insurgents | OPEN POST.

She looks back at him, smiling with her eyes raised in question.

"What are you looking at?"

His eyebrows lift at her in response, smile tugging at his lips.

"What, can't look at the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"I guess when you put it that way."

Trish tends to not respond to compliments by trying to refute them, rather she just accepts them with gratitude and leaves it at that. Why wouldn't Bruce think she is the most beautiful woman in the world? He's in love with her! Just like she is of the opinion that there is not a more handsome man on this planet than him.

He appreciates that. He wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it, and he's glad she's not in the habit of not accepting his compliments.

"Good. For a moment I almost worried I was breaking some kind of law."

Said teasingly as he walks over to her, reaching out to sift his fingers through her hair.

She puts her hands on his hips and leans in to press a kiss to his chest, smiling up at him.

"No, I was just fishing for compliments."

"Well luckily for you, I always bite."

He smiles back, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, lingering as he cradles the back of her head.

"Yeah, I'm a very lucky woman."

She doesn't know why, of all people, Bruce chose to entrust her with his heart, but she will be forever grateful for it. This love has brought so much into her life, both good and bad, and she has grown tremendously as a person because of it.

If she were religious, she would say that she feels blessed.

One doesn't need to be religious to feel blessed. Bruce does, every single day, and he hardly believes in some higher power like that. Well, at least not that kind of higher power.

"And I'm a very lucky man."

Fingers of both hands tracing along her cheeks, he cups her face, tipping his head a little more to press a lingering kiss to her lips.

She returns the kiss warmly, but then pulls away from him so that she can turn the water off. Then she gets to her feet to leave room for Bruce.

"You get in first."

He helps her up as she steps away from the tub, then holding onto the edge, he dips one foot into the water, then another, slowly as his skin gets used to the hot water temperature. Only once he's managed that does he lower himself, keeping a good grip so his weight is steady until he's sitting down, his legs partly submerged in the water.

He then offers his hand out to her, to help her get in too.

She takes his hand and climbs in, settling down between his legs and leaning back against his chest with a happy little sigh.

"Oh, I like this."

"It really is very nice."

He settles his arms around her, dipping them past the surface of the water and rounding her sides, his head tipping so he can press a soft kiss to her temple.

"I could get used to this."

"You're gonna have to."

Because he's stuck with her for the rest of his life now. She can feel that deep in her bones. This is it.

"We're forever."

He likes the sound of that, how it spills from her lips. It doesn't even shock him to hear it, there's no moment of tension or hesitation at what that word implies, and his response is both genuine and thoughtless.

"I can get used to that, too."

It's a nice change, the way he doesn't tense up or get worried about making a committment to staying together. Not that she ever thought that he wasn't committed (apart from when he left...) but there has always been that fear in him. The sense that he doesn't deserve to br happy.

She is so glad to see that maybe he is starting to realise that he does.

"Good. I want to make you happy, Bruce. You deserve to be."

Deserving and wanting are two very different things. Chances are he will always feel like he doesn't completely deserve what Trish gives him, be it love, time, physical affection or a number of other things, but he wants it all anyway. God, he wants it like he doesn't remember ever wanting something in his life.

He wants her, more than anything. More than anyone.

"And I want you to be happy. I want... to be the one to make you happy."

That's a change - that's the change. Because he always wanted those he loved to be happy, he just believed they would be happier without having him around. But now he starts to believe that he can actually be a part of that happiness, or even the source of it.

He wants to be happy, and at long last he gets that he is the one who can make that happen. Trish feels like shouting it from some mountaintop or something.

Bruce Banner finally gets that her life is miserable without him.

"You do."

She turns around a little to kiss his jaw, and then settles back against his chest.

"You make me happier than I've ever been."

Well, for a genius he can be kind of slow sometimes, but he usually gets there. Right now he's just glad that he opened his eyes before it was too late, this time around.

"Good."

He smiles, tipping his head to kiss her cheek in return, his hands brushing lightly over her stomach.

"Now I just have to be sure I keep making you happy."

"Just exist in my general direction and you've got it covered."

Bruce's presence just makes everything better. They don't have to talk, or even look at each other. That's the best part. They can both just quietly be doing their own things, and yet everything somehow becomes more enjoyable just because she can feel that he is near.

He chuckles, though he understands very well what she means, because he feels the same way himself. Still, he can't help joking a little.

"Really? Not even flowers and chocolates on Valentine's day? Romantic trip on our five year anniversary?"

"Well, I won't say no to bonuses."

Yes, romantic gestures will most likely completely melt her heart even if she'll try to act cool about it.

"Hmm, good. Then I'll give those some thought too."

He might not be the most practiced when it comes to romantic gestures, but damn it, if he's so smart, he has to be able to come up with some good ideas, right?

"You will be richly rewarded."

She lazily strokes the side of his thigh, completely relaxed and content.

"I'm not weighing too heavily on you, am I?"

"Well obviously that's why I'll do it, so that's great to hear."

He's joking, obviously. The only reward he wants or needs is to see her happy. Though he'll never say no to any other rewards he gets.

"What? No. No, your weight is just perfect."

She grabs the shower gel standing on a convenient little shelf, glad that someone remembered to unpack it before they got distracted, and puts a little in her hand before she picks up one of his hands and starts to gently massage it.

"You know. Part of me kind of wishes that we could just live here for a while. I mean, more long term."

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