See You in a Minute

N A T A S H A

❝You think I'm hot?❞
- Steve Rogers

× × ×

"So, everyone's gonna be there, right?" I asked Steve once we got into the pickup truck. We used a pickup truck since Bruce can't fit into a car. I still don't know whether it's better if he was just Hulk, just Bruce, or both.

Thor, Clint, and Morgan are in a separate vehicle driven by Happy since obviously, we all can't fit in one car. We insisted he come with us to see Tony when we arrived but he said he wasn't strong enough to see him yet.

The whole Avengers were gathering tonight at Pepper's. When the Guardians came to visit and decided to stay with us for a couple of days, I got this idea to invite everyone every last Friday of the month when we were having dinner. Pepper was pleased and excited with the thought and we all tried to reach out to everyone we can.

"Uh-huh," Steve replied, "You okay there, Banner?"

"Yep!" Bruce exclaimed from the back of the truck.

"So who exactly is everyone?" I asked as soon as Steve started driving.

"Well, Queens is coming that's for sure and so is Rhodey," he said nonchalantly, "The Guardians are already here so there's that; and Strange and Wong are joining us, too."

"Don't forget—Valkyrie and Carol are coming," Bruce intercepted. "And Val's bringing Asgardian Mead with her."

"T'Challa, Okoye, Shuri—they agreed as well," Steve mentioned, "Scott and his family, too."

I smirked when I realized how big my family is, "Well, ain't that a lot."

Steve sent me a smile, "We got a big family."

"You got this during 1970?" I asked him teasingly.

"No, I didn't. But I had Peggy. She was enough."

That hurt more than it should but I decided to play it off.

"Just admit that you missed this, Rogers," I told him. "You can't find this anywhere else."

"And I second that," Bruce said, making me smile.

× × ×

I was almost finished eating my sandwich under a tree when Bruce decided to join me. He looked more apprehensive than usual so I figured whatever he was going to tell me must be important.

"Hey, Nat," he greeted nervously and I gave him a small smile with creased eyebrows. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, what about?"

"Us, hopefully," he said, his voice laced with uncertainty.

I took a deep breath at the subject he wanted to talk about. We never really discussed this before even when he was still at the compound. And I didn't mind. I was afraid that bringing it up will only ruin the platonic relationship we were slowly building up.

When he left, it really did something to me. Trust became harder to give and I just couldn't believe he'd leave me after I showed him a part of myself. I thought he'd understand me the most—but I suppose understanding doesn't mean staying.

For a while I thought whatever he did to me would last. For some time, I thought he bruised me, tainted me in his own twisted way. And for quite a while, I was mad at him. Mad because he was able to do that to me. Mad at myself because I gave him the chance to.

But then I realized that it wasn't easy for him to leave, too. I realized that he was just scared. He finally had someone to understand him, someone to care for—he finally had something he didn't have for a long time. It overwhelmed him probably. So he chose to leave. At least that's what I told myself. It was the cowardly move and the move that left bruises but I couldn't hold it against him forever.