Bruce One Shot:
Author's Note: So this is just a one shot with Bruce because I came up with a really cute idea which just kept developing throughout this. I looked up where Bruce was born and didn't get a proper answer so I hope you don't mind that I made him get educated in England. It was important for my story as her accent was one of his favourite things about her. Some of my own experiences are put in there, just exaggerated and I don't know what the guy was thinking when he did that but, I guess I'll never know. Maybe it won't end like this, but I'm glad he did it anyway. Don't tell anyone though. He can never know. ;)! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it.
Bruce was going to kill Tony for this. He knew it, he was already planning how best to do it. Maybe he was torture him with his suit first, slowly taking it apart like he was with his confidence. Bruce shuffled uncomfortably in his penguin suit as he sat at the table waiting for this mystery woman Tony had especially set up for him. Bruce didn't need this. He was happy just working in his lab, working for science. Love was an extremely dangerous chemical and he didn't know how to handle it. It could burn through any type of glove and Bruce was willing to bet that vibraniumwouldn't even stand a chance. He was still furiously muttering when Tony entered with a beautiful woman by his side. Nothing new there, he thought angrily. Tony brought the woman to the table and introduced her as the woman he'd be dating tonight. The woman rolled her eyes and tutted. "Really Tony? You couldn't introduce me as anything else?" She looked at him with an eyebrow raised but a humoured smile graced her features.
"Sorry Ma'am. I forgot, being a VIP you needed a fanfare to be played when you entered the room." Tony smiled back, enjoying the banter. Apparently it was a regular occurrence.
"You know what I mean Tony. Honestly sometimes I wonder what my father ever saw in you." She sighed, swatting at him with her long nails and slender fingers. It was a half-hearted attempt and didn't even hit.
"Sometimes I wonder what you don't see in me." Tony retorted with an eye roll, mocking her.
"Yeah, I must've missed your obvious charm and charisma. Your constant flirting and the fact that you remind everyone of your status whenever you meet them." The woman spoke, ticking off imaginary boxes with her hands describing Tony perfectly. "Oh yeah, and the fact you dressed me up a doll in this whole get up just for a date with your best friend. Yeah, what did I not see in you?" She added, using sarcasm to her advantage, smiling at his defeat.
"Yeah, well, you're lucky I bought you a dress for this occasion. Your normal dress would look ridiculous in a fancy restaurant." Tony pointed out. "I mean, come on Lara, legging and a sports jacket with a plain T-Shirt underneath?" He mocked, not giving her any time to retort before he carried on. "And your hair, just tied up in a lazy bun?" He mocked again.
"Hey! I wasn't even ready. You caught me when I'd just got back from work and I was relaxing. Four hours before the actual date, need I remind you? And my hair could be easily fixed, without your help Tony! This hairstyle is easy. Curlers make no difference." Lara asked, annoyed now. How dare he insult her dress, when she was relaxing?
"Nope you don't need to remind me. You've already been reminding me the entire time in the car drive." Tony quickly repented. The car drive had been extremely long with Lara complaining the entire time about being set up and dressed up like a doll. She was one of his best English friends who wasn't a guy or a one night stand. Tony did love the English.
Then Bruce spoke up for the first time. "Tony, can I speak to you for a moment?" He asked, with a firm tone in his voice. Lara inwardly cringed. She'd gone too far. Damnit. Tony went off with him, leaving her to sit down alone at the table, fiddling with her dress.
"Oh God. Man, Tony. Why did you even have to set me up for a date? You know I hate it." Lara moaned, properly catching sight of the handsome man who'd been sitting patiently before getting up to go to the bathroom with Tony, probably for a chat about how much he didn't want to be here either. She hated dating because of how awkward she was. And she had no filter. It was only because Tony made her that she even attended this one. She'd much rather be working, filling in the next report about her patient. Being a psychologist was one of her main passions and there was a reason she'd made it her job. She loved being the person to listen to people's problems.
They walked back out from the bathroom and Lara steeled herself for the public humiliation that was bound to come from the handsome man walking back to the table and Lara immediately stood up to try and amend the damage done. "I'm sorry if I went too far. It's just, I've never had much luck with love. It's not my strongest suit and I prefer to stay away from it. And I have no filter. I just say whatever." Lara apologised, trying to make the most of this. She at least wanted to walk away knowing his name if nothing else.
"What do you mean, no luck with love?" Tony asked confused. Although she was his best friend and she was in England, the second she had gotten a phone, they added each other's numbers and texted constantly about everything. They were each other's releases. Tony's father and Lara's problems about anything really. Friendship problems, not her, her other friends having problems with each other. It was kind of the reason she became a psychologist. And despite all of this, how much they knew about each other, he'd never heard about this. As far as he knew, this was the first date she'd ever been on. Of course, he'd assumed she had been on others but he'd never heard about them. Right now, she was single.
"Stuff that affected me too much to say a thing about it. The only people who know are my English friends who witnessed it and random clients who I need to sooth by sharing my own experiences." Lara admitted, remembering some of the craziest experiences she'd had with a guy. They were completely crazy and they hurt her when they left. She'd guarded herself, building a huge wall between herself and love. Tony attempted to speak again, worry etched in his eyes. Lara interrupted him, "Tony, I'm sorry I've never told you this before but I am on a date and I was speaking to him. I promise, when I get back I'll tell you about my experiences. But for now I need to apologise." She spoke, turning back to Bruce and was caught in a hug from behind by Tony. Lara and Tony never really expressed the bond you'd created over the years. It was mainly insult based humour, and an ability you both shared. You could both easily change the subject from happy to sad to deep to anything so quickly and you both went along with it.
Lara laughed softly, turning around to give him a proper hug before he said his goodbyes, but couldn't leave without a last comment. "Be safe kids. Tell me if you need anything. A place to sleep, anything." Tony spoke, half fake emotional and pretending to be a worried mother, but it wasn't fake at this moment. If Lara hadn't told him, he knew it was bad.
"Sorry, where was I?" Lara apologised again turning back to Bruce after laughing again at Tony's comments. Bruce stood there with a smile on his face after Tony's comments and decided to start again. Lara seemed like an amazing person and she'd changed his whole view on the evening without even speaking to him.
"I don't know why you're apologising. You've made me feel so much better about the evening. I thought that I would mess this whole thing up but it is actually going well. You are one of the most amazing dates Tony has ever set me up with and I see why he dressed me up in this as well." Bruce spoke, soothing her fears and making her smile genuinely. She was going to offer to start again but forgot it. She didn't want to start this over again. He was one of the best men she'd ever met and she knew that for a fact despite barely meeting him.
"I cannot properly express how much better that makes me feel. I thought, if I'm lucky he'd be nothing like Tony but then again, you being friends with smug idiots who are billionaires like him, well, I thought that I'm screwed. I guess I was wrong." Lara smiled softly, both of them understanding how comfortable it was insulting Tony in each other's presence despite being his best friends. They both took their seats again and began talking comfortably. "So, how's your day been? I've got to say, I'm a psychologist so I was trying to relax properly after a day of listening to people's problems and confiding my own worries about this date with them. I specialise in adults who have 'big' problems and sometimes they just need someone to tell what's on their mind. Someone who had problems as well. I can relate and love is always a big problem on their minds." Lara explained.
"I'm a scientist so I have been in the lab all day. I was interrupted by Tony in the middle of an experiment so I'll have to perform that again tomorrow." Bruce began chatting comfortably with Lara.
"Oh, what kind of scientist? I was always struggling between psychology and science. Although they do go hand in hand, I really liked them both. But in the end, I just had to choose psychology." Lara explained, her passion for her job shining through in her words and her smile.
"I study genetics as my main passion but I can do mostly any science. Medical science is also interesting." Bruce opened up, talking about everything he did. He couldn't believe that she was so comfortable with him. Maybe it was because she didn't know who he was but despite her 'experiences' with love she seemed fine here. He loved her accent as well. Although he'd never believed the English were stuck up tea drinkers, she wasn't. She wasn't posh in the way others might think. She was well read, like himself but she wasn't posh and didn't flout it, she just had a calming, soothing accent that made Bruce smile whenever she spoke.
"Yeah, I love medical science. The human body is amazing. I can't actually believe the way we fight off diseases but the way our brain reacts to different situations is even more intriguing to me. Helps with psychology as well." Lara agreed.
"Yeah, science helps with a lot of careers like that." He agreed. "I don't mean to be rude, but what type of weird love experiences have you had? You seem fine now." Bruce asked, cursing himself immediately after. What if he'd just put his foot in it?
"Yeah well, maybe I'm just comfortable here, with you." Lara smiled, her hair providing a shade for her small blush. Then the waitress came, interrupting the moment. She was polite and kind, but he wished she hadn't come.
"Would you like to order your drinks?" She asked, looking at the both of them. The world was progressing, much to her pleasure and she could talk to both the male and the female. It wasn't just the male paying and ordering for the both of them while the female sat quietly. It wasn't just a male and female. The world was finally accepting of a lot more than it used to, although there were still many problems. She however, was happy she could talk to anyone and everyone.
"Yeah, um can I have a soda please?" Lara spoke, saying the word 'soda' carefully as she was not familiar with the word and had never used it before.
"Um, yeah the same please." Bruce ordered as well, smiling at Lara's obvious hesitation. Her accent delivered the word as he'd never heard it before. She wasn't familiar with it but she was good with the word at least. If anything her accent made it sound a whole lot better than it was.
"Of course." The waitress bowed her head and left, smiling widely.
"I don't even know where to begin in my 'love experiences' but I guess I should start at the beginning. All through primary school, oh wait, what would you call it here?" Lara spoke, cutting herself off, trying to make sense of the American schools. She'd been educated in England so she had no idea. "Is it 1st grade or something?" She asked, trying to think.
"Year 1? That's kindergarten in America." Bruce informed. He spoke as if he wasn't an American but Lara didn't register it.
"Isn't that nursery?" Lara asked, her mind wandering before snapping herself back to reality. "Anyway, all through kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd grade and so on, there was a boy. He was with the most popular boys who were into football and good with just about everything. But he was a good boy, he was always talking back and getting into trouble but using his intelligence to get out of it. Like Tony, he was a genius but he wasn't a rude person and I have no idea where he is now. He was one of the interesting boys." Lara paused, thinking of how to phrase her next words. "I was the same, but I was more on the good side and didn't get into too much trouble. I took no notice of him at first and assumed he did the same for me. We were in the same class and my friends and I were like, the Invincible's. If anyone tried to hurt us, they wouldn't stand a chance. So, we were parallels and the same I guess. Sounds great right?" Lara spoke, rolling her eyes. She remembered him and what he was like. After what he'd done, she couldn't really forget.
"One time we were in a field with the whole class. It was a school trip and there were autumn leaves everywhere. We sat down to eat and I was talking with my friends when he decided to dump leaves on my head. I heard it was a dare or something but I, obviously annoyed turned back and saw him acting innocently. I confronted him, which led to his awkward flirting and my decision to start a war. My friends all joined in, fighting on my side and I would help them as much as I could, because his friends joined in as well. They all seemed to target one of my friends and the other classmates just threw it between themselves. I aimed for him with a pinecone I had found, knowing that would be better. But it was a flurry of leaves and I couldn't see him anywhere. I looked turning around, seeing my friends holding their own and got pushed into him. He caught me and smiled sweetly before setting me gently on the floor, supporting me with a hand on my back but it meant I couldn't grab onto anything and just had submit as he got closer laying me down. I couldn't help it, I blushed so much." Lara laughed embarrassed, blushing again, using her hands to actively show what was happening and at some point in the story, the waitress must've come with their drinks because Bruce was happily sipping on his soda while Lara's was left untouched. He was mesmerised by her story and smiled at her embarrassment.
"Aw, that's so cute." Bruce cooed, gently mocking her, relishing her smile. She swatted at him as she did with Tony, half-heartedly, not meaning to cause any actual pain.
"Shut up, no it wasn't." Lara smiled at him, trying to make the blushing go away. They were joking around and both of them had never smiled so much while having a feeling of scratching the surface with how large the pot of happiness could be. They were lowering the tips of their feet in it and it just made them want to go further loving the feeling. It couldn't be measured.
"It kind of is, if you were older, I'd say he was the one." Bruce cooed again. Lara outwardly blushed.
"What if I say I've found someone better?" Lara challenged, her eyes sparkling. It was an innocent question, but the hidden meaning hit both of them. Instead of trying to correct it, Lara just moved on. "Anyway, I don't even know where he is anymore." She dismissed.
"So, what other kind of experiences have you had?" Bruce asked, trying to change the subject as much as her. They'd both gotten dangerously close to the truth and right now, he just wanted to enjoy her company. It was easier knowing he wouldn't have to leave her at the mention of his name.
"Oh man, I don't know what else. There were many other experiences like that. Him being super romantic and me as a teenager, trying to hold back my feelings because I knew he was just joking with me and he didn't actually like me." Lara explained, remembering the butterflies she got and how hard she'd tried to keep them at bay.
"How do you know?" Bruce asked, wondering how sure she could be of that fact when he seemed so wonderful in her eyes.
"Because why would he? He didn't have a single relationship throughout the entire time I knew him, so why would he be interested in me? He probably wasn't interested in love full stop." Lara explained, trying to calm her beating heart. The thought made her heart race and hope flooded it. She brushed the thoughts away, because she couldn't have feelings for an old classmate while the first real date she'd been on was actually going well.
"Maybe he sees what I do." Bruce stated as a fact more than a question. He definitely knew it was a good idea to come here on the date and talk to her. It was one of the best choices he'd ever made and hearing how she spoke about this boy didn't deter him at all.
"Anyway, how are your experiences with love?" Lara asked, trying to move on. She wanted to know about him. She felt a strange sense of Deja-vu with him but it was a nice feeling.
"Well, one time I was trying to talk to a girl and it didn't end so well. I also got educated in England but left ages ago and now consider America my home, although England will always have a place with me. Hearing your voice is a sweet reminder. The accent left me but hearing it with you is quite soothing." Bruce admitted, making Lara blush. She'd never thought much of her accent, liking her voice to an extent, laughing and putting on an accent when others called her posh.
"Thanks." Lara breathed. "Um, what happened with the girl?" She changed the subject, wanting to know about Bruce's life even more now she knew he'd been educated in England as well.
"She never looked twice at me. She was a popular girl, had a huge group of friends who seemed like her bodyguards. It was impossible to get her on her own, so I devised a plan with the help of my friends who publicly declared to everyone around us that he dared me to throw leaves on someone. Everyone else just moved away but I thought that if I could get her on her own, I could say something. She probably hadn't heard about the dare so she was shocked when I completed it. So, I accidentally started a leaf fight. Everyone was involved and she was fiercely protective of everyone. I wasn't sure that my friend could keep the teacher away for long so I had to talk to her quickly. I looked around and saw her fighting off one of my friends and defeat him. I went over when she got pushed into me. I caught her and couldn't speak." Bruce admitted, talking about the leaf fight they had together.
"That's exactly what I said. You're just copying me now." Lara replied, her annoyance wavering. What if he wasn't? What if… she trailed off, not finishing the thought because it was too emotional and was sure to make her cry? She didn't know if Tony had put on waterproof mascara, she reasoned. He seemed to go along with it and Lara was grateful.
"Yeah, I don't have much experience with love. The only girl I ever loved, I was an idiot to. Doing all sorts to get her attention and ignoring my feelings at one point." Bruce admitted. He was sure now. He knew who she was. He didn't think she knew but he did. And he couldn't believe that after all of this time, he met her again. That girl had always told him, fairytales actually do come true sometimes. He'd never believed her but she knew better than most. A giddy feeling settled in his heart and it wasn't because of the champagne.
The rest of the date went smoothly. The incident was forgotten and they moved on to psychology and science, Bruce offering to let her help him in the lab the next morning. They exchanged numbers and raved about how good the food was, Bruce paying with Lara leaving a large tip. He walked her home and they ended up taking a detour through the park where she sat down, due to the heels causing her feet pain. The park bench was normal and deserted at 10:00 at night. They sat down and decided to carry on talking like in the restaurant. "How did you fall in love with that girl?" Lara asked, an automatic change of subject from what they'd been talking about before.
Bruce went along with it, deciding that if it was going to happen, near the end of the date would be best. "I saw her. I saw her fierce protectiveness, her beauty shining through in her smile, her favouring of the loose, baggy, comfortable clothes on Mufti Days instead of the tight skirts the other girls liked. I saw her concentration whenever she ran, despite how much she hated it. I saw her determination to finish her work before her friends in competitions and laughing at their success, not minding it anyway. I saw her, and I was mesmerised." Bruce finished. He remembered it so vividly. He thought it was behind him, but tonight was just a huge reminder. He loved it. "I just wonder if she ever fell in love with me as well." Bruce added after a pause.
"She did. She saw his attempts at flirting and thought them incredibly cute. She saw their conversations and how comfortable she felt with him, despite his joking around with her. She saw his work and how clever he was. She saw his stares at her clothes on Mufti Days, wondering if he hated or loved her clothes instead. She saw her concentration falter when she ran past him, wanting to race past instead of stay longer for fear of being laughed at. She saw her friends getting the prize standing next to him and wished she was in their place. She saw how much she loved him and how much she thought she was an idiot for even thinking it. I saw my friend's insistent arguments of how much you loved me and my arguments back because thinking you might harbour the slightest feelings for me would be ridiculous because you obviously were just joking. That's what I saw. That's how I know." Lara finished, catching on, knowing the secret was coming out. Better now than never.
"I'm glad to know that." Bruce smiled at her.
"I am too. Just one question." Lara paused. "What's your name?" She asked, knowing he hadn't said a thing about it all night.
"What's the name of that boy you liked?" Bruce countered.
"I'll say it if you will." Lara spoke, coming to a pact. Bruce nodded and she counted down. "3… 2… 1."
"Bruce Banner." They spoke at the same time, the name encircling the air around them, encasing them in a bubble of their own. Everything else was non-existent at that moment. She felt 13 again. He smiled at her again and she leaned in closing her eyes. He followed her lead and leaned in again. Their lips touched and his hand went up to her cheek and she copied him with a murmur of "Fairytales do come true." As she leaned in again. They both dived into that pot of happiness, promising never to leave until death do them part. They stayed together, in sickness and in health.
7