Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 2

Thermonuclear Astrophysics (Pietro Maximoff x reader)

Bruce then entered the lab with his head down, reading from the two different tablets in his hands as he made his way to his station, seemingly without looking at where he was going. To add to the remarkable talent, he had heard what Pietro had said as well, almost before he had even entered the room. "I'll teach you."

"You will?" Pietro gasped, spinning to face the doctor. "Oh, that would be wonderful, Doctor Banner, just wonderful! But...I only need a little information and keeping it easy to learn. I have to be able to remember it all, and science is not my talent."

"Don't worry, kid," Bruce replied, still not looking up, "easy is my middle name."

Tony choked on the coffee he had just brought to his lips, sputtering as he set his cup down and slapped at his chest in an attempt to recover. Before he caught his breath and had a chance to retort with the obvious comeback, Bruce had his hand up to stop him with a faint hint of green in his eyes as a warning to his friend.

"Not one word, Stark. Easy is your first name."

~~~

After your awkward run-in with Pietro, you didn't see him again for three days, and in a possibly connected happening, you didn't see Bruce either. Business as usual went on for both you and Tony, even though business for him included two fires and a reboot of FRIDAY that left her speaking exclusively Italian for an entire day. On the upside, she ordered the most amazing lunch for everyone with her linguistic prowess, much to Tony's delight.

"(Y/N), get your face over here. You've gotta try this," Tony called to you, holding a fork full of pasta and waiting eagerly for your feedback on the remarkable taste that his creation seemed to have for ordering take-out. "Let's get in your mouth."

"No."

"Come onnnnn," he whined with a small stomp of his feet, "I'm sorry, I'll be something...not gross..."

"Fine," you relented with a huff, "but this is it." You grabbed your own fork and crossed the room, digging into the plate in his hand until you had a good bite's worth; when you lifted the utensil it all began to fall off so you reached forward over the plate, putting you uncomfortably close to him and in a position that could be easily misinterpreted from the wrong angle. Of course, it was.

"What's this?" Pietro asked from the doorway, his eyes wide.

"What?" you mumbled, turning to him so quickly that a part of your bite rolled down your bright white lab coat, leaving a trail of bright red sauce behind. "Nuffing."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Tony scolded, pulling his plate away and digging into his meal again eagerly. "FRIDAY ordered lunch, so get in there before (Y/N) eats it all."

"Hey! I'm not!"

"It looks very cozy in here today," Pietro grumbled under his breath, moving to stand next to you, "something going on with you two?"

"With Tony? Please tell me you're joking."

"Why not? He's funny...ish, smart, and I suppose he's attractive, yes?"

You turned back to look at Tony with a skeptical eye, watching the man shovel fork full after fork full of food into his mouth, much of it spilling out of his overfilled mouth and back onto his plate in his haste to eat while trying to work at the same time. Your nose crinkled up into a look of disgust as you watched, stopping when you realized that you had been focusing on him too long and Pietro was still waiting for an answer. "No, he's not my type at all."

"Genius isn't your type?"

"No. Arrogant, messy, extroverted perverts aren't my type."

"I heard that," Tony interrupted, tossing a stray noodle onto your station. "Don't worry, Speedster. Now that you're learning the big words, she'll be all over you in no time."

You looked from Tony and back to Pietro quickly, noticing a dark red flush building in his cheeks and his inability to look at you out of his embarrassment. He shuffled his feet a bit, and you could tell that his body wanted to break out into a sprint, but he was fighting the urge and holding his place next to you knowing that you wouldn't let him go without an answer. "Pietro, what does he mean by that?"

"Nothing..." he stalled, "I mean...well, it's something...I suppose." He stopped and took a deep breath, smiling slightly at the sight of Bruce entering the lab now as well, as if his support had finally arrived to help his waning confidence. "Doctor Banner has been helping me to understand basic concepts of bio-organics and theoretical physics. Mr. Stark has allowed me access to FRIDAY for lessons, but I somehow made an error and now you have lunch."

"That was you?" you smiled. "Pietro...you were learning that for me?"

"I can't compare to how smart you are, and when I watch you work with these two, I know even more that I'm not going to get your attention without learning some of this."

"Well, that's just stupid," you scoffed, immediately realizing your error with a slap of your hand over your mouth. "Oh, no! That's not what I meant!"

"Smooth," Tony coughed into his hand with a grin, which was quickly extinguished by your cold glare. "Or not."

"Pietro, you don't have to do that," you reassured, taking his hand in yours and earning a wide smile in return. "I think what you should really be focusing on is what we're going to do for our first date."

"Really?!" Without another word, he lifted up onto his toes and pressed a fast kiss to your cheek, running from the room in a bright flash before you could answer him. You waited for a few seconds for him to return, but he never did; with a shake of your head and a glance at an amused Tony, you went back to your work and wondered what it was that he could be planning.

"Well, I sure hope he hasn't started without me."