Several weeks passed with no further mention of the Magicals. Despite that, Bruce found that his attention often wandered to a certain blonde witch – especially when he looked at her drawings. He had laminated and framed them for their protection and he kept them on the workstation where he spent the majority of his time. Every time his eyes would alight upon the one of the Hulk, he remembered the Other Guy's feeling of wonder about the artistic little witch who had created it. However, when he looked at her fun little self-portrait, which she had apparently drawn between the time that the Hulk had left but before Bruce woke up, he could feel an almost overwhelming sense of longing from the Hulk to see her again...and he knew he also wanted to meet the delightfully quirky woman for himself.
...
Bruce was not unhappy, per se. His isolated life on the run was over. He had his own little apartment in the Tower, a fascinating job, and some really good friends who knew his deepest and darkest secret – but who seemed to like him anyway. However, he still felt lonely. There had been no woman in his life for years - not since Betty had walked away after being unable to cope with the entire Hulk situation. He understood that and he did not blame her – not one bit. He would have done the same thing, if he could have. He did miss the closeness of being in a relationship, though. He missed having someone special in his life with whom he could laugh…someone he could fall asleep next to and wake up with…someone with whom he could drop his guard and be himself and not worry about the consequences…someone who made his heart beat a little faster when she entered a room. In short, he missed being in love. Ever since his accident, he had assumed he would never get to have that chance again. After all, his other side was just too volatile to allow anyone to get close to him.
However, he could not stop thinking about how Luna, that little wisp of a witch, had charmed the Hulk and had liked him enough to give him a goodbye kiss. Bruce wondered what she would think of him, though: the ordinary man and scientist. Would she like him as much as she did the Hulk? Or would she be disappointed in his lack of muscles and green pigmentation? After all, she had said it was her favorite color. Would that even matter to her? He wished he could find out. After all, she had said that she would see him again, but it had already been weeks since that meeting in the forest.
Bruce just sighed and reached out to touch her picture. "Luna," he said a bit wistfully. All of a sudden, he heard a loud crack behind him. When he spun around in his chair to see what it was, he was shocked to find that same delicate blonde witch, about whom he had just been thinking. She looked a bit disheveled, but so very pretty as she stood there with a delighted smile on her face.
"Oh, you're the Other Guy!" she said so enthusiastically that Bruce did not even realize the irony of her greeting until much later. "I wondered when you were going to get around to using that reverse portkey. It's been weeks, you know! I was starting to worry that you didn't like me."
"L…Luna?" Bruce stammered in wonder and confusion at her presence. He had no idea how the witch had ended up in his lab, but he was very happy that she was there. "Reverse portkey?"
"Oh, yes! Didn't I explain in my note that I put a spell on the picture so that the first time you touched it and said my name, I would be pulled to your location?" At Bruce's bewildered head shake, she continued. "Oh dear! I must have forgotten! I probably caught one of the Wrackspurts that fled from the Hulk after he transformed back into you. Those little buggers take great delight in causing confusion, you know. Plus, I was a bit distracted by the sight of what I originally thought was miniature Finnish Firebrand dragon. However, it just turned out to be Iron Man, instead. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by that. I knew he was there for you, though, so I just disillusioned myself before he saw me. I also knew that you would be safe with him, so I waited until he landed before I apparated away."
Despite the strangeness of that entire statement, Bruce was struck with two thoughts immediately. One warmed his heart when he realized that she had cared enough to stay with him in that vulnerable state between transformations in order to keep him safe until his friend had arrived. The other thought was one of amusement when he considered how Tony's ego would react to that knowledge that at least one woman thought that being face-to-face with a dragon would be preferable to meeting him and his alter ego.
He was distracted from his musings, however, when the blonde woman…witch…walked closer to the window and made a soft sound of delight when she saw the view. "Oh, are we in New York? I will definitely have to go see Newt and Tina then before I head back to England. They are Rolf's grandparents, you know…and Newt is the world's leading expert on magical creatures. I simply adore him. I bet he would love to meet the Hulk, too. Oooh, maybe you could come with me! We would not be breaking any rules. After I met the Hulk...who is practically a magical being himself...I checked with my friend, Hermione…she's the Deputy Minister of Magic, you know…and she confirmed that the Avengers were indeed on the Approved list. Therefore, that silly Statute of Secrecy wouldn't be compromised if you met more of us."
The woman's breathless train of thought seemed to pause at the station then and she gazed up at Bruce with appreciation with those wide blue eyes that were so clear in the Hulk's memories. "At any rate, it is nice to finally meet this side of you. I liked the Hulk very much, but I am glad to see that you are just my size…and quite fit and handsome, too. It's a pity about the lack of green...but nobody's perfect!"
Bruce could not tell if she was joking or not, but either way he felt just a bit self-conscious by her direct gaze and admiring tone – not that he really minded – not at all! He just had not expected it – especially since he had never really been one to catch anyone's eye before. He was just too…ordinary…looking for that to happen. He did not have Tony's charm and dashing good looks or Steve's wholesome manner and extremely muscular physique. Hell, even Clint – and that mischievous sparkle in his eye - always got offers and numbers whenever they went out for drinks. That never seemed to happen to Bruce, though. In fact, he had known Betty for a long time before he finally found the nerve to ask her on a date…and look how that relationship had turned out.
Almost as if she could read his mind, Luna walked close to him and placed her hand on his forearm – just as she had done with the Hulk that day in the woods. "None of that!" she commanded in a gentle voice. "It took me a long time to find my place, too, you know. However, we are both more than we seem, remember?" Then she smiled at him sweetly and his heart did a little flip as he remembered that she had not run away from the Hulk. Nor did it seem as if she planned to leave anytime soon when she added, "I believe that we are both exactly who we need to be now…and where we need to be, as well. Therefore, why don't you take me somewhere so that we can get to know each other better."
Bruce's answering grin was so bright that it could have lit up his lab on its own power as he finally gained control of his mouth and remembered that he was actually a man of some intelligence when spoke his first full sentence since her arrival. "Would you like to go out for some coffee…or tea…?" He glanced at his watch and realized that it was later than he thought. "Or even dinner?"
"Dinner sounds nice," she replied with another sweet smile. "Just let me send a message to Rolf so he will not worry. You did whisk me away rather unexpectedly, after all." She indicated her slightly mussed appearance and Bruce watched with an almost scientific curiosity as the witch drew her wand out of her hair again. After he pulled his gaze away from the tempting sight of all that soft blonde hair that the Hulk had also admired, he vaguely heard her say the words, Expecto Patronum. He did not know what he had expected, but it definitely was not a misty white rabbit who hopped up and looked at its mistress with intelligent eyes while she gave it a verbal message to pass on to that Rolf guy.
"Rolfy, dear, don't fret about me when I don't show up for tea. I didn't get trampled by a rampaging hippogriff or anything, I was just called away a bit unexpectedly by a friend. Surprisingly enough, I am in New York, so I will definitely visit your Papa and Nana before I leave. I don't know exactly when I will get home, so please don't forget to leave some milk out for those adorable little Bidlynuks in the back garden. Watch your fingers, though. The striped one bites." Her message apparently finished, Luna then gave a little swish with her wand and the rabbit nodded before it hopped quickly away until it simply faded through the walls on the far side of the lab.
Bruce took his eyes off of the direction where the misty rabbit had disappeared and looked back at Luna. Even though his scientific mind was bursting with questions about the unlikely things that he had just seen and heard, his heart seemed to want to settle on the most personal question first. "Rolf?" he asked.
For some reason, he found that he just had to know who the man was to her - especially since she had mentioned him a few times already and that message had seemed quite affectionate. The surge of jealousy that he felt was a bit of a surprise, though. After all, he did not really know the pretty blonde witch very well yet, so he had no reason or right to feel that way. However, the territorial feeling came from so deep down inside that he suspected it was one that he also shared with the Hulk.
Luna must have caught something in his tone since she smiled sweetly and touched his hand again. "There is no reason to feel like that," she replied in that lovely light dreamy voice of hers. "Rolf is my best friend and housemate. He is also a magical creature expert, just like his grandfather, and we have written several books on both magi and crypto-magi zoology together. He also helps me out at The Quibbler, since Father is now retired and spends most of his time on expeditions to search for the Crumped-Horned Snorkack." Here Luna paused and her voice turn conspiratorial. "Between you and me, I don't think that the CHS really exists, but it does give Father such pleasure to look for it - and it keeps him active - so there is no harm done." She paused again as a look of amusement crossed her face.
"Plus, he doesn't like girls," she added as an afterthought.
Bruce was a bit taken aback by that last statement. "Your father doesn't like girls?"
Luna laughed, a pleasant tinkling sound. "No, Silly! Rolf doesn't like girls - not like that, anyway. In fact, he's gayer than Dumbledore...and that man wore sparkly purple robes." She smiled again and paused to twirl a strand of hair around her finger thoughtfully. "Even though I adore him, his complete lack of desire to have sex with me is a bit of a deal breaker when it comes to any sort of a romantic relationship."
The relief that Bruce felt at her explanation was almost palpable. However, he could not believe that it was even possible that someone could be around such a beautiful and fascinating woman all of time and not want to have sex with her as much as possible. In fact, just the thought of it was causing an almost involuntary response in his trousers that was quite difficult to suppress. He was almost positive that he had not said any of that aloud, but Luna laughed lightly anyway.
"Oh…thank you! That is very flattering…and good to know," she replied with a wink. Then she completely ignored the look of mortification that raced across his face as she asked him a question. "By the way, is Banner your first name or your surname? The Hulk didn't explain. Besides the fact that he is a man of few words, I think that Wrackspurts had overwhelmed him by that point - so his omission was completely understandable."
"It's Bruce…Bruce Banner…Doctor Bruce Banner, actually." The words tumbled out of his mouth and practically tripped over each other as he tried to explain. He then silently cursed his apparent failure to function in any normal intelligent sort of way around this woman - much less to impress her with any of his genius - since just her presence alone seemed to have the effect of turning him into a feeble-minded fool.
She did not act like she minded, however, as she took his hand. "Well, then, Doctor Bruce Banner…I am Luna…Luna Lovegood…and I believe that you offered me some dinner?"
"That I did," he replied as he slowly regained control of himself and his confidence. "Are you ready to go?" At her enthusiastic nod, Bruce asked JARVIS to secure the lab and let Tony know that he was going out for the evening. Luna listened to the exchange between the doctor and the disembodied voice intently.
"Oooh, was that some kind of spirit?" she asked excitedly and her eyes gleamed with interest as he proceeded to lead the way to the door. "I didn't think ghosts liked these modern muggle buildings."
The fact that her casual mention of ghosts did not even faze him proved that he was already getting used to his quirky visitor's lifestyle that was so vastly different from his own. As he opened the door for her, he explained that JARVIS was a sophisticated computer program…more or less. He was pleased when she showed a keen interest in learning more and he made a deal with her.
"I will tell you all about it, if you explain just one thing to me…," he paused and smiled in his attempt to relieve his rampant curiosity. "What in the hell is a Wrackspurt?" Her delightful laugh echoed in the empty room behind them.
...
Luna suggested a both Muggle and Magic-friendly restaurant that she had visited several times before with the Scamanders. It was run by a Wizard and his nonmagical wife who was a professional chef - so it catered easily to both sides. Since Bruce was infinitely more interested in her company than either the food or the location, he agreed easily and was pleasantly surprised by the place – despite the extremely disorienting journey to get there. Luna had insisted on a form of transportation called "apparating," but what Bruce thought should have been called "The-Being-Squeezed-Through-A-Tube-Until-You-Feel-Like-You-Are-Dying-Transport." At least that is what it felt like to him. However, the scientist in him was still fascinated by the process, regardless of the extreme nausea it apparently induced in the uninitiated.
Therefore, while he recovered from the experience, he watched and listened intently as Luna first cast a Muffliato over them for privacy (since they were seated in the nonmagical section of the restaurant), and then discussed apparation and the other types of magical transportation, such as the reverse portkey by which she had arrived. He then asked her about her work. She explained all about her passion for crypto-magizoology. Apparently, it was the study of mysterious and/or legendary magical creatures, and was an interest that had been passed down to her by her father.
Afterwards, when Bruce realized that he finally felt comfortable enough in her presence to be in full control of his faculties, he repaid the favor and told her quite a bit about the scientific world and his love of physics and biology. Even though it was clear that neither of them understood everything that the other one discussed, it did not matter. They still found each other fascinating - and that was what really counted in the end.
...
When Bruce woke up the next morning, the soft blonde hair spread out all over his chest and the lovely naked witch in his arms prompted a huge grin to spring to his face. It stayed there as the pleasant memories of the night before swirled through his head...and he already knew that the wonderful encounter was not going to be just a random one-night stand between two strangers. In truth, the doctor realized that both he and Hulk had already made much more than just a physical connection with the beautiful woman in his bed. Consequently, it was nearly impossible to think of her as someone whom he had really just met. That was especially true since Luna had been the one to initiate the exciting series of events that led to them being wrapped up together in such an intimate embrace.
After dinner was over, she had playfully asked him if he wanted to find out if she lived up to her surname. He had blushed a little at the unexpected offer, but since her arms were already around him in preparation to side-apparate, she was close enough to feel his immediate physical response to her question...and to see the desire in his eyes as they suddenly shifted from brown to green. Therefore, she did not even require an answer. She just kissed him, apparated back with him to his private quarters...and the rest was glorious history.
In fact, when Luna opened her eyes and favored him with her warm smile that held not even a trace of regret or embarrassment about their situation, he knew that his life had just been irrevocably changed for the better. Upon that realization, his brown eyes flashed green with emotion…and it became clear that - once again - he and the Hulk were on the same wavelength at the same time. There was no doubt that they both knew that this bewitching woman was the one for them.
"No Wrackspurts this morning?" Luna asked him gently as she reached up to stroke his cheek with a knowing look on her face. She recognized that flash of color meant the Hulk was near, just as he had been during the satisfying activities of the previous night, as well - and even though she had somehow known what would happen from the moment she met the Hulk in the forest - she wanted to make sure that they were all in agreement before they went any further.
"Not a single one!" Bruce replied firmly and left her in no doubt of his...their...answer as he bent down to kiss her enthusiastically. At that moment, a relationship that was definitely more than it seemed was born as the two bodies, but three lives, became pleasantly intertwined once again.