Avenger AU Chapter 20:

Author's Note – Just a quick one to say thanks to the guest that reviewed. That really made me smile. I also want to say hi! I think this may be my return to this story and my inspiration is coming back! I don't want to jinx it but hopefully I can finally come back to this! So, hi! Hope you're all enjoying the updates.

Clara woke up with Steve by her side, the super soldier asleep as well. She slowly inched her hand out of his warm embrace, needing to properly wake up. She managed to get out and left him to sleep alone as she went to the bathroom, freshening up and finding the nurse outside the room to ask her for a comfortable pair of clothes. She looked stern, about to give her hospital "clothes" and Clara physically winced when Nat came to her rescue, bringing in a pair of clothes she hadn't even worn yet but recognised from her wardrobe. She smiled, nodding and quickly moving away as fast as she could on crutches.

Nat walked with her, asking about Steve and Clara laughed. "I left him to sleep in the bed. He seemed pretty knocked out." She smiled, the two of them beginning to laugh again.

"So, are you two cool now?" She asked and Clara raised an eyebrow.

"I don't even know what was going on. He felt guilty, he said but I don't even know if I believe that's the truth. I mean, he avoided me for a week." She began and Nat shook her head.

"Trust me, if Steve said he feels guilty, he feel guilty. He's not the type to lie about that but he is the type to avoid someone if he feels so guilty he can't even talk to them." She replied, making her tilt her head as she thought about it before smiling.

"That's actually kind of adorable." She smirked and Nat laughed, knowing all about it.

"Anyway, now that you're able to walk, you want to test out that scanner?" Nat offered and Clara quickly nodded, glad to get outside and breathe fresh air.

"Bruce, can you drive?" Clara asked as she rushed to get her jacket, still a bit awkward walking on the cast.

"No." He replied and both Nat and Clara stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to elaborate. "I lost my licence somewhere in India." He explained and Clara shared a look with Nat before they shrugged and Clara chucked the keys to her instead.

"I can drive." She solved the problem and they got outside, telling FRIDAY to set the cluster recognition up again. They kept Bruce on the phone and Clara and Nat just took off, not knowing where they were going but just going. It was best if neither of them knew and it wasn't a well known spot because then they could be properly sure that it worked. They drove for a couple of hours, still talking to Bruce who was tracking them the entire way on a different tracker he'd made for Tony's cars because he constantly forgot where he parked them after a drunk night.

They got to the Catskills and got out, parking it and Clara went as close as she dared to the waterfall, feelings herself get all damp but shrugging it off because of the beauty of it. "Bruce? Do you know where I am?" She asked and Bruce looked up from his tablet to laugh.

"Near a waterfall I'm guessing?" He rolled his eyes, wondering why they'd gone so unnecessarily far. He had the utmost faith in his previous tech skills and the least faith in their abilities to choose a good hiding spot. As if Loki would be hiding near a waterfall. They didn't need to go this far. He was pretty sure Loki would be in a pretty densely populated area. Hiding in plain sight. He could probably alter his appearance and so, he could do whatever he needed to do in order to make another attack. He didn't mention it to Clara, he wanted to wait until they were back at the Tower at least.

Knowing Nat, she!d probably take off just there and then and Clara would follow up Clara needed to properly recover and they needed a plan before they took off after the six dots that had artron energy circling them. Five were secluded in a general enough spot in England while one was in America. Close enough to the Tower as well. They could launch a mounted attack but they had to be careful, it was in a densely populated area, just like he'd predicted.

"Ha ha, very funny Bruce. Just tell me as exactly as you can, I need to know just how closely I can pinpoint them." She replied just as dryly, wondering how she'd never seen this sarcastic side of the good doctor. He was very cranky this morning, she didn't know why.

"You're at the Catskills, about 1 mile in to the waterfall." He sighed in annoyance as he had to look up from his tablet again. He was researching the places where the people with artron energy were and hoping to produce some names. "Exact enough?" He asked and she smiled, going back to the car to find Nat still sat there, her legs up on the dash and her hand elbow deep in a bag of crisps. Clara couldn't help but laugh, sliding into the car and catching the bag Nat threw at her.

"I'm guessing we're taking a break?" She asked and Nat nodded, turning on some music.

"I deserve it. Driving all this way is boring. Driving back will be even more boring." She explained as they just sat and relaxed for a while before Nat turned the music off and turned to Clara who raised an eyebrow, her mouth full of Doritos. "So, what's the thing between you and Steve?" She challenged and Clara laughed through the crisps, shaking her head.

"Of course. So much for relaxing." She pointed out and Nat shrugged, knowing it was inevitable for her to ask, to do it while her natural guard was a little down was just clever. "Start driving, turn the music back on and I might tell you." She conditioned and Nat raised her own eyebrow before losing as she said while Clara kept her legs up on the dash, laying her head back. "So, what do you want to know?" She asked and Nat shrugged, unable to hide her eagerness to know it all.

"Everything?" She replied and Clara nodded, thinking of what to say and how to phrase it.

"He's really good-looking." She began and Nat laughed as Clara nodded even more. "He is really good-looking." She repeated and Nat nodded, both of them clarifying the truth. "But he hasn't made a move, I don't know if he has a girlfriend or anything. He could, he might just be being friendly." She reasoned and Nat stayed quiet, not wanting to mention Peggy and the fear he'd confided in her.

"He's basically the perfect guy. I would love to date him but if he's taken or just awkward about it, I'm not going to do anything." She summed up and Natasha sighed, knowing it was truly that simple but Steve had to get over his own issues first. He needed to give this life a chance and then maybe he could give relationships a chance. He was adjusting well enough but he was still terrified of making any proper connections to anyone outside of the Tower or SHIELD.

He didn't want to have to deal with any issues, he just kept brushing them off. So Natasha made a promise to herself right there and then that she would try to help him as best as she could but she knew that out of any of them, it was probably Clara who had the healing touch seeing as she wasn't like them. She was great and they all loved her but she didn't have those guards from any trauma she'd been through. She was open about her trauma, she told them all about her fear of choking.

She didn't bottle things up like they did. She was full of energy and hope and the idea that life was lovely because of what she'd seen. Even with all her troubles, she still saw the beauty of life. That was an idea they all needed to adopt because it would help them to overcome their own troubles. Nat was continuously wrestling with her ledger and scrubbing it clean while letting herself live on the side. Bruce struggled with the monster inside him and always measuring his emotion. Clint struggled with keeping his family safe and yet doing the duty he felt calling to him to protect the world.

Thor wrestled with his brother more than most and prayed all the time he would see how much he loved him and come back to the light. Tony struggled with balancing a good relationship and being a good person while also being Iron Man and constantly sacrificing himself for the world. And Steve, he wrestled with everything in this world, trying to come to terms with how different everything was. He also struggled to allow himself to do much, not wanting to confront any of his issues and allowing himself to be with someone.

They all had their individual struggles to overcome and none of them were easier than the other.

Seeing Clara and the way she dealt with hers was something they all aspired to, if they were honest. Trying to find a way to live life as happily as she did without disregarding their issues. Working through them instead of letting them fester. It was something that they all hated. Letting them fester was just so much easier but they had all been thinking about it, that much Nat did know.

"He's just scared." Nat replied and Clara couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"Of what?" She asked gently but Nat snapped out of it, shaking her head and shrugging innocently. It became clear she was going to get no answers from her.

"I don't know but I bet you're lying!" She laughed, trying to change the subject and Clara let it happen, scoffing and bringing up the hologram in the car so she could call up Mia.

"Look, you can ask Mia and she'll tell you herself." She suggested, offering a middle woman and Nat raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure it's the right number?" She checked and Clara laughed as she nodded confidently.

"She would never change this phone, she loves it way too much. So many years in my universe, she's had this phone for all of it. It's almost like her first love." She explained as she dialled the number and sure enough, Mia picked up with confusion as she didn't recognise the number.

"Hello?" She asked and Clara smiled, knowing that she was probably waiting for a car insurance person or something like that so she could mess around with them.

"It's Clara. I need you to clarify something." She replied, crushing her hopes and Mia audibly sighed.

"Oh, what is it?" She asked and Clara couldn't help but smile.

"Am I or am I not telling the truth when I say this… Steve's the perfect guy but he seems to be working through his own issues so I won't bother him." She states in her clearest, calmest voice and Mia listened before nodding with a sigh.

"She's telling the truth. She's too calm. If she was lying, she'd blush. Especially if it was about a guy." She explained, having known her for too long and Clara held her arms out to prove the point to Nat. "Plus, she doesn't do guys with issues, she's said it herself." She added and Clara scoffed, sitting up at this as she listened to this blatant lie.

"When did I ever say that?" She challenged and Mia scoffed this time, wondering why she was lying.

"When you got involved with Jason, remember?" She reminded and Clara quickly settled down, sitting back again as she closed her eyes in annoyance. She couldn't keep doing this, she knew she couldn't keep pretending she was a different person. The worst thing was, it was this small change of a boyfriend she couldn't remember without delving into the past but it was enough to separate her from this dimension's Clara enough.

"Oh yeah, of course. Sorry Mia, I forgot." She replied, her voice much smaller than intended as she put her hands to her face, trying to mask the deep sigh as Nat took over for a moment, allowing her to pull herself together for a moment.

"Okay Mia, thanks for the confirmation even though I still don't believe her." She joked and Mia laughed as she arranged her beanbags in her front room, trying to figure out what the best way to pack it would be so that Tony could help her move it to the gym. She'd texted him this morning asking for help to move her stuff and she was waiting for him to arrive but he had said that he would be a little late so she was still currently packing.

"You're welcome." She smiled in return, still shoving beanbags into boxes.

"I'll give your love to Tony." Nat smirked and she scoffed, rolling her eyes. Tony may be a nice guy but not like that.

"You need to be honest now. Tell us, what do you think of him?" Clara challenged and she was silent for a moment before sighing.

"He's hot, funny, an idiot and not my type." She summarised and Clara couldn't help the snort laugh at that point. "Honest enough?" She asked and they both turned to each other with a grin. Mia was nothing if not honest when she was asked.

"Perfect. But he could become your type." Natasha suggested and she rolled her eyes, collapsing on the beanbag that wouldn't fit in the boxes.

"I don't think so. He's too… different. I know, opposites attract Clara but he's a bit too opposite." She explained, calling Clara out on it before she could even say a word and Clara quietly closed her mouth again. "What about you Black Widow?" She challenged and Natasha raised an eyebrow as she went around a roundabout a little too hard and Clara held onto the door. "I'm sure you have some secret lover. A bed buddy if nothing else." She practically winked and Natasha scoffed, laughing outwardly at her and Clara pressed her lips together.

"How come you don't swear?" Nat asked and she shrugged, sighing.

"A New Year's resolution. Thanks again Clara." Mia smirked and Clara simply laughed, unsure of whether or not that was something she'd done. "But is that true? Do you have someone?" Mia asked and Nat shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"I don't have many options." She pointed out and they all began to laugh at that.

"Damn right." Mia commented before pressing her lips together. "What about that Hawkeye? You and him seem pretty close." She remarked and Clara snort laughed again, shaking her head. "What? What's wrong with that?" She asked and Clara shrugged, not revealing Clint's secret but knowing that was out of bounds.

"I don't know, they just don't seem compatible to me." She replied and Mia rolled her eyes as she sank even further into the beanbag.

"Well, what about that Dr Banner then?" She offered and Clara smirked, turning to Natasha who rolled her eyes, keeping them focused on the road but smirking nonetheless.

"Yeah, that one might be better." She agreed and Natasha just kept quiet, unable to stop herself from continuing to smirk even wider the longer they talked about it. The rest of the ride back to the Tower was filled with that until Mia abruptly cut off. Unbeknownst to them, Tony had just arrived in his suit at her window and saw her laying on her beanbag lazily as she laughed on the phone.

When they got back to the Tower, Steve was standing with Bruce nervously. "What do I do now?" He asked, still trying to unsuccessfully take Tony's place in the science bros. They were the cleverest people in the Tower and they were both constantly discussing science theorems together and Steve knew literally none of that. He knew the basics of course, but he was nowhere near their level and so, this was rather difficult for him.

"You just need to calibrate it Steve. Ask JARVIS to do it if you want." He offered and Steve struggled between angrily carrying on and trying to do it himself and just allowing JARVIS to do it for him. He grit his teeth for a moment before sighing when he realised this was ridiculously difficult.

"JARVIS, please calibrate it." He asked in a defeated tone and Clara and Nat laughed together as they shared a look.

"Thanks for the help Bruce!" Nat called, chucking the keys to him and he caught them easily, subsequently chucking them to the bowl where Tony kept all his car keys.

"My pleasure." He muttered, still trying to figure out exactly who this Pete Tyler was and why him and his family were covered in artron energy, his daughter, Rose Tyler the most. The youngest child, ironically named Tony, had nothing and there was a massive age gap between him and Rose and he couldn't help but wonder why? Of course, there could be nothing to it, maybe Tony was just a happy accident but he couldn't help but think there was something more to it.

"Can I go?" Steve asked hesitantly like a naughty child called to the principal's office and Bruce nodded again, still scrolling through his tablet.

"Sure." He murmured and Steve grinned, walking out to get to the gym. He had been so powered up by that nap with Clara, he figured he could burn off some energy and just standing there trying to figure out how to do a simple calibration was getting boring. He didn't know how those two scientists could spend all day just sitting there and looking at stuff on there. It was incredibly boring.

Bruce was so sucked into his research that he didn't notice Tony walking in to grab something and babbling to him the entire way. He grabbed a few things, coming in and out in the space of 20 minutes and explaining how Pepper was forcing him to spend a day just going through the paperwork and he needed immense amounts of coffee to get through that. When Bruce didn't even react to his jokes, he realised he hadn't been listening at all and snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Bruce? I said don't tell anyone if I die doing paperwork. Usually you say something rude back, telling me that no one would care or something but it's fine because I know you would miss me terribly." He grinned again but Bruce still didn't reply, frowning as he saw this latest interesting piece of information. Rose Tyler and her family seemed to be one massive enigma and he was hooked. Now, her boyfriend, some man called John Smith, a name compiled of the most common names ever, had the same energy. In almost the same amounts as her.

But he had tracked him for the past few hours and suddenly, a massive source that he could barely believe even existed cropped up. It had come out of nowhere and his jaw dropped for a moment before frowned and narrowed his eyes, zooming in on the place to try and get a visual but it seemed that they didn't allow public cameras anywhere near their place. "JARVIS? Can you hack into their personal security cameras?" Bruce asked, looking up and around, wondering if he'd actually seen someone in there.

He had a feeling someone had come in but there was no one around and he quickly dismissed it, desperate to get to the bottom of this mystery. It was quite literally intoxicating. The more he investigated, the more interesting it became. He still didn't notice that he was standing in the exact same spot and JARVIS didn't say anything, waiting for someone else to find him.

"I'll try Dr Banner but they seem to have a very advanced system so it will take me some time. It also trips an alarm to alert them that I'm attempting to access their cameras. Do you still want me to continue?" He explained and Bruce froze for a moment, wondering if he should risk it. He was still debating when Natasha walked in, laughing when she saw him still standing there.

"Bruce? Haven't you moved at all?" She challenged before noticing the worried look on his face and going over to place a comforting hand on his arm. "Are you alright?" She checked and he looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should tell her but one look told him that he would never be able to hide it from her nor would she accept that. She'd find out some other way.

"How come you're down here?" He asked, not addressing her question but she understood he wanted to check how important her previous task was because this would take over the rest of the day or a few hours at the very least.

"I was just grabbing something for Tony. I'll be back in a few moments, don't move." She replied, still looking into his eyes as she tried to keep the panic from rising. If Bruce was this serious about it, it had to be big or bad or both.

"I don't think I have since this morning." He laughed, trying to lift her spirits and she grinned, shaking her head as she flicked through a couple of papers on the table, looking at her watch with a smile.

"You do realise it's 2:00 right now?" She asked and he was quickly hit with just how long it had been and he clicked his tablet off, shrugging his sleeve back enough to have a look at his own watch in shock.

"That long?" He frowned, his adorable shock making Natasha laugh as she picked up what she'd meant to, trying not to be too distracted by him. Mia and Clara's words this morning had occupied her mind since she'd gotten back and because of how naturally she'd just touched his arm and how deeply they'd been looking into each other's eyes, she couldn't help but smile. She realised there might be terrible news on the way but as she walked to Pepper's office, she was fighting a smile and a blush like a schoolgirl.

"Here you go. If you need me, I'll be in the lab." She explained and Pepper nodded with a smile, glad to see that Natasha would still help her out despite the fact she was a super spy instead of a secretary like she'd previously believed. Natasha had a day off she preferred to do random little tasks around the Tower to occupy her but now, she had the rest of her day labelled down as Bruce's.

"Is Banner out of his coma yet?" Tony joked, looking up as Natasha waited for him to elaborate. "He didn't even notice me when I came in. Completely blank." He explained and Natasha shrugged, pretending she didn't know as she left for the kitchen, masking her smile with her hair. The fact that he'd ignored Tony and was now beginning to confide in her, it lifted her heart so much. She couldn't deny that she was beginning to have a rather large crush on Bruce and it was apparently obvious to all the females in the Tower.

She went into the kitchen and grabbed two pasta pots, warming them up and grabbing forks so that Bruce could eat something. She was pretty sure he had skipped breakfast as well and he needed to have something. She debated over it for a moment but cursed herself for looking at herself in the microwave and making sure she looked good. She couldn't even help tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear and pressed her lips together, trying her best to not do anything else.

The effect he had on her was ridiculous and she knew that if she was ever found out by Clint or Steve, the teasing would be endless. So she just grabbed the pasta pots and forks and walked at a much faster pace to the lab, not wanting to be stopped by any of them on her way there. She entered slowly to see him stirring two cups of tea. He turned around with them and offered a smile as he moved over to the table.

"Um, I thought you might like some tea." He placed her favourite cup down on the chair beside him and she smiled in return, showing him the pasta pots.

"I thought you might like pasta." She laughed, both of them grinning as they sat down, opening their pots at the same time. For some reason, neither of them wanted to disturb the silence and the peeling of the packaging was far too loud and they both shared an awkward look, almost wincing but beginning to chuckle instead. They couldn't help but watch each other for a moment, both of them fully aware of what was going on but ignoring it like they always did.

"So um, what's going on?" She asked, getting up to put the packaging in the bin to just get away from his gaze. She had to be serious for this next bit and that was ridiculously difficult when she was staring at his handsome face. Of course she realised it would be cleverer to wait for them to finish their food but she was desperate for any reason to get away.

She sat back down and he nodded, taking a sip of his tea and clicking the tablet on. "Um, when you and Clara went on that ride, I tracked her to the Catskills but I accidentally zoomed out and um, guess what I found." He explained, spinning the tablet around so she could see as she absently chewed pasta while scanning the tracker.

"How many people?" She whispered, flicking around the world and just sucking in a breath at the sheer amount of energy surrounding them as well. The amount around Clara had been accumulated over about a year, she'd estimated but this was more than they could ever have estimated. And then, she found the largest concentrated amount of pure artron energy concentrated in one spot, not a person, just sitting there. "What the hell is that?" She raised an eyebrow, looking up at Bruce who quickly looked back to the tablet, pretending he hadn't just been watching her face.

Natasha suppressed a smirk badly but luckily, they were both watching the tablet this time. "I researched the family that live there, the Tyler's. Pete is a famous inventor, small scale. Tiny little inconveniences that he found a solution to, he's a clever man but he could never have invented time travel. At least, not on this level with this specific energy that we'd never heard of before Clara." He explained, both of them getting suspicious at that point and it was obvious in their shared looks.

"He's only got a little compared to the others. Jackie Tyler is next, a little more but then it escalates. Rose Tyler and her boyfriend, John Smith, have massive amounts, way more than Clara." He explained, bringing up pictures of them all and at the mention of the relationship, they shared another quick glance but once again, shied away from it and looked down at the tablet again.

"And the massive spot of pure energy? Is that fixed? Is that where they get it from?" Natasha theorised, zooming in on the spot but Bruce shook his head, spinning it back to him as his fingers flew across the screen.

"No, it can't be. I monitored them this morning when you were out. I brought up profiles and got a clear lock all before this… suddenly appeared." He shrugged, not knowing another word for it. "Now, I'm going to sound crazy but this… energy, it just appeared. Somehow, out of nowhere. It was not there this morning." He explained slowly, breathing in slowly as he realised just how mental that sounded. Natasha put on a passive face, listening to him and he waited anxiously for her response.

"Okay." She nodded, trying to think of a possibility as well. He raised an eyebrow at her simple acceptance and she scoffed. "That portal from the sky just opened out of nowhere as well, I didn't question that. I found the source and shut it down. And that's what we're going to do here." She replied firmly and he couldn't help but smile at her, so glad that she actually believed him and accepted what he had to say so easily.

"Well, we're going to use the energy to get her home." Bruce corrected as he placed a hand on Natasha's in silent thanks before giving her a sharp look when she remained quiet. "Aren't we?" He asked and she pressed her lips together, thinking of Steve.

"Well, maybe she'd be happier here. With Steve?" She suggested and he laughed, looking down and shaking his head. He'd seen this in the interview and he'd slowly seen her continue to egg on their feelings by getting Stark on side.

"Natasha." He simply stated, looking up to tilt his head at her and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Can I not root for love?" She mocked as she spoke and he laughed even louder, looking away to wonder how to even respond to that.

"Of course you can but you need to remember that you are technically the one trying to set them up." He pointed out and she rolled her eyes again, looking away but making sure she didn't move her hand away from his.

"Well, maybe I know that they'd be good together." She shrugged, locking eyes with him again and holding it this time. Both of them felt a little braver in this moment for some reason. Out of all their countless glances at each other, they suddenly felt a little more adventurous in this look, not only because they were holding it, but because of the subject matter.

"And what else do you know?" He asked and she found an invitation to make a move. If there was one thing Natasha would never be called, it was shy. She was a confident woman, with clear knowledge of her limits and her extensive abilities and that was why she was so confident. But now, she found herself wanting to push the boat out and wondered how to accept this invitation.

"That maybe we could be good together as well." She whispered as they leaned in, both of them closing their eyes as their long, enticing game of dancing around each other for years that had come to a head in this moment and it resulted in probably one of the most meaningful kisses for both of them in their entire lives. Natasha had had a lot of practice, she'd been on countless missions where she had to use her gender to complete the mission but none of them had meant a single thing to her. They were all empty.

Bruce had had a relationship, he'd had many throughout his life as a general teenager and then young man but he now realised, as cheesy as it sounded, that he'd never known a proper kiss or the proper emotion and love that should be behind one. Those other relationships and people seemed rather empty and irrelevant compared to this. He didn't think anything truly could compare to this. It was rather perfect.

When they pulled apart, both of them were silent for a moment, just taking in how much that was before Bruce smiled. "I think you're right." He smirked and Natasha did the same, looking down to laugh to herself. "For once." He teased and she scoffed, sitting up straighter to engage in some banter to lighten the mood. While they were finding this to be possibly the best risk they'd ever taken, they were both still awkward about relationships. They needed to take it slowly.

"When have I ever been wrong?" She asked, challenging him as he tried to smile but every doubt about entering a relationship flew through his mind and he suddenly remembered why he was so reluctant to make any friends at all. The Avengers had worked their way into his heart and Natasha didn't even need to try, she just effortlessly sauntered in like she already owned his heart, which to be fair, she did. But he remembered that terrible time when they'd first met and couldn't get along at all.

"When you thought you could talk me out of transforming when Loki attacked the ship?" He reminded, looking down and removing his hand from hers to hold his other one between his legs as he quickly shrunk back into himself. He knew he'd just told her the truth about how much he'd loved that kiss and how much he wanted to love her but now, he'd just backed himself into a corner. He couldn't lie now, she wasn't stupid but he couldn't ever go near her in case he hurt her again. He had to tell her he couldn't go down this route.

"Bruce… we're both monsters. You don't need to feel bad about that." She reassured, quickly moving her now cold hand to hold his arm. He just shook his head, the guilt of everything he ever did as the Hulk never leaving him. "Bruce, look at me." She ordered, waiting for him to listen as he managed to lift his eyes to meet hers. "That wasn't your fault. And no one blames you for it, least of all me. If you hadn't noticed, it's kind of the opposite." She joked, bringing a smile to his face as they laughed together.

She moved her hand down his arm to grasp his hand again and she brought her other hand to encase it, both of them just clasping each other's hands for comfort and looking into each other's eyes where they could express what they couldn't out loud and offer more support than they could ever voice. They stayed like that for a while, Natasha looking down and trying to not let herself be overwhelmed by her own thoughts of not being good enough.

"Nat, don't even go there. I'm sorry I said anything, I'm a terrible person. You're not." Bruce quickly spoke, somehow knowing exactly what she was thinking as she took a deep breath and he moved his spinning chair over to try and offer her even more comfort with his presence. "Trust me. We're both monsters." He sighed and she looked up with tears in her eyes that made him breathe in sharply. He hadn't expected that to affect him as much as it did.

"But Nat, we're trying. And anyone who says that doesn't count, is a liar. Try is all we can do. We're on the Avengers Nat, we're heroes. And we can try to be those people at least." He shrugged, trying to make her smile and it worked, Natasha managing to blink back the tears before any fell and smiling at him. He let go of one of her hands to hold her face and his thumb began to stroke her cheek. She was almost disbelieving of the amount of affection he was showing but didn't waste a moment in leaning in. However, neither did Tony, to the intercom.

"Nat? Can you grab something else for me?" He pleaded and they stopped, moments away from each other's lips. Bruce let out a small laugh, bowing his head and shaking it at the same time. Of course he had to ask at that moment. He couldn't have waited a minute.

"What is it?" Nat called, neither of them moving in their proximity but Nat slightly turning her head so she didn't end up shouting into Bruce's face.

"It's those damned files. There's another pair. Should be on the same desk, according to Pepper." He explained and she nodded, looking back at Bruce who let go, realising she had to get up. She walked over to the desk, found the files and held them on her hip.

"Found them!" She alerted and Tony practically grinned so wide, it was audible over the intercom.

"Thanks! Bring them up here when you can!" He replied, the clicking of the intercom turning off a relief to them all. Bruce had clicked on his tablet again, trying to distract himself with work and Nat went to the door before turning back to Bruce and faltering in her steps.

"Oh forget it." She rolled her eyes, marching over to him and spinning him around in his chair so she could kiss him, with far more passion than they'd displayed before. She was feeling like a risk-taker today, especially around Bruce, so she went for it and once Bruce had gotten over his initial shock, he quickly returned the kiss. "I'll be back to discuss the artron energy." She promised once she pulled away, rushing to the door again so she could deliver the files to Pepper and Tony.

Bruce watched her go and sat there in silent shock for a moment before nodding to himself, putting the empty pasta pots in the bin and emptying the cold tea into the sink to get ready for her return.

Meanwhile, Clara was following the instructions on the phone, doing her best to understand while on a video call with Steve who was in the gym. "Honestly, why does reversing the polarity seem to solve everything?" Clara rolled her eyes as she scanned the phone, being very careful to read the instructions properly and Steve laughed as he finished another circuit.

"Beats me." He shrugged, knowing that he barely had any idea what that meant. "How far have you gotten?" He asked, grinning in triumphant victory and she looked up, lifting her helmet with a frown,

"There's no way you've done another circuit yet." She shook her head but he just gave her a look as he grabbed his water bottle and took a swig, wiping some of the sweat from his forehead. "You seriously are a super soldier aren't you?" She simply remarked, taking the helmet off and shaking her hair out. They'd been at this all day, she needed to breathe. "Fancy taking a break?" She offered and he nodded, both of them flicking the image away and ending the call to meet up in the living room.

It became a race from one look they shared before ending the call and Clara tried to look like she hadn't broken a sweat from just dashing here. She could hear him coming and tried to look like she'd been there a long time and grabbed a cup and put a tea bag in it and began to mix it. Steve ran in, saw her and sighed in defeat. They'd been subtly making everything into a friendly competition all day and it had made things a lot more fun. He then saw exactly what Clara was doing when he looked past her triumphant smirk.

"You might want to actually boil some water and then put that into the cup." He suggested with a barely suppressed grin, watching Clara looked down and sigh, gesturing to the kettle and he nodded, wanting some tea for himself. She began to fill it up and he took a closer look at the cup to laugh again. "I also take two sugars." He informed, making sure she knew as she realised what he was referring to and gave him a sarcastic laugh in reply.

"Of course you do. I also do." She stressed, beginning to make the tea while Steve grabbed some food from the fridge to warm up. Clara watched him with a small smile, but couldn't help the concern flickering across her face. She was still stuck on Nat's words and wondered if she should try and bring them up. Well, this would be a nice chance, over tea, and he seemed to be in a good mood so she realised that if she was going to bring it up at any point, now would be best.

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