Chapter 15
The days pass slowly as I continue to recover, everyone hovering over me as they worry about my Arc Reactor healing.
I wake before Stephen, looking at him out of the corner of my eye before slowly sneaking out of the bed and creeping down to Bruce’s lab.
He looks up from his table, pushing his glasses onto his forehead as he does.
“Well, well, well.” He says, standing up and smiling at me. “Look who finally decided to show up.”
He walks over, extending his hand to me.
I shake it as I smile back.
“Finally got the chance to sneak out.” I answer, letting go of his hand and stepping to the side. “What’s the damage on the weird glowy thing?”
Bruce shrugs, sighing as he walks me back to his work table.
The yellow crystal sits in the center of the table on a metal pedestal.
“I’m really not sure.” He answers. “It’s similar to the infinity stones, but not identical.”
I nod, looking at the screen as it scans over the object, my eyes freezing on a portion of it.
“Is it—?” I trail off.
“Alive?” Bruce finishes. “I think so.”
I nod, slower this time as I watch the strange pulse flash on the screen.
“Is it an egg?” I ask, my eyes flashing back to the object.
He shrugs again.
“It must be.” He says, tapping something on the screen. “I just don’t know what’s in it, or why they wanted it so bad.”
I nod again, running my hand through my hair.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens when it hatches.” I answer. “Any idea how to tell the incubation time on something like this?”
He taps another screen, pulling up a chart.
“I think the pulse correlates to time in incubation.” He says, gesturing to a graph. “The pulse has been slowing gradually, I think it’s nearing its hatch date.”
I scan over the graph, noting the slow decrease in the heartrate as the days go by.
“Guess we should start planning this little guy’s birthday party, huh?” I ask, bending down to get eyelevel with the egg.
Bruce laughs, bending down beside me to look at the egg too.
“I guess so.” He answers. “Do you think it’ll be before or after your wedding?”
I turn to look at him, standing back up.
He stands up too smiling at me and looking at me out of the corner of his eye.
“I’m happy for you Tony.” He says, clapping his hand on my back gently.
I smile at him softly.
“Thanks Bruce.” I answer, and he nods before dropping his hand.
A moment later, the door opens, and Peter strides in with Stephen close behind him.
“I figured I might find you down here.” Stephen says, ruffling through his hair with his hand as he walks over to me. “Putting his brilliant mind to use, Doctor Banner?”
Bruce chuckles as Stephen swings an arm over my shoulders, planting a kiss on my forehead as he does.
I bite back a smile, my cheeks filling with heat as I lean back against him.
“Whenever I can, Doctor Strange.” Bruce replies with a grin.
I groan dramatically.
“Alright, alright.” I say, stepping back towards the egg. “Enough comparing PhD sizes with the whole ‘Doctor, Doctor’ thing.”
Peter chokes back a laugh as he pushes past Stephen to look at the egg beside me.
“Did you tell him it has a heart?” He asks, looking at Bruce.
My mouth drops open as I twist to look at Bruce as well, glaring at him.
“You told the kid before me?” I ask, causing Peter to laugh again.
Bruce looks at me with a sheepish expression.
“You were hurt!” He says, putting his hands up. “Peter was here and wanted to help!”
I groan again, looking at Peter now.
“Fine.” I say with a wink. “Just this once.”
Peter nods, trying to look serious as he pushes down a smile.
“It’s an egg?” Stephen asks, coming beside me to look down at it.
Bruce and I both shrug.
“We think so.” Bruce answers. “It has a pulse. We just don’t know what’s in it or why they wanted it.”
Stephen nods, examining it again before pulling out his phone and snapping a picture of it.
“I’ll see if there’s anything at the Sanctum about it, or if Wong’s seen anything like it.” He says, sliding his phone back into his pocket.
He kisses my forehead again before taking a step back.
“Call me later?” I ask, turning to look at him.
He nods, smiling at me as he opens a portal.
Peter watches with wide eyes as he steps through, disappearing with the orange light.
“Alright nerds, back to work.” I say, turning around and looking at Bruce and Peter.
They both roll their eyes, smiling as they turn back to the work benches.
I roll up my sleeves as I step between them, glad to be back in my element.