aubergines | ( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

[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?

[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.

Anything worth having--or I suppose anyone worth being with, doesn't come easily. [The way she bends the phrase to make her point isn't perfect, but she hopes he gets what she intends in saying it.] And I have my own issues.

[Of course, none of those are the sort she wants to think about. Not the cruel smile of her father or the way blood felt as she gripped that bloody pacemaker in her hand. Not the fear, not the daze she still feels when thinking about how completely under his thrall she and Pietro had been. Shaking her head slightly, she drops her hand down to her side.]

Why don't you run the bath and get in and once I'm done settling our things I'll come join you?

[It will give him time in there alone, time to relax, and perhaps some small comfort in that she won't be standing there watching him strip.]

[he offers her a dimly apologetic smile for not thinking of that] I guess we all do.

[a moment of silence follows, at that and as she takes her hand away, and then he lets out a vaguely nervous breath and nods] Sounds good. [oh, God, they're doing this. oh, God, he hopes he doesn't screw it up somehow]

[It's tempting to leave him with something to think about while he slips into the bath, but it seems better to let him take some time to relax than rattle him more. So she only smiles, winks, and turns to leave and take care of their things.

She takes her time, unpacking what needs unpacking, fresh clothes, personal items and the like. All the while, Wanda keeps an ear out for sounds of running water, the bath, and hopefully the sound of Bruce getting into the water. Only once he seems settled in and perhaps has had some time to enjoy the bath does she plan on coming back in. Toward that end, she approaches the closed door to lay an ear against it, then knocks gently.]

How're are things going in there, Bruce?

[she does, in fact, get treated to the sound of running water, of Bruce getting into it when the bath finishes filling, and when she knocks on the door, he takes a deep breath and calls back:] Well, I didn't try climbing out the window. I'd say that's a good start. [he's teasing, trying to diffuse some of his tension]

Seriously, though, uh -- if you wanna come in ... [he's ready for her. maybe]

[Wanda laughs and pushes the door in, peeking around the edge of the door to find Bruce in the bubble bath. Smile spreading wide, she steps in fully in her short robe and closes the door behind her.]

Well the good news is that if you do decide you want to escape, the fact that I'm in here now means you can escape back into the rest of the suite rather than take your life into your hands stepping out onto a ledge.

[Rather than undressing the rest of the way and slipping into the water (though she was sorely tempted), Wanda steps over to the toilet and perches on the closed lid.]

So, is it as good as you'd hoped?

Wait, hold on. [and he makes like he's going to get up and make a run for it, only to stop after a second, to slide back into the bath. a wry smile follows, however briefly]

It's -- yeah. [God, yes. he's just going to move into this tub, okay?]

[The joke earns him the laugh he deserves, and she lifts her feet up to prop up on the edge of the tub, seeming to settle in to sit there at least a little while.]

I can't remember the last time I saw you looking even half as relaxed as you do now.

[Well, ignoring any tension he might have anticipating when she plans on joining him.]

This is the first time I've had a bath in -- [he pauses, squints] -- maybe six years? And for the last two, it's mostly been either in and out of the shower, when I can afford the luxury, to save water, or kind of ... [sponge bathing, if clean water was in short supply]

[and yeah, okay, he's had showers at the Tower and all, but he's still in the habit of taking them quick. and they're definitely not this bath, my God]

[Wanda gives a faint tsk-ing noise under her breath, shaking her head.]

I certainly hope you don't intend it to be your last.

[Wanda happens to love baths. Bubbles, scents, candles, maybe even a little music. It's a perfect space to relax and unwind. And, when there's company, that's always something of an added bonus.]

I mean this tub aside, you should make a point of enjoying them back at the Tower too.

I might have to. [a beat] I just -- didn't really consider it, until now. The whole quick showers thing has kind of become force of habit. [one he will endeavor to break, however]

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