It was a simple truth. The male avengers were all extremely ripped, extremely hot, and extremely aware of it. They almost always showed themselves off somehow. Tony would wear tight fitting tank tops that showed off his oil-stained skin and toned abs. Clint almost always wore sleeveless shirts, or at least rolled his sleeves to his elbows to make a spectacle out of those amazing forearms. Thor didn't even have to try. Now, Steve was an exception. He tried to keep a modest look, as often as he could. But everyone knew what Steve was like under those button up shirts. Everyone saw when he left for his morning workouts.
But the one male avenger who made a point to never wear tight fitting clothes was Bruce. Bruce wasn't fat by any means. He just had a bit of fluff in places. He certainly wasn't chiseled like America's golden boy, or the god of thunder. And, occasionally, he got a bit self conscious. But really, living with all those super heroes? Who wouldn't? But Bruce was always comforted by his best lab assistant, (y/n). (Y/n) had (h/l), (h/c) hair. She had bright (e/c) eyes, and a brain to challenge Bruce himself. And he thought she was gorgeous. He had tried to shake off his feelings for her, but he never could. Especially when she did cute stuff, like taking one of his larger lab coats or doodling cute smiley faces and writing 'good morning!' On his notepad. He hated to admit it, because he knew it was dangerous, but he loved her.

No.

He didn't love her.

He was in love with her.

But that would never happen. Right? (Y/n) smiled as she skipped happily into the lab at 6:45 a.m. Always on time. Her hair bounced in its pony tail, and she smelled sweetly of strawberry lemonade. Bruce could tell when she got in the lab, just by the way the whole place started to feel lighter. She smiled as she made her way up to him with a plate. "I made you eggs, bacon, and toast. And coffee, with only a bit of cream. The way you like it." She smiled as she held the plate and cup out to him. He blushed, as he always did, and said the same thing he did every day. "Thank you very much! I appreciate it. But you know you're my lab partner, not my maid?" He giggled softly. And, she replied, as always, "I just like to take care of you. Besides, a healthy breakfast makes the day better!" She smiled as she hopped up on the counter and sat there, swinging her feet. She was wearing black tights, a long, plain t-shirt, her thick rimmed glasses, lab coat, and a pair of running shoes. Bruce looked at her feet as she swung them. "Do you run?" He asked her. Her eyes lit up. "Yeah! I've done four marathons! I still run every day. 5:00 til 6:15." She smiled at him. "I love this tower's workout room. The treadmills can simulate nature and places! Like this morning, I 'ran through Italy.'" She smiled.

Bruce smiled at her. "Really? How many miles did you go?" "Eight." She smiled. His eyes widened. "Whoa." He said. She giggled. And then Bruce went silent as he continued to eat his breakfast, and (y/n) cleaned her glasses on her shirt. A few moments later, Bruce asked another question.

"Does it make you muscular?" He asked quietly.

(Y/n) smiled a bit, but not as much as before. "Yeah, why?" She hated it when Bruce didn't like his body image. She understood that it was good if he wanted to get better, but she didn't like it when he felt like he needed to.

"Well... I've just been thinking.... I think I might look better if I got more muscular...." He said a bit shyly. (Y/n) sighed. "Bruce, it's really good if you want to get fit. But if you're only doing it for the body image, and you feel like you have to, then you won't enjoy it. But I'm willing to help you, if you want. But in my opinion, you look perfectly fine the way you are." She smiled. Bruce blushed darkly and smiled. "Yeah. I think I would like your help. And thank you." He smiled. Her smile grew wider. "Then go change! We can still run before day light!" She giggled.

"Come on Bruce, you've got this!" She smiled as she bounced, waiting for him. He had his hands on his knees, panting. It took a lot of encouragement, but eventually he could do the daily ten miles. They trained tirelessly every day, and soon Bruce had the results he was happy with.

One day, they were on their normal run through the woods when (y/n) discovered a trail of pink petals. Her eyes lit up. "Bruce look... They're so pretty!" She smiled. He just grinned and nodded, running beside her. The whole run, Bruce told her how happy he was and how appreciative he was for her help, here and in the lab. When they arrived at the end of the run, they stopped, panting slightly and smiling. The petals were in a huge pink heart at the trail's end. Her eyes widened even more. "B-Bruce-" she smiled, turning around. She gasped as she saw him, down on one knee. "(Y/n)... You've made me happier than I ever thought anyone could. You made me proud of myself, and even the parts of myself I didn't like. You made me accept the struggles of overcoming obstacles, and that's transferred into my mental stability too. But you make me so happy. I know we've never been on a date before. But we talk for hours every day, and my heart lights up every time I see you. Would you do me the honors... Of marrying me?" He smiled. She hugged him, tears falling from her eyes. "Oh, Bruce, yes!" She cried. They laughed and hugged as he spun her around. Best. Run. Ever.