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“Well, I think you look great,” she turns at the sound of the voice she hadn’t heard in years; had only heard in dreams. It’s surreal to see Bruce standing there, whole and in person. He looks smaller, somehow. “Yeah, I’m back.”
“Hi, Bruce,” Natasha manages to say steadily, her eyes roaming him from head to toe; can feel Steve’s gaze on her, Sam’s as well. Wanda and Vision hadn’t known her long enough to know her history with the man before her, and Rhodey knew her too well to push, but the years on the run had had her growing closer with the men watching over her from behind.
“Nat,” Bruce replies, wringing his hands before himself, and she can’t help the way her lips quirk upwards into a half-smile. Despite everything, despite it all- she’d missed him.
“This is awkward,” Sam’s murmur cuts through her, and she hates that he’s right. That this man before her, who she’d once bared her soul to, feels like a stranger.
Natasha strides forward; hooks a hand in Bruce’s, stopping him from kneading his fingers together, and tugs gently. “Come here.”
She guides him away from the prying eyes, knowing that they simply cared, and feels Bruce relax a fraction once they were alone. Her eyes scan him- he’s in clothes that don’t quite fit, just a touch too big, and he’s antsy, frenetic energy coursing through his nerves.
“Bruce,” Natasha’s voice is soft, and she lifts one hand up to cup his cheek gently. The skin is bristly under her palm and she forces herself not to shiver at the sensation, keeping herself focused on calming him down. “Hey- focus on me.”
Brown eyes find hers, blinking, and almost instantly his shoulders soften. Natasha’s mouth quirks, and she keeps her hand in place, taking an exaggerated breath. “Breathe with me, okay? Just nice and slow.”
They breathe together for a minute until Bruce looks less frantic, less harried; like he can really see her, for the first time since they’d locked eyes.
“Natasha,” he breathes, and then he’s pulling her in, wrapping an arm around her waist and burying his nose in the curve of her neck. Startled, Natasha almost lashes out- but it’s been so long since she’s been properly hugged like this. Not since Yelena.
Slowly, Natasha relaxes into the embrace until her arms are slipping around Bruce’s shoulders, holding him to her tightly, their cheeks pressed together. It strikes her how nicely they fit together, their forms melded together, and wonders how she’s gone so long without this.
“I missed you,” she whispers softly. Like a secret. Like an oath. It slips from her lips almost before she realizes, but she can’t keep it in. Bruce holds her tighter in response.
“I missed you too,” he murmurs, and when he pulls back, lifts his hands to cup her cheeks, thumbs stroking the soft skin there. “Nat…”
The words trail off as his gaze falls to her mouth; her heart catches, warmth spilling into her belly, and she’s leaning into his lips before she even realizes. It’s soft; gentler than she ever could have imagined, his touch like silk on her skin, and she sighs into his mouth.
“Don’t go away again,” she whispers when they part, and Bruce strokes a thumb over her eyebrow, hand cupping her jaw. “At least not without a cell phone, alright?”
Bruce chuckles damply, and brushes his nose against hers softly.
“Yeah,” he replies, pulling back. “No more space adventures. At least not for a while.”
Natasha smiles.
“At least not without me this time.”