Bruce looked down at the table in the meeting room, his cheeks slowly turning a bright shade of pink.
"I- I haven't told her yet" he started softly, worried his friends would judge him. He cleared his throat to try to calm himself before continuing, "I'm not even sure if she's-"
"Like you?" Tony interrupted from the head of the table, his self-proclaimed "spot". "A big giant green rage monster?" Tony sounded almost excited, like a young boy who had just received a brand new toy with the batteries included.
Bruce nodded, still looking down. "I didn't want to scare her, she doesn't even know about 'the other guy'."
At that point, Natasha whispered something to Clint and silently left the room. Clint walked over to Bruce and placed a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
"It's your choice Bruce," Clint said. "She's your daughter, you know what's best for her."
Tony at this point, had started figuring out how to double-Hulk-proof everything in the Avengers tower as well as the helicarrier while occasionally glancing up at Bruce. His four computer screens were full of architectural drawings and plans. He threw them back and forth across the screens, stopping to zoom in on specific details and edit them to his liking.
Natasha came back holding a phone and handed it to Bruce. When he looked at her quizzically, she nodded. She had a way of saying everything you needed to know without actually saying a word. Bruce took the phone and walked to the doorway for privacy.
Clint gently pulled Natasha into the chair next to him and whispered to her as Bruce talked on the phone. The duo had become really close after their most recent mission which, of course, was classified.
As Clint and Natasha whispered to each other and Bruce and Tony were otherwise occupied, Steve tried yet again to figure out his tablet (a Christmas gift from Tony). So far he had only been able to figure out how to turn the strange technology on and type. He was embarrassed so he hid it in his lap.
Finally Bruce walked back to the table. He placed the phone down gently and slowly sat down in his chair, lost in thought.
"So?" Tony asked, pushing his virtual project to the side so that all of his attention could be on his friend.
Bruce brought his attention back to the room as Clint and Natasha paused their whispered conversation.
"I'm going back to India." Bruce paused only a moment before adding, "Tony, please don't follow me claiming to want shawarma."
Tony held up his hands to show his fingers weren't crossed "I promise I won't follow you for shawarma."
Bruce nodded in relief, forcing himself to believe the man, and headed back to his room to pack for his trip, he didn't even have time to worry about Tony planning anything. Clint and Natasha shared a look and left shortly after. Steve moved his tablet from his lap onto the table as Tony moved his virtual project onto his laptop and flipped the screen into a tablet without a second thought.
"Come on Steve, let's go follow Bruce," he said as if it were the most normal thing to say in that moment.
Steve shook his head, "Dr. Banner said not to follow him."
"Pretending to want shawarma," Tony pointed out.
Steve sighed lightly. "Do I have to help you? Why not Clint? He likes participating in your shenanigans." Steve was not one for whining but he was what Tony called a "goody two shoes", whatever that meant. He followed rules and Bruce obviously did not want to be followed.
Tony smiled wide making Steve dread what came out of his mouth next. "Because I know how to use that," he pointed at the tablet in front of Steve.
Steve stared down at the unfamiliar piece of technology and after a moment, unwillingly gave in.
Bruce slowly walked up to his old house. He hadn't been there for a long time, at least not when he planned to stay for more than a few hours. He had been too tied up with the Avengers and his research to stay with his own family. It had really been hard on him and his wife.
He walked up to the bright green door and held up his hand to knock. He drew a long breath in anticipation of his return. Bruce was more nervous than he could imagine. What would his daughter think? Especially after almost ten years of her own father's absence.
From the bushes, Tony and Steve watched as the door opened and a young woman appeared in the doorway, light streaming from the room onto the darkening street. She had long dark hair that flowed down her back. It seemed even longer than it was because the woman was wearing a long, thin, dark blue dress that rippled like waves in the ocean. She stood a moment before smiling and hugging Bruce tightly. Bruce's laughter floated up to Steve and Tony's hiding place. They hadn't ever heard the man laugh like that.
"That must be her" Steve whispered, squinting in order to try to see the woman better.
Tony pulled out a pair of binoculars completely ignoring Steve's struggle "No. That's his wife."
Bruce disappeared inside with the woman leaving the two grown men to find a better spot to see from.
Inside, Bruce sat in his favorite spot on the couch. His wife brought a young woman into the room with curly dark hair. She wore glasses and a purple dress like her mother's. She ran and hugged her father tightly as he ran his fingers gently through her hair.
"Daddy?" she asked quietly looking up at her father
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Will you braid my hair tonight?"
Bruce looked into his daughter's eyes. This had been their tradition for many years. Whenever he came home, he would braid his daughter's hair and listen to her talk about what was going on. Then he would usually bid her goodnight and head back to New York. But not this time.
"We can do that tomorrow morning," he replied with a wide smile.
The young brunette's face lit up with excitement. "You're staying?"
Bruce nodded and smiled warmly at his daughter. "For a week or two"
The young girl giggled with excitement and promptly sat next to her father on the couch and crossed her legs.
Bruce smiled softly at his daughter. "Tell me what you've been doing while I was gone. How are your classes? What happened with Elizabeth and Aniket? Tell me everything, Rebecca."
The young girl began to excitedly tell her father everything she could since she had last spoken to him. After a while his wife sat next to Bruce and held his hand in hers.
Bruce listened intently to his loved listening to her voice. It reminded him of his mother, her namesake. He was so thankful for his daughter because she was resilient. She would write to him every other week and tell whatever she could in the space she had on the paper. He treasured these letters and had kept every single one.
As the evening slowly faded into night, Bruce began to fear how his daughter would react once she learned who, or rather what, he really was. He knew she had been an outsider when she had moved with her mother to England and then back to India. She had been very lonely without her father around to support her and he didn't want to force her into that situation again.
Finally the room was left in silence for a moment. All three family members began to speak at the same time. Bruce and his wife both motioned for Rebecca to speak.
"I was going to ask dad what he was up to."
Bruce took off his glasses and rubbed the ridge of his nose. He smiled, but it was a tired smile, the kind of smile that one wears when they have kept a secret for a very long time. Rebecca had never seen her father smile like this, it emphasized the lines on his face. "Sweetheart, I need to tell you something," he began.
An hour or so later, Bruce walked outside and sighed. He stretched out his arms and reached down to the ground. He began twisting and turning as he stretched and he had a feeling that he was being watched. When he stood up again he called out "I know you're here Tony,"
Tony called back "No you don't," making Bruce smile a wry smile. Same old Tony, he thought
"Tony, I'm going to be staying here for a while. I need to spend some time with my daughter. You should go back home to your own family. I'm sure they want you there as much as my family wants me here." He looked around in the dark searching for the billionaire. "I'm needed here Tony."
Tony walked out of the bushes, leaving Steve hidden. "The Avengers are your family too Bruce. Don't forget that." Bruce expected the man to be smiling but for once, his face was serious.
Bruce nodded. "I'll be back in a week or two, I promise."