InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "teh love owns me!"

Agent Maria Hill (by_the_book) wrote in paradisolog,
@ 2016-08-15 20:45:00

Entry tags:

~bruce banner (wontlikemeangry), ~maria hill (by_the_book)

Who: Maria and Bruce
What: Nothing to See Here
When: Monday Evening
Where: ~~Their~~ Maria’s Shelter
Warnings: TBD
Status: Closed/Incomplete

Maria lay propped up on the bed in her shelter, running her hands over the mound that used to be her waistline. Every so often there was a kick or a push from the inside against her hand that drew a smile from her. It was actually pretty neat to be pregnant. Knowing that they would be giving the child to Arva removed the panic attacks the others were having. She figured she should feel guilty about that, but she didn’t. She’d make a shit mother and she knew it.

She heard Bruce come and called out to him. “Don’t touch me. I might explode.” At least she felt that way sometimes.

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wontlikemeangry
2016-08-15 09:40 pm UTC (link)

Natasha's statement about him living with Maria rang in Bruce's mind every time he went to her shelter after work and thought of it as going home. Ever since his encounter with Jaime, he couldn't deny that he was developing feelings for Maria and the thought scared him to death. He was shit at relationships and they were in a place that wasn't really designed for relationships. She was one of the few people here that he trusted without reservation and he absolutely did not want to screw things up between them. Especially when she was expecting his child.

But when she said that she might explode, he immediately went into concerned doctor mode, heading over to perch on the edge of the bed and giving her a careful once over. "What's wrong?"

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	by_the_book 2016-08-15 09:49 pm UTC (link)
	Maria laughed as she shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just pregnant." She smiled in apology for freaking him out then caught his hand to put it on her tummy so he could feel the baby kick. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wontlikemeangry 2016-08-15 09:51 pm UTC (link)
	Bruce relaxed considerably when she laughed. The intimacy of the moment was not lost on him, but it was amazing to feel their baby - their daughter - kicking through Maria's stomach. "Wow, she might be a soccer player," he joked. "So you're feeling okay?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	by_the_book 2016-08-15 10:00 pm UTC (link)
	"I was thinking Kung Fu with how she liked to kick me in the spleen or bladder," she chuckled. Maria turned her smile from their hands on her stomach to him. "I'm fine. Promise. I wouldn't be in a good mood if I wasn't." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wontlikemeangry
2016-08-16 07:38 am UTC (link)

"I suppose that would make more sense, given her mother's skills," Bruce teased. He was confident that Arva would keep her promise and prevent his daughter from inheriting anything related to the gamma radiation, but a small part of him was hopeful that she might share his interest in science. Not that it really mattered, since he wouldn't know her for a very long time, but it was one of those fanciful thoughts that crossed his mind from time to time.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	by_the_book 2016-08-16 08:45 am UTC (link)
	"Martial arts aren't a genetic skill." Maria laughed as she reached out to push at Bruce's shoulder then settled back against the pillows when that didn't work out so well for not being able to bend in the middle. "Come up here where I can reach you." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wontlikemeangry
2016-08-16 09:01 pm UTC (link)

Bruce was happy to move so he was sitting next to her, automatically slipping his arm around Maria's shoulders. The fact that he was this comfortable with her, that this was a common occurrence, really only served to scare him more, but he was determined to keep things as normal as possible between them. At least until she delivered.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	by_the_book 2016-08-16 09:09 pm UTC (link)
	Okay so this was the second time he'd asked her how she was feeling. Maria tilted her head to look up at him from where she was leaning against him. "Fine," she said, drawing the word out a bit. "What's the matter?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wontlikemeangry
2016-08-17 09:54 pm UTC (link)

It took a moment for Bruce to realize that he'd already asked her that and he shook his head a little. Apparently impending fatherhood turned him into the absent minded professor. "Nothing's wrong," he said. "We're getting close to your due date, that's all."

From helping Malia, he knew that it was very unlikely Maria would deliver more than a day or so before or after her due date, but that didn't keep his doctor instincts from kicking in.

"Did you do anything interesting today?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

by_the_book
2016-08-21 11:05 am UTC (link)

She wasn't sure she believed him, but she let it go. Maria had learned that Bruce was a lot like her. The more you pushed, the more he clammed up. To be honest, he was better at withholding things than she was and sometimes it drove her nuts.

"There are twenty seven knots in the wood beams above my head." She chuckled then lifted her shirt to expose her very pregnant tummy. "Other than that...watch."

Fortunately their daughter was active at the moment so this would work. She put her hand against the side of the mound and pressed inward a little. In response their daughter pushed back with a foot.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wontlikemeangry
2016-08-21 05:59 pm UTC (link)

"Oh my god, that's incredible," Bruce said, his mouth falling open at the sight of their daughter's clearly defined foot outlined against Maria's stomach. "I can't believe that we made a little person." Or that that little person would be joining them very soon. It seemed like time had flown since the night they decided to conceive.

Not that it was a bad thing. Every day that passed that Bruce stayed with Maria more than using his own place and every day that they shared this bond was a day that his feelings for her became stronger and he knew that not getting those feelings under control was a recipe for disaster. Maria made it clear when they first arrived on the island that she wasn't looking for a relationship and he had no reason to think that her feelings on the matter changed.

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by_the_book
2016-08-21 07:10 pm UTC (link)

Her own feelings were far into softer zones, but she thought Bruce didn't want anything so she'd been keeping it mostly bottled up inside. She was preparing for him to go his own way after the birth. It wasn't comfortable.

"Here," she said as she caught his wrist to put his hand where hers had been. Maria had learned that their kid responded every time. "I'm still not convinced that's a person and not a bunny rabbit for as much as she bounces around."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wontlikemeangry 2016-08-21 07:51 pm UTC (link)
	Bruce rested his forehead against the top of Maria's head as she guided his hand to the right spot so he could feel how active the baby was. "Thank you," he said suddenly. "I never thought I'd have a chance to be a father. And even though we're not raising this child, you have no idea how much it means to me that I'm able to do this." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	by_the_book 2016-08-21 08:53 pm UTC (link)
	The soft smile that came to Maria's face couldn't have been fought off with a bazooka. She leaned more against Bruce as she put her hand over his. "I'm glad I'm the one that could do it." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wontlikemeangry 2016-08-21 09:03 pm UTC (link)
	There was a weight to the moment that Bruce hadn't anticipated and it scared him to death. Rather than risk saying something he'd regret, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. When he pulled back, he felt a strong urge to change the subject to something far less dangerous. "Did you eat already?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	by_the_book 2016-08-21 09:09 pm UTC (link)
	She felt it too and wondered just what the hell she thought she was doing. But then she was being kissed and kissing back so apparently that was what she was doing, and she was perfectly okay with that. Then yay! Change of subject! "No, not yet." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wontlikemeangry 2016-08-21 09:19 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, we should get you fed then," Bruce said, sliding off the bed and holding out a hand to help her up. (Reply to this) (Parent)