aubergines | ( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

[She understands his hesitation. Her words cover only sharing a bath and he's a careful and considerate enough of a man to not assume that she means more. Not unless she says it outright. Not one to be afraid of rejection, and being entirely fine if he wants to turn her offer down, she elaborates.]

Well it is nice to have someone help you wash, or being able to do the same for another.

[She'd happily wash his hair for him and give him the best scalp massage of his life. Wanda cants her head to one side, then adds quietly:]

And there are other activities we could enjoy together if you wanted, but that isn't a decision you have to make here and now if you aren't certain.

[She smiles in spite of herself when he strokes the back of her hand. Gamora can't decide if it's endearing or frustrating that he's struggling with this. She remembers her parents being more at ease. Maybe people will chalk it up to eagerness on Peter's part. Maybe they'll think they are newly married if they even think twice about them at all.] Let's hope the children take after me.

[She smirks. That was terrible of her, but if he's using this as an excuse to check out her legs then she's allowed to tease him.]

[ children. he actually freezes, dropping her hand after his own gets clammy. he's getting tunnel vision -- all because she's teasing him. he knows she is, but it's still getting under his skin, which he supposes is the point. oh well, what sells marriage more than bickering in public right? ]

I won't fight about this again, love muffin. [ peter crosses his arms across his chest and walks a little apart from her now, vision skirting around her face but never settling in for eye contact. he's good at acting upset; he's had a lot of experience to draw from. ] You know I can't... I would if I could, you know I want to.

[ he scrunches up his face. ] You said it didn't make me any less of a man, but here you are! Always calling me out on something beyond my control.

[ there, gamora. how's that for drama? amusement is sparkling in the corner of his eye, but to the casual observer he's definitely having a scene all his own right here in the street. ]

[She glances away from him which could be taken as shame. Look at the new bride picking on her poor, put upon husband. She regrets it clearly. Really Gamora is trying hard not to laugh. She can't lecture him about blending in and subtlety when the act is hilarious.]

Let's not make a scene, dear. [She offers up a pacifying smile, moving to catch his hand in hers.] It's a nice day.

[ maybe before he knew her, he wouldn't have known about the smile she's hiding. he tries to ignore, too, the renewed clammering of his heart when she grabs his hand again. it's the same as before, he doesn't hesitate to lace their fingers, knocking his shoulder gently into hers as they walk. he glances down at his shoes before seeming to concede the point. children can be discussed another day; one that isn't so sunny maybe. that's what marriage is about right? compromise. ]

I guess it's not terrible. [ he looks over at her, expression capturing the joy of the adventure as he brings her hand up to his face and ghosts his lips across the back. ]

I don't -- not that I'm --

[he stops, lets out a breath, frustrated, and shakes his head together, trying to pull it together and find his words. it takes him a moment, because really, this isn't his area of expertise. at all]

I might not say no to just a bath, but I don't want you to feel obligated to -- whatever for the sake of the act. [he doesn't want to take advantage of her. he doesn't think he's very attractive, either, graying from the stress of the last few years and short and -- yeah]

[Distantly, Wanda finds his reactions fascinating. The frustration, the fumbling, it's all interesting to her simply because this isn't something that they talk about, this isn't an area of conversation they've ventured anywhere near and so she's learning something new about him.

Not so distantly, she cares enough about him to be worried that she's complicating things for him in a way he might not want. Her timing could be quite awful, considering all things. Still, she stays quiet, letting him gather his thoughts and words as best he can manage.]

Bruce, please trust me when I say that I'm not offering out of obligation or because of anything to do with the mission we're on or its circumstances. It's just that. An offer. Something I hope you'd enjoy and something that I know I would.

[And if he needs further convincing of the fact that yes, she's interested, and yes, she finds him attractive, well, she can provide that.]

[Gamora smiles a little more fondly than she should under the circumstances. His joy is infectious. For a mercenary job meant to keep food on the table, this is turning out to be surprisingly fun. It's almost like a game to see who can top the other.] Of course it's not. We're together, dearest.

[ he bites his lip, totally not having to fake the bashfulness. he forgets how perfectly gamora can fake it, at times. because when it's her real emotions, she doesn't know how to deal with them. it makes this exercize both strangely satisfying and completely foreign. like he's with a totally different person and he doesn't necessarily like that feeling. he likes gamora for her emotionally stilted self. but of course it's hard to resist to one-up her too. he's nothing if not competitive, especially with his friends.

he drops their hands to wrap his arm around her waist, reeling her in close while they walk. on a wim he leans in and presses a soft kiss against her cheek. ] Do you remember what I said to you on our wedding day? [ he asks, close to her ear. ] I told you nothing bad could happen so long as we were together.

[Gamora purses her lip at the kiss. She can deal with the contact. It's not like she ever refrains from it normally. Gentle touches are how she conveys how she cares. It's not uncommon for her to put a hand on someone's back or to linger close when someone questionable comes around. This feels different.

She still refuses to break character though. She smiles confidently.] As I recall, it was because I had this.

[She pats her holstered sword affectionately.] You needn't worry, dear husband. Your wife is still ready to jump to your defense at a moment's notice.

[ god, she's smug. it's hard not to find it sexy as hell even when it's 100% at his expense. or his character's -- either way. his grin is wide and stupid when he gets to his response. ] You take way too much pleasure in emasculating me, honeybear.

[She does take great pleasure in it. Gamora makes no effort to hide it.] And your nicknames for me are ridiculous. We all have our faults, dear. It is only that mine are more attractive than yours.

[Who doesn't want a swordswoman protecting them??]

Well... it's hard to argue with that. [ he tips his head against hers in a transparently affectionate way, knowing it can't be slipping her notice how much he's actually enjoying this rather than just playing house. ]

[She smiles and gets up from the chair.] Best idea yet.

[But as soon as she starts walking, she pulls a face.] It's going to have to be take-in, because I'm not getting back into shoes until the morning.

[It hasn't, but she won't trouble herself over it. Playing this part comes much easier to her than being the lackey of a genocidal maniac and she was quite convincing at that one. Still if Gamora were more self-aware, she'd be concerned about the fact that aside from silly names this isn't a stretch for her. Right now she is carefully avoiding that awful fate and sticking to the task at hand.]

Then let's not. Instead you can get something for me. [They are here for a job technically speaking. It's not all fun and cute nicknames!!]

Anything for you, lovel-- oh. [ she means the thing. the thing they're here for. he nods, placing another kiss against her temple before carefully pulling away to get in position. ]

[Gamora rolls her eyes and heads to her spot. She'll be ready to knock in heads as necessary.]

You could probably do better than me.

[he might need that convincing. he has some serious body image issues, which well, might be understandable, given the fact that he's a part-time Enormous Green Rage Monster and the fact that most people run from that and him]

[Oh Bruce, no. Her expression softens somewhat as she rises to her feet again. She'd kept her distance while making her offer out of respect for him, to not crowd him or pressure him. Now it's different as she steps closer, still a couple steps away, but near all the same.]

Better than a trusted, attractive friend? Surely not.

[She doesn't quantify the value in people, not in the way he's implying, though she doesn't take offense at the related implication. That comment is surely born of his thoughts about himself, not about her. Carefully she reaches up, cups his cheek in one hand.]

It's not that hard to believe that I could be interested, is it?

Someone better looking. Younger. [not that he's seemed to age at all, since the birth of the Hulk, the gray he's so disturbed by a product of stress more than anything else, but still. he still has body image issues and she's right in thinking that's the motive behind this rather than him thinking her vain]

Steve's single, still. [not that that stops him from tilting his head lightly into her fingers] And Clint.

[It's almost like she hasn't said a thing, for his response certainly isn't directly to her words. Of course, that he tries to offer up other candidates for her is its own answer. He is finding it that hard to believe she could be interested. Stroking down the side of his face, Wanda sighs. Clint is in Bruce's age bracket and Steve is technically over ninety, she could argue, but that would distract.]

And so are you, unless there's something you haven't told me. Besides, I happen to like you just the way you are, including your age.

[Reaching up, she strokes her fingers through his hair and tilts her head to one side.]

Does mine make you uncomfortable?

No, just -- [he pauses, forcing himself to take a breath. he holds it for a moment, lets it out in a rush, and somehow in spite of himself, tilts his head into her fingers even as he offers a wry smile] Sorry. I guess I just kind of ... have issues. [with himself]

If you're serious about this, though ...

I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't.

[She doesn't pull away though, or make any move to imply that she's going to rush back over to run a bath right away. There's still concern in her expression as she continues to stroke over his hair, more certain in the touch since he continues to lean into it.]

May I ask what kind of issues you have? I mean, are they anything I can help with?

[he makes a small, humorless sound]

Yeah, I don't think you're gonna fix twenty-some years of ... [abuse? feeling like a monster? he's really not sure what to term it, but it started long before the Hulk. his father always used to tell him he was an abomination right before he beat him, after all] I'm pretty sure my shrink would've called it body images issues. [yeah, that's what he's going with. and oops, did he just admit to seeking psychiatric help before he became a superhero? yep. there you go]

No offense, just -- if we're going to do this, it's probably something you're going to have to deal with. [a beat] A lot.

[She's really cute when she's talking fast. The thought hits him like a speeding train - like Will's hammer, if he had to pinpoint the exact sensation - and for a moment, he'd gotten sidetracked by the little gestures, rather than the importance of the words she's saying. Still, he can't help snorting a little at the thought of him being 'just a soldier.' A few years ago, before he'd arrived on the Legacy, that might've been true.]

Gee, thanks. [He rolls his eyes, but his smile betrays his feigned annoyance. See what happens the next time he refuses to bake bread for everyone, okay??]

I've... I've kinda enjoyed this too. I mean, yeah, your maid's super... uh... vocal about my baking ability [read: Senel steals the kitchen too often] but otherwise, it's been cool to see what your life would've been like, if you weren't fighting alongside me. Um, us. Fighting alongside us.

[It's the first time in a long time that he's unconsciously acknowledged something deeper - and honestly, that slip baffled him. Romance had been taken completely off his plate after Stella's death (and Shirley admitting her love had not helped that one bit, no sir), and yet...

And yet he's entirely okay with this weird pseudo-life that he's got with Chloe.] Hey, now that I think about it, are you allowed to train? Or are we just managing the estate 'til we go back?

( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

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/re-emerges from the land of no wifi