Eidolon P.O.V.
"I can get used to this." Shego says at my side while bathing in the attention of our fans, she is even waving back. "Yeah, yeah… Praise your queen." She says in a voice only I can hear
"I thought that was obvious… One of the few nice things about the job." I say. Not the praise, but the appreciation… I don't care about a crowd that can fit 10 stadiums chanting my name more than a parent thanking me for saving their child. Everyone likes at least a pat on the back when they do a good job. I can live without it, but it's nice, it motivates.
"How would I know? Helena only acts at night, full of subterfuge… And when I act with my brothers, the fans are fucking obnoxious. My brothers, too." She huffs
"I think you never really saw them." I say
"?" She turns to me with a confused frown.
"You looked at them, but didn't really see them… One of those things that I learned from experience is that much of what happens around us can be distorted by our own internalized issues. It affects how we see the world…" I explain "The same situation can be seen and even be remembered differently depending on how you look at it, how you face it, or your mood was at the time… Something embarrassing can equally be a bad memory or a funny one."
"...is this some self-help shit?" She raises an eyebrow, but I know her enough to see that she got what I mean.
"More or less… Keeping a positive mindset goes a long way to make your life better. You can't control the world, but you can master yourself and how you respond to the world." I shrug "Maybe in the past you had a preconceived impression of heroism and never tried to see the good points… You are more mature now."
"Hmpf, you in particular can absolutely control the world." She focuses on the non-important part to avoid the real issue. "And it's easier said than done… Keeping a positive attitude while your life sucks." She scoffs dismissively
"You know what I mean." I poke her on the ribs to annoy her a little. "And I never said it would be easy… life is hard. But it would be better; wallowing in misery is only detrimental to anyone. Yes, everyone needs time, but the ones that can bounce back quickly, manifest their own positivity in the world and make life good even when things are bad… they are strong."
"So you are strong…"
"I try…"
.....
Hector P.O.V.
Space Station
Nowadays, I don't have a lot of time to play video games. Even with four bodies.
It's a sad change in my life, but understandable. My reality is better than any video game… Not even the Virtual Reality games that I created can compare.
I'm also too good, not that this takes a lot of the fun away, but it is a factor. Another reason is that this world is kinda behind on the games, so I don't have a lot of options that I can play.
That's why I'm being hit with a wave of nostalgia right now, sitting with my legs crossed in front of a TV, controller in hand.
TakTakTakPowPow
Well, even with my whole body and mind being washed by nostalgia enough to distract me, and being a hero on the surface of the planet with Shego, my gaming skills are still sharp as ever.
I was always an above-the-curve player, and now with my cheating senses and reflexes…
TakTakSwishBam
"K.O.! Perfect!"
…I'm invincible.
"Again?" I don't show any smugness or arrogance while asking my gaming partner, and the reason why I'm even playing. She is very good, incredibly good really… but unfortunately, she is against me.
"Again…" She replies with a very expressionless face, not showing any chagrin in her loss. Her white, pale face is still like she is a porcelain doll.
Shiraori, or Shiro, or Kumoko-chan, like how the fans would affectionately call her, is white. Yes, that is the first thing anyone would notice about her. That is why she is also called Shiro-chan.
White skin, white hair, white eyebrows, white clothes… even her eyelashes are of pure white. Only her pupils are of a blood-red, but she keeps them close all the time because of the power contained in them (pretty chuuni by the way).
If she stands still in front of a white wall, she would probably disappear… Well, I guess that it can be considered part of her spider powers, camouflage.
Despite hiding it in human form, she is an Arachne. From what I got of our small conversation, this version of her is the one just after evolution, after she escaped the System of her Isekai World.
She is a fledgling spider god.
And a pretty strong one, even if she is not her EOS(End of Story) version. Isekai protagonists tend to get super Overpowered at the end of their sagas.
She is not there yet, but she is dangerous. That's what I get from gauging her strength.
My strongest summon! Together with Rayquaza.
There's also the Ice Monarch and Thor from Record of Ragnarok, but those I assimilated.
She is not only strong, she is dangerous… I don't think she will be fighting Thor hand-to-hand, but she can probably kill him if he is caught lacking. That's the feeling I got from her…
In some way, we are very much alike. And if I remember the novel well, we are similar in a lot of other ways, too(maybe that is why I got her from the Gacha). Except that she is kinda lazy.
We compete in silence again on the fighting game, I don't force her to talk… She is maybe worse than Cassandra when she first got here.
But I know that her "Inner Self" is very different from the demure and noble look she unknowingly passes with her silence. She is a slob, neet, and hikkikomori who just wants to laze around in an easy life.
Top Tier Waifu, almost proposed to her instantly, like with Raven.
"So…" I start while hitting the air a little in the game to find an opening, "Happy that you are free of D?" I ask. "D" was kinda her chaotic patron in her isekai life.
"..."
"You must be thinking that you exchanged 6 for half a dozen, with me now, but I'm not nearly as unpredictable and chaotic as she." I assure her "I like to keep things clear and transparent, so let me say what I want from you."
"..." She doesn't show any form of acknowledgment of my words, but I can feel her paying attention.
"I just want you to be ready to answer my call and fight sometimes to protect the world. It will be rare, but I may call you not long from now to see your strength. In exchange, you will receive all the comfort I can provide. And it's a lot. I will not ask you to do anything else that you are not comfortable with." Knowing her introvert personality and lack of interest in being a hero, I will not ask her to make public appearances or anything like that.
"..." She doesn't say anything, but I notice her interest in me while she tries to catch me on a combo. Her muscly grappler character is a stark contrast with her appearance.
"I know a little about you, so I can almost confidently say that I can give what you want… A home, bills paid, food, games, and all other kinds of entertainment."
"...!" Now she is interested.
"Your job will be to stay on standby in case I need to call you. I can visit sometimes, you know? To check on you… I'm also interested in the magic of your world." To increase the Relationship Loyalty "And obviously there are things you can't do… Like killing innocent people, revealing my identity… there's a booklet and a video. Check them later. Okay?" Not that she has much of a choice. Different from low-threat people like Isabella, I can't let her roam free.
"...okay."
"Then it's a deal, Kumoko-chan." I smile. I look forward to her opening up to me. Kumoko-chan is a fun girl~ "Anything more you want?"
"Tasty food." She answers
"Of course."
"Allowance."
"I will cover more of your expenses, so your salary will be only for you to spend on anything you want." I shrug, that is how it is with everyone. And it is not even with money, I can provide by simply creating the commodities myself.
"A maid…"
"You are pushing it to test me?" I ask casually "And can't you use one of your children? Anyway, giving you a robot maid is easy enough… The less human interaction, the better, right?"
"..." Did I see a smile on her face? It's cute…
"By the way, want to be my wife?" I ask in a serious tone. I want to see if I can throw her out of this calm facade, like with Raven. Seeing expressionless girls showing cute expressions is always nice. Especially the pale ones, their blushing face are super cute.
"...benefits?" But to my surprise, she asks back like we are discussing a business deal. Her emotions flicker for a moment only. I ask myself if she is panicking internally, and I almost want to peek with telepathy. Will I see an Inner Kumoko-chan panicking?
"Everything else, plus I will spoil you rotten." I answer calmly
"Deal. But boyfriend and girlfriend first." She replies
"Okay." Well, that was easy… I was not expecting anything anyway. "Wanna hold hands?" I take one hand of my controller and offer it to her
"Gasp" She recoils from me, and I can't say if she is serious or not. Different from many others, she would understand weeb references.
"Sorry, too soon?"
"Yes… hentai…" She looks away from me and murmurs under her breath.
"..." Okay, I was 90% kidding when I proposed, but now I think it will be fun.
.....
Eidolon P.O.V.
Earth's Surface
Now that Shego is playing as my sidekick - she hates being called that - I decided to let her deal with some villains on her own.
She has become really strong since the procedure, but beyond some tests and light sparring with me, she doesn't have real experience with her newfound strength.
The truth is that she is kinda lazy… Well, to my high standards at least(she still trains every day). Maybe I'm too used to my great training ethic, which is followed by Saeko and Cassandra. While those two prefer to train the Power Systems that I can grant them, and use some support powers to assist them slightly… Shego really went for a lot of firepower.
Quite literally, she has fire powers. Probably only losing to Human Torch in those versions of his that he can go Supernova. She doesn't need to train much if she can vaporize her enemies in a second.
Different from how it is portrayed in many media, fire is indeed very dangerous. I'm not in a cartoon or anime where fire and explosions never cause everlasting injuries. She doesn't even need to touch them and her enemies will feel uncomfortable, the oxygen thinning… It's a strong power in battle.
Ironically, the problem is exactly like that. Too strong and she lacks training…
"That one you can deal easily," I say, high in the air while standing on an invisible platform with her, pointing down at the small villain trying to rescue his little criminal friends.
This one seems to be a cybernetic enhanced mutant… interesting.
Pulling his files, I discover that he is an ex-C.I.A.? Carl Burbank, codename Bushwacker, went rogue some years ago and became a freelance mercenary.
It seems he was hired to save some people that I captured during the weekend pursuit for Sinister.
"That is gonna be easy." Lady Jade smiles widely at my side.
I can understand her confidence. Bushwacker is only a half-cyborg with arms that can turn into weapons and guns. Baby 5 is vastly superior.
But it's not about her winning against him…
"Minimize damage to the surroundings." I say "I'm not gonna interfere." Normally, I would stay at the side and deal with the mess, but not this time. "If I need to move to save an innocent life… You fail."
"I fail? And what happens if I fail? Are you gonna punish me, daddy?" She challenges with a coy smile, but she understands that I'm serious.
It's not that I'm gonna really punish her, but maybe I can force her into a forced train so that she will not be a danger to others.
"If you can't even do this much, you can be a liability to your allies." I explain "Be ready to receive some gruesome training from me… or even Cassandra. Do you want to be looked down on by her?"
"As fucking if!" She says and jumps down.
"..." So easy…
Shego jumps in time to see Bushwacker leading the rescued criminals out of the police station.
Boom
She drops down on the Escape Van, her green flame hand goes through the roof, the metal melting around her, while she easily destroys the wheel.
"Be a good boy and stay put, okay?" She says to the driver shaking on the seat "And put your seatbelt, things can get dangerous."
She leaves her crouched-down position to stand up, facing the criminals.
"Breath the freedom, boys. You only have this chance." She smiles, arms open, very carefree, absolutely looking down on them.
"Bitch!" Buscwacker, the guy who could pass as a cosplay of the Terminator, raises his arm and points at her.
His forearm becomes unnaturally thick, and gun barrels sprout from his fingers. He didn't say much before he started shooting her.
Ratatatatatatatata
Shego, like the cocky bitch she is, stays still while bullets rain on her. A thin layer of fire covers her bulletproof skin, the bullets bounce off melted while she just stands smugly with her hands on her hips.
Winning is not enough… she needs her opponents to lose horribly.
"Disappointed, but not surprised." She says, before pointing her fingers at the criminals.
Now is where she will need to show some skill because they have some cops as hostages.
The fire in her hand materializes in two glocks, and she fires them.
"Here are some bullets back." She says, concentrating fire on Bushwacker.
Normally, one would shoot the guys holding the hostages, but I will let her cook.
Bushwacker cyborg's body tanks the fire bullets pretty well… He is still pushed backwards by a lot, hitting some of the criminals, but at least none really pierce his body. Shego is going easy on him, too.
Till she is not… She jumps, leaving behind a trail of green fire, and almost immediately lands behind some of the criminals and kicking one in the chest.
From here, I can hear the Tsss of his skin burning where the sole landed. I'm gonna heal him later…
She reached forward to the two guys holding hostages, her hands grabbing their guns and melting the metal on their fingers.
That's nasty… Their scream of pain only works to terrorize the rest. The hostages are also clearly uncomfortable, but they are safe. She would not pass Hero School, but at least the hostage ran away from the battle.
From there, she only needs to use her high physical stats to dispatch them.
Yeah… They are too weak to put her in a situation where she needs to be aware of her surroundings. I'm gonna need to find a stronger villain.
Can anyone appear? I check again the world with the help of Cortana.
Oh, someone indeed appeared. I can see him through a security camera. Thanks, Cortana.
Peter Van Zante, a guy with hydrokinesis is robbing a gun shop. That can be a good training.
Let's just heal the barbecue that Shego made before going.
...….
Third Person P.O.V.
Pamela Isley was organizing her new house to her liking.
She is living with Harley, but Harley has an apartment, while Hector gave Pamela a home with a backyard, a glasshouse, and all that. Pamela is using the opportunity that Harley is busy working to make her home her own little world.
Meaning: filling it with plants. The glasshouse is simply not enough.
She is also waiting for Hector; the two have unsolved issues.
Ding Dong
The doorbell rings, and she walks from the backyard through her whole house to the front door. Opening the door, she found the expected visage of Hector.
"Can you let me in? I'm using my powers to not be perceived by anyone, but I don't like abusing it." Hector says to her
"Couldn't you just teleport inside? Those doors are portals, right?" She asks while stepping aside for him to enter, closing the door behind him
"Certain things need to be done properly." He says before turning to her and extending his hand "Here, a gift."
"Oh…" It's flowers, a very diverse arrangement of flowers, and to his credit, they are not in a bouquet but in a vase, still alive.
Pamela stares at the arrangement with interest in her eyes… Borage, daffodil, edelweiss, honeysuckle… not something that a guy would gift a girl normally, but…
"Do you know the Language of Flowers?" She asks, looking up at him
"I know all languages." He answers. It's true. With Cipher powers, he can understand all kinds of language… Even the Language of Flowers is not an exception. But that is something he can learn with a quick read.
"I see…" She replies and turns back to look a the arrangement of flowers.
Almost all of them represent love in some way, also with truth and honesty, new beginnings, devotion, and courage.
She doesn't need to be a genius to get what he means… he didn't give her any rose or other flower that said "unconditional" or "pure" love, no… Nothing that childish. It was a clear message of his intentions, of what he wants and what he offers.
"Thank you." She nods and puts the vase on a shelf. "Harley told you that I want to talk, right?"
"Yes, but let's forget Harley for a minute and talk about ourselves." Hector says seriously, "We are caught on the Harley Hurricane and the sequences of our actions are very out of place… chaotic even."
Pamela laughs "That's true. That's Harley, after all."
"Yes, and as much as we love her, let's put her aside." Hector chuckles before going serious again. "She told me that I just need to come here to propose a relationship, and you would say yes. That's nice of her, but let's not do that."
"Oh…" She crosses her arms under her bosom and gives him a raised eyebrow
"This is between us, and Harley's influence should stop here. It was fun while it lasted, effective even… I guess we got to know each other deeply in record time." He smirks
A smirk that she answers in kind "Knowing each other, huh? You can say that… So what do you propose?"
"Well, from my part, I will still gonna ask you out…"
"Isn't this the same thing Harley wanted?" She asks confused
"No, because I don't want your answer to be influenced by anything she told you… positively or negatively."
"Negatively? She only spoke good things about you… My ear almost fell off." She scoffs, visibly jealous
"And that is how she will end up influencing you negatively." He says like it's obvious "Doing things the way Harley wants would work for now, but leave some problems down the line. She is not one to think that far ahead. I'm a guy who likes to do things properly and to be upfront."
"Then be." She challenges him.
"You don't need to insist… let's put the cards on the table… We are both attracted to each other." He says, staring directly at her eyes
"...You think too highly of your-" She opens her mouth, but he interrupts her with a step forward.
"Don't insult both of us by denying it. I was nice enough to say 'we'."
"..."
"We don't love each other. It's not feasible with the little time we spent together and our personalities, but you can't deny the natural attraction and chemistry…" He approaches even more. "And I think that is enough for now?"
"Enough?" She keeps her arms crossed in some sort of physical barrier against him.
"Yes, despite popular belief, attraction is the main pillar of a relationship."
"I thought it was love, trust, respect, communication, etc…" She scoffs with a laugh.
"That is equally important too… But attraction is the most important. It's what can start everything. Obviously, love, trust, and all that is what makes a relationship last… But attraction is the spark that starts the fire and also the most important fuel that keeps the flame alive. La passion!" He reveals with a laugh, then his hand reaches for her cheek "And I'm not talking only about sex… It's an attraction that allows two people to simply stare into each other's eyes for hours without getting bored, it's what makes one hug the other out of the blue, or cuddle while doing anything else, it's what turns love into romance…" He then slowly removes his hand from her. "Without that… it slowly dies. It can become a partnership, but it is not the same."
"I want to argue against your logic, but I know what you are talking about."
He gives her a mysterious smile before continuing "Thanks to my powers, I'm able to observe a lot of people. Like a whole lot… I learned a lot just by watching them."
"That is not creepy at all." She says sarcastically, but he ignores her
"It's very interesting seeing people's relationships. How they start it, how they keep it, how they act, how they fail, how it affects them…" He speaks "And from all my acquired knowledge in human behavior, I learned and confirmed one fact…" He raises on finger
"..." She waits for him to speak because she knows that is a dramatic pause.
"Men and women… They break their own rules when they are attracted to someone." He reveals
"That much is obvious…"
"No, no, no… You are underestimating it." he shakes his head. "You have no idea how far people would go… And I'm not even talking about simps and desperate people. Let's keep things grounded here and talk about normal attraction, not mental illness."
Hector rolls his eyes while explaining "Guys love to say that they have type till a girl seemingly completely out of their 'strike zone' appears and charms them." He chuckles like he saw many examples and is reminiscing on them. "Women are similar, they love to say things like 'I wouldn't do that for no man' but they break their rules all the time for guys they're attracted to. That's why simping is useless, if she doesn't like you, there's nothing that you can do to buy what the other can get for free."
"..."
"And that is where we are right now, Pamela." Hector looks at her deeply again. "You are attracted to me and ready to break your own rules to be with me." He speaks with no arrogance, just stating a fact that he knows.
That is something Hector learned first in the One Piece world. There, he relaxed and had some fun, harmlessly flirting with his waifus. He never expected anything, just doing it for the love of the game…
But the thing is… it worked.
He was shocked, even when his actions bordered on sexual harassment or when he acted obnoxiously to tease them. The girls are answering mostly positively to him… Why? Because he is attractive.
This simple fact makes them ignore whatever wrong he was doing.
It happens all the time in the world. Guys ignore disrespect or danger because they are attracted to a woman, and women do things they normally would not do for a guy they are attracted to.
Hector once saw a woman who discussed with her husband about not doing some household chores because, in her words: "She is not his maid" and then basically treated her affair like a king, paying for his meal, driving to the hotel, and all that.
There are worse examples that he doesn't even like to remember… But that is the obvious truth of the world, being attractive makes life easier, especially in relationships.
Hector knows for a fact that he is attractive, no need to act humble on that, and beyond that, he has many other good points that can press the buttons of women of the most varied tastes.
That is why he is just himself and pretty much direct, no need to use any "seduction tactic" or anything like that. He is himself, and that is all he needs.
"You are really sure of yourself…" Pamela gives him a scornful look.
"Heh~ that is exactly what I was expecting. You are gonna deny it." He tilts his head to the side in amusement. "That's why we are in an impasse, Pamela. You are too prideful to admit that you are attracted to me so easily, right? And Harley whispering in your ear about me is probably annoying, right? Jealousy maybe… I feel like you are itching to say 'no' just to prove her wrong. Or put a foot behind and be constantly seeking something to be angry about me. I don't want that kind of relationship at all."
"..." He hit the nail on the head.
"You want - but at the same time don't - to fall into my arms. You don't want Harley's way because you want to be pursued… You want to say no to me so that I can chase you, and you can feel good about yourself. But Harley knows you too well, and cornered you into just being honest and saying yes. See the impasse?"
"..." Once again, his words hit the bullseye.
Hector sighs and puts on an honest expression and voice "Listen, Pamela, I'm gonna tell Harley that I didn't ask you out, so you will not be forced to give me an answer."
"Gave up already?"
"No, I just don't like playing these kinds of games. Again, we are attracted to each other, but I will not play the fool just to massage your ego." He says with an intense stare "I am sure that it will eventually happen, so why should we eat this fruit when it is not yet ripe?"
"...Then we are really at an impasse." She says, almost sighing.
The two are prideful individuals in their own right.
Pamela thinks that if it goes in the way Harley wants, she will lose the upper hand forever. Hector will not seriously chase her because it's not his style.
"Yeah, we are at an impasse…" He nods and turns around to walk away.
Pamela watches him sit on the couch, and then he waves his hand over the small table in the middle, and a lot of food appears, from the most varied types.
"Said that… let's have a date." He speaks while sitting down
"What?"
"What? You don't wanna?" He asks like he is confused
"You… You just said that you are not gonna chase…" She is the one confused.
"I said that I was not gonna chase… Nothing wrong with a casual date." He shrugs "The truth is nothing that we do now is gonna satisfy us both… If I ask to make things official, you are gonna say yes and hold a grudge, or you are gonna say no to spite me, and I will be the one holding a grudge because you want to be chased. There's no win here… I repeat, I know that you like me, but I also know that you are not ready. I can respect that. It's a case of the right people, but the wrong time… So let's wait time to pass… Let's get to know each other. I'm very confident that you are gonna fall for me if I be myself and lower your barriers eventually." They all do. He doesn't need to force anything.
"You are really sure of yourself…" She repeats herself, but this time her tone is different.
There's a smirk on the corner of her mouth, she is almost impressed. In truth, she respects him more now.
Hector also saw the Relationship Loyalty increasing by one.
"I am." He nods immediately, absolutely confident.
"..." 'Yeah, that is a little attractive, yes…'
"Seriously, decide already. If not, I'm going away… There are people who would not make me ask twice to spend time with them." Hector says, his voice calm.
"Okay then, let's do that. This food looks too good to waste…" She smiles, acting aloof, and approaches, sitting at his side.
"The company is even better." He smirks and puts a drink to her.
"We will see about that… And does this have alcohol? Are you trying to get into my garden?" The playful tone is an obvious sign that she lowered her defenses a little against him.
"No, just juice. I'm really not trying anything… I was already clear that I'm attracted to you and all that. You are the one holding the key to this relationship. When you are ready, come to me."
"Me? Coming at you?" She raises an eyebrow
"Yes, can't I want to be chased too? Be a woman with the initiative…" He smirks
"Haha! As if I'm gonna be the one chasing a man!" She gives him a mocking laugh.
Hector smiles mysteriously and just raises her glass with juice to her "I will be waiting for the day you will break your own rule."
"..."
"That will be the day you will understand that I'm not your enemy and that you can trust me. The day that you understand that this is not a competition and that I will not use your weakness against you." hector once again speaks while looking directly at her green eyes. "The day that you are this comfortable with me, it will be the day we can start this relationship for real."
"..." She hates and loves how sure he is that it is gonna happen.
He is right in all his statements, so the chances that he is right on this, too, are high. She also can't, for the life of her, find fault in anything that he is speaking or even how he is acting.
She hates it because it looks like she is playing in the palm of his hand, but beyond that, there's nothing more to hate. It's beyond logic, it's about feelings… And he understands that!
Any other would call her unnecessarily complicated and be done with her(or simp over her), but Hector is matching her energy… Giving her the control that she wants so much without losing a shred of his dignity.
And that is… attractive. She needs to begrudgingly admit it in her mind.
The guy has self-respect; he keeps himself up without bringing her down. Pamela respects him now…
Respect… And there's already an attraction… and he talked about Trust… Slowly, he is gaining all of them from her.
'What lacks now?' She tries to remember the "pillars" of a relationship.
"So… What is your favorite plant?" Hector suddenly asks while reaching for the pile of mini-burgers.
"What?" The question is so different from anything he said before that Pamela's brain short-circuits a little
"Your favorite plant? You must have one, right? Or a dozen… My favorite flower is the white lotus, but I also like chamomile for the tea and medicinal effects. Some trees are cool too… My name came from the oak tree… Carnivore plants are cool, too. I was always fascinated by them when I was a kid." He babbles about plants for some time. "So, do you have a favorite?"
"..." Pamela is still a little shocked… She is thinking, trying to remember when someone asked her this question. She can't remember because she thinks no one ever asked this before.
No one bothered to ask, just thinking that she is a tree-hugger, plant-lover hippie.
What is the other thing? She remembers now…
'Communication… Son of a-'
...
"Hello, Bruce." Bruce Banner was greeted by Dr. Harleen Quinzel in the moment he entered her office.
"Hello… So you are the therapist Eidolon recommended to me?" He nervously shook her extended hand. "I was expecting something more… I mean, it looks pretty normal."
Harleen Quinzel smiles at him. "Yes, I am. And that is because you still haven't seen my hero persona."
"Oh, is that so? I thought your group was all about secrecy."
"That is mostly Eidolon; some of us don't care that much." She answers "Please sit." She gestures to the standard couch that exists in a therapist's office while sitting in her own chair.
"I see… So how does this work?" He asks while sitting, still a little nervous
"Like my office, pretty normal in appearance…" She answers "But with the tools to tackle the issue much more deeply… But only to be used in the future and if needed. For now, let's stay with the normal."
"Eh, okay…" The faith in this whole therapy thing is plummeting already.
"So, Bruce… Can I call you Bruce?" She interrupts herself and only continues when he gives her a face that says 'Go for it'. "So, Bruce, talk a little about yourself. What have you been doing this year?"
Bruce pauses, a little confused "Shouldn't we be talking about the Hulk or something?"
"Hmm~" Harleen types something in her tablet. "This is for the future, Bruce. You and he are of equal importance in this issue… A very difficult issue, so we should approach this from the easy side… you. You agree that you are the more approachable side, right?"
"Well… yes, obviously. You wouldn't want to have the Hulk sitting on this couch." He tries to joke.
"Hmm~" But Harley keeps a serious expression and simply types something more on her tablet.
"... what are you writing?" He tries to ask lightly.
She looks at him for a moment "...hmmm~" And more typing.
"..."
"You still haven't answered my question, Bruce. So, since the Chitauri Invasion, how have things been going?" Harleen starts again
"...well, it has been relatively good. Better than the last years." Bruce answers after a moment of silence.
She types more and waits for him to talk more, but Bruce never does. After one more look at him, she types more and then asks "How and why is it better?"
Bruce narrows his eyes but answers "Well, I'm not in the run… It already made it infinitely better. I can be in contact with my cousin and…" He makes an awkward pause
"And?"
"And Betty…"
Harleen nods and types more. "Betty is your girlfriend, right?"
"Eh… it's complicated…"
And she types more. "Anything more, Bruce? Any interesting project? Hobbies?"
Bruce doesn't look so keen on having small talk. "Is there some point on this?"
"..." And she types two more words, in a certain passive-aggressive way, keeping eye contact.
The ragebait almost worked, luckily Bruce has a lot of control over his anger and simply asked "What do you even have to write so much? We barely talked!"
"..." Tak Tak More writing.
"....!!!!"
Harleen finally speaks with some mirth "Calm down, Bruce. I don't want to talk with the Hulk now; that is for later sessions."
"I don't think there will be later sessions." He speaks with finality in his tone
Harleen, on her end, is completely calm. "Here is our first hurdle, Bruce… You need to trust the process."
"The Hulk is not something that can be solved with therapy."
"No, the Hulk is not something that can be solved in a single session of therapy…" She replies calmly "You better than anyone in the world must know that. Are you in a hurry to solve this issue? Or are you in a hurry to give up?"
"..." Now he is tongue-tied while she looks at him with the patience of a teacher waiting for a toddler to figure out how to do 1+1 by himself.
"I can understand where you're coming from, Bruce. You failed too much." She sighs "And you are incredibly intelligent too… A horrible combination. Your own experiences made you expect failure from yourself, and your big intelligence makes you think that you know best than the others. Consequently, waiting for the failure of the others. I bet that you don't share anything with anyone, right? No one can help you… Things are better when you are alone… We need to deconstruct that, Bruce. You need to trust me, Eidolon, and yourself again."
"..." He stares at her with a lost look. "That… That…"
"It's hard, I know. So, what about I give the first step?" She smiles "I planned to start small, casual talk to you to open up, to lay the foundation where we can work on your issues… But I saw that you are very defensive."
"..."
She looks at her notes "You are constantly diverting and are extremely defensive. You prefer to focus on my notes about you than try to open yourself and influence my view of you. I see that you bear the terrible shame of your past AND actions, but this is a terrible wall in our work here. We will need to destroy this wall brick by brick… It will be a long process, one that you will apparently not have the patience for." She gives him a chastising look.
"..." After being exposed like that, even Bruce shows a bashful expression.
"So I will take the first step… A leap of faith. What about I reveal to you my plans for this therapy, the things that I plan to address and work with… In exchange, you are gonna promise me that you will come here every week for… let's say, till the end of the year. You are not allowed to give up before that. No matter what." Harleen proposes "As a scientist, I imagine that knowing our objectives and the breakthroughs we are aiming for can keep you interested, right?"
"...okay, I can accept that." Bruce nods after thinking for a while.
"Alright then…" The therapist crosses her legs and joins hands to start "I read your file, Bruce. The truth is that I know a lot about you already."
"Not that surprising, S.H.I.E.L.D. knows so Eidolon must know too."
"Yeah, but I'm talking even about your troubled childhood and abusive father, Bruce." Harleen says, her gaze filled with empathy, but still professional.
"If you know so much, why even ask me?" Bruce let's out between gritted teeth.
"Because certain things are better if they go through a process. You need to face this, Bruce. And saying it out loud is the first step…" She replies, not intimidated "But it seems you're not there yet… It's okay, I will not dwell on this for now. I will be waiting for you to speak on this. What I want you to know is that I understand more than you think. I'm not some unrelated third party. Eidolon and I went through a lot of research to help you. We not only study your files, but he even watched parallel universes to see your and the Hulk variants."
"Do you guys really…?" Bruce looks impressed. "How is it?" As a scientist and the interested party, he is obviously extremely eager to know more information about his variants.
"Yes, there are simply too many versions… Even he can't say for sure that he found a common denominator, a sure proof way to deal with your issue." The therapist says
Bruce gets a little downcast hearing that, but Harleen continues
"But we have some theories, and the one that I want to try first is to try a conciliation between you and the Hulk." She points at him while revealing the plan
"Conciliation?" Once again, Bruce is baffled. "No, no… That is not gonna work!" He shakes his head and waves his hands in negation
"That is the reaction we are expecting." Harleen doesn't look surprised. "That's why I don't want to reveal it so soon, but I'm trusting you, so you need to trust in me, Bruce. Let me explain… Don't even start saying something like 'I don't understand'."
"--" Bruce was gonna to say exactly this 'You don't know with what you are playing', those words are now stuck on his tongue.
"One thing that Eidolon told me is that for some reason our universe is a little behind in the timeline with all the universes nearby…" Harleen says "That allowed him to kinda see 'possible' futures." She makes quotation marks with her fingers
"And what did he see?" He is almost afraid to ask
And the look she gives her is all the answer he needs, but she still says "It's not pretty, Bruce. Destroying and even separating you from the Hulk… it doesn't end well…"
"..."
"Bruce… You need to make peace with the Hulk." She finally says it.
He makes a face like she just presented a dead animal to him and told him to eat it.
Harleen sighs and decides to explain "We believe that the Hulk is as much a victim of your circumstances as you."
"Oh really?" He asks sarcastically
"Yes. He didn't have a social life before that it was destroyed, but he can't be blamed for simply existing."
"Oho~ He does more than simply existing, I'm gonna tell you that." He gives a laugh without a shred of humor
"And why that, Bruce? Huh? Tell me why the Hulk does what he does?" She challenges, interlocking her fingers above her knees "And don't tell me that he is a monster. During the Chitarui invasion, he cooperated fully with the heroes to protect Earth… Albeit with some collateral damage, I admit."
Before he can scoff and make another comment, Harleen continues "We think that the Hulk is nothing more than someone in the earliest stages of its development."
"A child? You think he is a child?" Bruce asks in disbelief
"Well, maybe not anymore… Maybe. We don't believe that the Hulk can simply be labeled as a monster, Bruce. It's not because his appearance is of an adult, more muscular and taller than anyone, that his mind is of an adult. We observed an increase in speech with each appearance over the years. Footage of your earlier transformation shows him more inquisitive and curious than murderous."
"Many would disagree with that… You can ask the people in Harlem."
"Well, if you are attacked by the military first things first when you come into the world, what would you do?" Harleen shots back.
"..."
"He was a baby throwing a tantrum, but this back doesn't have soft bones or very weak motor function… That's why all the damage happened."
Before Bruce can argue, she raises a hand to continue, predicting what he would say. "We are obviously aware that his existence comes from a negative emotion… Anger. Maybe is in his nature to have a short fuse, but I believe that we can work on that. There are instances of him simply existing, showing anger and frustration openly when things don't go his way… like a child."
"...you think you can give him anger management lessons?" Bruce asks, the absurdity of the idea is very weird to his ears, even if he is the one who said that.
"Isn't it better to see him this way instead of a monster without rationality? We need to at least have this positive outlook if we are gonna move forward. He will grow, one day, and he will have the mind of an adult. He can still be a person full of anger, but he will be able to redirect it, maybe even control it… like you, Bruce." She smiles sweetly
It's like she can see through him.
"The Hulk came from somewhere, Bruce. There's a reason Ross and your cousin don't have a second personality. It's unique of you… Why do you think of that, Bruce?"
"I… I… I don't know…"
"Do you enjoy it?"
"What?"
"Do you enjoy giving control to him?" Harley Quinn appears on her face, a big smile stretching across her face. "Do you enjoy his rampage? Him, letting out all your bottled anger? It's not his anger, Bruce. He doesn't interact with the outside world till he appears… It's your anger that he is letting out."
Bruce gulps.
"You feel guilty… Are you guilty because of the destruction caused? Or are you guilty because you enjoyed it? Does it feel good? How is it? Is like an orgasm after good sex? Is he the Mr. Hyde to your Dr. Jekyll? Doing things that Bruce Banner can't do?"
"I… no… It's painful. Coming back…" But he is talking only about the physical aspect. Bruce's heart starts beating fast… The mild-mannered therapist turned into something else. Her eyes are two crescents, her lips extending almost unnaturally…
"I enjoy it too, Bruce…"
"What?"
"I said that I will be getting your trust first… My hero person is not that… heroic. And I make peace with it." She confesses, chuckling, her shoulders trembling. It's like she is holding a cackle.
Then, suddenly, she straightens herself and goes back to talking like a therapist.
"You don't need to answer any of my questions, but I want you to think about it so that we can address them in later sessions… There will be no condemnation here, Bruce." She says, her voice professional again "I want you to think that maybe you and the Hulk are the same… I know you want to reject him. He is your ugly side given form. We will work on your accepting him later, then he will accept you… You two can learn to work together, maybe only then that you two be able to become your own people. It's a paradox. But you will be the one who needs to extend the hand first, Bruce. I want you to think of him as the scared and confused kid he was… Isn't this familiar, Bruce? In therapy, the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have a problem… And your problem is not only the Hulk. You can't pin all the troubles of your life on him forever."
She suddenly looks at her wrist. "Oops, that's time. We will end things here, Bruce." She stands up, and he follows.
They walk to the door, and when he leaves, she extends her hand, he absentmindedly shakes it.
"You are not alone on this, Bruce. This can work. The Hulk is a sentient person; you two can coexist. He will grow more mature, but you need to be part of his development now, if not will be too late… Like a parent, or maybe a big brother."
"I… I… I can try." He is finally able to say.
"Good, that is all I will ask from you for now." Harleen beams at him and shakes his hand excitedly "Same time next week?"
"Yes…" He nods, still a little overwhelmed.
"Okay~ Bye!"
....
Bruce goes back to the Avengers Tower, still showing a pensive expression.
"Here he is! How was therapy, mad guy?" Tony greets him excitedly with a teasing tone.
At his side, Pepper and Jennifer also come to greet Bruce.
"Tony, shut up…" Pepper elbows her boyfriend in the ribs, while Bruce's cousin approaches him.
"So, how did it go, Bruce?" Jennifer puts her big green hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Don't be discouraged… Now you have a lot of people to help-"
"No, no." Bruce interrupts absent-mindedly. "I think… I think it was good." Bruce nods to himself
"..."
"..."
"..."
Tony, Pepper, and Jennifer look at each other strangely. Is this the same Bruce? Even if they want to be nice, they all need to say the guy is a ball of depression in anything Hulk-related.
One comment about anything turns into a talk on how the Hulk ruined his life. Relationship, the future, vacations, going out… The guy is a downer.
And here he is… Talking optimistically?
"It was a very enlightening experience… Nothing that I can tell you guys and be like 'Wow!', but… I don't know… there's hope." Bruce continues, half talking with himself and half explaining to them.
"Eh… okay." Jennifer says with a wry smile "That is good."
"I don't even want to bully him anymore…" Tony comments and receives another elbow on the ribs while Pepper says between gritted teeth
"Don't spoil it." She then turns to Bruce with a bright smile "That's great! I also did therapy; you never think you need it till you go through it."
"I got what you mean now." Bruce points out
"Coff Crazy people…" Tony coughs on the side and receives a glare.
"You absolutely need it too," Pepper says to him.
"Oh, please, no one can decipher this mind here." He points at his forehead "It's too great and complex for anyone else." Tony says arrogantly.
"More like filled with your big ego."
"There's that too, but it still fits vast amounts of knowledge even with my ego." He points out "You need to admit that is quite impressive."
Pepper rolls her eyes, and Bruce decides to excuse himself.
"I'm sorry, guys. I have things to think…" He says before going to his room.
The three that stay look at each other for a moment before Tony comments
"Damn, he even went to bed earlier to think about his bad actions as the Hulk?" He says, impressed "Who is the therapist?"
"Maybe you really should go…" Pepper suggests with a dry tone.
...
After ending her therapy session with Bruce Banner, Harley decided to end the day and go home. More specifically, Pamela's home.
Different from Hector, who still acts with the expected social niceties, Harley simply used the network of portal doors and appeared on the first floor of Pamela's home.
"Pam!" She shouts as she enters the living room.
There she saw Pamela and hector sitting together, in front of them a table filled with food(half of it already eaten), the two are sitting closer, Pamela leaning into him and the two are laughing.
When she appears, the red-haired woman stops and separates a little from Hector.
Harley pauses before smiling brightly "So, are we good now?" She asks and jumps on Hector.
He catches her easily and answers "No, I didn't ask her anything." His voice is calm
"WHAT?!" Harley's eyes widen, and she looks between the two. "Why? Did I interrupt?"
"No… I just decided not to ask." He replies, still calm. "
"But why? You two are so compatible!"
"Then let us see by yourselves." Hector says "Thanks for setting us up, but leave to us now." He pulls her to sit between him and Pamela.
"Yeah, girl… I need time. You are too intense." Pamela supports him.
"..." She looks between the two before raising her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay… I can do this. No more interference." She then plops on the couch like a teenager throwing a tantrum, getting some food, and stuffing it in her mouth. "You guys are wasting time just to archive the answer that I already gave you." She mumbles with her mouth full.
"Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination." Hector smiles at her and cleans her mouth with a handkerchief. "And how was it with Bruce?" He asks
"He is exactly like we expected… closed-minded on anything Hulk-related, pessimistic, victimist… But I made him agree to continue coming for sessions till the end of the year." Harley answers casually
"That is big. Making those smart people do anything is harder than one would imagine. We can work from here." Hector nods, happy. "Good job." He pats her head.
"Right? I am great, am I?" She beams at him
"Yes, you are." He smiles. He then pulls a tablet from thin air and shows it to her "I even have another patient for you…"
"So much work~ What would you do without me??" She rolls her eyes and shows a faux-haughty expression. Meanwhile, she had already grabbed the tablet.
"I don't know." He kissed her head
"Hmm~ Let's see… magic girl with evil powers, very emo… Is this the Raven from here? Daddy issues? Everyone seems to have some degree of it around here… You can become her daddy." Harley comments while reading Wanda's file "Nothing much… She would be easier than the Hulk." She comment lightly
"I want you to give a lot of importance to this case…" But Hector shows a very serious expression, "She is much more dangerous than the Hulk. Her mental health is of great concern to the whole universe." He puts a lot of emphasis on his words.
His serious tone makes both Pamela and Harley look at him.
"For real?" She asks
"For real." He nods
"Okie dokie~ Not the first emo teen that I have to deal with. All Robins fit the archetype." She assures him, but still jokes a little.
"Thank you." He pats her head again. "Never thought I would say those words, but our future is in your hands." He says and then laughs
"Then we are all doomed." Pamela completes with a deadpan face, which was quickly smeared with the food that Harley threw at her.
.....
A.N.: There's always that recurring joke that half of the problems of the Marvel Universe would not even exist if people went to therapy or just talked.
The thought of Harley, of all people, doing god's work is simply too funny to me that I need to make this a plot point.
If you like this story, consider supporting me in the p.a.t.r.e.o.n... There are chapters ahead there.
Here is the Link: (without spaces)
patreon . com / Evans 269
Hope you all enjoyed it, make a comment because interaction motivates me to keep writing. Thanks for reading.
Till next time and stay good y'all.
Bye Bye~