Bruce Sees A Therapist (to be changed later)

22| Finally Something Good Happens

"Miss Romanoff."

Natasha suppressed a wince at the coldness in Bruce's voice. "Bruce," she said lightly instead, stepping around the papers that littered the floor.

Bruce was wearing a newer white lab coat, the colour stark against the dark glass. He took off his glasses. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" His voice was smooth, and his eyes forever unfathomable.

Natasha leaned against the counter and regretted it when it jabbed into her hip, where a recent injury resided. She readjusted and looked at Bruce. This shouldn't be this hard. She'd played the reconciliation card many times. But it's different this time, something whispered inside her. It's real. You can't mess this up.

Nat swallowed. She squared her shoulders. "I'm here to talk about us." She said, finally.

Bruce chuckled in a way that didn't really reach his eyes like it used to. "So I owe it to myself," he mused.

"Both of us." Two minutes into this conversation and she already started to remember why she didn't want to do this. "Bruce, I'm here to say I'm—"

"—Sorry?" Bruce interjected. "I think you've mentioned that." His fingers flew over his keyboard.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Nat broke it. "Look, Bruce," she tried again. "I'm apologizing for the way I ran away. Both times," she added, twisting her fingers in new and interesting ways. "And for not being on comms when I'm on missions."

Bruce paused his typing, as if to consider something. "You're forgiven." He said, and went back to his keyboard.

"Bruce—" Nat protested, walking over to make him look at her full in the face. "I'm saying I'm sorry!"

Bruce lifted his chin at her. "And I'm saying you're forgiven. We're even. There's nothing to worry about, Miss Romanoff, and I suggest you leave, unless there was anything else...?"

"I want us—" Nat huffed, evidently frustrated with herself, "I want us to try again." When Bruce didn't say anything, she continued. "I— I made a bad decision. And you said you forgive me. You don't have to. I just want—" she made an angry noise when her voice cracked— "I just want to try again. A do-over." She finished softly.

"A do-over?" Bruce asked, looking vaguely annoyed. "You run away twice and avoid me for three months and ask for a 'do-over'?"

Natasha mentally cursed herself. "Or I could go." She swallowed again. "If you want."

Bruce considered this.

Nat had decided to head towards the door before she heard Bruce say, quietly, "No. Wait." She paused. "Don't go." He looked at her. "I'm— I'm just worried. Scared."

Natasha sat back down. "About...?"

Bruce sighed. "About you. Leaving again. If you can do it once, why won't you do it again? Especially when you have something to run from." He gestured to himself with a dry smile.

"Bruce," Natasha sat down onto a chair next to him. "I can't promise I won't go again. But I will tell you. When I leave. Or you can come with me...?"

Bruce glanced at her, humouring her. "We could take a job in Mexico and just stay there." He joked.

"Not a bad idea," Nat smiled, relaxing a little. "So what do you say?"

Bruce was quiet for a few beats. "Okay." He finally said. "But I'm not doing this because you batted your lashes at me."

"Why are you doing this, then?" Nat leaned towards him, a now dazzling smile on her face.

"Mmm, because I'm in love with you." Bruce replied, and kissed her. His kiss was cautious, like tasting poison, until Natasha returned it, and then he wasn't tasting poison. He was giving everything he had into it.

Nat pushed herself forwards to deepen the kiss until she fell off her chair and onto Bruce, pressing herself closer until she wasn't quite sure of where she ended and Bruce began. She had a hand on his neck, and felt his pulse.

"You okay?" She whispered, a hand in his hair.

"I'm fabulous," he murmured onto her lips, and they were back into it, one hand on her cheek and the other on her waist, pulling her closer.

"I—" Nat began to say, but she thought better of it and kept quiet. She pulled away from the kiss, eyes still closed, her clothes no doubt a little more rumpled than before. "That's a yes?" She slowly cracked open her eyelids.

Bruce opened his eyes. "Well, I hope I conveyed that kiss correctly." He said dryly.

Nat smiled, a light flush making her glow in the lab light. "Just making sure." She leaned in for another kiss again, but then—

"BRUCIE?"

Nat jerked away from Bruce at the voice, turning to glare at the intruder. "Get out, Tony." She said venomously, eyes narrowed.

Tony backed up, hands in 'I surrender' mode. "Sorry. I was just looking for Dr. Bruce Banner. Have you seen him? He's alone, no girlfriend—" the billionaire ducked when Natasha chucked something at his head. "Hey!" He complained. "I made that!" He tried to get to his desk.

"OUT!" Bruce and Natasha yelled in unison.

Tony fairly ran out of the room.

The magic of the moment disappearing, Natasha started climbing off Bruce, but in a surprising turn of events, he held on to her and so she sat back down.

"This is new," she remarked softly.

Bruce made a non-commital noise. "Lots of things are." He glanced at her, smiling. "I'm still kinda angry at you."

"And you have every right to be." Natasha said honestly.

Bruce gazed into her eyes, leaving her feeling more exposed than ever, since she couldn't read his. "I'll get over it," he murmured. He kissed her lightly before readjusting himself to type on the keyboard.

"I feel like I'm in the way." Nat said after a few minutes of Bruce doing this.

Bruce agreed. "You can sit on the counter, if you want." He stacked up a pile of paper precariously on the edge of his desk. "Here."

"Thanks, Lyubov," Nat said, smirking slightly.

"Not again with the 'lyubov'," Bruce groaned jokingly. "What does it mean, anyway?"

"Learn Russian and find out." She teased. "Or forever keep your peace."

Bruce's phone rang, and he picked it up, smiling. Once he heard what it was about, his face darkened. "Are you sure?" He asked, brows furrowed. "Are you sure it's them?"

The muffled reply came positive.

Bruce sighed. "Okay. Thanks for the help, Marissa." He hung up, and turned to Natasha, knowing what she was going to ask. "I mentioned I have a few projects?"

Natasha nodded.

Bruce let out a breath. "I've been trying to track down your biological parents." He said. "I think I've found them."