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Dating Natasha was something Bruce never imagined he’d experience. He kept her at a distance while he was on Earth, afraid to let himself be happy and after he woke up on an alien planet after two years trapped inside the Hulk, he gave up any hope he had for a normal life. Or as normal as he could get. But now that the dust had settled, they were together and he couldn’t be happier.
She was very tactile, he learned in their first few weeks together. She gave her touch free and willingly and Bruce found his skin tingling under her finger tips every time.
Natasha kissed him often, on the cheek, hand, lips, any part of him that she could get a hold of. It didn’t matter if it was just the two of them or in a room full of people. In those instances, Bruce felt his face get hot and he couldn’t make eye contact with anyone for several moments after, but he knew he wouldn’t trade her open affection for the world.
Sometimes Bruce wandered if it would always be like that with her or if eventually this honeymoon like stage of their relationship would wear off. Either way, Bruce felt like the luckiest man in the world. Who would have thought that he had any chance with a woman like Natasha Romanoff.
Footsteps behind him cut off his train of thought and he saw Natasha’s reflection in the monitor in front of him.
He smiled and spun around on the stool to face her.
“Hi,” he greeted her, taking off his glasses and setting them on the counter behind him.
“Hey,” she replied, walking over to lean against the counter beside him. “What are you doing?”
He shrugged. “‘Nothing really, just going through some old files, projects Tony and I started way back when.”
She nodded and turned to the screen, swiping aimlessly for a moment. He looked her over and saw that she had on her tactical suit and that only meant one thing.
“Where are you off to today?” he asked.
He knew she was cutting back the amount of time she spent in the field but the new recruits still needed some assistance on missions and there were still things that called for her particular expertise.
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms before looking down at him.
“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with field work,” she asked, smirking.
While that was true, he had no desire to be a part of missions anymore, he cared where she was involved. Natasha could take care of herself, proved it time and time again, but that didn’t stop him from pacing a hole in the common room floor until she returned in one piece.
“I was just wondering,” he said, unsure if voicing his concern would be too much at this stage in their relationship.
“Just a little recon up north,” she said. “Nothing to worry about.”
Of course she knew, she was too good at reading him. He reached out to rub his hand over her hip, testing the water, before pulling her in close. She brought her hands up the rest on his shoulders and ran a thumb over his collarbone, the sensation making Bruce shiver.
“Be careful out there,” he told her, looking up into her eyes.
The corner of her mouth quirked up slightly. “I will.”
She said it like a promise and Bruce flushed under her gaze. He lifted one of her hands from his shoulder and kissed her knuckles softly.
“When do you leave?”
“Twenty minutes,” she said, bringing her other hand up to stroke his cheek. “I’ll be back in a couple days.”
Bruce frowned.
“I’ll miss you,” he said shifting his gaze a little to stare at the wall behind her.
She didn’t say anything and Bruce was worried he’d crossed a line, but when he looked back at her she was smiling that soft smile she reserved just for him. She tilted his chin up and leaned down to kiss him. It started slow, nothing more than a press of her soft lips against his slightly chapped one. She parted her lips and ran her tongue along his lower lip and he tightened his grip on her waist. He opened up to her and shivered at the feeling of her tongue against his.
Their kiss was cut short by someone clearing their throat in the doorway.
Bruce pulled away first, a little breathless and saw Sam standing near the door trying and failing to cover up his laughter.
“I hate to break up whatever’s going on here, but we’ve got to go.”
“Give me a minute,” Natasha said, not sparing Sam a glance, her eyes on Bruce.
Sam walked away and Bruce looked back up at her.
“Duty calls,” she said, frowning slightly.
“We can pick up where we left off when you get back,” he said quietly, squeezing her hip slightly before letting her go.
“You bet your ass we will,” she said and swooped down to kiss him again quickly. She straightened back up and sauntered toward the door.
Bruce watched her go, biting his lip.
“Try not to get into too much trouble,” he called after her.
She stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder with a wink. “Back at ya, Doc.”
Bruce shook his head and laughed, turning his stool back around. He tried to go back to his work, but the feeling of her hands on him and their lips pressed together still lingered. He was distracted the rest of the day and he knew he had long days ahead of him until she returned. That woman would be the death of him and it was only the beginning.