Chapter Text
There's a thick cloud of tension hanging in the air when Natasha grabs her coat from off the more common landing space with Bruce behind her.
She whispers, mumbling under her breath for only him to hear.
His head rolls, whispering back.
The spy keeps her eyes low as she nods.
The spy tiptoes and dodges his attempt at a kiss for an abrupt and awkward hug.
Natasha moves swiftly for the door and slams it shut.
Bruce stays put with a contorted mouth, immovable and sinking into his stance moments after she's gone.
Clint watches the encounter from the couch. He's been silent as he pretended not to pay attention, though quietly observing the whole encounter.
He lifts his chin now that Natasha’s gone with sharp eyes on the doctor.
“What happened?”
Banner shakes his head ‘no’ and turns to move back up the staircase.
“Hey!” Clint frowns, crossing his arms with a judgemental focus, “I asked you a question.”
Bruce waits, tugging at the sleeves of his sweater, “Not right now, Clint.”
“What’d you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothin’?”
Bruce purposely grips the railing with a solid fist and repeats himself for the archer;
“N O T H I N G.”
“That’s what I said!” Barton grinds his teeth.
“…No, it’s not.”
Barton backs down with reluctance, “Yeah, okay-.”
“Okay,” Bruce does the same, continuing back up the stairs.
A few days later, Steve Rogers is working up his plan of attack, suited up and on the battlefield.
He has his back glued to a building as he rotates his head to give Natasha a cue;
“We need the Hulk.”
The redhead stands unmovable and nods. She wiped her nose stoically with the back of her glove, blowing the red waves off her forehead.
Steve lowers his chin, lifting his eyebrows to study her expression.
Natasha mirrors his maneuver and returns the glance.
Rogers then scratches his neck, “Um. So, Hulk?”
“I heard you. So call him.”
Steve waits, “…I thought it would be easier, if, you could get him-”
“-no.”
“Oh.”
“Send Stark,” she adds snappily.
“…is everything okay?”
“Yes.”
“But you won't explain-.”
“Tony,’ Natasha clutches her communicator impatiently, ‘Get the Hulk.”
Steve sighs as Stark copies.
His helmeted head pounds gently against the wall, “I'm having trouble understanding.”
“Stand down,” Natasha leaps over the Captain and takes control of their position, focused on the mission.
Tony Stark paces the laboratory late at night. Ideas are being spewed between him and Bruce, busy working on their newest concept of how to power the Jets the team uses so frequently.
“Oh! I forgot to mention that Pepper’s spending the weekend,’ Tony takes his swing at his hologram to shut it down, ‘that probably means I'm not allowed to hang out here after hours. You know how jealous she gets of my time with you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“-We’re going to the Museum of Natural History on Friday. You and Nat should come. Double date.”
“No thanks,’ Bruce immediately withdraws, nose down at work, ‘we’ll pass.”
“I’m sorry,’ Tony sassily swivels his neck, ‘I could've sworn you just turned down my invitation to a double date with you, me, Natasha, and Pepper. I'm your best friend; I don't get rejected like that.”
“Well,” Bruce pauses and shrugs with wide eyes.
“Hell no,’ he circles and plops closer to the physicist, ‘what's up.”
“My blood pressure.”
“What did she do?”
“Who?”
“Romanoff.”
“Nothing,’ Bruce turns away from him, ‘she did nothing.”
“Okay, then what did you do?”
Bruce scoffs and whips around, arms open wide as he knocks into the keyboard, harsh enough for it to fly from the desk, “Why does everyone assume I did something?!”
“Woah! I’m not assuming. Keep a lid on it, bro. If you want to snap, snap in the Green Room-.”
“-I don't want to snap.”
“Great.”
“Great.”
Tony stands, moving on with a heavy sigh and an angry tone, “I was just trying out the ‘being nice’ thing for a change. Forget I mentioned anything.”
“I will.”
“Great!”
“Great!”
Natasha traipses through the kitchen late in the evening, content to dig for snacks in the dark. She paces and heads for the coffee maker, hoarding a box of sour candies under her arm.
“Lady Romanoff. You are awake,” Thor appears behind her in his pink rabbit-shaped slippers.
He smiles wide and searches the cabinet for whatever snack he needs at 1 a.m.
Natasha nods, opening her box, “Can’t sleep?”
“No.”
He studies her mid-pause on his task
She freezes mid-chew with a candy in between her teeth, “Can I help you?”
“Perhaps. If you knew how to end the constant sirens coming from outside?”
“I’m afraid not. Nothing was called in for us that I’m aware of.”
He scratches his head and faces her, “I cannot help noticing...”
“…noticing what?”
“I suspect conflict.”
“Conflict? There’s no conflict,” Natasha lowers her eyebrows and lightly shakes the box.
“I believe there is tension within our team.”
“Oh…well, on that, we agree. Tony and Steve are always going at it.”
“No. Between you and Banner.”
She shakes the box once again with added force.
Thor waits for a moment of silence before continuing;
“I believe you are upset.”
Natasha continues to increase the amount of sound effects, crunching louder, rustling her snack, and finally clearing her throat;
“I’m fine.”
Thor pushes back, “I have come to learn that mortals say they are fine when they are most definitely not fine-.”
“Once I get my coffee,’ her head tilts, smirking back at him, ‘I will be.”
“Caffeine will interfere with a restful sleep.”
“Yes. You’re correct,” she chews, lifting to grind her next piece of candy down to its powdered state.
Thor stands in confusion, looking at his teammate with compassion;
“If you wish to speak of it-.”
“-No,” she snaps, shares a wider smirk, and shakes her box with an aggressive grip.
“That is…”
She jostles it further.
“…That is very loud,” he announces softly.
Natasha crunches the cardboard in her grip single-handedly.
“Oh my,’ Thor looks elsewhere as he mumbles, ‘that box has enjoyed better times.”
Natasha tucks it back under her arm and tugs the coffee mug from under the machine with one last scrape and squeal as it slides against the countertop.
Thor cringes.
She smirks toward him, “Goodnight.”