Natasha watched the way Bruce was practically vibrating with anxiety. She wondered - not for the first time - what it was like to live constantly on the edge of a void, knowing that anything could tip him into it and he’d lose time, trapped in darkness waiting for Hulk to be finished. She assumed that he had been the Hulk for a long time, at least a year from what he’d said and if he’d been the Hulk ever since he’d flown off in the Quinjet…
“Hulk was a champion in space gladiators?” She asked, the words feeling strange on her lips. She wondered just how much was out there that they didn’t know, just how much was going on in the vastness of the Universe and just how… unprepared and inexperienced humanity was to face all of that. How they were not at all ready for what was coming their way.
She tilted her head, lips quirking up a little. “Pretty much history?” She asked, “You couldn’t be more vague if you tried.”
At his stumble compliment, Natasha laughed softly and ducked her gaze, coquettish and gentle. Flattered, as she was supposed to be. “I’m well aware I’ve looked better,” she told him, “but thank you for lying to me.”