Hello :) This is my first attempt at a longer piece for Bruce/Natasha. It's based off of an AU I found on Tumblr and I really hope you all like it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Enjoy :)
Chapter 1
"What brings you here, Nick?" Natasha questioned as the footsteps she'd heard on the hallway floor came to a stop. Her tone was almost bored, and her eyes never left the computer screen in front of her.
Nick Fury, Dean of the School of Journalism, raised his eyebrows as he leaned on the doorframe. She was good.
"That's Dean Fury to you, Romanoff," he said gruffly, staring down the back of her head until she turned around to meet his gaze.
"What do you need, Dean?" Natasha emphasized the title sarcastically with a smirk.
"This is for you," he said and pulled a blank envelope out of his jacket, holding it out for the student.
"What is it?" Natasha asked, her interest piqued, as she stood from the chair and approached the dean.
"Something I thought you'd like to see," he told her, handing over the envelope.
"You opened it?" Natasha glared accusingly.
Fury held his hands up in his defense. "It was in with my mail, and it didn't have a name on it."
Natasha rolled her eyes and, without any further hesitation, reopened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a short note scrawled in the center.
Dr. Banner. Biochem. Slept with student. Angry. -Anonymous
"That's it?"
Fury only shrugged and stepped further into the small space where the students who ran the paper worked. He sat at the table in the middle of the room while Natasha returned to her seat at one of the four computers along the far wall. She had the paper still clutched in her hands, rereading the short note.
"What exactly do you want me to do with this information?" She asked, setting the paper and the envelope beside the keyboard.
"Work your magic, dig up a little dirt, expose the scandal. Isn't that what you do best?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Natasha only stared at the man across from her. It was true; she couldn't deny that she had a knack for bringing the ugliest truths to light. She'd been doing it ever since she set foot on campus and discovered a passion for investigative journalism. Natasha had quickly made a name for for herself as the most ruthless and dedicated writer for the school paper. Some had even started calling her the Black Widow.
"Why are you so invested, Nick? You really want me to go after a professor, of all people?"
Fury ignored the use of his first name and clasped his hands together on top of the table. "I don't know the guy, and I'm invested because I want you to succeed. Isn't the deadline for that New York Times internship coming up soon?"
"It's not until the end of the semester," Natasha corrected, knowing full well Fury knew this, as well. "Besides, how do you even know this is true?"
"I don't," he answered honestly. "But it's not every day people send anonymous tips to the Dean of Journalism. I was hoping you'd get to the bottom of it and come up with a killer story to set you apart from those other internship applicants."
"I already had an article," Natasha told him defensively.
"I've read your work, Romanoff. And as amazing as it is, everyone else applying is going to be, as well."
"So you want me to chase down a tip about a faculty member that could very well be false, publish the story, and send it in with my application?"
"Exactly. It shows you have the drive to investigate anything, even when the consequences could be severe. I can almost guarantee everyone else played it safe, and if you want this as much as I know you do, you'll take that risk," Fury said as he stood from his chair and headed for the door.
"And what are the consequences?" Natasha asked, not entirely concerned about them but wanting to prepare herself for when she inevitably had to face them.
"Let's just cross that bridge when we get to it," Fury muttered vaguely as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Natasha stared at the closed door for several moments before she turned back to the article she'd been finishing before Fury showed up. She tried to let herself get reabsorbed in coming up with a closing, but it was a losing battle. The note lightly brushing her right hand was taunting her with the potential to be the greatest thing she'd ever written, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized Fury was right. She needed to take the risk. That internship would change her life, and she wasn't about to lose her chance because her article got lost among all the other entries.
No one in their right mind would willingly put their neck on the line to prove a rumor about one of their school's professors. It was a suicide mission at best, but the payoff would be more than worth it in her eyes. With a determined sigh, she clicked out of her unfinished article and pulled up the school's directory to find this Dr. Banner.
Her investigation had officially begun, she was ready to run with it.
Please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you all :)