@notpurplearrow

Bruce knew better than anyone that there were invisible people in the world. Nobody looked twice if a mailman walked away from a house or hesitated when a repairman knocked on the door. It was a simple fact that these people were often dismissed from sight and memory. It was a fact several kinds of people knew and used to get away with all sorts of things.

In this case the disguise that made him invisible was a pizza delivery man. His destination was an apartment. Nobody looked twice at him as he made his way to a particular apartment in a particular building. Despite having an infamous face nobody saw Bruce Banner, they only saw that Clint Barton was having pizza again.

Of course the fact Clint wasn’t home was a fact that was lost on them.

Bruce managed to get the door open and slip inside Clint’s place without being noticed. He breathed a sigh of relief once inside. Then he turned and noticed the silent sentry looking at him. “Hey, Lucky,” Bruce whispered. “Thanks for not giving me away. I need to have a chat with Clint, I’ll be a friendly one, I promise.”

The dog continued to silently regard him.

“Mind if I sit on the couch while I wait?” Bruce asked.

Lucky remained sitting.

When Bruce started to move Lucky got up and blocked his way. The dog was quiet as usual, but his movement spoke volumes.

“What—“ he broke off and looked at the boxes he was holding. “Ohhhh…” He smiled and opened the top one. “Not going anywhere until I cough up the cover charge, right?”

Lucky’s mouth opened in what Bruce thought of as a grin.

“You are tough, but fair,” Bruce said pulling out a slice of pizza and holding it out to the dog.

@startlingmetamorphosis

Jotuns. 

Oh gods no. Jotuns!

Svanhild sprinted through the forest, trying to find the closest village to warn them of the coming raid. Without any warning, they would be trampled flat by the Jotuns. Every man, woman, and child would die if she didn’t get there in time. 

She might already be too late.

Svanhild heard a noise to her right and spun, fearing that it was a scout for the Jotuns. If so, she would have to kill him quickly and silently. She stopped behind a tree and tried to control her panting, shaking breath. She quietly unshealthed her sword and waited for the being to come into the clearly. 

She sagged in temporary relief when she saw a man, a fellow Dane from the look of him, would wouldn’t ever be mistaken for a giant. He could have hardly been taller than her. She stepped out from behind the tree and held her sword ready, but not threateningly.

>  @notpurplearrow​ >>  per request

Despite the valiant effort of some shockingly hazy windows, the late afternoon sun still managed to filter into the shop.  Upon entrance, it was immediately entangled in the creeping vines of greenery, but pushed through bravely, long enough to flicker along shelves of crystals, illuminate some rather flighty dust motes, and land upon the dully gleaming bronze register.  

The front door creaked an objection as it was pushed open, and the woman perched on the stool behind the counter didn’t bother to look up at the customer.

“Mind the plants.”  She turned a page in her book.  “They’ve taken to eating their warning signs.”

Dumpster diving

Bruce had gotten used to certain things because of his condition. Waking up in an unfamiliar place wearing only damaged pants or less had become almost normal to him. He developed a routine of sorts. Though since he came to in a big city his priority was finding clothes.

He didn’t expect the dumpster he looked in to be occupied.

Darn you autocorrect

“Did you just kill a guy with an appetizer?”

“Yes, yes I did.  I don’t know why you’re so surprised.  I can kill with any course as well as drinks, silverware, and even the napkin.”

And the complimentary bread.

There was one guy we took out with an amuse-bouche, that was fun.

Bruce relied on his routine in the morning to get his day started. He got up at the same time, pulled his suit out of the closet with a shirt and a tie, then he showered and had breakfast. To make sure his suit stayed clean he didn’t dress until after breakfast. He always wore a St. Jude medallion around his neck. It was the only thing he had left of his mother. While working it was hidden under his shirt. There were moments where his hand would go to the spot where the medallion hung and he would think a silent prayer, but not even his partner knew it was there. The routine helped him find focus because he knew that it was the last calm moment he’d be sure of until he walked through this door again.

The unit he was in was very small, only three teams of two men, all of them came from the Academy to the unit. The lieutenant handpicked each pair and handpicked everyone else in the building, from the janitor to the medical examiner all of them were chosen by him. Their job was to deal with organized crime and police corruption. Bruce and his partner worked homicide. They dealt with the worst of the worst and did everything in their power to bring them to justice.

As usual, Bruce started coffee when he got in. He worked on reports while he finished his first cup. When he got he second cup, he poured one for his partner and set it on his desk. It was part of the routine. He put the reports in front of his partner when he came in. “Read through it and make sure it’s accurate then sign it,” he said.

Before his partner could respond the lieutenant opened the door of his office and shouted, “Banner, Barton, get in here!”

Bruce gave his partner a look then went to see what the lieutenant wanted them for. “Shut the door,” Fury snapped. “The two of you are going to meet the new DA assigned to our unit at 1:15 this afternoon. He wants to ask questions about the current court cases and get updates on anything you’re working on. The files will be on your desks before then.”

Bruce nodded. “I’m guessing that until then we will be busy investigating the death of the former DA,” he said. It was just how things went.

“They pulled him out of the river half an hour ago,” Fury confirmed. “Here’s the address, they’re waiting for you.”

Bruce stepped up to take the offered piece of paper. It would go into his fresh case notebook along with anything else related to the case.