"Is it okay if I play some music?" Bruce requested. Tony had invited him over to help with installing homing devices into separate pieces of armor. Bruce was thankful for the distraction. Keeping his mind occupied helped keep unwanted memories at bay.
"Sure," Tony answered. "Jarvis, can we get some Iron Maiden going?"
"Actually," Bruce quickly interrupted. "I was thinking something more… mellow?"
Tony broke contact with his monitor to glance at Bruce. "Marley, then?"
Bruce gave him an awkward smile. "Tchaikovsky?"
Tony mimicked the stare before staring back at his screen. "One song," he replied.
Bruce could imagine Natasha giving Tony a lecture about sharing and letting the guests do as they wish. Only she wouldn't be as nice about it. "If you find something long, that will be appreciated, Jarvis" he suggested to the ceiling.
A violin's tender singing resonated from the speakers. "This is what parents use to put their kids to sleep," Tony droned.
Bruce ignored the comment while checking the functionality of Tony's chest piece.
"I bet Rogers listens to this."
"You should ask," Bruce said aloud.
"Yeah," Tony snorted, "once he gets the stick out of his ass."
A gut feeling told Bruce that Steve wasn't the problematic one. "May I ask what happened?"
"He says I'm up on my high horse." Talking was the perfect excuse to drown out Bruce's vintage dance music.
"Something must have provoked that."
Tony absently flipped through his app's statistics on his touch screen. "I'm 'self-centered,'" he bragged, wrinkling his nose. "Do you know how much money I've paid to help this city get up and running again? I may not be out doing clean-up with Captain Goody-Goody, but I've given seven figures worth of what really gets things done."
Bruce saw the merit in Tony's donations, but in his opinion, actions spoke louder than money. He was too timid to say it aloud, but Tony could probably sense where his loyalties lie as he remained silent. "Fury must be disappointed his dream team failed."
"He knows I can't work with others. You, though." Tony glanced away from his work to point at his partner. "I can work with you!"
"Thank you, Tony," he kindly smiled.
"Cap's number? Yeah, I've got it." Natasha was busy proof-reading her most recent mission report when Bruce called.
"I had this idea," he began. "We should all get together for dinner. I'd say it's time for Tony and Steve to patch things up."
"They're both pretty headstrong," Natasha forewarned.
"Doesn't it bother you that everything the Director's worked for is going in vain?" Bruce wondered.
Natasha set her laptop on the cushion beside her so she could uncross her legs and stretch. "Nick thinks ahead. I'm sure he's got something big in store."
"Then you better tell him to act fast. I can't help but keep my guard up around Tony."
"You're practically living with him. Is Pepper jealous?" she joked.
"Working in the lab keeps me busy. It's more therapeutic than yoga."
"To each their own," she commented, picking at her pinky toe's chipped nail polish. "Don't you think you should be more concerned about the full on brawl if Stark and Rogers can't play nicely?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll stay behind and you can call me when they make up."
"How optimistic," she droned.
"I honestly don't believe that two grown men will hold a grudge forever."
"One grown man," Natasha countered. "Stark's an overgrown baby."
"Has Tony ever gotten on your case before?" Bruce wondered. The far from tender way Natasha spoke of Tony told him that they had their history of squabbles.
Natasha rose to her feet and laughed. "There's always something. I just happen to let it slide unless it's serious."
Bruce sank into his couch and threw his head back. "But you'll consider a get-together? Don't forget that you owe me for Lamaze lessons!"
"I do owe you for that, huh?" she mused. "Alright, Banner. Deal."
Bruce was truly grateful that he had found a true friend in Natasha. Even if she did embarrass him in front of a class of parents. "Thank you."
"I'll call you back with details," she promised. "Just don't get your hopes up."
"I don't see why we can't party at my place," Tony drawled, swirling around what was left in his first bottle of beer.
"It's good for you to get out," Pepper reassured him. "You've been working non-stop."
Natasha casually sipped her beer as a couple's argument brewed at the table. After Bruce's call, she set up dinner plans for the weekend. She told Steve "pizza with Barton," and to Tony, "drinks with Barton." It worked, and to be on the safe side, she told Tony to arrive half an hour earlier than the time she gave Steve. Bruce intended to stay nearby so he could dine with them when-if-their feuding teammates made up. Natasha also made sure to pick a different pizza parlor, one known to be extra family friendly, to put Bruce's mind at ease while he lingered.
"Hey, my work is what's gonna keep this city safe!" Tony bickered.
"I had to remind you to shower today," Pepper groaned.
"That's the sign of a real man," Clint laughed as he approached the table.
"Don't encourage him, Barton," Natasha warned.
Clint took a seat beside Natasha and smirked over at Tony. "I'll encourage him until I get my arrow app."
"I can do that," Tony nodded. "I'll even give you some upgrades, Romanoff. How about tazers 2.0?"
"I'm content with what I have," she remarked, a hint of scorn in her voice. Her weapons designers did a perfectly good job, not to mention, they were interested in her own personal input. Handing designing rights over to Stark would end with the Widow in a tacky iron suit.
"Your loss," he shrugged.
"Did Bruce say he was coming?" Pepper asked.
Natasha picked up her phone and pretended to check for recent calls. "He said he'd show up."
"He seems to be doing well." Pepper lowered her voice as though he was at the table across from them. "Poor guy really didn't deserve to suffer that loss."
"Gotta keep that mind fixed on work," Tony replied."Distractions, Ms. Potts, are important," he matter-of-factly stated.
Moments like this made Natasha see that the vain billionaire really did have a heart.
A waitress approached and Clint asked for a beer while Tony ordered another for himself. Out of the corner of her eye, Natasha spotted Steve and stared until he made contact.
"Natasha!" he smiled. "Clint." Steve began to sit in the empty chair beside Clint when he and Tony locked eyes.
"Son of a bitch, Romanoff," Tony muttered.
"Is that how it is, Mr. Stark?" Steve turned to the waiter with his most polite smile. "I'll have a water, please."
The waitress nodded and hurried away from the table's growing tension.
"Boys, can we behave?" Natasha arched a brow and glanced from Steve to Tony.
"I'd really like that." Steve kept his gaze fixed on Tony as he spoke.
Tony downed his last gulp of beer. "Are you sure I'm not too self-absorbed to be talking to you?"
Pepper smacked him in the arm while Natasha texted Bruce that they could be a good hour or so before progress was made. He responded half a minute later with "Just found a book shop. Having fun."
"Alright." Steve grabbed his napkin and waved it in the air. "I'm sorry." He knew he didn't stand a chance against the proud inventor. "Money did help this city get places."
"That's it?" Tony was dumbfounded by the lack of a fight. "Stars and Stripes is throwing the towel in?"
"You want a fight, Stark?" Clint prodded.
"Not much of a fight," he corrected. "But if it's what Cap wants…"
"It is. You were right, I was wrong," Steve acknowledged.
Natasha began typing a message to Bruce.
"You don't sound very sincere, Rogers," Tony drawled.
The message went straight to the trash.
"Christ, Tony," Clint muttered.
"Am I striking everyone's nerves right now?" Tony announced.
"Yes," the group tiredly answered in almost perfect harmony.
Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose. "The biggest problem here is you."
"I'm sorry, but who was it that flew a nuke into a whole other galaxy?!"
Natasha's phone vibrated in her hand. She was thankful for the tiny distraction, but when she opened up the text, her chair screeched against the tile as she bolted up.
"Nat, geez," Clint breathed.
"Right back!" she said quickly before running from the restaurant.
"He;p" was all the message read. That one word, complete with a typo, warned Natasha that someone could be making an appearance. "'Scuse me!" she yelled as she darted past a family ready to enter the parlor. Book shop. Book shop… She skillfully weaved her way past countless people enjoying their evenings. The sun was just finished setting and the linked shops all had their front windows and signs illuminated. So far, she failed to find anything book-related.
"Wait till he gets here!" a voice shouted.
Natasha recognized that voice. She hurried into an alley several feet up ahead and saw the blond from last week, accompanied with his friend, and cornering Bruce over by a dumpster. "Hey!" she shouted.
"Shit!" a man with light brown hair hissed. "Think her friends are with her?" he barked to his companion.
"Go! Please, go!" Bruce begged. His phone slipped from his shaking hands before his body slumped against the brick wall behind him.
Natasha watched his body slowly crumble into a ball. She rolled up her sleeves, fully aware that she was pressed for time. "We'll make this quick, boys." She revealed her infamous bullet bracelets and set both to stun.
The blond unveiled a switchblade and raised it in the Widow's direction. Headlights from cars passing by reflected off the taunting silver blade in the gloomy alley.
"Drop it!" Natasha barked in a commanding tone. The blond casually reversed the handle so the blade pointed at the dirt.
"She's got the fucking tazers!" the friend hissed, backing into the nearest wall.
The blond firmly grasped his weapon despite the advice. It was his life… Natasha broke into a sprint, and the man responded by raising his arm up high. "Don't!" He swung the knife backwards and Natasha halted as a cry echoed. "Bruce…"
His trembling fingers stroked where the steel connected with his flesh. Hot blood began to seep through his shirt and Bruce tightly shut his eyes as his body convulsed. The shoulder wound was nothing compared to what was to come. His throat constricted, choking a scream as he repeatedly smacked his head against a series of heavy bricks.
"Breathe, Bruce!" Natasha shouted.
The blond turned his head when cries turned into ragged grunts. His eyes squinted as he swore Bruce's body began to swell.
The doctor's shirt tightened around his muscles until the delicate fabric tore at the seams.
"Shit," the man choked.
"You picked the wrong guy to mess with," Natasha hissed before giving him a shock to the neck. His body went limp and she stepped aside to let it smack the ground. The cowering friend was the next to be knocked out. Natasha dragged the two men by their collars and let them rest in a heap by the alley's entrance. She whipped her head around as a blade darted through her thick curls. The knife ended up hitting a passing car's window before bouncing onto the sidewalk.
Tony was first on the scene. He lifted the switchblade and stuffed it into his pocket. "Leave it to Romanoff to find trouble," he playfully commented.
"Guys…" Natasha outstretched her hand to keep them as far away from what the alley had in store for them.
Clint stared down at the two men and immediately recognized the blond. "Don't tell me Bruce brought them…"
A deafening roar answered him as the Hulk clumsily rampaged down the alley.
"Son of a bitch," Tony breathed.
Thinking fast, Steve ran for a nearby garbage can while onlookers readied their phones. "Step back!" he yelled to his teammates before tossing a large metal cylinder at the Hulk.
The distraction only lasted a second before it was swatted away, but it gave Tony just enough time to activate the Mach VIII he kept stored in his trusty briefcase.
Natasha fired an explosive disk into Hulk's eye, then another, and another. Steve contributed by throwing an uprooted mailbox while Clint yelled for a growing crowd of onlookers to head for safety. "Take shelter down the street!" he urged. "This isn't a drill!"
"Could really use that suit now, Stark," Natasha grunted as she launched her hook line and sliced the Hulk's cheek open.
"Don't push perfection," he retorted as layers of iron enveloped his torso and crept up his neck.
Steve found another trashcan and struck the beast in the shin.
Bruce's alter ego began to stumble back, but a sudden blast of white light successfully sent him crashing backwards.
"Ready the rope line, Romanoff!" Iron Man ordered. "Secure the wrists." He shot energy beam after energy beam, forcing the Hulk farther back.
Natasha nodded and carefully ran further into the alley, waiting for Stark's big move before approaching a kicking and scrambling Hulk.
"Rogers, Barton, make sure the street's clear!" Iron man's rocket boots activated and he launched headfirst into the beast's gut. "I bet that smarts, huh, Banner?"
Hulk's arms thrashed in the air, but before his hands could crush the metal man, his thick wrists were bound by a sturdy string.
Iron Man fired a disk from his palm that locked onto Natasha's line, activating a magnet that sent the giant flying back towards the dumpster.
"Thor's hammer would be more useful," Natasha quipped as she watched the mailbox and trashcans smack the Hulk in the face as they reacted to the magnet. "What now?"
Iron Man outstretched his hands. "Jarvis, let's get that barrier going."
Hulk uttered a deafening growl as he used his pent-up strength to rip apart the ropes binding him. He spotted Tony's bright red suit and charged like a bull towards the glowing arc reactor.
"Step back, Romanoff!" A translucent blue wall was projected from his gauntlets. The barricade stretched up and across the alley, creating the perfect cage for the Hulk as he flung into it.
He howled in pain and fell back, only to repeat his actions with the same futile results.
"How long can this hold him for?" Natasha asked. The barrier hissed each time Hulk threw himself at it.
"I've got about seven hours of battery left," Iron Man replied.
"You think he'll come around before then?"
Tony winced inside the suit. "The solar panels won't kick in until sunrise. You'll have to make Pepper pick up a battery."
"So you're having a sleepover?" she eyed the suit with a raised brow.
"The self-controlled suits are still in progress," he hummed. "So yeah."
Steve and Clint approached the two with Pepper in tow. "I can get the car ready," Pepper insisted. "I'll take Steve to get his shield. Tell me what else you need, Tony."
"Yeah… Honey, throwing stuff won't work with the barrier up," Tony dryly remarked.
Clint's keen eyes picked up an occasional glitch in the projected screen. "Can you lift part of it for a second?" he wondered. "Down by the ankles-we'll tip him over and you can drop the shield to sock him with another blast."
"Seems like the best way to wear him out," Natasha added.
"It's a plan!" Steve's hand formed a tight fist. "Stark, can you keep this up?"
"I know a thing or two about keeping things up," Tony snorted.
Pepper rolled her eyes and motioned for Steve to follow her.
"Well I feel useless now," Clint grumbled, watching the green beast repeatedly slam into the translucent wall.
Natasha kept a fair distance from the barrier. Her partner was right. They weren't exactly helpful in this situation. Her wire was gone and her electrified disks were depleted. The only working ammo was her tazers, but those were only useful in up close situations.
"I'm gonna try convincing the cops we've got this covered," Clint announced. "And have these bastards taken in again." He grabbed both unconscious men by an arm and dragged them into the street occupied with police cars and an ambulance.
"Causing a lot of trouble, big guy," Natasha muttered to the Hulk. With nothing else better to do, she decided to try jogging Bruce's memory. She knew he was in there somewhere. "Hey!" she shouted. The Hulk snarled and repeatedly punched the barrier. "Bruce!" she called out. He clawed at the wall with yellowed nails. "Remember that thing we went over? In through the nose, out the mouth."
Tony was furrowing his brows inside his suit.
"In, two, three, four…Bruce!" she snapped when he refused to listen.
"Yeah, he's kinda just fixed on exhaling right now," Tony mentioned.
"C'mon, Bruce!" Natasha delved. "We know you're in there! In, two, three, four…Out, two, three, four…" With each beat, she carefully approached the projection until her toes barely touched the edge. "Don't make us bring you more pain, big guy." She held up her hand and let her palm hover over his fist's favourite spot. "We're not gonna hurt you," she continued, allowing her tone to become more soothing. "We don't want to hurt you."
An idea clicked in Tony's brain. "Jarvis. Speakers."
"If you're in there, Bruce, how about trying to breathe… You can fight this guy…" The deep sound of a piano made her pause.
"He likes this classical crap," Tony stated in response to her stunned silence.
And for a split second, the Hulk stopped as the keys resounded in a sorrowful harmony. It was as though in that concise moment, Bruce recognized the calming melody and longed for the other guy to listen.
But the Hulk refused, and proceeded to lash out at the woman and metal man standing so close, but just out of his reach.
"Shit," Tony swore.
"No." Natasha shook her head. "I think he heard it."
Tony upped the volume, but Hulk's booming screams fought to compete with the sonata.
Clint stood beside Natasha with his arms crossed. "I can't even hear a thing." He snickered and lifted a finger to tap the hearing device in his ear. His partner shot his a scowl and cursed in Russian. "I can still read your lips," he reminded her with a shout. "Something in Russian?"
Natasha turned her head as Steve and Pepper came running into the alleyway.
"Ready to lift it?" Steve whipped his shield out from behind his back.
Pepper offered a crowbar and staple gun to the two assassins. "All I could grab," she apologized.
Natasha reached for the crowbar. "Better hope your aim is strong today, Barton."
He watched her lips with a smile. "Always is!" he yelled back.
"On three!" Steve ordered. "One…"
Clint made sure the staple gun was ready to fire while Natasha angled herself to throw the crowbar straight for the Achilles heel.
"Two…"
"Jarvis, we're lifting the shield. Knee high!" Tony barked.
"Three!"
The lower chunk of translucency vanished in time for the Avengers to throw their weapons. Natasha whacked the heel, Steve pummeled the knee, and Clint dropped to his stomach and fired staples into the Hulk's eyes.
The monster crashed into the ground and Tony erased the barricade completely. Iron Man went flying at the Hulk for a second time and ruthlessly delivered blasts to the chest, and one to the head that particularly angered the giant.
Natasha ran for her crowbar, seized it, and lodged it into the Hulk's right palm. The metal bar took some effort to wrangle out, but after something cracked, it slipped straight from the wound, dripping with dark crimson.
"I'm really sorry, Doctor," Steve breathed as he cracked Hulk's knee with his shield.
The monster cried out and Iron Man sent an energy beam into his mouth. His large body convulsed and he aimlessly flailed his limbs.
Steve and Clint were first to back away.
Natasha was right behind them, but the Hulk's injured hand swung in her direction. She escaped, her only injury a sore cheek from where a finger swatted her. Natasha brushed it off-she suffered far worse.
"I think it's working, guys!" Iron Man announced.
Natasha rubbed her cheek, already feeling a nasty bruise form near her eye. She intently focused on the Hulk as Tony continued directing beams at his torso. The dark green hue appeared to lighten and his limbs started to shrink.
Iron Man leapt back, arms outstretched to be safe, and lowered his speaker's volume as the excitement faded.
Bruce was soon Bruce, his limp body sprawled in the dirt wearing grossly tattered and distorted pair of pants.
Iron Man's armor began to retract until Tony appeared, unscathed. "Tell me you brought pants," he observed, eyes on the doctor.
Natasha was first to approach Bruce. She knelt down beside him, inspecting for any serious damage. Aside from the patches of dirt matted into his skin, he appeared to be unharmed. Even the hand she speared through had healed. Her fingertips traced over where the injury once was as Bruce began to groan.
"Ngh." He clumsily rolled onto his side, his head pounding.
"Easy, big guy," Natasha murmured.
"Pep, get the car ready," Tony urged.
"Can you stand?" Natasha asked Bruce.
He squinted his eyes as Natasha's blurry face became clear."I…It happened," he croaked.
"You didn't hurt anyone," she promised with a smile. "The only one to get the shit kicked out of them was you… But your outfit's kinda done for," she joked. "And I'm pretty sure your phone is, too."
His hand shielded his eyes as a set of blinding headlights flared.
"Let's get you home, Doc." Natasha rose to her feet and offered him a hand.
Bruce declined and got up on his own, his fingers tightly gripping his shredded pants and underwear at the waist.
Pepper held open the Audi's back door as the group of Avengers neared the car.
"Hey, you should stay at the tower tonight," Tony suggested to Bruce. "You'll get a whole floor to yourself."
Bruce shook his head as he stopped by the car. "I'd rather go home, Tony. But thank you." He gave Pepper a tired smile before sliding into the back seat.
Tony handed Pepper his Mack VIII briefcase before slipping into the backseat with Bruce. "Anyone else need a lift?" he offered.
Natasha was quick to claim the last remaining spot. Pepper shut the door and got into the passenger's seat beside the driver.
The ride started off as too quiet for Tony's taste, so naturally, he needed to break the silence. "You lied about the classical music."
"Stark," Natasha growled. "Drop it."
The car's uncomfortable silence resumed.
"Mozart," Bruce whispered. He felt his friends' eyes on him. "I remember hearing Mozart."
Natasha hopefully grinned. "Then it got through to you?"
"Not as well as we hoped," Tony corrected, "but I'd say it's better than nothing. You know," he continued. "You'll be forced to enter a public place like that. Are you sure that won't trigger something?" He casually pointed at the mangled pants.
"I guess I should stay with you for the night, then" Bruce softly answered. "If it's no trouble…"
"It'll save you the walk in the morning," Tony reassured his friend. "I was thinking you and I get to work on making my suits self-operational."
Bruce forced a smile. He wasn't sure if he would feel up for leaving his bed in the morning. His entire body felt physically and mentally drained.
They arrived at the tower and Natasha exited the car with two scientists. "Mind if I stay for a drink, Stark?"
"An excellent idea, Romanoff," Tony sang.
As they entered the building, Bruce noticed a purplish-red bruise across Natasha's left cheek. "No…" he gasped. His fingers loosened and he nearly dropped his pants.
Natasha stared at him and quickly understood what had him so shaken. "This wasn't you," she skillfully lied. "It was the guy attacking you."
Bruce's beady eyes remained fixed on her bruise. He could instinctively recognize his own damage.
"I bet it looks a hell of a lot worse than it feels." Natasha reached for her phone to get a look, but Bruce's hand reached out to cover the screen.
"I'm so sorry…" Bruce saw how pathetic he looked reflected in her eyes. "So sorry, Natasha…"
"It's really nothing," she swore. "Trust me."
He shook his head and let his dirty and blistered feet take him to Tony. "Which floor am I?"
Natasha suddenly didn't feel much like drinking in Stark's company. She wordlessly headed towards the door.
"Romanoff?" Tony called after her.
She wanted to drink alone tonight.