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"Okay, just like last time, just in and out," Peter mumbled to himself as he followed a college student into the lecture hall, finding an empty seat and pulling out a journal. Empire State had released an article that Dr. Banner was finally returning to campus a week ago, and after everything that happened at the Department of Damage Control, the vigilante knew he needed to apologize.
Sure, everything had been kind of fixed with Jean and Frank, but that didn't mean no one hadn't gotten hurt. Bruce had gotten the worst of it too, Peter reasoned with himself before he was brought out of his thoughts as he watched the door to the lecture hall open, and Dr. Banner enter.
"Good afternoon everyone. I'm sure you all have been missing my lectures, however I'm sure Dr. Smythe did a good job of carrying you through the past two units despite being an engineering professor. Now, before we delve into the wonderful world of Gauss' Law and Faraday's Law, do we have any questions?"
A dozen hands immediately shot up.
"Yes, Ben?"
"Did Spider-man really take down the Hulk or was it Frank Castle like J. Jonah Jameson reported," a young blond haired student asked.
Peter couldn't help but let out a silent huff while Dr. Banner sighed.
"No, it was not Frank Castle, it was Spider-man. Look, I'll allow another question but we're not going to start a Spider-man debate. Everyone has different opinions on him and this is a physics class, not a debate class. Now, Keemia, do you have a question?"
A young dark haired woman spoke up while she lowered her hand.
"Yes, I was just wondering- not to be rude- but your," Keemia trailed off as she gestured vaguely towards her own arm, "tech is fixed now, right?"
Dr. Banner glanced down at his own arm, the light from his inhibitor glowing faintly before it clicked.
"Oh, yes! My inhibitor is now fully working again. You do not need to worry about me 'hulk'ing out during lecture."
Peter let out a small breath as guilt twisted in his stomach. He just needed to wait after the lecture to talk with Bruce one-on-one again so he could apologize for everything that happened.
"Well, we are getting a little behind so let's hop into today's lecture about magnetism and Gauss Law. Now can anyone tell me the Biot-Savart Law on generating magnetic fields?"
"Alright, everyone, that's a wrap for today's lecture. Remember to do your homework as I have listed on the syllabus. Exam is in two weeks and I want to make sure you all have plenty of practice," Dr. Banner called out as the students started packing up and leaving.
Peter quietly packed up his items before walking up to the podium, fidgeting with the straps of his backpack. Bruce was packing up his laptop and notes before glancing up when he heard a clearing of throat.
"Ah, Mr. Parker, was it?"
Peter flushed slightly as he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yes, um- I'm surprised you remember me-"
"How could I forget a student who knew so in depth about RNA interference, and was supposedly a masters student that also didn't know where the library was?"
The light pink on Peter's cheeks darkened to a deeper red.
"Well- I- erm-"
"It's alright. Now, I'm sure you wanted to speak with me, or are you sitting in on a intermediate physics course for fun?"
"Oh- yes, I did want to speak with you- privately, that is," Peter stumbled over his words while Dr. Banner started to lead the way down the hallways towards his office.
"Is this about the inhibitor tech again?"
"Um- sort of," Peter responded as they passed groups of college students, down another corridor and into the faculty area.
Rows of doors lined the walls with name placards, Bruce walking down several doors before unlocking his office. Inside was a surprisingly cozy office, decorated with nerdy science posters on the walls, some plants by the window, a nice office chair behind the wooden desk and few cushioned chairs for visitors. Peter sat down hesitantly as the professor quietly shut the door before sitting opposite of him, clearing a few papers off his desk.
"So, Mr. Parker, what did you want to talk about then?"
Peter wrung his hands together, opening his mouth, hesitating before finally speaking.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Dr. Banner's eyes widened slightly, then his eyebrows furrowed for just a moment, before understanding crossed his face.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Peter."
"No, but it was me who got you roped into the whole mess with the DODC. If I hadn't come to you, then maybe Jean wouldn't have used you, and you wouldn't have lost your inhibitor-"
"Peter, stop," Bruce interjected calmly, "Look, it wasn't your fault. First, it didn't matter whether or not you visited me. My identity is well known to the public, the Avengers nor SHIELD didn't really do secret identities like most of the other vigilantes of New York. Hell, Empire basically uses me for branding to get more students in. Jean didn't have to do much to find the Hulk."
The younger paused, looking away for a moment as he picked at his fingers while Bruce sighed.
"…How about- Look, do you do a lot of reading," Dr. Banner asked, suddenly changing the subject.
Peter looked up, his eyebrows narrowing in slight confusion.
"Um- I read a lot of science articles and papers-"
"No, I'm not talking about research. I'm talking about common literature. Books. Fiction."
"…No? I mean, I haven't had the time to read anything since I graduated high school."
Dr. Banner nodded, running a hand through his grey curls as he suddenly swiveled his seat around, now facing the bookshelf behind him. It was filled with textbooks related to physics and quantum theory, notebooks filled with equations and papers, folders related to experiments and labs, and a few self-help books here and there.
"Come on…I know it's somewhere," Bruce muttered before perking up as he grabbed a small red and yellow book, "Aha! Here it is."
The professor turned back around, placing the book on the desk. Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut. The book was a bit small, probably an afternoon read by Peter's standards. The yellowed pages were a bit frayed and as Bruce flipped through the pages, Peter could different annotations written in pen and sentences highlighted in orange.
"Did you ever read this in any of your classes?"
"No, no I don't think so."
Dr. Banner let out a small hum as he flipped through the pages.
"Well, if you have time, I'd highly recommend it. Any of Vonnegut's books really. Anyways, the only reason I ask is because in this book, I think it does a gives a great explanation for the world we live in and the reasons bad things happen to people- people like you and me."
Peter's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Well, what is it," He asked in a questioning tone.
"That things in our lives- or in the whole universe- happen because they just do. There is no why."
"…What?"
"Look, the premise of the book is a bit weird and outlandish but the point that Vonnegut was trying to make was that things in the world…just happen because they do. We, as humans, try to rationalize everything. Try to put blame on higher beings, or blame on others, or blame on ourselves for when bad things happen in the world. But as Vonnegut writes, these things happen without rhyme or reason. You couldn't have predicted that Jean would've come after me after our visit. Nor could you have predicted everything that happened with the DODC."
Peter swallowed as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"I know, but I still feel bad- I mean- you've already been through a lot-"
"So it goes. Look, Peter, I've been doing this 'hero business' for almost two decades now. I've seen a lot, and as far as what work I've seen you do and the people you look out for, you're doing a damn good job. I don't blame you for anything that happened, so stop worrying about it. Don't get caught up on the what-ifs or the whys. Just focus on the things you can control and improve on, day by day."
The small tension of guilt in Peter's stomach finally seemed to unravel as he nodded slowly.
"…Okay, thank you Dr. Banner. That-…That really meant a lot."
"You're welcome Peter, and please, feel free to stop by more of my classes or office hours if you have any more questions. Science or superhero related. Oh, and call me Bruce, Dr. Banner is for the undergrads."
Peter let out a slight huff of amusement, grabbing his bag before standing up.
"Okay, Bruce. See you later."
"Bye Peter, and good luck out there."
The younger nodded, opening the door and quietly shutting it behind him, feeling lighter leaving than he had coming in.