“You need not worry about our offspring. Your role has been completed.” It probably hasn’t occurred to Kiara that Bruce might want to stay in the lives of his children. She won’t allow it anyway. He provided genetic material, yes. He is her mate and she will mate again with no other, this is true. But there will always be a psychic connection to be had and for that reason, she can not allow him to help her raise the children. They must imprint only on her and she alone must teach them what they are. Their biology doesn’t matter, after all. It’s just their minds, or more specifically, the minds that will await their own hosts and mates in urns, that will be vital to carry on the species.

Kiara does place an arm around him, however. She is feeling maternal, a biological response she had not anticipated, and she strokes his hair carefully from the base of his sweaty nape. Her fingers do what Tony’s had done before.

“We will leave this place in several months. Once four become two and I can transfer them safely, we will find a new place to explore. This really is a remarkable body, Bruce. I can not thank you enough.”

Upstairs, Tony’s grown bored. It’s been hours now. FRIDAY assured him that Banner is fine and won’t let him listen in, and that annoys him too.

“Fine. Tell him I’m going out. Don’t give me that look.”

“I have no look to give you, Boss,” FRIDAY complains but Tony has already strolled out with what he hopes to sell to make some money. Let Banner have his fun but Tony is aiming for a little fun too. Mostly to sate his nagging jealousy. And to bait Banner to find him.