Human for You: A Bruce x Natasha One-Shot

Human for You

Summary: Natasha Romanoff is tough and she's used to being many things for many people, but what happens when she just can't do it anymore? Who will help her find the part of her that's human again?

Notes: Yah, we did it again! This story is set between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron and is canon-compliant up to AoU with the exception of integrating some Agents of SHIELD characters. It does not fit into Special Needs, but it's the same versions of Natasha and Bruce as you will find there and in our other collaboration, Shovel, Meet Dirt. Many thanks to HarnGin for the Beta-Help!

Quoted Lyrics are from "Human" by Christina Perri and Martin Johnson, "Blue Moon" by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers, "Human" by Terry Lewis and James Harris, III, "You'd Be So Easy to Love" by Cole Porter, "Last Worthless Evening" by John Corey, Don Henley, and Stan Lynch, and "Taking You Home" by Don Henley, Stan Lynch, and Stuart Brawley. No harm is intended.

Human for You

By Autumn_Froste & DrRJSB

Part 1

I can hold my breath
I can bite my tongue
I can stay awake for days
If that's what you want

"I hate these functions," Steve said leaning closer to Nat's ear as they danced. They made their way over to the bar and ordered drinks, which were efficiently delivered.

They walked back over to their table where Steve, ever the gentleman, held Natasha's chair out for her, so she could settle into her seat. "You hate them? Imagine how I feel. Granted, I don't agree with how the Motherland's being run, but I still have to bite my tongue every time a stupid politician who thinks he knows something about the situation in Russia tries to make small talk with me. When it all boils down, most of these politicians are more like old school communists than they'd like to admit," she noted.

Nat threw the rest of her tumbler of Belvedere back. "I think I broke one earlier when I asked if he'd ever been. He told me "no." So I asked why I would believe his particular brand of rhetoric when I'd just visited Russia last Tuesday and knew all about the plight of the people whereas he was getting his information from Fox News, who are known to be blatant liars."

Steve laughed, "Bet you he enjoyed that."

Natasha grinned, "I  did."

Tony caught the tale end of their conversation as he walked up carrying two refill drinks for Steve and Nat. "Why have we never investigated Fox News as being part of Hydra? I mean they spill the same ridiculous pomposity for fear mongering."

"Freedom of the press?" Steve asked.

"Yes, but how far does freedom of the press go when it makes people believe that the government is going to take away their rights just because some person, like say Ben Carson for example, who has no grasp of what's going on in the political system itself, makes up some crap about the 2016 election not going to be held because of anarchy?"

"Sometimes you have to take the good with bad, Tony," Steve said, not sure what to do with the tiny umbrella the billionaire barkeep had thrown in his fresh highball.

"Propaganda machines shouldn't get to masquerade as legit news organizations," Tony griped.

Natasha grinned, "Welcome to my world, gentlemen." The former spy excused herself and walked back toward the bar. Before she could order another drink, a different teammate caught her eye. If she and Steve hated parties, their aversion paled in comparison to how much Bruce seemed to dislike most social functions. If it weren't for the light reflecting off his glasses, she'd have completely missed him standing on the catwalk, watching the crowd below from the shadowy lookout. She grabbed another vodka and a drink for him before she headed up the steps.