"Would you like to watch it with me?"
Erhard squinted at the DVD case that Hank had thrust under his nose. "The Avengers?"
"Yes! It's a bit of an old movie, but one of my favorites. I figured since the day is so slow, we could watch it in the break room."
As Erhard began to answer, a green and yellow blur grabbed him around the neck, pulling him down several inches.
"Ah yeah!" Maria Torres said, punching the air with her free arm. "I love this flick! You in, Muller?"
Erhard tried to free himself from Maria's strong hold. "Well, I promised Chief Patel I would have my paperwork done by three o'clock and-"
"Don't be such a square," Maria said. "Come on... I'll even swing by the market on the corner and get microwave popcorn! Whattaya say?"
Erhard looked at Hank's friendly face and Maria's fiercely determined smirk.
"It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice..."
Maria freed Erhard, grabbed her motorcycle helmet from underneath a nearby counter. "Alright, I'll be right back!"
With a flash of a grin, she tore down the hall, scaring an mousy looking intern as she flew past.
Rubbing his neck, Erhard sheepishly said, "I could have sworn Dr. Torres was working in the ambulance today..."
Hank smiled. "I may have had her switch shifts with someone. I figured Maria could help me sway you."
-xXx-
"I don't understand."
"Shut up, Muller. This is the best part."
Twenty minutes later, Erhard, Maria, and Hank were situated comfortably on the hospital break room's old sea-foam green couch with a large bowl of buttery popcorn on the coffee table in front of them.
Bruce Banner clunked on to the scene on his tiny motorbike. As Black Widow, Thor, and Captain America ran to speak with him, Erhard furrowed his brow in confusion.
"How did he did come into New York by motorbike? Surely the roads must have been closed; if not, that seems like a dramatically inefficient way to evacuate a city of that size-"
"Shush!" Maria said, throwing a handful of popcorn at Erhard. A few pieces stuck to his hair. "Stop poking holes in everything! Just enjoy the movie!"
Hank chuckled behind his hand as Erhard settled into his seat and said no more. Maria was on the edge of her own seat, captivated by the superhero team on screen.
"Oh man, oh man! You just gotta love Iron Man. What an absolute BAMF!"
"What is a BAMF?" Erhard asked Hank quietly.
Hank winked at him. "I'll tell you when you're older."
Erhard raised his eyebrows incredulously.
The more and more time he spent with Hank or Maria, or even Tomoe, Gabe, or Naomi, the more he was acutely aware of his own emotions. Annoyance, incredulity, embarrassment, shock. Pride. Happiness. Joy. When he was alone in his cell he never really felt. There was no one on the receiving end of his emotions, his only companions were books. But Grey's Anatomy didn't emote back.
At Resurgam he was in a constant whirlwind of emotion. The happy father with tears running down his face, thanking him for daughter's surgery. The stone-faced wife, clutching at her chair's armrests with bright white knuckles as her husband's heart monitor beeped quietly. Chief Patel's harsh words scolding a careless orderly.
It could all be a little much at times.
"Bam! You see that, Muller? Hulk just wasted Loki!"
The Hulk grinned menacingly on-screen, as the Asgardian trickster god lay at his feet.
"Puny god, indeed," Hank said with a laugh.
"But I thought the heroes of the Earth couldn't harm the people of Loki's planet-" Erhard began.
"Ugh!" Maria threw her hands up in exasperation. "You're just like Captain America! No, you're worst than Captain America and guy came out of a fricking glacier At least Captain America was hot." She paused and tapped her chin in thought. "Well, you're not too bad."
Erhard felt the tips of his ears grow hot.
The film was confusing him at parts, but he was following the plot and picking up bits and pieces. An organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. called forth some of the world's most talented heroes to stop the evil Loki from taking over the world. There was Iron Man, the rich philanthropist with a nasty attitude. Captain America, patriotic hero of the 1940s transported to the modern day ("Reminds me of an old army buddy. My personal favorite superhero"). The Hulk, angry alter-ego of a mild-mannered doctor. Black Widow, Russian femme fatale ("Yeah! She rocks, definitely my favorite"). Plus Thor, god, future king of Asgard, and Loki's conflicted adoptive brother.
And Hawkeye. From his hazy childhood memories Erhard remembered all superheroes as being brave, bold fighters, beloved by the public. But not Hawkeye. Hawkeye stayed hidden, he was courageous but without the pomp and circumstance of other heroes. Hawkeye seemed separate from the rest of the Avengers.
Hawkeye may or may not have a budding romance with a beautiful, fiery co-worker, Black Widow.
The three sat in a comfortable silence as the battle between the Avengers and Loki's invading force raged on. The credits rolled not long after. Erhard tried getting up, but Maria pulled him down forcibly by the arm because "There's a scene after the credits! Stay, stay!"
Erhard was very much aware how Maria's hand stayed lightly curled around his arm as the thousands of names scrolled past them. He smiled at the absurdity of the post-credits scene, the Avengers gathered around a table in a half-ruined restaurant eating shawarma.
"Ugh, that was so fricking good!" Maria said.
Hank agreed. "The Avengers gets better with age."
The two looked at Erhard expectantly. "It was quite good."
"Seeing the Avengers eat shawarma is making me crave Greek food," Maria said, standing up to stretch her body. "Let's hit that place on Wharf Street before my shift starts."
Hank smiled at Erhard. Erhard had never seen such a mischievous look cross Hank's face.
"Why don't you two go ahead? I just ate and Maria's motorcycle only seats two."
"Are you sure, Hank?" Maria asked. "We could grab a taxi."
"No, no. I am sure. I've been meaning to head down to pediatrics and read to the children. Take Dr. Muller," Hank said.
Erhard shot Hank a look. Hank's smile widened and he shrugged innocently. "Have fun, you two."
"Whatever," Maria said. She hooked her arm through Erhard's. "Let's go."
A few minutes later, situated behind Maria on her motorcycle, a helmet fastened on his head, she asked "So, did you like the movie?"
The motorcycle rumbled to life. He briefly imagined Black Widow and Hawkeye racing through a city on a motorbike somewhere in Budapest. "Yeah. Yes, I did."
-xXx-
A/N: Originally posted on Tumblr. (I'm DimensionExplosion on there, drop by and say hello!)