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For a moment, Natasha was upset and a little worried. As soon as the Hulk cut the connection on the quinjet, Natasha thought he was leaving and never coming back. She thought she had lost him.
Bruce was upset about what she'd done to bring the Hulk, but he couldn't get angry with her enough to prefer disappearing on his own without explaining anything. He knew she'd be worried, and that's a pain he couldn't let go of, no matter how upset he was.
The Hulk also loved the redhead. He might not understand things very well, and he knew he wouldn't get the same treatment Natasha gave Banner. But he did care, and he knew that she liked him too and showed her affection.
Two days later, while things were still being organized after all the chaos of the last three days, Bruce finally made it back and met up with Natasha.
Parts of the tower were still badly destroyed, especially the hall where the party and the first battle against Ultron had taken place.
Natasha decided to do her part of the work there, dealing with the documents that everyone was having to organize. Exactly because it was still chaotic, it was empty, so she could concentrate on the objective.
Besides, she was already trying to find Bruce. Even if he didn't want to see her or forgive her, Natasha still needed to know if he was all right. It wouldn't stop the pain, but it would ease the worry. That would be enough.
She was already tired of reading and re-reading the papers when he showed up. Bruce managed to get in without alerting her, which shows how tired she was.
"Hey." He caught her eye, coming in shyly, wearing old clothes that he must have borrowed. She looked him up and down, making sure he was okay and that it wasn't tiredness making her crazy.
"Hey."
"You... look tired." He commented, still unsure how to continue the conversation.
"I wouldn't deny you a bed right now." She jokes, trying to improve the mood.
"Too much work?" He asks, looking at the papers and notebook on the coffee table.
"You have no idea." She says and looks away from the screen.
"I thought everything would be in pieces," Bruce says after a brief uncomfortable silence, looking at the glass table that seems to be intact.
"There's a book keeping the table upright." She gives him a slight smile that makes him smile and look away. "I thought you'd left."
"That was the plan." He replies quickly, and she looks at the floor. "But it was to run away with you." Natasha can't contain her smile, which widens when she sees him blushing. "If... if you still want to." He fumbles and stutters as she gets up and walks over to him.
"So we've disappeared?" Natasha asks, and he just shakes his head, still turning red at the proximity of the redhead. "Meet me downstairs in an hour." She says and walks away to get her things.
Bruce stands alone and sighs happily as she leaves. They still had a lot to talk about, but him coming back for her, and her still wanting to run away with him, was enough to show them that they both wanted the same thing. And everything would be fine as long as they were together.
He gets lost in his feelings and is startled when the table hits the floor. He looks over and sees that the book that was holding up the foot of the table is no longer there.
Although he's confused, he ignores it because he imagines that Natasha might have taken it with her, as well as the papers, while he didn't notice.
Besides, there's a redhead getting ready to run away with him.
...
Later, Natasha meets Bruce in the parking lot, carrying a bag on each shoulder. She hands him one and pulls him towards his car, which he had forgotten he had.
It was the most discreet since he didn't like the attention like Tony, wasn't used to it like Steve and didn't need a special car to cope with Natasha's inconsistent way of driving.
Bruce holds out his hand to her, asking for the keys, and she rolls her eyes but gives them to him. They get in, leaving their bags on the back seat, and begin their journey to start their new lives together.
...
Days later, the two of them were still thinking about where to go, whether to stay put or move from time to time. For the time being, they were staying in a hotel, moving further and further towards the south of the continent.
Natasha had left a message to warn Clint and Laura. They wouldn't have to worry about him on missions since he was already planning to retire before Ultron, and now it was official.
As for the others, they probably imagined what had happened and that he didn't intend to come back. After two ignored messages, they no longer insisted.
Natasha woke up later than she was used to. It was still earlier than Bruce, but neither of them had woken up with nightmares since they started sharing a bed.
One always ended up on top of the other, resting their head on their chest and relaxing into sleep as they felt their partner's heartbeat and breathing. Natasha had a theory that the one who clung the most was the one who would have the worst nightmare if they weren't together.
That varied a lot, this time being Bruce.
Natasha loved waking up with him clinging to her, or the other way around. He was so cute and comfortable.
The redhead let him sleep and just enjoyed the warmth and affection he gave even in his sleep. She ran her fingers through his hair, giving him a stroke that made him snuggle his head even closer to her chest and smile.
She couldn't resist and tried to hold back her laughter, but he woke up to the vibration anyway.
"Good morning..." He says sleepily.
"You're very cute, you know that?"
"You repeat that a lot." He says as he gets up, leaving a kiss on her cheek.
Bruce always worked on automatic in the morning, so unless Natasha was on top of him, he followed his routine, getting up as soon as he woke up, but he was more sleepy than awake.
He always tripped over something and made her laugh. It was practically impossible to wake up in a bad mood.
Natasha got up shortly afterward, putting on the shirt she had hidden while he was busy paying attention to her kissing him.
Sometimes, he also prepared breakfast in automatic mode, and she kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. This rarely happened and was less disastrous than when Natasha cooked.
"Is that my shirt?" Bruce asks when he finally wakes up completely. She just shrugs her shoulders and smiles mischievously. "You're never going to give it back, are you?"
Natasha goes into the small living room and throws herself down on the sofa, ignoring his question. Bruce knew he would get the shirt back in a few days when she'd already been distracted by another stolen shirt.
"I've been thinking..." He said, putting the plates in the sink and walking over to her. "What if we... I don't know..."
"Are you asking me out?" She teased, realizing that he was hesitating, taking courage. He blushes and shakes his head. "Where?"
"Maybe a park. Something simple."
She settles on the sofa and crawls over to him, tugging at the hem of his shirt and bringing him close, their noses almost touching. "That sounds great." She kisses him and feels him smile and rest his hands on her waist.
Natasha walks away and goes back to her room so they can change and leave.
...
They went to a beautiful park, not far from where they were staying. The place wasn't crowded, but there were enough people to bother Bruce.
Knowing this, Natasha kept her hand in his the whole time, supporting him and easing his nervousness as she did the Hulk's anger.
The sun had not yet reached its peak and the children were still at school, which meant that there were families with young children, couples in love, a few groups of friends, and people going for walks and light jogs to keep fit.
The two of them fitted in with the couples, even if they were still adjusting to this life, this new experience.
Perhaps they could even think about a pet or even a child. Many things made it impossible, but it wasn't impossible. There were other ways.
In any case, they were happy together, enjoying something they thought they would never have, that had been taken away from them.
The two of them walked towards an ice cream parlor after Natasha insisted, even though they hadn't had lunch yet.
Suddenly, a rush and a scream caught the couple's attention, making them stop and look at the source of the sound.
Some things seemed to be falling apart, but not turning to dust or melting. It was more like they were unraveling, and the lines were going up to the sky.
When they realized that people were falling apart, they started running in the opposite direction, trying to get away from whatever it was.
"What the hell is that?" Natasha asks as they run.
"I have no idea!"
"Can't we just have one day of peace?"
The two of them ran together to a snack bar, imagining it would be a good refuge, but as soon as they entered, they found the products falling apart like noodles.
"What now?" Bruce asked, breathing heavily.
"Let's try the back." She says and pulls him along as she tries to call any of the Avengers and let them know what's going on. See if there's any way to stop it.
They reach the door but realize it's locked. Bruce bumps his shoulder against the wood to try and force the lock.
"No signal?" He asks, noticing her confusion.
"All the contacts are gone..."
"What?" he asks, confused, but she sees the cell phone start to fall apart into strips and drops it to the floor, disappearing before it hits the floor.
Bruce turns to the door, but as soon as he manages to open it, he finds everything turning to ribbons. He had nowhere else to go.
"What now?" Natasha asks as he runs a hand through his hair.
They exchange glances, and Bruce guides her to a corner, where he hugs her and kisses her head. Natasha realizes there's nothing she can do and holds him tightly.
The couple exchanged one last kiss before----
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