The Ultimate Fix-It Fic

10| Resolution *

Natasha sat back in her office at home as she recounted her conversation with Barnes before the team left Wakanda.

"There're more of me, you know," the man had said. "Winter Soldiers."

Natasha had nodded slightly, barely acknowledging him. "Where?"

"I'll try and find out or remember. The project was transferred to a different branch of HYDRA after a few years of experiments. Something about a room."

Nat sighed now, fidgeting with her pen, twirling it over her knuckles absent-mindedly. She looked up as someone knocked on her door.

"Morning, Tash," Bruce said softly, holding two mugs. "Can't sleep?"

Natasha nodded and he came in, handing her a mug.

She breathed it in and smiled. "Hot chocolate and cinnamon?" she asked, eyes following him as he walked over to kiss her lightly. Nat felt an irritating urge to giggle, which was very unprofessional of her. "Hi." She smiled against his kiss anyways.

Bruce leaned away with a small smirk. "Hi." He regarded the mugs that were now both on the table. "Cinnamon and chocolate, yes. Your favourite."

Natasha laughed. "I wouldn't say my favourite. Alcohol is pretty far up there as well." She grinned as Bruce narrowed his eyes in mock-firmness. "What are you going to do, leave me– hey!" Nat broke off laughing as her scientist kissed her again. "Bruce!"

His face was an inch away from hers, brown eyes meeting her green ones. "Hello, there," he said softly.

Natasha maintained eye contact for another ten seconds with a straight face before pushing him off of her, trying not to laugh again. She picked up her mug and rolled her eyes, pretending to be unimpressed with her boyfriend's antics. "To answer your question, yes, I couldn't sleep. I was researching the, uh, the Red Room. What it got up to in the olden days." Nat glanced up at Bruce. "You know, back in my day," she finished with a small, teasing smile.

"You're making me feel old, Natasha," Bruce complained softly, making fun. "Don't do that to me."

Nat laughed as she went back to her computer screen. "I'll try not to, adorado," she said, grinning.

Bruce shook his head, sitting down across from her. "Again with this 'adorado' thing." He sipped from his mug. "So annoying."

Natasha flashed him a smile. "But you love me anyway."

"I do."

She turned back to the screen. "Very stupid of you."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think I was." Bruce sighed, grinning as Nat kicked him from under the desk. "Why do you have such cold feet?"

Nat shrugged. "Maybe it's the Russian. I don't know."

-

The next morning, she and Bruce flew back to the Manhatten compound uneventfully.

"Ms. Romanoff!" Peter rushed down the stairs to greet them. "Dr. Banner! You're back!"

Bruce accepted a hug from the boy. "Yeah, we're back for at least this week. Maybe even into the summer if the police don't chase us out with pitchforks and torches." He smiled. "Or something."

Natasha laughed lightly. "Where's Michelle, Peter?" she asked after a slightly bone-crushing hug.

"She's upstairs. She wanted to finish up the simulation we had running before we saw your car pull in." Peter grinned. "MJ is awesome." He led them up the stairs. "So we've been doing simulations on, uh, potential upgrades on the suit, better web fluid, that sort of stuff. We also have new gadgets if you want to try them out," he offered eagerly.

Nat smiled. "Sure." She saw Michelle stand up. "Michelle."

"Ms. Romanoff. Dr. Banner." The girl waved, getting something from her backpack on the ground by the door. "We're running a simulation on a design. It's cool."

It wasn't quite an invitation, but Natasha and Bruce headed over to see.

Michelle drew up the blueprints on a tablet and handed them over to the scientist, who studied them curiously.

Nat peeked over. "That looks nice." She smiled. "You guys are a good team."

Michelle shrugged while Peter flushed.

"Thanks, Ms. Romanoff," he mumbled.

"Parker?"

Peter whipped his head back."Yeah?"

Michelle looked at him weirdly before seemingly dismissing it. "The simulation's done, all good, so do you want to print it?" she asked, a faint smile appearing like she's amused.

Shuri had given them a small replica of her thing-maker, which couldn't print bio-organics quite like the princess's could, but Peter and Michelle were very happy anyways. Natasha knew this because Peter once called her at 2 am yelling excitedly about his and Michelle's making of a small sunflower seed after a few days of work.

"Sure! Lemme just–" Peter rummaged around the drawer of his desk– "There it is. Here." The boy handed his partner a microchip. "Can you, uh–"

Michelle plucked the microchip from his offering hand. "Sure."

"Thank you."

Natasha watched the conversation with an amused, knowing smile.

Bruce glanced at her. "What're you thinking?" he asked her quietly.

"Those two." Nat nodded to the teenagers fiddling around with their science stuff. "They're cute."

"As kids?"

Natasha shrugged. "Sure." She turned to face Bruce, whose arms instinctively drifted around her waist, forming a loose hold she could break easily, but she didn't. "So," she said, a small smirk settling on her face.

"So," Bruce repeated, smile soft.

"Get a room, you two," Michelle called over her shoulder, typing away.

Nat huffed a laugh. "Well, you heard the people. We need to get a room," she said to Bruce.

"Ice cream?" he suggested idly.

Natasha smiled wider and linked arms with him. "Why, of course, Dr. Banner."