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It was one month after they defeated Ultron when Tony found a very angry Natasha Romanoff knocking at the door of his lab.
“Another crisis?” He asked with interest instead of greeting after he let her in. “Do you need me to become a super hero again? For the second time? Because that’s fine, really, I’d love to do that. Again,” he smirked at her. Needless to say, Natasha wasn’t impressed. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“Where is he?” she asked simply, watching Stark intently.
“Who is where now?” Tony asked, feigning ignorance. Only a quick nervous glance at one of his screens might have betrayed him.
“Stop fucking with me Stark, I know you never lost track of him. Not really,” she made one step towards the man, voice cold as steel.
“I really don’t know what…” That’s as far as he got, before he was lying on his back, Natasha’s foot pinning him down.
“I am going to ask only once. Where. Is. Doctor. Banner,” she punctuated each word with a heel stabbing him more and more. Tony looked at her for a long time, all the ignorance gone from his face. He was thinking, calculating. Trying to understand her motives.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. But don’t take it out on me when he doesn’t welcome you with a bouquet of roses,” he swatted at her foot and she let him go. “He’s in Lagos, Nigeria. But I’m telling you, it’s not the best idea to… you’re already gone, aren’t you. Of course you’re fucking gone,” Tony grumbled irritatedly as he sat up and looked around his now once again empty lab.
“Fucking assassins,” he muttered under his breath as he got up from the floor and walked over to his screen, where he typed a quick message to Bruce.
***
„Shit,“ Bruce mumbled under his breath silently when he read the message from Tony. He wasn’t very surprised when the man contacted him a week after his disappearance, simply telling him that he knew where Bruce was and that he wouldn’t tell anyone, it’s okay to hide for a while and if he needed anything. He was glad his best friend understood. He never meant to disappear forever. He just needed a little time for himself, to get back together. Or at least that’s what he told himself.
It wasn’t a problem for him to settle in Africa, where they always needed a good doctor and nobody asked too many questions. He focused on helping others to distract himself, as he once did in Calcutta before this whole Avenger mess. And now Natasha was coming after him. Again.
He sighed and took of his glasses to polish them with the hem of his shirt. He took a seat at the table in his house, sliding the glasses back on his nose and simply waiting.
He didn’t have to wait long. It took only couple of hours, before he heard a soft knock on his door.
“Come in,” he stood up from his seat, one hand gripping the edge of the table. She walked in, dressed in simple clothes. She smiled a little when she closed the door behind herself and faced him. She didn’t move further into the room and he was grateful for that.“I wasn’t sure you’d still be here,” she said softly, her eyes finally meeting his.
“Me neither,” he chuckled softly, looking down at his own hands. “But I knew I couldn’t hide forever. Not from you. So why put it away,” he cleared his throat, speaking honestly.
“Listen, Bruce. You can stay here, it’s fine. I just need to tell you that everything I said… everything I did, it was Wanda’s spell. I didn’t… I don’t… I like being your friend, alright? I’m happy with being your friend. I just need to you to know that.” She still stood in her place, back to the door and she was watching Bruce closely. Watched him play with his fingers, staring at his hands, breathing heavily. He didn’t say something for a moment and she gulped nervously.
“Oh thank God, Natasha,” he spoke finally, looking up, happiness evident in his eyes. “I like being friends with you too. I was worried that you would… Never mind, forget it,” he waved his hand absent minded, stepping closer to her and embracing her.
“So, are you coming back?” Natasha asked after a while, when he finally let go.
“Eventually, yes.” he shrugged, finally believing his own words. “But not just yet,” he stepped back.”
“Okay,” she simply nodded and stepped out of the door, vanishing from his house like she was never there.