Chapter 37 - A Sky Full of Stars
This chapter is inspired by the song of the same name by Coldplay and covers scenes from 'Avengers: Infinity War' but also my own ideas for our favourite, Brutasha. Lyrics from:
Things were different when Natasha returned on U.S. soil. Her family were truly separated and the communication between the two parties was near non-existent. Bruce was still missing, Tony hadn't reached out to Steve even though Steve had provided an olive branch, and Rhodey was now only able to walk using a skeletal device that Tony had created for him. Things were not the same but neither was she, Natasha had grown in the time she had spent with her first family and she finally felt ready to face anything that came her way.
Rescuing the others from The Raft had been a tall order but in the end it was worth it. Clint and Scott had made the right decisions and accepted deals so they could be reunited with their families. The long message of thanks that Natasha received from Laura was enough to convince her that she had done the right thing by encouraging Clint to stay behind. The man was stubborn but he also hated letting his kids down and knew that he had probably pushed Laura's buttons enough already by running off with Steve in the first place when he was supposed to be retired. Scott had no true affiliation with the team and just wanted to do right by his daughter so he was more than happy to stay behind and plead for forgiveness.
Wanda had almost immediately sort out Vision, something that Natasha knew would be hard for the others to accept. It wasn't that Steve or Sam didn't understand love and its influence, it was more that they didn't approve of the risk that Wanda would be taking to be with Vision in the first place. It was already going to be hard for them to monitor without the added overwatch that they were sure would be on them. It wasn't hard to believe that Ross would have known what they were doing and put plans in place to keep track of the rogue Avengers.
Vision was forced to make a deal with Tony and Wanda to make a deal with Steve in order to get to spend time together. As long as they checked in regularly and didn't stay in one place for long they could steal some time away together. It was the best option that anyone could come up with when the request was made.
Natasha thought about how her relationship with Bruce would have gone if they were given restrictions of when they could spend time together. She knew that they would have broken the rules on many occasions, directly and indirectly to be able to spend time together. Right now Natasha would take the overwatch option over nothing, it wasn't easy for her to listen to Wanda talking about her dates with Vision and what they did with their time together. Only once did Natasha have to sit through a very descriptive telling of the couples alone time, Wanda had been too excited about sharing with someone that she had pushed the limits of things that could be said between casual friends.
It had been too many months to count, of doing everything they could to stay out of sight and off Ross' radar when they got the call.
Steve was versing Sam at a game of chess while Natasha was taking an inventory of their current food supplies when the 'in case of emergency' phone that Steve had started to ring.
The game came to a sudden stop and Natasha immediately dropped her clipboard on the closest table to stand beside Sam so they could listen in.
"Tony?" Steve spoke cautiously.
"Ah, no, sorry, it's, uh, it's Bruce," came the reply.
"Bruce? How did you get this number?" Steve replied in shock, not knowing what else he could say.
Natasha held her breath as Steve spoke into the phone, Bruce was alive and well. She almost couldn't believe it as Steve put the phone on speaker so they could listen in.
"Tony's phone I guess. Look, I don't care about whatever happened between you and Tony, you need to get back to New York, now. There is a force coming that we don't truly understand, Thanos is coming. He has two Infinity Stones already, he can't get his hands on Vision, if he does there is no telling what he could do," Bruce spoke quickly, "Tony said that Vision turned off his transponder. Tony couldn't find him, now Tony has gone off planet and I don't know where he is, went to stop one of Thanos' cronies from what I could tell. There was just an attack here, Dr Stephen Strange had the Time Stone, he's gone wherever Tony went which is just closer to Thanos. We need to find Vision and protect him at all costs."
Steve looked nervously at Natasha and Sam, they were frozen in place trying to digest the information that Bruce had just given them.
"Alright, we'll find him and return to New York," Steve said, trying to keep his voice calm, "you can fill us in on the rest when we get there. It's good to hear from you Bruce, glad to know you're back."
Before anyone could say another word the call ended and Natasha's phone started to ring. The three shared a look of confusion, it wasn't like many people had Natasha's newest number. After a moment of hesitation Natasha answered.
"Hello?"
"Nat, oh, thank god. Tony he just, he went up on a spaceship and Nat I can't…. He… The line was disconnected and I don't know what happened to him or where he is and…" Pepper spoke, hyperventilating.
"Pepper, you need to breathe. Take a deep breath okay. We're aware of what happened and we're coming back to New York, I promise we'll fix this and get him back. You need to breathe, go to the compound, we'll be there soon," Natasha said as calmly as possible.
Natasha knew her friend was worried about Tony, she couldn't blame her. Right now though they had to get to Wanda and Vision, they had to get them back to New York.
Bruce hung up the call with Steve and tried to think of what he could do next. It didn't take long to think of something when he found Pepper and Happy in different states of shock.
"Nat said we need to go to the Avengers Compound," Pepper was saying to Happy.
Happy shook his head, "I know she wants to help Pepper but right now we need to stay out of their way. If we want to get Tony back then we need to leave this work to the Avengers. If we go to the compound we'll be in the way and you'll be more stressed…"
Happy stopped speaking when they noticed Bruce.
"Sorry, I know it's partly my fault that Tony is gone," Bruce said carefully, "I agree with Happy though."
Pepper rolled her eyes, "Nat said we should go to the compound so we are going to the compound, if neither of you want to go with me then I will get there on my own."
Happy and Bruce shared a look then both nodded their agreement. They were all going to the compound.
Happy drove, without a word, to the compound. Bruce was trying to comfort Pepper but to no avail, she was feeling a little calmer but knew that the only thing that would truly bring her peace would be Tony. Pepper also knew that she shouldn't hold Natasha to her word of promising to find Tony because it would be unfair to expect such a thing from her friend who only wanted to help. There was a part of her that feared that Natasha wouldn't be able to keep her promise.
"Nat promised, she said they would get Tony back," Pepper said softly.
"If she promised then I know Nat will do anything to make it happen," Bruce said confidently, "Nat doesn't make promises lightly."
Pepper nodded, "I know she doesn't, I just hope that she'll be able to keep this one."
Bruce nodded as well, "I hope so too."
The friends squeezed each other's hands, trying to provide comfort to each other. Happy pulled the car into his designated parking bay underneath the compound.
"We should wait in the private lounge, out of the way," Happy suggested to Pepper as they got out of the car, "we'll be close by if any news comes but we'll also be out of the way."
"Okay," Pepper reluctantly agreed, "Bruce, you should find Rhodey, he needs to know what is happening. I don't think I can face him, maybe it was a bad idea to come here."
Bruce squeezed Pepper's shoulder, "it will be okay. I'll speak with Rhodey and we'll wait for the others to get back. You said that Nat is with Steve right?"
Pepper nodded, "she is travelling with him but she was alone for a while. We haven't spoken a lot but Nat has always been somewhat private about her life. What I do know is that she was lost without you."
Bruce smiled softly, "she's not alone on that one. I guess I'll have a lot of catching up to do. You should go and stay safe with Happy."
With that Happy and Pepper headed in one direction and Bruce in another, taking different lifts to the different areas of the compound.
Bruce found Rhodey pretty easily, he was making a sandwich in the kitchen.
"Hey Rhodey," Bruce said, trying not to startle the other man but also wanting him to notice his presence.
Rhodey jumped a little before spinning around to see Bruce standing there. Rhodey let out a yelp and then smiled genuinely at his new companion.
"Bruce, you're here, wow, how have you been?" Rhodey asked, moving around the kitchen counter to give Bruce a quick hug.
Bruce returned the quick hug and responded once they were facing each other again, "I wish I was back for a good reason but we need to talk."
Bruce then filled Rhodey in on everything that had happened in the last few hours. Turns out Rhodey hadn't bothered to turn the TV or radio on so he had no idea about Tony going off planet as it were. The conversation quickly changed to checking on Pepper and wanting to know that she was okay while also asking who else knew that Bruce was back. They then spoke about the events that lead to Rhodey using an exoskeleton.
However, before they could get too far into the conversation an incoming video projection call from Ross was being broadcasted from the lab to the living area. Rhodey instructed Bruce to stay close by to listen in but also to stay out of sight from the lab as they both knew that Ross would not be okay with seeing Bruce there.
Bruce had no issue with staying out of sight, having no interest to speak to or listen to General Ross. The conversation that Bruce was listening to was what he had expected of the General, he was rude and arrogant trying to blame the Avengers for what was currently happening. Apparently Vision going missing was Rhodey's problem to deal with instead of an over-reach from Ross which caused him to go missing.
Then Bruce heard a voice that he had been longing to hear for longer than he had even realised himself. Natasha was here.
"You got some nerve, I'll give you that," Ross said in response to something Steve had said. Bruce wouldn't lie, he had zoned out a little, he could only listen to Ross for so long before he felt his brain begin to rot from the ridiculous accusations.
"You could use some of that right now," Natasha said bluntly, making sure to make eye contact with Ross' hologram as she did.
"The world's on fire and you think all is forgiven?" Ross questioned, turning his attention to Steve.
Steve didn't bat an eyelid as he responded, "I'm not looking for forgiveness and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight and if you want to stand in our way we'll fight you too."
Steve held eye contact with Ross the entire time he spoke, determined to make sure that the General understood that he really didn't care about rules. All Steve cared about was trying to protect the planet they lived on and getting his friends, his chosen family, out of harm's way.
"Arrest them," Ross said, turning around to face Rhodey.
"All over it," Rhodey responded as he ended the call before the General could say anything further.
"That's a court-martial," Rhodey said with a shrug as he turned to his friends, "it's great to see you Cap."
Natasha and Steve both smiled back at him as they shared greetings. Steve and Rhodey shaking hands before Natasha and Rhodey shared a quick hug.
Rhodey turned to the group and bluntly said, "wow, you guys really look like crap. Must have been a rough couple of years."
"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star," Sam replied, eliciting a chuckle from the others.
"Uh, I think you look great," Bruce said as he chose that moment to come out from his hiding spot.
Bruce met Natasha's eyes and was grateful to see a smile gracing her lips as she spun around at his words.
"Uh, yeah I'm back," Bruce said carefully, he suddenly felt very nervous as he looked at Natasha.
For a moment it was like the rest of the world melted away and it was just the two of them, their eyes locked and expressing things they couldn't say out loud. Bruce fiddled with the sleeves of his torn jacket, not sure what to do with his hands at that moment. There was a part of Bruce that wanted to run to Natasha and hold her tight, making promises to her that he would keep this time. There was a part of Natasha that wanted to run into Bruce's arms and never let go. They both hoped that there would be time later for a proper reunion but right now they had other things to deal with.
Natasha settled her inner desires by simply saying, "hi Bruce."
Bruce nodded his head towards her, "Nat."
The others could only watch on as the two continued to stare intently into each other's eyes.
Steve broke the connection by suggesting that they all get caught up on the day's events so far. They all needed to know what they were dealing with and what they were walking into. Steve was sympathetic to Natasha and Bruce, knowing how much Natasha had missed him and blamed herself for his leaving but they needed to focus on the current crisis first.
Throughout the conversation that the team had to determine their next actions, Bruce and Natasha kept making eye contact. They, more than the others, wanted to get this conversation over with so they could talk. Natasha wanted to be selfish right now, especially knowing that Wanda and Vision had spent so much time together since Bruce had left. More than anything Natasha wanted to speak with Bruce about why he left when he did. After everything that they had worked through and tried to overcome together why did he have to leave her with a gaping hole in her heart.
Bruce was stressed as he explained the situation to his friends. When he watched how Wanda and Vision interacted with one another he felt jealousy. They were able to be open about their relationship yet he had no idea where he stood with Natasha, where their relationship stood after all of this time. Would she understand that it wasn't entirely his choice, this was Hulk's decision more than his own. Leaving was the hardest thing he had ever had to do.
Once it was decided that the team needed to go to Wakanda if they were going to have any hope of saving Vision, Natasha and Bruce were able to steal a moment alone. Steve had left the room to make the phone call to T'Challa, Vision and Wanda had gone to find some privacy to discuss the next step, Rhodey and Sam went to fill Pepper and Happy in on the team's plan. This left Natasha and Bruce alone in the living room.
"I'm sorry," Bruce said before Natasha could say anything.
Natasha raised an eyebrow, "sorry, for what exactly?"
Bruce chuckled, "that is fair. I'm sorry I left. I didn't intend to disappear for as long as I did. I honestly didn't even know that I had been gone for so long until Thor told me a few months ago. Hulk has been running the show for longer than I thought possible, I must have been buried deep down in his consciousness as I don't remember anything."
"So you don't remember why you left?" Natasha asked, feeling more vulnerable than she had wanted to.
Bruce swallowed past the lump that was forming in his throat. How could he tell Natasha that leaving was a split second decision and he hadn't really meant to leave her. Bruce decided that he couldn't respond right now but he could hold Natasha as though his life depended on it. He did just that, Bruce pulled Natasha into his arms and held her tight. Natasha wanted answers but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed being held by Bruce again.
"You have to give me answers eventually but I'll accept this apology for now," Natasha whispered into his ear.
Bruce smiled softly, "I promise I will give you answers soon. Right now I'm just glad that I can hold you again. I'm sorry for letting us go Nat, I really am."
Natasha nodded, "I know. I'm sorry for what I did to send you away."
Bruce pulled back from the embrace, "my leaving is not your fault. Nat, this was entirely on me. I didn't mean to leave you, I was stressed and overthinking everything, I let things get the better of me. I never meant to actually leave you, I promise."
Natasha looked at Bruce, "I believe you. Just promise me you won't leave again, at least not straight away."
Bruce rested his forehead against Natasha's, "I promise I won't leave you again. As long as I have control I will never leave you again. I intend to keep this promise this time, I promise."
Natasha laughed softly, "a little too much but I accept the intent."
Bruce felt emboldened by Natasha's words and gently cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. The two closed the distance between them as their lips met for the first time in longer than they would have hoped.
The kiss was soft and filled with hope before it became firm and desperate. They both poured their love for one another into the kiss, the longing that they had felt was drawing them nearer to one another. They knew that they wouldn't be alone for long so they couldn't cross any lines but there could be no doubt in either of their minds that they loved one another. Nothing could take away from this moment they were sharing.
Slowly they pulled apart, their foreheads staying together as they heard footsteps and voices returning to the living area. They didn't get a chance to voice the three words that they both desperately wanted to hear as the others returned. For the moment it didn't matter, they knew their connection was stronger and that their feelings were unwavering.
The decision had been made that they should take the quinjet to Wakanda immediately. The universe couldn't afford for any further delays.
On the quinjet Natasha and Bruce stayed close to one another but far enough away to reassure the team that they were focussed on the next task. Wanda and Vision were less subtle, they were holding onto each other's hands firmly and trying to pour their love for one another into simple touches, both terrified of what was to come.
Sam decided to turn the sound system on, needing something else to focus on with the stress and tension on the quinjet. He chuckled at the song that began to play, it was as though the universe knew what was coming and wanted to give the two couples on board something to smile about;
'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
I'm gonna give you my heart
'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
'Cause you light up the path
I don't care, go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do, ooh
'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars
I think I saw you
Bruce and Natasha shared a soft smile as they both envisioned slow dancing to the song, both swaying slightly. Wanda and Vision kept their foreheads together as the song flowed.
'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
I wanna die in your arms
'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark
I'm gonna give you my heart
I don't care, go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do, ooh
'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars
I think I see you
I think I see you
'Cause you're a sky, you're a sky full of stars
Such a heavenly view
You're such a heavenly view
"You good?" Steve asked Natasha once the song ended.
Natasha jumped slightly, not expecting Steve to address her so bluntly. Slowly she nodded, "of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Having Bruce back, is it going to be a distraction or are you good for the incoming fight?" Steve questioned, "you already seem distracted."
Natasha sighed, "I'm fine. If anything I'm more focussed than I have been in a long time."
Steve nodded after he looked Natasha up and down until he was convinced of her words, "okay. I trust you Nat. Let's end this Thanos before he gets us."
Natasha nodded trying to shake off the unease that Steve had suddenly instilled in her and watched as Sam hesitated with Steve's next orders. Even she had to admit it was a terrifying concept that they were flying into an invisible barrier that protected an entire country from the outside world.
Bruce instinctively took Natasha's hand as they braced for impact, something that never came. Sam flew them straight into Wakanda, the barrier seeming to disappear as they crossed through it. Bruce gave Natasha a quick look to ask if she was okay, he knew that she didn't like being questioned over her ability to do something. Natasha just smiled softly in response, hoping that would be enough to reassure Bruce that she was okay.
"We're here," Sam called out to bring everyone back to the current point in time.
Steve looked around at his team and worried for a moment if they were doing the right thing.
The team exited the quinjet on Wakandan soil and after some greetings set to work explaining what was coming and what they needed to do in preparation.
Natasha couldn't help the smirk that graced her lips as Bruce was criticised by Suri. She didn't think he and Tony had come across someone who would bluntly question their work. It wasn't like any of the other Avengers knew what they did or what they talked about, they weren't to know if something was incorrect. The surprise and slight embarrassment that Bruce felt as he responded to the criticism was an adorable trait in Natasha's eyes. Bruce shook his head at her when she let out a soft giggle.
Natasha wasn't one to giggle but every now and again Bruce could bring it out of her. He was the only person who could make her embrace being a woman and giddy in love. Thankfully no one else reacted to her slip up, whether from their own discomfort or out of respect.
The first signs of trouble were signified to the team and their plan was suddenly put into action. Natasha was grateful that she had insisted on bringing the Hulkbuster suit with them on the quinjet months ago, Bruce wasn't able to get Hulk to engage. Bruce somewhat hesitantly climbed into the suit and Natasha smiled softly at him.
"The suit suits you," Natasha teased easily.
Bruce chuckled, "how cheesy of you."
Natasha shrugged, "I saw an opportunity and I couldn't resist."
Bruce grinned, "let's see what the suit can do."
With a last smile Bruce closed the suit and they were all off. The team headed towards the barrier with a renewed determination.
The battle was tough on everyone as they all tried to keep the aliens at bay and get an upperhand. Throughout the fight Natasha and Bruce did everything they could to not think about each other, they couldn't allow their worry for each other's safety to cloud their judgement in the fighting.
Every time either Natasha or Bruce was faced with death they thought of the other and found the will to keep going. They were determined to get more time together no matter what it took and they used that determination to strengthen their resolve to defeat their enemies.
Natasha had a newfound respect for Wanda as she watched the witch take out more aliens than any of the others on the field. Her strength to be able to leave Vision and put the team first was admirable considering it wasn't long ago that Wanda was putting Vision first.
Bruce had a newfound respect for all of his team mates who were fighting hand-to-hand combat. It was something he hadn't had to do as himself before, he always had Hulk to handle those situations. Hulk having a determination to stay out of the fight was something that Bruce didn't know how to handle. He knew that it meant he would have to keep on fighting himself but he also hoped that it meant Hulk might be open to a collaboration of sorts. Maybe they could start to do what Natasha had always wanted him to try, working with Hulk instead of against him.
Coming face-to-face with Thanos was something that none of them could have prepared for. The man was a force to be reckoned with, he had the Infinity Stones and with them he was able to take each of the team down without batting an eyelid. The team would never know why he chose to entrap them instead of killing them.
They all had to watch on as Wanda destroyed the stone and in turn destroyed Vision, no one able to move, unable to help them. They watched as Thanos in his wickedness turned back time to retrieve the stone from Vision's head, thus killing him once more and completing the Gauntlet.
Just when they thought that Thor would be the saviour they were proven wrong. Thanos wasn't even remotely injured by Thor's actions and he did click his fingers together. The team were left watching as they were released from their traps and slowly those around them were turned to dust. Not everyone dissipated but enough did that they could only watch on in horror.
Thanos had succeeded and the team barely knew what he had achieved.
Bruce released himself from the Hulkbuster suit and moved to Natasha's side. The couple held each other, both feeling a sense of dread and unease as they watched their friends disappear into dust.
Those of the team who remained waited for an hour before they moved. No one knew what to say or what to do. They were all in a state of shock. Vision was dead and their friends had turned to dust, what were they supposed to do.
Slowly they gathered together and held one another in a tight embrace once they were sure that no one else was going to disappear.
"We need to get back to New York and come up with a plan," Steve said simply, once everyone was breathing normally again and the shock had mostly worn off.
They all agreed and headed in the direction of the quinjet. Not a word was spoken between the group as they boarded the quinjet or for the journey back to New York. No one knew what to say but one thing was for certain, they all felt a sense of failure.
Thanos had won.
A/N: I take back the promise of not waiting so long between chapters, clearly I let life get in the way too much and can't keep these promises. Apologies for the delay once more but thank you to everyone who has read this story and continues to stick with it. Your support for this story is what keeps motivating me to continue it. I haven't decided yet if I will do a filler chapter to cover the beginning of End Game and the five year gap or if I will just dive right in. Feel free to let me know in the comments which way you would prefer. Wishing everyone a great 2025 and hope for a bright future.
