This is a really lovely, yearning look at how Steve sees Natasha (and how she just might be looking back), worth wading through the overuse of ellipses in the writing. I also just really like stories where Steve views the world - and the people in it - as an artist, and what that allows him to see.
Stark, A.E., and R. Bruce Banner. "Biodosimetric Tools for Measuring ..." by
Tony spends a lot of time having sex with Bruce - and the Hulk - in the name of SCIENCE! Adorably sweet. I think my favorite part is that Bruce even lets him have first author.
“What is it you want of me?” “Would you kneel, Huntsman, if I asked?” She should remember; he knelt to her before, though she did not ask it. All in white with the fire burning around her, like a wild thing brought from the other side of death. He says, “The question, my Queen, is would you ask?” She doesn’t answer him that. Instead, she asks a different question, “Then will you ride with me?" Really lovely epilogue to the film.
He stops short. And she moves as fast as lightning, as fast as a snake, as fast as Natasha Romanova. She has him up against that pillar with an arm against his neck before he can draw a breath, and without a weapon he has no defense against her. She’s always been able to match him blow for blow and then some in a fair fight anyway. She drops her arm away from his throat and sits down on the incongruous piece of furniture, because god knows she’s never going to be on her knees, no matter what. “Come on,” she says for the third time. Her eyes drop to his crotch. “I don’t have all night.” Sharp, achy, hot and hopeful Clint/Natasha during the cleanup after the movie.
"Look, buddy. I'm not the wallflower type. I'm not going to just hang around with my pompoms waiting for you to swoop in and out. I'm involved in your life, in the things that happen to you and sometimes it's not the safest place to be but I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else." "You can't make me like it." "I wouldn't expect you to. Just like you wouldn't expect me to like you throwing your silly ass off buildings and just trusting someone's going to be there to catch you." When Clint looks shifty at that, Darcy says, "Oh yeah, I saw that news footage." Adorable Clint/Darcy. Darcy's invulnerable, and then she isn't. Clint doesn't handle it well, either way.
Natasha smiles and holds him down with a little more force, and there's a playful spark in her expression that seems to promise: We can pull out the ropes next time if you want.. How could she know? And then it strikes Steve that maybe that's what sex is, a way of finding out about someone. Maybe it's not so complicated after all. Natasha helps Steve cross a few things off his list. Hot and sweet. And I love that they're co-conspirators in having sex.
"My point is," Steve says, "we have a grand total of ten dead parents between us, and somehow all of us manage to fight evil every day without once being tempted to dress up like a bat." Tony picks up the soldering iron again. "I'm not sure you're in any position to mock anybody else's costume choices," he says. "You never know--" Then he stops, narrows his eyes, and looks at Steve carefully. Teaminess! That is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking.
It Starts Out Like an A-Word (As Anyone Can See) by
But the superheroes aren't there for the letter of the day- or the number, either, since there aren't twelve of them. They're just visiting to help everyone fix the buildings on Sesame Street after the big incident last week, because everyone knows that if you shared in making the mess you should share in cleaning it up, even if it was an accident. Elmo saw them on TV, and they're just like he expected. All of them are brave and strong and nice- well, most of them are nice, at least- and they really do wear their costumes even when they're just walking around helping, which Elmo will point out the next time Oscar asks why Grover is wearing a cape if he isn't even leaving Sesame Street. OH MY HEART. The Avengers visit Sesame Street.
"Come on," she said. "I'll show you around the last seventy years." "Thank you," he said. "I know you have better things to do with your time." "Than reintroduce Captain America to this brand new shiny America?" she asked. "There's nothing I like better than playing matchmaker between a hero and his hometown." "I'm sure it'll be love at first sight," he joked. "I trust you." "Maybe you shouldn't," she said, tipping her head to one side and gazing at him through her lashes. "But I appreciate it." Achingly lovely Steve/Natasha. ... Suddenly it's a wip with a second chapter and more to come?
Steve wants to deliver Coulson's signed cards to the cellist. The others humor him. Steve's loneliness and grief is palpable here, and achingly lovely, with the ghosts of Bucky and Peggy and everything he's lost permeating everything. And then the ending! Steve has NO IDEA what's coming, but hopefully it will eventually be something good. You know, after the deprogramming etc.
