| diner discussions |

❝ b l o o d ❞

Brielle sits at a booth near the back of a crowded diner, subconsciously stirring the straw around in her drink as she watches the steady drizzle of rain fall against the windows. Bruce sits on a barstool at the counter only a few feet away, not wanting the woman to be alone in an unfamiliar environment but also not wanting to intrude on her conversation.

The bell above the door rings, signaling the arrival of more customers, though Brielle has long since given up on looking every time it does, knowing she was still rather early for her meeting.

"You brought a friend," a voice states rather than asks, causing Brielle to snap out of her thoughts and whirl around, slightly hurting her neck in the process.

James Barnes slides into the seat across from her, not bothering to remove the soaking wet jacket hiding the bulk of his metal arm. He places one hand on the table, purposely keeping his bionic one in his pocket and out of sight.

"How did you know?"

"One of the men at the counter hasn't stopped staring since I walked in. Honestly, I would have been more surprised if you hadn't brought someone," he admits, avoiding her gaze. "Is it you or him that's worried?"

Brielle turns toward the counter, watching as Bruce immediately ducks his head in embarrassment, pretending to examine a menu. His actions elicit a sigh from the psychologist as she returns her attention to the man in front of her, offering what she hopes to be a reassuring smile.

"His concern has more to do with where we're meeting rather than who I'm meeting," she informs him, causing his blue eyes to meet her brown ones. "Brooklyn isn't exactly the safest place in New York."

The assassin merely nods, causing an uncomfortable silence to fall between the two. A waitress attempts to approach the booth with a notepad in her hands, but Brielle is quick to wave her away.

She wanted nothing more than to question him on his recent whereabouts and doings, curious as to what exactly he had been up to during his two weeks of freedom. But, she prevented herself from doing so, knowing that pressing for information would only push him away.

"Mr. Barnes-"

"James," he says quickly, cutting her off with the hint of an apologetic smile. "I'd like to be called James."

"James," Brielle begins again, poorly hiding her surprise. "Considering your background - or lack thereof - in the medical field, it severely shortens the list of what you can assist with. My colleague, Bruce, and I agree that samples of your blood could speed up our process, but only if you'll be comfortable with it." When James hesitates to respond, she hurries on, mostly rambling rather than being informative. "I'm sure it's not exactly what you had in mind, so I understand if you no longer want to. We can part ways now and I'll only contact you once everything is ready."

"I meant what I said when I told you this morning that I want to help," he says, mulling over his words carefully. "Knowing that what you're doing is going to help lots of people, not just me, when this is all over is more than enough. If it's all I can do, then I'll donate blood."

"You don't have to do this," she reminds him. The woman knew, most likely better than anyone, just how often his blood had been experimented on during his time as the Winter Soldier, and didn't want him to think he still doesn't have a choice. "Without blood samples, it'll take only a few months at most."

"I want to do this, Dr. Thompson-"

"Brielle," the psychologist corrects him, her professional smile melting into a genuine one. "You can call me Brielle."

⋆⋆⋆⋆

"Would either one of you care to explain why the most feared assassin in the country is standing in that lab looking like a kicked puppy?"

Brielle and Bruce stand in the middle of the hallway, having been practically dragged into it by Tony upon spotting them conversing with James.

"I'm sorry, I was hoping you wouldn't mind," Brielle apologizes, her sorrowful expression effectively causing Tony's annoyance to disappear. "I tried to get ahold of you before I met him at the diner, but JARVIS said you were busy so I didn't want to bother you. James wants to help with our research, and I didn't see any harm in it. He's hiding from HYDRA as well, so I doubt he has many other places to go. But I understand if you'd prefer for him to stay somewhere else. After all, you've done taken in one stray when you didn't-"

"Bri!" Tony cuts off her rant, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, I promise. Of course he can stay, though this place might be a little crowded now."

His joke earns a scoff from Bruce, but Brielle hardly acknowledges it, her thoughts distracted by the fact he so readily agreed. Tony watches as her face lights up in excitement despite her attempts to keep it masked, feeding off of her joy and grinning as well. He can't help but to swiftly realize that if she grows so happy over small things such as this - something that's mostly for others rather than herself - then there's no way he'd ever deny any of the young woman's requests.

"A warning next time would be nice," he jokes, finally getting a laugh out of her. "That's the second time in less than a month that I've walked in there looking for Banner and I've seen someone that's not him."

"I'll give you a heads up if it happens again," she promises, allowing the billionaire to pull her into a hug to once again show her gratitude towards his generosity. As she pulls away, she glances through the glass doors where James is, remembering something else. "But I do have one more favor to ask, if that's okay with you."

"You can ask me anything."

"Please don't tell Mr. Rogers about his friend being here," Brielle pleads. "He'll only interfere, and I don't think James is ready to face him yet."

"You expect me to keep a secret from the Captain America? From my second in command, my partner in crime, my favorite person in the world, my best-"

"You complain about him at least twice a day," Bruce interjects. "Even when he's not here."

"Alright, you caught me," Tony huffs indignantly, a grin nevertheless crossing his face. "I'd love to keep a secret from the Capsicle."