Reunion with brokeharlem

[labcoatgirl]

[follows this]

It was a long trip, almost six hours before she was in New York. Betty hadn't driven much in big city like this so she was grateful for the turn by turn directions of her GPS. Stark tower loomed in the center of town, the glowing sign lighting up the dark. It was still a wreck here, she had to avoid multiple construction sites, passing huge holes in the road and businesses smashed to pieces.

She parked in a lot a short distance away from the tower, who's sign was reduced to just a single A glowing overhead. Betty got out of the car and started walking, thumbing her phone as she posted on twitter, to make sure Bruce knew she was there.

@drbanner I'm here, walking towards the tower.

Comments

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

If she was more awake, she would have still argued that she was perfectly fine staying on the couch. It was comfy enough, perhaps too much so if she was this much asleep already.

When he shifts, she mumbles something in her sleep, readjusting unconsciously to fit under his arm before she can slide off his shoulder. It's been a very long day.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

He shushes her softly, gently, and ghosts a hand over her hair as he gathers her into his arms. He pauses for a moment afterwards, making sure he hasn't inadvertently woken her, then, once he's sure, he stands up, Betty in his arms, and carries her over to the bed. He sets her down carefully, peeling up one corner of the comforter to drape over her, and takes a step back.

"Sweet dreams," he mumbles, retreating back to the couch to clean up.

[labcoatgirl.livejournal.com]

He's the one person she actually feels safe with doing this, even subconsciously. Betty doesn't wake as he picks her up and puts her in the bed, shifting slightly as he puts the comforter over her to hold to the pillow as she gives in to sleep for the night.

Jarvis accommodates by dimming the lights on that side of the room.

[brokeharlem.livejournal.com]

Bruce pauses, mumbling a thank you to Tony's AI, then turns to silently start cleaning up the mess he and Betty made. It doesn't take long and for once, he's grateful that he's managed to learn to be so sneaky over the course of the last few years. He figures he would have woken Betty, otherwise.

When he's finished, he settles down on the couch with a tablet in his lap. He plans on working until he's too exhausted to keep his eyes open -- there's a fine line between too tired to have nightmares and too tired to keep every little thing from irritating him while he's awake -- but it doesn't take him too long to think better of it and set the tablet aside. He contents himself to watching Betty quietly, instead, listening to the sound of her breathing and the sounds of the house, his mind wandering idly.

He falls asleep sooner than he would have liked, perhaps, but his dreams are thankfully empty.