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house-of-slayterr · 2 years

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Journalistic Science

You rolled over in your bed, groaning as your alarm went off for the third time this morning. You'd been up all night drinking, thanks to a certain someone. Your head was killing you, and your body felt sluggish. Twelve shots were certainly your maximum, no need to restest the hypothesis. You slapped the off button on your alarm clocks and slunk out of bed. As you walked passed the mirror, you stopped, you looked like shit.

You groaned, making your way over to the shower, seems like you'd be missing breakfast this morning. You didn't have time for both. After the shower, you there your hair up in a messy bun, you searched the cabinet for your contacts but were confused when you couldn't find any.

"Oh come on! Don't be out you irresponsible little shit! How did you forget to pick up more?"

You ran two your dresser, pulling out your spare glasses. They were thick, yellow-rimmed, hexegon-shaped frames. They made your eyes look huge with how strong your prescription was. But without them, you'd be useless. You pulled on your favourite sweater, intending to take it off when you got to work. You grabbed an energy drink on your way out and sped off to the Stark compound. As you made your way in, you realised you forgot your badge.

"Shit!" You swore.

A light chuckle was heard from behind you.

"Forget your badge again L/N?" Pepper's voice came from directly behind you.

You nearly jumped, caught off guard by her presence. You let out a heavy sigh, you knew her testing was playful, but you weren't in the mood today.

"Spare me the lecture please, it's been a long day." "It's only five am." She chuckled.

"Precisely."

"J.A.R.V.I.S, allow miss L/N Int the building without her badge from now on, just use the facial I.D. scanner." She instructed.

"Thank you!" you called out to her, as you rushed to the lab.

She never once looked up from her tablet, a bad habit she got into when in work mode. But she did raise a hand at you in acknowledgement. You made your way down the familiar path, keeping your head down You groaned loudly when you heard the sound of Black Sabbath blaring through the walls. You always wondered why Stark never turned on the soundproofing in the room, perhaps it was on purpose to annoy you.

"You're late." He said, also not looking up from his project.

"And you're the worst boss." You joked.

"It's not my fault, you can't handle your liquor. Company party requires your pretty face to show up."

You rolled your eyes at his comment. This man would sleep with anyone, and he practically had. You wondered if he even notices poor Pepper Potts was pining over him. She devoted herself fully to the company, as a way to distract herself from her boss. It was found upon to date at work, especially with that sort of power dynamic. But you routed for your friend anyway. She was probably the only person that talked to you besides Tony.

"Nice sweater by the way." He snickered.

You'd forgotten to take it off in your haste. It had a picture of a cat wearing heart-shaped sunglasses, drinking a latte on it. You quickly pulled it off over your head, accidentally knocking your glasses off in the process. You groaned when you heard a cark when they hit the hard lab floor. Tony paused what he was doing and came to your aid, picking up your glasses off the floor. You there your sweater on your chair and squinted at him.

"Which of the gods did I piss off today?" You asked jokingly.

He chuckled, gently grabbing your face and putting your glasses back on. It made you blush slightly, you were sure any person would in your position. It was odd how kind he was with you, you'd been how the billionaire treated other people.

"Take an extra long lunch today and go see the company optometrist, I'll have them fast-track a new pair of glasses for you. Or we could always just design you a pair that has an anti-gravity mechanism."

You couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but the lightheartedness was appreciated. He always knew how to make you less stressed. You pulled away, laughing awkwardly.

"Yeah, well make it the next big Stark invention, it will be so useful for the masses." You said sarcastically.

You quickly rushed over to your desk, resuming the project you were working on. Today you were probably focused on coding something that Mr Stark was working on as a side project. he was a genius, and he could just code something to code it for him, but he liked your work better. You rarely made errors, and always paid attention to details. It was one of the things he liked about you when he picked you over all the other scientists who applied for the job.

You majored in computer science, biochemistry, physics and aeronautical engineering. You were also finishing your linguistic and psychology degrees just for fun. You felt out of place if you weren't in a classroom, it made you feel incomplete. Tony always asked why you didn't just become a professor, you were more than qualified. But your response was always "And miss out on working in this dank lab with your awful music taste?" He nearly fired you the first time you said you didn't like ACDC, but Pepper convinced him he was overreacting. One of their songs came on your uber ride home that evening and you swore Tony had hacked the car's radio.

After about an hour into work, Tony scooted over to your desk, lurking behind you.

"Do you mind, boss man?" You jeered.

"Just checking in on my favourite girl."

"Weird, I didn't notice Pepper enter the lab."

You smiled when you noticed the man pause, his brain malfunctioning at the mention of the gorgeous woman. Sometimes you were jealous of her, she always had men pining over her, but never gave them the time of day. But you admired her commitment to being a powerful woman in America.

"How's the coding going?"

"What, wanna check my work?"

"Somebodies Fiesty today, remind me to make company time for naps.

You rolled my eyes. He went back over to whatever the fuck he was working on, on the other side of the room. He was always tinkering with something, but wouldn't tell me what it was. The swoosh of the lab doors sounded, but I didn't bother to look up, I knew who it was. Dr Banner, the man with 7 PHD's, god you wish you could be him. But your master's degrees weren't nearly as impressive. He didn't greet either of us, going straight to his desk and getting to work. You didn't realize you were staring up until Tony popped up by your desk again, startling me into spilling my energy drink.

You pushed back your chair, looking at the damage.

"What the fuck Tony?" You squealed.

This seemed to have caught Bruce's attention because the sound of his marker on the whiteboard stopped. Tony was doubled over, holding his stomach and laughing.

"Real Subtle L/N."

You glared at him.

"Tony, what did you do now?" Bruce said with a high.

You could hear the edge in his voice, he was stressed about something today, more so than usual. He made his way over, looking at the chaos that ensued. There was liquid on my computer, but it was Stark tech, so it wouldn't be hard to fix. But Your white t-shirt was completely soaked through, exposing your bra. You didn't notice Bruce's eyes on my chest, something you grew to expect from Tony.

"Shirt, now, I'm not putting my sweater back on." You glared at your boss.

Anyone else would probably be fired for talking to their higher-up like that, but Tony liked the sass. He hired Bruce, who you learned quickly was almost always sarcastic. Bruce was quick to take off his lab coat, wrapping it around your frame. The fabric completely covered you, being far bigger than you were.

"Thanks." You stuttered out.

He too sent a glare Tony's way, until the billionaire stopped laughing.

"Alright, alright, I'll be right back. You two kids don't have too much fun while I'm gone. Or use the lock on the door." He winked.

You scoffed. This cheeky Bastard.

"I'm sorry about him," you said, once Tony was out of earshot.

"You act like I expect anything more from him." Bruce brushed off, immediately going back to work. You sighed, I'd have to clean my keyboard and laptop or they would get sticky. But perhaps you deserved a short break. You bit your lip before my mouth spoke before my brain could catch up.

"Need any help with that?"

It was a shot in the dark, Dr Banner preferred to work alone most times. You've watched him overwork himself for months when he could have just asked for help.

"No, thank you."

"I'm not totally useless Dr Banner, I may not have 7 PHDs but you've been staring at that bored in frustration since you got in. Another set of eyes couldn't hurt."

Damn your mouth, always getting ahead of you. You didn't mean to come off as rude. Mostly because you never wanted to hurt him, but also because triggering the Hulk out, would be the worst end to your already shitty day. You heard him groan lowly, and were prepared to get reamed to hell in the back. Perhaps you deserved it.

"You wouldn't work her if you weren't incredibly smart Miss, L/N. You don't need a PHD to be a valued scientist."

His voice was softer than you were expecting, and it made me blush.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to put that on you, it wasn't fair of me to assume-"

He nodded his head toward the board, a silent invention for me to join him. You remained quiet for a moment, as you read over what he already had done. This didn't look like a project Mr Stark wanted to be done. But it wasn't rare for you to work on personal stuff when we weren't busy. You scrunched my brows together, he was working on a serum of some sort. You sighed, turning your attention to him.

"You're trying to get rid of him, aren't you?" You asked softly.

"I didn't invite you over here to pass judgment." You gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not judging you, Dr Banner, I couldn't imagine how it must feel- I'm just concerned is all. I'm not sure you're doing this with the right intentions."

"And what would be the right intentions?"

"It's not my place to say, you invited me over here to help, it was inappropriate of me to give my opinion which you didn't ask for. And you can't figure out the formula, because you're using the wrong equation. You flipped the derivatives, simple mistake."

You grabbed the marker and erased the equation, fixing it.

"Thanks." He said.

"Did you sleep last night? It's not like you to make mistake like that?"

He sighed, shaking his head.

"Did you?"

"Touche... You do know you can always come to talk to me, about anything right? I'd like to think of you as a friend Dr Banner, and I always help my friends."

You made your way back over to my desk, leaving your proposition open. You didn't want to push, but his recent behaviour was worrying you. You heard the lab door open and close again, you expected to hear the grating voice of Tony, but there was just silence. The lab was now empty, perhaps you overstepped. You slammed your face down onto your desk, letting out a huff. Which is the brilliant moment Tony decided to reappear.

"I gave you the lab all to yourselves, and you didn't even utilise it." He joked.

"Not the time, Tony. I think I royally fucked that up, so if you want to gloat, get it over with. Not only am I the worst scientist on your team, but I'm also completely useless at human interaction."

He handed you a blouse he must have grabbed from Pepper's collection, she sometimes kept clothes at work, for when she spent the night. It was a bit more girly than you were used to. You remembered to take off your cracked glasses first this time and ripped off your ruined shit.

"Woah!" Tony said.

"Relax, you act like you've never seen tits, before, mine aren't much to look at"

You could have sworn you saw him squint at them, before turning his back. A gesture you were surprised, yet grateful Tony would afford you. You looked down at your outfit.

"I look like a mess."

"You look fine." He corrected.

Bruce came back into the room, but you avoided his gaze. You had placed his lab coat back on his desk, neatly folded. What you weren’t expecting was for him to B-line over to your station. He set down a cup.

"Two creams and a teaspoon of honey, right? Pepper said that's what you liked."

You smiled at the kind gesture, taking a sip of the coffee, and letting the warmth of it slide down your throat.

"It's perfect, thank you. What do I owe you?" You asked, reaching in your backpack for your wallet.

He held up his hand, "a coffee for an equation" was all he said, before going back to work.

Tony sent you a thumbs up when Bruce had his back turned, and you rolled your eyes. The rest of the day went out without a hitch thankfully. You met Pepper upstairs, and for once she didn't have her face in her work.

"Is that my shirt?"

You pinched the bridge of your nose.

"Of course, he didn't ask you! Tony made me spill energy drink all over myself, it was this, an ugly cat sweater, or walking around with my chest out. Which seems to be frowned upon when women do it."

"I didn't think your sweater was ugly, it was cute." She joked.

"You're worse than Tony! At least I can tell when he's lying to me."

She chuckled lgihtly.

"So, are you ready for the public briefing?"

Oh shit! That was tonight?

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"The world hates me! Why do I have to go?"

"Because you helped Tony invent the damn thing. You're not calling in sick. And you're not wearing my blouse."

She grabbed your hand, leading you to the elevators. You went up to the common room floor, and she took you to a huge walk-in closet, you looked around bewildered.

"Tony keeps extra clothes for the women he toats around in front of the press."

"Why am I not surprised? What do you see in him again?"

"I ask myself that every day."

You smiled at her. She helped you for nearly half an hour, pick out an outfit. You finally settled on a suit. You weren’t comfortable in dresses.

"How do I look?" You gave her a little spin.

"Take your hair down!"

"I dont see how that will help..." "Trust me!"

So you did as she asked, taking your hair down, and brushing it back with your hand.

"You look perfect. Nobody will be able to take their eyes off you."

"Thanks, but I thought the point was for people to listen to me."

"You're presenting to a room full of sharks my love, they don't care what a woman has to say, not saying it's right, but I won't send you in their bleeding."

"I hate men."

"Dont we all? Now go, you can't also be late, or they'll call you diva."

You were nervous, giving your speech. You hated talking in front of people. And Pepper was right, you could feel the men looking at you like you were some hunk of meat. It was disgusting. But you had Bruce and Tony by your side, which helped. Tony made jokes to the crowd to break the tension and helped you answer the journalist's rapid-fire questions. And Bruce stood with his hand on your back, rubbing soothing circles, which you were grateful for. He normally wasn't quick to physical contact, so it meant more to you than he would ever know.

As it came to a close, you were more than ready to leave. You hated wearing heels. You bid farewell to your coworkers, who were getting swamped by reporters. But you were stopped by your own reporter on the way out.

"I must say, darling, your speech was rousing, but I think the people would rather know where you got that pretty outfit from." He slurred out.

He was clearly drunk, you rolled your eyes, attempting to push past him. He, however, didn't like your response and grabbed your wrist. You paused, unsure of what to do, you didn't want to cause a scene and wanted to handle this like a rational adult. But you hated being touched, let alone without your consent, anyone would.

"Please, let go of me." You said softly.

You supposed maybe he didn't hear you, foolishly giving this man the benefit of the doubt.

"I said, let go!" You said louder.

This gained the attention of a few people close by. But none of them did anything but stare, except for one man.

"I think she asked you to let go, buddy, are you deaf, or just stupid?" The man asked.

He looked mildly familiar, but you couldn't pinpoint him from anywhere.

"Stay out of this Brock." The man spat.

Apparently, that was the wrong answer because this guy stepped up to him.

"I won't ask you again, to let the pretty lady go..."

You cursed yourself for blushing at a time like this, but he was rather attractive. And he was standing up for you, what's not to like? You tried to squirm away while he was distracted, but he tightened his grip, causing you to whimper. This set Mr Brock off. Before you could comprehend what was happening, a punch was thrown, and the man was being lifted into the air by his collar.

"If you ever put your hands on a woman like that again, I will cut them off!" He said, throwing the man down on the floor.

You stood bewildered, he didn't look that strong yet he picked up a man twice his size. A crowd was drawn now, and you grew self-conscious under everyone's gaze. You rubbed at your now sore wrist and kept your gaze on the floor, the man was quick to approach you and block your body from the countless journalist trying to take photos of what just happened.

"Are you alright Miss L/N?"

"You- you know my name?" You asked, surprised.

"I am at your Biochemistry demonstration, am I not?"

You blushed madly, forgetting that most of the people in the room were actually there for you. Technically for "Stark's Apprentice" You didn't expect anyone to learn your name, let alone remember it.

"I'm ok," You said quickly, "It doesnt hurt that bad."

"I swear I should eat him." You thought you heard him mumble.

"What was that?"

"I said I should have beat him, more... nobody deserves to be handled like you were. He'll be lucky if he still has a job by the morning after I'm done slandering him." He offered, trying to lighten the mood.

"You dont have to do that Mr-" "Call me Eddie, Eddie Brock."

Tony quickly caught onto the commotion, making his way through the crowd over to you. He forgot to announce himself before placing a hand on your back, and you nearly jumped out of your skin, Eddie was quick to react, but you were faster, cutting him off.

"Relax, it's just my boss."

"What happened over here?"

"This idiot thought he could put his hands on her and get away with it." Eddie pointed to the man who was still writhing on the ground with a broken nose.

Tony glared at the young reporter.

"My employer can speak for herself, pretty boy." He said, going into overprotective mode.

You said, annoyed at the macho energy that was crowding your space.

"If the both of you dont shut up, I'm punching each of you in the dick."

Eddie laughed, not realising you were being serious. Once he caught your gaze though, he raised his hand in surrender.

"I didn't mean to insinuate you could defend yourself, but I've been looking for a reason to punch that idiot for years now." He laughed.

"Want me to file a case against him?" Tony asked.

"Naw." You said.

You moved passed both men, crouching down to the ground in front of the whip who tried to hurt you. You lifted his chin, making him look at you.

"I believe in second chances, but you won't be getting a third. Go home, sobber up, and think about how much of a failure you are. I'm sure you're mothers very disappointed." You scolded.

Before he could respond, you took your other hand, and straightened his broken nose, he let out a scream. You slapped his cheek for emphasis, before going back to your boss and new protector.

"I can have Happy drive you home," Tony suggested.

"I don't think I want to go home right now." You sighed.

"Care for some dinner?" Eddie suggested.

You thought it over. You had a crush on Bruce, but you didn't think you'd ever be good enough for him. Maybe you could give the handsome reporter a chance. He was kind and hilarious, you felt bad using him as an emotional rebound. But it didn't seem like he was expecting anything out of this offer.

"I would love some dinner, Mr Brock." You smiled at him.

Tony gave you his signature look, and you once again found yourself rolling your eyes for what felt like the thousandth tie that day. Perhaps your day was looking up. You managed to get a date with Eddie Brock, what else could you do?

AN: Nobody asked, but I haven't written like anything marvel, so ignore the self-indulgence here. I just wanted to write this for myself. I'm busy at work this weekend, but I'll get to requests soon, I promise. Love you all!

#marvel #marvel x reader #mcu x reader #bruce banner #dr banner #the hulk #eddie brock #eddie brock x reader #venom #hulk x reader #bruce banner x reader

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