Staring is Caring: Brutasha

Chapter 10

Bruce's POV:

I can't sleep and don't want to disturb Natasha so I stay put with her close to me. I press a kiss to her forehead and pull the blanket on the bed over us. I grab my glasses from my pocket and slip them on my face.

"Jarvis?" I whisper.

"Yes, Dr. Ba-"

"Quiter, please," I interrupt.

"Of course," He lowers his voice. "How may I help you?"

"Could you pull open the digital library on a screen for me?"

"Of course sir. Can I open a certain topic for you?"

"Anything on biotechnology above the college level, please."

A screen pops up from my watch. Stark developed one for everyone on the team.

"Thank you, Jarvis. That's all."

"You are welcome, Dr. Banner."

I adjust my glasses and start reading.

Two hours in, I have finished a few published works by well-known scientists. I check the time. It's 2:30 in the morning. I sigh and swipe through the library knowing that I probably won't find anything worth reading.

I turn off my watch and try to think who would be awake. Peter has school tomorrow. Cap and Bucky are on a mission. Clint will definitely be asleep. Tony is either with Pepper or working late in the lab to busy to answer my call. I sigh and look down to Nat.

I smile as I watch her sleep peacefully. She has barely moved and when she has moved, it's always been closer to me.

I turn my watch back on and type in, "The Hulk". Soon I have plenty of articles and stories to read. Will this end up a tragic mistake? Most likely, but I'm bored.

I tap on the first article that is listed on the popup window. This should be fun.

Some of the stories are more forgiving than others. None of them are very nice, but I wasn't expecting praise.

One hits a little too close to home, though. Some of the passages make me want to curl into a ball and wish I never existed. I keep skimming over many different points they make.

'Dr. Bruce Banner, The Hulk, is too reckless to live in a bustling city like New York. When will the government act on this? We are not safe in this community.'

'The Jolly Green Giant is not so jolly in real life. The monster known as The Hulk has cost us, taxpayers, too much for him to not be our property. We have had to pay millions for the messes he has made trying to what supports call "protecting us from worse monsters". There is no one worse than The Hulk.'

I keep scrolling through the webpage only to be more disturbed by the language the author uses. I haven't felt so alone since I had to flee America to escape the government's prosecutions.

I feel Natasha fidget and I start to gently rub her back.

"It's okay. Go back to sleep," I whisper.

I turn my watch off to make it darker.

"What time is it?" She mumbles.

"It's too early for you to be up. Go back to sleep."

Tasha adjusts her position and practically moves on top of me. I smile and hold her there.

"Go back to sleep," I whisper in her ear.

I run my fingers through her hair until I am certain she is back asleep. I feel her steady exhale brush against my neck. I turn to face her and wrap my arms around her waist. Nat moves her head to my chest and I press my lips to the top of it.

I tuck my glasses in my pocket and close my eyes. I temporarily forget the article and fall asleep.

Natasha's POV:

I wake up closer to Bruce than I remember being. I breathe in the smell of laundry detergent and old books. It's fitting. I smile and hug Bruce tighter accidentally waking him up.

He immediately starts to rub my back.

"What time is it?" I ask quietly.

Bruce pulls away and turns on his watch. A huge screen fills my vision and I catch a few phrases ranting about The Hulk. Bruce quickly closes the window and checks the time.

"It's 6:30 am."

"What was that?"

He just shakes his head dismissing it.

"Bruce, I'm serious. Why were you reading that?"

"I- I just couldn't sleep."

"How long were you up?"

"Only three-ish hours after you went to sleep."
"Bruce!"

He winces and adds more distance between us.

"What the hell were you thinking, reading stuff like that?!"

He completely breaks away and sits up. I follow suit and sit up still facing him. He drops his head and shrugs.

"Bruce, what did it say?" I quiet my voice very concerned he read something awful.

"Just stuff I already knew," Bruce responds half-heartedly.

"Bruce. You can't read stuff like that?"
"Why?" He looks up. I search his eyes and find an abundance of pain. He soon catches on and prevents me from reading him.

"Stop, I'm not some villain you need to read. I deserve some privacy." Bruce's tone keeps getting harsher.

"I'm sorry-" I start but am interrupted by a sudden movement.

Bruce abruptly stands up and walks towards the door.

"Bruce!"

He stops and faces me. "I was just curious if everyone saw me as I see me. This is just proof I am a monster."

Silence fills the room. I have no idea what to say.

"I-I just need some space." With that, he leaves me alone in a dimly lit, strange room.

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I'm still sad about Endgame. For those who need some Brutasha fluff, I'm sorry. I needed some too but I also needed to continue the story :/ Anyways, have a nice week :)