She's The Beauty and He's The Beast (A Bruce Banner x OC fanfic)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Bruce's POV

The next morning...

 I wake up feeling the most rested I have in a long time. I had a good night's sleep without a single nightmare, the reason for that being I had Liz in my arms the entire night. Most men constantly crave sex but I'm fine with the simpler acts of affection like cuddling and what not. Liz looks adorable as she's waking up. I chuckle and peck her on the lips. "Good morning love. You look well rested." She smiles softly at me. "Good morning to you too and I did. I can tell you did as well which makes me very  happy."

    A moment of silence passes before Liz jumps out of bed. "I'm going to make us breakfast. I'm guessing Tony has told you all about my cooking skills. Well, I want you to be my test subject for a new omelette recipe I've been fiddling  around with for a few days now. Are you interested?" I grin at her. "I'm totally interested. Blow me away darling." She salutes me and goes off to the kitchen to create what most likely will be a masterpiece omelette for both her and myself. I take my time getting out of bed but the smells coming from the kitchen are absolutely wonderful. 

    Liz smiles when she notices me in the kitchen. "It shouldn't be too much longer of a wait. I made a fresh pot of coffee for you. I'm going to stick to tea this morning." I go up to her and kiss her on the cheek. She blushes but stays focused on her cooking until the omelettes are ready. When they are, she eagerly serves me up one. "Bon appetite." I take my first bite of it. It's out of this world, hands down the best omelette I've ever had in my life. "Liz, this is absolutely amazing. I'm truly impressed."

     She grins at me. "I'm glad you like it. Maybe in another life I'll be a chef. I like cooking but science is my true passion." "You could always pick up a part time job as a chef at a restaurant someday. Don't entirely rule it out. Cooking skills are gift believe it or not. I should know because any food I cook that isn't microwavable tastes like shit nine times out of ten." Liz playfully puts a hand over her heart. "Bruce Banner saying a curse word, I can't believe my ears. If I were Cap, I'd tell you to watch your language. Since I'm not, feel free to say whatever the hell you want around me."

    I laugh. "You really need to meet the team. Say, all of them are in for training today, even Thor. Are you up for meeting everyone else?" She grins. "Totally. What are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!" We get ready in a hurry because that's how excited Liz is to meet the rest of the team. I send a group text to everyone except Thor because he doesn't believe in cell phones telling them to meet us outside of lab. They call text back "okay" and Nat does so on behalf of Thor. 

      When we get there, I notice Liz's hands are shaking. I take them in mine and hold them the entire elevator ride up. "There's no need to be nervous Liz, they're all going to love you." She smiles nervously at me. "I sure hope so. I'm mostly worried about Nat. What if she tries kicking my ass for dating you?" "As much as I care for Nat, I wouldn't allow that... neither would Hulk. Okay?" She nods. The elevator doors open up and we head towards the lab. Everyone is indeed there as promised. 

       Liz lets me take the lead while standing behind me a bit. The poor girl adores everyone so much that she's worried that she'll make a bad impression on everyone else. Standing before us is Tony, Steve, Thor, Clint, Vision, Wanda, Nat, Peter Parker, Sam, Rhodey, and even the Guardians of the Galaxy who are here paying a surprise visit. I think their names are Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, Nebula, Rocket, and Groot if I'm not mistaken. They were good allies to Thor during the Infinity War. 

      They're all super friendly to Liz except Nat who seems to be giving her the cold shoulder. I look at Nat sympathetically but she simply rolls her eyes and walks away. I whisper to Liz that I'll be right back but she's too distracted meeting everyone to even notice me slipping away. I go after Nat and pull her aside. "Nat, what's wrong? I thought we were on good terms and past everything." She sighs. "We are Bruce, but it's just not easy for me seeing you with her. I'll get over it in due time, though it stings knowing you've replaced me with a younger, prettier, and smarter girl than myself." 

       I sigh and hang my head in a guilty manner. "Nat, I don't ever regret being with you even if things didn't work out. You're still a good friend to me and a wonderful person. Don't sell yourself short, you'll find the right person eventually. Personally, if we're being completely honest here, I think you and Steve belong together. Him and Sharon Carter just broke up recently. Now's your chance to test the waters." She looks at me surprised. "H-How did you know?" I smile softly at her. "I've always had good intuition. My good intuition has told me that he likes you too." 

      I take a step closer to her and give her a friendly one armed hug. "Life is too short to pass up opportunities that could change your life. Don't pass this one up." She hugs me back gently before going back to join everyone. I linger for a moment before heading back myself. My sullen demeanor shifts back into a happy one when I see how much fun Liz is having. Her and Thor are play wrestling but he's taking it easy on her so he doesn't hurt her. I can also see Wanda is fond of her and longs for more friends around her age. They would be a good pair. I'll try to set them up for a girl outing sometime. I'd even have Nat join in if she comes around to liking Liz. 

      Speaking of Nat, I see her approaching Liz. She motions for Liz to join her off on the side. I watch them two of them talk. I can't tell what exactly they're saying to one another, but it doesn't seem to be very negative. The exchange ends in a handshake and Liz comes back over to me. "Bruce, this is like a dream come true. Thank you so much!" She jumps into my arms, almost knocking me over. Everyone laughs and some even applaud as I take us both by surprise and kiss her passionately in front of everyone. I'm not known much for PDA but I just fell so hard and so fast for this girl. 

Hoped that you guys liked this chapter! :) -Mary