Disclaimer: I don't own anything about these characters, Marvel, or MCU

AN: Thanks for the views and the review I got. Please review, as I am really new to writing. I am also really new to Marvel and MCU. So hopefully I am getting the characters down well. I hope to get at least 5 chapters to this story, so here is the next one!

Natasha stares down at Bruce for a moment. She has the impulse to leave, but suddenly she is overwhelmed by the memory of how well they comforted each other during bad times. Sometimes they would talk for hours, but they could also sit in easy silence. They each used to seek the other out when stressed. Suddenly Natasha finds herself turning around and sliding down the wall to end up sitting right next to Bruce. He looks over at her, startled, then sighs and says, "How did we get here?" He can't think of anything else to say. He's a little overwhelmed by her proximity, and really doesn't want to say anything that might ruin this moment.

Keeping her eyes in front of her, Natasha says, "I really don't know. Things seem to have been going from bad to worse since…since Ultron, really." There's a minute of silence and then she adds, "since you went away." His mind is reeling. What is she saying? That she missed him? That she blames him? What should he say right now to not piss her off? "Natasha," he starts. "No," she says, cutting him off, "just let me, I want to, I'm so sorry I pushed you. I should have tried to persuade you. There was just no time. I went with the quickest solution, but…it took so long for us to trust each other, and I know we'll probably never have that again."

Bruce sits there, stunned. She's apologizing to me? "Nat, I, I know why you did it. Uh, pushed me. And it probably saved a lot of lives, so how could I blame you?" He risks another glance in her direction. "I still trust you. Completely." Natasha lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. He's not angry with me! A silence settles over them. There it is, she thought, that comfortable quiet that wasn't awkward at all. After a couple of minutes, she gently lays her head on his shoulder, smiling when she feels him rest his head on hers. How can he always make everything just better?

Bruce cannot believe how easy it has been to fall back into the companionship they enjoyed last year. Years, he corrects himself. It's been years. You were gone 2 years, Banner, not 3 weeks. "Nat, I hope you know I didn't w-want to be gone for 2 years. I wouldn't have left without any word for 2 years. I was stuck inside the other guy the whole time. I'm so sorry…" "Thor told me about it, Bruce. You don't need to explain," she answers, relishing every little stammer that made him so endearing. Of course, he was worried about her and not himself.

"Did he tell you that you were the first thing I asked about after the other guy let me go? You were what got me out, did he tell you that?" Natasha smiles and says "No, tell me about it," even though she had heard the story from the Asgardian. Bruce talks for a while about his time on Sakaar, and then she tells him about the Civil War and everything else that had happened with the Avengers here on Earth. As they talk, Natasha feels fatigue begin to tug her eyelids down. It's a pleasant feeling, one she hasn't enjoyed in months. It gives her an idea, so she stands up and holds her hand out to him.

"C'mon," she says. "W-where are we going?" he asks. "I don't really want to be alone tonight, do you?" Bruce shakes his head, a little scared to know where this is heading. It's feels so good to just be with her, but he's not sure he's prepared for things to move anywhere else yet. They just started talking again.

"Well," Natasha answers, "maybe we would both be able to sleep if we weren't alone. It's worth a shot, right?" He stares at her hand before deciding, "Absolutely." She pulls him up and takes off down the hallway, still holding his hand. As she leads him to the apartment she's been staying in, Natasha hopes he hasn't gotten the wrong idea. Although she is definitely interested in whatever they can have as a relationship, she does really just want to sleep. She chuckles and thinks, even if he got the wrong idea, he's too much a gentleman to act on it. He's probably freaking out wondering what I'm intending.

Bruce was, in fact, freaking out just a bit.