Fic: Lovers in League (Avengers)

[keep_counting]

Title: Lovers in League
Characters/Pairings: Tony Stark (Iron Man), Bruce Banner (Hulk), Thor, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Steve Rogers (Captain America) - Natasha/Clint
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Small spoilers for the movie, crackish, mild swearing
Genre: Humor/Friendship/Romance
Word-count: 1,022
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in relation to this.
A/N: Written for the one_kitchen domisticity fanwork fest, for heartequals ' prompt: Clint/Natasha is the worst kept secret in the house.
Summary: As Tony says in the shop later, stocking up on M&M's; it's not like they don't know. Or the one where Thor is oblivious and Steve is scarred for life.

Bruce was no stranger to love. He had loved. He had loved his mother and his father, once. He had loved Betty. But all of that had happened before he understood love, he supposed. When he was young and used to it, when being loved and loving people around him, loving his life and his work, had been easy.

It wasn’t easy to love anyone or anything, when it was all so fleeting. When he – or should we say, the Other Guy – made it so fleeting. Anything could happen. Anytime, any day, any second.

But he can recognize love. Of course he can. He’s a scientist. He observes, sees everything. And when you might at any moment go all… well, green, and kill your teammates who you have started to maybe-sort of like and at least respect, well, you observe them even closer. So that he can tell them, do this, do that. I know you’re capable of this. Should the time come, you will do it. You will handle me, before I – before the Other Guy handles you.

Which is why he really doesn’t understand this situation.

“’Tash, where the hell does Clint keep his stash of Red Vines?’

“I wouldn’t know,” Natasha says as Tony starts looking more and more impatient. “I haven’t even been in his room.”

And that’s just wrong.

Luckily, Bruce observes. Bruce notices. So Bruce notices Natasha’s flush and Tony’s oblivious frown, and decides to spare Tony from the Russian agent’s wrath and tells Tony that, come on, he will go to the shops and buy Red Vines with him.

But really. As Tony says in the shop later, stocking up on M&M’s; it’s not like they don’t know.

Because everyone knows.

oOo

Thor knows.

“So,” he booms to Clint one sunny afternoon, as he and Bruce are watching the archer practice on the roof, “when is the wedding?”

The bad thing is that it’s not even a joke. Thor is all earnest.

And Clint misses his target.

“WHAT?” he roars and even Bruce takes a step back, because those arrows are lethal, and he’s seen the ones that blow up, and no matter the Hulk, he’s sure getting one in the face still hurts.

“You and the Lady Natasha?” Thor asks, his face still all confused and Bruce can’t help but give a half-smile, because Thor is getting more and more befuddled by the minute and Clint’s face is all red.

“Me and Tash… we’re not… we’re not!” he just gets out and storms back inside.

Bruce turns to Thor. “I think we can agree that that would have been a more convincing statement if it wasn’t for the lip-stick on his neck.”

Thor just nods.

oOo

“We’re not together,” Natasha says again the day after, as her and Bruce are doing some patrols of the city in civilian garb.

It’s only around ten hours since he saw her leave Clint’s bedroom wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

“Sure,” He just says, pulling his clothes tighter around himself. It’s none of his business.

“You would be great together though,” Tony says, taking a bite of his pizza, and why do they let him come, let alone eat, on the patrols?

“Shut up Tony,” Natasha says.

Luckily, Tony is scared enough of her to do as she says.

At least for a few minutes.

oOo

Steve knows.

Steve most definitely knows.

Bruce and Tony are sitting in the kitchen one evening, drinking scotch and discussing whether or not it will be possible to colonize the moon, and whether or not Tony would be allowed to name one such colony Starkville, when the super-soldier comes in, pale as a sheet and eyes as wide as said discussed moon.

“Hey, Cap, what up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Tony says, already pouring another glass for the other man.

“Um, no… I… nothing…” he says and he’s shaking and Bruce can feel it, the clenching in his chest, the feeling that something horrible has just happened and oh no.

It’s even worse when Steve actually reaches out and downs the glass in one, long gulp. Even Tony looks freaked out then.

“Nothing,” the Captain repeats. “It was nothing.” And then he goes completely red in the face. “I didn’t see anything, okay?”

And he storms out.

“What the hell was that about?” Bruce asks, befuddled and bewildered and more than a little worried.

Tony blinks. “He said he had something to ask Clint earlier today…”

“So…”

“So,”

Tony refills his glass. “I think our good Captain got himself an eyeful.”

Bruce can’t help but laugh.

oOo

It’s almost embarrassing, because it is so obvious. It’s like they aren’t even bothering to hide it, or think their friends really are that dim.

But of course it’s not that. It’s that, for people like them, love is something precious and frightening and confusing, and to be fair, they are all really bad at it.

So there’s lipstick on Clint most mornings, and hand-holding under the table and concerned glances during fights, and coffee-making and ‘no, Clint always takes his black’ and clothes in odd places and a general lot of blushing and denying.

Honestly, it’s okay, Bruce thinks. If they want to keep it a secret, it’s not his issue, and a part of him – the part that thinks of his teammates as friends – is so happy for them he might burst.

The other half sort of wants to laugh and maybe cry a little at how bad two super-assassin spies are at this. But at least no-one’s made the slipped-and-fell line yet. Bruce is happy for them. Thor seems to have already named their children. Steve still can’t quite look Natasha in the eyes, but he gives them envious and soft looks when they sit next to each other. And Tony…

“Dude,” Tony says one day, while they’re watching Star Wars for no apparent reason other than to watch it again. “They are so going to get married.”

And Bruce is fairly certain he doesn’t mean Han and Chewbacca.

Comments

[meinterrupted]

So cute! I love that it's from Bruce's POV.

Psst, I think you meant "glass" here: “Hey, Cap, what up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Tony says, already pouring another class for the other man.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Thank-you! :) (and thanks, fixed it! :D)

[captaintish]

LOL, I love this. It's fantastic. I would definitely not be opposed to you writing more Avengers fic. :)

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

It might be coming :D I'm glad you liked it!

[astridv.livejournal.com]

The other half sort of wants to laugh and maybe cry a little at how bad two super-assassin spies are at this.

Hee. Really cute, love it.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Thank-you! :)

[heartequals.livejournal.com]

I already commented at the post but I just wanted to comment again because

It’s that, for people like them, love is something precious and frightening and confusing, and to be fair, they are all really bad at it.

hearts in my eyes. for like, the rest of my life. so many hearts in my eyes. so much love for these two.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Thank-you! :) they have so much potential and chemistry, don't they?