AN: Fer's Fluff Fest is not over yet! There will probably be one more of these silly, little, plotless one-shots. So yes, this is all Fluff again, inspired by me being on vacation.
Again, the characters do not belong to me, but my mistakes do.
The day was humid. Bruce groaned a bit as he stepped outside the room, the humidity of the place hitting him hard, making it a little hard to breathe. Natasha had been worried at first, had sensed the tension in his body as he had stepped off the plane and into Puerto Vallarta. Regardless of the weather though, Bruce had adored the little town from the moment he had viewed it. He had told Natasha as much, reassuring her that he would be fine -as long as the mission went by as smoothly as he was promised and there were no code greens required.
Natasha had smirked at him, tilting over his hat so it would cover his entire face, proclaiming him a dork and leading them towards their assigned Hotel.
It wasn't the fanciest, most luxurious, or most expensive hotel, but it was nice enough for Bruce to think he was taking a vacation, that they weren't hunting HYDRA agents, that they weren't undercover and that he wasn't expected to be an acting participant in the mission.
But humidity had never been one of Bruce's favorite climates, and although he had fallen for the town quite easily, the weather was still trying to convince him.
"Hey! Nick called, he says the man we're hunting should be arriving today. I'll be meeting with another agent, already on scene, and he will give me the files I talked to you about. After that, we'll assess our man for at least one day before establishing any form of contact." She briefed him, standing behind him, enjoying how he didn't jump at her voice any longer, how he simply nodded along, allowing her to call the shots and not question every move and word she was throwing at him.
"Before I go and play bait, you mean?" His laugh was half sarcastic, half amused, clearly still at odds with his own emotions on the subject.
"You'll be the first contact, yes, he is a fan of the bioengineering technology Stark has created and we know that-"
"I'm the best man for this job because of my extensive knowledge on the subject." He finished for her, still battling whether to be proud or weary of his involvement.
"And you've been a great asset before. Or did you forget Napa?" She teased him, seeing an opportunity to remind him of his worth, not only as Dr. Banner, but as Bruce, an Avenger, and a hero. She closed the space between them, pressing her body against his, placing a light, feather-like kiss to his bare shoulder.
"Napa was not a mission." He answered, but Natasha could almost feel the small, amused smile on his face, the blush which probably crept up his face.
"Napa, was -" She paused, adding a dramatic effect which had Bruce turning his head towards her, eyebrows raised, light smile on his face. "One hell of a trip." She smirked at him, reaching out to plant a quick kiss on his lips, her hands on his torso, curling into him in delight. Out of all the missions she had been, there really wasn't competition, missions with Bruce Banner as her companion and partner were definitely the most fun (though maybe not the most practical).
"Nat," he groaned as she pulled back. She had a smirk on her face that, had they been alone, Bruce would have kissed off her face until she lost her words (it had happened once and Bruce was determined to make that happen again).
"You know, the pool isn't going anywhere Banner." Her tease got through to him, her eyes blinking in a way which Bruce could now recognize meant she wanted him. Her stare wasn't seductive, not the trained act she had learned to put on for men. It was a subtle glint in her eye, a subtle quirk or her lips.
"No, but I was really -really- looking forward to seeing you in a bikini." He teased back, earning a smack from her and a roll of her eyes.
"Men." She grumbled, passing him, towel and sun block in hand.
Bruce threw on a white cotton shirt and quickly followed her, his gait a clumsy one next to her firm pace.
"What if I can't reach him though?" He questioned, his voice soft and worry-filled, as they laid their stuff down on one of the pool's chaises.
Natasha turned abruptly to face him, questioning eyes on her face.
"Napa wasn't a mission, as fun as it was, it was mostly -luck."
"Luck played a part in it, yes. We got lucky that we found Mendoza there, we got lucky when we ended up staying in the same little villa as him. But what you did, what you thought of to get him to come to us. That was all you Bruce." She voiced with conviction, with honesty and with admiration. Bruce gulped at her fierceness, still not used to her defending him, to her having such complete faith in him when he barely had it in himself.
He couldn't answer her, his responses all falling short of what he truly wanted to voice, the enormous gratitude and love he felt for the woman next to him.
Bruce took his shirt off as Natasha ordered drinks for them, he could make out he words mojito and thank you and he swore she said something about a honeymoon, but Spanish wasn't his strongest language.
"Everything ok?" He asked sheepishly, his cheeks a bit tinted over the fact he couldn't fully understand what she had been saying.
But Natasha didn't tease, simply smirked as she removed her thin dress, revealing a black bikini underneath. Bruce gulped as she stripped in front of him, her body slowly revealing itself, her curves and valleys now exposed to everyone around them, not just him, in the darkness and seclusion of their rooms.
Remembering that they weren't in fact alone, Bruce tore his gaze from her, not wanting to seem lustful or superficial. But just as he was fascinated by her mind and will and her strength, her body was a temple Bruce would never tire of admiring.
"It's ok to stare, you know." She teased, noting how he had modestly averted his gaze from her body. At some point in her life Natasha had found his decency sweet and refreshing, something which men rarely gave her, and she had appreciated how his eyes would never leer over her body. But now, if there was one man whom Natasha allowed to stare, it was him.
Bruce gulped and stumbled as he took off his sandals.
"Uh," he couldn't form the words.
Natasha gave him a small laugh, and Bruce could hear the silent 'dork' in it. She went up to him, kissed him lightly, a hand resting on his torso as she felt his own hand coming to rest at her hip.
"Bruce, we're supposed to be honeymooning here. If you don't stare at your wife, people will start asking questions. And I'll get personally offended." She added with a quick wink, making him chuckle, enjoying the humor they shared.
"And we don't want that." He muttered as he snuck a glance at her as she walked towards the bar. He had her permission after all.