Chapter 3- Assembled Hearts


Steve smiled at the feeling of Bruce's head nuzzling into his chest and then again at the contented sigh the doctor released as he got comfortable in Steve's embrace. It had taken them a while to become physically intimate, even though they hadn't been sexually intimate. That was something that Bruce really felt anxious and uncomfortable about, even though he wanted it more than Steve knew. He wasn't going to put Steve in danger like that and Steve would let Bruce control the pace of their relationship so he felt at ease around his new boyfriend.

"I had a thought, about what we were talking about earlier," Bruce murmured, breaking the serenity that washed over them.

Steve stopped stroking the tough curls and hummed in response, signalling for Bruce to continue. Steve was so relaxed that words weren't coming easily to him.

"I think we should go after what we want. We both want it and I think the others do, too."

Steve sighed. "There wasn't anything like this in my day. Men courted women and women found a nice working man to provide for them while they had kids. That was the way everybody was. This is all so…new. Just being with you is something I would have never considered before waking up from the ice. As soon as I met you, I knew everything was going to change. Then I met the others and everything changed again."

"Tell me about it," Bruce requested and Steve went back to threading his hands through his boyfriend's hair.

"It wasn't just me feeling things for someone anymore. It was me looking at five different people and knowing that my feelings for all of them were the same. I felt the same every time I talked to them, when they talked to each other. I know you understand that."

Bruce swallowed nervously. He wasn't great with expressing his feelings, but he was getting better at it, thanks to Steve, who had no problem sharing things he felt with great poetry in his arsenal. "I saw Tony first. It was eye-opening. After everything that's happened with me, it felt strange to feel something so normal. And then I met everyone else and normalcy became less likely.

"I mean, you get it, so you know how each of them has such an aura about them. When we started this, I was scared that my feelings for them were going to get in the way of this. That if they weren't on board of if you weren't, I wouldn't be able to only be with you. I know now that I would be, but sometimes it doesn't stop me from wondering. Who was first for you, besides me I mean?"

"Nat," Steve swallowed. "One of the things I love about all of you is how there are no punches being pulled. Everyone is forthright and has no regrets about it. Nat says whatever she's thinking and doesn't apologise for it which is admirable. Tony makes some risky jokes sometimes, but his lack of fear is what I love. He's confident, knows that he's brilliant. Thor has been raised to presume that all honesty is good honesty, which could be a burden, but the fact that he's sensitive balances that. He won't say things that'll hurt people, only things that people need to hear.

"Clint is much the same. He won't object to being blunt if it's in someone's best interests. He's caring, protective and will do anything for those he cares about. You two have that in common."

Bruce smiled sweetly. "I had no idea you've observed everyone this much."

Steve quirked his lips wickedly. "Can I tell you something? Sometimes when I'm sketching, I'm not actually sketching. Sometimes I write down little nuances about you all. Things that I wouldn't otherwise notice were I not paying complete attention. A lot of the time I am drawing pictures of everyone, but I can't help but make notes of things that I observe."

"Tell me some things."

Steve chuckled softly at the inquisitiveness and how even a direct request sounded tentative when coming from his boyfriend. "Okay. Well, have you noticed Nat tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear?"

Bruce shook his head simply.

Steve smiled. "She does that when she receives a compliment she doesn't quite believe. Something she's been conditioned to do, probably. She doesn't even consider herself human, Bruce. She was raised to be a weapon and that's all she thinks of herself as. The reality is that she's so much more and I wish she knew that. I should tell her more often.

"She's dynamic yet reserved at the same time. She's fiery and icy. She's the perfect balance. Not to forget that she's insanely beautiful and possibly the most emotionally strong person I know. I respect her very much and I'm proud to know her."

Bruce put a gentle hand on Steve's arm. He didn't know when they had moved from their comfortable position, but they were now both sat cross-legged in front of each other, the slightest contact just enough to show their affection. They were at a point in their relationship where they didn't really need to affirm their feelings for one another, but Bruce found that the gestures were nice and he appreciated that Steve shared the same point of view.

"Really, I should tell all of them how loved they are," Steve chuckled, "but it's not quite that simple. It's a strange dynamic we all have already and I don't want to complicate that even further once they know. We're a good team both in the field and out and that could be ruined."

Bruce nodded. "With a dynamic like this one, it could be tricky. One loose piece and the whole puzzle falls apart."

"I don't want that to happen. But what I want…more than anything, is for the others to feel the way we do."

"Don't you think it's lucky? That we both feel the exact same way about each other and the other four?" Bruce quirked his lips into a happy smile. Just talking about his feelings for the others with Steve made him more elated than he could ever describe to anybody else who didn't know what he was feeling.

"I'm glad we found each other. And I'm glad we found the others. I just hope they're glad in the same way as we are."

Steve snorted. "What are the chances of that happening? I've resigned myself to the fact that this isn't going to work out with all of us."

Bruce sighed. "You might be right." His eyes flickered towards the door and then quickly back again. "You spoke about Nat, what about the others? What kinds of things have you noticed about them?"

Steve smiled, hoping for an excuse to continue talking about the people he loved. "Clint has a weakness for romantic comedies, but he won't ever admit to crying during them. Have you noticed that whenever we watch them, he's always absent?"

Bruce nodded. That did make sense, actually. "I never realised that was why."

"He watches them on his own when he knows the soundproofing won't betray his tears."

"How do you know this?"

"Observation. When I first woke up from the ice, I was completely unable to trust anyone. I would keep to myself, just watch people from afar and learn about what had changed. It turned out that a lot had changed. The way people behaved. Children were crasser, people were more publicly promiscuous, everything was just different.

"I hadn't decided whether it was a good different or not. As good at being stealthy as he is, I noticed that Clint was following me a lot, probably under Fury's orders. My senses are superhuman, of course I noticed. The more I watched him, the more amused I became. People were different, sure, but Clint was something else entirely. He seemed like he wanted to be isolated yet involved at the same time. At this moment, I had thought everyone was binary in the way they behaved. You were either shy or outgoing, that was it. I couldn't seem to get a read on Clint which intrigued me."

Bruce nodded. "I feel that way about Nat."

Steve agreed noncommittally. "They're more alike than most people realise. They've fought together, been together, they have a rhythm. Once I got a read on Nat, it became easier to observe Clint. The way he spoke, the way he moved. It sounds deep, but I just like observing. It allows me to open connections easier."

"Connections?" Bruce's lips quirked slightly.

Steve swatted his arm with a smile. "You know what I mean. I don't make friends easily, Bruce. Bucky and I were attached at the hip from childhood, so that was different. The rest of the Howling Commandos looked to me as a leader, so the respect was there. The five of you are different for me, for obvious reasons, but by watching, I can strike up conversations."

"When did you know? With Clint, I mean." Bruce was genuinely interested.

Steve ran his tongue over his teeth. "About three days into noticing he was there," he muttered shyly. "He's captivating, you know? Charming. Even without speaking to him, his nuances captured my interest."

"That long? That must be difficult for you."

"Not nearly as difficult as being in love with Tony Stark," Steve quipped.

Bruce smirked, knowing Tony would love that particular comment. "I can empathise."

"He's misunderstood, Bruce. Not in an emotional teenager way, but in the way he presents himself."

"Absolutely," Bruce took over, happy to let Steve listen for a moment or two. "He puts on a façade, as we all do, but the world took to it. Some love it for it, some resent him for it. But he is who he is and he doesn't apologise for that. He hides his pain just like everybody else. He's a human being just like everybody else and that's what the public doesn't understand.

"They see the Iron Man suits and think he's just an incredible scientist. They don't see the kind, generous person underneath. Possibly because he doesn't let them, but that's beside the point."

Steve chuckled. "Tony is a very unique person. He's also the smartest person I've ever met. He's always one step ahead of everyone and sometimes people need that. He pre-empts them and makes the decision he knows they're too afraid to make. Like me moving in here. I didn't want to, at first, but he knew it was the best thing for me to do. He made the decision for me; not being arrogant, being smart. I'm stubborn, you know this, so does he. He refused to let me argue and moved my things into my floor without letting me know. Naturally, I was furious at the time, but I understood and thanked him for doing it after I'd calmed down."

"Tony knows exactly how to push the right buttons."

"Like I said, he's insanely smart and perceptive," Steve agreed, "and even though he can be annoying, I can't help but love him for precisely that reason."

"Me too," Bruce whispered fondly. "I don't know about you, but Thor was the easiest to fall for."

Steve blinked quickly and laughed. "After fifteen minutes, I knew Thor was special. Not just because of the whole other planet thing, but because of who he is. He didn't pretend to be anything else because it has never occurred to him to do so. It's fascinating, actually. Thor always knows when I'm sketching him. He doesn't adjust his pose, he lets me draw whatever is happening. I misjudged him massively, thinking his god status would give him a huge ego. I couldn't have been more wrong."

"He has a beautiful heart," Bruce interjected, grinning from ear to ear. Even thinking about Thor made him happy, as did thinking about any of the Avengers. "Kind, compassionate, gentle and not at all opposed to polyamories." Bruce winked at his boyfriend.

"That's a bonus," Steve smirked. "I'm not going to pretend that Thor and I have tons in common, because we don't. But I think that's what makes us friends. We're literally from two different worlds than the rest of you and we're learning customs together. We actually had a big debate on how to properly address strangers. It turns out that neither "Greetings, friend" or "Howdy, ma'am" actually work in this generation. Clint quickly showed us how wrong we were."

"Not a bad effort, though," Bruce giggled.

"I thought so," Steve defended. He was about to say more when a creak sounded from outside the room. "Bruce? Do we have eavesdroppers?" Steve felt a little bit sick. He was telling the truth when he said that nobody pulled any punches, but any of them were to have heard what he said about them, well he didn't know what exactly could be done about that.

"Maybe," Bruce whispered, fidgeting. "Guys?"

Of course, Steve's bad luck was just as he always knew it to be.

Impeccably timed.

The door swung open to reveal Natasha, Clint, Tony and Thor stood collectively, faces emotionless and inquisitive at the same time.

"Cap," Clint mumbled. "We, um, didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Tony scoffed. "Of course we did."

Steve frowned. "How did you know what I was saying in the first place?"

Natasha just pointed upwards.

"Jarvis."

"I should've known," Steve sighed. "I understand if you guys need some time."

Natasha coughed awkwardly. "Steve, never in my entire life has anybody ever said such nice things about me. Not even Clint whispering things in my ear during sex."

Clint rubbed the back of his neck. "That was so unnecessary."

Nat glowered at him playfully before turning back to Steve and Bruce. "I just can't believe this is happening."

"What do you mean?"

"That we all love each other."

Steve frowned deeply. "We all?" He looked around at Tony, Clint and Thor, who nodded slowly.

Tony sighed. "I don't know whether it's fate, an alien spell or just some really good luck, but it's true. We all look at each other the same way. We all feel the same way. I don't know how this happened, but it has and I'm glad we're talking about it."

Thor grunted. "It's true. On Asgard, people have many different physical partners. But it isn't for people to have numerous soulmates."

Clint gasped. "Wait, soulmates? Is that what this is?"

Natasha shrugged. "How could it be anything but? I mean, six people from very different pasts coming together and falling in love with each other? If this isn't fated, I don't know what is."

Steve eyed them all nervously. "So there's no breaks in the chain? Everyone feels the same about everyone else?"

The six of them nodded.

"So this is real," Steve spoke joyfully. "You guys love me too."

It was Clint who scoffed. "Steve, you're like the most lovable person I've ever met. You've noticed things about us, but we've noticed things about you too. Like how adorable it is when you're trying to understand Google and you pout so cutely when you can't."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Life was perfectly fine before Google, you know."

Tony smirked. "Or the way you unconsciously protect us all. Even if we don't need protecting. It might be the serum in you, but I don't think it is."

Steve shook his head, muttering, "Bucky was always the protector out of the two of us. I always started the fights."

Thor sighed. "Or the way you can't accept a compliment. It is endearing, friend. You get all flustered when people try to say nice things about you."

Bruce noticed Steve flushing a deep red. "That is endearing."

Nat chuckled. "I personally love how deep your voice gets when you go into Cap mode. It's amusing, mostly because you have no idea you even do it, do you?"

Steve blushed more and hid his face in Bruce's chest. Bruce let his hand drift to the back of Steve's head.

"Now I think this is one of the things I love the most about you, Steve. How humble you are. You're a truly amazing person yet you don't let it faze you. I'm proud to say that I love you, Steve Rogers."

"We all are," Tony echoed as they surrounded him. Once they were all assembled on the bed, Clint blinked slowly.

"So what now?"