Interdimensional gate & Old flame

The lab at Stark Tower hummed with energy, a symphony of beeping monitors, flickering holograms, and the occasional spark of live wires. At the center of it all stood Bruce. His sleeves were rolled up, his eyes narrowed in focus as he adjusted the power calibrations on the interdimensional gate's energy matrix.

Opposite him, with arms crossed and an equally focused gaze, was Susan Storm.

"You're overcompensating," she noted, her voice cutting through the low hum of machinery.

Bruce smirked, tapping a few commands into the interface. "You wound me, Sue. My calculations are always perfect."

Sue arched a brow. "Then why is your quantum stabilizer output fluctuating by 0.2% every five minutes?"

Bruce's fingers stilled over the keyboard. He turned, meeting her gaze, and for a moment, the years melted away. There was a time, long ago, when their interactions had been less about physics and more about... something neither of them had been brave enough to name.

She tilted her head, an amused glint in her blue eyes. "Speechless? That's a first."

Bruce took a deep breath, a shadow of a smirk returning. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little," She shrugged. "Now, are you going to admit I'm right, or do I have to fix it myself?"

Bruce gestured toward the control panel. "By all means, be my guest. But if you blow up the tower, I'm putting that on your tab."

Sue rolled her eyes but stepped forward, fingers deftly working through the calculations. As she did, Bruce found himself watching her—not just in the way a scientist observes his peer, but in the way a man watches a woman who had once meant more to him than he'd ever admitted.

The past resurfaced like a whisper in his mind. One-night stands, stolen moments, laughter between sheets of tangled silk. It had never been serious. Or at least, that's what they had told themselves.

Until it was.

Until Tony Stark decided to settle down with Pepper, leaving that part of his life behind.

But he wasn't Tony anymore.

And maybe—just maybe—Sue had never truly let go, either.

The holographic interface flickered as Sue finalized the stabilizer adjustments, her fingers moving with practiced precision. Bruce, arms crossed, watched with a smirk—not just at her skills, but at the way she carried herself. Confident. Controlled. Just like he remembered.

The machine let out a soft beep, indicating the stabilization matrix had successfully locked in. Sue leaned back, brushing a few strands of blonde hair from her face as she turned to Bruce.

"Fixed it," she announced, crossing her arms.

Bruce exhaled dramatically, feigning reluctance. "Fine, I'll admit it. You were right."

Sue smirked. "Damn right, I was."

She patted the machine and turned toward him. Their eyes met—just for a second, but it was long enough. Long enough for Bruce to remember how those same blue eyes used to look at him in the quiet moments. Long enough for Sue to remember the warmth of his touch, the way his voice had once whispered things that made her forget everything else.

It was dangerous, this kind of nostalgia.

And yet, neither of them looked away.

Bruce cleared his throat, forcing himself to break the silence. "How about a break? Before we fry our brains?"

Sue glanced at the console, ensuring everything was stable, then nodded. "You read my mind."

A few minutes later, they were in one of the private lounges in Stark Tower. The room was dimly lit, designed more for relaxation than work. A massive screen stretched across the far wall, and a selection of old movies was available on the system.

Bruce sat on the couch, rolling his sleeves back down. Sue sat beside him, stretching her arms over her head.

"So," she said, scrolling through the movie selections. "Action? Sci-fi? Please don't say horror. I don't need an excuse for you to pretend to be all protective."

Bruce smirked. "You think I'd pull that move?"

Sue shot him a knowing look.

"Okay, fair," he admitted. "But in my defense, it worked last time."

Sue scoffed but didn't deny it. "Fine. You pick."

Bruce selected an old classic—Casablanca.

Sue blinked. "Really?"

Bruce shrugged. "It's a good movie."

She gave him a look but let it slide. The film started, the black-and-white visuals casting a soft glow in the room. They watched in silence for a while, the atmosphere settling into something almost comfortable.

Almost.

Because every now and then, Bruce would catch Sue glancing at him. And every now and then, he'd find himself remembering the way her hand used to rest against his chest when she was half-asleep.

At one point, their hands brushed as they reached for the popcorn at the same time. Neither of them pulled away immediately.

Bruce felt the warmth of her skin against his own, a stark contrast to the cold calculations they'd been buried in for months.

Sue glanced at him. "This feels weird, doesn't it?"

Bruce smirked, but there was something softer in his eyes. "Yeah."

She didn't move her hand. Neither did he.

But eventually, the movie ended, and reality settled in again.

"Alright," Sue said, stretching as she stood. "Break's over. Back to work, Stark."

Bruce chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."

[1 month later]

The lab was alive with energy—literally. The interdimensional gate was finally stabilized, and the energy output reading was perfectly balanced. It had taken months of work, but the moment had finally arrived.

Sue let out a breath of disbelief. "We did it," she muttered, eyes scanning the readings. "Holy shit, we actually did it."

Bruce ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head with a smirk. "Told you my calculations were perfect."

Sue rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

Then, without thinking, without hesitation, she turned, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him.

It wasn't a soft kiss. It was fierce, a collision of months of tension, of unsaid words, of old feelings clawing their way back to the surface. Bruce responded instantly, his hands gripping her waist, pulling her closer.

For a few seconds, it was just them. Just heat. Just want.

Then Sue pulled back.

Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd done.

Bruce's lips parted slightly, breath still heavy from the moment. "Well," he muttered, voice low. "That was unexpected."

Sue stepped back, running a hand through her hair. "I... damn it."

Bruce smirked. "You gonna blame that on quantum mechanics?"

She shot him a glare, but there was no real fire behind it. Just confusion. Just desire she wasn't sure she was ready to face.

"We should... We should get back to work," she muttered and turned around. 

Bruce's hand shot out, his fingers wrapping gently but firmly around Sue's wrist. She froze, her back still turned to him, her breath catching in her throat. For a moment, neither of them moved. The hum of the lab's machinery filled the silence, a steady reminder of the world outside the bubble they'd just created.

Then, he pulled her back toward him. Sue turned, her blue eyes wide with surprise, but before she could protest, his lips were on hers again. This time, the kiss was slower, more deliberate, as if he was savoring every second of it. His other hand came up to cradle her face, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek.

Sue's initial resistance melted away almost instantly. Her hands found their way to his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as she kissed him back. The tension that had been building between them finally broke, and it felt like coming home.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless. Sue's cheeks were flushed, and Bruce's usual composure was nowhere to be found. He rested his forehead against hers, his voice low and rough.

"You can't just kiss me like that and walk away, Sue," he murmured. "Not again."

Sue's lips curved into a faint, almost rueful smile. "I wasn't planning on it," she admitted softly. "But this... complicates things."

He chuckled, the sound warm and familiar. "Since when have we ever done anything that wasn't complicated?"

She laughed, a short, breathy sound that made his chest tighten. "Fair point."

For a moment, they just stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future hanging in the air between them. But for the first time in a long time, it felt like they were on the same page.

Sue tilted her head back to look at him, her expression softening. "What happens now?"

Bruce's gaze was steady, his dark eyes searching hers. "That's up to you," he said quietly. "But for what it's worth... I'm done pretending I don't want this. I'm done pretending I don't want you."

Sue's breath hitched, and for a moment, she looked like she might argue. But then she sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned into him. "You always did know how to say the right thing," she muttered, though there was no real annoyance in her tone.

Bruce smirked, his hand sliding down to rest at the small of her back. "I've had a lot of time to think about it."

She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips betrayed her. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"So I've been told," he replied, his tone light but his eyes serious. "But you're still here."

Sue hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah," she said softly. "I am."

The moment stretched, the air between them charged with something unspoken but undeniable. Bruce's hand tightened slightly on her waist, and Sue's fingers traced idle patterns on his chest, as if she was mapping out the contours of his heart.

Finally, Sue broke the silence. "We should probably... finish stabilizing the gate," she said, though her voice lacked conviction.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Probably," he agreed, though he made no move to let her go.

Sue laughed, shaking her head. "You're terrible."

"And yet, you're still here," he repeated, his smirk widening.

She sighed, but there was a spark of amusement in her eyes. "Fine. But after we finish this, you're buying me dinner. And not just takeout from that place down the street."

"I'll cook you some..." He kissed her forehead.

---

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