The cloudless night sky full of stars was such a picturesque view from outside the facility, and so were they.
"You were right, Bruce. I do need this," Natasha quietly admitted and he took it as a cue to pull her even closer to him.
Since the snap, she holed up inside the office for countless of hours and Bruce did nothing for weeks but persuade her to come and step outside with him for a while; a turnaround in circumstance he had never thought nor forseen.
He asked her for dine outs, movies, walks in the park, yoga, work outs and so on. She turned it all down again and again, one clever excuse after another. His luck turned around on the twentieth attempt -most probably just because of nuisance- she finally said yes. He was elated. It added to the few happiest moments in his life. He missed her so much and he wanted nothing but help ease the mental and emotional strain she's had in weeks.
A walk was what they agreed upon. He held her hand as he led her outside the Avengers facility grounds. The view from above was just an unexpected spectacle. She consented when he suggested they stay a little while. He removed his coat to spread it down the grass -one of the naturally sweet yet unecessary gestures he always does- and they sat and snuggled so they could both fit on it.
They stayed longer than intended, both silently admiring the stars in the sky. He nuzzled her hair from time to time and she reciprocate by caressing his face. She entwined their fingers and he lifts them up to plant small kisses at the back of her hand. He felt her body relax beside him and he gently rested his head on hers when she softly leaned on his shoulder.
He smiled as he looked up again, hoping for more of her like this in the upcoming days. He wished so bad that she could find some kind of solace in this, he doesn't want her to remain in her cocoon forever. He wanted her to be okay again.
"We should do this more often," he said breaking the stillness. His voice was hopeful, eagerly waiting for her response.
Minutes had passed and she hasn't said anything. He was a bit saddened. He grabbed her face to make her look at him. Her expression was the softest he'd seen in weeks, and yet there was still great evidence of pressure on it. He ducked his head to give her lips a long chaste kiss.
"Maybe," she whispered as soon as their lips part. She grabbed and pulled the back of his neck to kiss him one more time.
"Should I try to contact Thor to help me open up the sky like this again?" he said when they part a second time and was rewarded by a short laugh. That caught him off guard, it has been so long since he last heard her laugh. It left a huge smile on his face and his mind ran hundreds of ideas how to make her do it again.
"Can you find him though?" she teased and in that moment she was back to her old playful self again. His eyes were twinkling at her, he's very happy with the progress they've made.
"I'll do my best, regardless, expect me to keep knocking at your door," he told her in all honesty as he poked her nose with his.
"I'll look forward to it then," she replied as she closed the gap between them, kissing him once again. There wasn't any guarantee that she'll stop the confinement anytime soon, but he vowed to stay with her through whatever, up until the very end.
"So, are you ready for the next agenda?" he asked as soon as he stood up, surprising her with his inquiry.
He didn't mention anything else than a walk earlier so she met his eyes with a raised eyebrow. "Which is?"
"Well, you have to come with me to find out," he said with a smirk, reaching out a hand to her.
She didn't say nor do anything for a minute and in that brief period he thought she'll turn him down again. His face fell down but lightened up instantly when he saw her grab his hand.
"Okay. Show me, doc."