Rooftop Conversations

Unbroken bright blue sky reigns over the city, converging on the vibrant orange sun slowly dipping into the horizon. The tranquillity is mesmerising and Bruce can't look away from the vast sky which had a massive intergalactic hole punched through it with an alien army pouring out of it less than twenty-four hours before. It is nice to see it again, especially this empty. He doesn't allow his peripheral to dip lower than the rooves, nor does he let his mind dwell on the rubble or damaged buildings, some of which his alter ego is no doubt responsible for. Instead he tries to focus on the fact there would be more people dead, more destruction if he hadn't helped the team thrown together in the last few days. It certainly is a different outcome from what he is used to, not really one he wanted to repeat either.

It hadn't taken long for the media to track them back to Stark Tower and they've been camped on the pavement outside ever since. An official statement was made via SHIELD but they were eager for a peak at the people who helped avert annihilation. The attention is disconcerting for him, while generally positive, from media and public, there are a few voices urging for caution of the so-called heroes. A view he holds and voiced on the helicarrier. One wrong move, a word out of turn and this could all go to hell in a second; they could save the world or destroy it. Only time would tell which. He thinks the battle will spark more questions, more pre-emptive and public planning which will likely result in the development of more weapons to 'defend' the planet, much like the ones Fury kept from them.

For now, people seem content on dealing with the aftermath and fixing the broken city. New Yorkers showed their resilience by working side by side with military and SHIELD; clearing debris, rescuing the trapped and injured, honouring those who lost their lives, pledging to carry on in their name. Bruce wants to help but he feels tense after the battle yesterday, the Other Guy is on edge after two transformations so close together. The situation on the ground is tense as it is and he doesn't want to risk the crowds so he volunteered to oversee the dismantling of the device Selvig built for Loki to use the tesseract, which had been removed by Thor yesterday and hasn't left his side since. He'd gone over the machine himself, out of curiosity. Selvig is a brilliant scientist but he was promptly secured by SHIELD agents and was escorted away for debriefing shortly after the portal was sealed, all while rambling on about everything the tesseract revealed to him. Bruce throws a weary glance at the scientists Fury sent to secure it for transport who had been wide eyed at meeting him; he still wasn't sure if it was because of the Hulk or genuine admiration for his achievements as they claimed.

The tell-tale swoosh of the door opening is the only warning he gets to someone sneaking up on him. He's felt her eyes for a while, it's a side effect of being on the run for years. But he's got good reason to be overly paranoid especially after Agent Romanoff's revelation that he never completely disappeared. Not to SHIELD anyway, given the ease with which she found him. Though he gets the impression her definition of 'off grid' is beyond his. He shakes his head, wondering if he made the right decision to accept Stark's offer or if he should challenge himself to disappearing on her level. It's tempting but he thinks it would be virtually impossible to do right now.

Moments after the door closes, Natasha appears at his side. He feels her presence rather than sees her, his eyes on the contraption which is now in sealed in a box and being taken into the building. They don't greet each other or say anything else till the roof clears completely. Only then does he turn to her, his eyes catching on the strands of her copper hair flying about in the breeze. She pays him no heed, her attention on the view around them. The aura of indifference she usually exudes drops for a split second that he thinks he would've missed it if he blinked, but he sees and senses her relief and relaxation. It's done, it's over, for now. He suspects this is just a small breather for her. Nothing like this is ever really done. There's always another assignment.

"It's beautiful," she breathes out with a hint of a smile. He doesn't expect the sentiment from her but he's spurred into agreeing.

"Yeah," he replies, his eyes still on her. She turns to him then, her questioning eyes boring into his and he feels like he's been busted for either gazing at her intruding on her privacy, he doesn't know which, probably both. He flusters a little as he clarifies with a gesture, "The view."

Her eyes sparkle good naturedly as her lips quirk, her tongue darts out to moisten them, and she returns her focus to the scene around them. He wonders if she came to check on him of her own volition or if she was ordered to.

"Did you need me for something?" Bruce asks with more bite than he intends. Then the sparkle disappears as her posture subtly changes, her back straighten a smidgen, her head lifts and eyes narrow a fraction. She mulls over his question for a long time. He doesn't think it's because he caught her off guard, he didn't. He wouldn't see the indecisiveness unless she wanted him to. Then she turns to him, meets his eyes with an assessing stare. Usually he would assume she was wary of him, she probably is after the way the Other Guy went after her but this isn't that.

"I just wanted to check if you need transport back to Calcutta?" She asks quietly still assessing him as his responds.

"No, I'm staying in New York for a bit," Bruce replies, surprised by her almost tentative offer. If he knew her better, he would be certain she was expecting another answer and she seems disheartened by his. Maybe she wanted him and the Other Guy as far away as possible; he couldn't blame her after he tried to smear her into a wall. Then the look disappears and her expression is neutral as she tilts her head to the side in silent question. Details. Right. "Tony asked me to help with a few ideas." He pauses, shrugs hesitantly. "I don't know, sounds better than what I had to go back to."

"I thought you wanted your life back; the peace and quiet you know," she says heavily and, not for the first time, he feels like he's missing something. Inwardly he shakes the feeling off, not sure if she's disappointed by that, not sure if he wants to know what she knows. He doesn't think he needs to explain that science was once his life and he's spent years trying to grasp some connection to it and this opportunity could be it. She seems more concerned with her inability to read him and she watches him closely as she speaks. "Anything else sounds more peaceful than hanging around with Stark," she pulls a face and he rewards her with indulgent smile.

"And he speaks so highly of you," he quips.

"I bet," she counters with an eye roll and the smirk returns, the thick air around them dissipating quickly. Natasha leans forward to rest her folded arms on the railing and he mimics her by leaning forward to rest his hands on it too.

He waits a beat, watches her watch the sky for a moment before asking, "Did you really put his driver in a head lock with your ankles?"

"He mentioned that, huh?" She asks with a devilish little smile.

"It came up," he quickly bobs his head. Tony's description of the encounter had been elaborate and, before he met the woman, Bruce would have said the billionaire was embellishing only now he'd seen Natasha in action he knew the description was probably apt.

She cocks an eye brow. "Does that surprise you?"

"Not really," he chuckles with a head shake wondering how their antipathy toward each other morphed into playful banter. To his surprise, she appears to be genuinely entertained by their easy back and forth, matching each other much like they did during that first meeting. Normally he'd apologise but her ambush unnerved him so he feels like they're even.

"To be fair, he tried to punch me," Natasha argues jokingly.

"So, he deserved it," Bruce says dryly and she smirks at him again.

"I never said that," she counters playfully. "Not exactly what I planned but it got Starks' attention."

"You certainly did that," Bruce murmurs good naturedly, not sure why he found Starks' indignation so funny when he described the woman's infiltration of his company. There's a fine between Starks' anger and his appreciation or he's at least angry at having to show appreciation, Bruce gets the impression Stark usually deflects both with a balance of sarcasm and hyperbole.

"The guy knows how to hold a grudge," Natasha shrugs, nonplussed. "Would've been better if it had been Stark," she adds and he can't stop the snicker which escapes.

"I can see the appeal."

"I thought you liked Stark." She's baiting him. He's willing to take it.

"He's honest and I like working with him. He has a unique perspective and likes to push boundaries, not just scientific ones," he says pointedly. Her eyes roll. "He also said you helped save his life."

She accepts the soft acknowledgement without so much as a flicker, as if it were nothing. Instead she changes the subject. "I didn't know you were open to job offers, SHIELD would-."

"I won't work for SHIELD," Bruce cuts in with a tone which leaves no room for argument, all previous joking gone in an instant. He isn't confident in the shadowy agency who apparently kept track of him over the years and he's not staying for them. He considered Starks' offer and his assurances for a long time before accepting. He doesn't doubt Starks' earnest promises but he knows there's some overlap with SHIELD projects and he knows Stark consults on them. Despite his experiences since the accident, he feels safe enough to stay. Ross would've shown his face by now if it wasn't.

"Understandable," Natasha accepts easily.

"You never answered my question on the helicarrier," Bruce says. She looks at him quizzically. "Did you know what Fury was planning to do with the Tesseract?"

"Believe it or not I don't always agree with how he does what he does but I believe he has good intentions." She pauses, pondering her own answer.

"Do you always make excuses for your boss?"

"It's more than I can say for any of my previous employers," she replies with a shrug and returns her gaze to the horizon.

Bruce watches her watching the setting sun for a moment. "Sounds like you've been doing this for a while." He doesn't know what compels him to ask but the woman intrigues him.

"Yeah, long time," she replies stiffly and Bruce doesn't push it. She can't be more than thirty and he wonders what constitutes a long time. Given the ease she fights with, the natural grace in the way she moves, she has years of experience. He isn't privy to her history or anything beyond the quiet plan ride from Calcutta or the few short conversations they've had since. Unlike Steve, Stark or Thor, whose exploits are public record, she was shrouded in mystery and rumour and, in Tony's tale, gossip. He wasn't completely off the grid in Calcutta, news of superheroes was rife there too.

"When are you leaving?" He asks her. Though she hasn't said, the conversation feels like a goodbye and he's not sure what he's done to warrant it. He's never known anyone to be this relaxed around him after his alter ego tried to kill them.

"Tomorrow; Fury's still trying to get Loki to talk," she replies.

"Think he'll get anywhere?" Bruce asks out of curiosity. Natasha mulls it over then shrugs. Personally, he thinks the adopted Asgardian will remain tight lipped after the way he was tricked last time. Thor voiced suspicions that someone else was backing his brother, using him to test Earth and its' inhabitants.

"Doubtful," she wrinkles her nose. "He's not said anything of real importance since he surrendered. Nice job by the way," she says with a hint of admiration and he frowns in confusion.

"What with?"

"You don't remember making the Loki sized dents in Stark's floor?" She points a finger toward the living area through the double doors.

"Oh that, Stark mentioned something," Bruce flushes. "That was the Other Guy."

"You don't remember anything that happens when you're-."

"Flashes," he cuts her off awkwardly. He sees something akin to understanding flicker across her face before the sly grin returns.

"Well, I appreciate the Big Guy's style, kinda wish I could pull it as easily."

"Even when he's trying to smear you into a wall?" Bruce pauses for Natasha to react. When she doesn't, he drops his voice. "I'm really sorry about what happened on the helicarrier."

"You already apologised," Natasha points out softly.

"I know and it'll never be adequate, especially because we had an audience and aliens getting ready to attack," he gestures awkwardly toward the sky they poured out of yesterday.

"I get it. You feel like nothing will be enough to wipe your slate clean," she tells him knowingly. And once more, Bruce wonders about her past.

"Best I can hope for is to balance it out."

"Like you were doing in Calcutta."

"Yeah," he says, rethinking his decision to stay.

"There's more than one way to help people Doc," Natasha says as if reading his thoughts, more likely his expression.

"Guess I'll find out," Bruce shrugs and they fall into a companionable silence for several minutes watching over the city they saved. The sun gradually dips into the horizon, a deeper shade of blue takes over the sky as the temperature starts to drop. "Sun's getting low," he murmurs.

"We survived another day," she says almost to herself, leaning further over the railing.

"Do you need that kind of affirmation?" He asks gently with a curious frown. She doesn't strike him as someone who would.

"No," she confirms. "But it's nice to be able to enjoy a beautiful view."

"It's hard to imagine a different ending while looking at it."

"Is it?" Natasha says looking over her shoulder at him.

"No, it's not," comes his solemn reply. Without another word, they return their gaze to the view and enjoy it for another few minutes before her phone starts to ring. She checks caller ID and throws him an apologetic glance as she pushes away from the railing, walking backwards toward the door.

"I gotta take this," Natasha says.

"It's fine," he assures her as her hand grasps the door handle.

She pauses, appraises him for a moment, her phone still ringing. "You know, if the inadequate apology bothers you so much, you can buy me dinner the next time I'm in New York."

It takes him a moment to comprehend her offer and he feels the heat creep up his neck to his face. "You're on," he hears himself agree before he can stop himself. "Come here often?" He asks.

"Often enough," she says pushing through the glass door, smiling warmly at him.

Anyone interested in a second chapter? Let me know.