Mischief on Midgard

Drinks and Peanuts

"So... what do you think?" Tony asked Bruce in a serious, no-nonsense tone for once.

"Well, I can say that the one thing I'm sure of is this; He really is a genius," Bruce replied carefully.

The two men had met up later that afternoon in Tony's private lounge. Tony had already poured a glass for himself and Bruce both. By now, Tony's drink was already half-gone while, in comparison, Bruce's was barely touched.

"Yeah, I agree with you there, Big Guy," Tony said as he casually brought up a hologram. "All of these calculations done in less than a day. I have to admit, even I can't work that fast."

There was a small hint of resentment in the Man of Iron's tone. It seemed like he wasn't all that thrilled to find out that he might no longer be the smartest in the building when it came to tech. He let out a grunt and dismissed the hologram with a careless flick of his fingers before taking another sip of his drink.

"He seems to be enjoying the work he's doing too," Bruce offered up, flashing the other man a small, reassuring smile. "When he got focused, I had to yell at him to get his attention. Otherwise, he would ignore everything else around him. Which is typical behavior for the more passionate scientists I've met over the years. Including you and I."

Tony nodded, looking down at his glass as if it would somehow answer his questions. He huffed in amusement and took another sip of his drink.

"Well, with that, he sounds like the real deal," he said with a hum. "A legit new science partner to hang out with. Whelp, not goin' to complain about that. He'll make a good employee, at least."

Bruce nodded.

"That he is. He'll do a lot of good here, and he seems nice," he smiled gently. "A bit strange, but then what kind of scientist isn't?"

"True," Tony tilted his head thoughtfully. "In what way do you consider him to be 'strange,' Big Guy?"

"Well, he's clearly foreigner, so he wasn't lying about that," Bruce said with a tilt of his head. "I mean, it's not just his accent that gives that away, but the way he acts. His mannerisms are not very 'American' if you will. It's the small things. Honestly, I'm starting to think he's been very isolated throughout his life. There are several things he doesn't know about. Again, it's just little things. If I'm right and he grew up burying himself in any work that interested him and nothing else, then it makes sense."

Tony nodded in agreement. He'd noticed the same things for the most part. Bruce chuckled softly and leaned back in his seat as he continued.

"You know, I've lived in several foreign countries while I was..." he paused with a small flinch before finishing, "hiding. When you're in an unfamiliar area, you tend to stand out. All because you're unfamiliar with the smaller customs and social norms of the area."

"England's not that different from America though," Tony pointed out, running his hands through his hair. "I mean, there are some small things but still. Anyway, we can use his work to our advantage, at least."

"Honestly? I like him," Bruce said with a smile. "He was clearly afraid of me, and for a good reason too. But he did his best to push past that fear and learn about me. He asked me about my life as a scientist and all."

"Did he say anything else about himself?" Tony pressed, and Bruce let out a hum of thought.

"Well, it didn't seem like he wanted to talk about himself too much," Bruce admitted after a moment. "He mostly just ask me questions about myself."

Tony nodded at that, frowning a bit. The silence stretched on long enough for Bruce to feel a bit concerned.

"Tony?" he pressed. "How do you feel about him?"