Now I've got writer's block, but only for author's notes. Well I'm pretty positive nobody reads them anyway, so I'll just assume you will forgive me for being brief.

I'm not Stan Lee (bless him) and I do not own Marvel. Glad we cleared that up.

All the thanks to my Beta for this one, Nova. Whatever would I ever do without you?

TapTap

Claire was dancing around the lab slightly, bouncing little baby Stark on her hip as Bruce Banner smilingly told her about the new details in their common research.

"I've done the Hulk, I've got Steve, and your values are in for comparison. I wish we could bring in Bucky as well, but he's not comfortable in a lab environment unfortunately." Bruce really did sound as if he lamented the fact, and yet it seemingly had never crossed his mind to press the point. Claire both understood, and loved him - her most normal new big brother, in a certain kind of way - for it.

"Well, maybe it's something specific making him uncomfortable?" she suggested. "I could ask. If he doesn't want to that's beyond fine, of course, but I think he does, actually."

Bruce smiled, turning his head and making a grimace for the benefit of the baby on Claire's hip."Perhaps. Do let me know if you figure something out, with that 'I can double-cross Tony Stark in engineering' brain of yours!"

The engineer laughed, though not for the same reason as why her god-daughter did. "You make it sound as if I'm a genius. Sometimes I have no idea what you two - well, three, now - are talking about, you know."

Reaching out his arms to take Natalia as the baby made a motion towards him, Bruce smiled at the young woman opposite him, someone he had come to care for practically as much as his original science bro, though in another way. "I know. And don't sell yourself short - you're in pretty steep competition around here." He bit his tongue, taking the baby without saying what he had clearly been on the brink to.

"Anyway," he continued after a moment, rocking gently now that he held the little one, "there are many kinds of brilliant. I know your IQ isn't as high as that of me and Tony, but I'm also aware you have other gifts. Besides being much more practical," he gave her a significant look and she smirked, "which we can really use around here, and not being emotionally constipated, which we need even more, you have a visionary mind in another way than we do. You get ideas we don't - even if you don't know what to make of them sometimes."

"Yeah... but I have you two for that." Claire blinked at him, telling him without words that she understood the reassurance he was trying to express, and in doing so also proving him right. "And because I am all of those things, I do know that you're trying to tell me something, but aren't. Don't. Just out with it, Doc!"

He chuckled at the mostly unfamiliar nickname, bouncing Natalia lightly, smiling down at her for a moment before looking up at Claire again.

"You mentioned your third genius," he said simply after a heartbeat. "I just wonder at him. He's going awfully fast. Don't let him be too pushy. I know Bucky, Clint and Tony joke about locking people in with the Hulk... Well, that's a bit drastic, I'd say, but if it's what it takes..." He was frowning at that point, everything about his body language and tone deeply protective.

Claire's answering look was suitably touched. "Bruce... Wayne pushes for the same reason that Tony can, sometimes. They get ahead of themselves. Even you do, from time to time. It's your silly genius brains, is what it is! Sure, this is different." She looked down for a moment, focusing on the little girl instead of her science uncle, or whatever he was. She looked back up after a few moments. "Their intentions couldn't be further apart, and also because I'm not so sure I want what Wayne does, but their minds work alike. So I understand. I've had practice with the phenomenon already. It's complicated in this case, yes, but there is only one way of finding these things out!"

Bruce nodded, thoughtfully. Different from any other man in the tower, he listened well even to this kind of thing. "Do you believe he is serious, or is it only about...?"

Claire snorted. "About sex? Have you seen him? Believe me, sex is the single thing I'm least concerned about if I want or not. I mean I can't be alone with him yet and that's pretty much a game over for that sort of thing, but I'd be down for some of that."

She waited for a few moments, trying valiantly not to laugh, while Bruce sorted out his facial expression. Then she answered the serious part of his question. "He says he does, and I believe him. I also believe he understood I was serious when I told him he'd just have to prove that the hard way. He respects it, I think, and he respects me well enough to say those things in the first place. And that's a good sign. So yeah, I know he's being pushy. I'm pretty certain it isn't on purpose, and I'm just gonna feel it out. Slowly."

Bruce Banner nodded thoughtfully once again, handing the now sleeping baby back to her. With a final smile, he turned to return to his research, and Claire left with a mumbled goodbye to put her goddaughter to bed for her morning nap.