aubergines | ( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

Spa treatments like a couples massage. That should be nice and relaxing for you I think. We can start small and I'll see if I can ease you into things like facial masks or maybe a manicure.

[She pauses a beat and then rubs his chest soothingly as if about to give him some bad news.]

Actually, we ought to get you a manicure for sure if you're going to be shaking hands with any of my contacts. No polish of course but they'll trim and buff and smooth things out.

[a massage he might be able to get behind. a facial, though? that gets a raise of his eyebrows. they creep ever higher when Wanda mentions the manicure and when he can't decide whether or not she's serious or just teasing him]

... you're kidding, right?

[The elevator doors open and Wanda reaches up from his chest to pat his cheek affectionately.]

Not at all. Consider it a bonus to this whole thing or a price to pay for a nice hotel but it is rather necessary. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't.

[With her other hand still grasping his, she leads him out of the elevator and down the hall toward their room.]

[he leans into her hand, belatedly, as it occurs to him even in his surprise to keep up the act. a moment of silence follows, as they head out of the elevator and under the weight of the idea that she's not kidding, and then slowly, wryly, he smiles] Tony's gonna have a field day with that, if and when he finds out.

[probably when. it's Tony. hell, he really wouldn't be surprised if he'd found a way to remotely hack the hotel's security system, had been watching them in the elevator, and knew already]

You're welcome to blame me of course and tell him I insisted if you like.

[She'd hardly mind and could give anyone the same explanation she might give Bruce.

Wanda leads them down the hall to their room, and with a quick brush of the keycard against the door, gains them entry into their luxury suite. With her free hand she flicks on a light switch, and seeing the interior of the room causes her expression to warm with obvious pleasure.

They have a small sitting room furnished elegantly in dark woods and fabrics of gold and cream. The lights operate on a dimmer switch, letting her turn them up fully to get the entire scope of their rooms. Across the way there are sheer curtains that show the lights of the city beyond faintly through the fabric. Wanda abandons his hand to move ahead to see what kind of view they've been given.]

Isn't it gorgeous in here?

I'm not sure that'd do much to save me. [he appreciates the offer, though, if the look on his face is any indication]

[rather than say that, however, he just follows her into the room and -- and blinks, drifting away from her as she heads to check out the view to just marvel at the room. in a minute or two, he may join her, but right now, he's a little hung up on the overall decadence of the room. this is way above anything he would have been able to afford, even before the Hulk. this is way above anything he did manage, the few times he and Betty managed to get away for a weekend on their own]

It's -- [he shakes his head, almost stunned] -- yeah.

[Wanda seems not just pleased by the room but entirely in her element. At ease. Happy, even. The view outside is gorgeous, just as expected. They can't really see any of the buildings they'll be visiting while there, so they can't do surveillance from their room, but at least they'll have something to look at when they're putting their feet up.

Turning back, Wanda looks over to Bruce who honestly seems a little poleaxed. Amused, she crosses over to him with a little quirk of her lips.]

You'll get used to it. Just one of the perks of playing part of the happy couple.

[he lets out a breath of a laugh as he snaps back to reality, and glances over at her, caught somewhere between amusement and embarrassment] You're talking to a guy who considered living in a sick ward in the slums of Calcutta high society. I'm not sure I'll get over this -- [he makes a vague gesture around the room] -- anytime soon.

Well at the very least you might want to practice pretending that you're used to it, or holding back the wide-eyed reactions. Come on, let's take a peek at the rest, hm?

[She tugs at him by his sleeve then lets go to head into the bedroom. Its interior is as luxurious as the living room area. Wanda runs her hands over the foot of the bed with a sigh before heading over to the bathroom to find--oh gosh, a beautiful spa-style bathtub.]

I'm really sorry if I disappear in here for a few hours!

[This she calls over her shoulder, investigating the complimentary soaps as she hums to herself.]

I'll give it a shot.

[that said, he lets her pull her into the bedroom, and despite the fact that she lets him go before too long, he follows her into the bathroom after a moment of looking around, again wide-eyed and despite his promise. a moment of pause follows, and then slowly, he offers her a thin, teasing smile] I don't know. We might have to fight for it. [because that is, in fact, a nice tub, and God, it's been a long time since he's been able to take a bath rather than just a shower]

[Wanda laughs, and because he's teasing her, she can't help but tease back. Perhaps she'll be taking it a step too far but she wants to see if she can make him blush.]

Oh I don't know. We could always share.

[And really, she would, but that might take their friendship in other directions and no doubt he wouldn't be interested. So she flashes him a wicked smile, one that's over the top enough that he can take her teasing for just that.]

[mission accomplished, Wanda]

You -- are you -- what?

[yeah, sorry, that's about the best he's got. he can recognize that she's teasing, sure, but -- way to break the scientist]

[Oh, now that's delightful. If nothing else good comes out of this trip, she will always have the memory of him blushing to cherish.

She ought to leave it there but an inclination toward mischief pushes her on.]

I said. We. Can. Share.

[She's going to a special hell for this, probably. Wanda's well aware as she steps into the bathroom and perches on the edge of the tub.]

I can't tell if you're kidding or just kind of -- messing with me.

[maybe he did a minute ago, but now that she's still pushing it, he's uncertain, and he doesn't want to say or do anything that might make this awkward, if she is just kidding. but if she's serious ... maybe he could get behind that. maybe]

[...it occurs to Wanda that he hasn't actually said anything to give her the impression he would be opposed to this. Wanda studies his face silently a moment. Her smile fades slightly, becoming something less teasing and something more sincere.]

Well, I was trying to get a reaction out of you the first time I said it, I admit to that, but it doesn't mean that I wasn't also telling the truth.

So, you kind of want to ...

[actually share the bathtub. which, again, he could maybe get behind that, but he wants to make sure that's what she means. he's still terrified that this might get real awkward, real quick if he just assumes anything. and he offers her an apologetic look for that, for leading them around in circles, conversationally, but ... he needs to know]

[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.

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.]

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?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

sorry Bruce

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject