It’s been twelve hours since Howard first crept into Dr. Banner’s lab to try and avoid Peggy Carter’s piercing— and possibly flesh-rending— gaze. Which surprisingly, aside from his short scuffle with her over his decision to bait a Johann Schmidt impersonator over the Internet, has actually been somewhat successful.
So when the sun slips low behind the horizon and the city lights glitter visibly in the glass paneling surrounding the lab, Howard decides it’s about time to face the music and see if he can’t work a little magic on Peggy’s heart. At least enough to reduce his punishment from a potentially broken nose to a hard slap on the mouth.
He tilts the plexiglass monitor in his hand, flicking a few files over towards Banner’s screen and dropping it onto the table before the incoming data message has enough time to chime in. Aside from a few tendrils of hair that’ve wandered out of place over the course of the day, he looks surprisingly well put together; he hopes it’ll work to his advantage as he curls his lips into an uneasy little grin, tilting his head down to give Miss Carter a full-on puppy dog stare.
“Before you start shooting at me,” he says, cautiously approaching the exit, hands held up in surrender, “can I at least offer to make it up to you by sending you out there to see Rogers face to face?”
A little bird sent this to me.
It is so very relevant to my life, right now.
- I settle down to do some work
- Howard crawled into the lab
- hasn’t left my side for a moment
- started crap with Crimson butt-chin
- was saved by Peggy
- currently in fetal position under my work table
At least he’s keeping my feet warm.
Howard, buddy, this isn’t a good thing. You’d better find a hole and dig deep and hope that she’s feeling merciful this morning.
Bruce awoke suddenly and with no time to transition between deep sleep and wakefulness.
Everything was quiet.
He rubbed at his eyes and sighed, deeply, before lying back against his backpack-turned-pillow.The adrenaline which had poured into his bloodstream had started to ebb and it left his limbs jerky and numb.
Had he been dreaming?
Bruce started to shiver a little. The night was cold and he wasn’t dressed well for it. Something shuffled across the sandy ground, rooting in the soil. Bruce shifted and narrowed his eyes against the darkness; an armadillo peered back. They stared at one another for several moments before the animal continued on its way. Bruce rolled over again to try to get a little more sleep.
It was only midnight.
Lightning split across the sky to the east, so distant that it was some time before the rumble of thunder reached him; Bruce was glad that it wasn’t looking much like rain above him. He enjoyed thunder storms a little less when he was caught out in them. Bruce watched it for a few moments, judging it’s movement. It seemed to be hanging heavily over New Mexico so there was little chance of him getting more than a spectacular light show, which suited him just fine.
