Actually had this on my computer for quite a bit never got around to uploading it. So here. Enjoy!
I do not own Avengers...
" Relax enjoy the party. Have some booze there's plenty of it," Tony had said before left Banner to his own devices. In a room full of partying people, who smelled of alcohol, sweat and illegal substances.
Tony called it "advanced training in the art of having fun" Banner called it torture.
He was currently leaning on the balcony of the 50 story hotel that the party was being held in. The city was stretched out before him, all blinking lights and settling darkness. The same city he'd helped save from Loki just two months before. Moving as if nothing had happened.
Sighing he ran a hand through his graying hair, his alcohol had remained untouched. He was a scientist not a wild partying twenty year old. He had enough excitement working for Shield.
He'd would have already snuck out the back door, and haled a taxi back to his lab, if it wasn't for the fact that he'd promised Stark he would stay until the party semi-ended and all the fun people went home. He didn't know who the " fun people" were or how to tell them from a crowd of people who all looked like they were having too much fun.
The one prospect he had of company from the opposite sex went out the window after he'd attempt to explain his lab duties in part to a women at the bar who'd guessed he was a scientist. She smiled at him for about two minutes while he went into enthusiastic explanation before waving to a group of imaginary people and leaving without so much as a " nice to meet you."
" Number fifty six done." Said a female voice beside him. He turned his head sharply in her direction. He hadn't even heard her come up beside him. Except she wasn't standing directly beside him, but instead on the railing of the balcony glancing down at the city as he was, a small smile curled on her lips.
She was going to jump.
He had to stop her.
" Hey," he said calmly. " How about getting down."
She turned to him, her eyebrows curled, her face was that of utter confusion.
He continued his hands out towards her. " Jumping won't solve anything. It'll only make things worse."
" What are you talking abo- Wait do you think I'm going to jump?"
" You feel like there's no other way out, I get that. Just please come down so we can talk about it." He held his hand up for her take, fully prepared for her to jump at any minute. He could swing down after her, use his body to break her fall, because it wouldn't kill him. Only problem would be she would open her eyes to the sight of green and he doubted she wanted that. The sight alone would be enough to give her a heart attack.
" I'm not going to jump," she said slowly, softly. Then in a tone that was raised and angry. " Are you crazy?"
She was the one standing on a balcony.
" Wait. What? No just please come down." He said. She stared at him. The lights dancing against her face made her expression hard to read. Then without warning she carefully stooped down placed one foot then another on the balcony floor, until she was safely out of harms way.
Banner sighed. The woman poked him in the chest. The gesture made him more surprised than angry and he found himself now looking at her with confusion.
" Who do you think you are?" She snapped pulling her finger back to poke him again.
" Excuse me ma'am I think I'm the one who just saved your lif-"
" You can't just go around making judgments about people, you don't even know me. Just because I'm standing on top of a balcony doesn't mean I want to jump?"
He wanted to say yes, but knew doing so would only make her angry, and having her poke him in the chest wasn't making him too comfortable.
" I'm sorry if I ruined your plan," he said sincerely. " But I couldn't just stand there and watch."
She stared at him for a long moment then, a moment in which he realized two things. She had complete heterochromia, and she was the most oddly beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life.
Her skin was the color of caramel, her hair was black and pulled back into a neat ponytail, strains of it fell onto her face brushing her high cheekbones and cradling on top of her upturned nose. Her lips were set in a defiant frown and long fingers dug their way through the bag at her shoulder remerging with a small notebook . One Hazel and one brown eye scanned the pages while fingers flipped.
She seemed to forget he was standing there, or that she was angry at all while she mumbled. " At least I could get fifty six done, fifty five was a no go."
She had to be no more than twenty five or twenty six, and about the height of Natasha, maybe half an inch taller. She wasn't dressed like she came to party, instead her attire was that of someone who just stepped off the street. Blue jeans, black tank top and Converses.
The woman took her mix matched eyes off the paper long enough to glance up at Banner warily. She opened her mouth then closed it again. Shoved her notepad back into her bag then without warning or meaning she grabbed Banner by the shirt pulled him forward and kissed him full on the mouth.
When she finally pulled back her face mimicked surprise, then amazement. " Didn't think I'd have the guts to do it." She touched her lips gently before taking Banner's hand much to his surprise and shaking it roughly.
" Hi. I'm Kitty." She was smiling widely like a school girl.
Still dazed and slightly confused he willed his heartbeat to slow as he shook her hand back. " Banner, Bruce Banner."
She nodded, smiling and taking the name in. She obviously had no idea how much danger she could have been in just moments before. Had he not had more control over his emotions, or known the proper techniques to slow his own pulsating heart things could have ended badly.
If had no control over his own state he wouldn't be here, in a enclosed room full of people, loud ear drum bursting music, and women who kissed total strangers without warning.
" Um is there a reason why you…"
" I need a drink," she said turning and walking in the direction of the party.
" Wait. Excuse me, hey don't walk away." Banner said attempting to stop the women from walking away.
She turned swiftly, her eyebrow was raised.
" Well aren't you going to buy me a drink?"
Against his better judgment, against the screaming voice in the back of his head telling him this was probably not a good idea he followed.
The woman named Kitty seated herself at he bar, a bit hesitantly he seated himself next to her. She wasted no time delivering her order. " Can I have a pomegranate apple cocktail mix, stirred."
" Brandy or Vodka," asked the bartender.
" Brandy will be fine." She turned to Banner. " You want anything?"
He shook his head then held up his still full cup from earlier.
" Give me one minute," said the bartender. Kitty nodded then spun her chair around until she faced Banner.
" I don't normally do that," she said.
" And what is that exactly?" He asked leaning back slightly.
She laughed like he'd told the funniest joke she'd ever heard before. " You really thought I was going to jump. Like I would actually jump from this building." She settled her laughing until all that remained of it was a slight curl of lips. " Believe me there are plenty of better ways to go."
Again he found himself wondering against his better judgment what she normally did do, if it wasn't climbing on top of balconies and kissing random strangers.
She's probably drunk, that's the only reasonable reason she would act that way…he thought
The bartender slid her drink towards her. She caught it with her free hand, took a sip then turned back to Banner, so quickly it looked like it was done in the same movement.
" You don't want to be here," she said sudden and bluntly.
He shook his head. " What gave it away?"
She shrugged her thin shoulders. " Your posture looks easy going but your totally tense, and your holding that glass like its your only life support."
He looked down at his hand, his knuckles had gone white from the strain. Well so much for relaxing.
Blowing the rim of her glass she smiled. " Its ok I won't tell the friend who dragged you here, so don't look so guilty."
He laughed slightly embarrassed. " I don't normally come to these things," he admitted feeling slightly better being able to say it out loud. His fingers had found a stray pen in the pocket of his shirt, and were now fidgeting with it.
" And I don't normally climb on balconies," Kitty said. " Or kiss strangers. Sorry for that by the way. You must have been surprised?"
She still hadn't answered the lingering question of why she would do either thing. He opened his mouth to ask her but the only words that would come out were, " No that's quite alright…I've…I've had worse experiences actually." He let his last word trail off under the heavy sound of music and people shouting.
Her long fingers moved around the rim of the glass now, her foot tapped against the bottom of the stool. Interest glimmered in her different color eyes and she smiled again. " Really. I would love to hear about it."
There was no fake formalities in her genuine request. Her look, her tone, her posture, all told him she really was interested in hearing what he had to say.
That didn't mean he was interested in sharing.
" Listen," he said reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. " I really should be going. It was...nice talking to you Kitty." He slid a ten onto the counter. " Again sorry about the mishap. Won't happen again. Goodbye," he said.
She smiled and took another sip out of her drink. " Never so final Mr. Banner," she said raising her voice above the music. " We all met again someday. Sometimes sooner and later." Then she turned back to the bar, and their conversation became for that moment a distant memory lost between the lights, music and alcohol as Banner focused on finding Stark.
He found him at the sushi bar chatting with a couple other business owners.
" Bruce buddy the whole point of this is to help you loosen up," Tony said throwing an arm around Banner's shoulder and leading him back in the direction of the party. " It's been what two hours?"
" Three," Banner corrected dryly.
" My point is," Stark said. " This is your chance to get out be a social butterfly explore a new environment outside of your la…and why are you looking at me like that?"
Banner sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.. " I've had enough, I've come to inform you I'm leaving."
Tony blinked. " What about our agreement? Fine. Yeah ok whatever. You know if you just wait about two more hours I'll drive us both back."
Banner couldn't think of anything worse.
" No it's ok I'll hail a Taxi."
Stark left him then as he headed down the elevator to the street. Once down he hailed a Taxi, told them his destination was Stark Towers and waited patiently in the backseat while they drove in complete silence there.
His ears were ringing and his head was throbbing by the time the Taxi arrived at it's destination and he couldn't stop thinking about the woman named Kitty and what she said before he left her at the bar.
" We all meet again someday. Sometimes sooner than later."
" 15.75," the Taxi driver said breaking his thoughts.
" Oh," he said reaching into his back pocket where his wallet should have been. " Sorry about that let me just get my…"
He touched his second pocket, then his fronts, and finally the pocket of his shirt.
His wallet was missing.
" You were touched by an Angel," Piper said as she opened and closed a worn leather wallet. The ID inside said Bruce Banner and displayed a picture of a man with semi messy brown hair and a sullen far away look.
Reaching over I snatched the wallet from Piper's hands. " And you were touched by madness. I thought we were over this Pip?"
Piper folded her fingers together and glanced down at the darkened sidewalk guiltily. " I couldn't help it. I…he looked like such a nice man…and I saw you too talking. I thought…that maybe if I stole his wallet, just one last wallet maybe…"
I cut her off with a sigh. " Piper…you've got to stop stealing people's wallets. I don't care what you thought. Now I have to find him and return it too him."
Piper considered this for a moment before saying. " You were going to jump weren't you?"
I stopped in my tracks. To say the truth out loud and admit that moment of weakness was to much. I was going to jump, jump and end it all. As I stood on that balcony all I could think of was the true freedom the ground below held. There would be no more waiting, no more suffering. It would end quickly and swiftly.
It was not the man named Bruce who had stopped me, by the time he actually noticed me I could have already ended it. No it was my written thoughts and unachieved wishes in the form of a small hand sized notebook filled with writing that had made me stop and remind myself that I still had unfinished business to attend to before I could even think about killing myself.
The notebook was one of many I owned. Scribbled inside, in my neatly messy hand writing was my grocery list from three days past, memos to myself, changes to my work schedule and random notes about random things I saw through out the day. It was almost like my diary, only more personal, more real. Isolated at the very back, scribbled on ten separate pages were my 100 inspirations for living, 100 things I had to do before I died.
I could feel Piper's eyes on me as I twisted my fingers together in thought. Her gaze was deep and penetrating and never failed to make me think about things I wish I hadn't.
" Never mind what I was going to do," I snapped closing the wallet and sticking it into my bag. " The subject is still about you."
" I said I was sorry," Piper said.
" Sorry won't get that man back his wallet."
I'd stopped marveling a long time ago at how easily Piper could steal. She was a Kleptomaniac after all, and stealing was her own special crazy gift, but really the man had just only put the wallet in his back pocket before Piper had it in her own hands.
We were fraternal twins and looked nothing alike. While her natural hair color was a blonde and straight while mine was black and messy. Her skin was paled and freckled, mine the color of caramel. We were the same height, but I was thinner lacking obvious curve she had in the bust and hips. Her nose was long straight and profound, while mine upturned slightly. But the most obvious difference between the two of us had to be our eyes.
Hers were piercing blue, sharp and lovely. While mine were two different colors, brown and hazel.
" Its not a big deal, we'll just find him tomorrow and give it back," Piper suggested repeating as normal what I'd just said.
" No. I'll find him and give it back. Leave it up to you and you'll steal his car keys next."
We reached the tenant that Piper and I called home. The streets around it were empty and the area around the apartment were surprisingly quiet. Usually at this hour a variety of noises between shouting, music playing and moaning could be heard from the outside. Tonight was our lucky night. We might actually get some real sleep, before I had to wake up 5:30 in the morning and head down to the bar.
Piper burst in our apartment and wasted no time stripping out of her dress until she was in nothing but her underwear.
I lingered in the kitchen still holding my notebook and the man's wallet. I opened my notebook first and glanced over the writing at the back before pulling out my pen and crossing a line through #55 Kiss a complete stranger and # 56 Climb on the edge of an balcony and look down at the world below, on my list.
Piper came in behind me holding a fresh towel and a new bar of soap. She eyed my book curiously before announcing out loud. " I saw you kiss that guy."
I slammed my notebook closed. I couldn't explain why but blush was curling up my cheeks. " So what? It was on the stupid list, you wrote it so I did it."
" I never said it was a bad thing," she hesitated. " It had to be awkward having a drink with him afterwards."
I nodded. " I offered to drink with him so it wouldn't be awkward." I said.
Piper nodded then said. " It's going to be ten times more awkward when you return his wallet to him." She gasped.
" What?"
" What if he's married. And has kids and he tells his wife that you a total and complete stranger not only tried to kill yourself, but kissed him after he saved you and you went off on him."
" Bugger off may fly," I said in my fake British accent shooing her away. She grinned.
" You're the one mother's warn their sons about," Piper teased running the bathroom.
" And you're the reason why women hug their purses like a new born child," I called out after her. Over the sound of running water I could hear her snickering. I opened up the wallet next and glanced at the ID again going over the name then the address.
The address listed on the ID was from Brazil. There were no credit or debit cards, pictures or gift cards in the card slots. Opening up the wallet wider I turned it over to let the contents fall onto the counter in front of me. A fifty dollar bill, two quarters a cascade of pennies and one dime fell out along with a small white business card. It fluttered in the air for a moment twisting back and forth before it came to rest on the yellow stained tile floor, writing face up.
Stark Industries. Leading name in Technology. It read in bold silver letters. Picking up the card I held it close to observe the address and contact information written on the card.
" Piper," I called.
The sound of water stopped. Piper poked out her head covered with soap and peered at me.
I held up the card for her to see. " Have you ever wanted to see the inside of Stark Tower?"
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