Special Needs: A Bruce and Natasha FanFic

Chapter 68: The Walls Within

Summary: It's still just before the 2015 Labor Day Weekend at the Lake. Bruce, Natasha, Vision, and Wanda enjoy dinner. Adam tries to reconnect with his childhood home and finds it surprisingly challenging, but he does get a little help. We earn that mature rating again. Wanda connects with both Bruce and Hulk. Nat and Tony make plans. A couple of visitors arrive at the lodge sooner rather than later.

Notes: My thanks to Autumn_Froste for the Beta duties and helping me talk some things through. She just had a birthday, too, so big hugs for her! Thanks for hanging in there over the longer than normal wait. It feels like it's taken two months to recover from Infinity War, but we knew it was going to be devastating. The OTP made it through, so let's hope Avengers 4 has better things in store for everyone.

I should warn you that childhood trauma gets mentioned in the chapter.

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Dinner turned out to be very pleasant and cordial, especially after Natasha and Vision raided Tony's wine cellar and brought back a really fine bottle of merlot and a zinfandel to go with the chicken paprikash with noodles and a salad. Bruce had made brownies the previous day and brought most of a double batch with them to go with the new container of vanilla bean ice cream Friday had informed them was left hidden in the very back of the walk-in freezer.

"You better grab some now because Thor and Steve will inhale those brownies," Natasha warned as she took a large corner piece and plopped a spoon full of ice cream on it.

Bruce chuckled, "These have lasted two days, and that's only because no one has been around the tower and Tony behaved himself in front of Pepper.

"These taste a little different," Wanda said after she took a bite. "Did you use a mix or make them from scratch?"

"I did them from scratch. There's a little garam masala and a dash of Kahlua in them."

"Ah, I knew it wasn't cinnamon I was identifying," Vision noted.

"Hmm, a little East meets West?" Wanda suggested.

"In a bar in Hawaii," Natasha finished and they all laughed. "With Bruce I never know what accent the cuisine will have."

"I still can't do cabbage rolls half as well as you, Nat," he reassured her.

"You make gołąbki?" Wanda asked.

"Голубцы," Natasha clarified with her full Russian accent. "It's one of the few things that Bruce will clear out of the kitchen for."

Bruce shook his head. "Hey, I have tried. I just can't wrap them right."

"He has to use toothpicks," Nat said with mock disdain as she crossed her arms and looked down her nose at him.

She barely managed to keep a straight face as he shook his finger at her. "They still tasted fine."

Natasha stage whispered to Wanda and Vis, "They were practically goulash!"

Wanda snickered conspiratorially. "At least they were edible, eh?"

"Is that a jab at my first attempt at cooking?" Vision asked her, sounding humorously offended.

"No comment," Wanda replied and turned to Natasha. "Do you include raisins in your recipe?"

"Of course! My бабушка insisted that was the right way."

Wanda nodded, "Do you use marjoram and thyme with half ground beef and half pork?"

"No, ground beef, onions, carrots, salt, and pepper," Natasha checked off on her fingers. "Food was all pretty basic with Бабушка."

Wanda nodded. "Bulgur or rice?"