Fated Marks

The next few weeks had been pretty slow at work. Everyone was either training or they were away on a mission. Mostly I was either in the lab helping Bruce with any programming he needed for any projects he was working on or on occasion Tony would call and ask me to hack into something because he was distracted with something else. I knew they were all on some mission but it was classified and I had no idea what they were doing. I didn’t even know where they all were. I got the occasional text from Clint complaining how bored he was or sending me a photo of someone that had fallen asleep.

I was studying for midterms when I got a video call.

“Tony’s Stark’s nanny, Hayley speaking how may I help you.” I said not looking at the screen knowing I was probably getting a look from Tony.

“That’s how you answer all my calls?” Tony said.

“Of course not, I only answer like that when you call. How’s it going?” I asked.

“We’ve got nothing. If we don’t get any leads by the end of today we’re heading back.” Tony said.

“Let me know and I’ll have food waiting for you all.” I said.

“Will do, I was calling you because I got bored and made another update for Jarvis to support the iron legion. I was wondering if you could install it so I can try it out as soon as I land.” Tony said.

“Sure, things are pretty slow over here. I could use a change of pace from helping plan the gala.” I said. “I’ll get it done as soon as you send it over.”

“Thanks Hayley.” Tony said.

“You’re talking to Hayley? Hand it over.” Clint said.

“Aren’t you supposed to be up in your nest bird brain?” Tony said.

“The meeting is over.” Thor said.

“Move over Stark. Hales please tell me you recorded them.” Clint said.

“All of them are ready to play whenever you get back.” I said.

“Please tell me someone killed him already.” He said.

“I don’t know I haven’t watched it yet.” I said.

“Really?” He said. “But after that cliff hanger… the governor and uh I need to know.”

“I’ve been busy with midterms and I kind of like watching it together…” I admitted.

“Oh…” Clint said with a grin. I could feel how that comment cheered him up. He looked exhausted, they all did.

“I should actually get back to it. See you when you get back, tell Thor I found that chocolate scoops cereal he liked so much.” I said.

“The scoops!” Thor cheered.

“Got you an entire cabinet full buddy.” I said.

“You’re dealing with his sugar high this time.” Tony said.

“I can handle that,” I said. “I’ll let you guys get to it. Bye.” I said before ending the call.

“How is everyone?” Bruce asked.

“Tired but they’re all okay. Apparently all the leads have dried up so they’re heading back later today or tomorrow.” I said and then my tablet dinged. “And that’d be the update to the Iron Legion protocol Tony wants me to install.”

“Another one?” Bruce said.

“Each time he adds a new suit he has to update it. Oh wow, he also added something for Veronica.” I said as there was a ding.

“I gotta get that.” He said moving over to his lab table.

“Initiating update, Jarvis is going dark for a few minutes while it installs.” I said. “You need anything before that?”

“No go ahead.” Bruce said as he started diluting a chemical.

“Update starting now. Two and a half minutes to go.” I said as I waited.

About a minute before the update finished whatever Bruce was working on caught on fire.

“Oh no no no…” he muttered.

“Extinguisher to your left.” I said.

“Got it.” He said.

“And done.” I said activating Jarvis. Then the sirens at started sounding and the lab door bolted shut.

“Lab quarantine protocols initiated.” Jarvis said.

“No don’t initiate, don’t initiate,” I said panicking.

“What’s going on?” Bruce said.

“Unknown contagion found in the air, quarantine protocols initiated. Lab lockdown complete.” Jarvis said.

“Jarvis was powered off when the fire started so when it activated again it sensed the compounds in the air but doesn’t know what it is. It started quarantine protocols and shut down the lab.” I said.

“Can’t you hack into it and undo it?” Bruce asked.

“That’s what I’m trying to but thanks to how paranoid Tony is and keeping all research encrypted I can’t get in. Not from in here anyway. I need to get into the servers.” I said.

“Which are all in the server room on the fiftieth floor.” Bruce said realizing how screwed we are.

“And we’re locked in here.” I said.

“We can call the IT department and...” Bruce started.

“It’s seven pm on a Friday, they’re all gone until Monday.” I said.

“How long does the lockdown last?” Bruce asked.

“Until the all clear is inputted from the outside.” I said.

“We’re stuck here until Monday.” Bruce said.

“Or until someone comes and gets us.” I said. “Jarvis call Tony.”

“Yes Miss Adams.” Jarvis said.

“He designed all these protocols maybe he can get us out.” I said.

“Miss me already?” Tony said.

“No… well yes but that’s why I’m calling you.” I said. “I updated Jarvis…”

“How’s it look?” Tony asked.

“Good except…” I started.

“We’re locked in the lab.” Bruce said.

“What?” Tony said.

“There was a minor fire while Jarvis was shut down and…” I started.

“Minor fire! Is everyone okay?” Steve asked.

“We’re fine except for you know being locked in the lab.” I said.

“Quarantine protocols, call tech support.” Tony said.

“We would except they all went home for the weekend and you know it has to be put in from the outside.” I said.

“Shit,” Tony said “I forgot about that. It’s what six seven over there?”

“Seven fifteen.” Bruce said.

“We need to stay in here a bit longer and there’s a storm coming in. We’re probably not getting in until tomorrow night.” Clint said.

“How are you two doing?” Natasha asked.

“Annoyed and a bit bored but we’ll manage.” I said.

“We’ll get there as soon as we can.” Tony said. “If you get hungry there’s drinks in the fridge and protein bars in my desk and around the lab. We have to go, call us if you need anything.”

With that the call ended.

“I guess I’ll get back to work.” Bruce said.

“Actually, you can’t. We aren’t just locked in here, all cabinets with chemicals are locked down and all heavy duty equipment that can help break us out are shut down.” I said.

“Guess I’m finally taking that break you always ask me to take.” Bruce said with a small smile.

“Not exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking get you out of the tower take a walk in the park grab a coffee not a forced lockdown.” I said.

“It could be worse.” Bruce said as the sprinklers turned on soaking the both of us. “Nevermind.”

“We need to move.” I said getting out of the work area. “Delayed response, probably why they activated.”

“The office area is clear.” He said.

“We need a change of clothes.” I said.

“We keep extras in the bathroom. Go, you don’t want to catch a cold.” Bruce said.

“What about you?” I asked.

“I have a change of clothes in my desk,” He said.

I walked into the bathroom and looked around. I found a pair of grey sweats with the Stark industries logo and a grey hoodie with the avengers logo. The sweats were baggy but the hoodie was perfect. It was probably a sample from the marketing department. I got a pair of free pjs last time they met with Tony.

I quickly found a brush and brushed my hair to make sure there weren’t any knots in my hair. I walked out and Bruce was trying to find a way out. He looked a bit nervous.

“Looks like Tony had another meeting with the marketing department.” I said.

“You didn’t see the hulk gauntlets.” Bruce said.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah just not a big fan of enclosed spaces.” He said.

“Yet you spend most of your time in one…” I said pointing out the irony of his statement.

“Just not like this… with no way out.” He said.

That’s when I realized what he was nervous about. They tried locking him up once and it didn’t go so well. He was scared he was going to hulk out.

“There is a way out we just have to wait a while. The power still works let’s see if there’s anything on TV.” I said “Or better yet you want to play a bit of Mario galaxy, it’ll help pass the time?”

“I’ve never been a big fan of video games.” Bruce said.

“Have you ever played one?” I said.

“I had an Atari a few years ago.” Bruce said.

“It’s still the same concept except the graphics are better and the controllers are more confortable.” I said handing him the controller and turning on the TV. We started off easy and with the basics. When we got to the boss level we got another call.

“Jarvis sidescreen it.” I said as we kept working on the level we had been stuck on.”

“Hales, just checking in.” Tony said.

“Kay.” We both said at the same time.

“Bad time?” He said.

“uhuh.” We said.

“What are you two doing?” Steve asked.

“Go left.” I said

“I’m trying that spikey shell guy’s in the way.” Bruce said.

“I’ll drop a flower your way.” I said.

“Is Bruce playing video games?” Natasha said amused.

“This is better than an Atari.” He said.

“Are they playing the karts of Mario?” Thor asked.

“No looks like Mario Galaxy.” Clint said.

“We’re calling to let you both know, we’ve been grounded. The storm’s passing by and the wind’s too strong for takeoff. I wanted to risk it but Capsicle didn’t want a repeat of the last time he crashed a plane.” Tony said.

“Don’t risk it we’re fine. Crap its head used the shell…” I said.

“How do I grab the shell I keep shooting fire.” Bruce said.

“Jump, shoot and don’t let go of the button.” I said.

“We’ll leave you to it.” Tony said and the screen returned to normal.

A Few Hours Later-

It was pretty late and after a dinner consisting of a few protein bars it was time for bed. There was only one problem.

“Hayley take the bed.” Bruce insisted.

“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.” I said.

There was one futon and Bruce was being stubborn.

“You’re not sleeping on the floor.” He said.

“Of course not, the futon’s big enough for both of us.” I said.

“Hayley…” Bruce started to argue.

“We need sleep. That’s all we’re going to be doing and don’t worry I don’t bite. Come on, it’s been a long day.” I said patting the space next to me.

“Are you sure?” He said.

“Yes, come on.” I said.

He hesitated before lying down next to me on his back. I could tell he was tense.

“Not the worst bed I’ve ever slept in.” I said.

“It’s not, I remember going camping as a kid the sleeping bag didn’t make the ground any softer.” Bruce said.

“Forest isn’t too bad especially when you’re on grass. Concrete floors with nothing but a plastic tarp in between, now that’s uncomfortable.” I said.

“Why’d you sleep on a concrete floor?” Bruce asked turning to his side to look at me.

“I lived under a bridge for a couple of months a few years ago.” I said.

“I didn’t know that.” He said giving me a sad look.

“That look you’re giving me right now is why I never tell anyone. It was after my mom died. Not a lot of places will hire a thirteen year old kid much less rent them an apartment. It wasn’t too bad, met a lot of interesting people and I learned to make stew in a soda can.” I said.

“Why’d you end up there in the first place?” Bruce asked.

“That’s something you’re better off not knowing.” I said.

“We should get some sleep,” Bruce said.

“Night Bruce.” I said.

“Night Hayley.” He said.

The Next Morning-

I woke up to the smell of coffee. The best smell in the world. I opened my eyes and saw that the lab was still locked down. Bruce was sitting on a desk chair reading something on his tablet.

“Morning.” I said.

“Good morning, I made some coffee. Not sure I made it the way you like it though.” He said.

“I’m sure its fine. Any news?” I asked.

“No, we’re still locked in.” Bruce said.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“I’m okay,” He said giving me a small smile. Totally white knuckling it. I needed to keep him distracted.

“Let’s see how the world’s doing.” I said turning on the news.

We had a breakfast consisting of whatever we found in Tony’s desk and coffee and tea. I started studying for an upcoming exam and Bruce picked up a book and started reading. We kept the TV on for background and all in all it was a pretty quiet few hours.

“Miss Adams, Doctor Banner there is an incoming call from Mr. Stark.” Jarvis alerted us.

“Patch him through.” I said.

“Morning sunshine.” Tony greeted.

“Manchild.” I retorted.

“Tony, where are you?” Bruce said.

“We just got the all clear to take off, we should be there in a few hours.” He said.

“Great.” We said.

“Just sit tight and don’t go anywhere.” Tony said and we both gave him a look. “Oh right… see you in a bit.” He said before hanging up. As soon as the call ended the TV switched to the news.

“In other news, the white house has finally announce who President Ellis has planned to nominate to fill in the vacant seat of Secretary of State.

‘After much deliberation I have reached a decision and I am pleased to announce my nomination to an exemplary Man who has spent his entire life in the service of this great country of ours, General Thaddeus Ross.’

“What a douche, his platform on foreign policy is going to cause world war three.” I said. I turned to look at Bruce who looked like he was in pain. I felt panic, fear and then intense rage from his mark. Oh no.

I got up and got a bit closer to him. “Bruce?” I said he looked at me an his eyes were green.

“Hay..ley.” He groaned.

“Hey it’s okay. You’re going to be alright.” I said getting a bit closer.

“No… get away.” He said panting.

“Miss Adams it would be best to step away from doctor banner, I believe we have a code green.” Jarvis said. “I shall alert Mr Stark.”

“Bruce look at me.” I said putting my hand over his. He looked terrified.

“I can’t…ah.” He said his skin starting to change. I don’t know what came over me but I just knew what I had to do. I put a hand on the back of Bruce’s head and kissed him. He didn’t respond at first, I thought it didn’t work but then I felt his wrap around my waist and he kiss me back.

After a minute I broke the kiss and leaned my forehead against his. I opened my eyes and saw brown ones looking back at me.

“How… Why...” He started.

“A couple years ago I was out with this guy and I thought I saw someone. I started having a panic attack. Before it got really into it he caught me by surprise and kissed me. I didn’t have a full blown one but I did end up giving him a bloody nose. Suffice it to say it didn’t work out. This kind of reminded me of that except you know, you didn’t go green and kill me. Thanks for that.” I said.

“uhuh.” He said still in shock.

“Ehem…” Someone cleared their throat. We looked over and saw everyone was on the TV. Jarvis had called them.

“Oh hi guys.” I said. Bruce quickly let me go and we stepped away from each other.

“Hi…” Tony said awkwardly. They all had the same grins on their faces. “So code green?”

“False alarm.” Bruce and I said quickly.

“uhuh.” Tony said. “We’re still a couple of hours away so you know don’t go green.”

“Of course.” Bruce said.

“Bye.” I said ending the call. “Let’s not watch that.” I said flipping through the channels until it landed on some nature documentary.

That’s how the next couple of hours were. Bruce kept giving me weird looks. You know that saying it’s only awkward if you make it awkward? He was definitely making I awkward. I had two options. Ignore the giant green hulk in the room or just put it out there. Oh how things had changed.

“So…” I started.

“Yeah…” He said.

“I probably shouldn’t have done that?” I asked not knowing if it was the kiss that was making things awkward or the fact that he’d almost hulked out.

“Uh… You… I… you’re not scared?” he said.

“What?” I asked not expecting that.

“I almost went green, I could have… and you didn’t run.” Bruce said.

“You think I’m afraid of you? That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard you say. You’re way too hard on yourself.” I said.

“Hayley you’ve seen what I’ve… the other guy has done. You can’t tell me you’re not seriously worried I’m going to…” he said before I kissed him again. This time I just needed him to shut up. When we finally broke apart he stared at me shocked.

“What…was that for?” He said.

“You were rambling. I needed you to stop talking.” I said. “Bruce in the six months we’ve worked together how many times have you gone green?”

“That doesn’t matter it can still happen.” He said.

“I know but I also know that you downplay your self control. You put up with Tony for hours at a time and he spends at least half the day trying to get you to go green. Even I don’t have that much self control.” I said. “You’re way too hard on yourself. I know you’re scared but you need to stop tiptoeing. I never told anyone this but you’re the reason I ended up in New York.”

“Me?” He said.

“Yeah, whenever I had to move I would turn on the news and wherever the first report was that’s where I’d move. Want to guess what report I saw that got me here?” I said. “Harlem.”

“Harlem?” Bruce said.

“Hulk fighting Abomination, destroyed half of Harlem. That’s what I saw first. Property values dropped and rent was really cheap so that also helped.” I said noticing how uncomfortable he looked. “Point is you take the blame for the things you had no control over but you don’t take the credit for the things you do. You’ve done a lot of good, both of you have. Give yourself a break.”

“Are you guys done chatting?” A voice rang through the lab.

“Please tell me you’re here already?” I asked Tony.

“Just landed, I’ll head over to the server room and get you both out. I’ll update the…” Tony started.

“No more updates!” Bruce and I said at the same time

“But…” Tony started.

“Get us out and we’ll talk.” I said.

“Just give me a few minutes.” Tony said and the call ended.

“About the kiss…” Bruce started.

“Yeah it was probably a bad time and I shou…” I didn’t get to finish because Bruce kissed me. I couldn’t help but smile and kiss him back. It wasn’t until we heard the doors open that we broke apart.

“I got it.” Tony said.

“Finally.” I said going over to hug him. “Never been happier to see you.”

“Missed you too sunshine.” Tony said.

“Don’t call me that.” I said. “Come on Bruce, we could both use some air and food.” I took his hand and we walked out of the lab.

We went up to the common room and went straight to the kitchen.

“Hayley!” Thor cheered as he picked me up into a bone-crushing hug.

“Umph… hey buddy.” I said. “How was the mission?”

“Far too long, I missed you dearly.” Thor said.

“Missed you too, it was way too quiet around here.” I said as Thor finally put me down.

“The mission was a bust.” Clint said.

“You’ll get to shoot something next time.” I said.

“I know I just really wanted to try out the new arrow.” Clint whined.

“But now you get to watch the walking dead.” I said.

“Upstairs twenty minutes?” Clint asked.

“Make it thirty I need to shower.” I said and I’ll be taking that. I said snagging Clint’s BLT.

“Hey!” He whined.

“Mh that’s so good” I said making everyone laugh.

“You should probably call Will.” Natasha said.

“No, he’s in the middle of midterms so he’s probably at the library buried under a pile of books.” I said. “It’s the only time he ever turns off his phone. Chances are he didn’t even notice I was missing. I’ll be in my room.” I got in the elevator and headed downstairs.

Third Person’s POV-

They all watched Hayley get in the elevator and as soon as the doors closed they stood there shocked.

“Did… she just say ‘my room’?” Steve said.

“Yeah, I heard that too.” Tony said.

“This is… good right?” Clint said.

“It’s progress.” Natasha said.

“She’s opening up.” Bruce said.

“What happened while you were trapped in there?” Thor asked.

“She stopped me from going green.” Bruce said.

“How?” Steve asked and Bruce just smiled and blushed a bit.

“Are you blushing?” Natasha said.

“Now I really want to know what happened?” Tony said grabbing his phone.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked.

“Accessing the lab’s footage.” Tony said. “There we go. Hours of you two playing video games, you two talking, cuddling on the futon. You making coffee, more of you two doing nothing. The news and woah… found it.”

They all watched as Bruce started showing the signs of the hulk coming out. Hayley didn’t notice at first but then reached for her left shoulder, where Bruce’s mark was on her. She quickly went to check on him. He tried getting away, tried making Hayley go away but when his skin started changing shades she kissed him.

“She kissed you?” Clint said shocked. No one was expecting something like that would stop the hulk from coming out.

“Yeah she caught me by surprise.” Bruce said. “Twice.”

“I should get going, Hayley’s going to be up any minute.” Clint said.

“You might want to take some snacks.” Natasha said. “She was really hungry.”

“Got that covered.” Clint said.

“Agent Barton, your pizza has been sent up to your floor and Miss Adams is on her way.” Jarvis said.

“That’s my cue.” He said heading to the elevator.

Hayley’s POV-

I got out of the shower and put on the grey leggings and a knit pullover over a lace racerback bralette I left there over Christmas.

I dried my hair enough before heading up to Clint’s floor. I was greeted by a very happy Lucky.

“Hi buddy.” I said petting him.

“Lucky off.” Clint said. “You alright?”

“Yeah, someone’s just happy to see me is all.” I said. “You ready?”

“I’ve been dying to find out what happens next.” He said.

“So have I.” I said.

“I got us pizza.” He said.

“You’re the best human being in the world.” I said sitting down.

We sat down and started watching the three episodes we hadn’t watched. By the second episode I had gotten pretty cold so I cuddled next to Clint. He didn’t say anything just wrapped his arm around my shoulders. By the time the third episode started we had both fallen asleep.