Chapter 18: My Eyes Are Green pt3

Later on that night,...

Natasha sat on her bed in her room, unenthusiastically eating her bowl of macaroni. Normally mac and cheese was her comfort food, but tonight she just wasn't feeling it. Natasha felt bad that she couldn't do anything for Bruce. Poor boy. She knew right away as soon as he walked out of her house that he and Betty had broken up. She had a feeling something wasn't one-hundred percent with Betty, but she hoped it would work out between them. Bruce may have a self deprecating sense of humor, but Natasha saw that he was happy with Betty. He was a good boyfriend who most likely had never experienced this kind if heartache before. She felt bad that Bruce didn't want to talk, but she completely understood why. He was angry. He was hurt. Natasha respected his privacy and didn't tell anyone about it, but she also didn't feel like seeing anyone else the rest of the day. So she went home, took a long bubble bath with her favorite vanilla scented body splash and made herself dinner. Her foster mother Tanya offered to cook, but Natasha needed to busy herself and she had already finished her homework.

Natasha looked up at the clock on her nightstand. It was a quarter to nine. She was eighteen so her foster parents don't have a set bedtime for her. She normally fell asleep around eleven. However tonight she wasn't really in the mood to do anything else. Clint had called her a few hours ago to let her know he was okay and hanging out with Tony. This gave her at least a little peace of mind. She was heated when she heard about Loki's visit, but she was confident that prick wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Happy that Clint was in capable hands with Tony and full off of her mac and cheese, Natasha decided to call it a night early. She got dressed in a pink tank top and green plaid boxer shorts as nightwear and got up to bring her bowl to the kitchen. She got a weird pleasure out of washing dishes so she decided to take care of the kitchen before going to sleep. Her foster dad Oscar was reading a magazine at the kitchen table while she got the soap water in the sink ready.

"Hey Natasha, I haven't seen Clint around here much lately. You two still tight?" he asked.

Natasha chuckled, grabbing a sponge.

"Yeah, Oscar. We are. It's just you know, he's finally dating someone now. We're still tight but you know how it is when you have a new relationship."

Oscar closed his magazine and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"After all these years you still haven't convinced me you two weren't a couple this whole time." he joked.

Natasha laughed. Oscar was usually a lot more easygoing than Tanya.

"Everybody else feels the same way. And I understand why it's just...well, Clint and I were never meant to be together in that way. We both knew that."

Oscar shook his head and got up from the table.

"I'm still never gonna understand why, but I've learned that sometimes it's easier not to question you."

Natasha smirked at him.

"You're so damn wise, Oscar. Word of advice, do this with all women."

Oscar laughed and patted her shoulder.

"You've come a long way, Natasha. Whether or not you two dated, Clint's largely responsible for that. Night, kid."

Natasha gave him a thankful nod as he exited the room. She was left to clean the kitchen alone with nothing but the sound of running water and clanking dishes in an otherwise silent house. Her thoughts kept going back to Bruce. It was a little scary seeing how mad he got this afternoon. Bruce was always so gentle and soft spoken and adorably nerdy. Betty had done a real whopper to him, and Natasha felt bad that there wasn't really anything she could do. Sure she could call one of their friends, but again she wanted to respect his privacy. She had no idea how he'd react to her telling other people about his breakup. She sighed in irritation as she dried off some plates. She was still confused herself on how to feel about Bruce. She knew she probably shouldn't be having these thoughts so soon after his breakup but she couldn't help but wonder; what if she and Bruce were...she and Bruce? Then Natasha shook her head.

No. Can't do it.

She realized now that it would probably have been a bad idea for her to have that talk with Bruce. She hated to sound cliche but she really didn't want to risk their friendship. Natasha had a good thing going with the Circle. Sure she still hasn't opened up too much but they were good for her. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to be girlfriend material for anybody. Much less one of her friends. That is, if Bruce even wanted to speak with her again. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. She hoped he did.

After she cleaned the kitchen, Natasha went to her bedroom and got under the covers. She checked her phone one last time before getting settled. Nothing but notifications of people liking the pictures of her and her friends during Sam's party that Tony posted on the internet. She smiled at some of the comments. Most of them were expressing envy on how they weren't there to enjoy all the fun. Natasha never cared for popularity or social media but she had to admit, this was kinda cool. She was about to put her phone away when suddenly it began to ring. She frowned. Who would be trying to call her at this time other than Clint? She looked at the caller id and almost gasped. Bruce. Bruce was calling. Something took over her and she answered right away without thinking.

"Bruce?" Natasha greeted cautiously.

She heard a sniffle on the other end.

"Na-Na-Natasha." said Bruce.

Natasha felt sorry for him. It was clear that he'd been crying previously.

"Are you okay, Bruce?"

"Ohhhhh, that's the question. That is the question." he replied strangely.

Natasha sat up in her bed.

"You know Natasha, I'm not even sure why I called. I don't feel like talking."

"Bruce it's alright. But that's a different thing. I can't say I understand what you're going through but I really do wanna-"

"Help? You want to help me?"

Bruce sniffled again.

"I don't know how you can. Obviously I'm crushed from the whole Betty thing but all day long my mind just keeps going in circles back to..."

Natasha's eyes widened. She was a smart girl. Bruce may not have finished his sentence but she easily put two and two together.

Me. It's me. It's goddamn me!

"Bruce, can we not have this conversation over the phone? I'd rather talk face to face with you."

Bruce chuckled darkly which made Natasha nervous.

"Nah I don't think so. Again, I don't even know why I called you. There's no conversation to have, Natasha. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Will I, Bruce? I'm not lying. I want to talk to you."

Bruce scoffed but softly said,

"Yeah you'll see me. Goodnight, Natasha."

Natasha gulped and nodded.

"Goodnight, Bruce."

She clicked the hangup button and set her phone to the side, not sure what to make of what just happened. Bruce sounded reluctant to talk to her. Which of course he should be.

But then why would he call me?

Natasha shut off her light and let sleep take her over. Forget her earlier thoughts. She was gonna tell her friends in the morning.

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The next morning,...

"I think I might like him." said Wanda as she applied her eyeliner.

"Excuse me?" asked Pietro lacing up his Nikes.

Wanda giggled. Just like any good sibling she loved getting a rise out of her twin from time to time.

"Loki. I think I might like him. Now for my lip gloss, should I go with peach and cinnamon or strawberry kiwi?"

Pietro rolled his eyes. He hated when Wanda asked him about girly stuff.

"Ugh. Neither. Why either of those anyway? You normally don't wear that crap." he asked.

"Just in case me and Loki make out later. I'm curious which flavored lip gloss he'd prefer to taste." Wanda replied with a smirk.

Pietro got up from his chair and slowly walked toward her with narrowed eyes.

"Excuse me?" he asked lowly.

Wanda laughed at him, giving Pietro a relieved but irritated facial expression.

"You know Wanda, I really can't stand you sometimes."

"Oh relax, brother. I don't like Loki that way. I don't like ANYONE that way."

Pietro grinned at her.

"Good. That's more for their benefit than yours anyhow. If they knew you the way I know you, they'd run for the hills." he teased.
Wanda rolled her eyes, turning around to finish her makeup.

"You're a real ass sometimes, brother. Although the same could be said about you. You and all your Pietroness would never have a lasting relationship."

Pietro playfully slapped her shoulder.

"Then it looks like we're both staying single forever, sister. No use dolling up that ugly ass face of yours."

"Ha! Verrrrry funny coming from a certain douchebag who wakes up earlier than I do to work on his hair."

Pietro gave his hair a flip and struck a model pose with pouty lips.

"But that's a different thing. At least I look gooood."

The twins then had a good laugh with each other. They may have been scowly outcasts at school but at home, they were just another pair of siblings who ragged on each other for fun. They finished getting ready, ate breakfast with their grandmother then headed out to walk to school.

As they came upon the parking lot, Wanda curiously looked around for Loki. She wasn't so quick to call him a new friend, but she didn't mind his company. For whatever reason he took in interest in her and her brother. Word was Loki was already being talked about for it. Why would Thor's brother not hang with him his cool crew? Why would he associate himself with the Maximoffs? Stuff like that. It bothered Pietro that their invisible status at the school was somewhat ruined, but Wanda tended to be more flexible than him. She liked Loki and she secretly hoped he would keep talking to them. She glanced at Pietro who looked annoyed at the sight of the students flowing in through the front door. Maybe it could be good for them. Not being so invisible. It seemed to work out okay for a similar pair at the school who also never took well to most other people in the past. As if on cue with her thoughts, she saw Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff walking with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers through the parking lot. Wanda turned to her brother who noticed them as well. She elbowed him in the side.

"You still jealous, Pietro?" she asked.

Pietro practically growled at her but the way he blushed just made her laugh.

"Do not bring that up again, Wanda." he warned.

Wanda rolled her eyes. Pietro was just so full of hot air most of the time.

"Should I take that as a 'yes'?" she asked in Romanian.

"My eyes are green because I eat a lot of vegetables. You'll do well to remember that." he replied gruffly.

Wanda held up her hands in surrender and shrugged. The subject of Pietro's crush was extremely testy. The two of them split up and went to their respective classes. It would be a while before they saw each other again.

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Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton weren't the only ones who knew how to put on a mask. Bruce hated himself for his impulsive slip-up last night. He still didn't know why he did that. Some part of him was mad at Natasha for reasons he couldn't quite explain. When he woke up in the morning, Bruce decided to be his old self completely. Betty breaking up with him had definitely taken a toll, and he thought it best to just not deal with anyone or anything but school. Forget the Circle. Forget his relationship status. He knew he couldn't deal at the moment. So he wouldn't.

When he got off the school bus, he walked through a section of cars that hid him from Clint, Steve, Tony and Natasha's view. In his science class he shared with Thor, Bruce was all business, avoiding any non work related chat with the Asgardian. Everything was more or less fine until lunch time came. Bruce knew this would be a problem. He knew Steve and the others would be expecting him to sit at their table like usual. If he tried to sit alone like he used to, they would notice in a heartbeat and start asking questions.

Nope. Can't have that.

Bruce shook his head and avoided the lunchroom completely. He wasn't that hungry anyway. Yesterday and today he didn't have an appetite. Instead he went to the boys' bathroom and locked himself inside a stall, sitting on a toilet and cradling his bookbag on his lap. He buried his face into his bookbag, feeling the back of his eyelids get hot.

I hate this! I hate this!

Bruce cried yesterday. He cried a lot for a long time. He thought he was done, but he was feeling tears well up again. This time it was less about Betty and more about his current situation. He was avoiding the people he called his friends because he didn't want them to see him like this. He didn't want to talk or eat or even be in the same vicinity as them. Especially Natasha. Bruce was still mad at her. Mad at himself. He stomped his foot on the floor.

"Dammit, what am I supposed to do?" he asked nobody.

Bruce stayed there in the stall the whole fifty minutes of lunch time just cradling his backpack and dry sobbing. When the bell rung he was eternally grateful. He straightened out his glasses and went to his next period. As he joined the stream of students in the hallway, a familiar voice called out to him from behind.

"Hey Brucie Boy!"

Steve Rogers. Of course. Bruce ignored the call and kept walking. Maybe he could pretend he didn't hear him.

"Hey! Bruce!"

Dammit.

Bruce sped up his pace. No. He still couldn't do this. Guilt rattled at the back of his brain but Bruce trudged through it. No. Just no. Bruce heard Steve call out his name a few more times before he turned a corner and didn't hear him anymore.

"Really, Bruce? You're gonna act like you didn't hear Steve calling out for you just now?" asked Tony Stark.

Crap baskets.

Bruce stopped walking and turned around, slipping on his mask with relative ease. Tony scoffed at his face, clearly not impressed.

"Brucie Boy, don't think I don't know what this is about. You don't have to act like we don't exist, ya know."

Bruce shook his head.

"Actually I do. You don't know everything, Tony. Excuse me but I have a class to get to." he said flatly.

"Bruce, I know you don't expect it to be that easy to pretend like we don't exist. Especially me."

Bruce rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"You're not the only big brain in this school, Tony. I'll figure something out."

Maybe that was a little meaner than it should have been, but Bruce felt it was necessary. He knew this wasn't the end of that, but Bruce really didn't want to talk. Not to Tony. Not to Steve. Not to Natasha. Not to anyone. He didn't know when he would. If ever. The sooner they all accepted that the better.

xxxxx

The rest of the school day went by in a bit of a blur for Bruce. Classes were fine. Whenever he saw one of the Circle in the hallway he ignored them. After his last period ended he half walked half ran across the parking lot. The rest of the group either walked or drove. Bruce thankfully took the bus, but he knew he would have to pass Steve, Tony and Clint's cars along the way. He kept his head down and held his backpack in front of his face, hoping that would hide him. Unfortunately that didn't work. Just before he made it to the line in front of the bus a finger tapped him on the back. He slowly turned around, already slipping his mask on. Clint and Thor stood there, and on the inside Bruce grew very nervous. Thor was the biggest of the group. Clint was arguably the most dangerous. But Bruce played it cool and simply shrugged at the two concerned looking blonds.

"What?" he asked bluntly.

"Friend Bruce, all day you have evaded us. We know of you and Betty." said Thor.

Bruce snorted, pushing his glasses against his nose.

"I've said this before and I'll say it again; I don't feel like talking. I don't."

Clint's mesmerizing steely-blues focused in on him.

"Bruce, you are going to drive yourself crazy keeping all of this in. Why do you feel like you can't be around us?"

Because I'm going to end up crying again!

"I have my reasons. But that's a different thing. I'm going home now and that's that."

Bruce quickly turned around and boarded the bus, feeling their disappointed looks burning into his back. He sat down at the back of the bus, careful not to look directly out the window. From his peripheral he saw Thor putting a hand on Clint's shoulder and saying something. Bruce closed his eyes and let his head fall against the seat. He knew how rude he was being. He knew this wasn't the best way to go about this situation. Really he did. But it was the only way he would be able to function for now. Talking about it wasn't an option and he was used to being alone.

Oh Brucie Boy. How the hell are you gonna get through this? How long do you think you can keep this up?

xxxxx

Bruce walked in the house and went straight to his room, plopping down on bed and shoving his face into the pillow. All day long his mind had been nonstop Betty. The first time they met as two shy seven year olds. Walking to elementary school together every day. Sharing their first kiss as sixth graders and becoming boyfriend and girlfriend right after. Facing freshman year together. Winning various honor rolls and science awards together. Holding each other while watching Discovery Channel. Dropping everything to care for one another when they were sick. So many memories. Good, sweet, rich memories.

Why would Betty want to put an end to all that? Why? Why?!

Bruce took off his glasses as the inevitable happened. He sobbed into his pillow, gripping tightly on his bedsheets. This was exactly why he couldn't face his friends today. This was why he couldn't face Natasha today. He sobbed quietly for a while, eventually falling into a light nap under the covers.

Bruce woke up an undetermined amount of time later to the sound of his mother knocking on his wall. Bruce tiredly sat up and wiped off his eyes.

"Yeah, Mom?" he asked groggily.

"Um, one of your friends is here to see you. The uh, the redhaired girl. I hope you don't mind. I let her in." said Mrs. Banner.

Bruce's grogginess gave away to pure surprise.

"Crap baskets." he mumbled.

His mother stepped out of the room, and Natasha slowly walked in a second later. Bruce curled his knees to his chest and looked away from her. Secretly he was happy to see her despite him being mad at her. He still was hoping to avoid her. Dammit, Tony was right. Natasha cautiously made her way to the bed, sitting down next to his feet.

"Bruce-" she started, but he didn't want to hear it.

"N-No. I don't...just...no."

Bruce's lip began to quiver. Even though he wasn't looking at her he could feel her intense green eyes gazing at him. He wanted to tell her to get out, but something about her presence was making it hard to speak. Tears threatened to spill through again, and Bruce closed his eyes.

"Natasha, please. I can't talk." he pleaded, letting his voice crack to show her he wasn't kidding.

The redhead nodded at him, scooting a little bit closer to him.

"Okay, Bruce. Okay. But..."

Bruce opened his eyes when he felt her tug at the watch on his wrist.

"Can I just sit here with you for a while? We don't have to talk if you really don't want to."

Bruce let her take his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. A hot tear fell down his face when he was able to look her in the eyes.

"Why?" he asked.

Natasha stayed silent, answering him with knowing closed mouth smile. Because she wanted to. Bruce and Natasha sat there on his bed, holding hands and simply staring at each other in peaceful quiet. He didn't know how long they did that but for a little while at least, his mind wasn't so blazingly frustrated. There was no Betty. Just him and this gorgeous redheaded girl staring at him with the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. Eventually a weak smile managed itself on Bruce's face. Green was his favorite color.

A/N: "My eyes are green because I eat a lot of vegetables." Hmmm. What do you suppose that means? More to come!