bakerstreet | Domestic Meme

RULES!
❧ Leave a comment with your character's name, fandom, and any preferences you have.
❧ When replying, RNG for a number between 1 and 15. The number corresponds to the scenario that you will play out in whatever way you want to.
❧ Go from there!

THE LIST!
01] baby
Suddenly, there's a new addition to your family! Are you expecting? Adopting? Struggling to find the perfect name for your child? Or maybe you're up at a ridiculous hour in the morning because they're crying like crazy.

02] just married
Congratulations! You and your loved (?) one are about to start a whole new life together! It's time for the honeymoon...

03] house hunting
Are you seeking out an apartment? A dream house? Or just any old place, as long as you're with your other? Make sure to weigh your options very carefully...

04] household chores
It's time to clean/cook/garden/take care of something! Do you work together, or does one of you hide until everything is done?

05] shopping
Whether it's for furniture, groceries, or something in between, shopping is something that everybody must do at some point in time! What varies is if they like it or not.

06] family vacation
WE'RE OFF TO DIDNEY WOOOOOOOOORL or wherever
... well, as long as the kids are happy, right...? You may not be happy (or maybe you are), but it's mainly about ~family bonding~.

07] romantic retreat
It's you and your loved one's anniversary, and you decide it's time to take some time off and take them somewhere nice, where you only have each other.

08] comfort
Is somebody sick in bed? Or perhaps they just had a bad day? Sometimes, a good breakfast in bed or a home-cooked meal can really lift the spirits! Or perhaps you want to try medicine, or laughter, or something else?

09] pet
Suddenly, you have another addition to the family! Is it a puppy? A kitty? A fierce dragon? Whatever it is, make sure to give it a name and to take good care of it!

10] holiday
Happy birthday/New Years/Christmas/Valentine's Day/whatever! It's a very special day that only comes once a year, so make it count!

11] argument
Oh, no, who left the stove on... Or maybe it's about why they were out late last night? Either way, there is a lot of tension today, and one of you may or may not be sleeping on the couch tonight.

12] making up
It's time to make amends for that fight/divorce/whatever you had before! After all, you love each other... right?

13] surprise, surprise
You are feeling rather loving tonight, so you want to remind the other person how much you cherish and appreciate them... if it's by something cute and adorable or hot and sexy is completely up to you.

14] proposal
~~SHUT UP THIS TOTALLY FITS~~ You've been with your other for what feels like forever, and finally you want to tie the knot with them. Will you go down on one knee before them, or get a little creative?

15] other
I know I'm forgetting like a bajillion and one different things here, so this is the option for that!

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[ God, Tony hates conversations like this. It's just- she knows what to say, but not how to phrase it, and hell if she knows if that'll be enough, right? Not that all the misdirected anger is helping. Her hand twitches in her lap, like she was going for his hand and decided against it. ]

I was feeling helpless. I still feel like that. And I thought if I didn't have to think about it and I just made you go away so would the problem, like I'd feel like I knew what I was doing.

[Bruce topples unceremoniously over, resting his head against her leg, breathing out quietly, and just hanging on.]

I never know what I'm doing.

[ Tony's not the kind to be hesitant about a lot. Part of her's missed this though, so she's happy to gently rest her hand on the side of his head, smoothing a thumb over his temple. It feels foreign and familiar at the same time, which is kind of unnerving. ]

I can't be helping, huh.

You mostly do. It's just been a bit rocky, that's all.

[Quick to protect her, even from her own self-criticism.]

[ She makes a face, briefly closing her eyes. ]

Ever feel like you're completely fucking losing it?

Ever seen the footage of the minute right before one of my transformations?

[He wants to know, quietly.

Yes.]

I build stuff. It's what I do. [ She's not exactly so sure what she's trying to rationalize here; her behavior or something else. Or, more importantly, to who. ]

And I know you're supposed to lean on the people you love or whatever but I'm pretty bad at that. And I don't sleep and I fucking miss you even though I keep treating you like shit and not in the fun way, so.

[It's good to hear. Well, it's not fun exactly, but it gives him the incentive he needs to fight for this. His eyes open.]

What do you do when one of your machines gets a glitch, Tony?

Run a diagnostic. Fix it or disassemble it. [ She pulls a face. ]

Are you going to use an analogy on me?

I think it's more of a mental mapping tool.

Run a diagnostic. Start with the sleeping problems, and circle out. You can't sleep- what happens when you try?

[ Impatiently, though at least it's not anger: ]

You know what happens.

Not really. I usually just look up and find you gone.

[ Her expression twists. Another thing to pat herself on the back about, huh. ]

Nightmares. It's not what happens in them, you know, it's. You ever have that feeling something bad is going to happen and you just can't fucking shake it?

Yeah. And with us, something usually is. It's been a long time since the world was okay, or normal, Tony. The fact that you're still braced for the other shoe to drop is normal.

The fact that it's impacting you in ways that make you less able to cope rather than more is what we need to work on.

[ For a second there she looks like she's ready to bolt again, her brows drawing together in kneejerk anger, but instead she just exhales loudly. ]

There shouldn't have to be a 'we'. It's not your job, Bruce.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. You're here, aren't you? I told you you could go.

[ Her hand shifts to lightly tug on his ear, making a face. ]

Ugh, shut up. [ Though, yeah. She is still here. And so is he. Baby steps. ]

So, what. Suggestions?

Google PTSD. Start on wikipedia.

[Not helpful, Banner.]

No, seriously. I feel like talk therapy is probably out of the question for you...

[ Genuinely not helpful, Banner. Tony's going to slip out and stand up a little, now, though it's more to feel like she's actually in control and doing something. ]

I just gotta get over it. I freak out. Everybody freaks out.

Would you say that to me, right now, if the situations were reversed? Think about that honestly. Am I going to just get over this?

[Propping himself up on his elbows.]

That isn't rhetorical. You might decide the answer is yes. But I think our episodes are more analogous than you might think.

[ She makes an impatient gesture with her hand, a hurry up and talk to me while I've convinced myself it's a good idea to stay here. ]

We just. We bring you through some of what I went through to stop killing everyone.

[ Bruce, when you phrase it like that. ]

What, like, your kumbaya bullshit? Sorry, not- whatever, I'm sure it works for you.

I was thinking you'd be more into the martial arts based stuff. I mean, you're already really good, but it never hurts to expand your repertoire. And there's a lot to be said for emotion control through physical cues.

Right. [ Okay. Hitting things. That's familiar. A gross overstatement, but familiar anyway. ]

You know, part of me feels like shit for even talking to you about this.

(no subject)

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