Lucky Thirteen

Bruce's alarm went off at 5:45. As was the case every weekday morning, barring incidents such as middle of the night power outages or sick kids, he was up and in the shower by 5:47. He was out again and semi-dressed – in a clean pair of sweat pants and his robe – by 6.

Bruce made his way into the kitchen. He put on a kettle for tea and started on breakfast, which was eggs and oatmeal this morning. Behind him he heard the screen door open and close.

"Did you have a good run?" He asked his oldest son as he came into the kitchen.

"Super," Steve said with a quick peck to his cheek, that he now had to lean down in order to do because the soon to be 17 year old was well on his way to 6 ft while Bruce remained a very slight 5 ft 8.

Bruce smiled fondly at him anyway since he'd stopped worrying about his height a long time ago and since there was a time when he would have begged for a miracle to make Steve as healthy and strong as he was now. He saw Steve glance at his watch.

"Better hurry. I'm pretty sure Loki's already up," he warned. He chuckled quietly as Steve booked it toward the bathroom to get his 10 minute slot in before his younger brother could.

Bruce returned to preparing breakfast and at 6:15, the morning was truly about to begin. He dished out the food and set the plates around their large, round table that took up the majority of the small area designated for the dining room. He then pulled out the juice and milk and a container of chopped up fruit, taking each over to the middle of the table as well. He sometimes mused that he was like a waiter, but it just made the morning routine smoother than letting the kids bustle around each other in the kitchen making a mess to dish out their own food.

As usual, Thor – his son's real name was Jakob, but he had traded in the nickname Jake for a jock nickname for the time being and Bruce didn't mind indulging him – was the first one to come to breakfast. As usual he looked like he had just thrown on the first clothes he could find, a white t-shirt and faded jeans, and put some greasy product in his hair before calling it a day. Bruce would wonder about all the girls that flocked around him when they went out places if not for the fact that his son was the captain of the school's wrestling team, weight lifting team, was on the football team in fall, and was a mixed martial arts junior instructor at the local Y. His physical prowess showed very clearly. And to top it all off he was 16 so while the girls flocked to him, he flocked to food like he was perpetually starving.

"Morning, father," Thor said warmly and hugged him. Another reason girls flocked to him was because for a 'hulking meathead' as Natasha and Loki called him, he had turned into a naïve soft heart in his teen years.

"Morning," he said and tried not to feel a little bit like the kid in the relationship compared to his tall and broad son. At least Thor didn't pick him up off the floor this time, not that he would have minded too much as it usually meant his second oldest son was in an extra good mood.

After having said his good morning, Thor sat down at the table and wasted no time digging into his food. Natasha trudged in for breakfast next, still in her pajamas and her eyes set upward in annoyance. Bruce didn't have to ask why as Jane, the younger of the two, trailed behind already chattering away as she was apt to do in waking hours.

"I can't wait! Only two more days!" Jane cheered and then hurried past Natasha and flung her arms around his waist, taking him a little off guard as he ate standing at the small kitchen island. He put down his fork and hugged her back. "I'm so excited, dad! Do you think I'll get to see Reed Richards?"

"It's a very good possibility," Bruce said, leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head.

He didn't tell her that the possibility was because wherever there was a science conference Reed Richards was there, being insufferable more times than not, or that he already planned on putting up with that insufferable personality long enough to ask him to speak with Jane. His daughter had plenty of time left to grow up and discover the strange world of science and the people that made it up for herself. He didn't want to shatter her illusions. And, okay, Richards wasn't a horrible guy by any means. Bruce certainly respected him. He was just… well, it was hard to explain.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," he said with a laugh aimed at Natasha who had just gone straight to eating.

Natasha wasn't particularly a morning person, but she was good at routine and her way of dealing with this routine was to say as little as possible and reserve her energy for later. He didn't really mind as long as she communicated with him later in the day, although sometimes even that was sparse; his cousin Jennifer and friend Betty told him it was normal for a 15 year old girl and not to worry. So he didn't worry. Natasha's boyfriend James on the other hand… He shook his head to clear away those thoughts immediately as he returned to finishing his own breakfast.

"Loki's about to have a meltdown because somebody took the last of his product apparently," Steve announced as he returned, ready for school and ready to eat.

Bruce sighed and looked over at Thor knowingly. "Jakob…" He started, but then remembered his personal rule not to use his children's full names when disappointed. "Thor," he corrected more gently, "did you use it?"

"I was out of mine so I grabbed some of his before he got into the bathroom," Thor said. "And I didn't know it was the last of his until it was already in my hand. What was I supposed to do?"

Bruce moved his dish over to the sink. Thor was a naïve soft heart, but yes he was sometimes a little unperceptive.

"Ask, Thor. The answer to that question is to ask before you just use any in the first place," he told him and made a mental note to figure out how to handle the situation more appropriately later. "Alright, dad's on it," he announced, almost feeling like some horribly lame version of one of those superheroes in the comic books he read as a kid – like Iron Man perhaps. Iron Man, only in a robe with hair starting to go gray before 40 and off to save the day from an angst-ridden teenager. He snorted to himself as he made his way to the bathroom. "What do you need?" He asked from the other side of the closed door.

"I need Jake to stop ruining my life," came the practical hiss from his third eldest.

"Loki," Bruce warned. "Your brother calls you by your preferred name. You need to do the same for him even when he's taking your stuff without permission."

There was a long pause. "Fine, I need Thor to stop ruining my life."

"Better," Bruce said, meeting him halfway. "Now obviously we don't have time to turn this into a scene. Natasha and Jane still need to get ready and it's getting late. We'll get you more product after school, okay? And Thor will be dealt with fairly. Until then do you think you can settle for some of mine?"

The door opened and his son, likely to be the tallest at the rate he was going, gave a long exasperated sigh. "If I must, I must," he said with a shake of his shaggy black hair that he preferred to slick back.

His son, actual name Loren, was definitely his most dramatic child at the moment. In fact, he was into theater – hence he decided to take Loki as a sort of pseudonym – and literature, history, debate club and anything else that Bruce suspected made him feel better or cleverer than his simple-minded peers. Sometimes Loki was a little too cunning and Bruce sometimes worried he could become cruel if left unchecked, but underneath Bruce also believed he wasn't a bad kid when push came to shove. Furthermore, he had been smaller and weaker much of his young life, having been born four months prematurely, and unlike Steve had remained gangly and picked on even into his teenage years before finding his niche. Bruce understood firsthand why his son used his clever mind as a means for self-preservation.

Loki followed him to his master bathroom and Bruce found the product that he occasionally used to tame his waves back when they were too out of control or he was going to a faculty meeting or event. Loki promptly took some and slicked back his hair, using Bruce's mirror, until he was satisfied. He then rinsed his hands off and dried them.

"Angst crisis averted?" Bruce asked him playfully.

Loki's lips turned up into a thin smile. "I suppose I can survive until lunch now," he replied dryly. "Thank you, father," he then said, sounding earnest.

"Come here, angsty boy," Bruce said fondly and held out his arms. Loki complied and hugged him. "Now you'll hopefully be good for an extra hour," he said before pulling away and Loki was still smiling which was always a good thing. "Love you, now go eat." He then shooed him out so he could finish getting ready himself.

By the time he was finished getting ready about ten minutes later, it was 6:35 and the kids were scrambling for last minute items before they would rush out the door and to their bus stops, the oldest four to the one for the high school and Jane to the one for the middle school. There was a last round of 'see you later' and 'have a good day' and other sentiments shared before they all piled out of the much too small house just off the Culver University campus where Bruce currently worked as a physics professor and as a post-doctorate researcher funded by the school's science department.

After they were gone, Bruce headed for the room Loki shared with his younger brother, Peter. Unsurprising, the eight year old boy was still passed out asleep in spite of the ruckus. He was sprawled out on his stomach across his bed like the spiders he was so fond of. Bruce shivered a little in spite of his logical brain as he went over to make sure the class pet tarantula was still safe in its container. He gave a little sigh of relief to find it was still there, which he knew was silly as it was a pad-locked glass container and only the teacher had the key – taking it home for the weekend was really just a superfluous bit of responsibility training to make sure the kids didn't lose the class pet or forget to bring him back.

"Rise and shine, Peter," he said, going back over to his youngest son's bed and jostling the ankle sticking out from his blanket. Peter groaned and tried to kick him away. Bruce responded by gently ruffling his hair. "Wrong answer. Time to get up and get ready for school." Even though the boy was extremely smart he sometimes lacked motivation.

Peter groaned again and turned over on his back before cracking open an eye. He then blinked them blearily and rubbed at them before reaching for the glasses on his nightstand. He slowly sat up in bed.

"I hate Mondays. Why can't it always be the weekend?"

Bruce laughed and shook his head. "That would be nice, but don't you think you'd get tired of being stuck with me and your brothers and sisters all the time?"

Peter looked up at him suspiciously, like it was a trick question. "Well, maybe them," he said hesitantly. "But not you," he finished with an earnest smile that wasn't hard for Bruce to return.

"Good. Because I wouldn't get tired of being stuck with you either," Bruce replied as he leaned over and kissed Peter on his head. "Now up and at it, little spider," he said, tweaking his nose gently and calling him by one of the many terms of endearment he used for his arachnid-obsessed son.

When he was done waking up Peter, he moved across the hall to the room shared by Natasha, Jane, and his youngest, Jemma. The six year old girl was already sat up wide awake in her bed, which was the bottom half of a bunk bed she shared with Jane, and reading softly to their dog, Hulk – a hilarious joke of a name as the dog was a three year old mostly pug and French bulldog mix they had adopted at the shelter a year before. Jemma was often an early riser, but she would stay in bed rather than get up and join her older siblings.

"Morning, daddy," she said when he came all the way into the room.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said as he came over and saw what she was reading.

Unsurprising it was one of her advanced readers as the girl was already looking like she would have a very high IQ. He hunched down to push back one of her brown waves and kissed her on her forehead. She responded by wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing him on his cheek.

"Can I finish this page?" She asked hopefully when she pulled away.

"Sure," he answered because she was nothing if not an adamant rule follower and if she set a rule for herself, such as just one more page, she followed it. "One more page and then get ready for school."

He moved back into the kitchen and made some more oatmeal and two more eggs while Peter and Jemma were getting ready. As much as he loved the chaos his older children could create, he also loved this quieter hour with his youngest two as they got ready, ate and then he took them to school, picking up his friends', Betty and Leonard, son on the way; in turn, Peter and Jemma carpooled and stayed with Betty after school since she didn't teach any afternoon classes this semester.

"Peter, do you have to have that thing at the table while you eat?" Bruce asked as the kids settled in for breakfast and he brought their plates and juice over to them.

He pointedly did not look at the tarantula. He sometimes wished he had signed the waiver at the beginning of the year saying he was arachnophobic, even if it wasn't technically true, so Peter would have been passed over to bring it home on occasion.

"He gets lonely," Peter responded and Bruce just shook his head and thanked the heavens that it was nearly the end of the school year and the last time the boy would have to bring it home.

"Thanks again for watching the kids," Bruce said after a lull in the conversation with Betty in the faculty lounge.

She glowered at him slightly. "If you say thank you one more time, Bruce Banner," she warned, playful and serious at the same time. He knew that tone well by now. "You know Leonard and I don't mind."

"I just don't know what the hell I was thinking when I agreed to speak in Germany." He shook his head and his fingers curled tighter around his coffee mug. "That's not like me. And even if it was, now's not the time."

"Now is precisely the time, Bruce," Betty countered. "You need to get your name back out there. You still don't know what you're going to do after the year is up, do you?" Her blue eyes were fixed on him sharply, knowingly.

She was referring to the budget cut at the university. Not only was the funding for the research program he'd been on being scrapped, he didn't have the tenure for them to keep him on as faculty compared to some of the others on the project, such as Betty. Now he had to figure out what to do before the start of the fall semester, as he was able to teach some interim courses.

He sighed and shook his head again. He crossed the short distance between them and sat down in the seat next to her. "I've got offers from Desert State and SUNY so far, but I'm just not sure. I'm not keen on going back to New Mexico if I don't have to." She looked at him sympathetically. "And, honestly, I can barely afford the place here on a professor's salary. I just… I don't know if that big of a move to either place would work out well. I like teaching I guess, but I really need a better paying job."

"Have you heard anything from Oscorp yet?" Betty asked.

"No." Working in a high dollar research and development facility would be ideal, but he hadn't had much hope for it.

"Well, they're not the only facility out there," she said gently.

He knew that, but he had hoped having known Norman and some of his other associates and scientists years prior would have helped matters. Then again, Norman had become reclusive by a lot of accounts so maybe he didn't even remember him.

"Hey, what about Stark Industries?" She said suddenly. "Their clean energy and sustainable living movement seems to really be picking up momentum. You've got tons of ideas about that. It doesn't hurt to try."

"Huh." Bruce was thoughtful for a moment. "I didn't consider Stark. I always forget the company's not just into tech and engineering anymore. I might look into that."

"You definitely should," Betty encouraged. "Just like you shouldn't fret about going to this conference. I know the timing is a bit of a strain on you with the kids and the looming uncertainty, but you need to show the Osborns and Richards and Starks that you've got just as much to contribute. You know you do."

Bruce pursed his lips and didn't reply right away. When he did he said, "It's not always a matter of knowing your own potential, Betty. Of course I know I have ideas to offer, but I don't need the ego or obsession that comes along with that." He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the memory. He opened them again when he felt Betty's reassuring hand on his arm. "I never want to be that person again."

"You couldn't if you tried," she said warmly. "You were just doing your job, Bruce. We both were. We've been through this. You had three kids and then a fourth, it was good pay, and you were the very best person for the job."

"Betty, I almost detonated it just to prove it would work," he replied sharply. "That was unbalanced, unstable, dumb. I could have destroyed everything. You could have been killed. I would have been killed and then what would have been the point of taking the job for my kids in the first place?" He took several deep breaths to steady himself. "I thought I'd overcome all that need to prove myself and yet I hadn't. How do I know that won't happen again?"

"How do I know? Because you're older and wiser now, for one thing. You have seven kids, for another," she added with a laugh. He had to admit that was a good point. "But the main reason? Because you didn't detonate that bomb." He furrowed his brow. "You could have given in to the ego, to the need to prove yourself right and get my father off of your back. But you didn't. You walked away and you weren't afraid to stand up to him when he tried to throw you under the buss. And then you got help from Leonard just to make sure you weren't unstable. Bruce, what more do you want from yourself?"

He didn't know how to answer that right away so he took a few drinks of his coffee.

"Honestly, at the moment the only things I want are for my children. I want them to have opportunities and the things they want, not just what they need. I want to be the best dad I can be for them. That's what I want from myself."

"I hate to break it to you, but you already are the best you can be," Betty said softly.

"It doesn't feel like it," he countered. "Only Jane and Peter are okay with the idea of moving. Steve won't say it, but he hates the idea of moving to a new school for his senior year. Jakob doesn't mind that so much, but he is going to miss his teams. Loren was finally starting to find his stride with his own friends. Natasha probably thinks I'm doing this to keep her away from James even if she'd never admit it." Betty laughed at that. "And poor Jemma. She's so quiet about it, but I found her in tears a few weeks ago and she said it was because when we move she'll never get to see Leo again." Leo was Betty and Leonard's son and Jemma's best friend.

"Aww, poor baby," Betty said with a genuine pout. "Leo isn't happy either," she confessed. "I'm fairly certain he's been under the impression he and Jemma were going to grow up and get married or something."

Bruce smiled thinly in spite of everything. "I think the feeling's mutual." He looked down at his old, but thankfully still trusty, watch and heaved a sigh as he stood to his feet.

"Bruce, everything will be okay," Betty said calmly. "You're an amazing father and I know you'll manage to make the right decision when the time comes. You know you have my support one hundred percent. If you need anything, just call." She smiled softly at him and he returned it.

"You know, sometimes I think it would be nice if it had been you and me. What if I hadn't been… Well, me." He shrugged.

She shook her head before standing to her feet and giving him a slightly awkward one-armed hug.

"Don't go playing the 'what if' game on that one because I can fill in the blanks for you right now. It would have been tumultuous. We would be confused why we made great friends, but horrible lovers. You wouldn't be able to give me what I need and I certainly wouldn't be able to give you what you need. We would be great in theory, but not all of the variables add up."

He snorted softly. "I think we know which variable is the one that messes up that equation."

She shook her head in admonishment. "It's not the only variable and you know that. I love you, Bruce and I love your family, but seven kids?" Betty raised an eyebrow at him. "There's no way I could have handled that and even if you were straight, if you didn't have those kids, you'd still be miserable with me."

He had to concede to that point. He couldn't imagine his life without any of them.

Bruce's head fell back on his shoulders at the sound of Thor and Loki arguing on the next aisle over at the department store. He looked at Jane, who was going over a checklist of items they still needed for their trip. "Think you can handle it?" She nodded and then rolled her eyes toward the other aisle. He wouldn't reprimand her for that sentiment.

"Why would I use that horrible product? It's absolutely disgusting and would make my hair look like I slathered it with lard," Loki said. His arms were crossed and his expression was as judgmental as his tone.

"You really should change your hairstyle," Thor replied. "I'm sure more girls would pay attention if you did."

"Has it ever occurred to you that I don't want girls to pay attention to me?" Loki countered.

Thor merely shrugged. "Well, if you're after boys exclusively now, they most definitely won't pay attention to you if you don't—"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Loki became irate and finally Bruce felt it necessary to step in. "You're such a simpleton!" Loki then spotted Bruce. "Father, please tell him that how I wear my hair is of no concern to anyone else, male or female."

Bruce swallowed a sigh. "Thor, how your brother wears his hair is of no concern to anyone else, male or female." He then paused and looked between them. "He actually does have a point there, Thor. He doesn't have to change himself physically to attract someone. And you haven't exactly been the height of brotherhood today. You didn't ask him if you could use his product, you didn't warn him after you accidentally took the rest of it, and now you're criticizing his personal choices. I love you, but you need to try to be a little more considerate. I know you think you're just trying to help him as you see fit with that last one, but he doesn't tell you to change your style. And if he does when I'm not around," Bruce added in warning, "then come to me about it. The point is, you're both very different people and that's okay. What isn't okay is making the other feel inadequate because of it. Also, not respecting each other's property is a problem that I don't want to see continue. Is that all understood?"

"Yes," they mumbled in unison. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be the end of their sibling squabbles. He wasn't naïve. But as long as there was peace for the time being, that's what mattered.

"Alright, since Steve is working tonight and Natasha has a date, how about we pick up Jemma and Peter and go out for dinner? Loki, I think fair's fair if you choose where we go. Within the budget of course," he added. The kids already knew the general budget and options and were good with complying.

Loki smiled at that and grabbed his preferred product off the shelf. "How about Korean?" Thor groaned and Bruce stifled a laugh at his younger son's creative retribution.

Bruce sat on the front stoop with a cup of chamomile tea watching as Peter and Jemma played with Hulk in the dwindling twilight. A motorcycle pulled into the end of the driveway a few minutes shortly after, Natasha's arms wrapped tightly around her boyfriend's waist until it was safe to get off. With a quick motion, she removed her helmet and what had previously been all black – black flats, black jeans, black leather jacket and black helmet – was brilliantly crowned with fiery red.

"Good evening, Dr. Banner," James Barnes waved at him from where they stood. "Sorry, we're a few minutes past curfew," he apologized. Curfew was 8:30 on school nights, but Bruce allowed a fifteen minute grace period before worried dad mode set in. "We didn't consider the movie's post credit scene," he explained needlessly, but Bruce appreciated the excuse and told himself not to check the internet to make sure the movie they went to see indeed had a post credit scene.

"It's fine," Bruce said, waving back at them. He then turned his attention back to Peter and Jemma so the two teens could share their goodnight kiss without a dad spying on them. "Peter, Jemma, time to head in and start getting ready for bed."

Jemma was the first to obey and came skipping back to the house, Hulk on her heels. "Daddy, will you read to me tonight? I want to know what happens next to Anne."

He smiled. "I think if you hurry and get ready there'll be time," he answered and she didn't hesitate to rush into the house. "You know if you follow your sister's example you could probably squeeze in some comic reading before lights out," he then said to Peter.

Peter responded with a horribly fake cough and he held his stomach dramatically as he came over, dragging his feet as he did. "I'm sick, dad. I think I got bit by a spider."

Bruce frowned. "That's not funny."

Natasha suddenly crept up behind him and picked him up. "He hasn't been bitten by a spider... Yet." She bared her teeth playfully at Peter.

"You're not a spider!" Peter said, squirming until she set him back down.

Bruce snorted and shrugged. "I don't know, Petey. I see a little resemblance to a black widow." He tilted his head studiously and she of course rolled her eyes. "Now in the house and ready for bed."

Peter opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Natasha said, "Maybe he wants to hear about my date."

Bruce laughed at the immediate change in his youngest son at the prospect. Peter grimaced and scurried into the house. Natasha sat down on the porch beside him then.

"So did you have fun?" He asked her after a moment. She hummed in response. "Riveting," he deadpanned and she smiled.

"The movie was good enough. One of those superhero flicks. Disappointing lack of female characters. The usual," she spouted in a clipped tone. "And at least I talked James out of the 3D. He said he'll go back with Steve and Thor and watch it that way this weekend."

"I'm sure Betty and Leonard won't mind you older ones getting out of the house," Bruce said with a laugh. The couple might have an extra bedroom to their three, but it would still be tight. "Is Loki going with you to your recital? Because I want someone there to record it if possible," he said. "Sorry I'm going to miss it."

His daughter turned her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "Dad, stop apologizing about that. It's okay. You've only missed like three of my recitals period. And even then we record them for you. I'm okay, honest. You know, you are allowed to have your own life, right?" She raised an eyebrow then.

"You'd be surprised how foreign a concept that can become when you're a parent," Bruce mused as he took a drink of his tea.

"That sounds like an excuse not to try. You haven't even been on a date in over a year, dad," she pointed out and he turned his head sharply at the sudden change of topic. "And I hate to say it, but if you keep putting it off, you're looking at not-so-prince charming prospects. You're almost 40."

Bruce laughed in spite of the offensive comment. "40 isn't the end of the world, Tasha. Even if it seems that way when you're 15. And maybe I'm happy being single. Did you ever consider that?" She looked at him incredulously and he shook his head. "What happened to my little girl who balked at Disney movies and said love is for children?"

She shrugged, but he thought he saw her lips quirk up a little in the dark that settled in around them. "We won't be kids forever, you know."

Bruce sighed. "Of course I know. Look, Tasha, I know you just want me to be happy, but you have to admit that now's really not the time for me to add a complication like dating to our lives. Why don't we see where we're at after the end of the summer first? Besides, it might surprise you to know that most of the men I've met run away when you say seven kids. And those that wouldn't, well, they probably still would after meeting this bunch," he said with a teasing smile.

"That's true," she replied with an amused snort. "But that's why you just make sure you at least make it to the third date first and then invite him over."

Bruce's eyes widened. "No, no we're not discussing the three date rule right now."

She laughed more openly at his discomfort. "Alright, then just join a dating site instead. That way they know right away what they're getting into."

"Okay, honey, I'm beginning to think you don't know your old man at all because a dating site is much too adventurous for me. And if you think I'm going to let some stranger show up when I have seven kids to worry about…" He grimaced a little just thinking about it. "Now are we done interrogating me about my love life because I promised your little sister I'd read to her," Bruce said, hoping to end the conversation.

"Fine, you're off the hook for now," Natasha said with a smirk as she stood. "But don't tell me, as much as you enjoy our company, you don't wish you could sit out here with someone closer to your own age that you care about every now and then."

Bruce sighed and hung his head. It had been nearly five years since his last steady relationship. "Yeah, sometimes, okay? I can admit I get lonely from time to time for companionship. Romance even. But, really, Natasha. It's not as bad as you think."

"Yield," she said, giving him a hug as she did before going back into the house.

He knew that she knew he wasn't being entirely honest.