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When Bruce came to, he found himself in an oversized bed in a room that was well furnished and clean. His stomach immediately turned with uneasiness, unaware of what happened and where he was. Last time he woke up after being Hulked out he was in a Quinjet, on an alien planet. Glancing around for anything familiar, Bruce spotted a side table with folded clothes on top of it along with a slip of paper.
He carefully picked up the bundle of clothes and placed them on his lap before grabbing the paper and flipping it over, seeing a note written there. However, when he began to read it, a low creak came from the door of the room as it opened.
“Banner! You have awoken!” Thor’s large voice shattered the silence that once hung in the unfamiliar room. He quickly stepped into the room and to Bruce’s side, placing his large hands on his shoulders. “The battle is won and your choice to become the Hulk was very valiant of you.” Thor smiled at him, but almost sadly, and Bruce couldn’t wrap his head around why he seemed so sad about a victory. His head continued to pound as he took in Thor’s sudden presence in front of him. His hair was still short like he remembered but his armor was cleaner, sleeker, and darker, and- was he always missing an eye? The scientist raised a shaky hand towards the Asgardians missing right eye, who quickly took it and gently placed it on his right cheek.
“I’m sure you have questions but I have a lot of duties to attend to right now, I’ll answer all of them once I’m done.” Thor removed Bruce's hand from his face and placed a light kiss to his palm.
“Duties?” Bruce asked with a slightly raspy voice, holding Thor’s hand tightly. It was grounding him to these surroundings, this was the only thing he knew here. The god let out a brief chuckle.
“Yes, being a king certainly keeps you busy.” He placed a kiss on the other man's forehead before leaving his side. “I promise, all your questions will be mine to answer once I return.” With that, Thor slid out the door leaving Bruce to a lonely room once more. He quickly looked down at the clothes in his lap and focused his attention back to the note left with them.
‘Some Asgardian robes for your Asgardian stay.’
“Asgard?” He raised an eyebrow, looking out the large window of the room. Nowhere in sight was the warm golden planet Bruce saw before, but the cold darkness of space stretched as far as the eye could see. If they won against Hela, why weren’t they on Asgard? Bruce quickly dressed in the robes and left the room, unable to wait for Thor to answer his endless amount questions.
However now Bruce was just walking aimlessly around the spaceship that was currently Asgard.
He’s gathered bits and pieces on what happened during the battle for Asgard. Loki brought the Sakaar contenders with this ship to the fight, that Hulk took on the legendary father of wolves Fenris and that Ragnarok brought the end of Hela and Asgard itself. But weren’t they trying to prevent Ragnarok?
Bruce rubbed his temples as he leaned against a wall. No one seemed to be able to fully explain what happened or why, his only hope for answers was Brunnhilde, Loki or Thor. None of which were to be found.
Bruce moved off the wall and slowly tried to backtrack his way to the room he woke up in. He shook hands and mingled shortly with each Asgardian that approached him, many of them thanked him, calling him a hero. Quickly feeling overwhelmed with all the praise, Bruce wandered farther and farther away from people and towards the back of the ship.
Never was he praised or thanked for being the Hulk. Not from anyone but the Avengers, and even then it was pats on the back, nods and nonchalant “job well done”’s. His heart ached with joy, anger, and sadness all at once.
Becoming the Hulk always felt like a chore to Bruce. Losing himself over to the big guy to save the day, never knowing when he’ll come to or ever fully remembering what happened as the Hulk. Being the Hulk was something Bruce had to force himself to do, but on Asgard, he chose to jump out the ship and down to the rainbow bridge. He chose to risk losing himself to the Hulk forever to help protect Asgard from Hela’s army of undead. He chose to be the Hulk.
Bruce stopped walking, clenching his fist over his chest, wadding together the robes that laid there. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the floor of the ship, as he took in the fact that he chose to become the thing about him he has despised the most. He had a choice for once and he made his decision, regardless of the end results. Is that why he woke up in the end? Because he accepted the Hulk?
Wiping away heavy tears he didn’t realize he had, Bruce began to laugh softly. Perhaps he and the Hulk could work together after all. He continued walking while wiping the tears that continued to fall from his eyes. He held himself tightly as the hallway he walked down reached an end. There was no one around this part of the ship, it was slightly darker than the rest of the blue-lit hull had been. Bruce sniffed as he looked right and left, deciding which turn he would make to continue his trudge through Asgard.
He opted for the left and continued down the endless hallways until he came across a large bay window, that showed off the galaxy they were traveling through with such beauty that Bruce stopped in his tracks just to stare. Space always made him feel cold and alone, but this view gave Bruce warmth, it made him feel safe in some way.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” A voice came from in front of Bruce. Thor sat in front of the bay window on the floor, looking over his shoulder at Bruce. Bruce wiped away another tear before nodding. The god waved the doctor over, inviting him to sit on the ground with him. “No matter how many sights I see, a new one seems to always beat the last one.” Thor took Bruce’s hand once he was close enough, pulling him into an embrace.
“Tell me about them,” Bruce whispered into Thor’s neck as they sat on the ground, wrapped in a hug. “About the sights you’ve seen, please?” Thor smiled softly while running his hand through Bruce’s dark curls, he turned Bruce around so the man faced the large window, sitting in between the Asgardians legs.
“There’s plenty of sights I’ve seen. Like the seemingly endless orchards of Alfheim, realm of the elves. With fairies and mermaid lagoons, bright sunshine and colors, it looks like a paradise.” Thor leaned forward and gently placed his hands over Bruce’s eyes, “Imagine it, the smell of champagne springs and flowers.” He shut his one good eye as well and took in a deep breath, feeling Bruce’s eyelashes move under his hands.
“Vanaheim houses the Vanir, sister to us Asgardians, and home of Frigga, my mother. The vast forests and stone buildings, the sense of sorcery in the air. Seeing the tall statues in the City of Vanaheim is my favorite thing to see with each visit.” Thor slowly removed his hands from Bruce’s face, knowing his eyes would remain close as he clasped their hands together. “Even on Sakaar. We were a little busy at the moment,” Thor smirked a bit before sticking his nose into Bruce’s curls, “But thinking back, the market full of different people and species. I’ve never seen a sight, quite like it.”
He loosened his grip on Bruce once Thor felt the other man move around in front of him. He turned his body so he faced Thor, his legs settled over Thor’s and stuck straight behind him, he gently placed a hand on Thor’s right cheek, his eyes studying the eyepatch that covered the eye Thor had there before they arrived at Asgard.
“Was it all worth it?”
He didn’t say any more than that, but he didn’t need to for Thor to understand what he meant.
“Yes. All of it was.” The God stated firmly, grabbing Bruce by his cheeks, making sure their eye contact remained.
“Then why does your voice hold such sorrow?”
Thor’s jaw clenched and a breath he was holding in finally released itself, a small weight lifted from his chest. He smiled sadly and looked at the man in front of him with the most honest expression he could muster. One that told all he was feeling without the use of words because of course Bruce Banner would notice that something was wrong with him.
“Asgard is gone,” Thor whispered, lowering his grip to Bruce’s upper arms. “Although my father’s words speak true, that Asgard is the people, not a place, those buildings were the only home I ever knew.” He absentmindedly rubbed his thumbs back and forth on the soft material of Bruce’s robes. Thor felt a weight of loss deep in his chest for the last few days, one he’s never felt before and one he hasn’t been able to grief over.
Taking Bruce’s left hand, Thor placed it over his chest where he felt the center of the pain and loss. “I can’t help but feel…. responsible. That I failed Asgard as its prince, even if Asgard was saved in some sense, lives were still lost.” He let out a shaky breath, shuffling closer to the reach of the other man. “Innocent people, trained warriors, people I considered friends. Family even.” He blinked wetly, a few tears escaping.
Bruce curled the hand Thor held into a fist, causing the leather armor there to bend a little, “Tell me about who you’ve lost.” Bruce whispered, coming closer to Thor, wrapping his legs around his waist.
“Their names were Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun,” Thor looked past Bruce’s face and out the bay window, remembering his friend’s faces vividly. “They were some of the best warriors of Asgard, called The Warriors Three. With Lady Sif, they were a powerful force on the battlefield, and remarkable friends.” He looked back down at Bruce. “They were there for me when I first visited Earth. They,” Thor stopped himself as a few tears began to fall from his eye. He blinked them away before continuing. “After Odin fell into the Odinsleep, they defied the throne to warn me of Loki’s trickery.”
“So Loki has always been after the throne?” Bruce joked lightly, wiping a tear away from Thor’s eye while shedding a few himself. Thor smiled softly and nodded knowingly.
“Yes, so much so he sent a weapon of Asgard to Earth to kill us all.” He took Bruce’s hand off his chest and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles. “He sent the Destroyer, and the four fought together, as I was without my powers. Even though they couldn’t defeat it, they stood by my side, traveled to me and believed in me.” He dropped their hands into his lap, tears falling harder as Thor recalled their times together. “In a way that no one else did.”
Thor shook his head, he’s never let himself break down or open this much up to anyone. But with Bruce, it's easy to, easy to talk and to listen. To tell him how he feels at any given moment. Thor knew that Bruce would only be kind and supporting to how he was acting and feeling right now. Bruce gently kissed his cheek, and nodded as if he knew exactly what Thor was thinking right then, “Take your time.” He whispered.
Thor nodded in response, letting out stuttered breaths, his mind moving fast between the memories of his best friends and the man in front of him. As the events of Ragnarok and Hela calmed, he had been tasked to recount the Asgardian population, counting the wounded and dead. He wanted to commemorate each life lost by learning as many names as he could, to make a monument of the losses from Ragnarok. However, in the seemingly endless list, the new king came across his friend's names and had to step away after learning of their fates.
“I was told of how Volstagg and Fandral fell by Hela’s hands, as soon as she entered Asgard, wondering where I had been.” Thor rubbed his eye in furastion and frowned deeply. “How Hogun stood with the Einherjar and fought until his last breath. And Sif held off Hela’s final entrance to the palace with all her might.” Bruce quickly wraps his arms around Thor’s neck, “Even without me there, they believed in me as they awaited my return with Odin.” Tightening his hold around Thor, Bruce began to hug him as sobs escaped Thor’s mouth.
The pair sat there for a while. Bruce holding Thor close as he sobbed, shedding his own empathic tears. Cries and whispered words of reassurance echoed down the halls surrounding them, yet they were seemingly in their own little pocket of the universe.
“They’ll never get a proper burial.” Thor breathed, tugging at Bruce’s robes, clawing to get closer to his embrace. Bruce didn’t know much about Asgards traditions with life and death but judging on how Thor was reacted to this realization, burials were an important tradition. He did vaguely remember Thor telling of when the Dark Elves attacked Asgard, how his mother fell during the strife and the large ceremony that followed it. With fire lit boats guiding their souls to Valhalla.
“Surely there’s something we can do in place of a ceremony.” Bruce pulled away from Thor’s hold to look him in the eye. “I know it's not the same necessarily…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words for this situation.
Thor just stared at Bruce, blinking slowly as the man tumbled over his words. He grabbed Bruce’s shoulders, placed a kiss on his nose before pulling back with a bright smile. “Banner you’re really a genius!” He shuffled out from under Bruce and stood, pacing around a circle within the bay window.
Bruce watched Thor pace with a raised eyebrow and a million questions on his mind. “How?” Was all he could come up with.
“There’s a prayer!” Thor grabbed the hands of the still sitting Bruce, pulling him up to a stand. “The warrior's prayer for those lost to battle.” His smile fell as he met Bruce’s gaze, “Join me in it, Beloved.”
“How does it go?” Bruce tightened his hold on Thor’s hands. He led them by sitting again, but on his knees this time, Bruce copied his every move very closely. The pair sat next to each other, facing the window towards the endless view of space.
“Close your eyes and clear that busy mind you have.” They both closed their eyes in unison, each taking deep breaths. Bruce felt on edge in the silence with closed eyes, waiting for Thor to tell him what to do next, but instead, he began to speak.“ Lo, there do I see my Father.” Thor began quietly, “Lo, there do I see my Mother and my Brothers and my Sisters.” Bruce listened closely to each word that hung in the air, clearing his mind of everything but the tale Thor has just told him of Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Sif. “Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning. Lo, they do call to me.”
“Volstagg,” Thor’s voice wavered, “Fandral, Hogun, and Sif.” He cleared his throat, holding the names of his friends close to his heart. “I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever.” A heavy sigh escaped from his lips, “Nor shall we mourn but rejoice, for those that have died the glorious death.” Silence hanged in the air once again as Thor finished. They sat still with their eyes closed, tears slowly falling off their cheeks and onto their knees.
Bruce repeated the last sentence of the prayer to himself before opening his eyes. He wiped away his stray tears before reaching over for Thor’s hand. The touch startled him out of the small trance he was in, “Are you ok?” He nodded in response, lifting Bruce’s hand to his mouth to place a firm kiss on his knuckles.
“I will be.” Bruce grinned at the contentment in his voice, leaned over and kissed Thor shyly. Thor pressed into the kiss but didn’t let it linger. “Thank you,” he whispered close to Bruce’s lips before pulling away. The two sat there, sharing small kisses as their tears subsided, not a word spoken between them. Bruce was afraid to break the moment but a yawn escaped his mouth, his eyes feeling heavy. Thor merely laughed and stood up, dragging Bruce along with him.
“All of this must be very exhausting for you, let’s get you back to bed.” He intertwined their hands and began the walk back to Bruce’s room.
“So,” Bruce began suddenly, “Did I really fight Fenris, and win?”