"It isn't your fault," Bruce replies, his accompanying sigh thoroughly resigned. "It shouldn't have fallen to you to tell me any of this." Even as he says this, watching her dubious expression, he suspects that on some level she was very well aware of it already.

He would much prefer to segue into a discussion about his work, as well, if only because he feels steadier on his own two feet that way, and being unsteady is generally something he tries to avoid. Simmons' answer had been far too vague, though, and after the revelation about Coulson, Bruce isn't sure he's capable of changing the topic of conversation so easily.

"When you say that things have been difficult," he starts again watching her intently, "what exactly did you mean by that?"