Title: Away From You
Author: Sofia Bee
Category: The Avengers
Rating: T
Pairing: Bruce/Natasha
Summary: They just can't seem to stop fighting.

Disclaimer: I owe nothing

Note: Song used is Houses – Beginnings which aired in the last scene from the Originals 1x19

I watched the houseas it fell right to the ground.
I was away from you.
And I watched the birdsas they fell out from the sky.
Into the hands of decay,I wish there was a way for you.

"Jesus Christ Natasha! Why does everything have to be so damn difficult with you?!"

They had been arguing for over an hour now, and the end did not seem anywhere near.

Bruce's nostrils flared, his voice booming through the glass walled laboratory. He was angry, that much was obvious, but beyond that, he felt something more. Upset, wasn't exactly the right term either, and he wasn't entirely sure what else it was that he was feeling. The rolling of Natasha's eyes did nothing to help the situation and only served to anger him more.

"Really? Your response is to roll your eyes at me?"

Natasha let out an annoyed sigh and pushed herself against the table, her arms folded defensively over her chest. She was in no mood to have this conversation now, all she wanted to do was take an overdue shower and go to bed. She was hoping that a pleasant naked Bruce would be curling up under the covers with her, but she figured out pretty quickly that that would not be the case tonight. It seemed more like a de-hulking cage kind of night. Yippie.

"I figured it was a little more friendly then "screw you"". Her tone was sarcastic, his least favorite. Natasha knew very well how he felt about her sarcasm, but she didn't seem to care at the moment. She was actually purposely using it to piss him off even more. Her most prized defense mechanism.

It was starting to turn into a routine with them. Natasha would disappear on missions and Bruce would end up finding out a week later when she happened to send him a text message. On the odd occasion that she let him know before hand, she would leave out the part that her mission was to seduce a ring leader of the sex trade to get inside information. Then she would show up randomly and act like it was no big deal that she worried Bruce when she was stitched up and bruised. They would fight for hours, and when Natasha was angry enough she would purposely provoke him enough for the Hulk to come out so she could win the argument.

Always blaming the big guy.

Huffing a bit, Bruce removed his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He was too tired for this today, too tired for anything other than his bed. Tony and him had reached a road block in their research and it was weighing heavy on his mind. A fight with his feisty girlfriend was not on the top of his priority list.

"Whatever Natasha. I'm in no mood for this tonight. I'm going to bed." Throwing his glasses on the desk, he walked towards the door, but was stopped by her voice.

"So you are just going to walk away from me?" she asked, her voice sounding offended.

Bruce turned on his heel. "Yes I am. I am not going to spend any more time tonight arguing with you on how I find it completely unacceptable that you disappear on a mission for weeks on end without so much as a heads up. I am also not going to argue with you on why it is indeed unacceptable. There are two people in this relationship Natasha, that means you need to communicate and NOT do as you damn well please."

Natasha's jaw clenched, her arms unfolding and balling into fists along her sides. He was talking down to her, as if she was a child.

"The mission was confidential," she excused, but was met with an angry glare.

"So confidential that you can't just say 'Hey, I have an important mission, I'll talk to you when I can'? No, I highly doubt that," Bruce spat, condescension seeping through every word.

Natasha didn't respond, much to Bruce's annoyance. Her lack of response in their confrontations was more infuriating then her measly excuses. It was in that moment of silence that Bruce decided to give up, though he felt it would be more than just his argument.

"Your entire life is confidential Natasha. And this mission," his fingers pointing back and forth between them," is pretty much through."

Before Natasha could think to say anything, Bruce was already out of the door.

And I felt your voiceas it carried with the wind.
Like a fire in my ears.Like the darkness of fear.Like the voice of God.
And now I'll turn to dustand the ground will shake for you.
Like a song in your heels. Like a ghost in the field.

It took 3 hours before Bruce gave in and left the guest room and headed back to his and Natasha's level of the Avengers Tower. Whenever they would fight, Bruce would sleep in the guest room, and leave Natasha in their room. Part of him told himself he did it because the smell of her in their room would render him defenseless, but the realistic part of him said that giving her their living quarters would keep her from running. And no matter how angry he was at her, it terrified him to think that she would run. He knew that if she ran, she would not come back.

The idea of Natasha running away and never coming back was enough to get his heart rate going to unpleasant territory.

She wasn't asleep when Bruce slipped inside and under the covers next to her. She smiled when he wrapped his arm around her waist and placed little kisses on the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, his hot lips pecking at her skin making her break out in pleasant goose-bumps. She crooned, repositioning herself to curl deeper into him. "So am I."

"Did this mission hurt a lot?" he asked in a soft whisper, putting a little pressure on the ice back on her hip. Natasha shrugged, trying to hide the amount of pain she was really in. In actuality it was a very rough mission, and a rather unpleasant one at that. Lots of groping and almost sex in order to get the information she needed. She hated it, but didn't dare tell that to Fury. Hell hath no Fury like the one eyed Fury.

"Just another day at the office," she lied, restraining herself from wincing when he pushed too hard on her hip. Bruce wasn't all that convinced, his fingers now replacing the ice pack. "Do you need me to look at it?" he asked. Turning in him arms, Natasha was now facing him, nose to nose, looking into his eyes. It may have been dark but the lights outside shone through the curtains enough to have her see the concern in his eyes. Bruce Banner may be a stubborn mule, but above that he was a caring man that loved her deeply, hopelessly and all consuming. The idea of her being hurt was more than he was willing to bear.

"No, I just need a kiss." She pressed her lips softly to his and gave him the most tender of kisses. It didn't take long before Bruce sighed and deepened the kiss, his tongue eagerly seeking entry into her mouth. She sighed into his demands, opening for him, her hand coming to cup his cheek. He kissed her passionately, hungrily, wanting more than their position would allow. His arm came to wrap tighter around her waist and Natasha turned her head to the side to give him better access. His wonderful kisses were making her hot inside and she moaned delightfully for him.

"My god Natasha, I love you so much," Bruce breathed against her lips, their foreheads leaning against each other. Eyes closed, Natasha smiled at his words. "I hate being away from you."

It was enough for Bruce. He knew that Natasha was uncomfortable using the term "I love you". She would say that love was for children but Bruce knew it was just a defense mechanism for her fear of admitting what she truly felt. The truth was that she did love him, loved him more than anything. Bruce would joke that she would finally admit it on her dying day. But for now admitting that she despised the distance between them was enough acknowledgement of her feelings towards him.

In one swift movement her pulled her on top of him, kissing her passionately as his hands slid under her nightgown.

And I would bathe in ashas it rained down from above.
And it would cast me out nowinto the fields of love.
And I watched the birdsas they fell out from the sky.
Into the hands of decay. I wish there was a way for you.

Bruce was thankful that Tony's love for science and all things BOOM would keep him busy. Too busy in fact to think about how annoyed and angry he was at Natasha. She had done it again, as she had many times before. Left for a mission while he was asleep without so much as a heads up or a text message. 3 weeks later, still not a single damn word from her. Bruce knew what he was getting into when we entered SHIELD and the Avengers, but he really didn't sign up for this in the relationship department. Bruce was an easy going guy, all he needed was communication and that was the one thing Natasha was not budging on.

Through some prodding he found out that Barton and Natasha had been sent out to Budapest for some top secret mission that nobody knew about. But it couldn't have been completely dangerous because Steve didn't have to go with them. If the practically indestructible soldier was not needed, then Bruce could sleep a little easier. But it didn't make his mood any better. Natasha was a very capable agent but she was a miserable girlfriend at times.

He still missed her though, but he wouldn't admit it out loud.

He was so preoccupied to notice that Tony was no were in sight. The two of them together would spend hours blowing up stuff, but today he was alone. He wasn't sure if he was relieved for the peace, or if it unsettled him. Before he could think any further, Tony walked into the lab, looking a little worse for wear. He looked a little beat up and he looked exhausted. But there was something else in Tony's eyes that Bruce didn't notice. Something was very wrong.

Bruce assumed Tony went to try out the new upgrades that they had installed on the Iron Man suit. "I take it the upgrades didn't hold up," Bruce stated, scanning Tony from top to bottom. No snarky comment back from Tony. Odd.

"I got called in by Fury," Tony said. Bruce arched an eyebrow. "Since when do you take orders, especially from Fury?" he laughed. But Tony didn't laugh back. "He sent me to Budapest."

Bruce stopped his task at the mention of Budapest, knowing very well that that was were Natasha was. For some reason Tony's words made him angry. "Oh, are you here to give me a message from Natasha?" he grumbled, his eyes fixated on the screen.

Tony sighed. "Yeah, I am."

Bruce scoffed. "Well I don't need to hear it, 3 weeks later doesn't really matter."

Tony took a step forward. "Bruce," he started.

Bruce rolled his eyes and looked at Tony. "Yeah fine, ok. What did she have to say?" His tone was bitter and annoyed.

"She said she loved you."

And I felt your voice as it carried with the wind.
Like a fire in my ears.Like the darkness of fear.
Like the voice of God.

For those who don't get it, Natasha died.

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