bakerstreet | you're the prime suspect in the kidnapping of my heart. and I do not negotiate with terrorists

[Info here, more detailed verse info under construction. Suffice it to say that there are approximately a billion reasons why this is not the right being for anyone to fall in love with.]

Edited 2016-07-24 18:04 (UTC)

[Would you be interested in something with Bruce? I love your verse and Morty sounds fascinating - I think these two might make for a good pair!]

[Oh man, yes, I would love it! And thank you so much! Bruce could have seen him take someone else or even just run into him somehow, since he's very social for a reaper - and tbh, any human who would still hang out with a piece of Death on a regular basis would be very special to him.]

[I like the idea of Bruce accidentally coming across Morty taking someone and then striking up an odd friendship with him - Bruce has been around some weird stuff and he's sort of morbid, so being friends (or more) with a piece of death wouldn't be too out of the ordinary. Let me know if you have any particular preferences, etc, and I'll go ahead and write us a starter if you'd like!]

[Can't think of preferences for this set-up right now - I guess the biggest thing is that this was Not In His Job Description and he was in no way equipped for it, so depending on how much of an established relationship it already is, it would've been awkward and stumbling progress getting him here. If it's still earlier, prepare for a lot of blinking and confusion, poor soul.]

[Bruce's life is pretty strange. He's friends with superheroes and actual gods and he can turn into a giant green rage monster. So, when weird things happen around him - as they inevitably do - he does his best not to get freaked out. After all, he was a scientist before he became a monster, and he still has that ever-curious nature that's gotten him into trouble more times than he can count.

Meeting a literal grim reaper was definitely on the stranger side of the weird spectrum, but once it turned out that the reaper in question was a pretty friendly guy, Bruce found himself morbidly (pun very much intended) fascinated by him.

That fascination was helped along by two things: one, that Morty was far too good-looking for his own good, and two, that he was incredibly charming. So they'd struck up a friendship and now here they were, in a diner at 1am, because Bruce couldn't sleep and he didn't particularly feel like being around any of the other Avengers. Also because he liked talking to Morty and liked looking at Morty and - well. He wasn't quite ready to admit to himself the exact reason for their meeting.]

So, uh... [ He had a million questions, but no good conversation starters. Typical.] Do you want anything...? [He gestured at the menu and attempted a smile. Could Morty even eat?]

[For Morty's part, he was just delighted that he finally had a friend, especially a human one. There were the other reapers, of course, but he had the sense that they were more like siblings than friends - as with Death, the connection between them could never be broken, but he still wasn't all that sure he liked any of them. Naturally, this wasn't helped by the fact that they all seemed to find him weird in return, since he'd had much longer to absorb human mannerisms and habits than any of them.

He'd been walking a line for a long time, caught between his kind and the ones he served without ever swinging far enough to either side that he could truly relate.

Now there was Bruce, though. Bruce was quiet and still and liked to stay that way, which Morty thought was part of the reason why he wasn't scared: nothing really drew intense reactions from the man. The level of comfort that brought to Morty, who couldn't actually reach the extreme highs or lows of human emotion and was as frightened of them as he was fascinated, couldn't be stated strongly enough. He was really lucky, he thought as he glanced around the mostly empty diner, to have found someone who would tolerate his presence and had a nature with which he could interact so well.]

Huh? [The way he blinked his big blue eyes was just as sleepy as his gravelly, almost monotone drawl, making him seem like he was always on the verge of wanting a nap: no more than usual on that night, though, so he clearly wasn't ruffled by having been called out at 1 am. One corner of his mouth quirked upward when he finally caught up to what Bruce had said and he nodded.] Yeah, I think - no, I know I want pie a la mode, but I can't pick a kind. Never tried that one with the berries all mixed up, bumbleberry, it sounds good... but I know I like peach... should I take a chance or play it safe?

[Morty's apparent sleepiness didn't bother Bruce - on the contrary, he rather liked the lack of highstrung energy that was present in most of the people he usually spent time with. Being with Morty was relaxing. There was no pressure to talk or act a certain way, no awkward questions to answer. Not yet, at least.

There was something about being so close to death - literally - that Bruce found himself enjoying. He'd come so close to it, only to have it all but taken away from him, that it seemed more than appropriate for him to be buddies with an incarnation of it. He wasn't afraid of death anymore.

Morty's question drew Bruce from his thoughts and he blinked a couple of times, glancing down at the menu to peruse the options mentioned. As he scanned the laminated paper he found himself smiling, the answer too obvious to resist.]

It's good to try new things now and then, [he replied at last, looking up at Morty once again. His words were heavy with secondary meaning but he wasn't sure if the guy would get it - being humanlike without actually being human made it difficult to tell which cues Morty could pick up on.]

[It really was difficult for a human to understand how strange the combination of extremely muted emotions and learning social cues on the fly could make some of his reactions. That was another thing that didn't seem to happen as much around Bruce, though, or at least he didn't react much to it either if he did notice it, which made Morty feel more comfortable reacting in general.

Romantic interest, though: not a single experience to date had equipped him to recognize that. It would take the equivalent of blunt force trauma to get it through his head. As such, he just grinned more brightly and nodded.]

Yeah. Yeah, you're so right, man - how do you even know how much you like if you always stick to one thing? [Well, at least his open-mindedness is probably encouraging?] What about you, what're you getting?

[Perhaps it was a good thing that Bruce tended to be subtle about his romantic interest. If Morty never noticed, there was no way Bruce could mess things up between them, no way for him to put the guy in any potential danger - though he wondered if Morty could actually be harmed, considering he wasn't really alive... or was he? It was too confusing a thought for one in the morning, so Bruce turned his attention back to the pies.]

I'm not sure. [Being a vegetarian ruled out approximately eighty percent of the menu, and the other twenty percent seemed too caffeinated or sugary for what time it was. Still, he couldn't just sit there and not order anything.]

Maybe some pancakes? [The more he thought about it, the more appealing it seemed.] Yeah, pancakes. [Looking up, he tossed a soft smile towards Morty, glad for the easy company they shared. Then a thought occurred to him and his smile faltered somewhat.]

I hope I didn't take you away from anything important. [As always, his ever-present sense of guilt's crept up on him.]

[One thing that Morty did know was what he liked and disliked, even if it was harder to tie those tastes to strong feelings that may have caused them, and he liked Bruce's smiles. They were always small and subtle, in keeping with his whole manner, but Morty thought they were... concentrated, somehow. More warmth in a tiny shift of his lips than in most people flashing both rows of teeth.

Of course, that was mostly likely his confused read on affection, but it did mean he noticed something different.]

Important - nah, no way! [He waved off the concern with a little flick of his hand.] There's a new reaper training tonight, so she'll get most of the work. I'd probably just be watching TV if I wasn't here.

This is important, anyway. [At least he didn't say "having a friend" aloud, which could've been an unintentional kick in the chest to someone developing feelings for him.] I like it when we can hang out. Time off's not really something I can pencil in, y'know?

[It's odd to imagine Morty doing benign things like watching TV. After their first meeting, wherein Bruce had stumbled across Morty literally escorting someone's soul out of this life and into the next, it was a little difficult to separate his true nature from the human aspects he'd picked up along the way.

That doesn't really bother Bruce at all, though. Morty is still funny and charming, human enough to get along with while being just inhuman enough to avoid the baggage that people tended to carry around. He was different in a good way, in a way that Bruce was drawn to. After all, Bruce didn't feel entirely human most days.

Morty's assertion left Bruce's cheeks slightly more pink, left his smile a little wider.] I know what you mean. I don't exactly have a schedule either. [Avenging wasn't a nine-to-five sort of job. He paused, considering his next words, before adding,] I like when we hang out, too. It's nice to get to know you better.

Is there much to know? [He actually looked a bit surprised at that, since he had a way of assuming that he mostly picked Bruce's brain and didn't have a lot to offer in return. Of course, Bruce's scientific mind probably wanted to know more about Death, but... that wasn't Morty. Not all of him.

Bruce looked happy, though, even smiling one of his bigger smiles.] Anything you still wanna know? You're so polite about asking, dude, nothing's gonna be - like, personal.

[Since they'd met, Bruce had been torn between wanting to know absolutely everything about death and knowing it would be insensitive to ask. It wasn't as though anyone else he knew had quite as much insight into this particular mystery, but it also seemed wrong to just press a thousand questions on Morty, no matter how open he seemed to said questions.]

I guess I've been wondering about a few things. [He glanced down at the table, still unsure of how far he should go, of how much would be too much.] Like, why do you look the way you do? [Shit, that sounded like an insult. Hastily, he added:] I mean - not that there's anything wrong with the way you look - just - what influenced it?

[He couldn't quite hold back a more crooked, almost wry smile at that. Of all the things he'd discovered were important to humans, appearance was definitely at the top of the list, and it came with rules. Different rules everywhere he went. Rules that seemed to change with the years and even the seasons. It seemed like a horrible weight of pressure to live under.

So he wasn't actually surprised that Bruce opened with that, nor that he rushed to clarify, but he didn't judge Bruce as shallow for it either. No one could completely escape the influence of that kind of pressure.]

I didn't know where to start. The way we normally look, like, naturally... you'd have nightmares for months, man, there's nothing like that here. [He didn't say that with self-deprecation or anything like it in his voice, just stated it as fact.] But Death said I had to look like a human when I came down here, so I... just kinda watched you guys for awhile. Usually Death can only see through us, but we can see through them too if they let us. I picked out stuff from different people that looked cool and stuck it all together.

[Then he laughed suddenly, smoothing a hand over his hair.] Glad I turned out pretty normal-looking. That stuff's important to you guys.

[Bruce has seen some pretty terrifying stuff - not excluding himself mid-transformation - but somehow he knows that what Morty's referring to is way more nightmarish than any of that. He doesn't have any urgent desire to find out what Morty actually looks like - this face is nice enough.

Seeing him run a hand through his hair makes Bruce smile without thinking. It's such a human gesture, something someone would normally do after receiving a compliment, that he almost forgets how Morty isn't human at all. The guy's good at his job.]

You made good choices. [He doesn't say what he really wants to, that Morty's better than normal-looking, because he doesn't trust himself to keep his voice even. Instead, he turns his attention to the next question that's been bothering him.]

Can you get hurt? [This one's more consequential, especially if they're going to spending any extended period of time together. Bruce isn't too proud to admit that part of his attraction to Morty is the idea that he can't do any lasting damage to him should something unexpected happen.] I mean - if you're a part of Death, can you die?

[That statement actually comes through for what it is, surprisingly enough, because Morty is so aware of how important appearance is to humans. A compliment like that must mean he's attractive - he doesn't jump right to Bruce being attracted to him, but at least he's halfway there.

His reaction is hard to read; he looks... a bit confused, but also intrigued. Having someone find him attractive is something he never would've begun to consider about being among humankind.

Bruce's next question distracts him, though, and his face clears quickly as he picks up his fork and smirks across the table.]

Don't worry. Just watch. [Before Bruce can object, he brings the tines of the fork down on and into the top of his other hand, but there's no blood when he pulls it back out; the effect of his skin pooling back together where its surface was disrupted is quite a bit like mercury, or drops of water.] I don't think anything hurts much, not like you guys can hurt, but I feel things. I can't get hurt, though, and I can't die like humans do.

[That smirk is something Bruce knows he'll be thinking about later. Morty's expressions, while perhaps less dramatic than those of actual humans, were fascinating. He truly had chosen a good set of features: wide, expressive eyes, a sleepy sort of mouth, and a jawline that could cut glass.

Morty stabbing himself with a fork was more than enough to distract Bruce from his thoughts. He watches in fascination as the tines punctured the skin, waiting for blood or some other strange substance to leak out, but there's nothing. His lips part in wonder as he observes it, knowing immediately that there's no science capable of explaining what had just happened.]

Wow. [Looking back up, he gives Morty a fascinated grin. It's clear that his brain's buzzing with new questions, and now that it seems Morty doesn't mind him asking he doesn't try to hold back quite as much.]

That's amazing. [The Hulk would have no effect on him, ostensibly, and that's enough to buoy up Bruce's mood for the next three weeks. Leaning in, he takes on a slightly more serious tone and asks,] If you can't die like humans do - does that mean you can?

[Was there the possibility of something happening that could remove Morty from this world, form Bruce's life? He's suddenly finding that idea incredibly unappealing.]

You mean you can't even tell how it works?

[He's not flirting, at least not intentionally. He's really not. One thing he does like to do is joke, though, and it can quite often take the form of teasing like this; since Bruce is, by all accounts, a brilliant scientist, it only seems natural to give him a bit of a verbal nudge in the ribs when he sees something that leaves him lost for words.

But again, the next question takes Morty in a different direction. Trying to think of how best to explain, he ends up fiddling with the fork that's still in his hands, another decidedly human gesture. Slowly the smile slips from his face.]

I can - well, we all can - we came from Death, right? Death can re-absorb us. We don't die, we just... aren't. Anymore.

[It upsets him the same way the idea of being taken offline would upset a sufficiently sentient AI. No one and nothing likes the thought of giving up existence once they've had it.]

Edited 2016-07-28 00:31 (UTC)

[It takes a second for him to get it, but the comment draws a chuckle from Bruce's throat. He's used to being teased - Tony does it to him all the time - but hearing it from Morty is a little bit different, partially because it's not entirely expected. He knows the guy is charming and funny, but being not quite human means he doesn't always respond the way Bruce is used to others doing.

Seeing the smile slip away from Morty's face isn't something he intended, though, and he curses himself inwardly for being so insensitive. At the same time he feels an odd lurch in his gut. Imagining Morty just... disappearing like that, like he'd never existed, was frightening. Bruce has been close enough to advanced AI to know how terrifying that must be.]

I'm sorry. [His voice is softer now, less curious and more genuine. He has to fight the urge to reach out and take Morty's hand - as if, in doing so, he could somehow ensure that he remains here with Bruce.]

I shouldn't have asked about that. I just -

[He hesitates. How can he explain how he feels? There seems to be nothing for it but to speak the truth, or at least a piece of it.]

I don't want you to leave.

[There's warmth in his cheeks but he ignores it, too focused on the mixed-up feelings in his gut to pay much attention to the fact that his expression is giving him away.]

Really?

[Bruce's reaction is far too complex for Morty to understand on so many levels: the way empathy twists his features, the tremble in his voice as his nerves pull taut, and just the layers of meaning that simple statement. I don't want you to leave. All this time, he's just been content with the fact that Bruce didn't mind having him around, but -

- this means something to him.]

Why - why not?

[Morty doesn't look scared or apprehensive. He looks awestruck.]

[Bruce is awful at this kind of thing. He gets stuck in his head, trips over his words, and generally makes a fool of himself. Morty probably doesn't know enough about human emotions to quite understand just how difficult this is for Bruce, and he's kind of glad about that - if he embarrasses himself, at least Morty won't have to suffer through the cringeworthy emotions that come with it.

Offering a small, shy smile, he shrugs and glances down at the table. It suddenly difficult to look Morty in the eye.] I like being around you.

[He doesn't say: you're different from everyone else. He doesn't say: You're the only person I can be around without being terrified I'll hurt you. And he definitely doesn't say: I I think I'm falling for you and it makes no sense but it's happening anyway, I'm sorry.

He fiddles with his own cutlery, echoing Morty's gesture from earlier.] We're friends, right? I just - it would be kind of awful if you went away.

[He knows Morty's existence is transient, that there are no promises he'll stick around even if he keeps his more-or-less corporeal form. Hell, there's about a 0.001% chance that whatever Bruce is feeling will ever be reciprocated. But Bruce can't hide how he feels, even though he himself barely understands those feelings.]

[He feels - warm. Really warm. It's like a glow all through him, which makes no sense as soon as he comes up with the image, but he still likes the feeling a lot. Everything about how Bruce responds, from his smile to his fiddly little gestures, makes Morty feel even warmer.]

I like being around you, too. [This is language he can work with. From his first day on Earth, he's been building a catalogue of likes and dislikes because none of it came with the factory model, so he's very secure in that. There's no question that he likes spending time with Bruce, and likes Bruce himself.] Yeah, dude, we're totally friends.

[But now he knows something new: friendship means that Bruce would go through a kind of mourning if he left. His reaction to that is either very strange or just more honest than most people could ever admit, but he's blissfully ignorant either way, so he just says it aloud with the same sort of awe that's still written all over his face.]

I'm happy. This makes me happy.

[Sometimes it's difficult to understand Morty. Since he isn't actually human, he doesn't have the entire catalogue of life-defining experiences that others do, and that means Bruce can't always predict what he'll do or say next. The nice thing is that this sometimes leads to pleasant surprises - like right now, when Morty's face is all lit up and he's honestly stating how he feels.

It's a refreshing change from the ordinary, and it makes Bruce's smile widen into a grin. There's a warmth inside of him now, too, despite his own confused feelings slowly coming to the surface.]

I'm happy that you're happy.

[He's about to continue when a sleepy-looking waitress comes over and asks for their order. Along with his pancakes, Bruce orders a cup of green tea. While she takes Morty's order Bruce sneaks a glance at him and a strange tingling fills his fingertips. Several thoughts occur to him at once, the most innocent of which is it would be awfully nice to hold his hand. It takes about two seconds before he's looking down again and trying, with much difficulty, to hide the blush that's crept into his cheeks.]

[Morty decides on the bumbleberry pie, of course, topped with ice cream. Time to try new things. The coffee he orders along with that probably seems either very sensible or like the least sensible thing in the world at 1 am, but really, the form beneath his human shell will take its rest when it needs rest no matter what's in his system. He can sleep outside of those times, but it's not really for any biological process: more like when someone powers down a computer for the night.

Just as he's about to comment on how tired the waitress looked, he turns to face Bruce again and winds up puzzled anew. Bruce seems to have so much to say and ask this visit, more than ever before, and yet he doesn't look any more comfortable once things have been said and answered in return. He almost looks unhappy despite what both of them just said.]

You're different tonight. [There's no accusation in how he says it, of course, just gentle curiosity.] Not bad-different, but... you okay, man?

you're the prime suspect in the kidnapping of my heart. and I do not negotiate with terrorists

Morty Waldeburg | OC | OTA

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oh my god even the setup is adorable :'''')

ahhh yay! morty is too cute, these two are gonna be perf together ♥

actually drags hands down face

ehehehehe >:D

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html is the devil and we are all in hell

I am so sorry this took me forever T_T;;;