bakerstreet | We will always hold hands under the table

We will always hold hands under the table

Secret, Sneaky Show of Affection Meme

Comment with your character, preferences, and the like.
Forbidden interaction, wrong place/wrong time, shyness of one or more parties, insecurities, inexperience, for fun or for a challenge - you've got to keep you PDA not so "P."
Secret handholding, coincidental dates, leaning out the window, stolen kisses behind people's backs, the works! Just be cute, be fluffy, and be secret.
Reply to others and have fun.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[M/F for romance, OTA for touchy-feely friendship.]

[Comes in pre-serum flavors as well.]

[Hey! Would you maybe want to try something with Bruce? :D]

[I'm not much for this particular pairing, but I could give it a shot. :) Any ideas in particular?]

[What if it starts out as a sort of platonic coping mechanism for Bruce? ie. in stressful situations he holds Steve's hand to calm himself down, that sort of thing. Maybe Bruce doesn't want the rest of the team to know he's not doing so well, and that's why they try to hide it?]

[That sounds cute and workable. Are you okay with starting?]

[Oh my goodness I am SO SORRY this took forever, it got lost in my inbox! ;; Feel free to ignore if it's been too long!]

Anxiety has been a part of Bruce's life since he was a child. Not knowing when his father would fly into a rage was the likely source, but he had other reasons - he was always too smart for his own good, it seemed, and his knowledge of the world and how it worked only made him more afraid of the things that could go wrong. After the incident he began to work on controlling it, but it was always a delicate balance, and the good days were often outnumbered by the bad.

After joining the Avengers he had hoped things would get better. He was kept in a safe place, with security measures set up to protect everyone, working to do good in the lab and out in the field. The bad days still came, though, and after a while they became more and more frequent. He didn't want the others to know; hell, he didn't want to admit it to himself, not now that he'd finally found someplace to at least try to fit in.

He couldn't ignore it forever, though. So he supposed it was just a matter of time before he started reaching out for the most stable hand available. It started without words, just a brush of fingers against fingers for the briefest of moments.

They were in a meeting, all the Avengers in one place. Bruce was sitting nect to Steve for no real reason other than chance, while the others were across the table or pacing around the room. It was about their last mission and how they needed to improve on their performance. Fury was visibly upset, his loud voice even louder than usual (partially so he could be heard over Tony), and the worried expressions on everyone's faces, coupled with the fact that they were all thinking about but pointedly not discussing Bruce's role in the matter, overwhelmed him mentally.

He didn't think about it. His hand moved on its own, across the space between them, and he hesitantly but deliberately gave Steve's hand a squeeze under the table, where no one else could see. His fingers fell away a second later, the warmth of the touch surprisingly reassuring.