Hope you all like the new story! :) /*/*/*/*/*/*/*/**/*/*/*/**/*/*/*/*/*/**/**/*/*/*/*/*/*/**/*/**/*/**/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Six months had passed since I had started dating Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. Six solid months of little fights and hot make ups. We weren't meant for each other, that much was certain after the first fight, but we still needed each other. I needed someone to rein me in, and he needed someone who wanted him to be let out. Our first date was interrupted by SHEILD who wanted our relationship to end that minute. That argument only lasted three days. Our second date was much smoother, but I knew that SHEILD was carefully watching us. Making sure I had a wig on every time I went in public and that Bruce kept his sunglasses on at all times. It was not perfect, it was real and that was all that matter to me.
The last six months I had woken up in pretty much the same order, I would turn laying my head on the bear chest of the man I loved, breathing in the scent of man mixed with that too clean lab smell and an odd scent that I could never place. He would stroke my hair, mutter his plans for the day and make me pick what we were going to have breakfast. This morning was different. When I turned I felt flower petals on my fingertips. The smell of rose, lavender and orange blossom filled my nose.
"Bruce?" I asked confused opening my eyes to the bright sunlight that leaked through his bedroom windows. He's there a plate of pancakes steaming in his hands. I could smell the butter, maple syrup and something more, something I couldn't place. "What are you doing?"
"Well," he said a slight frown on his lips setting the tray over my lap. "I remember a day, almost six months ago to the day I believe, when I asked to officially be my girlfriend."
"No way!" I said burying my head in my hands. I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder.
"It's alright," he said lightly. "Not everyone can be as perfect as me."
"Whatever," I sighed smacking him in the chest reaching underneath my pillow. "Happy Anniversary."
"What is this?" he asked holding the present in his hands weighting it. He ripped past the newspaper to find a dark stained wooden picture frame. It was a picture taken by Tony, neither of us saw it coming. We were lounged on the coach his hand absent mindedly twirling my hair around his finger while reading a science journal and I was watching TV a smile on my calm face. "Wow."
"Yeah I know it's a cheap frame, but I thought the picture was perfect I couldnt just let it go to waste."
"It's perfect," he said leaning down and kissing me softly on the lips. "And here is your present."
I held the smooth white box in my hand, too big to be a ring, but not quite long enough to be a necklace. A bracelet. I opened the box to find a two tickets to Il Trovatore in the Lincoln Center that very night.
"OH MY GOD!" I screeched almost flipping over the tray which he moved to prevent spilling. I leaped in to his arms almost tackling him off the bed. "YOU DID NOT!"
"Yeah, I did." he said a smile on his face. "Now I say you take the day off and meet me downstairs in the garage at about five o'clock. I have reservations at Il Tinello. Wear something black."
He got up winking at me as he left his room. The room we normally slept in. I sighed standing up and almost stepping in the pancakes. I picked up the tray, walking out the door as well into the common area all of the Avengers shared. I could only guess to were Bruce had ran off too, but I also guessed the whole taking the day off applied only to me.
"I heard you screaming, but I thought that you could probably handle yourself." Steve said behind the paper he was reading. I smirked at Steve remembering the last time we were in the gym together.
"So does that mean your aren't going to join me and Nat in the gym anymore?" I asked plopping down next to him.
"No, I got wind burned slightly crushed and frost bite, no thank you!" he said a smile still on his face. "Who made you breakfast?"
"Who do you think?"
"What did he do wrong this time?"
"Nothing," I said chuckling at Steve's question. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, whenever Tony does something stupid he usually does something really spectacular for Pepper, and whenever you and Bruce have a fight he does some huge romantic gesture to make you smile. A man does things for his dame when she is mad. It's just the way of life. No matter of time could change that." he shrugged reading his paper.
"Wow," I whispered staring at the normally quiet and respectful man. I than realized how much time I hadn't be spending with the Captain, I wondered who he had been spending time with. Who was teaching him how to be normal? Who was helping him adjust to this new world?
"Steve?" I asked he dropped the paper meeting my eyes. "What do you do every day?"
He gave me a quizzical look almost like it should have been obvious to what he did. Though I really had no idea. I had been so wrapped up in myself and Bruce that I had barely noticed the one guy on our team who probably needed the most help.
"Well," he said starting after realizing that I was serious. "I usually try the computer in my room and see if I have any e-mails from SHEILD or anything really. I try the internet out spending most of the time on goggle. I'm not brave enough to try anything else out. I than check my cell phone, Tony informed me I have to keep it on at all times not just when I need to use it, there is this little letter symbol that won't go away. I eat breakfast, work out, train, meet with Bruce and Tony for lunch, go walk around the city, come back here for dinner and watch TV with everyone in the common room."
"Do you have your phone now?" I asked smirking at the clueless man. He nodded handing it to me, I showed him how to view text messages and explained the use. He scoffed at the idea, he had thought e-mails were too much. Tony apparently texted Steve all the time saying insulting things and asking where he was. I programmed my number into his contacts.
"I'm sorry, Steve." I said looking into those huge baby blues, much like mine.
"For what?"
"Basically ignoring you from the past few months. I've been so caught up with Bruce and my training when I should have been helping you adjust to living in the future."
"Why? Who ordered you to watch out for me?"
"No one ordered me, it's just would have been the polite thing to do. No one knows this generation better than myself. I'm a part of it."
"I guess you are right. What are you going to do all day today? Aren't you usually training by now?" he asked one eyebrow raised.
"Bruce said I should take the day off." I smirked. Sudden clicks of heels enter our hearing, Pepper Potts enter the living space her flawless face glowing.
"And you will have the day off!" She exclaimed looking slightly mischievous. "I will be joining you."
I gasped clutching my heart in mock shock. Steve eyed me wondering if I needed assistance or if I was just making a joke.
"The famous Virginia 'Pepper' Potts is taking the day off? Someone call the labs, we can confirm that she really is human." I said still breathing heavy.
"There was a question to weather Pepper was human?" Steve asked his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"No," Pepper said rolling her eyes at me. "Lizzie just thinks she's as funny as Tony."
"Oh," Steve said smiling at me. "I think you're funnier than Tony, don't worry."
"I won't." I said finishing up my pancakes and throwing the plate into the sink. Pepper eyed me carefully. "It's Clint's turn on the dishes. Lazy bastard never does it, but one can hope!"
"Who's a lazy bastard?" Clint asked walking into the kitchen grabbing an apple from the bowel. He was dressed in typical workout gear, a black under armour tank and knee length black basketball shorts.
"You are," I answered hands on my hip. "You never do you chores."
"Because I'm a grown man and Tony has robots for that kind of thing."
"Whatever, I'll just beat you up in training, I'll show you where your proper place is."
"Ha, we'll see!" he said walking out of the kitchen towards the elevator. "I've never missed."
"You've never even hit me!" I yelled back.
"He did once." Steve said grimly. I stared back at him, no one outside of the gym was supposed to know about that. Bruce would not only freak out (Hulk out) but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be allowed within 500 yards of the gym or Barton.
"Don't ever say that again." I hissed eyeing Steve.
(FLASHBACK)(FIVE MONTHS AGO)
"Hey, Barton why don't you stop shooting those damn things and actually practice hand to hand combat?" I sneered from one of balance beams near the gymnastic section of the large gym four floors down from our home.
He scoffed looking sour. Natasha eyed me curiously like I had made some sort of social taboo. Clint had been acting like a mute since coming back from our first adventure as teammates. Natasha had acting as his translator somehow knowing each twitch of the head and grunt meant. He continued to shoot arrow after arrow hitting all the targets that popped up. I threw a bit of wind his way knocking the arrow of it mark slightly. He looked at the arrow than at me his eyes almost brighter. I smirked letting him know I was up for anything. He gathered three arrows in his bow. I stood on the balance beam ready feet in a ready position. The arrows flew out the bow I quickly back flipped of the board shooting gusts of wind his way. He rolled away the breeze barely touching his hair. Another arrow flew, I deflected it with air trying to run quickly towards the huge barrels of water that were kept in our training area.
I reached them with only a millisecond to spare. The arrow hit its almost arm centimeters from my face. Four more arrows sailed my way only to be burned up, he was getting closer to me though I couldn't see him, another arrowed burned in my hand as I caught it. It was silent as I searched for my prey, his footsteps were so light I couldn't feel them through the plastic mat. I heard a quick intake of breath as he tackled me to the ground arrow in hand ready for the kill. he brought the arrow down hard only to be deflected by my quick hand. I sharp pain stung at my check as I heard Natasha scream.
"CLINT! NO!"
He stared at me his eyes still slightly glazed over, the arrow was placed firmly in the mat, its long body still touching my face. He was on top of me his weight on my legs causing them to turn numb with pain. I squirmed under him hoping to snap him out of whatever trace he was in.
"CLINT!" Natasha screamed again suddenly beside us. "Get. Off. Her. Now."
Clint looked at the red head slightly confused. His eyebrows knitted together in concentration. His face switched from angry, to confused, to sad then back to confused. He got up slowly as if he was afraid sudden movement would end his life. As soon as he was level with Natasha she dragged him across the gym yelling for someone to help me. Thankfully Bruce was somewhere else at the time and a nameless agent got me all sorted out before anyone else walked by.
It healed quickly, a little scratch like that wasn't to much for my body to handle, I just needed to clean up any trace of blood left on me. That night at dinner was majorly awkward. Clint didn't speak at all, but everyone including the people who didn't know anything namely Bruce, Tony and Steve could sense it. Of course Natasha had told Pepper because she was like the caregiver of us all. After dinner we all usually watched TV but Clint lingered in the kitchen looking at me from a distance. I lingered too, telling Bruce I was going to clean up.
Clint nodded at me out eyes still meeting but he didn't want to say anything. If we spoke everyone was bond to hear because the living room was connected to the kitchen. He nodded suddenly walking away towards his room. There in his place on the counter was a neatly folded piece of paper. I picked it up weary of its contents.
I'm sorry.
It was written large the letters almost messing together. I smiled at the note, I knew that this was probably the most I was going to get out of him. He was trying hard not to blow his very unstable mind. He was trying to recover from things that no one could ever train for. He had seen too much and was not going to change his ways just because he had tried to kill a fellow team member.
(END FLASHBACK)
"Earth to Liz?" Pepper asked her head waving in front of me.
"What?" I asked smirking at her trying to hide my spacing off.
"Are you ready to leave or not?"
"Yeah, sure where are we going?" I asked throwing Steve a look saying that we were done talking.
"The Spa at Mandarin Oriental."