apologies mine [for Pepper (totherescue)]

[greenalterego]

[Cue one awkwardly lingering Bruce Banner, complete with a brown paper bag with fancy restaurant logo and a sheepish expression as he waits outside her office.]

Um- I didn't have an appointment, but I thought you might be working late? [After hours in Stark Tower and even Pepper's loyal receptionist has clocked out.]

Comments

[totherescue]

"Mamma Mia has excellent reviews, as does Wicked." Of course, as she thinks of all these shows, she also tries to picture Bruce - mild-mannered, science-centric, serious Dr. Banner - sitting in on (to say nothing of actually liking) anything as camp as a Broadway musical. There's probably a reason why he's not up to snuff on the latest reviews...

She flashes a knowing grin. "But you're not a theater person, are you?" And honestly, she's not at all bothered by that. If they're going to spend time together, she'd rather them do things they would both enjoy. The courtesy, however, is very much appreciated.

"It's perfectly okay if Broadway isn't your cup of tea. The great thing about this city is that there's lots to do at any given time."

[greenalterego]

"No, but-" Words fail him, so he sets his uneaten sandwich back down on her desk. Bruce pulls his glasses off and uses them as an accent to what he's trying to convey. "there's nothing wrong with trying new things. In fact, it's become something of a tradition of mine."

New countries, new foods, new cultures. Bruce lived in a wonderful little boxed life before he had to deal with the other guy. It was impossible to shift backward into the man he once was. He'd grown, and it may not have been his choice to do so, but the new Bruce had learned to be a lot more accepting of some things.

"Mamma Mia actually sound interesting. I've seen parts of the movie version, though it was all in Portuguese at the time."

His range of experimenting doesn't extend to Wicked however.

[totherescue]

Bless him. How many non-theater-going men were willing to sit through the campiness of Mamma Mia just for the sake of trying new things? She almost wants to propose a different outing, simply as an 'A for Effort' sort of deal. But alas, she really does need to use that pass, and even if they only do one show, she'll feel like it paid for herself on account of her date for the evening.

And besides, it may not be all that bad. At least he knows what to expect, having seen bits of the movie.

"I take it that's as a result of your time spent in Brazil?" she asks, a lilt of amusement in her voice. "The Portuguese, I mean."

[greenalterego]

All further proposals would be rejected with a friendly smile, anyway. It wasn't the Hulk that made him a stubborn man. It was just natural inclination. Now that Bruce has set his mind on the idea, he's rather looking forward to it.

"A little bit." Nodding, setting his glasses down in favor of reclaiming the sandwich, she'll have to forgive Bruce for taking a few hungry bites before continuing the conversation. Of course, he swallows first.

"I try to learn a little every place that I end up, if you stick to English, you always end up sticking out like a sore thumb."

Bruce isn't even really sure what the final tally of countries he's visited is. Somewhere between a couple dozen and maybe fifty. A lot of them being just passovers, or complete blackout due to the other guy.

[totherescue]

She ought to be the one to apologize. After all, they're supposed to be having dinner, yet here she is playing 101 Questions. She can't help it, though. As much time as she's spent around Bruce, given his presence at the Tower, she doesn't know a whole lot about him outside of Tony's excited ramblings (Tony really does think highly of both Bruce and his green alter-ego). Any opportunity she has to get to know the good doctor on her own, outside of Tony or SHIELD, is a good one.

However, she does need to let him eat.

"In that case..." She shifts a bit to lean back against her chair, crossed legs swaying idly as she picks up her own sandwich. "Voulez-vous me rencontrer mercredi à sept?"

Will you meet me here Wednesday at seven? She doesn't know if he's spent any time in France, but she's cheeky enough to test the waters anyway.

[greenalterego]

Completely by accident, Bruce ends up being the man of mystery in the Avengers Clubhouse. He would gladly pass the title over, but his habit of not talking about himself to many people always keeps him in the running.

Swallowing first. "Oh, wow, my french is really- not good." Never France, but he did spend some time in Canada and Madagascar. "Oui, je te verrai ensuite." Yes, I'll see you then.

With that, he grins and takes another bite of his sub.

Maybe it is because Tony has force fed a friendship into him, but he finds this whole socializing thing a little easier than he would have a few years ago. Bruce has gone through a lot of changes, other than the obvious one. He is a calmer man, even when his anger never leaves him. Being with Pepper is one of the best things about reentering the world. Science was the other great thing, but that is beside the point.

[totherescue]

Pepper isn't sure how appropriate it is to find a Doctor of Nuclear Physics adorable, but Bruce manages to pull it off so flawlessly that she has no other choice. Of course, at some point between now and Mamma Mia she'll need to figure out exactly what this all means. While Wednesday evening could very well could be nothing more than a simple evening show between friends, she knows better than to hang her hat on that notion. Pepper has plenty of friends, and not one of them has ever come to her office after hours to bring her dinner. And even if one had, she can't say she would feel compelled to show appreciation for the gesture by asking them to join her on Broadway.

She wonders if perhaps they're treading on shaky ground, but those thoughts are immediately squashed when he flashes her another grin.

From the frying pan into the fire...