bulletproof

8

Bruce was woken up by being vigorously shaken at the hands of Sam. He squinted up at the ex-army soldier and mumbled something along the lines of, "What's going on?" drowsily.

Natasha's face popped into view, closer than he had expected and he felt a sharp poke against his cheek, waking him up properly, "Why...? Is..." he stammered, straightening his glasses and blinking away sleep.

Sam replied as Nat stood at the door, her arms folded and an impatient look on her face, "Y/N's just gotten out of surgery..." he told him, quietly, as Nat scowled down at the professor.

"Which is something you'd have noticed if you weren't sleeping on your ass the entire time. How can you sleep when your best friend could die?" She snapped, making him shrink back at the intensity of her glare.

He raised his hands above his head in surrender, "I was tired! It's been a stressful day!" And he straightened his shirt collar, adjusting himself up on his chair and clearing his throat, "How long was she in surgery for?"

Nat pointed to a clock hanging on the wall ahead, "You're a professor, why don't you check, dumbass."

Sam looked bewildered from her harsh tone and expressions. He presumed it was because she was tired but...she was Natasha Romanoff, it was impossible to tell.

Bruce got up from his seat and threw his hands above his head, a green tinge creeping u his collar and along his wrists, "I don't know what you want me to say, Natasha!" he exclaimed, nearing her as his eyes flashed green in the irises, "I'm not going to apologise for going to sleep, alright? I'm exhausted! It's been a crappy day, for everyone, but I'm not going to let you get pissed at me for doing the responsible thing and sleeping so that I can have enough energy to actually talk to Y/N without passing out." He took a deep breath at the end, the green travelling from the nape of his neck to his ear and from his wrists to his fingertips.

They stood there, in complete silence, Bruce staring at Nat, Nat glaring back, and Sam looking astonished at the quiet professor's outburst.

Eventually, Bruce stepped back, taking his glasses off and folding them into his breast pocket, stammering a string of excuses for the sharpness of his tone. He looked through the glass door, into the room. There, lying on the bed, lay the unconscious figure of Y/N, with wires attached all across her arms. He softened as he watched her, before turning around, back to Sam and Nat.

"Shouldn't we let the others know?"

Sam nodded, and Nat pulled out Bruce's phone, texting a very brief, very clear message before turning it off and tossing it back at Bruce, who failed to catch it and accidentally dropped it on the floor. She rolled her eyes and walked down to the entrance of the ward, folding her arms in front of her and leaning against the tiled wall.

"Do you want us to head out already?" Sam questioned as he passed her, and she nodded in response, "Cool, we'll go then, come on, Banner."