The Ultimate Fix-It Fic

4| Definitely An Unplanned Fall *

Natasha and Bruce ended up staying at the ice cream shop for an hour, just talking. First, it was Bruce asking and failing to get an answer from Nat about the husband thing, but it eventually digressed into small talk and personal things.

As the clock struck nine-thirty, the opening time for the shop, Mr. Cadenza came back out.

"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Waters, Natalia, is there anything else I can help you with before I open?" he asked politely.

Natasha smiled and hopped off the barstool. "No, thanks, Henry. You've been great. Um, a fifty?" She handed him a crumpled bill from her bag and when he tried to refuse, offered it even more aggressively.

Mr. Cadenza shook his head, trying not to smile. "This girl," he looked at Bruce. "Though I suppose you know since you married her."

Bruce's eyes flicked towards Natasha for a brief second and he nodded.

"Have a nice day, kids!" the old man called as they left.

Natasha was beaming as they walked along the street. She knew she had never looked this happy before, since she always had her stoic mask on all the time. She noticed Bruce looking at her as they strolled. "What?"

Bruce shook his head, smiling. "Nothing." A beat. "You look nice."

"Thank you." Natasha hated the way her heart was beating so fast at this tiny casual compliment. "Do you want to head back to the Tower?"

"Did you have anything else planned?" Bruce chuckled. "I thought it was just ice cream."

"I wanted to show you something about me but if you need to get back..." Natasha trailed off, looking very nonchalant.

Bruce smiled. "Tony can survive without me."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Natasha linked her arm through Bruce's again and led him to an old apartment building a block away from a high school. They could hear the low buzz of chatter even from here.

They went in and up the staircases, two, three, four floors. They stopped on the fifth.

Natasha produced a house key from her bag and unlocked the door. "Come on in."

She watched as Bruce crossed the threshold, looking around like he was in someplace exotic. "Is this your place?" he asked in amazement.

"Yeah." Natasha closed the door behind her. "I got it after the whole thing with Loki. Fury made it clear that home base would be New York for a couple years, so I figured I'd settle in. I mean–" she shrugged– "Tony gave all of us a room so I don't usually come back here unless I have to do something."

Bruce was still looking around. "It's nice."

"I'd rather have a loft somewhere out of the way, but it is what it is," Nat said. She leaned on the counter. "At least I have a few places I can call home in a pinch."

Bruce was stifling a smile. "That's not how the concept of 'home' works, Nat-asha."

Natasha didn't react outwardly to the way he stumbled over her name. Inside she was screaming, but then again, she always was.

Bruce hesitated before speaking up. "This is awkward, Natasha, but I'd like to know where we stand."

Nat glanced at him swiftly, on the alert. "On what?" she asked.

The scientist swallowed. "Is this– Is this supposed to be a date?"

"Does it feel like a date?" Nat answered. Yes, it is, but there's no way I'm telling you that.