Of Love and Mischief (MCUxReader)

Eighteen

"Here we go." Tony placed you down on a workbench in Bruce's lab. You clung to his shoulders, looking frantically around the room checking every nook and cranny for lingering blue shadows with red eyes.

"Hey." His voice drew you back to him. "Are you okay?"

You swallowed a few times, trying to get your voice to work. When it did, it came out in a whisper. "I don't know."

"Does anything hurt?" He asked looking up and down your body checking for injuries.

You immediately grabbed your forearm where Bucky had touched you with his non-metal hand.

"Let me see." Tony gently took your hand in his to bring your arm up to inspect it.

There on your forearm was a burn in the distinct shape of a handprint.

"What happened here?" He prodded at the edges.

"Uhhh-" You didn't know what to tell them. You didn't want to get Bucky in trouble, and you certainly didn't want any more punishments from Demon.

"Olivia, we can't help you if you don't talk to us." Bruce said as he walked up beside Tony, various medical supplies in his arms.

Demon said I can work with them. I just can't tell them he exists. You thought.

Very good, pet.

You panicked slightly when you heard his voice in your head. But another look around the room proved he wasn't there.

"Whoa. Okay, just take a few deep breaths. You don't have to tell us anything just yet." Tony reassured you while glaring at Bruce.

Bruce got the hint. "Yeah. Let's just start with patching up that burn. Shouldn't need any regeneration from the cradle, but it looks like it hurts."

"It d-does." You stuttered.

Tony backed up to make room for Bruce to work. After a few minutes, your arm was wrapped up and the pain had diminished from whatever cream Bruce had applied.

"Now, can we get you in the cradle? I'd like a full body scan." Bruce held up a hand to help you down off the table.

He led you over to the pod and helped you lie down in it, closing the lid and turning it on. The machine took about fifteen minutes to complete all the scans. When you were finished, Tony helped you out and pulled up a chair for you to sit in while the two men looked over the results.

"It just doesn't make sense. Everything is normal. With the amount of stress she just went through, something should be elevated. The only thing even slightly off is her core temperature. It's lower than average." Bruce kept going, listing all of the chemical compounds and their meanings. But you just zoned out.

"Let's pull up the footage from the training level. Maybe there's something there to see that could help us figure out what triggered the episode." Tony suggested, already pulling up the footage on the projected computer screen.

He fast forwarded through most of the morning, pausing at the part where Bucky grabbed your arm. He turned and looked at you. "Is this what caused the burn?"

You shrugged. "I guess."

"Hmmm." Tony rewound the tape, going much slower this time. He played it back starting the moment you got onto the mat with Bucky.

"Ooof, that was a hard knock." Bruce winced when you watched Bucky sweep your feet out from under you, knocking you down. "Should probably monitor for concussion." Bruce turned back to his screen to type some information in.

"Wait." Tony called Bruce's attention back over. "Look at that."

You all three watched the change in your body as you stood back up. Gone was the insecure girl that had stepped onto the mat. In her place was someone who radiated confidence. Back straight, you took on a proper stance, countering Bucky's every move with speed and skill.