Tony paced the living room the entire time Bruce was gone. "He was bluffing," he reassured himself, running his fingers through his hair over and over. "If he wanted you gone and had a way to do it, he would have already done it a long time ago," he reasoned. The engineer paused by the bar, looking over the medley of alcohol on the shelf. Man he wished he could have a drink- just one little drink, just to take the edge off his case of nerves. He swept his hand over the various decanters, watching his fingers phase through them with a sigh. Some aspects of this whole 'being a ghost' thing were incredibly boring. Though he still wasn't convinced he was actually dead like Bruce kept saying.
The sound of the front door being unlocked stirred Tony from his brooding. He rushed into the antechamber and saw Bruce emerge with another man around his same height. He recognized him immediately, but he could quite put his finger on where he recognized him from, or when he would have met him. The man was dressed like a government agent- black suit, small briefcase and all- but he had a kindly smile on his face. "Thank you, Dr. Banner," he said warmly, stepping in from the front porch. Bruce closed the door after him and glanced up at Tony across the room.
The engineer gave a huff and broke eye-contact as he folded his arms tightly across his chest. He was tempted to not even speak to the other scientist, that was how betrayed he felt by this whole… operation. But he spoke up anyway, if only to make a point. "Come on, this guy's not going to be able to see me. We already went through this. No one can, except you," Tony said. He paused and got right in the man's face to wave his hands about. Sure enough he didn't so much as bat an eyelash. "See?" Tony shrugged.
Bruce's lips pursed, but in the interest of the agent standing beside him, neglected to say anything.
"You have anywhere I could set this down?" the man asked, lifting his briefcase somewhat.
"Yeah, uh… there's a coffee table in the living room," the physicist said, holding out his arm to direct them to said room.
The agent's eyes crinkled and he proceeded forward.
Tony siddled up next to the physicist. "Bruce, who the Hell is this guy?" he half-hissed, half-whispered (not that he needed to keep his voice down, he'd already proven that). "I told you there's no visitations unless they set an appointment!"
Dr. Banner did whisper back so as to respond without being heard. "His name is Phil Coulson. And this isn't your lab anymore, so I decide who visits and when."
Tony pouted hard, but his brain was mulling over that name. Coulson. Coulson. Why was that so damn familiar and yet brought nothing back? Who had he known by that name? He had to know it, he knew he had to, he just couldn't and sonuvabitch was that frustrating. The innovator kneeded his temples aggressively as he followed Bruce out to the living room where Phil was unlatching both sides of his suitcase. He propped the top open, revealing several pieces of hardware inside, but the agent chose the smallest of the devices that had a couple of dials and switches and a little LCD screen. "Electromagnetic field meter?" Bruce recognized, taking a curious step forward as he placed his glasses on his nose to take a look-see.
Phil nodded, allowing the scientist to spy over his shoulder at it. "Simple, I know, but sometimes simple is the answer," he smiled.
"You're sure you'll be able to see him through magnetic distortion?" Banner asked. Tony shifted uncomfortably on his feet, looking from Bruce to the the agent and back to Bruce again. He didn't like this. Not one bit.
"If he's anything like an ordinary ghost," Coulson confirmed with a smile. He flicked it on and the contraption immediately started blinking and making grainy crackling noises. Tony frowned when Phil pointed it directly at him, side-stepping out of the way. Every time the agent swept it towards him, Tony dodged, trying to stay one step ahead and remain undetected. Hell if he was going to let this guy pinpoint him easy. This was his lab! He refused to be thrown out of his own damn beachhouse.
"Hm… definitely a presence," Coulson reported.
"Oh, look who's the smart guy in the room now," Tony jabbed with a snort, peeking over the couch where he had sought temporary shelter.
"And…?" Bruce pressed hopefully.
The agent tapped at his meter, glancing about again as he fiddled with one of the dials. "It's lonely. Doesn't want to leave."
Tony stopped his dodging to lift an eyebrow. "Actually, he's not half bad at this," he took back. He may not remember where he'd met the agent, but he was seeming A-OK already. Bruce frowned deeply.
"You should let him stay," Coulson determined.
Dr. Banner's jaw practically dropped. "I should let him stay?" he spat out, flabbergasted.
"I would," Phil shrugged.
"I like him!" Tony announced, made giddy by the recommendation. He rushed through the couch, over to Bruce's side. He could scarcely believe how fast the tables had turned. Here Dr. Banner had been, so smug that he was going to be rid of him, and now the very guy he had brought in to help him was on Tony's side. Karma. It had to be karma, Tony decided. Man, he loved karma. Almost as much as he loved donuts. He wished he could eat a donut.
"No, I'm… I'm not going to let him stay! He has to go!" Bruce argued, motioning at Tony who was standing right beside him- not that Phil would be able to see that. Tony just blew a raspberry at the physicist.
The agent clicked off the device to tuck it into the interior pocket of his jacket. "I don't know what to tell you, Dr. Banner," he said apologetically. "He doesn't seem harmful to me. He's probably just looking for a friend in the afterlife."
"I don't know where you found this guy, but he's got a gift," Tony said, nodding rapidly.
"I don't have time for-" Bruce bit off his words, tugging his hands through his hair. "He can't stay," he repeated firmly.
"Why not?" Phil asked. "This place should be big enough for the both of you."
"Definitely!" Tony agreed, getting more and more excited about the proposition of combined residency. "It's over five thousand square feet! If you count the laboratory and the garage. Designed it myself with my very own software," he said proudly, though Coulson wasn't getting any benefit from his bragging.
The physicist didn't seem to have anything to say to that, wringing his hands.
"I don't mean to be a bother, but do you have anything to drink?" Coulson asked then, readjusting the tie around his neck.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Dr. Banner apologized, pulling his glasses off his nose to fold them into his front pocket. "I can put a kettle of water on the stove, if you'd like," he offered.
Tony blanched, sticking out his tongue again. "That leafy-water is all he ever drinks," he slandered conversationally, pretending the agent could hear his commentary. Which he couldn't. But Tony didn't care.
Phil just nodded. "That would be pleasant."
They all headed to the kitchen. It was only a few minutes later the pot was whistling and Bruce pulled it off the heat, pouring the steaming liquid into a mug and adding a teabag to let it steep.
"So you're really advising I just… let him stay?" Bruce asked, setting the cup in front of Coulson. He readily went back to wringing his hands. "That can't be the only answer. Couldn't you talk to him with one of your instruments and tell him he should pass on? You have to have something like that, don't you?"
"Or, you know, you could just accept what the guy has already told you," Tony folded his arms sassily.
Bruce turned to give him a harsh glare. "I'm ignoring you."
"Not doing a very good job of it," Tony pointed out in rebuttal.
Phil's eyebrow lifted, pausing the dunking he'd been doing with the teabag. No doubt his interest was piqued now that Bruce was talking to (what appeared to him to be) himself. He lifted the mug and took a careful sip, not interrupting.
"I've asked him to move on," Bruce explained, motioning in his direction again. "He won't do it. He won't even accept that he's dead."
"Because I'm not!" Tony threw up his hands in exasperation. "Ghost, yes. Dead, no! They're not mutually exclusive!"
Dr. Banner's forehead wrinkled. "You mean collectively exhaustive?"
The engineer opened his mouth and then shut it, puzzling the logical statement over. "I think it's both…" he mumbled, scratching the back of his head, temporarily distracted.
"What's going on?" Coulson asked then, peering at Bruce first and then the general vicinity where Tony stood.
"It's nothing," Bruce lied.
"Nothing?" Tony got out, incredulous. "I swear, it's like you think this whole thing isn't bothering me one iota." He began to gesticulate in frustration. "Like you're the only one inconvenienced by it. Listen, I know something's different, that something's not right, okay? I'm walking through furniture and walls here." He stepped into the refrigerator and back out of it, showing off said fact. "Now I'm a talented guy, but not that talented." He narrowed his eyes at Bruce. "What happened to where you said you 'just wanted to help me out', huh? Because I distinctly recall you saying that."
That actually got the physicist to avert his gaze down to the floor, looking contrite.
Coulson had gotten out his EMF meter at some point during the exchange; he was poking at it on the table. "You know, I don't think I can help you out, Dr. Banner," he said, shaking his head slightly from side to side. "This is one of the most alive spirits I've ever encountered in my time on the field." His voice became perfectly frank. "He's not going anywhere."
Bruce's brow twitched. "What… what do you mean by that?"
The agent shrugged. "I agree with him; he may not possess a corporeal form, but he's not dead." The statement hung in the air between the three of them for a long moment. Tony didn't know what to say (an unusual circumstance for him, admittedly), and Bruce was equally bereft. Yeah, this was technically a win for him, but the question of how to proceed was… well, questionable. Phil was the first to speak up again. "Dr. Banner, if I could make a suggestion… I've been through some of your files…"
Tony could see the physicist's whole body visibily tense with discomfort. "You have?" he asked anxiously, wetting his lips and glancing about the room hesitantly, almost as if searching for quick escape routes.
Phil nodded. "I think it would be wise to modify your focus. You've been losing sleep looking for a solution, but maybe there isn't one. I know it might be difficult with all you've been through, but you need to let him go."
Bruce scoffed. "How can I, when he won't leave?" Tony felt himself bristle again.
"Not your spirit guy," Coulson corrected. "I'm talking about the Other Guy." He stepped towards Banner, who stood petrified, rooted to the spot and eyes unblinking. "The one you're keeping locked up inside here," the agent said, poking a hand to his chest. "That's what's really bothering you, isn't it?"
"You S.H.I.E.L.D. people really don't know how to stay out of other peoples' business, do you?" Bruce spat angrily, taking a quick step away from the agent, distrust and warning in his eyes. "You just meddle without compunction like it's some God-given right!"
"Whoa, now, time out," Tony made a T out in front of himself with his hands. "'Other Guy'?" he questioned, staring at Bruce. "Who is he talking about?"
"It's no one!" the scientist snapped at him.
"Bruce, c'mon," Tony spread out his arms, "you can trust me. Why do you insist on being so closed off?" he demanded, starting to get a little peeved. He was just curious. Where was the harm in a little curiosity among scientists?
"You wouldn't understand!" Bruce growled, slamming down his hands down on the tabletop. The wood splintered and cracked beneath his two curled fists, which were a vivid color of green. Tony jumped, eyes widening at the sight of them. Bruce looked up at him in alarm- his irises shone the same incredible hue- and the physicist bolted from the room, hastening for the back exit.
Tony was so shocked he didn't quite know how to react, just standing there staring down at his damaged table, trying to process what he'd just witnessed. Phil however stood, drinking the remainder of his tea and taking the mug over to the sink. Tony found his voice, crowding over to him. "You… you knew about that?" he asked the agent, even though he already knew asking was unlikely to get him an answer from someone who couldn't hear, let alone see, him.
Coulson turned to depart, but before he did, he paused in the threshold and addressed the kitchen at large. "You're not the only one with problems, Tony."
The engineer felt his mouth fall open a little. "Wait, how do you know my name…? Did Bruce tell you on the way over? What do you know about me?" he interrogated, chasing after him, but it was really no good. The agent collected his briefcase and left the house without another word. "I can't believe this…" Tony groaned, tugging on his own hair. He glanced toward the backdoor, which had been left open, a seaside breeze carrying in through the portal and rustling the blinds. He needed to talk to Bruce, he decided. His feet carried him out the door, leaving it open considering he was physically incapable of closing it, and he glanced around cursorily. Where had he gone?
And then he spotted him. Or, well, what he had become.
A hulking green humanoid was sitting in the sand, ripped and tattered clothing skattered around him, the surf just barely licking his ginormous green toes. Tony licked his lips and cautiously approached. "Bruce?" he attempted to get his attention.
The creature turned its head with a snort, face screwed up into an ugly scowl. For a moment Tony was afraid he would attack him, but then he remembered he was a ghost and really didn't have to worry about that sort of thing anymore, and besides, the other man didn't even move to make an attempt. Instead he took a couple more lumbering breaths, huge chest expanding and contracting. The innovator plucked up his courage (again, not like he had anything to worry about) and walked over to plop down beside him in the sand. The beast didn't object, looking back out at the ocean. Tony couldn't stop admiring him. He had to be about nine feet tall and a good thousand or more pounds, covered in that much raw bulging muscle. His skin looked thick, like a rhinoceros', huge veins spiderwebbing underneath it and visibily pulsing. He was astounding. No, amazing. There had to be some word to describe it… Incredible. There it was!
After a few moments, the creature began to gradually shrink, green fading back into flesh tone; Tony watched with awe- never before had he witnessed something so breath-taking in all his life. He could hear bones readjusting and tendons shortening… it actually sounded pretty painful. Finally it was Bruce- regular Bruce, minus a shirt- sitting beside him. The physicist turned his head away from him in bitter mortification. "I didn't want you to have to see that…" he said, voice retaining a gravelly quality.
"What? You mean that awesome Mr. Hyde thing you got going?" Tony asked, face lit up with a huge grin.
Bruce stared daggers at him. Tony coughed into his hand. "Sorry," he apologized quickly, recognizing he wasn't being very sensitive on the matter. "It occurs to me now that I… well, I probably don't know you very well." He let the statement hang.
The other man didn't say anything. Tony traced a finger through the sand, but it left no mark behind. "I built this place out here thinking I might add a particle accelerator one day… string it out along underneath the beachfront or something… at least I think," he shrugged, memory hazy. "Sorry. I'm babbling. Again. I tend to do that," he gave a chagrinned chuckle and hugged his legs, forcing himself to go silent.
Finally Bruce spoke up. "It's a nice location." His gaze dropped. "The sound of water has always calmed him down."
His interest perked. "So this guy… that's inside you… or that you can change into rather…" he started to ask.
"The Hulk," Bruce said solemnly. "His name is the Hulk."
"The Hulk…" Tony tested it on his tongue once or twice, liking it. "Apt name. What happened back there, in the kitchen?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Bruce mumbled.
Oh, back to this again. Tony resisted rolling his eyes and tried to be diplomatic. "That's alright. We don't have to talk about it right now."
"I don't want to talk about it, ever," Bruce clarified. The physicist grabbed onto the front of his stretched pants so they wouldn't fall down as he stood. He started to march back to the house; Tony jumped up to pursue him. He didn't know where Bruce was intending to go, but he wasn't about to let him out of his sight until he got to the bottom of things.
