She had tracked him down once. Careful not to dwell too much on her motives for doing so, she had done the work she'd been so aptly trained to do.
"Hey, Banner."
Dr. Bruce Banner stopped at hearing his name, but did not immediately turn around. The woman speaking didn't seem to care.
"You know you can't hide forever."
Bruce's shoulders slumped. He did know, on some level, that S.H.I.E.L.D. (or what was left of it) could probably always track him down. If that wasn't bad enough, the woman speaking in particular had an uncanny knack of predicting where he would go, what he would do. He let out a breath and turned to face her.
"I'm aware, Agent Romanov. But a guy has to try, right?."
Her face was impassive. He gave a sad smile, turned, and walked away.
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Natasha looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She knew what the world saw when they looked at her: Big eyes, full lips, attractive figure. She could use it all perfectly. She may not be a demigod, or have a robot suit, but she could manipulate just about anyone to do just about anything. That was her superpower. Sure, she also was well-versed in martial arts, weaponry, technologies and languages, but it all paled next to her manipulations. Because that's what she really saw when she looked in the mirror. She wasn't sure even she knew who she was under it all…not anymore.
She shook herself out of her reverie, knowing she needed to get to the common room of the Stark Towers living quarters before Tony came looking for her. He seemed to take perverse pleasure in tormenting her recently, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of catching her brooding at her reflection.
Leaving her room, she made quick work of the distance to the kitchen/living room area that they all shared. Upon entering, she noticed Jane and Darcy were already there. There was no sign of Thor, Tony or Steve yet.
"What's up ladies?" she asked, flashing a genuine smile. She plopped down easily on the couch next to Darcy.
"We're trying to guess what this meeting is all about," Jane answered with a soft smile. "Mr. Stark has never requested a formal meeting before, I don't think it's his style."
"I told you, he cloned himself. This is the big reveal," Darcy piped in, face deadpan. Natasha had to admit, the girl's particular brand of humor was growing on her.
"And I've told you we're at least six months away from a viable clone," retorted Tony, walking quickly into the room. "But trust me, I've got top men on it. Can't get enough of, well, me."
Darcy snickered and Jane rolled her eyes. Natasha raised an eyebrow in Stark's direction, but said nothing. Pepper chose that moment to walk in, followed by Steve and Thor, who were staring at something on an iPad in Thor's large hands.
"Great, gang's all here. Let's get this over with. I believe I'm close to a breakthrough that could reverse the effects of the gamma radiation on Banner," Tony ignored the various gasps and exclamations and barreled on, "And even though I'm still a huge fan of the not-so-jolly Green Giant, this is what Banner wants. He'll be here any minute. Class dismissed."
The room erupted. Pepper was clearly furious, Jane was rapid-firing questions, Thor was saying something about the frailty of midguardians, and Steve was demanding to know how long this had been in the works. Tony ignored them all, pouring himself a drink from the bar. Natasha quietly stood up and retreated in to the hall, intending to return to her room unnoticed. Waiting for the Q&A wasn't her MO. If she wanted intel on the subject, she'd get it from her own sources later.
"I take it he told them?" The quiet voice from the other end of the hall surprised her, and not just because it was exceedingly rare for her to miss someone like that. As much as she fought it, she had been thinking about that voice since he had left her standing alone in a tunnel somewhere in Canada. Despite the unusual feeling that her stomach was in her throat, she ensured her face was it's usual expressionless mask before turning to Banner.
"Yes, he did." She let the sentence hang, knowing most people would feel compelled to add something to it, keep the information flowing. Rule #1 of interrogation, let them think they're leading the conversation.
But Banner broke that pattern. He simply nodded once, turned and walked back the way he came. Natasha stood stock still until he was out of sight. She really didn't like that he was always walking away, that was usually her dramatic move. After a moment, she started walking in the direction he had disappeared. This entire floor was living space, so she assumed he had returned to whatever quarters he's been assigned. Noticing one of the many conveniently placed touchscreens on the wall immediately to her left, it took virtually no time to override and get into the tower's hospitality system. Finding the information she needed with ease born of a lifetime of training, she proceeded to the rooms containing the most reluctant Avenger.
She wasn't sure what she expected him to say, or what she wanted to say, but something inside her kept telling her this wasn't done, whatever this was between them. And she learned long ago not to ignore her instincts.
"Bruce?" she called softly, knocking on the door.
"Not really in the mood for company." Came the answer from within.
"Please?" Natasha countered, hating how much she wanted him to open the door. Her pride had taken quite a hit when he had left. She had told him things about herself, about what she hoped for the two of them…and he had walked away.
She heard him moving toward the door and tried to brace herself against the emotions she new this might trigger. But she was beginning to realize no amount of time would be enough for that, and then he was pulling open the door, and she was looking into the depths of his sad, tired eyes, and it was like a punch to the gut.
"Hi," she said with a sad smile. She felt like it wasn't enough, like a hug or a kiss was needed after such a long separation…but the months and the miles they'd been apart lay like a chasm between them that she didn't know how to cross.
"Hey," he returned, not able to manage even a sad smile. "Do you want to come in?"
"Do you want me to?" Nat needed him to want her to. She couldn't be that girl, forcing her presence on him if he didn't want her.
He ran his hand through his hair, his face showing the exhaustion he felt. "Don't do this, please. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"Why does it have to be? You're just here to get all de-hulked and then you'll be gone again, right?"
He opened his mouth, but shut it again, clearly not knowing what to say. Which kind of said it all.
This time she got to be the one who walked away.
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They'd been close. Aside from Clint, he was probably the best friend she'd ever had. And she knew she must have meant something to him too. The "Other Guy's" response to her told her that much. She'd been the only one who could bring him back. At first, it hadn't meant anything. It was just her job. But as she would sit with him, in the aftermath of what being the Hulk did to him, it was impossible not to be moved by his vulnerability. It had started slow, a pat on the shoulder or draping a blanket over him. And then one day she found herself holding him, his back draped against her front, and it felt perfectly natural.
"Talk to me, please." His voice was almost too quiet to be heard.
And so she had. About nothing at first. Pranks she'd played on Tony, ways she'd shocked Steve's 1940's sensibilities. Then one day she told him about one of the few memories she had with her parents, bits and pieces with them and a dollhouse. After that, the rest just came out. Not all of it, certainly not the worst of it. But the basics of her life in the Red Room, the training, her life with S.H.I.E.L.D., she could tell him that. It was almost easy with him lying vulnerable in her arms.
And so she wasn't surprised when, in the aftermath of that witch's spell, she'd told him about one of the more horrific things that had happened to her. One of the things she tried to pretend didn't matter. And shortly after, he had left. She wasn't willing to think about how much that bothered her.
