Longing (Steve Rogers x reader)

A fatherly Bruce

You could barely keep your heart from pounding. From the moment Steve left, you wanted to squeal with excitement, but you kept it to yourself. You sat in shock with your heart racing in your chest, and you brushed your hair back out of your face, still thinking of the way he looked at you so hungrily. You sat in a daze, with your book discarded to the side and your tea quickly getting cold. You finally snapped out of it, and grabbed your tea cup and took a few grateful sips, moistening your lips in the process with the lukewarm liquid. You leaned back in your seat, still in shock that your year long crush had asked you out on a date. A real date by the sounds of it. You acknowledged it was only breakfast, but Steve had said several times over the past year that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. You didn't want to read too much into it, but your excitement filled you to the brim. You heard another knock at your door, and you looked up expectantly, not sure what to expect at this point.
"Come in" you called.
"Hey Starshine, it's just me" Bruce called, coming in with a bottle of cranberry juice. "I thought after using all that energy on your powers, you could use a little extra sugar" he gave a soft smile as he walked in the door.
"Hi Carebear" you greeted him warmly, still in a slight daze. "Come on in" you patted the recently vacated seat beside you and he came over and sat down beside you quickly.
"I saw Steve was here" he twisted the lid off of the juice and handed it to you. You had the good sense to flush a bit, and took a gulp of the cold beverage.
"He asked me on a date," you admitted shyly.
"Good, I mean you two have great chemistry and you've been throwing these shy glances at each other for the better part of a year now. He's a great guy, if there's anyone we would all approve of you dating, it's Steve" Bruce gave a large smile, and put his arm over your shoulders. "I'm sorry we pushed you so much today, I didn't think about it until after. You've really improved"
"If it's any consolation, I didn't try to stop either one of you either" you admitted. "I sometimes feel like a lab experiment when Tony gets so excited"
"You're not a lab experiment, I know I push you, but it's because I'm worried about you on these missions" Bruce pulled you for a hug, and gave you a soft kiss on the side of your head in an affectionate and fatherly manner. "You were just thrown into this Avenger's business. I know you were working on the streets as the Good Samaritan, but this isn't something that happens in a back alley anymore, or in a street fight. You're a good kid, I just don't want anything to happen to you. Making your powers last longer, seems to be the smartest thing we can do"
"I appreciate that" you whispered softly, returning the hug and then pulling away to drink the rest of your juice.
"I hope the juice helps" he added after a moment, seeming to relax a bit more, sitting back into the couch more. You spared him a glance, with a soft smile on your face and saw he was still in his white lab coat. It was like his unofficial uniform when he was working around in the lab. He obviously didn't intend on staying too long with you, but he seemed to be at peace for the moment. You knew he was trying to make sure you were okay while he visited. He gave you a curious glance and you saw he was hesitating before he asked you the next question. "Did you take your pain medication today?" he asked. You shook your head. "Bathroom?" he asked quickly and you nodded. He got up off of the couch and headed into your bathroom before coming back with the pill bottle. He took out a single pill for you and you held out your hand. He quickly put the pill into your palm before he went to your fridge and grabbed you a bottle of water. He twisted off the cap and passed it to you, and watched as you took the pill. He gave a nod and took the seat beside you again.
"Are you going to tell Nat?" you asked hesitantly, arching an eyebrow to look at him.
"She would be over the moon, but I'll let you tell her on your own. You'll have to tell her tonight though, I'm terrible with keeping secrets from her" he admitted sheepishly.
"I will" you promised. "I'd better make sure Clint is there when I do it, he would be upset to be the last to know"
"He's on his way to go get Laura tomorrow morning, since they only have a babysitter for the night. He wants to make the most of his day with his family while he can" he seemed to be deep in thought.
"I almost forgot about Tony's party tomorrow" you sighed softly.
"You'll be fine, the girls will be there and so will Clint and I. Loki's already asked you for a dance, and so has Steve" he reminded you. "It's just a bunch of big wigs from around the country that show up to rub elbows with Tony and Pepper. We are just the background material" he chuckled slightly.
"I'll try to be on my best behavior" you pursed your lips, taking the information in.
"I'm not worried about you. Last year Pietro and Peter spiked the punch. Thankfully most of us can't get drunk" he chuckled.
"Sounds like I missed quite the party" you giggled at the thought of the boys getting into trouble.
"Thor broke out the Asgardian mead, we certainly got to see him, Loki, Steve and Bucky relax a little bit" he chuckled again at the memory. "Bucky is quite the flirt when he's had a few drinks, so is Loki. But Loki will flirt with just about everybody when he's drunk" he added quickly.
"Maybe we will get a repeat show" you said a little hopefully. "I'd love to see those boys relaxed" you bit your bottom lip at the thought of a relaxed Steve.
"When is your date?" He changed the subject.
"Sunday morning, we are going for breakfast before I go to do my errands" you sobered up quickly.
"That gives you both the day to play it by ear" he mused. "I did that with Nat on our first date," he added with a smile. "I remember she wore these black high waisted skinny jeans, and her favorite red blouse. She was stunning, I could barely breathe just looking at her. We went for breakfast, and just ended up spending the day together at the tower, back when we were stationed at the tower. We watched some movies, and just cuddled a bit. It was really nice" he said with a shy smile.
"I didn't know that about you two" you raised an eyebrow. "I admire you two, and Clint and Laura. Both pairs of you just make sense, and seem to compliment each other" you sat back as you felt the pain in your leg was slowly numbing itself.
"In a world that feels like it's gone crazy, it's good to find someone who is your center and bring you some peace. That's what Nat is for me, this semblance of peace in a world full of crazy" Bruce gave a soft smile. "Is that pill kicking in yet?" he asked expectantly.
"It is, I just hate how it makes me feel tired," you admitted.
"You should get some rest" he slapped his legs and stood up quickly. "I just wanted to make sure you took your pill, and had a little extra sugar since you really pushed it today. Don't forget to tell Nat and Clint" he reminded you as he headed to the door.
"Thank you for stopping by" you waved to him as he left. He gave a small wave and left the door open partially after leaving. You went back to sipping your tea, realizing how many liquids you had consumed in a short period of time. Your bladder wasn't yelling at you yet, to your surprise, but you didn't want to give it a chance. You got up quickly and went to use the facilities before coming back, putting the bottles in the recycling bin and sitting down to drink your tea again.