Hey!!! For the prompts: an AU where the farmhouse scene in AoU goes a little differently?
Stay
Also on AO3
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“Are you sure you’re okay?” Laura asked her for probably the tenth time in as many minutes.
“I’ll be fine,” Natasha promised, finishing off the cup of tea Laura made for her.
Laura eyed her, like she didn’t quite believe her, but she didn’t press her any further. From the corner of her eye, Natasha saw Clint lead Bruce upstairs. She looked back at Laura with a small smile and stretched her arms over her head.
“I need a shower,” she said, putting her mug in the sink.
She felt Laura’s eyes on her as she left the kitchen and disappeared up the stairs. It wouldn’t surprise Natasha one bit if Laura was on to her real intentions, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t the only one who suffered at the hands of Wanda’s manipulations, but she was equipped to deal with what she’d been shown. She wasn’t so sure about the others, especially Bruce.
Prompt: Bruce is a complete gentlemen towards Natasha, at first she finds it annoying, but then she finds it adorable.
Take The Lead
Also on AO3
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Dating Bruce was a learning curve, Natasha quickly discovered. She adored the man, but their dynamic was changing and it was taking some time to get used to. Natasha wasn’t an overly affectionate person but she found more often than not she wanted to be in Bruce’s presence, which wasn’t all that new. But now she didn’t have to make up excuses to be in the lab or why he was the only one suited for a particular errand.
There was one thing though that she couldn’t get used to. Bruce had taken to being overly courteous with Natasha. It was endearing at first, but now that it was months later and it was getting just a little tiresome.
I don't know if you are still taking prompts but here this is anyway. Maybe one about Bruce (maybe a normal sized one) watching Natasha make tacos and being not depressed and sleeping and smiling and he finnaly makes thing right be doing things that help her relax from her secret PTSD. I know that's a lot so no pressure, thank you so much ur work brings me joy
Taco Night
Also on AO3
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“You know you guys don’t have to make up excuses to come and check on me, right?” Natasha said, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk.
“Oh my motivation for being here is purely selfish,” Bruce said, returning her smirk. “I missed you.”
Natasha smiled and turned back to the stove. Bruce showed up at the facility a few hours ago. He wanted to see how she was doing and to go through some of the stuff he left behind. But mostly to check on her. She didn’t let it show often, and almost never in front of anyone on the team, but she’d taken the loss in Wakanda the hardest. They’d all started to move on, more or less in the last couple of years, but Natasha refused to believe that there was nothing they could do.
He’d brought the stuff to make shrimp tacos as an excuse to stay a little longer and make sure she ate something with some nutritional value. Rhodey mentioned the last few meetings they’d had she’d only picked at a sandwich or small snack. Bruce offered to cook, but Natasha insisted and took over the stove.
Bruce was left at the island to make the guacamole.
“I got injured on a mission, forever ago,” she said, her back still turned to him as she moved the shrimp around in the pan. “Clint brought me to the farm while I was on medical leave and Laura taught me how to cook while I sat at her kitchen table.”
“How did I never know that?” Bruce asked, tilting his head to one side.
She turned around and pointed the spatula at him. “You never asked.”
“In my defense I didn’t even know she existed before the whole Ultron mess,” he defended, pointing the fork he’d been using to mash the avocados at her.
“Fair enough,” she conceded with a shrug and turned back to the stove.
Bruce watched her for a moment, watching her shoulders tense as she stirred the shrimp with a little too much force. He sighed and went back to mashing avocados. He wanted to say something reassuring, but knew she wouldn’t appreciate an empty sentiment.
It had been almost three years since Thanos’ snap. They’d tried to come up with some way the bring everyone back for months after they discovered the stones were gone. But without all six stones, there was not force powerful enough to reverse what had been done. Unless they could somehow turn back the clock and prevent the snap from ever happening in the first place, those who’d disappeared would likely stay that way.
It was a hard truth to swallow, their failure resulting in the decimation of half the lives in the universe and subsequent devastation it caused the other half. Moving on almost felt like a betrayal to those who were gone, but life still persisted. On Earth, there was still a cloud of grief that hung in the air, but people were resilient and life went on.
They all had their ways of coping. Bruce threw himself into studying the science of the stones, trying understand how something like that could exist, seeking out any information that could be gathered through the universe. Natasha took over what was left of the team and anyone willing to fight the evils that still existed in the world. And though she didn’t talk about it, he knew about the orphanage she’d planned and passed on to Pepper to open under the Stark Foundation’s name.
Life wasn’t back to normal, but they were getting by.
“How’s the guac coming along?” Natasha’s voice broke through his musing and he looked up to see her setting the pan of shrimp on the island.
Bruce chuckled and glanced down at the bowl that was still just mushy avocado.
“Slowly,” he answered.
Natasha walked around the island and sat in the stool next to Bruce. She pulled to bowl away from him and started dumping the fixings he’d already chopped up into the bowl.
“I’ll finish this,” she said, already starting to mix it all together. “Can you get the plates down?”
He raised an eyebrow as he stood from the island. “Demoted to plate getter?”
“You can pour the drinks too if it’d make you feel better,” she offered with a smirk.
“Oh wow, you’re trusting me with drinks too?”
“Only if you can handle the responsibility, Doc.”
He grinned and set the plates on the island. “I’ll try my best.”
He uncorked the wine he brought and poured them both a glass while Natasha set out everything else they had to go with the tacos.
They ate at the island in a comfortable silence. The food was delicious and Bruce had more than one helping.
“That was delicious,” he said when he was full, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Natasha smiled and reached over to swipe away a few crumbs from the corner of his mouth.
“You should come around more often,” she said, her lips quirked up in a small smile. “And not just when everyone else tells you they’re worried about me.”
Bruce opened his mouth to argue, but shook his head.
“I really did miss you,” he said softly, sliding his hand over to cover hers on the countertop.
“I believe you.” She turned her hand over, under his and slipped her fingers through his. “I could even teach you some of the recipes Laura taught me.”
His smile grew and he couldn’t help but lean over and kiss the side of her head. “I’d be honored.”
“Come back next week and I’ll make you the best damn fried chicken you’ve ever had in your life. Those are Laura’s words, not mine.”
“I’ll hold you to it,” Bruce said and kissed her temple again.
Natasha smiled and squeezed his hand. “I look forward to it, Doc.”
They cleaned up the kitchen together, Bruce taking over washing the dishes while Natasha dried them and put them away. He stole glances at her every few minutes and smiled to himself. He decided then and there that he’d make it out to the facility at least once a week. It had been almost a year since he’d been back before this visit and it wasn’t just for Natasha. Bruce needed this just as much as she did.
Life would never be the same after the snap, but that didn’t mean they had to stop living.
ok can we agree that the WORST feeling is when you’re just sitting around consciously procrastinating and you’re just overly aware that each second that passes is more time wasted and you like watch hours pass and you’re STILL procrastinating and you CANT STOP and your panicked brain is trapped inside a body that refuses to be productive and inside you’re screaming but outwardly you’re just eating chips
Or 5 Times Bruce and Nat were Mistaken For a Couple (+1 Time They Weren’t)
For Bruce Week Day 4: Truth, Flowers & Stars
‘You’re asking me out… for a “coffee”?’ Natasha folded her arms.
'Yeah.’ Bruce didn’t look up from his lab project, pouring a bottle of something into another bottle of something. 'Why, is that weird?’ When Natasha didn’t respond, he looked up. His face fell. 'Oh. Oh! No, not like that…’
'No? Because it sounded like you were asking me out on a date.’ Natasha met his eyes unblinkingly. If her assassin training had taught her anything, it was how to make people fear you.
He squirmed under her gaze. 'I’m sorry, I’m not so good with… people these days. I hope I didn’t give off mixed signals.’ He set the bottle down and removed his glasses. 'I just thought - you know, as an apology. Figure I owe you one for scaring you.’
She kept her expression carefully neutral. 'By “scaring me”, you mean what happened on the helicarrier?’ Natasha didn’t get scared. Ever. She’d trained with the best and was an expert at manipulating others. Yet when the Hulk had appeared… she’d never felt so powerless. Even now, she found herself tiptoeing around Bruce and feeling reluctant to talk to him.
Bruce turned away to rummage in a cabinet. 'It’s fine. Forget I said anything. But I’m staying here for a little while and I don’t want you to feel that you have to avoid me all the time. Why did you come here? Did you need something?’
It took her a moment to remember. 'Fury’s holding a meeting downstairs. Wants us all there.’
'Oh, okay.’ He set his equipment down and headed to the sink to wash his hands. 'I’ll be there.’
Natasha headed for the door. Then she paused and looked back. 'Hey, Banner.’
He turned. 'Yeah?’
'I’m free after four.’ And she hurried off before she could second-guess herself. She wasn’t going to let her fear get in the way.
Plus, Bruce seemed like an interesting guy to talk to. She’d like to get to know him a little better.
romaincrisis
snowghoul
2087
