Nov. 14th, 2014 10:26 am
Bruce/Natasha fic recs
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subjunctiveMostly for my own reference, but in case anyone else is interested in this pairing, which I'm really excited for given the AOU spoilers and trailer (my icon is a moment I am SO looking forward to). Bruce and Natasha are my favorites, and I saw their chemistry in The Avengers and immediately wanted to see more of them together in whatever context or relationship. They're perfect together: both with angsty pasts they are trying to move on from, suspicious of each other even though they really have more in common, and delicious potential for hurt/comfort. (That moment with Bruce in the blanket did things for me, emotionally speaking.)
Unfortunately, though they're tagged in more than 300 fics on AO3, they're almost always a background pairing in someone else's story. So I made it my mission to look through every fic and find the ones that were really about Bruce/Natasha and find the best ones. Ta da~
"To Cover What We Can't Erase" by ViaLethe (4.8k, T)
"There are reasons beyond the obvious for Natasha to be afraid of Bruce; she never really expected he'd be afraid of her in return."
"although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight." by paperclipbitch (6.3k, T)
"Post-movie. “You shouldn’t google yourself,” Natasha tells Bruce."
"Neither Wild nor Tame" by websandwhiskers (21k, M)
"“He respects you,” Bruce concludes. “That doesn't mean he won't challenge you, some other time. His priorities, his loyalties, they aren't human.”
“Neither are mine,” Natasha says simply, shrugging, as if that solves everything.""
"Cafecito" by lindmere (8.7k, E)
"The more he thinks about it, the more Bruce feels guilty about that whole trying to kill Nat on the helicarrier thing. The fact that he's attracted to her doesn't help, and he dodges her, burying himself in his work. Meanwhile, Natasha's been meaning to talk to him and make it clear that she's not scared of the other guy anymore, that there are no hard feelings over the incident."
"Heart for the Status Quo" by inalasahl (2.7k, T)
"Natalie is his friend from the first time they meet." (pre-canon canon AU)
"For a Handful of Diamonds" by ellievolia (6.7k, T)
"Natasha and Bruce are sent on an undercover mission to keep the world from imploding, yet again."
"you don't have to stay (but you have to come back)" by zauberer_sirin (2k, G)
"Bruce once resented her for taking him away from his carefully constructed safe life. Now he is thankful."
"Sour by the Minute (But You're Sweeter by the Hour)" by OracleGlass (3.2k, E)
"You Say It Best" by TriffidsandCuckoos (1.5k, T)
"Natasha is good at many things, but not comfort. Yet here she is."
"Heat" by Deastar (24k, E)
A/B/O series (alpha Natasha, omega Bruce).
"Con Limon Y Sal" by Lacinia (12k, M)
Natasha keeps "running into him" abroad.
"o fill me with strength" by zauberer_sirin (5.1k, E)
"The rescue mission is a success but Natasha is angry, everybody is making a fuss and the only one pushing the right buttons is Bruce."
"Jekyll and Charlotte" by teaberryblue (78k, T)
"In the aftermath of the Battle of New York, four Avengers move into Stark Tower. One goes back to California. Another goes back to Asgard. Natasha is tasked with keeping the team in one piece. In the beginning, her job is a tangle of conflicting personalities, emotional fallout, and distrust. After a while, it stops being a job."
"A Fine Spur" by lettered (10k, T)
"Uninterested in being an Avenger, Bruce goes back into hiding. Once more Natasha is sent to recruit him, but she has an agenda of her own. They navigate being human. At least one of them sometimes fails."
* This story is gen but it contains enough ~moments~ to read it as pre-ship, which I did. It's also very much worth reading the whole series, Responsible Science, as it's amazing Bruce + everybody stuff. Best time loop and Avengers-got-turned-into-kids I've ever read, I think.
Unfortunately, though they're tagged in more than 300 fics on AO3, they're almost always a background pairing in someone else's story. So I made it my mission to look through every fic and find the ones that were really about Bruce/Natasha and find the best ones. Ta da~
"To Cover What We Can't Erase" by ViaLethe (4.8k, T)
"There are reasons beyond the obvious for Natasha to be afraid of Bruce; she never really expected he'd be afraid of her in return."
"although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight." by paperclipbitch (6.3k, T)
"Post-movie. “You shouldn’t google yourself,” Natasha tells Bruce."
"Neither Wild nor Tame" by websandwhiskers (21k, M)
"“He respects you,” Bruce concludes. “That doesn't mean he won't challenge you, some other time. His priorities, his loyalties, they aren't human.”
“Neither are mine,” Natasha says simply, shrugging, as if that solves everything.""
"Cafecito" by lindmere (8.7k, E)
"The more he thinks about it, the more Bruce feels guilty about that whole trying to kill Nat on the helicarrier thing. The fact that he's attracted to her doesn't help, and he dodges her, burying himself in his work. Meanwhile, Natasha's been meaning to talk to him and make it clear that she's not scared of the other guy anymore, that there are no hard feelings over the incident."
"Heart for the Status Quo" by inalasahl (2.7k, T)
"Natalie is his friend from the first time they meet." (pre-canon canon AU)
"For a Handful of Diamonds" by ellievolia (6.7k, T)
"Natasha and Bruce are sent on an undercover mission to keep the world from imploding, yet again."
"you don't have to stay (but you have to come back)" by zauberer_sirin (2k, G)
"Bruce once resented her for taking him away from his carefully constructed safe life. Now he is thankful."
"Sour by the Minute (But You're Sweeter by the Hour)" by OracleGlass (3.2k, E)
"You Say It Best" by TriffidsandCuckoos (1.5k, T)
"Natasha is good at many things, but not comfort. Yet here she is."
"Heat" by Deastar (24k, E)
A/B/O series (alpha Natasha, omega Bruce).
"Con Limon Y Sal" by Lacinia (12k, M)
Natasha keeps "running into him" abroad.
"o fill me with strength" by zauberer_sirin (5.1k, E)
"The rescue mission is a success but Natasha is angry, everybody is making a fuss and the only one pushing the right buttons is Bruce."
"Jekyll and Charlotte" by teaberryblue (78k, T)
"In the aftermath of the Battle of New York, four Avengers move into Stark Tower. One goes back to California. Another goes back to Asgard. Natasha is tasked with keeping the team in one piece. In the beginning, her job is a tangle of conflicting personalities, emotional fallout, and distrust. After a while, it stops being a job."
"A Fine Spur" by lettered (10k, T)
"Uninterested in being an Avenger, Bruce goes back into hiding. Once more Natasha is sent to recruit him, but she has an agenda of her own. They navigate being human. At least one of them sometimes fails."
* This story is gen but it contains enough ~moments~ to read it as pre-ship, which I did. It's also very much worth reading the whole series, Responsible Science, as it's amazing Bruce + everybody stuff. Best time loop and Avengers-got-turned-into-kids I've ever read, I think.
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