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[28] In The Lab

"Daddy? Where are you going?" Marie asked Bruce at breakfast the next morning. Unlike every other morning when Bruce is in his pajamas during breakfast, today he was all dressed and ready to go. I was still in my sleepwear, and Marie was as well. 

"Uncle Tony called me and asked if I could go over and help him with something. I think Uncle Steve is coming over here and watch you, because Tony also asked for your mom." Bruce said, looking at me.

"Why does he want me, too?" I asked, setting my empty coffee down by my plate.

"No idea, but he asked for the both of us, and I said we'd both be there." Bruce said, and I nodded. I stood up and picked up my plate, and Bruce stood as well.

"I've got it, you go get ready." He said. I kissed his cheek, and I went upstairs to the bedroom. I went into the bathroom, turned on the water, and grabbed a towel. I set the towel on the counter, and stripped out of my pajamas. I stepped into the water and sighed. Why would Tony want me as well? I'm not that smart, I'm just average. I'm a writer, not a scientist or a physicist or an engineer. As I washed, all sorts of strange things bounced around my head. When I stepped out of the shower, I could hear laughter from downstairs. I went into the bedroom again and dressed in a nice white top and black skinny jeans. I slipped on some socks and sneakers, brushed out my hair, and put it into a braid. I slipped one of those Eos eggs into my pocket, and I went downstairs. Steve was already here, and he was playing with Marie in the living room. 

"Ready to go sweetheart?" Bruce asked. I nodded, and as he opened the door, Marie comes running over and latching herself onto Bruce's legs, hugging them tightly.

"Bye daddy! Bye mommy! See you soon!" She said, letting go of Bruce and running to me. She hugged my legs and and then let go, freeing us. She ran back over to Steve, and he caught her in a hug. Bruce and I left the house, and I nudged him with my elbow.

"She's such a daddy's girl." I laughed. He reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. 

"Of course she is." He chuckled.

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We got to Stark Tower, and Pepper was waiting for us. 

"It's good to see you both again." Pepper said, and we hugged each other. Pepper brought us to Tony's lab, workplace, whatever, and Tony smiled a bit.

"Glad you could make it, you two. Come with me." Tony said. We walked over to a lab table that was almost empty, but there were a few objects on the table that even I couldn't identify. Bruce and I looked at each other, and Tony pushed another empty table over. The two table slammed together, and Tony looked at us, as if we knew what kind of crazy thing he was up to.

"I need your help with something. Especially you Bruce, no offense Ms. Coulson." Tony said.

"None taken, Mr. Stark." I said, smiling.

"Great. So, Bruce, since your a genius, I'll need your help with something big." Tony said, placing his hand on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce smiled, and then he looked over at me. I shrugged my shoulders, and Pepper walked over to me. We started talking, and Tony brought Bruce to the lab table I was leaning on. Tony opened up a hologram computer thingy, and Pepper and I moved out of the way. I leaned on the other table, and Pepper and I continued our conversation.

"...And Ms. Coulson, feel free to use the computer on that table for your work. Or continue your gossiping with Pepper. Just don't be too loud. We men need quiet for concentration." Tony said, making Pepper and I chuckle. We both sat down and continued talking softly. Bruce and Tony set to work, and Pepper had to leave.

"Sorry, business meeting an a bit. We'll catch up later, promise!" She said, hurrying away. I nodded, and I moved to sit behind my table. I opened up the computer and booted it up. I opened up the website I used to write and opened my story. I began typing away, and occasionally Bruce or Tony would glance over at me, and I would keep my eyes on the screen but smile. At one point, Tony went upstairs to grab something, and Bruce looked over at me.

"Come sit here with me. I'm lonely." He whispered. I smiled, moved my computer over to his table, and walked over to his table. I sat beside him, and we both got back to work.

______________________

"What time is it?" Bruce asked Tony.

"About 11:30 PM. Tired?" Tony asked. Bruce and I looked at each other, and I shook my head. 

"Nope, but we will have to get home soon. I have no clue how Steve's doing with Marie." Bruce said.

"Fair enough, but I'll need you to stay a bit longer and come back tomorrow. Both of you." Tony said, and we nodded. Tony decided to go to bed, but Bruce said that we'd stay down for a bit longer. Tony left, and Bruce kept working. I could feel myself dozing off, but I fought to stay awake. I tried to keep writing, but I kept fumbling with the keyboard and misspelling fucking everything. I shut the computer in defeat and rested my head on Bruce's shoulder. He smiled down at me and kissed the top of my head.

"I'm sleepy." I mumbled.

"I'm almost done. Then we can go." Bruce said. I set my head on the table and he stood up to check on something. I felt my eyelids drooping, and I could feel Bruce behind me. His hands were on my shoulders, and he kissed my cheek.

"Come on, let's get you back home." He whispered.

"Too tired to move. Leave me here." I said.

"No can do sweetheart." He said. He helped me stand, and then he picked me up gently. 

"You don't have to carry me. I'll walk." I said, opening my eyes a bit.

"Nope, I got you. Don't worry." Bruce said, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead and he left. I curled into him and closed my eyes. I didn't fall asleep entirely, so I felt it when we made it back home, and Bruce set me on our bed. I heard Marie enter the room, and I felt her kiss my cheek goodnight, and then Bruce ushered her back to bed. He reentered the room, and crawled under the covers next to me.

"Goodnight sweetheart. Good work today." He said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer. I set my head on his chest and I felt his other arm wrap around me.

"Goodnight Bruce. See you in the morning." I whispered, and I kissed his cheek blindly. I settled back down, snuggling into his arms, and falling asleep, feeling safe.