Part Two of Preference: We Aren't Dating | Marvel
Requested by Hufflepuff_Girl_14

Thanks to @Beatleslover2005 for all the votes!

Summary: You previously said you weren't dating, and now there's a part two. You know exactly what this is.

QOTP: Spiderman or Ant-man?

Word Count: 2400

Bruce -
Last night, you were too tired after the party to think about anything. This morning, while routinely eating breakfast with Bruce, all you can think about is that conversation last night.

"Alright, Natasha, serious question. Out of all of us, who do you wanna date the most?"

"Well, I'd say Bruce, but he's already taken."

"What?"

"We aren't dating."

"Mhmm."

Bruce was that one that said you aren't dating - which is true. But the way he said it bothered you. You shake it off, thinking you're just being ridiculous, and go to train for a few hours. Bruce heads to the lab.

Later, you meet in the kitchen again for lunch, and, little do you know, Bruce had something on his mind while in the lab.

Last night.

"Y/N, can I... can I talk to you about something?" he asks.

You stop, a little nervous, but pretend to be completely calm. "Sure."

He hesitates a few, agonizing moments. "Last night, we were talking about... us. And dating..."

He goes quiet for so long that you prompt him. "And?"

"And w-we aren't. And I think we should," he finishes.

You're shocked into silence, which he starts to take as a bad sign. Before he can say anything, though, you reply, "I think we should, too."

He smiles.

Bucky -
That guy didn't even know what hit him.

It was your fist.

Steve runs in in time to see the guy's nose get broken. Then, the guy does the smartest thing he's ever done in his life; he runs out of the second exit.

Steve starts going after him, and you go to follow, but then Sam shows up. "You get Barnes to the Quinjet," he says. "Steve and I will find this guy. The rest of the team is searching the building for anyone else."

"I never saw anyone else," Bucky offers helpfully. As Sam relays the message over the comms, you look at Bucky.

He's exhausted and injured, leaning entirely on his restraints. You'd been looking forward to arresting the guy who kidnapped him, but you decide to give the Steve the pleasure and interrogate the guy later.

As you untie Bucky, he gives you a tired smile. "Hey, doll."

Normally, you'd laugh; you always do when he calls you that. But right now your nerves are shot and you're just relieved you found him. "Hi."

"Thanks for the rescue. It was entertaining."

"Mhmm."

When he's untied, you wrap his arm around your shoulders and start half-carrying him out of the building. He looks over at you. "I really mean it, Y/N. Thank you."

"No need to thank me," you reply, half-breathless (he's heavy). "I didn't do it alone."

He doesn't respond as you continue to lead him to the Quinjet.

////

The next morning, after pulling an all nighter aggressively interrogating Angus DeBeers, you decide to visit Bucky in the medical wing.

He's talking to Steve. Laughing, even, though it seems like it hurts him a little. You stand there, debating whether you should you go in or not. Then, Steve spots you and you have no choice.

Bucky's face lights up when he sees you. "Hey, doll."

You chuckle. "Hey, Buck."

Steve grins, and it's dangerously close to a smirk. "I'll leave you to it."

Bucky blushes as Steve winks. You look back at Steve. "You're not sneaky, you know. I saw that."

You hear a quiet, "Whoops," as he walks out the door. Bucky laughs.

You look down at him. "How ya feelin'?"

He shrugs lightly. "I've been better... But I'd be a lot worse if it wasn't for you."

You shake your head. "I told you before: I didn't do it alone."

"I know," he replies, "but Steve told me what you did to find me-"

"Bucky-"

"And it made me wonder if what you said was true."

That gives you pause. "What do you mean?"

"When you rescued me," he says.

You remember now.

"We aren't dating."

"Oh, but you wish it were true, don't you? But-"

"Well, I wouldn't object."

You smile a little. "Yeah, I meant it."

A grin breaks across his face. "Well... I wouldn't object, either."

Clint -
To be honest, you forgot about the moment completely; it wasn't really significant at all.

"I'm a great boyfriend."

"We aren't dating."

"Well, if we were, I'd be a great boyfriend."

"Uh huh."

Apparently, it was significant enough for you to remember a week later when you found yourself in the same situation: Under the stars, cold, tired, and walking back to the base with the Clint.

Except this time, you haven't been shopping. You've been on a walk - without a dog - like the lamest Avengers in the world.

Or the most romantic, though neither of you had outright called it a date.

You kinda wish is was, though...

"You cold?" Clint asks.

You involuntarily shiver. "No, I'm fine."

He laughs, taking off his coat. "I think I'm getting deja vu." This time, you don't argue about taking the coat and put it on, pulling it around you. Clint puts an arm around you and sighs. "I'm such a good boyfriend," he jokes.

You lay your head on his shoulder. "Yeah," you say, "you are a good boyfriend."

He blushes bright red.

Loki -
Yesterday, you, Loki, Clint, and Nat got back from a mission. Clint and you were injured, though not badly, and Tony decided to make a joke.

"Well, aren't you two love birds just adorable."

"We're not dating."

"Oh, I already know Nat and Bird Brain back there are hiding something. I was talking about you two."

The next day, after hours of debating and contemplation, Loki decides to go for it.

You're still in the medical wing; your ankle is broken, and a few of your ribs (you declined to mention the pain yesterday). You're talking to Bruce when Loki walks in.

Loki gives Bruce a look, and Bruce gets the message and says he'll be back later to talk about your ankle and physical therapy and all that.

"Hey, Trickster," you say, surprisingly energetic and upbeat. "Thanks for the first aid yesterday. And for carrying me back to the Quinjet."

Loki smiles a little. "You refused to retreat; I had no choice."

It goes quiet for a few moments, so you cock an eyebrow. "Is that all, or...?"

Loki bites his lip. "I actually wanted to... talk to you about something." You wait for him to elaborate, and it takes him a minute. "Yesterday... when we told Tony we weren't dating... It made me think about something."

You're a little concerned; he seems really nervous. "What?"

"... What if we were?"

After a few, nerve-wracking moments, you smile. "I think I'd like that a lot."

Peter -
All last night and all this morning while he was getting ready, May's reassurance has been playing through his head.

"I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, it's just, you guys are together and all-"

"What?! We aren't dating!"

"Well, you sure act like it."

"I wish we were. I'm too afraid to say anything, though... It could ruin our friendship."

"Go for it. I'm 100% sure she likes you. And if she says no, I know she won't let that come between you guys. And you won't either."

He's gonna ask you out today. For Delmar sandwiches and a walk in the park after school. Lame to some, but he thinks you'll like it.

You just have to say yes first.

"H-Hey, Y/N," he stutters, voice cracking when he meets you on the sidewalk to walk to school together.

"Hey, Pete," you reply, slightly concerned. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I just, uh, wanted to ask you something," he says, blushing already.

"Okay?"

He takes a deep breath. "I was wondering... if you wanted to, maybe, g-go on a date with me?"

You smile. "I'd love that."

In his head, he throws his fist in the air.

Pietro -
"Alright, get a room."

"We're in a room."

"Ha ha. I'm serious. While you two are an agonizingly adorable couple, you-"

"We're not dating."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We're not dating. Never have been."

"I... You know what? I don't even want Oreos anymore."

As soon as Clint leaves, you bust out laughing. Pierto starts laughing too. You sigh, then kiss him. "How long are we gonna keep this up?"

"Until he finally figures out we're dating," he replies, kissing you again.

You turn and grab your food from the counter. "We're horrible."

Pierto laughs. "So is Nat; it was her idea."

You snort. "True."

Steve -
"What's next?" you ask, suppressing a yawn. "Jurassic Park or Atlantis?"

Steve lays back on your soda, thinking. You think he's thinking about which movie to watch next, but in reality he's thinking about the conversation he had with Sam on Wednesday.

"So, how long you been with her?"

"What? We're not dating. I'm not with her."

"Are you sure? Because you sure act like it. I mean, weekly movie nights? That's the most domestic thing I've ever heard. And exactly how long have you known her?"

"Met her a little bit after I woke up from the ice."

"If you haven't made a move now, then... Man, I'm disappointed in you."

"I don't think she likes me like that."

"What are you, a hundred? You sound like you're in middle school."

"Alright, fine. I'll talk to her Friday."

Well...

It's Friday.

Steve wipes his palms on his pants, trying to calm his nerves. "Uh... Atlantis. We just watched Jaws and E.T. back to back; I need a break from Spielberg."

You laugh. "Me, too. We still have popcorn left?"

Steve glances at the bowl on the coffee table. "Yeah." You start to put the DVD in, and he takes a deep breath. Now or never. "Hey, Y/N?"

"Yeah?" you ask, putting E.T. back into its case.

"I was wondering if you wanted to... go on a date with me sometime?" Steve asks, throwing caution to the wind.

You stop and turn back to face him, a smile on your face. "I'd love that."

He smiles. "Great. Let's maybe not go to the movies, though..."

Thor -
Thor has had quite the crush on your for some time, but he's never known how to approach it. But today, you, Peter Quill, and Loki have given him an idea.

"What an adorable relationship you've got there, Brother."

"Relationship? We're not dating."

"Really? I mean, a friend doesn't run around a huge Avengers base looking for you just to show you a picture of a puppy."

"It was a cute puppy."

"Was it just the puppy that was cute?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dude, I saw the way you looked at her. You like her, right? Well, I think she thinks you're cute, too. If you aren't dating already, then you should be."

"He's right. And, in any case, I can usually tolerate her from time to time. More than any of your other girlfriends."

"Well, I can't just tell her how I feel. I must have a-a grand gesture of sorts... I'm going to the pet store! I'll be right back!"

This explains why, while searching for Bruce (to convince Tony to let you get a puppy), you hear barking.

You stop, making you sure your ears haven't deceived you. Sure enough, you hear barking again. And then...

"Lady Y/N! Lady Y/N!"

Thor comes racing down the hallway toward you with something small and furry in his hands. It barks.

"OH, MY GOSH!" you shout. "IS THAT A PUPPY?!"

Thor reaches you and grins, holding out a little Saint Bernard puppy. "His name is Loki; that's why I picked him." You take Loki in your arms and he starts licking your face. Thor smiles. "I was hoping Loki would be a grand enough gesture for you to... go on a date with me?"

You stop cooing over Loki and look at Thor. "Thor... I'd love to go on a date with you - and I would've said yes without the puppy." He blushes.

Then, you hear Tony shout, "IS THAT BARKING I HEAR?!"

Tony -
"I can't believe it took me this long to get a yes," Tony says.

You cock an eyebrow. "You're lucky you got one at all."

Tony laughs. "Am I?" Before you can respond, your phone vibrates on the table. Considering you're on a date, you ignore it, but Tony says, "No, go ahead, check it. Could be important, considering our jobs..."

You pick up your phone, but instead of an SOS from Fury or the wizard, it's Parker.

'How's the date going?'

Normally, you wouldn't tell your "son" about your dating habits, but he kind of orchestrated the date in the first place...

"Aw, come on, Mr. Stark, you wouldn't break up with her over that, would you?"

"We're not dating."

"Y-You're not?"

"No. The first five times I asked her out, she said no, so I stopped trying."

"That was years ago, Stark. That was, like, before the Avengers were even assembled. Also, you only asked me out three times."

"What difference does that make? You still would've said no."

"Maybe not. Fourth time's a charm."

"Then, me and you, dinner, Friday night at six?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Wait, did I just do something there?"

You sigh, then put your phone back down. Tony cocks an eyebrow. "Anything important?"

You shake your head. "No." Your phone buzzes again.

"You sure?" Tony asks.

"Just Parker being nosy," you reply.

He laughs. "The kid? What's he texting you about?"

"Wanted to know how our date's going," you reply, half-laughing yourself.

Tony smiles and leans forward. "Well, what did you tell him?"

You lay a hand on your phone lightly. "I haven't told him anything."

"What are you going to tell him?" Tony asks with an air of smugness. He's nervous, though - you can tell.

You smile. "That's it's going very well."

He looks relieved. "And it's only gonna get better."

"I'll hold you to that."