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1. The Save
This Avengers thing is still kinda new to everyone but one thing Bruce doesn’t quite understand is how he could be so loved despite the monster inside of him. The Avengers had just finished destroying another tragic attempt to take over New York and he was mentally recovering from being The Hulk. As he sits in his lab personally made for him which, what the hell Tony, Bruce hears a voice almost hesitantly call for him. “Banner?”
He internally sighs, hoping it’s not another request for him to somehow debrief memories that aren’t his. “Yes” he calls out, “you can come in!”. He watches the door slowly creak open as a black boot steps inside.
“I just wanted to make sure my good friend is doing well after such a worthy opponent!” Thor exclaims cheerfully. Bruce zones out for a second, wondering how the god can have so much energy right after a battle. The voice in his lab draws his attention back, Thor going on about a great catch from someone.
He sits for a second trying to gather his thoughts. “Huh? Oh yes I’m doing fine, what’s this about saving?” He entertains the god. He assumes that ignoring Thor will only make him continue talking and he’s about five minutes away from dissociating completely.
They sit in silence for a moment, Bruce assumes Thor is trying to gather his thoughts but when he looks over, the god seems to be staring at him with an emotion he can’t decipher in his eyes.
“You my friend, your counterpart saved me from what would’ve been a tragic fate!” He hears just before he zones out again. Transitioning back into Bruce Banner always leaves him a little loopy but he thinks he just heard Thor say that the hulk saved him?
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” He thinks he hears himself ask.
The scientist hears Thor sigh now, obviously confused as to why this seems to be an issue. “Your counterpart saved me, my friend, is there a problem?” He doesn’t quite know how to say “Yes there’s something wrong, the hulk only cares for himself!!!” so he keeps quiet as Thor keeps talking about how heroic the hulk is.
Eventually, Thor seems to understand that the brunette isn’t really listening and makes his way out so Bruce can finally spiral about what this all means in peace.
2. Just Like Home
Thor knows he doesn’t technically have to stay on earth with the rest of the avengers but he worries he’s missing out on important meetings and bonding time by staying on Asgard. As well as purposefully avoiding his father because despite them making up, their relationship is still slightly tense. So he stays in the avengers tower but sometimes he really misses home, the god believes he’s doing a good job of hiding this until one day.
Thor stands in the kitchen contemplating on what he should eat today while unknowingly being watched. “Thor I’ve watched you open the refrigerator three times now, do you need help finding something?” The blonde would almost be surprised by the casual tone if not for the fact that they all had a meeting just last week about being more comfortable.
“Oh no my friend, actually I’m not sure I’m all that hungry anyways” he says with a forced smile while beginning to walk away. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate food on earth but right now he just wants a home cooked meal from his mother.
Bruce sits to the side, wondering if he should bring up that he’s heard Thor mumbling to himself at night about missing home. He decides to speak up reluctantly, “I heard there’s a new shop a few blocks away that’s attempting to make Asgardian-American food if you want to try?”. Ever since Loki invaded, a sudden interest in Asgard had spiked throughout Earth. The brunette has no intention of overstepping but he also wants his beloved friend to be content. Thor freezes, turning back around to look the scientist in the eyes almost as if that would decide if he was lying.
“Thank you, my friend. I think I will take you up on that offer”. The blonde exclaims, now in a better mood. As they walk to the elevator, Bruce has no idea how much he’s just brightened Thor’s day.
3. A cold?
Something’s wrong with Thor and he has no idea what the problem is. The blonde has been moping around the tower for three days now and refusing to answer questions. Bruce thinks he might be sick but Thor insists that he’s “Too Asgardian for sickness”.
“Hey, are you sure you’re doing ok?” Bruce questions as he watches Thor stumble for the seventh time in four minutes. The brunette sits quietly while Thor mumbles something under his breath. “Sorry, what did you say?”
The prince looks away almost shyly as he speaks, “I think I may be affected by this thing you Misgardians call a cold? I was using the device friend Anthony gave me to research my symptoms and they match perfectly, what do you suggest I do?” Bruce sighs, knowing this is going to be a much bigger issue than he expected. “Ok, this is fine, totally cool, I just need to somehow medicate a god, no biggie.” The scientist mumbles under his breath as he waves Thor over to take his seat on the couch, getting up to head to his lab.
“Alright princess, let’s figure out what’s wrong with ya” Bruce says as he walks out, not knowing Thor heard him. Princess? I know I do not feel my best but surely my hearing is still intact. He frowns to himself, friend Bruce must not know proper Asgardian titles! But, perhaps I enjoy it?
4. Mommy Issues
The whole tower knew not to approach their favorite God at the moment. He was currently going through a horrible grieving period and couldn’t stand to be on Asgard, meaning New York was probably getting more rain than it had ever gotten in the last decade. Of course, Thor had no intention of raining on everyone’s parade, literally in Steve’s case, but he just couldn’t help it.
Bruce was getting worried by the amount of times he heard the prince crying in his room whenever he walked past it. He also knew the rest of the team were trying to figure out how to approach Thor but honestly, he was tired of waiting.
“Hey” He greeted the god reluctantly, “I’m not quite sure what’s going on but is there any way I or the team could help you out?” All Bruce got in reply was a blank stare and he was beginning to wonder if this was a horrible idea. He observed Thor while waiting for a verbal response, noticing his red eyes, shaking hands, and quivering lips.
Thor didn’t know what to say, is he just supposed to unload his life problems onto his unexpecting friend? The blond hesitated to speak, unsure if this was one of those “rhetorical questions” that Misgardians seem to be so fond of asking.
“No, I’m not certain there is anything you or the rest of our friends could do to assist me currently.” He finally declares as he pushes against the couch to get up.
Bruce pushes the god back down and sits next to him. “Please, surely there’s something? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but you’re kinda drowning New York.” he chuckles, trying to joke to ease the pressure off of the both of them. The brunette truly does want Thor to open up but he knows it’s highly unlikely seeing as he’s known for oversharing and still doesn’t want to tell anyone what’s going on.
The prince gathers his thoughts before blurting out, “Perhaps a hug? Of course if you do not feel comfortable I will be fine but physical contact does tend to calm me.” He pictures his mother braiding his long hair as the sentence comes out and his eyes begin to water. Bruce doesn’t even think before he pulls Thor into a hug, sure he’s not the best with touching but he’s willing to do anything to comfort his friend.
Eventually, Thor falls into a dreamless sleep and the rain outside finally stops. “Sleep well, princess.” The scientist whispers into his hair before also succumbing to sleep.
5. Nightmares
In their line of work, trauma is a given. Every superhero has been through some horrible event that will haunt them forever so they all know how to handle them. This is true for everyone but Thor, not because he’s weak, but because he usually has other outlets for his issues such as training, cooking, or even just crying. He assumes he’ll never have to deal with them until one horrible night, a week after Loki’s supposed “passing”.
Thor jolts out of his sleep, sweating, anxious, and missing his dear brother. His mind had shown him Loki dying for him on repeat as if the experience was neverending. Logically, the god knows it wasn’t his fault but he can’t look at things logically at four in the morning. He sits in bed for a second attempting to catch his breath before finally getting up and leaving his room. In the past, he’s been able to calm down with the help of his mother’s hugs or Loki’s mean but underlyingly sweet words but now, he doesn’t know what to do. The prince reaches the kitchen and begins making a simple cup of hot chocolate and puts a couple poptarts in the toaster, hoping the comfort meal will calm him.
Bruce is a very light sleeper so when he hears the sound of a mug breaking in the kitchen, he rushes to see what’s going on. The brunette walks in to see Thor, hands shaking, staring down at the floor in silence where pieces of the cup have scattered. The sound of the toaster popping up interrupts the quiet and Bruce is able to focus on what has happened.
“Are you ok? Hold on, let me get you away from here.” He steps over the pieces and tries to lead Thor away from the mess. The god is stiff as a rock, still shocked that he dropped his mug and struggling to come back into the moment. He eventually loosens up and lets himself be led to the kitchen island where he sits and recollects his thoughts.
Now that Thor is situated, Bruce grabs the poptarts, sets them down in front of him, and then leaves to sweep the floor. The blonde eventually speaks, “My friend, I do not know what has come over me, but I greatly appreciate what you have done for me.” Once the brunette has joined him at the island, Thor grabs him into a tight hug. “I was thinking about my brother and all of a sudden my hands were shaking.” He says, struggling not to cry.
The scientist rubs his back for a bit before moving back to kiss his forehead. Wait. They both froze, this was a line they hadn’t dared to cross yet. Thor looks up, sees the blush on Bruce’s face, and just burrows into his chest, ultimately deciding they can have a conversation when he isn’t on the verge of breaking down.
6. The Finale
Bruce has been avoiding him, he knows because all of the places where he would usually see the man have been conveniently empty every time he’s on earth. Being on Asgard has given Thor some time to dissect his feelings and he’s decided that he wants to give loving Bruce a try, now all he has to do is get Bruce on board.
Thor gets to the tower and beelines straight for Bruce’s lab, knowing the man is always tinkering around right after lunch. “Hello Bruce! It is a pleasure to see you again my friend!” the prince exclaims happily while walking towards the scientists’ desk. It seems as though the brunette isn’t going to immediately bolt just at the sight of him this time so he stands by the couch nearby to give the brunette some space.
Bruce? That’s new, it’s usually just “my friend”. The scientist doesn’t have much time to dwell on it before Thor is talking again about wanting to have a serious conversation with him. “Yes, we can have a conversation but are you sure I’m the guy for this? Tony can help with weapons, Steve can help emotionally, Nat can-” He’s cut off by the god of thunder walking over and kissing him? He sits in shock for a second, staring off into space as his mind races.
Thor steps back, suddenly unsure if he’s made the right call until Bruce stands, grabs his face, and kisses him again so passionately he thinks it's a dream for a second.
They break apart panting, both of their faces flushed as if they just ran a marathon.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so damn long.” Bruce says before peppering kisses all over the prince’s face. Thor can hardly believe his feelings are actually reciprocated and his face flames up again, feeling the many kisses.
He takes a deep breath and then steps back to look the other man in the eyes, “Do you really have such feelings for me, my frien-” he stops himself “my love?” he corrects. Thor watches as Bruce nods shyly, as if he hadn’t just attempted to suffocate him through kissing. He immediately dives in for another kiss, feeling Bruce’s hands slide down his body until they’re holding his waist.
They make out undisturbed until they need air again and Bruce watches as his love, face still aflame, giggles happily. “Princess I need to tell you now before I lose my courage, I love you so much and truthfully, I think I’ve been in love since you raved to me about how amazing the hulk is.” He chuckles at the thought before getting serious again, “Would you please allow me to be your boyfriend?”
The look in Bruce’s eyes is so loving Thor thinks he could fall in love all over again. “Of course I will my love, I adore being your princess so dearly.” He’s all smiles while saying it because he’s sincerely never felt happier.