Bruce was dangerously close to not calling Natasha the next day after Tony told him he wanted to take an "experimental field trip." After last night's failed dinner, Bruce wasn't ready to face her. He felt used, like his emotions were Natasha's toys. Bruce knew she meant well. She wanted him to be happy, and despite not wanting a romance, he knew she cared for his best interests. For that reason, he decided to give her a call.

"Bruce." She was surprised to hear from him.

"If you're free today, Tony and I are leaving to do some tests around three." His tone was callous; a subconscious means to intentionally drive her away.

"I'll be there," Natasha agreed. "Your place?"

"The lab," he corrected.

The lack of chipperness in Bruce's voice worried her. "Listen, Bruce," she breathed. "Last night…"

He was quick to stop her. "Please, don't. Look, I'll see you at three," he continued. "Or maybe I won't… I'll…" he paused. "Bye, Natasha."

"C'mon, Banner," Tony urged, "you don't look half bad."

"You laughed," Bruce matter-of-factly stated. He stared down at the purple pants that fit snuggly around his legs.

"Never seen you showing off that much leg," Tony commented with a smirk.

Bruce felt his face flush. He could only imagine what Natasha's mocking laughter would sound like. JARVIS' announcement of her impending arrival wasn't making him feel any better.

"Romanoff coming again?" Tony wondered.

Bruce gave his partner a small nod. "She wanted to join." He lowered his gaze as he headed for his work station.

Tony trailed after him, popping a fruit snack into his mouth. "So what happened?"

Bruce adjusted his glasses as he double-checked the dosages for the Hulk tranquilizers. "Hmm?"

"You and Romanoff. Something went down," Tony noticed.

Bruce eyed Tony as if he didn't understand his accusation. "Nothing. Nothing happened."

Tony waved a finger in the man's face. "Something happened." He frowned and took a step back. "It was sex."

Bruce's eyes grew wide. "No!" He furiously shook his head. "No, Tony, it wasn't."

"Sex always makes it awkward. Work place sex, at least. 'Cuz you know you've gotta see them day in and day out-"

"That didn't happen," Bruce swore. "It was a misunderstanding." Better to tell Tony that than to let his mind wander in the gutter.

"About sex?"

Bruce audibly groaned. "I offended her. Now, Tony, please drop it."

He winced. "Offending Romanoff? Ouch."

"Yes," Bruce tiredly nodded. "Now please drop it."

Natasha casually sauntered past a sliding glass door. "Am I late, boys?" She was casually dressed: jeans, a T-shirt, and a jacket.

Bruce shook his head. "No. Not at all." He spotted a gun holstered to her left thigh.

"So we going?" Tony wondered. He grabbed the case housing the tranquilizers.

"Yes. Let's." Bruce stepped away from his station and kept his eyes glued to the floor as he trailed behind Tony.

It was impossible for Natasha not to notice Bruce's newest pair of pants. She assumed Bruce caught her staring when he utilized Tony for a human shield, blocking him from her view. "Nice legs, Banner," she snorted.

"That's what I said! See, Banner-you're being self-conscious."

A growl mingled with a low groan escaped Bruce's throat. "Tony…"

Natasha rolled her eyes as she neared Bruce's side. "I won't say another word," she promised.

Bruce deliberately slowed his steps, but Natasha didn't let his slowed pace affect her. She remained close while Tony trotted ahed of them.

"I was being an idiot last night," she began under her breath.

"I'd rather we forget last night altogether."

"It actually got me thinking," Natasha continued. "Stark!" she called out. "Give us a minute!" He didn't bother to stop or turn around, but flashed her a backwards thumbs up in reply.

Bruce stopped and watched Tony make his way into the elevator. He turned to Natasha with a tired look in his eyes. "I'd really rather not discuss us…"

"I'm jealous of you, Banner." Natasha had suddenly captured his interest. She shrugged and pressed her back against the nearest wall. "You're not like me when it comes to emotions." She folded her arms across her chest. "You're easy to read."

"And you're not." Bruce kept his distance while keeping a watchful eye on her.

"I've seen who you really are, Bruce." She paused to wet her lips. "You… the other guy… That's all you, stripped down, and I'm too scared to even begin telling you who I once was."

"I'm not asking you to," Bruce quietly mentioned.

Natasha shook her head. "That's far from a fair trade. You expose yourself and get nothing in return…"

"I can't exactly hide the other guy, Natasha," he added with a choked laugh.

"It's not all about him. It's you…opening up and letting me in. That's risky."

His brows furrowed. "Natasha, I don't see you as a threat."

"I know," she stated. "But whatever you're feeling for me isn't real." She watched his stare grow cold. "I've killed people, Bruce. Innocent lives, gone. Children, mothers…"

His jaw fell as he fought for words to say.

Natasha sardonically laughed and turned her back to Bruce. "I could've spared countless lives, but I'm a stickler for obeying orders."

"Y-you've changed," Bruce managed. "That was all in the past…"

Natasha turned to him with a weak smile. "Just admit I'm not the saint you've built me up to be, Banner. It's fine."

He pulled his fumbling hands close to his chest. "Hasn't the battle changed that mindset? Kids see you as their hero. Don't you want to play that part? The hero…"

Natasha's attempt to push him away only made him want to come closer, and that terrified her. "I do."

"I put my past behind me. At least, I try to," Bruce admitted.

"Bruce, stop…" She didn't want to hear more about his troubles.

"Why bring this up now?" he pressed, taking a step towards her. "Have my feelings offended you so much that you have to hate me?"

"It's not that," she responded in a low growl.

He threw his hands into the air and gave an exasperated sigh. "You're difficult, do you realize that?!"

"That's what I've been saying," she muttered, slowly growing concerned for Bruce's anger levels. "I can't open up to you, Bruce. I'm terrified to let you in."

He clenched his fists at his sides. Anger would only hurt her. He needed to fight to remain calm. "Then don't. I'm not asking you to."

"But I want to," she admitted, looking him in the eyes. Bruce grew quiet. "You're getting to me. In a good way."

Bruce pursed his lips. "Then…then why push me away?"

"We both aren't ready for romance, Bruce. We both know it."

"So you-you want a romance?" he stammered, fumbling with his hands.

"I do," she admonished. "But I don't."

He lowered his gaze and nodded. "I suppose I understand…But what happens when we retire from this line of work? What happens when I have the other guy under control and we don't have to worry about any incidents…"

"No." Natasha hated turning him down when he sounded so hopeful. "You may see retirement, but I don't. This is a job I'm sticking with."

"Are you saying this under the assumption you're never going to age?" he questioned. "No offense, Natasha, but how long can you and Steve expect this serum to keep you going?"

"You're pushing it," she coldly informed.

"I'm only making a statement."

"Well, do it another day. Stark's waiting," she added. "And I'm not joining if you're gonna piss me off about love."

"Love is a very strong word," he breathed.

Natasha began walking ahead of him. "We both know that's what these feelings turn into."

Bruce stood in place, watching her short curls bounce as she walked. Suddenly, he was more concerned about her feelings than he was for his own. He wordlessly trailed after her to the rooftop where a private helicopter awaited them.

Tony noticed the two seemed quiet as they took their seats. Natasha sat in the far back while Bruce took the seat in front of her. He pulled a set of headphones and his iPod from his bag, a surefire sign that he was purposely avoiding any discussion. Not only that, but Natasha's bad vibes were practically tangible and Bruce was looking like a guilty puppy that peed in the house. "Nothing?" he asked. "I'm DJ, then." The two passengers had no objections to him blaring classic rock, though Natasha seemed to be clenching her jaw through the take-off.

"Pants, test one!" Tony announced once the copter touched down on land.

Bruce turned his music off and set his device back in his bag. "Use the tranquilizers before things get too out of hand," he mumbled.

"I'm gonna give the suit another go," Tony added, leaving his seat. "Did some fix-ups. Romanoff, you get the keys!" His thumb pointed back to the pilot's spot.

Natasha unbuckled her seatbelt. "You got Banner's CD in there?"

"Ready," Tony nodded.

Bruce removed his shirt and glasses and let them rest beside his bag. He then headed for the door without a single word or glance to his partners.

"You need a push to get going?" Tony asked.

"I've got it," he called back before darting off.

Tony immediately turned to Natasha. "What'd you do to him, Romanoff?"

"Nothing," she tiredly groaned.

"Sure as hell did something," he muttered to himself. "Tranquilizer gun's in the case."

Natasha brushed past Tony to claim her new position as pilot. "Don't let him get too rough on you."

Tony activated his suit as a growl echoed in the distance. "Oh, boy…" Tony breathed.

She could only imagine how easy it was for Bruce to turn. He had a lot of rage to feed off of no thanks to her. The copter's side door slammed shut and Natasha focused herself on the mission at hand.

Tony took off in the direction of a path of fallen trees. He overheard Bruce's grunts shortly followed by toppling trees straight ahead. "Hey!" he shouted, his voice resounding over his suit's speakers. The rustling of leaves stopped and Tony readied a missile. "Banner wanna play?" He was answered with a growl and the Hulk came charging at him. Tony took note of the Hulk's fitted pants. There seemed to be no rips, for now, at least. He knew he'd need to get Bruce to do more lunging and jumping around to truly put the fabric to the test. "Here we go. Jarvis, get recording!" He made a sharp right with the Hulk bounding closely behind him. "No split pants, Banner?" He darted up towards the sky and the beast growled, furiously jumping after the bright red suit. Tony hovered over the pair of large hands threatening to rip him apart.

Hulk leapt off the ground with as much force as his legs could muster. His thick fingers were hardly close to the sleek metal boots that currently taunted him, but he refused to give up.

"Still no rips?" Tony asked. Bruce's alter ego growled and Tony activated the blasters in his heels.

A fire burned the giant's eyes, sending him crashing backwards into a tree that cracked beneath his weight.

There was a pained wail and Natasha took that as her cue to start playing Bruce's CD. She cranked the external speakers up until her ears pounded and the helicopter's walls trembled with each stroke of a violin.

JARVIS stated that there was a brief change in the doctor's vitals once the music began. "His heart rate dropped significantly for half a second," the program confirmed.

"A moment of clarity…" Tony pondered.

Tony found a Hulk-free patch of dirt to land on. "So Banner's paying attention in there, after all."

"Sir," JARVIS informed, "Might I suggest dodging to your left?"

Tony flew to the side as a tree came toppling down. The Hulk was soon to follow.

He spotted Tony and charged. This time, there was no running for the bright red suit. The Hulk was now up against a worthy opponent.

Tony grabbed the Hulk's fist in his armored hand. The giant prepared to strike with the opposite fist, but Tony evaded the attack. A repulsor beam then struck the Hulk's chest, forcing him to howl. "Romanoff," Tony announced, checking her signal on his in-suit monitor. "Get the sedatives ready while I take some for the team." He flashed his lab partner a confident smirk from behind his mask. "Let's see what you've got, Banner." He outstretched his arms but before he could count to three, he was pummeled into the ground. Unlike the last time, his monitor held up through several punches to the face plate. Tony kept his eyes fixed on a miniature diagram of his suit and searched for the slightest signs of structural changes.

"Mr. Stark," JARVIS interrupted in a warning tone. "The face plate's integrity-"

Almost compromised. "I'm aware." Tony was able to stun the Hulk with a blast to the gut. He was given just enough time to fly away, but Hulk was quick to recover, and determined to make scrap metal of the Iron Man.

A chorus of instruments grew louder, their sounds ill-blended with the obnoxious whirring of the helicopter's wings. The Hulk glared up at the sky as the sound's source drew closer. He roared, his feet firmly planted into the ground.

"Let's see if we can get the other guy back," Natasha murmured. She put the chopper in autopilot and ordered it to fly in place while she reached for the tranquilizer case.

"Romanoff!" Tony shouted. He managed to roll away, but a large hand grabbed his suit by the ankle and flung him into the nearest tree.

Natasha braced herself upon opening the door. Wind blew her curls in all directions and she swore under her breath as she fought to tie her hair back. She grabbed the loaded gun at her feet and locked onto the nape of the Hulk's neck. He was still, but he wasn't going to stay that way for very long. "Hey!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Natasha didn't think he would hear, but by some miracle, he did. His fiery glare fixed on her face, but Natasha's gaze was still glued to his neck. Her finger pulled the trigger and in a split second, the Hulk's growls ceased.

Tony flew up to his ride as the giant's body crashed into the ground.

"Think I should give him another hit?" she wondered, eying Bruce's green and seizing form.

Tony's helmet folded back to reveal his face. "Don't. Pretty sure Banner tripled the recommended dose as it is." He approached the pilot's seat as his armor folded into itself.

Natasha kept her eyes on the Hulk, unable to look away as the massive form began to shrink and lose its green hue. "Lower this thing!" she barked. "He's back."

Bruce came to with eyes stinging from specks of dirt in his eyes. His stiff muscles ached in protest as he rolled onto his side. He sat up and wiped a trail of grime and drool smeared across his cheek. Glancing down at his legs, he found his laugh when he noticed that his pants were perfectly intact. Dirty, but intact.

"Bruce!"

The doctor glanced up at the sound of his name.

Natasha hopped down from the copter while it hovered feet above the ground.

He frantically wiped his eyes with his hands when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Natasha softly wondered.

Bruce let the tears in his eyes erase the nagging dirt and he nodded. He wiped his eyes one last time before finally acknowledging her face. One look brought on an odd sense of déjà vu. He was recalling seeing her from a distance as she held a gun to his head. "Did you just shoot me?"

The corner of Natasha's lip raised. "You remembered? What about the music?"

Bruce paused, but shook his head a moment later. "I saw you…shooting me." His stomach began to grumble. "Now I'm just hungry… And exhausted."

Natasha straightened and offered Bruce a hand. "We'll get you feeling normal soon."

He accepted her small hand as he clumsily rose to his feet.

"Know any good vegetarian fast food stops?" she asked as they boarded their ride home.

Bruce collapsed into the nearest seat and was immediately finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. "Think I'd rather sleep," he mumbled.

Natasha grabbed his shirt and draped it across his bare chest. "Then let's get you home."