After a mission with Steve that had gone from bad to worse, Natasha sat on the hotel bed and sighed heavily. The room was small with a TV on a shelf facing the bed and a bathroom near the door.
Natasha had been in Washington D.C. for days because of a mission. She had her orders from Fury and Steve had his. She understood why Steve was upset that she didn't tell him about her side gig, but it didn't take away the hurt when he made it clear that he didn't trust her. Most people didn't, but it hurt more coming from her fellow Avenger.
She took out her phone and called Bruce. They had gotten closer since the Avengers had formed and she considered him one of the people closest to her, which was rare. They had spent about a year trying to perfect the Lullaby, which was one of the few ways that could de-hulk Bruce.
When she was with Bruce, it was different than with the other guys on the team. Maybe it was because he read her like a book, or maybe because they both had abusive and traumatic childhoods. But she knew a large part of it was because he understood better than anyone else about how it felt to be made into something you never wanted, to have blood in your ledger and to make up for it by saving people. He treated her like a person and not the monster the Red Room turned her into. Neither one of them walked on eggshells around each other after the team saved New York.
Natasha would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't attracted to the scientist. He was handsome, sweet and he made her laugh. But he was also the only person she knew who didn't want to fight while she did. He was more introverted than she was, and he was the calm in her storm. They both liked old movies and he was the one person she could talk to without the fear of being judged.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard his voice on the other line, "Hello?"
"Hey."
His voice sounded happier as he said, "Hey, Nat. How was the mission?"
"It started okay, then it ended terribly."
"What happened?"
"Steve doesn't trust me. Normally that wouldn't bother me, but he's my teammate, and I was doing my job. I have orders and he doesn't get that."
She explained the entire mission from start to finish.
"Can I tell you what I think from an outsider's point of view," he asked.
"Yeah," she answered, welcoming his input.
"He's a man out of time, fresh out of a war and brought into a new one. He's spent the last couple of years trying to find his footing here. He only helps S.H.I.E.L.D. when Fury asks and he doesn't know you that well. Give him some time."
Even though he couldn't see her, she nodded her head and said, "Thanks, Bruce."
"You're welcome. Oh, before I forget. I just got to D.C. I guess Fury needs something."
"Confidential?"
"Yeah."
"Say no more," she replied, knowing better than to push.
"I don't know how long I'll be here, but..."
"I'll find you," she said with a smirk, knowing that he would be at the lab.
"Night," he said.
"Night, Bruce," she replied and hung up with a smile on her face. If she was being honest with herself, she had missed him.
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The next day there were mumblings about Captain America being in the building, but nothing about Bruce, and Natasha knew the scientist preferred it that way.
