[ when she'd returned to find him gone, she had wanted to let them have it for prioritizing their needs over bruce's. instead she'd left herself, almost immediately after returning, on a conveniently timed mission, and hadn't returned for another few months. one lead had lead to another, then another, then another, the breadcrumb trail ending where she'd been born. when that mission was over, she'd just felt...drained. drained and angry and guilty that things couldn't be resolved sooner.
so when she gets bruce's text, she's back in the us, using the combined forces of tony and SHIELD's resources to make sure the girls she'd recovered were being taken care of - relocated, given counseling, set up with somewhere safe to stay for a while. it's around three in the morning when she gets to read it, and a faint smile appears when she does. she doesn't prepare gifts often, especially not for birthdays, but he'd gotten one for her, and she figured he would be able to find use for the supplies even if he were somewhere with a vast array of them to choose from. the poetry she thinks he'll have less use for, but he's an author she likes and she thinks bruce might appreciate his work, even if he doesn't necessarily enjoy it. ]
good because so do i.
so when she gets bruce's text, she's back in the us, using the combined forces of tony and SHIELD's resources to make sure the girls she'd recovered were being taken care of - relocated, given counseling, set up with somewhere safe to stay for a while. it's around three in the morning when she gets to read it, and a faint smile appears when she does. she doesn't prepare gifts often, especially not for birthdays, but he'd gotten one for her, and she figured he would be able to find use for the supplies even if he were somewhere with a vast array of them to choose from. the poetry she thinks he'll have less use for, but he's an author she likes and she thinks bruce might appreciate his work, even if he doesn't necessarily enjoy it. ]
you're welcome. have they come in handy?