Staring is Caring: Brutasha

Chapter 7

Bruce's POV:

I wake up around 7:00 pm. Natasha is still asleep beside me. I feel our hands connecting the rest of our body, keeping us close. I carefully adjust to face Nat. I study her skin, her hair, her lips, everything. I find myself staring at her face instead of studying it. A thought pops into my head, What if we stayed in here, like this, for the rest of the day? I soon realize keeping Natasha off her daily routine would be difficult. I make the impulse decision to see what would happen if I woke her up. I release my hold on her hand only to gently place it on her cheek. I run my thumb over her cheek, slowly pulling a loose strand of hair behind her hair. I let my hand run down her arm and back to her hand. I intertwine our fingers once more hoping this is enough to wake her up.

It is.

Nat smiles without opening her eyes. I feel my lips tug upwards in response to her smile.

"Good morning," I comment softly.

All I get is a quick squeeze on the hand before she moves both of them to the back of my neck. I instinctively press my forehead against hers closing the space between us. I close my eyes and listen to her steady inhale and exhale.

As I am about to fall back asleep Nat plants a kiss on my cheek as she sits up and slips off the bed.

I sit up as well and ask, "Where are you going now?"

Nat slips on a baggy S.H.I.E.L.D. sweatshirt that matches with her joggers.

"I'm going to do some work before the day ends. It's almost 8:00 pm," she points out.

I get out of bed and stand in front of the door. "No," I say somewhat firmly.

"Bruce," she groans. "C'mon, move."

I shake my head determined to let the world forget about us for just one day. "I can call Tony or Steve or anyone else important that we're both busy with my physical therapy. Please?" I beg.

Nat wraps her arms around me and places her head over my heart. I'm stunned by the sudden burst of affection. I realize what's happening and reciprocate by enveloping my arms around her.

"See," I whisper, "this isn't so bad."

"Shh," she warns. "I'm trying to fall asleep before I convince myself to get coffee.

I smile and rest my cheek on the top of her head. Natasha and I stand there for many minutes. The only time any words were spoken was when I got a hold of Maria Hill and told her Nat was helping me with my recovery today.

When I'm certain Nat has fallen asleep I place a gentle kiss on her red hair and carry her to her bed. I wrap her with the blanket and sheets to make sure she stays warm. I decide I should get back on a good sleep schedule and 9:00 pm is a good time to start. I crawl under the blankets and naturally fall asleep.

Natasha's POV:

I wake up at a normal time around 6:00 am. I feel a comfortable warmth radiating around me. I start to twist around to face Bruce but struggle when I realize our legs have come together. I try to untangle our limbs without waking him, but fail. Bruce rolls over and faces me with a tired look plastered across his face.

"Morning," he mumbles.

"A little help?" I ask.

Instead of pulling away, he pulls closer wrapping his arms around my upper body.

I roll my eyes. "Bruce, this isn't-," I pause when I notice Bruce is slowly falling back to sleep. I sigh and lean into his chest. He pulls me closer and an unfamiliar feeling washes over me. I close my eyes and listen to Bruce's faint heartbeat. I press myself closer by wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.

I breathe in the scent of faint chemicals and, oddly, flowers. I smile and immediately forget about my responsibilities.

"Bruce?"

I hear what sounds like words as a response.

I bury my face in his shirt and forget what I was going to say. I feel Bruce's soft breath brush my hair and tickle my ear. A thought pops into my head, I feel safe. At this, I close my eyes and embrace this new feeling and wrap my leggins even more around his. I never want to let go.

My mind races with various thoughts, enough to prevent me from sleep. I keep my eyes sealed shut to try and concentrate on sleep and nothing else. This, of course, fails due to Bruce. I can only think about him, what he looks like, smells like, and the sound of his voice. I feel the corners of my lips curve upwards causing a sense of tranquility wash over me. I don't think it's possible for me to get closer to Burce, but somehow I do. As I pull my body close to his, he adjusts his arms to hold me tighter against him. Soom only one thought remains, I never want to let go.

Sadly my peace is abruptly interrupted by Jarvis's voice break through the silence.

"Miss. Romanoff, Mr. Stark is calling you. Shall I answer?"

I keep my eyes shut until I hear Bruce's voice cut through the calm. "Put him on, Jarvis."

"Yes, Dr. Banner. It is nice to hear from you again."

Bruce wraps his arms tighter around me.

"Natasha, are you still even alive? I haven't seen you or Bruce in almost two days!"

"Yes, we're alive, Stark."

"Are you sure? Cause I need the Doctor for improving Karen in Peter's suit. The Kid broke her again, he hacked me."

"I'm pretty sure I speak for Bruce when I say he isn't a tech genius."

Tony doesn't say anything for a few seconds until he says, "Oh, you're right. You're the tech wiz. You wanna lend me a hand?

"Can I say no?"

"If you do I'll bring the project to your room. You have been warned."

I hear the line cut off.

"Should I tell him you are on your way, Miss. Romanoff?" Jarvis questions.

I sigh and say no.

"Mr. Stark will not be pleased."

"Jarvis?" I ask. "Tell Tony if he even comes a foot from my door I will snap him in half and blame it on his old age."

"Of course, Miss Romanoff. Goodbye Dr. Banner, it was nice to hear from you too."

A few seconds of silence pass.

"Don't you think you were being a little harsh to Tony?" Bruce eventually asks.

I slightly shake my head. "No, now he won't bother us."

I feel Bruce's lips press a gentle kiss to my cheek. Soon they move to the top of my head. Next, to my forehead. Finally, they stop on my lips.

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13 Days till Endgame and I'm shaking. I see it the Sunday it comes out, so the 28th, and I'm tErRiFiEd for the content we're going to get. I also only have around 25 days of school left, including exams, and I can't handle how much stuff is going on right now. I have so much volleyball plus softball and school. I feel rushed to do everything so sorry if anything is incorrect or grammatically wrong. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!