⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𝐢𝐯. cat got my tongue, and i don't think i get along with anyone

𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐁. Her father and Tony were engrossed in their work, quietly conversing in hushed tones as they fiddled with various pieces of advanced technology. The soft hum of machines and the occasional clinking of tools were the only sounds that broke the silence.

Ingrid sat on a high stool, her book resting on her lap. She had lost track of how many chapters she had read, each page turning slower than the last as her interest waned. Every now and then, Bruce would call her over to hand him a tool or hold a device in place. She enjoyed these brief moments of involvement, feeling a small rush of pride whenever she was able to assist.

With a sigh, Ingrid bent the edge of the page of her book impatiently. She glanced over at her father, who was deeply immersed in his work, his brow furrowed in concentration. Tony was equally absorbed, his eyes glued to the holographic display in front of him. Neither seemed to notice her growing restlessness.

"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract. But it's going to take weeks to process," Bruce said. Ingrid looked up from her book, curiosity piqued by the mention of the Tesseract. She watched her father intently as he worked.

Tony responded without missing a beat. "If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops," he suggested.

Ingrid sighed softly, not understanding half of the words they were saying. With a slight frown, she returned to her book, making a mental note to ask her dad for definitions later. The complexities of their work always fascinated her, even if it often left her feeling out of her depth.

Bruce glanced over at Ingrid, a small smile tugging at his lips as he saw her deep in thought. He returned his attention to Tony. "All I packed was a toothbrush and Ingrid's books," Bruce said, his tone lightening as he mentioned his daughter.

Tony grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You know, you two should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it, it's candy land."

"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke... Harlem," Bruce said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

Ingrid giggled at the memory. At the time of the fight, she had been terrified, running for her life. But now, four years later, she could look back on it with a sense of humor, especially knowing her dad had come out of it okay. Still, the incident had left a mark, leading to more running from the US Army and a life of constant movement.

"Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension. No surprises," Tony said, his tone light and reassuring. Before anyone could react, Tony swiftly poked Bruce with a miniature electrical prod. The unexpected zap caused Bruce to jump. Ingrid flinched at the sudden action, her eyes narrowing at Tony in disapproval.

"OW!" Bruce yelled, his voice echoing through the lab. But Tony seemed to be waiting for any signs of transformation into the Hulk.

At that moment, Steve Rogers walked into the lab, his expression immediately darkening as he took in the scene. "Hey!" he yelled.

Tony glanced at Steve, then back at Bruce. "Nothing?" he asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"Are you nuts?" Steve asked.

Tony turned to Steve. "Jury's out," he said with a shrug, before shifting his gaze back to Bruce. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

Ingrid, still engrossed in her book, muttered without looking up, "Meditation and martial arts."

Tony raised an eyebrow at Ingrid's interjection, a smirk forming on his lips. Before he could respond, Steve stepped in, his tone serious. "Is everything a joke to you?" he asked.

Tony didn't miss a beat. "Funny things are."

Steve's expression hardened, his frustration evident. "Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, Doctor," he added, turning to Bruce with a respectful nod.

Bruce, who had been watching the exchange with a calm demeanor, gave a slight smile. "No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."

"You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut," Tony said, his tone as bold as ever.

Steve stepped closer to Tony, his eyes narrowing. "And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark," he said firmly, emphasizing each word.

Tony's expression hardened slightly. "You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us, and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

Steve raised an eyebrow, considering Tony's words. "You think Fury's hiding something?"

Tony nodded. "He's a spy, Captain. He's the spy. His secrets have secrets." He then pointed to Bruce. "It's bugging him too, isn't it?"

The direction of the conversation piqued Ingrid's interest. She closed her book, placing it beside her on the stool, and rested her chin in the palm of her hands, listening intently to the escalating discussion.

Bruce, caught off guard by Tony's sudden focus on him, shifted uncomfortably. "Uh... I just wanna finish my work here and..." he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with being dragged into the middle of the argument.

"Doctor?" Steve asked, his voice cutting through the lingering tension. He looked at Bruce, waiting for an answer.

After a moment of silence, Bruce continued. "'A warm light for all mankind,' Loki's jab at Fury about the cube."

"I heard it," Steve said, nodding in agreement.

Bruce pointed at Tony, his expression serious. "Well, I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."

Steve's brow furrowed as he processed this. "Stark Tower? That big ugly..." he began, but Tony shot him a sharp look. Steve corrected himself, "...building in New York?"

"It's powered by Stark Reactors, self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?" Bruce elaborated.

"That's just the prototype. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now," Tony said, his tone brimming with pride.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, contemplating Tony's statement. "So, why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project? I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" he said, gesturing towards Tony.

"I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files," Tony said nonchalantly.

Steve's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry, did you say...?" he began, his voice trailing off as he processed what Tony had just admitted.

Tony continued as if he hadn't noticed Steve's shock. "Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide." He casually held out a bag of blueberries. "Blueberry?"

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?" Steve said, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm as he addressed Tony.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not possible."

Steve shook his head, trying to remain focused on the larger issue. "I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders; we should follow them."

Tony smirked. "Following is not really my style."

Steve smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "And you're all about style, aren't you?"

Tony didn't miss a beat. "Of the people in this room, which one is; A. wearing a spangly outfit, and B. not of use?" He gestured pointedly at Steve's uniform, then glanced around the room. "I mean, even the ten-year-old is doing something," Tony added, pointing to Ingrid.

Bruce, sensing the underlying tension and the need for clarity, spoke up. "Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?"

Steve's expression hardened, his focus unwavering. "Just find the cube," he said firmly, turning on his heel and walking out of the lab.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice," Tony said with a hint of skepticism, his arms folded.

Bruce nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Tony. "The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us," he admitted, his expression serious.

Tony smirked. "What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does," he declared, his voice tinged with anticipation.

Bruce couldn't help but chuckle softly. "And I'll read all about it."

"Uh-huh. Or you'll be suiting up like the rest of us. Both of you," Tony said as he looked between Bruce and Ingrid.

Bruce sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Ah, see. I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare. And Ingrid's just a kid; she shouldn't have to fight anybody," he said, his voice tinged with concern for his daughter.

Tony pointed to the mini-arc reactor embedded in his chest. "You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart. This stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a... terrible privilege."

Bruce nodded in understanding. "But you can control it," he added.

"Because I learned how," Tony replied.

Bruce hesitated, his expression thoughtful. "It's different."

Ingrid shook her head, pushing away the thoughts from the tense conversation, before returning to her reading.

"Hey, I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you," Tony said, breaking the silence that had settled over the lab.

Bruce looked up from his work, meeting Tony's gaze. "So you're saying that the Hulk... the other guy... saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?"

There was a moment of silence as Tony considered Bruce's question. "I guess we'll find out," he replied finally.

Bruce nodded slowly, and they returned to work on their computers. "You might not like that," he added quietly, his expression troubled.

"You just might," Tony replied with a grin, his eyes shifting to Ingrid who was still absorbed in her book. "What's up with you? Cat got your tongue?"

Ingrid looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "I can talk. I just don't want to," she said calmly. Bruce chuckled softly, shaking his head.

Tony raised an eyebrow, undeterred by Ingrid's disinterest. "And how do your powers work?" he continued, pressing on with his questions despite the bored expression on Ingrid's face.

Bruce's smile faded slightly, his tone becoming more serious. "Her mom... she was special like that," he interjected.

Ingrid glanced at her father, grateful for his intervention. Tony's relentless curiosity was overwhelming.

"Was? She passed away?" Tony asked, not looking up from his computer screen.

"No, she's just not around," Bruce responded quietly, his gaze shifting to his daughter.

Ingrid fidgeted with her fingers, feeling a pang of emotion at the mention of her mother.

"Well, can I see?" Tony asked suddenly, his eyes finally lifting to meet Ingrid's.

"What?" Ingrid asked, caught off guard by the abrupt question.

"Your powers, can I see them?" Tony repeated.

Ingrid looked at her dad, who gave her a reassuring nod. Taking a deep breath, she opened her palm. Tony narrowed his eyes, intrigued. Bruce stepped closer, and they all waited in anticipation.

The next second, a small flame flickered to life in Ingrid's palm. She moved her hand slowly, and the flame obediently followed her movements, dancing gracefully in the air. It traveled to the tips of her fingers, casting a warm glow, before Ingrid closed her fist, causing the flame to disappear.

She couldn't help but smile to herself at the successful display of her ability. "Good job," Bruce whispered proudly to his daughter, leaning down to kiss the top of her head before returning to his work.

Tony watched with fascination, his earlier curiosity now replaced with awe. "And she was born with that?"

Bruce nodded, a hint of pride in his voice. "Yes. No science behind it," he confirmed.

"We know who found that hard to accept," Ingrid chimed in playfully, sharing a knowing smile with her dad, who chuckled softly and shook his head fondly.

Tony grinned, impressed. "Well, that's pretty cool," he said sincerely, his eyes lingering on Ingrid with newfound admiration.

Ingrid's smile widened. She had always felt different because of her abilities, but in that moment, she felt a sense of acceptance and validation.