some serious guys.  On the way to court one morning they tried to have me killed, I don’t particularly recommend getting shot twice and hit by a car, in case you were curious.”  She grimaced, “Bruce was working in the Tower with Tony, so he was nearby enough to get to the hospital just when they ran out of blood for me.  Bruce had to make a call between doing nothing, and me certainly dying, or giving me his blood, and probably dying.  Turns out whatever makes a person compatible with gamma radiation happens to run in the Banner side of the family.”  She flexed her green fingers before putting her hands back on the wheel.  “I initially did the stereotypical Hulk-out.  Wrecked some buildings, got shot at a lot, which is so helpful.”  She gave a sarcastic laugh.  “By the time I evened out and learned to coexist with my Hulk side, the internet had all ready named me ‘She-Hulk’.  I would have gone with something a little less derivative, but I’m sort of stuck with it now.” 

She-Hulk by naratani

He made his way up to her office, pausing to chat with Felicia for a moment. She waved him through with a smile and he stepped up to Jens door. Giving it a quick knock, he peeked his head in, giving the brunette a smile. “Heard you were back.” he said. “Mind if I come in and join you?”