Hi guys! This is my longest chapter yet, and it's got more Bruce in it! Yaay! In the next chapter there'll be even MORE Bruce! Woohoo! Thanks again to everyone whose reviewed, you guys reviewing is what inspires me to keep writing! Seriously, reviews are like crack, it's awesome! Not that I know what crack is like or anything, that stuff is bad. So, you keep reviewing and I'll keep off the crack, okay guys?
Disclaimer: I only own Dallas and Minnie.
The next day Pepper, Dallas and I went to the bridal shop. "I love weddings." Dallas sighed as he flipped through a bridal magazine, and then turned to Pepper. "When are you and the delicious Mr. Stark tying the knot?"
"Dallas." I sighed as shook my head as I walked up to the manager. "Hi, I'm sorry, how much longer is this going to take?"
"I'm so sorry dear, there's a young bride in there with a Very indecisive soon to be mother in law and mother." the manager sighed.
"Yeesh, poor girl." I said and the manager nodded.
"Can I offer you some coffee or anything while you wait?"
"I would love a cup of coffee." Pepper piped up and Dallas nodded.
"I think coffee would be great, thank you so much." I smiled.
"Again, I'm very sorry." the manager said and I nodded. I sat back down and Dallas looked at me over the edge of the magazine.
"So, tell me about that Dr. Banter."
"Banner." I corrected him as I looked at my phone. "And there's nothing to tell, he's a doctor and a friend of Tony's."
"He's pretty cuteā¦" he said and smiled at the woman who brought our coffee over. Pepper was outside on the phone, probably telling Tony we were going to be late to lunch.
"Thanks." I smiled at the woman and mixed Pepper's coffee the way I knew she liked it, and then poured two sugars into my coffee with no cream. Black as night but sweet as a kiss. I heard that somewhere once, but I didn't remember where. It was just something I thought of when I made my coffee now. Pepper walked back into the shop and smiled as I handed her the coffee.
"They're going to meet us here and we'll go from here."
"They?" I asked.
"Tony is dragging Bruce along, says he needs to stop spending so much time in the lab. Is that okay?"
"We were just talking about him." Dallas said looking at me with a mischievous look in his eye.
"Who Tony? What about?" Pepper asked.
"No, his friend, Dr. Banner. I was just saying how cute he and Minnie over there would be. In a sort of College student and her professor sort of way." he said and I blushed lightly.
"God I need to stop telling you things." I muttered.
"Why, what happened?" Pepper looked at me innocently.
"I was making Dr. Banner some tea, and I was going for one of the boxes near the back on the top shelf in the floor twelve kitchen and I almost fell off the counter. Dr. Banner had come looking for me I guess, and he caught me before I hit the floor, it was really embarrassing." I said shaking my head.
"Mom, It's My Wedding!" a girl who looked like she was sixteen with a very obviously swollen stomach said as she and two women walked through the shop. "It made me look fat!"
"Uh, no, that would be my very premature grandchild making you look fat." the girl's mother said as they walked out.
"Ms. Strong?" the manager of the shop asked and I looked up. "If you and your friends are ready, we're all ready for you."
"Thank you Mrs. Cooper." I said as we walked into the back. I went to a dressing room and changed into the dress, then walked out.
"Ow, hot stuff!" Dallas said making me and Pepper laugh.
"Okay, it looks like we may have to take it in a little here, tell me if this hurts." the woman setting the pins said as she started to take in the waist a little.
"I'm fine." I said as she continued to work on the dress. I looked in the mirror and sighed, running my hands over the front of the dress.
It was a beautiful dress that much was sure. I knew Tabby would pick a nice dress, but this. I was tempted to keep the dress for other occasions in the future. It was strapless, and hugged my bust a little tightly; blue gauzy material was laid over white satiny material. It was pulled tight all the way to my hips, and then loosened out a little, flowing down past my feet. There was already a woman pinning it up so it could be hemmed. The pale blue gauzy material was very soft and I had to admit looked great with my red hair.
"Let your hair loose so I can send a picture to your sister." Pepper instructed. I looked at the woman who was talking about letting the bust area out just a teensy bit, and she nodded so I unclipped my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders in red waves from being pinned up in that twist for so long. Pepper took a picture on my phone and I smiled.
"So what happened after you fell on Dr. Banner?" Dallas asked, not giving up that easily.
"Uh, nothing. He put me down-"
"Wait, he caught you- like he was holding you?" he asked and I nodded.
"I was kneeling on the counter, my knee gave out."
"Oh, honey you have to have that looked at." Pepper said and I rolled my eyes.
"They said I should get some sort of surgery." I said. "I mean, it's not getting worse, but it's not getting better."
"So, he catches you, and he's holding you..."
"Look it wasn't what you're thinking okay, it's not like a Colin Firth Mr. Darcy came running out of a lake and held me in his arms while he and I stared intensely into each other's eyes." I said as I rolled my eyes. "He caught me from behind."
"Ow, I always knew you were into the kinky shit!" he laughed and I actually threw a magazine at him.
"He put me down, we talked for a minute, I made him tea and he went back to work!" I shouted at Dallas, my face was turning red, I could see it in the mirror and Pepper was laughing.
"I'd recognize that slightly embarrassed exasperated shout anywhere." Tony said as he came into the fitting room.
"I'm sorry Ms. Strong, he insisted." Mrs. Cooper said as Tony and Dr. Banner walked in.
"It's fine Mrs. Cooper, I'm surprised he stayed away this long." I said with a sigh. I looked at Tony who was looking my dress over, and I held out my arms. "What do you think?"
"You know you so rarely wear these types of things; I sometimes forget you have a figure."
"Jesus, it's not like I'm wearing sweat pants and hoodies all day." I said with a small scowl.
"True and, you can just call me Tony."
"You're lucky I threw the last magazine at Dallas." I said with a smile, making him grin as he sat down next to Pepper, slinging his arm around her shoulders.
"Bruce what do you think of Minnie's new look?" Dr. Banner looked away from his cell phone and at me, his dark eyes caught mine, and he held his gaze for a moment, before he looked me over. I felt my face heat up slightly as he looked my dress over, and then looked back at me.
"You look nice." he said finally and I smiled lightly.
"Thank you Dr. Banner." I said.
"Okay we're done." the woman said to me and I looked away from the older man to her and then smiled.
"Oh good."
"Please be careful to not move the pins."
"I'll help!" Dallas said flinging himself off of the couch.
"God any excuse to go into a dressing room with me." I rolled my eyes as we went to the dressing room.
"Okay, oh my god, that was so hot!" he practically squealed.
"What are you talking about?" I asked as I held my hair up so he could unzip the back of my dress.
"That look, talk about intense Colin Firth staring into each other's eyes." he said and sighed holding a hand to his heart.
"He looked at my dress." I said with a shrug.
"No, Tony Stark looked at your dress. Dr. Banner, he looked at you." he said as he put his hand on my shoulder.
"I hardly know him." I said with a small laugh.
"Girl you need to do something about that, because when a guy looks at you like he did, you do not let him go."
"He's my boss' friend." I said softly.
"Yeah, and honey, you boss is dating his ex secretary and makes sexist jokes to your face. I highly doubt he's gonna care." he said before he helped me out of the dress. "I'll see you out there." he walked out of the dressing room with the dress and handed it to the woman who had marked the alterations. I dressed quickly and walked out of the dressing room as well, and went to the front of the store where everyone was. "Baby girl, you've got another fitting in two weeks."
"Thanks." I said as Dallas put it into my phone.
"Getting married?" Dr. Banner asked and I looked up at him.
"Uh, no sir, my sister is." I said as I took my purse from Dallas.
"You have siblings?"
"Yes sir, three. An older brother, an older sister and a younger sister." I chuckled softly. "My little sister is getting married, which makes me the only Strong sibling left." I said as I thought about my conversations from the night before. "Which apparently concerns my family."
"What about?" he asked as we walked outside, trailing after Tony, Pepper and Dallas, all three of whom, I didn't notice, were subtly watching Dr. Banner and I talk.
"They think I swing the other way because I haven't seriously dated in a few years." I shrugged.
"Really?" he asked and I shrugged. "Do you?" he asked and I looked up at him to see him smiling.
"No, Dr. Banner, I'll have you know, I am extremely attracted to men." I said crossing my arms.
"I'm sorry, that was mean," he said with a small laugh. "I just wanted to see what you would do."
"If you'd have been Tony or Dallas, I'd probably have wacked you." I said shaking my head. He started to chuckle and I sighed. "That is not funny Dr. Banner." he paused when I called him that, and then cleared his throat.
"You can call me Bruce you know." he said and I looked up at him. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and I smiled.
"Okay Bruce." I said, and stuck out my hand. He looked at it, and then slipped his own hand into mine. "Nice to meet you." I said as I shook his hand. He smiled a little bit wider, and held my hand a little bit longer, before slipping his out of my grasp.
"It's nice to meet you too Minnie." he said as we continued to walk, the both of us continued to smile the entire way to the restaurant.
Lunch was a very pleasant affair.
