Hushed Willows should have got paid up front, banner

She knew he'd be lost without her.  And Banner would be lost without Stark.  It was a sibling relationship unlike any she'd ever seen, which made what they had all the more meaningful to her.  All of this went without saying on her part, of course, but he knew.  The way she brightened up in his presence, the simple and steadfast way she always had his back - there was no way he didn't know.  They were different and yet somehow on the same wavelength.  It just worked.  Somehow.

The short female huffed, her angry expression not changing with his exaspiration.  Wallowing in self-fulfilling prophecy wasn't usually his style.  This clued Banner in to the depth of his feelings for Octavia, a fact that gave her pause.  Stark was not known for his discretion with the fairer sex.  To have pledged himself so fully to one female, to support her in everything she did right down to her child who was not biologically his?  She frowned.  Her brother had more than honored Octavia in every sense.  How could she not see that?

"I don't get it," she stated flatly, the heat gone from her tone.  Her anger hadn't been great enough to bubble over, apparently, which was probably for the best.  Stark didn't need that right now.  He needed someone on his side - she would always be that wolf.  "Have you told her?  Asked her directly?"  If not, what the hell was he waiting for?  "This.. fight complicates things, but you should tackle one issue at a time.  Figure out where you stand with her first - the rest will fall in line."

Banner was no expert in any of this, of course.  But it made sense to her.  If he spread himself too thin.. well, he couldn't help anyone.  And if Octavia wasn't on the same page, he shouldn't set himself on fire just to keep her warm.