aubergines | ( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

[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]

[Wanda can't know how things will be in the future, she won't make statements toward that end, though perhaps the natural thing would be to say that she'd help him break that habit. Not even in the bath yet, how can she know that she will again, or that he'd welcome her? Instead she smiles, head tilting to one side.]

Well now a whole new wide world has opened up to you.

[Standing then, because she's not about to sit outside the bath forever and risk the water cooling before she gets to enjoy it, Wanda tugs at the silk tie holding her robe closed. Bare beneath and entirely unselfconscious, she doesn't make a point of emphasizing it through body language or looks, but instead simply lays the robe over the back of the toilet and carefully steps into the bath opposite him. Wanda slowly sinks down into the bubbles, and with her legs tucked up close to her body, she closes her eyes and sighs.]

Perfect.

[despite where this is headed and her ease through it, Bruce isn't sure if he's supposed to be enjoying the view or not. which probably explains why he watches her from the corners of his eyes as she gets into the tub, enough to see (my God, she's beautiful) but hopefully not enough to be entirely obvious about it]

[only once she settles does he look up, a wry smile on his lips, feeling all at once like a lecherous old man, unattractive and out of his league again. not that he comments to that effect -- or on her and her body. instead, he just clears his throat lightly and, perhaps vaguely ineffectually, offers:] Welcome to the party?

[She probably ought to have averted her gaze more, perhaps to let him feel more comfortable about stealing looks. She can tell he grabs a few however, and while Wanda's curious what he thinks, she doesn't press the matter. Her goal is to make him more comfortable, not less. Well, at least until she wants to make him a certain kind of uncomfortable then things will change quickly.

Giving him an easy smile in return, Wanda opens her eyes. She looks pleased, comfortable, and scoots a little closer so that her legs brush up against his.]

Thanks, happy to be here.

[She emphasizes the point by laying a hand on his leg. The tub is big enough she could probably settle against him comfortable, faced the same way, but that kind of closeness might be too much too soon. Better to take things in slow steps a little while longer.]

[faced against him might have been a mistake, yes, but leaning against him now, like this, isn't so bad. it's not too far removed from their weekend hangouts in the common rooms. just her and him, sort of cuddling as they read. or bathe now, apparently. yeah, he can deal with this. absolutely]

[letting out a slow breath, he tries for another smile, this one less wry, more real. he manages, for the most part, though there's a touch of nervousness to it] I figured. [a beat -- a moment of hesitation, really] I should, uh -- I'm not ... I won't hurt you.

[which is to say he can, in fact, do this without involving the Other Guy. or so all evidence leads him to believe, anyway]

[Wanda relaxes a little more herself, seeing that smile on his face. She's spent enough time around him to recognize the real ones from the tense ones. To tell when he's more at ease.

Of course Bruce wouldn't be Bruce if some other worry came to light. Wanda tilts her head to one side, and then reaches out, laying a hand on his knee. He's concerned, she understands why, but the thing is that she doesn't have the same worries he does.]

I know you won't. And if by some chance you found yourself changing...

[She pauses, thinking.]

For a while now I've been thinking that I could use my probability magic to prevent your transformation. So I think...perhaps you have that much more reason to relax tonight?

[he arches his eyebrows, wondering idly how that would go. that -- might be handy. not that he's planning on freaking out, even with her hand on his leg, even as nervous as he is, but in the right situation ... ]

[he should probably shelve that thought for the time being, however, and so he does, flashing her another smile] I'll keep that in mind. [a beat] And uh, yeah. That helps. [with the whole relaxing thing]

[His smile brightens her own, and Wanda slides her hand down and up his leg in an affectionate sort of way.]

You know, I quite like your smile. Do you suppose there's something I could do to make you do that more?

[She might be flirting a little, but honest to goodness she's trying not to be too intense about it. Light flirting. She can't help herself and she's hoping it won't make him more nervous.]

Could wash your hair for you if you wanted?

[and that alone is enough to get him to smile again, albeit with a measure of embarrassment. he's flattered, even if he gets that she's just flirting with him -- maybe because she is flirting with him. it's been awhile since anyone has and meant it or was even good at faking it. it's been awhile, period]

Well, uh -- [oh. right. question beyond his embarrassment and nerves and her hand on his leg. he clears his throat a little] -- yeah, sure?

[Wanda expects that smile to slip away but it doesn't mean that she's going to let it happen so easily.]

I know it's not as much as I promised yet but I am trying to keep from giving you a heart attack.

[She may be playing off his lack of smile as disappointment that she isn't offering more, even if she knows better. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo, she rises up onto her knees as she shifts her position to settle down between his knees. It puts her close to him without being pressed up between his legs or against his body, which hopefully will give him a chance to get used to it. She drops a little of the liquid into her hand, sets the bottle aside, and lathers it up.]

Besides, if you've never had someone wash your hair for you, you're in for a treat.

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

...and now a new PB

no subject

no subject