((OPEN)) Have you hugged your physicist today?

[hyperkinesia]

Who: Bruce Banner and YOU
Where: Library, kitchen, dining room, gardens, basement lab, etc. ANYWHERE.
When: From the 16th to the 19th, state your date!
Rating: I don't expect anything past PG
Summary: Bruce is seeking the comfort of simple physical contact. Arms brushing, hands holding, hugging, anything. It doesn't even matter if he knows you or if he's never seen you before. He craves for it so much he might not even notice he's doing it at first.
Note: I'm alright with both brackets and prose, pick your poison.
The Story:

[ It starts with nothing but a feeling, something itching at the far back of his mind, something that's entirely different from the kind of clawing and scratching he's normally used to. But he brushes it aside, he doesn't think much of it - not until he starts crossing paths with random people on the hallways and the gardens and finds himself reaching to touch strangers he's never even seen before.

Most times, he manages to draw back and rush away before actually doing anything. Other times he finds himself detouring just so he can brush his fingers against someone else's, or feel his arm bump lightly against theirs. But somehow it's only when he's alone that he starts to fully realize that something's happening. The mind is quick to make the association, though knowing that this might very well be one of these events doesn't really help him in stopping this craving for touch from happening.

So instead he starts seeking solitude. He hides in corners of the library, and he uses the kitchen and the dining room when there's no one else around. The rest of the time, he retreats to the lab and stays there, surrounded by what's as close to familiarity as he can get, and at least there if someone approaches him, it's people he's more comfortable with. Relatively speaking. ]

Comments

17th, 18th?

[handing]

[What's a CEO to do when she doesn't have paperwork to fill out, personnel to manager, or a head of security on a rampage? In this case, Pepper's made her way down to the lab, her need for work now driving her to do something she's admittedly wanted to do for years: organize it. Tony works in his own special brand of chaos, one which has never made sense to Pepper despite all the time she's known him, and now she's taking the opportunity to rectify that. Absolutely everything is getting sorted, put into boxes and bins, all of them labeled and neatly arranged on a shelf.

It's clear she's been at it awhile by the time Bruce shows up. It's also equally clear she's got a way to go, if the pile of screws sitting in front of her is any indication. But there is a method to Pepper's madness: she holds one up, and JARVIS obligingly tells her the type so she can put it into the right section. She looks up when the door opens, glancing at Bruce as JARVIS announces that she's found a stainless steel Phillip's truss head sheet metal screw diameter #8 with 1.5 inch length.]

Hey Bruce. [Plink. Into the drawer it goes, and Pepper picks up the next screw without missing a beat.] I'm not in your way, am I?

[hyperkinesia]

[ From his room to the kitchen, then the lab, sometimes up to the library - it's been how Bruce's been spending the last couple of days. Today particularly, he's managed to avoid pretty much anyone, and he's feeling considerably more at ease when he comes back from the library with a couple of books piled up in his arms, a box with some parts he produced from his closet and a half-eaten sandwich on top.

He doesn't exactly find her presence unwelcome, but he can't deny that he was hoping to find himself alone at the lab. Then again, knowing who usually hangs out there, he should've expected to not find at least someone, though if asked he'd have said Tony.

He's just not sure if this is better or worse. ]

Hi, no, I... [ He nods at a small table in the corner, relatively clean and almost seeming as if it's not part of the rest of the room. ] Just passing some time.

[handing]

[Granted, the lab isn't her usual haunt unless she's trying to drag Tony out of it, but she's got her reasons and Tony isn't there to complain, so there really isn't a better opportunity to get this done. She fully expects to hear about it later of course, but until then, Pepper means to finish her work and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

At least until she moves on to the next one.

She nods, giving him a friendly smile as Bruce makes his way to the corner.] Alright. Let me know if you need a screw? I think I managed to get them all from where Tony had them hoarded.

[She's never going to understand how he works like he does.]

16th [Have a confused puppy]

[notmymccalling]

[Scott really hasn't been feeling quite right today and he needed to just get away for a while. He hasn't even noticed his fiercely overprotective nature of those he knows and cares for. No, what he has noticed is... uncomfortable. A need that only usually bothers him around the full moon. However, it's more localised than what the moon causes. There's just Allison. Which is why distancing himself from her is probably for the best. If this has something to do with his lacking an anchor...

But his thoughts are interrupted. He's been so wrapped up in his own head that he didn't realise he'd walked right into the kitchen and smack into... someone. Hello, werewolf McCall. You should have noticed. Even if he wasn't paying attention, he has so many other senses that should have alerted him. Well, oops. Have a full-body collision with the teenage werewolf.]

Whoa! I--sorry! Are you okay?

[The dark haired teen stumbled back, looking up at Banner with big brown eyes. He couldn't quite get a read on this guy, but he didn't seem all that worrisome, even if everyone he met lately seemed to set off his danger-dar. He's really quite certain Wonderland broken his sense of danger because it was always going off.]

I wasn't... paying attention.

our muses need to stop meeting like this

[hyperkinesia]

[ Running straight into people, or in this case people running into him, isn't something he's that unfamiliar with, and it's hardly enough to draw much of a surprised reaction from him. He did live in areas crowded with people after all, and in a way that made it all the easier for him to make himself invisible.

When the teen walks right up and against him, Bruce doesn't see it coming in time to step aside, but at the same time he doesn't find himself jerking away as one normally would on instinct. He just takes one step back, two, his hands moving up to thoughtlessly rest over the guy's arms, in a gesture that seems to be intended to offer support. ]

That's fine. Are you alright?

Oh, but it's the most fun way to meet!

[notmymccalling]

[Scott didn't seem very phased by the sudden hold Banner had about his arms. However, this close, Scott couldn't help but detect the man with his senses. They were a bit haywire today. The man's scent was... so very strange. There were several natural elements to it, calming ones, almost akin to the sensation of incense. But there was also something that crackled through that calm that seemed so very artificial in origin. Almost like the sharp tang of ozone, but not quite. Not to mention the rhythm of his heart was just as relaxing as his scent. The beat was so steady, not a single flutter or hiccup to it.

Yes, thank you werewolf senses. Now, they chose to do something constructive.]

Me? Yeah, I'm fine. [He smiles lightly, trying to sound reassuring.] I'm pretty tough. Besides, if I bruise [It'll just heal within seconds.] or anything, it's totally my fault for not paying attention.

I didn't interrupt your dinner time or something, did I? I was gonna make popcorn or something. Want any? [Because Banner might just be keeping Scott calm somehow. He can't explain it, but this guy just had that effect on the wolf right now.]

17th.

[impalementarts]

[Okay. something is really wrong. It's like that feeling that you get when you can't sleep, can't do anything and it'll only stop if you do that one specific thing.

What's worse is he knows that it's not Loki. That there are other people with this kind of power and he needs to find out more because if he does he'll be recognized right? People will pat him on the shoulder and say "Good Job Barton" and "What would we ever do without you Barton" because it's not about that it's about being a hero.

Without being a villain.

So he's down in the lab looking for Stark - someone has ideas you see. Terrible terrible ideas but there's no one here except.]

Banner?

[Why are you hiding how can I help. He's right there, maybe standing a little too close for comfort]

What's wrong?

[hyperkinesia]

[ Bruce isn't hiding so much as he's taking refuge, so to say. The difference is in the fact he's not going to any particular lengths to keep himself away from the rest of the team, at least, even if he does sit by the small desk he's set up at one of the corners of the room, as if that offers any kind of protection.

If Bruce wanted to hide, this really wouldn't be the place he'd have picked. ]

Clint. [ Agent Barton. Sometimes he's not yet sure how to address the man. He looks up from what he's been working on - something looking like an ancient type of motherboard. ]

Nothing's wrong. [ It's not a lie exactly. But it's not entirely the truth either. ]

[impalementarts]

[Clint Barton is a fixer. A real fixer and the way the guy is sitting...

No. He's imagining things]

Good. [It's sharp, like he can't be bothered. It's not true but all the same]

...Whatcha working on? [He slides across from him] ...It's a computer.

19th

[alifetime]

[Welp, it's official. The worst person who could have run into Bruce is currently wandering into the library. It's more of a prowl than a wandering walk, as intent on finding someone or something as he can get. It's gotten harder to pin-point exactly what it is he wants. Sex, alcohol, death or everything in between. When it comes to voracious appetites, Jack has them all.]

Anyone in here?

[Leaning against the doorway, Jack finishes off the last of his drink and sets the glass gently on a sidetable. A note to himself was made that cranberry, orange and pear juices did not make a good refresher. Too sweet. Maybe he'd go find the Doctor or Martha or Bela. Someone. Company sounded good right now.]

Anyone? Last chance.

[hyperkinesia]

[ When Bruce hears the familiar voice, he has to hold in his breath just to stop himself from letting out some noise between a sigh and a groan. After the last few days, which have been as tiring as they've been freakishly relaxing, Jack is the last person he'd have thought or wanted to see.

But at the same time, the sudden appearance of someone else is enough for him to close the book he's reading and stand up from the small couch, walking over to where the voice had come from and peeking over the corner to find the man standing there. ]

Jack. [ It's a terrible idea. Yet at the same time it feels like the best course of action he could've taken. ] Looking for something?

[alifetime]

[It's with a wide grin that Jack greets Bruce. A push brings him away from the doorjamb and into the room itself with that slow swagger.]

Bruce! I was just thinking about you. Looking for you.

[He hadn't been but he could have been and that's all that counts in Jack's mind.]

I was trying to find a new kind of fruit juice for a mixer, and I got to thinking I could use a doctor's help. One that wouldn't get drunk on the results before we were done.

[Jack's eyes do the usual up-down-up sweep with a grin. It fades a little as he looks around the empty library and back to Bruce.]

You okay? Here by yourself for a reason? Some of us have been acting a little odd.

19th because I'm a terrible person.

[sexandoutrage]

[The last few days have been absolutely insane. Everyone in this place has completely lost their marbles in one fashion or another (including himself), and where some might have seen the events as inevitable things that come and go, it's done little but fuel the fire to find a way to get out of this place.

His own experience has gone from cheap stabs for attention to wanting to cling to everyone he's familiar with and cares about and it's officially reached its peak, he thinks. There's no way any of it can get worse. When he's halfway having to stop himself from tracking Pepper down from whatever she's doing, and deciding instead to lock himself in his lab until the storm passes, there's a definite problem there.

Which is another thing entirely. It's been hell trying to keep up with her. She's always been a very focused, organized, and work-driven person and he knows that. He's not blind. But whatever's in the air or the water or whatever that's making this happen - Famine's influence or whatever the little John Constantine wannabe had said - has her going just as off the rails as everyone else and he won't lie. He's a little worried.

Okay, more than a little.

But he punches in his passcode to the lab all the same, instead intending to throw himself fully into the next project he's been working on. He should thank the fanboy, really, since it was him that set him on the path, but without Thor, something like that is going to be a necessary evil.]

Hey, JARVIS, pull up the work playlist and-

[He pauses, actually taking a look around the lab. He hasn't been down here in a few days, what with everything going on, and this...This is not how he left it. And then he spots Bruce and-

No, no, he doesn't think it's Bruce.]

Did Hurricane Pepper hit while I was gone or am I dreaming up labels everywhere.

[hyperkinesia]

[ It's going on four days and avoiding people has become a lot more tiring than ever before - and Bruce's done plenty of that in the last years. Avoiding, hiding. But somehow right now every moment he's alone feels too heavy, too uncomfortable, the air is too cold and he longs for company, closeness, anything that will make the air around him a little warmer, more solid.

He hasn't even slept properly for the most part. The craving makes the silence ring in his ears, and he turns in his bed at night, and ends up barely getting any rest.

So the lab's a refuge, though not as unpopulated as he'd like it to be. But he's been down here for a few hours now, which is both maddening and relaxing, but it's enough for him to take a break from his work, from himself, everything. He initially sits on a tattered couch he squeezed into a corner of the workshop, book in his hand, but the words are difficult to follow when he's so tired.

By the time Tony gets there, he's slumped on the seat, his head falling onto the back pillows, his glasses crooked and the book skewed and practically slipping from his loose grip.

Out of habit, the voice is enough to get him to snap out of his state, book dropping from his hand and onto the ground with a thud as he jerks awake with a surprised noise. ]

What? [ He's still disoriented but he looks around nonetheless, taking off his glasses and running a hand down his face. ] Yeah, that... Pepper, it was Pepper.

[sexandoutrage]

You know, Bruce, you do have a room. You don't have to sleep in the lab.

[Though there's humor in his voice - because it is kind of funny, and don't think he hasn't noticed Bruce dragging that ratty couch in here - he can understand at the same time, on two different fronts. One, he's fallen asleep at his desk without realizing more times than he cares to think about. It's practically a ritual. And two, he has no idea how the event's tweaking Bruce at all.

But he just gives a shrug, moving farther into the room and waking up the screens set around the lab, actually glad to have some company. It soothes the beast that is the craving this event's brought about.]

Anyway, I figured it was her. I just didn't realize how far it actually went. [He opens a drawer, finding a fraction of the labeled and organized screws.] That is insane. She knows I keep 'em in one big box, it's easier that way.

[He looks up again, shaking his head.] Never mind. I'm scared to touch anything.

[He slams the drawer shut, before pacing back across the room where the unfinished armor he's been working on is on its stand, wires trailing everywhere. There's no definite shape to it, yet. Just bits and pieces strung together. That's a good thing. Because this is a project he's not sure how to explain to Bruce.]

So what, you just bunking down here until the storm passes, or what.

18th.

[seekinghome]

At this point, Ed has more or less moved into the library and can be found in the science section with a partial book-fort made with the books he was finished with and didn't feel like putting away. (Hey, he needs somewhere to sleep when he can't stay awake anymore.)

He's entirely focused on his research, entirely oblivious to anyone around him that isn't addressing him directly. There's papers everywhere and even some discarded hamburger wrappers, courtesy of angel food delivery service.

[hyperkinesia]

The library is even more welcoming these days than before, where Bruce can find so many hidden corners and spots where he won't so easily run into anyone. Deep down there's still the wish to do so, to seek other people and to be near them, but when he's by himself it helps keeping it off his mind.

But when he spots Ed sitting in the midst of piles of books, immediately recognizing him, he thoughtlessly walks over until he's standing within reach. "Ed? Hey."

17th

[seekingbrother]

[Al isn't quite yet so far gone in his kitty-fever that he's forgotten about going to check in on his brother, but he does have four cats on leashes with him as he heads through the library. Ed hasn't buried himself in his usual spot this time, so Al is having to search around in some of the further areas than he usually ventures.]

If he'd just answer his comm, this would be a lot easier...

[hyperkinesia]

[ Getting lost in the library is easy enough that these days, it's a spot of choice to Bruce, even if he still remembers his encounter with Loki there not so long ago. But even there, every now and then he's bound to cross paths with someone. Or sometimes, as is the case, practically walk right into them as he turns a corner. ]

Oh-- sorry. Sorry, I... [ A moment of hesitance, and he's resting his hand on the guy's arm. ] Didn't see you. You alright?

18th?

[vates]

[ Kevin is lonely, and it doesn't matter if his last contact with someone was five hours ago or five seconds ago. As soon as he's alone again, he starts to ache physically, and he starts to panic. Whoever he talked to is probably never coming back. Dean and Sam? Gone. Crowley? Probably gone, too. Everyone Kevin's grown close to -- on a sliding scale of positivity -- is gone and he's alone and all he wants is family.

It's hard to sleep like this; his dreams are full of his mother and sometimes his father, not that Kevin had much time to spend with him, so he winds up wandering the mansion instead of sleeping. He stumbles into the kitchen, sniffling a little, and draws up when he sees someone else.

Who is it? Doesn't matter. It's another body and Kevin's heart skips a dozen beats. ] Oh my God. Hi. I mean. [ He shakes his head, hoping to shake off the desperation with it. ] I mean... Hey.

[hyperkinesia]

[ Each moment alone leaves Bruce's skin itching uncomfortably, but if there's one thing he's grown used to is controlling himself. The sensation is manageable when he's alone - the problem is when there are other people nearby, and it's beyond his own awareness that he closes distances and reaches for strangers. Most times he doesn't even realize he's doing it until he steps away again.

The kitchen's usually empty late at night, realistically being the time he prefers to go there and get himself some food. He doesn't expect company, and though it's not enough to startle him, the arrival surprises him anyway. He turns on the spot, feeling his shoulders tense as he draws his hands to himself and takes a step back. ]

Hi. Sorry, midnight snack. [ Bruce's not even looking at the guy, which makes it just a little easier for him to even think about heading out the door, even as he feels his focus slipping away with each ticking second. ] I'll get out of your way.

18th, basement

[anomaliiiiies]

[Jane's on the hunt for knowledge, and her wanderings take her to the basement lab, and she's going to poke at the partially built wormhole generator she started a few days ago. She had to do some research first! But, she's so focused, she's really not noticing that she's not alone, or that she was about to walk right into Bruce. Oops?]

[hyperkinesia]

[ Idle hands are the devil's tools, which is why Bruce keeps his own busy while he's alone, with books, papers, even his glasses, all the more so now that he seems to act so strangely around other people. But even in the basement it's amazing how many people come and go, and he hadn't even realized it himself until the moment he decides to force himself to keep some distance.

He practically bumps into Jane there, a book under his arm, and he finds himself all but stumbling backwards, though it's pointless. He's already reaching to rest his hand on her elbow lightly. ] Jane-- hi. Working?

late on the 18th?

[widows_kiss]

Natasha's been feeling restless for days, which has taken her wandering her surroundings at odd times and odd places in order to quell it. She hasn't really found a lasting solution to this, but it seems to lessen when she finds company to distract her from it.

Of course, at the moment it's late, but she hadn't felt tired enough for bed yet and hanging around her room had only worked for half an hour before she felt driven to move again. She's currently in the kitchen and pondering making a midnight snack for herself. If she could just figure out what it was she was craving...

[hyperkinesia]

Anything past midnight seems to Bruce like a good time to fetch himself some food. After all, at this time most people are in bed, and those that aren't shouldn't really be wandering anywhere near the kitchen, which means he can venture out of his room without expecting any encounters with strangers or otherwise that would cause him to act oddly.

And because he's not expecting it altogether, it's all the more surprising to walk into the kitchen and find someone else there, and he tenses thoughtlessly, backing himself closer to the wall. Though it's with some relief that he sighs out, realizing that he knows who he just ran into. "Natasha."