Chapter 22: Visiting

Pietro and Helen sat at the table, their quiet meal interrupted only by the occasional clink of cutlery. Pietro, trying to break the silence, glanced up and asked, "Do you usually hang out with friends?"

Helen smiled but sighed, "Not as much as I'd like. I'm pretty busy these days."

Pietro nodded, taking a bite before replying, "Makes sense. How did you get around with all that going on?"

"I manage," Helen said with a soft chuckle. "But how are you navigating around here?"

"I learned Korean. Nothing too big," Pietro said with a shrug, though his tone hinted at the effort. "Still feels weird constructing sentences though."

Helen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "When did you learn it?"

"A day before I got here," he said casually.

Helen blinked, momentarily deadpan. *A day?* She reminded herself that Pietro was far from normal. "You're something else."

Pietro smirked. "Says the person who created Regeneration Cradles."

That brought a small smile to Helen's face. "True, but where did you stash the cradle?"

"In your research lab," Pietro replied nonchalantly.

Helen's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. "Oh… I want to thank you for saving my employees."

"You're welcome," Pietro said, his expression softening.

"Did... they die in the past?" Helen asked quietly, her voice a bit hesitant.

Pietro met her gaze. "Yes."

Helen let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, grateful for the second chance. "Thank you," she whispered.

They continued eating in silence for a few moments before Helen spoke again. "How long are you planning to stay?"

"Until my identity card is ready," Pietro said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

Helen eyed him suspiciously. "Did you hack the government?"

"Yep. Gaia handled that for me," Pietro answered without skipping a beat.

"Gaia?" Helen asked, confused. "Is that who I spoke to on the jet?"

"Yes, Gaia is my Global Artificial Intelligence Assistant," Pietro explained, a hint of pride in his voice.

Helen leaned back, taking it all in. "How did you even come up with something like that?"

Pietro downplayed it with a shrug. "I used schematics Hydra left behind and built the AI from that."

"Hydra?" Helen's voice softened as she looked at him.

"They're the ones who experimented on me and my sister. Out of everyone, we were the only ones who survived." His tone was matter-of-fact, but Helen could hear the weight behind the words.

Helen frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Pietro shook his head, offering her a small smile. "It's okay. Without that experiment, I'd probably just be another person caught up in the wars back home. This gave me a chance to change things."

Wanting to shift away from the heavy topic, he asked, "Let's talk about something else. How long did it take you to get your PhD?"

Helen smiled, appreciating the change in subject, and launched into the story of her journey through academia. They talked well into the night, the conversation flowing naturally between them. When they were done eating, Helen insisted on washing the dishes while Pietro returned to his research, but not before continuing their conversation.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Helen called out as she rinsed a plate.

"Not really," Pietro replied. "Why? You got something in mind?"

"I was thinking of visiting my research facility," Helen said, drying her hands. "I want to assess the damage. Do you want to come?"

Pietro looked up from his laptop and nodded. "Sure, I'll join you."

"Great," Helen smiled.

Pietro chuckled. "Has Tony reimbursed you yet?"

"Not yet. I need to calculate how much damage there is first," Helen sighed.

"Figures," Pietro muttered, nodding thoughtfully.

A day had passed, and Pietro walked alongside Helen through the facility. Despite the fact that a crazed robot had recently infiltrated the place, it was bustling with workers trying to get things back in order.

"For once, I actually get to walk through the front door like a normal person," Pietro quipped, flashing a grin.

Helen chuckled softly, but their moment was interrupted when a man hurried over to them.

"Dr. Cho," the man greeted her formally.

"Dr. Philip," Helen replied, nodding. She gestured to Pietro beside her. "This is…"

Before she could finish, Pietro stepped in smoothly, meeting Dr. Philip's gaze. "I'm Kim Dokja, nice to meet you, Dr. Philip," Pietro said in perfect Korean, offering his hand with a friendly smile.

Dr. Philip hesitated before shaking Pietro's hand, his expression betraying a hint of suspicion. "If you don't mind me asking, Dr. Cho... who exactly is Mr. Kim to you?"

Without missing a beat, Pietro smiled wider and slipped his arm around Helen's shoulders. "I'm her boyfriend," he said casually.

Dr. Philip's face tightened with surprise, and for a moment, Pietro caught the brief flicker of disappointment. 'Ah,' Pietro thought, 'he likes her. Well, too bad.'

Helen shot Pietro a glare, her expression clearly asking, 'Are you serious right now?'

Feeling her disapproval, Pietro quickly withdrew his arm, offering a sheepish grin.

Dr. Philip, visibly flustered but maintaining his professionalism, continued. "Dr. Cho, there's something I'd like to show you. If you both would follow me." He gestured for them to walk, and they complied.

As they trailed behind Dr. Philip, Helen elbowed Pietro in the ribs, leaning in to whisper, "Since when are you my boyfriend?"

Pietro smirked. "Since I started crashing at your house. But seriously, it's better if we let them think we're a couple. Otherwise, if someone sees me entering your place, who knows what rumors could start flying?"

Helen rolled her eyes but couldn't help a slight smile. "Lucky for you, you're handsome," she muttered.

Pietro grinned, pleased with the compliment. Dr. Philip, hearing their hushed conversation, clenched his jaw in irritation. Desperate to redirect their focus, he said sharply, "Dr. Cho, as you're aware, the Regeneration Cradle was severely damaged after being stolen by Ultron and suddenly appear here. It's in need of major repairs."

When they arrived at the storage room where the cradle was kept, Helen glanced at Pietro as if silently asking for his input. Pietro, avoiding eye contact for a moment, knew full well what had happened. Gaia had already scanned the damage.

"How much do you estimate the cost will be?" Helen asked Dr. Philip.

Before he could answer, Pietro chimed in. "Around 34 million USD."

Helen blinked, surprised. "And how do you know that?"

Pietro strolled around the Regeneration Cradle, examining it even though he already had the details memorized. "The cradles were power overloaded," he explained. "The bioprinting technology needs to be replaced, the AI system restored, and the structural integrity of the cradles themselves needs to be reworked. Depending on how much of the system was fried by the lightning and what can be salvaged, the repair costs could be anywhere between 20 to 45 million. But honestly, it's probably better to just build a new one."

Both Dr. Philip and Helen stared at him, taken aback by his precise analysis.

"Build a new one?" Dr. Philip scoffed, his frustration bubbling up. "That's a waste of money. We can repair the damage."

"Tony Stark is footing the bill," Pietro said nonchalantly. "Why worry about wasting money when he's the one covering the damages?"

Dr. Philip's eyes widened in disbelief. "Tony Stark is paying for this?"

Helen confirmed it with a nod. "Yes, he's agreed to reimburse us."

With that, Helen clapped her hands together. "I'm going to check in on the other departments."

She walked out, leaving Dr. Philip and Pietro alone. The tension between the two men was palpable, with Dr. Philip glaring at Pietro, clearly displeased by his presence.

Pietro, unfazed, simply smiled back, as if to say, 'Better luck next time.'