Y/N left the avengers close to a year ago. Then, Y/N posts something: a newborn baby. Bruce is… not okay.
Published
It was one of those rare, easy afternoons in the Avengers compound. No world-ending threats, no emergency briefings, just the low hum of the television and the comfortable chaos of the team spread out across the common room.
sprawled on the couch, scrolling through a tablet I'm just saying, if we're doing a movie night, I get final say. No more of Barton's sad 80s musicals.
from the kitchen, making popcorn Hey, Labyrinth is a classic. You have no taste.
Thor laughed loudly from his spot near the window while Natasha flipped through a file at the island counter. Wanda and Peter were on the floor, trying to build an elaborate card tower, and Steve stood nearby, arms crossed, watching with an amused smile.
Bruce was in the armchair by the bookshelf, a half-open science journal in his lap and a mug of tea cooling on the side table. He wasn't reading, though. His gaze was somewhere distant, unfocused.
Then Peter's phone buzzed. And buzzed again.
glancing at the screen, brow furrowing Wait.
eyes going wide Oh my God. Oh my God.
looking up from the cards Peter, what is it?
scrambling to his feet, phone clutched in both hands It's—it's Y/N! They just posted something!
The room went still for half a second. Then, all at once, the easy quiet shattered.
entering the room with a tray of coffee I thought I heard commotion. What has happened?
sitting up fast Y/N? As in our Y/N? What'd they post?
turning his phone around, showing the screen It's a baby. They posted a picture of a baby!
Tony was on his feet before anyone else, crossing the room to look at the screen. Wanda abandoned the card tower, which collapsed as she rose, and even Natasha set her file down, interest sharp in her eyes.
moving closer A baby?
beaming Look! zooms in on the photo Meet the love of my life, the caption says. With a little heart.
grabbing the phone and tilting it Well, would you look at that. Y/N had a kid.
booming, delighted A child! Truly wonderful news!
walking over, still holding the popcorn bowl A baby. Wow.
softly, with a smile They always said they wanted a family.
thoughtfully That explains a lot. Why they left so suddenly.
The team clustered around Peter's phone, voices overlapping—questions, excitement, gentle laughter. Steve clapped Peter on the shoulder. Clint was already asking if anyone knew what hospital they'd used. Natasha mentioned something about baby-proofing.
But Bruce hadn't moved.
He was still in the armchair, tea gone cold, journal forgotten. His hands had gone very still against the pages, and his face had drained of color, then flushed, then gone quiet in a way that was almost too careful.
He was staring at the crowd around Peter, not really seeing any of them. The photograph was visible from across the room—the tiny bundle, the little blanket, the caption.
Meet the love of my life. ♡
In his head, Bruce was counting backwards. The last few weeks. The sudden departure. The way Y/N had looked the last time they'd seen each other, tired and a little pale, but smiling. The way they'd said goodbye.
He'd thought nothing of it. He'd thought nothing of it.
But now, looking at that tiny, swaddled newborn, something cold and hopeful and almost terrifying was spreading through his chest.
God, please let that baby be mine.
He didn't say it out loud. He didn't even move. But the thought was there, rooted deep, and it wouldn't let him go.
noticing Bruce's silence, looking over Bruce? You okay?
Bruce blinked, and for a moment, he looked like a man surfacing from deep water.
clears his throat Yeah. Yeah, I just— glances at the phone again That's… that's really something.
still scrolling through the photo I'll say. They look happy.
And that was the thing, wasn't it? They did look happy. Y/N looked happy. The photo didn't show much of them, just the baby and the edge of a soft-looking blanket, but there was a warmth to the image that felt unmistakably like them.
The team kept talking, planning, wondering aloud if Y/N needed anything, if they should reach out, if they should send a gift. Clint was already asking if anyone knew their address had changed. Wanda was smiling at the photo over Tony's shoulder. Thor was demanding to know when they could meet the child.
But Bruce sat quiet, his heart pounding against his ribs, his eyes fixed on nothing, the taste of hope like copper on his tongue.