The Path to the Tower

7.3: Placing Bets

The exhausted and confused team followed Clint through the long grass to the farmhouse house standing in the middle of the field. Bruce kept himself hunched over. The witch getting into his head and messing with the Hulk was enough to make him feel weak and nauseated. Adding to that the damage and deaths in Johannesburg Hulk caused, as a result, he wasn't sure he could come back from this. He knew the world was going to be out for his blood. He didn't blame them really. He hated himself and he couldn't see how he could keep doing this, pretending to be a hero when all he was was a monster waiting to get out.

For now, though he'd hide with the others. He just wished he knew where he was. A tall brunette man stepped out onto the porch. He didn't look particularly old but his face was lined and when he spotted Clint he broke out into a large smile. The family similarities between the two men were clear. He even had the archer's arms.

"Gotten yourselves into a little bit of trouble I hear." The guy said putting his hands on his hips like a disapproving parent. Though there was no way that man was Clint's father. "It was all over the news."

"Yeah, yeah." Clint huffed. "You gonna let us in or what?"

"Please, be my guest." He replied opening the door to them. Natasha kissed the guys cheek as she passed him. He put his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. Bruce lowered his head further and furrowed his brow as he passed him. When they got inside, he, Tony, Thor, and Steve all stood in the living room. The confusion he felt was reflected on their faces, increased again when a one-eyed dog came scrambling into the room wriggling and wagging his tail so hard his whole body was being dragged along for the ride. Clint crouched down letting him lick his face while he ruffled his fur.

"Does anyone want to fill me in on what is going on here?" Tony asked, looking around the room.

Clint straightened up and grinned. "Well, this guy is my dog, Lucky. Pizza dog. It changes." He explained before gesturing to the other guy. "And this degenerate is my brother Barney."

"Brother? Why didn't we know you had a brother?" Tony asked.

"There's a ton of stuff you don't know about me." Clint snarked. "Fury set it up. Me and Barney, when we were kids we were in the system. We ran away to the circus..."

"Sorry," Tony said holding his hand up. "You did what now?"

"The circus, Tony. We joined the circus." Clint said rolling his eyes. "That's where I got good at archery. But they weren't exactly good guys. We got into trouble. Fury stepped in. I went to work with him, Barney got put into protection. We're safe here. No one knows this exists."

After some discussion about plans and how long they were going to be here licking their wounds everyone scattered. Thor left completely while the rest either tried to make themselves useful or just attempt to relax. Bruce was directed to one of the spare rooms and went straight to the shower. He stood under the hot water scrubbing his skin until it was pink trying to make himself feel clean.

When he came out of the bathroom Natasha was sitting on the bed in her robe. She jumped up startled. "I - uh - didn't realize you were waiting," Bruce said.

"I woulda joined you, but uh..." She said, softly with a smile that was so soft it scared him in a whole other way. Like her interest in him was much deeper than just a sex thing. "It didn't seem like the right time."

"I used up all the hot water." He said with a frown and shifting awkwardly where he stood.

"I should've joined you." She said with a smirk.

The return to the teasing flirt actually eased his mind a little. He smiled but kept this voice soft as he spoke. Not really sure what he was doing here. Or what he wanted to do here. "You missed your window."

"Did we?" She spoke the words with such fear. Bruce felt his heartache. He knew that fear. The fear of love. Being loved. He felt it himself and he finally saw what was happening. For Natasha, she protected herself from it but surrounding herself in it. No one person could break her heart because when one did there was another to hold it together. For Bruce, he held people back, unwilling to let them get near his heart in the first place.

He frowned and moved into the room frowning. "The world just saw the Hulk. The real Hulk for the first time." He said avoiding her eye contact as he toweled himself off. "You know I have to leave."

"You don't have to do anything. You know we'll protect you." She argued. She stopped and shook her head. "I had this... umm... dream. The kind that seems normal at the time, but when you wake..."

Bruce approached her pulling on his shirt. "What did you dream?"

"That I was an Avenger." She replied. "That I was anything more than the assassin they made me."

Bruce took another step towards her. "I think you're being hard on yourself."

She closed the distance bringing her body right up against his. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Here I was hoping that was your job."

He grabbed her arms and shook his head. Her breath teased his lips and there was part of him that wanted to just kiss her. Give her the thing she had been angling for all these months. The Hulk. The Hulk wasn't ever going to let him have that though. So he shook his head. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running with it." She answered, cupping his jaw. He took her hand in his moving it away. Fight the urge he had to let her. "We can do this. You and I."

"I don't even know what this is," Bruce said moving away. "What about Clint?"

Nat hunched her shoulders together and made a small hunch motion dropping her eyes. "We have an arrangement. It works for us. It can work for all of us. He wants this too, but if you don't ... want that. It can be you and me and me and him."

"Natasha. I'm a threat to everyone." He reasoned.

She approached him, moving quickly trying to reduce the distance again. "Not to me."

Bruce frowned. "And to Clint?"

Natasha took another step closer drawing herself up against him again. "I can invite him now if you want."

Bruce leaned his forehead on hers and she stroked her thumb along his jaw. "I need time. To think. This... this is ... I'm not used to it."

She nodded. "Time we've got." She said and let him go. "Please don't run though Bruce. We like having you around."