Dr. Bruce Banner (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_other_guy) wrote2015-05-03 09:26 pm
the_other_guy) wrote2015-05-03 09:26 pm
a place like this (rp for iwillpersuadeyou)
They found him...she found him...in a little village just outside of Uijeongbu.
She wasn't there, but he knew, the moment he saw the strike team that arrived when the Hydra operatives made their presence known. He did his best to keep to himself, to stay out of sight, but the moment he saw SHIELD agents on the scene...
He knew.
The debriefing took place at the Avengers headquarters, but she was still nowhere in sight. He figured that he had it coming, that, but the longer he went without catching a glimpse of Natasha, the more anxious he got. He was, of course, expecting backlash for what he'd done, some kind of response...but the worst part was the simple reality.
She was here. Somewhere, she was here. He could feel it...even the Other Guy could feel it. It was thoroughly unscientific, the notion that some sixth sense or bond was calling to his subconscious across an unknown space...but the more time went by, the tighter he wound, to the point that he was worried about a Code Green.
When he couldn't take it anymore, he went looking. He found plenty: Sam and Rhodey, amiable and welcoming. Wanda, enigmatically smiling and shaking his hand with fragile, dangerous fingers...the Vision, who managed to turn a bow and a small, elegant smile into something that felt like a hug. He even found Steve, who held him up for an hour and a half, insisting they share a cup of coffee (or in Bruce's case, an herbal tea).
Only then did he tell Bruce where Natasha's office and room were in the facility.
Her office was empty, which left him shuffling up to the door of her apartment in the dormitory wing. For a long while, he stood outside, just staring at the blank white surface. Irrationally, he thought about the dress Natasha wore at the party where Ultron was born...blood red martinis and a flirty film noir swatted back and forth between them, something that turned into more, bigger, weightier than he ever expected.
Drawing a deep, shaky breath, Bruce raised his hand...then dropped it.
And finally, knocked on her door.
She wasn't there, but he knew, the moment he saw the strike team that arrived when the Hydra operatives made their presence known. He did his best to keep to himself, to stay out of sight, but the moment he saw SHIELD agents on the scene...
He knew.
The debriefing took place at the Avengers headquarters, but she was still nowhere in sight. He figured that he had it coming, that, but the longer he went without catching a glimpse of Natasha, the more anxious he got. He was, of course, expecting backlash for what he'd done, some kind of response...but the worst part was the simple reality.
She was here. Somewhere, she was here. He could feel it...even the Other Guy could feel it. It was thoroughly unscientific, the notion that some sixth sense or bond was calling to his subconscious across an unknown space...but the more time went by, the tighter he wound, to the point that he was worried about a Code Green.
When he couldn't take it anymore, he went looking. He found plenty: Sam and Rhodey, amiable and welcoming. Wanda, enigmatically smiling and shaking his hand with fragile, dangerous fingers...the Vision, who managed to turn a bow and a small, elegant smile into something that felt like a hug. He even found Steve, who held him up for an hour and a half, insisting they share a cup of coffee (or in Bruce's case, an herbal tea).
Only then did he tell Bruce where Natasha's office and room were in the facility.
Her office was empty, which left him shuffling up to the door of her apartment in the dormitory wing. For a long while, he stood outside, just staring at the blank white surface. Irrationally, he thought about the dress Natasha wore at the party where Ultron was born...blood red martinis and a flirty film noir swatted back and forth between them, something that turned into more, bigger, weightier than he ever expected.
Drawing a deep, shaky breath, Bruce raised his hand...then dropped it.
And finally, knocked on her door.
no subject
Well, Fury had helped because he liked knowing where all the pawns were on the chess board but Natasha suspected his reasoning had some similarities to Clint's as well.
She still gave Bruce his space after he had been found though. She had watched him on different screens and from afar but she didn't approach him. He had been the one to leave her and so she was determined to make him reach out to her first. That, and deep down, she was scared he would turn away from her again.
Sitting in her apartment, she was chewing softly over her lip when she heard the knock on her door. She knew almost immediately that it was him standing on the other side of the door. She could feel him.
Despite the urge to run over to the door and to answer him, she made herself move slowly, carefully, off the couch and across the room. Standing there for a moment then, she took in a small breath before finally opening the door and coming face to face with him since the day he left on Tony's jet with the intention of hiding. From her.
Arching a brow, she offered a small smile that gave nothing away. It was a practiced smile that made her look effortlessly calm and maybe a tiny bit surprised even if she wasn't. "Hey, you."
no subject
And he wasn't buying the little touch of surprise in her face. The way his head tilted, eyes slightly narrowed, said as much as he flashed her a small, rueful smile.
"Hey yourself...uh, can I--can I come in?"
no subject
It almost hurt to see him. The air felt a little thinner, making it hard to breathe in his presence, but she didn't say much as she shut the door once he was tucked inside. Turning to face him, she looked him over quickly before arching a brow. "Are you okay?"
no subject
That they didn't do. No, out of everyone in the group, the trained liar was the one he trusted first. Before Tony, before Fury, after Betty...there had been Natasha.
"No Code Green this time." he assured her as he turned on one heel, wringing his hands restlessly as he took in her apartment with an incidental look, cataloging everything about it as he did. "Just a close call with some Hydra agents...farm I was staying in lost a cow."
He finally pivoted to face her again with a rueful smile. "Refused to be debriefed until SHIELD made restitution to the owners for the damages."