Evermore

Chapter 15

The next day it was still storming. Pepper had helped Natasha get ready that morning and assisted her down the stairs.

When they reached the landing, Thor came up to them and carried Natasha to the kitchen.

"I have found Lady Romanoff," he exclaimed.

"Great, we'll throw a party," Clint said with sarcasm in his voice.

"Ignore Clint," Steve said while he was putting food on a plate.

When Thor sat Natasha down, Bruce put a cup of coffee in front of her and sat next to her. Steve put Natasha's plate down, then went to his seat.

"Did anyone get any sleep last night," Tony asked the group.

Thor was the only one to raise his hand while the others groaned and drank what was in their cups.

"The thunder was too loud," Steve said.

"I hate this storm," Clint said.

"You and me both," Tony replied to Clint. "What about you, Bruce?"

"I didn't sleep much, but that's normal."

"Aw, I wish you had told me, we could have gone to the lab!"

"It's fine, I spent time with Natasha."

The four men and Pepper looked up at that statement and stared at the pair. Natasha was confused as to why the group looked at them like they were all in high school. She glanced at Bruce who was focused on his plate while eating.

After a few seconds, she saw Steve and Tony glace at each other like they knew something she didn't, and Pepper looked like she was hiding a smile behind her coffee mug. Clint and Thor went back to eating.

"Why were they staring," she asked Bruce.

"They're nosy. Don't worry about it," he whispered.

Natasha ate her food and hung out with Bruce after breakfast. He had found ice for her ankle and made her elevate it on the sofa.

"Can I ask you something," she asked him.

"Sure."

"Have you ever been in a relationship or in love?"

"Once with a scientist named Betty. To make a long story short, she cheated, then later on I found out I couldn't have children. As time went on my temper had begun to get worse, and I called off the relationship for good because I didn't want to hurt her. I really did love her, and I never even raised my voice to her, but I knew it wasn't going to work. Looking back now, I don't know if she truly understood me and my anger issues."

"I don't know if it helps, but I can't have kids either, so if you ever need to talk to someone about that..."

Bruce nodded and thanked her. He met her eyes and there was a mutual understanding between the two of them outside of being orphans.

"What about you," he asked. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Like I said the guys in my town aren't my type."

"What about outside of town?"

She chuckled. "Found the loophole. There was a lawyer named Matt. He had everything I was looking for at the time and I thought he was it, but I called it off because he didn't treat me as an equal. By the end of our relationship, I was mentally tired. I gave him everything, but he couldn't give me all of himself."

It took a long time for her to get over Matt Murdock. Natasha thought he was her true love, and she would always be safe with him, but she was wrong. She was 23 and he had always treated her like a kid, despite that she was mature for her age. He was never as open with his feelings in the two years they were together, while she gave it her all.

Her thoughts are interrupted when Bruce speaks up, "You deserve to be treated like an equal."

"And you deserve someone who won't cheat on you."

Bruce's gaze was intense, and she ducked her head. She wasn't used to men looking at her as intently as he currently was, and she wasn't used to someone who listened like he did.

They spent the rest of the day talking about the town, Yelena, her friends, and his life until the curse and after. 

NOTE: No hate to Matt Murdock (I love MCU Matt). Their relationships with Betty and Matt are based off of the research I did on the comics. I had to add my own spin on a few things to make it fit the story, specifically for Bruce and Betty's relationship. For reference, Natasha is 31 in this fic.