ain't gonna hang around 'til there's nobody dancing

[symmachy]

Who: Scathach & Bruce.
When: Friday evening.
Where: His place.
Summary: Date night.
Warnings: WHO KNOWS.

[It wasn't a date.

Well, maybe it was. Mostly, it was dinner between friends. That was what she preferred, even though she had dressed up a bit, as befitted a semi-formal occasion. Not unarmed, of course, knife strapped high on her thigh, invisible to anyone watching. She was just a young woman walking alone just before sirens went off, looking far too casual to not be up to something.

At least, that was how she imagined she looked. Most people were already locked up in their houses, safe from the nighttime monsters. She considered lingering, but didn't want to show up covered in blood again. It would be rude. His shirt was folded neatly over her arm, washed and ready to be returned. Scathach ran a hand through her cropped red hair as she arrived, and gave a cursory knock at the door. She wondered where this would go, if she'd really get to meet this mysterious "Other Guy," but knew it was rude to ask.

Sadly, that had hardly ever stopped Scatty before.]

Comments

[hulkbusted]

[Bruce actually beams at her.] I'm glad you like it. If you only do this to fit in - am I guessing right? You eat among humans for camouflage? If you only do it for that, at least the flavors should be enjoyable.

[symmachy]

[Saying she did it for "camouflage" made her feel like an insect being studied, but she lets it pass. He wasn't trying to offend her, that much was clear. And it was a small thing, anyway.]

I do. And yes, I agree. I usually stick to raw fruits, but cooked food is nice, too.

[hulkbusted]

[It's an occupational hazard; he'd also hazard a guess that Betty felt like he was studying her like an alien species, too. At least xenobiology isn't a field of study in his world.]

Next time [my that's bold, Bruce] you choose something to do.

[symmachy]

[She raises an eyebrow oh-so-slowly. But only says:]

I'll start thinking, then.

[hulkbusted]

[If she wants a next time after what he proposes next. He's hopeful that she will, but her reactions leave him uncertain more often than not.]

For next time. Tonight... dessert is out in the Darkness. Or at least I thought it was until I saw that dress. It would be a shame to get it bloody.

[He's thinking of offering her... a t-shirt because she makes his t-shirts so much more appealing than they are on her, but he's also thinking of what she said earlier about taking it off. When did he revert to adolescent hormonal thinking?]

[symmachy]

[She smiles.]

I can always run home and change. [She was only considering taking the dress off.]

[hulkbusted]

[He's remembering the first time he saw her.]

I guess you could. I've seen you run; you'd probably be back by the time I finished changing.

[symmachy]

Is that the plan, then?

[It might take just a little longer since she's wearing heels.]

[hulkbusted]

[Bruce shrugs.]

It's kind of a package deal with me. Before I start really getting my hopes up you should see the other half of the package.

[He's very patient.]

[symmachy]

[Hopes up for what, Bruce? That she'll be your friend? Too late, she's already made up her mind on that.]

I'll be back in three minutes.

[hulkbusted]

[More like that she won't change her mind, no matter how open-minded she is after more years than he can properly grasp from his 42 years of life.]

I'll be here.

[He has a pair of completely ridiculously baggy shorts to change into, but he's fairly sure they'll fit the Other Guy.]

[symmachy]

[And she's out the door before he can blink and walking through the door in three minutes, as promised. She's wearing white again, jeans and a tank top, and has her short swords at her back and nunchaku at her waist.]

I'm back.

[hulkbusted]

[At this point Scatty has seen him wearing just shorts or the equivalent a couple of times, so he tries not to be too self-conscious about it, but it would help if she weren't so damned hot. Maybe he could ask her to show him her teeth... okay, no, that would not be a good idea and he banishes it from his mind.

He just checks the drawstring on his shorts, then takes off his glasses and sets them by the door.]

Your Darkness gear is cooler than mine. Sorry.

[symmachy]

[Oops sorry, she can't turn off her swagger. It's basically impossible after all these thousands of years. The switch just broke and now it's stuck in the "on" position.

All the same, she gives him a quick up-and-down, the meaning of which is impossible to guess.]

You sure you don't [need] want anything?

[hulkbusted]

[He laughs at that. He might not get her, but she doesn't quite get him yet either.]

If I'm lucky I'll still have these shorts in the morning. Anything else won't survive the change.

[symmachy]

[Trying not to get too invested in the possible lack of shorts in the morning.]

Well then. Lead the way.

[hulkbusted]

[The possible lack of shorts during the night might be... offputting.]

Away from residential neighborhoods if you don't mind. Remind him if he gets distracted.

[It won't be long until sirens, which means the streets are as good as deserted. He's just walking, waiting for the time to pass until the siren sounds and he can be sure that most sane people are locked down for the night.]

[symmachy]

[She couldn't exactly get over how he keeps speaking as if he has no control over this Other Guy.

The thought that he might not is only slightly worrying.]

Are you not conscious when he is?

[hulkbusted]

[It more than slightly worries him.]

Not really. I remember fragments and... I guess the alarm clock analogy won't work if you don't sleep, but it's what I do. Some people can tell themselves what time they want to wake up before they fall asleep and they wake up. I just leave different messages than wake-up calls for him.

A little more of me bleeds through when the change is voluntary.

[symmachy]

[She looks genuinely fascinated.]

Really. And what sort of message would you leave for this? [She gestures around them, indicating "going out with a vampire after dark to kill monsters."]

[hulkbusted]

Don't kill humans and that I like you. He'll know that anyway, but it doesn't hurt to reinforce it.

[He comes to a stop and tilts his head when the siren sounds. Without a shirt, the tension in his shoulders might be rather obvious.]

I guess that's my cue.

[symmachy]

[That makes her smile, and she rolls her shoulders to loosen them up. She can see that he's tense, but isn't about to offer to help when he's so worked up. Almost on instinct, she takes half a step back. He had said his other self was big.]

Have at.

[hulkbusted]

[The change comes quickly, a flush of green sweeping over his skin barely in advance of the sudden growth that hits him. It looks almost effortless, even with the almost violent surge of muscle that increases his bulk and lengthens his bones. In seconds Bruce is gone and the Other Guy is there, and Scathach is the center of his attention.]

[symmachy]

[She hadn't known what to expect, but it definitely could have been worse. Scathach had seen monsters that would have made the most courageous man shake in his boots. This creature still looked human, at least. But she errs on the side of caution, holding her ground, deciding against any sudden movements. How did one usually greet the alter-ego of a friend? Hell if she knew.]

... Hello.

[hulkbusted]

[He leans closer, looking her over up and down. Bruce likes her, but she unsettles him and disrupts his peace, and she's not Betty.

It's a bit of a coin toss how the Hulk will resolve Bruce's conflict about her, but the Darkness has an answer to that in the form of a ropy tendril that drops down and lashes across his bare back.

More tendrils drop, and a glance up reveals a creature like a bus-sized Portuguese man-o-war.]