Sweet Talk -Natasha-

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From the consent of Nick Fury, Bruce was able to reside at the Helicarrier far away from the civilians. Banner spent most of his time in the laboratory, trying to find solutions for him to control the Hulk. The scientist finally faced the fact that the Hulk wasn't going away, and that a cure was hopeless. After three straight hours of mixing concoctions of different soluble solutions, Bruce sighed heavily and threw himself back into a chair. Taking off his glasses, Bruce wiped the sweat from his eyes. He knew he wasn't making any progress, but he needed to control the Hulk. If anyone were to manipulate the green monster, then a nuclear warhead would've been on the loose. Bruce couldn't bare the fact of taking innocent lives as the Hulk. He just wouldn't be able to live with it, because in the end he was still human.

The pale and stressed Doctor Banner poured himself a glass of brandy, and sipped thoroughly. 'The coulomb per kilogram is the SI unit of ionizing radiation exposure, and is the amount of radiation required to create 1 coulomb of charge of each polarity in 1 kilogram of matter' thought Bruce as he ran mental equations through his brain. Bruce's mind was like a calculator when it came to numbers, but he couldn't retrieve the exact equation he needed to enhance his formula he was producing. He downed the rest of his brandy, and poured himself another glass. Bruce stared at the churning purple liquid, which eventually turned a bright pink. His eyes widened, as he watched the formula's sudden change in color. "Another failure" spat Bruce as he slammed his head on his desk. Three long hours, were thrown down the drain and Bruce didn't have much time. Bruce continued to sip away at his Brandy, feeling the warm sensation from his throat down.

The stress levels continued to rise. Bruce had failed more times than he succeeded and it was getting to him. The pale man's face turned a sort of bright pink, because of the increase in his blood pressure. The thought of Bruce losing Betty, mixed with his recent failures all spun together. Bruce gritted his teeth out of pure anger, making him stand up swiftly. Bruce snatched a golf club, and swung away at his lab set. Glass shattered everywhere, along with the chemicals were concocted. Bruce's heart rate watch started going haywire, making him stop and breathe deeply and calmly. He closed his eyes and started thinking of the good times with Betty. This thought always seemed to calm him down, when the bad times always came around. Footsteps were heard, drawing nearer and nearer. Bruce looked over at the doorway, keeping the golf club at hand. Bruce thought he was the only one present in the Helicarrier, so Bruce prepared himself. "Who's there?!" yelled Banner squeezing the golf club tightly as the footsteps drew near.

[Natasha "Black Widow" Romanov]

It had been quite a while since anyone had checked in on Doctor Banner to ensure that he was still doing well, even though he spent a great deal of time aboard the Helicarrier working on potential cures for his condition. And while she marvelled at the amount of time he had spent on it thus far, Natasha could hardly blame the poor man for doing so. She had had her own encounter with the Hulk only a short while before, back during the invasion when Loki had attacked the Helicarrier itself and Bruce had been unable to control his anger after an argument between other members of the Avengers. Unfortunately, it had been Nat who had been forced to deal with him right off the bat, and in her injured state, that had been quite the task.

She figured that now was a good time as any to drop into the laboratory that had been set up for his use, wondering if he was making progress or if he had given up. It was bound to be stressful, trying to find a way to suppress a whole other side of you that manifested. It reminded her of that book she had read year ago, The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, which was essentially the same idea. Unfortunately, that book had not ended so happily, and despite her initial fear of the Hulk for his rampage that nearly killed her, Natasha didn't want to hear that Bruce had been killed in some way because of the monster that lurked within. It wasn't his fault after all...he was just an unfortunate soul who had a physical half, not just the mental half that everyone else could hide from prying eyes. "Doctor Banner?"

The crash of glass and a frustrated roar reached her ears before the words had barely passed through her lips, causing Natasha's bright blue eyes to widen dangerously. Those were not the sounds she wanted to hear coming down the corridor. Her instincts were to reach for her gun and hold it in readiness, but as she did so, she quietly tucked it back into her unclipped holster. It wouldn't do her any good if he was in a state like that, a danger to himself and everyone else aboard the Helicarrier. But he had heard her footsteps, which meant that parts of the Hulk were probably already kicking in, since the agent wasn't one to tread heavily as she walked. Very slowly, Natasha showed herself in the doorway, careful to keep her hands and arms up so that she didn't look to be a threat to him. "It's just me, Bruce," she told him evenly, glancing at the golf club in his hand and a mess of glass and chemicals that littered the floor. "It's just me, it's okay."

[Deleted]

Bruce hated the fact that he was light years away from conjuring a cure for his sickness. From downing a bunch pills, to holding a pistol to his head, the Hulk would constantly refuse to end their own life. If a cure wasn't possible, then he would have to find ways to conjure an injection that needed to let him take full control of the Hulk. With even the slightest mess-up, Bruce's other half would come out with a rage like no other. "Its just me, Bruce... It's just me, it's okay" spoke Natasha as she entered into the laboratory. "Damn Tash, we almost repeated history" exclaimed Bruce with a small grin.

Bruce lowered the golf club, and threw it aside. He threw himself back into his chair, and breathed very deeply until his heart watch came back to the safety zone. "So I assume Nick Fury sent you here to check up on me... or did you come here willingly, because you care?" asked Banner with a small wink. He took a shard of glass, and squeezed it tightly. The wound only bled for twenty seconds, but was soon absorbed back into his hand and looked completely new. "I never really told you how sorry I was, when we were here last time" Spoke Banner as he poured a glass of brandy for the dear Black Widow. Bruce held the glass out to the woman.

[Natasha "Black Widow" Romanov]

Walking into view and speaking calmly seemed to be just enough for Bruce to regain control before the monster was once again unleashed aboard the Helicarrier. They really didn't need a repeat performance of what had happened last time, since the damage was still being repaired in certain areas of the aircraft. Nat thought they were lucky to have much left at all, considering how dangerous he had been in a city setting...but that wasn't the current issue. "Nobody sent me, Bruce. I came on my own." Unlike the last time, she thought to herself. The last time she had been with the Doctor and said that they were alone, he had tricked her into pulling a gun from under the table in defence and threw a number of other agents into waiting for their orders with their own guns pointed at the tiny hut they had been in.

The smirk on his face made her retract her previous thoughts, thinking that perhaps Bruce was not fully in control still. She'd never known him to look at her like that, but there was a first time for everything, she supposed. "You'll never need to. You long made up for it when we were in New York," she told him, resting against one of the tables in the room a short distance from himself. Her blue orbs watched as he poured the alcohol into a glass, sliding it across in her direction. "Thank you but no, I'm still on the clock." Not that she was really much of a drinker anyway. There were far better ways to deal with stress and anxiety than simply sitting in a chair and drinking. And while others might have preferred that, Natasha Romanov was the type of person who preferred to hit the gym and take out her anger on something that couldn't come after her later on. A punching bag...a tread mill....something productive, anyway.

[Deleted]

'Denied!' Bruce thought as she declined his drink. The thin scientist stood up and continued to sip away at his alcohol. The alcohol seemed to calm him down, and also put a distance between Bruce and the big guy. It all went back to when he first met Miss Romanov back in India. STOP LYING TO ME! Bruce had yelled, causing the Black Widow to draw her gun on him. He believed their connection of friendship had started there, and would continue on in the future.
Bruce turned back to Natasha and grinned, "I just needed to know if things still stood the way they should be" he said receiving full satisfaction that their mutual friendship was in tact.

Natasha Romanov amazed Bruce, not just the way she kept her cool with her job, but her feistyness and physical attraction. Now starting to feel the weak effects of the Brandy, Bruce grabbed hold of the golf club again feeling the cold metal upon his palm. "So... How's everything been... Need any help with any of your secret missions?" asked the scientist as he held the club over his shoulder.

[Natasha "Black Widow" Romanov]

Her relationship with Bruce had been one she hadn't expected to go anywhere. Of course, she had initially been the one who had gone off to get him, convincing him that his talent and expertise with gamma radiation made him a valuable asset to the team they were attempting to construct. But when one recalls the way in which their first meeting went, most would assume that Natasha was forever uneasy around the doctor...especially when coupling that memory with the one she had of him aboard the Helicarrier itself. It wasn't much further away from where they were standing in fact, that her first altercation with the Hulk had taken place. Barton, then still under Loki's grip, had caused quite the explosion with one of his arrows, and after the rather heated argument that had happened only a short while before it detonated, Bruce had lost control to the green beast within.

"I assure you, Dr. Banner, that our relationship has not changed since our last meeting." Not that they had really cemented much of one in her eyes, though. They had fought together against the invasion forces after he had nearly killed her, and thus proved that the Hulk was not always on the side of wrong, but that was about as far as it went really. Her respect for Bruce's talents were still in tact as well, though she had yet to really make that clear to him. It wasn't her style of doing things. Natasha wasn't the type to let her emotions, her feelings, show to other people. Unless of course, someone aside from Clint happened to see that little scene between them only a short while ago. Then they might try to contradict her statement entirely.

Her bright blue eyes watched his movements carefully, always the agent on duty as she did her best to watch for signs of trouble. He seemed to be in control of everything now, despite the broken glass that lay scattered around her feet, which put her a little more at ease. "I'm not really on any assignments at the moment, aside from engaging other heroes to help us with certain things," she said a little cryptically, referring to her latest trip to Gotham City. The memories were fresh in her mind as she remembered how quickly one Bruce Wayne had gone from trying to seduce her to looking like her wanted to kill her where she stood for disclosing that she knew of his dual identity. "I've....needed some personal time to think things over."

[Deleted]

Natasha was an amazing woman, a woman that Bruce could trust with anything. Anytime he needed to get something off his chest, she was there for him. He knew she still feared his other half, but he also knew that she wasn't the type of person to express it. Fear was a normal human emotion, not a weakness. He suddenly leaned over to look at the broken glass on the floor, and quickly expressed a small grin. Anger was also a much needed human emotion, that Bruce felt the urge to express frequently. His anger followed a hell of a lot of adrenaline, which he craved. The adrenaline rush of his anger wasn't the only thing he liked. It could've been the thought of the amount of power he had, in his other half.

"I assure you, Dr. Banner, that our relationship has not changed since our last meeting." She said reassuring him. Natasha always had a beautiful voice, hell she was beautiful all around."I'm not really on any assignments at the moment, aside from engaging other heroes to help us with certain things, I've....needed some personal time to think things over." she spoke. Bruce nodded his head slowly at her words, but was interested in the part about the 'other heroes.' "Heroes as in, Gotham City?" He asked with curiosity. Banner only met a few of these heroes in the fight against the gods, and still knew nothing about them or what their intentions were. "You can trust me Nat, did you find any trouble along the way? I can help you" he exclaimed as he walked closer to her. Bruce cared about Natasha Romanov a lot. He would've done anything to help her, even if it meant murder.

[Natasha "Black Widow" Romanov]

Was it really wise of her to discuss her missions with Bruce? Of course, as a member of the Avengers it made him an honorary member of SHIELD, which meant that she could probably tell him anything without fear of it leaving the aircraft. But there was something in the pit of her stomach that kept her on her guard, and did so even around the likes of Clint sometimes. Then again, that was probably for another reason entirely, but not for the issue currently at hand. Still...the two of them were friends by the way he seemed to look at her, the interest in his voice rather evident as he asked all of these questions. And what was that other thing she saw lurking there? Was it...no....

"Yes, as in Gotham," she confirmed, maintaining her ground with her arms firmly crossed against her chest. "I was instructed to engage the help of the Batman in dealing with a certain enemy of his." Anyone who knew of the Batman would be sure to know which enemy she was speaking of, and she had a feeling that Bruce had come to know a little better than most people. After all, the man wasn't an idiot. He saw things and observed just as much as she did, though perhaps from another angle all together. "He's becoming a danger for more than just Gotham, but we need his intelligence on the Joker to see if we can isolate a weakness that might help up capture him." But as Bruce began to step toward her with that enthusiasm laced in his words, Natasha's senses instantly kicked it into high gear and she backed up a small step to maintain their space.

Nat wasn't really a touchy-feely person and liked her space.

The red-head shook her head firmly. "At this point it's all sightings and gathering intelligence. None of us have been given the green light to go in and take him down yet, which is what we're waiting for. In the meantime, we just have to watch and hope that he doesn't cause anymore trouble than he already has."

[Deleted]

Natasha Romanov had been named the Black Widow for a reason. The Black Widow spider looked beautiful, but happened to be very dangerous and deadly. Natasha was definitely beautiful, but also dangerous and deadly, earning her name well. Ever since after Loki's invasion of Earth, Bruce wanted to ask Nat out on a date. He liked her a lot, but he knew that she was a woman of business. Her full attention and motivation thrived around her work, which the scientist completely understood because he could relate to that. "Yes, as in Gotham... I was instructed to engage the help of the Batman in dealing with a certain enemy of his." Batman. Bruce had heard of this man before, the one dressed as a bat and only came out to play at night. He was famous all across the new city, they'd called Gotham.

Bruce had been more interested in the 'certain enemy' part. There was no telling what kind of criminals or enemies that lived in Gotham city. Bruce quickly thought back to when he had his first run in with one of Gotham's most deadliest villains. The Joker. He could barely remember what the hell happened, only to be snatched up like a package from the side of the road, injected, and then thrown back out into the street like a dog. Bruce didn't want to think about it any longer. He blamed himself for the casualties that occurred that day. When Bruce moved a little closer to Nat she'd backed away quickly. He didn't bother to advance any closer, because he knew there would've been another gun pointed in his face within seconds. "At this point it's all sightings and gathering intelligence. None of us have been given the green light to go in and take him down yet, which is what we're waiting for. In the meantime, we just have to watch and hope that he doesn't cause anymore trouble than he already has."

Bruce quickly raised his eyebrows at her words. He wanted the Joker to suffer for what he'd done to him. Bruce wanted the Joker to feel the wrath of the Hulk, just like the innocent civilians had when he was injected with Epinephrine and LSD. If only Hulk would've focused his attention on the Joker, then they wouldn't have been having this conversation. "Nat can you do me a favor? I want you to continue filling me in on this 'Joker.' Let me get involved with the mission" asked Bruce as he looked into her swimming pool colored eyes. He knew Natasha could hold her own, but there would've been a certain time when 'brute force' would've been needed.

[Natasha "Black Widow" Romanov]

There was something in the way that Bruce looked at her that made Natasha feel almost uncomfortable to be there with him, alone in his lab. Of course, it wasn't the same lustful look that she often got from the men she targeted for various reasons. There was none of that to be found in his face. Instead there was something that was almost worse, and Natasha was certain that she wasn't wrong in guessing that the good doctor had come to develop feelings for the femme fatale, a foolish thing on his part. After all, there were not too many people aboard the Helicarrier who were more dangerous than she was, aside from Clint, Fury and Maria, perhaps. And Sharon, she added as an after thought. The young agent had proven herself to be a worthy fighter a while back, and so Natasha gladly counted her among the number of people she knew she could rely on in times of trouble. But Bruce really didn't have the faintest clue of what he would be getting into if he tried to become involved with Natasha, which she couldn't allow to happen anyway.

Perhaps that was the reason she was most uncomfortable. While she was able to handle the constant stares of men who she had no interest in, watching them lick their lips in greedy anticipation...she didn't see that in Bruce. Instead there was a genuine look of appreciation and perhaps attraction that she was not at all accustomed to. But then again, the red-head was not used to feeling such emotions at all, which is why she had reacted so poorly in her efforts to deal with Clint only a few days before. Natasha sighed softly. "I cannot tell you anymore than Fury permits," she reasoned, looking up at him with her intense blue orbs. "And you know exactly why."

His conclusion of the Joker being the enemy they were combating was correct, and she truthfully couldn't blame him for wanting to become involved in the entire thing. It had been only a short while since the Hulk had been unleashed in New York after starting a good reputation for helping people during the invasion, coerced into a mad rage by a combination of drugs that had been forced into his system. She knew that Bruce was sure to still feel guilty about the entire mess, which SHIELD was still cleaning up as they stood there. And while she understood, she also knew that the situation was not his fault. This was the very reason that they were hunting the Joker down, attempting to stop him before he found an even more dangerous way of causing pain and chaos, which seemed to be his signature. There was no reasoning with the clown. There was only one thing that would prevent him from continuing, and Natasha was more than willing to be the one who administered the blow, even if Batman protested.