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Abruptly, the elevator stopped moving with a clang.
Bruce glanced up nervously. He already didn't do so hot in enclosed spaces, and he hoped to God the lift hadn't broken. Might as well hope to the god in the lift with him, while he was at it.
Thor looked around, frowning at the sudden stillness. "Why have we ceased movement?" he demanded, prodding at the elevator buttons. Bruce steered his hand away.
"I think the elevator broke," he said, vaguely irritated. "They'll realise before long and send someone to get us out."
Thor frowned, tossing Mjolnir from hand to hand. "You Midgardians have such unreliable technology. Why don't I merely free us myself?"
He made a move as if to throw Mjolnir, and Bruce stopped him. "Thor, you'll wreck the mechanism. I don't want to cause anyone any trouble."
Studying Bruce's face, Thor nodded solemnly. "I accept that. How long do you believe we will be trapped?"
Tapping his foot, Bruce looked around at the small space. It really was tiny, he noted worriedly, anxiety growing.
"Hard to say. Hopefully not long."
Thor sniffed almost disdainfully. "Stark would have never allowed this to occur."
"Not everyone takes the same care in electronics that Tony does, Thor," Bruce replied almost laughingly. They were in a government building in order to negotiate damage caused by their most recent fight. Bruce had wondered why they'd send such an odd pairing as him and Thor, but the other Avengers (the ones who weren't recovering in bed and super mad about it, i.e. Tony) were all busy trying to placate other government officials and deal with all the bad press. In any case, Steve (knowing full well of Bruce's slightly fluttery feelings towards Thor) had given him a wide grin and a thumbs up right after announcing their tasks, supposedly meaning that it was fairly intentional. Tony had also given him a ridiculously overdramatic wink when he went in to check on him, which suggested that he had Stark to blame.
At least their actual meeting had gone well. No one had threatened to report Bruce to General Ross - well, one person had tried, but Thor had raised Mjolnir at them threateningly enough that they quickly stopped. There'd been no other incidents, and Thor's familiarity with (albeit royal) diplomacy came in handy.
So it had gone well. Up to this point, trapped in a lift.
"So, uh," Bruce began slightly awkwardly. "How... how you been?"
Thor threw his head back and laughed, making Bruce feel even more awkward, before clapping him on the shoulder. "No need to be so formal, Banner! You and I are friends, are we not?"
Relaxing his shoulders and joining in Thor's laughter, Bruce nodded. "Of course we are. Small spaces just make me sort of uncomfy."
Thor dropped to sit on the floor, patting the space beside him to invite Bruce to sit as well, which he obligingly did. "I was under the impression that you're used to working in very crowded areas."
"I am, but the thing about that is its crowded, but its open. There's always an escape route should I need one. Its spaces like this, where its small and enclosed and I can't get out. Thats what freaks me out."
"Feeling trapped makes you uncomfortable?"
"You got it."
"That is a valid fear, Banner. Few warriors enjoy being confined to chains, metaphorical or otherwise."
Bruce snorted. "I'm hardly a warrior." Shocked, Thor looked at him like he was crazy.
"Banner, you are one of the finest warriors I know! Few could bear the burden you carry, and even fewer could help others whilst carrying the burden. Never doubt that you are a mighty warrior indeed."
Blinking, Bruce scratched the back of his neck and tried to calm the pleased fluttering his stomach had begun. "Thanks, Thor."
Before either of them could say anything else, a speaker on the panel of buttons crackled, and a voice flickered from it. "You guys okay in there?"
Thor seemed to want to poke at the panel again, and Bruce held his hand still. "We're fine," he replied, not seeing a button for a microphone anywhere and hoping they could pick up his voice.
"Doctor Banner, you... okay?" There was a tone in the voice that made it unmistakeable that they were concerned about a code green, and Bruce rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine," he assured them. "Got it under control."
"Alright," the voice continued, sounding skeptical. "Well, we're trying to find the problem so we can fix it. Are you guys okay with staying in there for a while?"
"How long do you intend?" Thor asked.
"However long it takes our technicians to resolve the issue. But don't worry, they're very well trained and I'm sure you'll be out in no time."
Bruce felt a little disheartened at the idea of being trapped in the elevator for longer than a few minutes, but he nodded. Then he remembered that they couldn't see him, and spoke. "Okay, thank you."
There was another crackle, and Bruce assumed that meant the conversation had ended.
"My apologies to you, Banner," Thor said a little sadly after a few seconds had passed with neither of them saying a word. Bruce looked at him in confusion.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"Us remaining trapped in this device."
"Thor, its hardly your fault."
"The possibility is there," Thor replied, sounding so mournful that Bruce couldn't help but feel a little bad. "The electricity I conduct could have... what is the word?"
"Short-circuited?" Bruce supplied.
"Indeed, short-circuited the technology."
"Thor, if that were true, wouldn't you have broken every lift you've ever stepped foot in? Or, for that matter, every electrical object you've ever picked up?"
Thor frowned. "I suppose you're right."
Patting Thor's arm comfortingly, Bruce smiled. "Yeah. Its not your fault, don't worry. No one I'd rather be trapped in a lift with, anyway." Okay, maybe that was a little sappy, but it returned Thor's familiar beam to his face, so it was worth it. "Hey, we're gonna be here for a while. You wanna play something?"
"Like what?" Thor asked interestedly.
"Go Fish?" Bruce replied, digging in his pocket and retrieving a pack of cards. He doubted Thor would know what Go Fish was, but he just nodded happily.
He did ask "Why do you have those?", though, and Bruce laughed.
"You never know what you'll pick up on your travels," he told him cryptically. He wasn't going to tell him that the actual reason he had them was losing a game of poker to a Tony high off his ass on pain meds the night before, and Tony triumphantly signing one of the cards and passing them to him in a show of "mercy". He'd let Tony win. He was worried that his morphine-addled self would start crying if he lost, and it would be embarrassing if Bruce, master of controlling his emotion, had genuinely lost a game of poker, the game of controlling emotion and reactions. Or at least, thats what he was telling himself. In truth he just sort of sucked at poker.
Ten minutes later, after a lengthy explanation of what Go Fish actually was and how to play it, they were sat cross-legged on the floor, demanding cards from one another.
"Why is this card signed by Stark?" Thor asked, looking curiously at the card he picked up, and Bruce groaned. Maybe he'd have to tell the poker story after all.
"Which card?" he asked, and Thor flipped it round to show the two of hearts, signed by Tony and with a little drawing of either himself or Bruce on both of the hearts. "Well, you know Tony. He'll sign anything vaguely paper-ish wafted in his direction."
"A fair point," Thor agreed, tucking the card into his deck. "What do you desire from my cards, friend Banner?"
"You got any twos?" Bruce asked, eyes twinkling as Thor frowned, rootling through his cards for the three twos he had tucked away.
"How did you know?" he asked as he passed over the cards and Bruce collected his twos into a little pile, before looking at Thor meaningfully. "Ah. I recognize my mistake. I showed you the... That's sneaky, Banner. I admire it."
Bruce hid a smile, glancing quickly down at his cards. "Your turn."
"Fives?"
"Go fish."
Thor muttered a curse to himself as he picked a card out of the pile, before smiling and putting it with his other cards. "Banner, may I ask you a question?"
Bruce's stomach flipped, but he nonchalantly leaned back on one hand and regarded his cards. "Sure. Any eights there, bud?"
"Begin fishing!"
Bruce rolled his eyes at Thor's glee, but gestured for him to continue with his question as he leaned forward and grabbed a card, flipping it to show it to Thor.
"Ah, yes. I was wondering - can you feel Hulk's presence and thoughts in your mind? Or are you and he entirely separate consciousnesses? Also, may I please acquire that nine you just picked up?"
"You're so polite I'm not even annoyed," Bruce grumbled good-naturedly, passing Thor the card, before leaning back on his hand again. "Yeah, I can feel Hulk. All the time, actually. We're always fighting for control, so he's generally near the forefront of my mind. Its kind of hard to explain."
"You're doing a wonderful job," Thor commented, looking fascinated. Bruce smiled.
"Thanks. A lot of the time it just feels like pressure behind my eyes, but its sort of like theres a pocket in my brain where Hulk's consciousness exists, you know? I sometimes hear little snippets of his thoughts, or he deliberately pushes his thoughts onto me to make a comment on something I'm doing or someone I'm talking to. We can't really... communicate, though. I'm sure if we sat down and actually tried, we could talk to each other, but neither of us like the other enough to bother."
"Can you transfer thoughts to him, when he is the one in control?"
Bruce frowned. "I assume so. I sort of have vague recollections of telling him stuff, but on the whole I don't remember much at all when he's in control. And I have no clue whether he, you know, actually listens to me."
Thor looked curiously at Bruce for a minute, tilting his head as though it would help him take in the sight. "You fascinate me, Banner," he informed him, and Bruce wasn't quite sure how to respond.
"Uh, thanks? I think..."
"Of course I do not mean it in a bad way," Thor quickly clarified. "You are just... so very strong, its amazing."
"Can't help but feel you've mixed up me and Hulk there."
"No, I mean you. Hulk, of course, is physically overpowering - although naturally I am stronger than he is-"
"He wouldn't like to hear you say that."
"- but you are so very strong for having this destructive force become an integral part of your existence, and yet remain yourself."
Bruce shrugged. "Its more like he's always been a part of me, and the gamma accident just created him as his own... being. We're a little like yin and yang, I guess. You can't have one without the other."
"Do you resent him?"
"Yeah," Bruce replied with almost no hesitation. "But he hates me too. Both of us want to exist at once, but with the way we are its just not possible. So we're always fighting, always at odds. Its exhausting. The worst bit is that everyone always wants us for each other, in a way. People only care about me because I house the Hulk, and I guess he thinks I only let him out when I need him."
Thor leaned forward, more interested than anyone else had been when Bruce tried to explain just how it felt for him and, presumably, Hulk. His cards lay by his side, forgotten. "I care about you both immensely as individuals, if that assists in any way. And I can't imagine how awful it must feel to always be at war with yourself," he said softly, brushing a strand of blond hair out of his eyes. Bruce chuckled.
"Thanks, Thor. I mean, we've caused each other a lot of pain over the years, but I've gotten a lot more used to him being in my brain. Doesn't mean I like him any more, though."
"Perhaps you should attempt a conversation with him and find his perspective on your situation. It could improve your opinions of one another."
Bruce gave Thor an appraising look, before chuckling. "See, this is why theres no one else I'd want to be stuck here with. Hey, how long do you think we've been here, anyway?"
As if on cue, the speaker crackled again, and the same voice as before returned. "Hey, guys. So, its taking a lot longer than we'd anticipated to fix this problem. I just wanted to check that you're both doing okay in there. Doctor Banner, we still good?"
Bruce rolled his eyes and leaned over to Thor to whisper "its like they don't know I've been dealing with this for years," and trying to ignore the fact that Thor smelled like rain, and it was super distracting, before talking louder in the direction of the speaker. "Yeah, we're still fine here. Any estimate on time?"
"Not sure. Could be a few hours yet."
"Great," Bruce muttered to himself, before speaking up again. "Keep us updated, okay?"
"Will do." The speaker crackled, and the voice disappeared.
"Well, thats great," Bruce said to Thor, who looked a touch concerned.
"Will you be okay?" the god asked worriedly, brows pulling together, and Bruce waved his concern away as best he could.
"Don't worry about me. I'm used to less-than-ideal conditions. Are you okay?"
"I'm excellent," Thor replied genuinely. "But the urge to free us from here with Mjolnir continues to grow."
"If they can't get us out before long, go ahead," Bruce told him, and chuckled when Thor grinned, before his smile dropped back into a frown.
"Banner, may I ask you another question?"
"We can play twenty questions, if you'd prefer," Bruce joked back, assuming they were finished with Go Fish and starting to shuffle the cards back into the box. "But sure, shoot."
"Are you, perhaps, attracted to males?"
Bruce's fingers stilled as they closed around the ace of clubs, and he looked cautiously at Thor whilst shoving it back with the rest. "What are you asking me that for?" he asked, not defensively, but immediately worrying thats how it came across.
".... Interest?"
Bruce raised an eyebrow but reached to grab Thor's discarded deck. "Well, I'm bi. I thought you knew that?"
Thor shook his head, but his eyes were sparking with... excitement? Feeling his pulse speed up just slightly, Bruce told himself firmly to calm down and not get his hopes up in terms of Thor's theoretical feelings towards him.
"Well," Bruce continued, clearing his throat. "What else can we do in this empty elevator for god knows how long?"
"You don't have any other intriguing objects hidden away in your pockets?" Thor asked, and Bruce patted down his pockets, retrieving only a bouncy ball pressed onto him by one of Clint's children last time he visited. It was purple with swirls of green, and Lila had proudly announced that it reminded her of him. He'd been strangely flattered, particularly considering he didn't exactly know the Bartons that well.
"Only this," he admitted, pulling it out of his pocket and showing Thor, who took it and began examining it.
"What is it?"
"Bouncy ball. Asgard not have those?"
Experimentally, Thor threw the ball at the wall with perhaps a little too much force, and it bounced back and smacked Bruce square in the eye, making him shout a curse and stumble back.
"Banner!" he cried, concerned, rushing to Bruce's side. "My apologies, I didn't know!"
Bruce waved him away with the hand not occupied with cupping his eye. "Thor, its fine, I promise. It just shocked me, thats all."
"But you're injured," Thor protested.
"It'll just be a black eye. I've had plenty, don't worry."
Thor blinked disapprovingly. "Well, that statement is concerning enough in itself."
"Your worry is sweet, but I'm okay. It barely even disturbed Hulk, thats how little of an issue this is."
"If you're sure..." Thor allowed, but he was still pouting with worry.
"So thus far in this situation, we've played Go Fish, had a heart to heart and you've given me a black eye," Bruce said mildly. "Whatever next? I'm even getting used to the space a little." That was a lie, he still hated it, but he wanted Thor to worry as little as possible.
"Things certainly aren't boring," Thor agreed, glancing around them once again at the blank box of the elevator.
"So, revenge question for you."
"Hm?"
"Are you attracted to men?"
Thor nodded, not even thinking about it. "On Asgard, very few discriminate their attraction by gender. We simply like whomever we like."
"Asgard sounds a lot better than Earth," Bruce laughed, and Thor laughed with him, before they both stopped and stared at one another. "So."
"So."
"We're both attracted to guys."
"Indeed we are."
Bruce nodded slowly, hand still cupped over his aching eye. "Good to know."
The air was thick with something a lesser fanfiction writer would describe merely as sexual tension, but a better fanfiction writer wouldn't reference at all. We're right in the sweet spot.
Bruce blinked himself out of his meta moment, looking back at Thor and once again telling himself to not get his hopes up, before leaning down to pick his bouncy ball back up.
"Why do you have that?" Thor asked, and the moment had officially passed.
"Lila gave it to me. You know, Clint's daughter."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"I was visiting them with Nat. She dragged me along, said she wanted me to get out of the lab for a bit."
Thor paused. "Are you and Romanoff..."
"What? Oh, no, no. There was a while where we almost got together, but it didn't.. it didn't work out. What can you do, you know? She's a good friend."
Nodding, Thor seemed almost relieved.
"Its not even that I like or intend to spend so much time in the lab," Bruce explained, unnecessarily. "I much prefer being out in the field, actually helping people. But the Avengers need me, so once again, what can you do?"
"I'm sure we could handle situations were you to take a break and do what you enjoy," Thor offered, but Bruce smiled and shook his head.
"Thanks, but things have changed too much. I'm helping in a different way now, anyway. Besides, I think the government much prefers having me here where they can constantly keep an eye on me, rather than losing me somewhere they don't have their gnarled claws sunk into. Makes Ross mad that I'm so close and he can't steal me away to experiment on, so thats a bonus." Bruce laughed hollowly.
"Experiment on...?"
Shit. "Shit. Forget I said that."
"If this Ross has hurt you in any way..." Thor began threateningly, grabbing Mjolnir and gripping the handle tightly.
"Old wounds, Thor. He hasn't done anything to me since I joined the Avengers. Too scared of what they'll do to him, I guess. Or what I'll do to him."
"Shall I make him pay anyway?" Thor asked, throwing his hammer from hand to hand, and Bruce laid a hand on his arm placatingly.
"Much as I'd love to see that, we could do without the government breathing down our throats right now."
Thor stopped and sighed, before smiling at Bruce so gently it utterly dried up Bruce's mouth and made him chuckle nervously. "I will accept that for you, Banner. But do not think I'll forget this!"
"I know, Thor. Anyway, hey, we've talked loads about me. Lets talk about you for a bit."
"About what, exactly?"
"Uhh.." Bruce looked through his brain for a suitable topic, and landed on something that made his heart ache but was acceptable for a friend to ask about. "How's Jane?"
"Ah. Jane and I have... parted ways."
Fuck, wrong topic choice. "Oh. Sorry to hear that."
"She was delightful, but having her as merely a friend is just as fulfilling. Besides, it leaves my romantic prospects open for someone else."
"Anyone you've got your eye on?" Shit, this topic really was making his heart hurt.
"Well, yes. Someone I know fairly well, I'd like to think." An Avenger, maybe? Or, more likely, someone from Asgard.
"Anyone I'd know?"
"I'd hope so."
"Come on, describe them to me." So Bruce could feel shitty about how much better they were than him, and eventually get over Thor.
To his surprise, Thor went a little red and avoided eye contact. "Shall we change the subject?" he suggested, and Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"If you want."
Fuck, that was going to stress him out now he knew for certain Thor had feelings for someone.
Stupid schoolboy crush, Banner. he told himself firmly. Get over yourself. Stop being ridiculous.
"So... how's Loki? Still trying to kill people?" he tried. Thor looked melancholy again, eyes downcast.
"Loki died," he said brusquely, and Bruce winced. Shit, he really was hitting all the wrong nerves today.
"God, Thor. I'm so sorry."
"You weren't to know," Thor replied, smiling sadly, and a pang went through Bruce's chest. "Besides! I hold out hope that he will return."
Internally, Bruce wondered how the hell someone could come back from the dead, but then he reminded himself that this was Loki, in which case there was a good chance he'd pop back up to cause trouble at some point.
"Still, I should probably stop picking topics. I somehow keep choosing all the wrong ones," Bruce joked.
"Well," Thor said, clearly about to not blame Bruce whatsoever, and Bruce raised an eyebrow, making him change track. "Perhaps so. But then, I did blacken your eye."
"Tit for tat. Or an eye for an eye, I guess."
"How far do you believe they've got in fixing the problem?" Thor asked. "Mjolnir itches to free us."
"You mean you're bored and you want out of here already."
"That is... a not incorrect way to look at it."
"Don't worry. Me too. Only so much you can do in an elevator before you start going crazy, huh?"
"Perhaps I'm already crazy," Thor said, and Bruce blinked at him. "Crazy for love."
"Oh my god. I thought you wanted to change the subject."
"Maybe I want to change it back!"
"Alright then. Hit me. Give me hints, I'll try and guess who it is." Well, might as well torture himself while he was at it. "So its someone you know, and presumably someone I know too."
"Aye. They have dark hair."
So that ruled out Steve. "Still could be a lot of people, Thor."
Thor hummed for a second as he thought. "They're very sweet."
"Again, not narrowing it down much." Except maybe ruling out Natasha.
"One of the strongest people I know."
"You work alongside superhumans."
"A truly kind-hearted individual."
"If it wasn't for the dark hair I'd say Steve."
"Unbelievably intelligent."
"You're not very good at this."
Thor chuckled. "Perhaps not. How about something more specific - they're a scientist."
Fuck, it was Tony, wasn't it? "Okay..."
"He's an Avenger."
Shit, definitely Tony.
"He's- Banner, are you absolutely sure you're unaware of who I speak of?"
"Its... its Tony, isn't it?"
Thor stared at him in amazement, before throwing his head back and roaring with laughter. Bruce couldn't help but feel stupid.
"While Stark is a wonderful friend and teammate, I feel nothing for him beyond that."
"Oh?"
"For one of the smartest men I know, you can be awfully slow, Banner," Thor said, but there was no malice. Bruce just didn't want to get his hopes up too high, only to end up being disappointed and alone.
"Just tell me, then," Bruce replied irritably, and Thor gazed at him for a minute, before placing Mjolnir on the ground and crossing the short space between them. Before Bruce could react, Thor's hands were on his face, and almost immediately they were kissing, and every nerve in Bruce's body short-circuited.
It was over all too soon when Thor stepped back, almost nervous. Thor had never seemed nervous in all the time Bruce had known him.
"I haven't overstepped my boundaries, have I, Banner? I want to be sure that you know I respect your decision, and I-"
Bruce shook his head, nerves still fizzing and frayed. He stepped forward and cut Thor off with another kiss.
It wasn't long before things escalated somewhat, particularly with Thor involved, and Bruce found himself shoved against the wall of the elevator, making out with Thor like his life depended on it.
But a crackle from the speakers interrupted them.
"Hey, you guys! We've fixed the issue, and you should be good to go. You alright in there?"
Bruce pulled breathlessly away from Thor, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, we're good!" he gasped, heart thrumming through his chest. He felt like a young man again, still reeling from the realization that Thor not only liked him but pushed him against the wall of a lift and began making out with him. That stuff only happened in movies. Or bad fanfiction.
"Doctor Banner, are you sure? You sound out of breath."
"I'm fine!" Bruce squeaked, and Thor chuckled, winding his arm around Bruce's and interlinking their fingers.
"Okay... well, just press the button again and everything should be working. Sorry for all the inconvenience!"
"It was no trouble at all," Thor assured them calmly, prodding the button for the ground floor. They both sighed in relief as the elevator picked itself up and began its descent again.
"Thank god," Bruce said, before fully processing that he and Thor were holding hands. "Okay, wait, let me clarify. You like me?"
"Aye."
"And I like you."
"Hopefully."
"So we like each other."
"That seems to be the outcome." Thor beamed.
"So do you want to like... get coffee, or something?"
Thor grinned at him as the lift clanged to a halt again, but this time with the doors opening onto the building lobby. They stepped out gratefully into the fresh air. "Coffee would be wonderful."
Later, when Bruce was reading a book by Tony's bedside - at Pepper's request, she had to attend some meetings and didn't want Tony to be lonely, much as he insisted he would be fine on his own - Tony glanced around furtively before beckoning Bruce closer to him.
Bruce raised an eyebrow but closed his book and leaned in close. "What is it?"
"Got a secret for you," Tony said, tapping his nose. "You know when you and Point Break got trapped in that elevator?"
"It was yesterday, Tony. I remember it pretty well."
"I hacked into the system."
"What?"
Tony laughed. "I hacked into the building and tapped into the microphone of the elevator you were in, and then jammed the mechanism."
Bruce's eyebrows drew together. "So you trapped us in the elevator and then listened to our conversations. Cool invasion of privacy there."
"Yeah, but you and Point Break are a thing now, right? So, therefore, you can't be mad. I fixed your sexual tension."
"I can still be mad," Bruce defended, but Tony was right. He was far too pleased by the prospect of his coffee date with Thor on Saturday. "You know I hate enclosed spaces."
"Well, it was a dick move on my part. But no harm, no foul. Now you have a god to dick you down."
A flush crept up Bruce's cheeks and he slapped Tony's arm. "Hey!"
"You know I'm right. Now shoo, I'm injured. I need my rest."
"Only if you promise not to hack into any more of my conversations."
"I'm an artist, Bruce. It's my craft," Tony protested. "But yeah, I promise."
"Good."
"And also, hey, fucking Go Fish? Not the master of romance, huh?"
Without saying anything, Bruce rolled his eyes and picked up his book, abandoning Tony to hack into someone elses love life.
"Nice black eye, by the way!" Tony yelled at his retreating back, and Bruce flipped him the bird as he left, exiting the hospital ward to snickering laughs.
He didn't care. He had a Thor to meet.