A Bretty fic for Brucemas Day 6!
‘She’s emailed me,’ Bruce said, walking into Tony’s workshop on Christmas Eve.
Tony glanced up, welding torch in hand. ‘Who? Pepper?’ The huge room had been decked out with festive (and flammable) decorations. There was even a tree in the corner, where Dum-E was hanging fifty ornaments on a single branch.
‘Betty. Betty has emailed me.’ Bruce walked over, wringing his hands. ‘About five minutes ago.’
‘Well, that’s… that’s good, isn’t it?’ Tony switched off the welding torch and removed his welding goggles.
He sighed. ‘She wants to meet up. Spend some time together. But the way she phrased it… Tony, it might be a date.’
‘And we haven’t been a couple since Hulk happened, thirteen years ago! I haven’t even spoken to her in five years! What am I supposed to say to her? “How have you been, sorry I haven’t kept in touch but I was busy being shot at by your dad and waking up naked in fields”?’
Tony frowned. ‘This really has gotten you wound up, hasn’t it?’
He took a deep breath to slow his increasing heartrate. ‘I can’t get my hopes up. Not again.’ Losing Betty had taken him years to come to terms with, and seeing her again would reopen old wounds.
‘But do you want to see her?’ Tony asked, with a far-too-knowing look in his eyes.
‘Yes of course, but it’s so out of the blue and it’s been so long… Maybe I’ll just tell her I’m busy – ‘
‘Bruce.’ Tony rested a hand on his shoulder. Then brushed off the black handprint he’d just left. ‘You can’t avoid her forever. Go along, have a good time, see where it goes. We can manage without our physics nerd for one day. When does she want to meet up?’
Bruce groaned. ‘Today. In two hours’ time.’
‘Wow, impulse-date huh? A girl after my own heart. She’s the one that got away Bruce, go get her! Why are you still standing here? Go go go!’ And he hooked an arm around Bruce’s and marched him out of the room. ‘JARVIS, team meeting. Bruce’s quarters, ASAP.’
