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god0flesbians · 2 years

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72. “Just smile, I really need to see you smile right now.”

I’ve never really written full on angst or a hurt/comfort fic because I’m a hoe for fluff but here’s a thing I had in my head. I love feedback! Tell me what you think!

(It takes place post infinity war and there’s some spoilers about survivors so beware!!)

Time seemed to stop short in the following of Thanos’s victory. Thor watched his team, his friends and fellow warriors drop to their knees as the dust of their comrades slipped through the creases of their fingers. Thor watches as the strongest men and women he’s ever known cry out their agony to an indifferent sky as Thano’s armies roar in triumph, even as they disappear themselves. The world fell silent in the wake of a mass genocide and Thor felt his knees buckle with the need to vomit.

He should have gone for the head.

Thor turned numbly to the remainder of his comrades as the good captain called for survivors and gathered them in the clearing. Thor instinctively took a headcount and he felt his stomach roll when he took in those who were missing, specifically-

Bruce.

He distantly heard someone call his name as he turned and ran back into the treeline, tearing through the forest and leaving a trail of panicked destruction in his wake, too distressed to keep his own strength in check. “Banner?! Banner!”

Thor threw himself into the air, scanning the surrounding area for the hulkbuster and spotting it in a clearing near a cliff face. He landed next to it and nearly found himself reeling as he took in the damage. The machine was missing an arm and a leg and it’s center had been crushed in like a tin can, sharp and mangled metal bursting outwards like a horrible fauna.

Thor’s stomach plummeted as he climbed atop it, tearing and scraping the twisted pieces out of the way. “Banner! Banner are you in there? Can you hear me?”

No response.

As the last bit of shrapnel was peeled away Thor peered into the remains of the control center, his heart in his throat.

Bruce was incredibly bloodied, alarmingly so, the side of his hair was caked and matted with blood from a cut across his temple and each shallow, hiccuping breath seemed to cause him pain.

“Bruce… Don’t worry I’ll get you out of there.”

Thor worked as careful and quickly as he could, speaking in nonsensical murmurings in an attempt to keep Bruce calm should he come to awareness. Thor made his voice as soothing as he could muster even as he felt his own panic continue to rise in him as the graveness of Bruce’s condition became clearer.

After managing to clear enough space around him, Thor carefully pulled Bruce from the wreckage, wincing in sympathy at Bruce’s small pained noises and whispering softly as he turned tail and ran back through the forest, being careful not to jostle the man.

With each step Thor felt Bruce’s pulse get weaker and his panic grow, “Stay with me now, stay with me, you’ll be alright.”

Thor felt Bruce stir in his arms and he glanced down to see Bruce’s eyes open, blurred and unfocused with pain. “T…Thor?”

Thor slowed, kneeling to the ground and cradling Bruce’s head as he tried to speak, only to watch in increasing horror as he coughed and blood stained his lips. “Shh, yes it’s me. I’m here Bruce.”

Bruce coughed again and spoke so softly Thor had to strain himself to hear him. “The hulk, he won’t…” Another coughing fit. “He won’t come out, I-I can’t…”

Thor shushed him again, “It’s okay it’s alright we’re going to get help and you’ll be alright I promise.”

Bruce’s eyes closed and he let out a stuttering breath as Natasha came rushing out of the forest and over to them. “Everyone else isn’t far behind. What happened?”

“He’s gravely injured. The hulk buster had been severely damaged and Bruce got crushed inside before he could escape, he needs help.”

Natasha looked up and down Bruce’s limp form, the furrow in her brow increasing the longer she looked.

“What is it?” Thor demanded.

Natasha shook her head, “This is all wrong.” she whispered. “Part of the accident and Bruce’s exposure to the radiation was the fact that he’s supposed to have regenerative abilities.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means something’s incredibly wrong. Lay him flat I need to test the extent of his injures.”

Thor did as instructed and paced beside them, feeling unbearably helpless as he watched Natasha poke and prod Bruce’s muscle mass and rib cage, nearly stopping her a few times as Bruce’s expression grew more pained. When the rest of their team came into view Thor ran to meet them.

“Bruce is incredibly injured,” He said in lieu of a greeting. “He needs help, now.”

Steve cursed outwardly and ran a hand through his hair, turning to the remaining avengers and parsing out tasks, “Alright, you go check for survivors, you two-”

“Steve!” Thor insisted. “Bruce isn’t healing, if he doesn’t get help soon, he will die.”

“A lot of people have died!” Steve shouted, his face coloring from rage before he realized what he’d said. “I didn’t, that’s not what I-”

Overhead the clouds started to billow and funnel downwards as Thor’s fingers began to spark, thunder echoed in the distance.

“And another will die if nothing is done.” Thor rumbled, his voice seeming to come from all directions simultaneously. “If you won’t help him then I’ll find someone who will.”

There was the crack-boom of a lightning strike as the avengers shielded themselves from the blast of white light and heat. It was over as quickly as it happened, ears ringing they all opened their eyes to see that Thor and Bruce were gone, leaving only a smoldering circle in their wake.

Thor sailed through the sky, clutching Bruce protectively to his chest. This method of transportation wasn’t going to be the easiest on Bruce but if it was the fastest way to ensure his survival Thor was willing to take that risk.

Bruce whimpered in his arms and Thor looked down at him, alarmed to see how tightly he was clutching the man. He released his hold minutely, as his scowl deepened with how pale Bruce had become. “Just hold on a little longer Bruce just a little more.”

Thor landed as gently as he could manage in front of a giant looking building in the midst of the city and even in the panic state of the citizens around him many stopped to look at what had appeared in the flash of lightning. Thor stood, eyes frantically searching for anyone who may be of a higher social standing. He rushed towards the building only to be stopped by a group of elite female warriors.

“Stop there! What are your intentions?”

Thor paused looking at them imploringly, “Please. My friend is very badly injured, he’s dying and I need help.”

The woman at the friend of the groups face softened for a moment, “There are many injured, look around, the world is in chaos. I am sorry, I truly am, but we cannot help you.”

Thor felt his heart sink as his rage and disbelief built inside him, he’d almost lost him to Thanos once, he refused to let that happen again. The electricity built around him and Thor felt his eyes begin to glow as the woman raised their weapons. “By Odin’s beard, if this man should lose his life today you will all feel the wrath of Thor, Son of-”

“Wait!”

Thor paused as a young girl came pushing through the group of warriors, dodging their hands as they attempted to stop her. “You’re Thor right? One of the avengers and friends with Captain America?”

Thor watched her approach, the light fading from his eyes, “Indeed. My friend Dr. Bruce Banner is dying and I can’t allow that to happen.”

The girl came closer and held up her hands in a placating manner as she leaned up to look at Bruce. Her face twisting with concentration as her eyes scanned his body. She turned to the warriors behind her, “Stand down.”

“But-”

“I said stand down! This man doesn’t have much time left!” She looked up at Thor, her eyes were bloodshot the skin around them wet but her face was set with determination. “I’ll save him. But in exchange when he’s better, you and your friends are going to find that bastard Thanos, kill him, and bring back my brother.”

Thor couldn’t stop the half smile that appeared on his face. “Agreed.”

The young scientist introduced herself as Shuri, the younger sister of the Black Panther, King T’challa.

Thor was incredibly grateful to her and he thanked her multiple times as they hurried down long hallways and winding staircases. She insisted he think nothing of it but at the same time Thor felt she might be a bit grateful for the distraction and opportunity to do something other than stand. Thor gripped Bruce tighter in his arms as he felt his breathing stutter.

He understood.

In Shuri’s impressive lab Thor reluctantly laid Bruce on a long flat table that levitated away from him, causing his worry to spike for a moment. He reached for it before Shuri assured him that Bruce would be alright. She was going to run some tests to assess the damage and that they could work from there.

Thor loitered in the corner for a moment, watching as little devices floated around Bruce and lit up certain parts of his anatomy.

“What can you see?” He inquired.

Shuri offered him a reluctant smile and motioned him closer. “From what I can see so far he’s definitely got a nasty concussion and a possible brain bleed. His rib cage is crushed in pretty badly with a decent amount of cracks and breaks and some inner organs have probably been punctured.”

“Will he be alright?” Thor asked, feeling his nervousness spike with every injury and explanation.

Shuri’s expression clouded for a moment as she turned back to the moving pictures. “I’ve treated worse but, his anatomy might reject treatment. I’ve worked thesis’s on the science behind gamma radiation, Bruce Banner’s accident and what that meant for the strain of his body and its regenerative properties. I know that his transformation to the hulk is supposed to restore and renew his own body, and that he can regenerate limbs and his entire body if he needed. So, I’m not exactly sure what might happen if I treated him like you would someone with normal biology, or if I should treat him at all.”

Thor stood there for a moment, taking in all of what had been explained to him. He walked to Bruce’s side and gently traced from his forehead down to the right side of his face.

“You should proceed.”

“But what if that makes him worse?”

“And what if it cures him? This is a gamble I’m willing to take. If he must go, I’d rather have done all I could then watch helplessly by his side.” Thor caressed the side of Bruce’s face and frowned and Bruce shivered beneath his touch. “Should anything happen to him, blame will be mine, not yours.”

Shuri gave Thor a sympathetic look and ushered him to the side. “Then I’d better hurry, he won’t last long like this, and you need to promise me whatever you hear, whatever you see, you need to trust that I know what I’m doing. Or else he might not make it.”

Thor looked to Bruce’s still and mangled form, feeling his heart twist in his chest. “As you say.”

Shuri worked in silence for the first few hours, every so often glancing in the direction of Thor who was standing with his arms crossed in the corner of the room. He’d insisted at first being by Bruce’s side but Shuri had told him the equipment was sensitive and that it needed space to work properly. Disgruntled but amenable Thor moved to the side of the room, keeping an eye on the Bruce as well as the doorway.

After a moment or two Shuri cleared her throat, causing Thor to look towards her.

“So, Dr. Banner must mean a lot to you for you to threaten an entire city for him.” She said in way of conversation.

Thor returned his gaze to Bruce’s face, his eyes softening ever so slightly and he hummed noncommently. “Indeed, and the other avengers as well. Banner is a very dear friend.”

Shuri paused in her work, giving Thor an unreadable expression. “Friend?”

“Indeed. He’s done me a great service in helping me escape Sakaar and save my people. We are also quite similar in many ways, I value him as a trusted comrade.”

Shuri snorted and smiled at Thor. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say it’s a bit more than friendship.”

Thor frowned thoughtfully and looked towards Bruce on the operating table. “How do you mean?”

“Well, you said it yourself that you guys have a bond and you care about each other. Not to mention you two work together and live together. And you’re so scared to lose him that you were willing to threaten not only the palace but your other teammates.” She offered Thor a crooked grin. “Seems a bit more than your everyday friendship to me.”

Thor didn’t responded and instead stared unseeingly into the distance, seeming to be lost in thought.

Shuri had finished long ago, Thor wasn’t exactly sure how much time had gone by, he’d stopped counting by the 7th hour. She had assured him that Bruce’s body was essentially good as new, though when he woke he would be extremely fatigued after the great stress that had been put on it. However the problem arose that it would only matter if Bruce woke.

Although his body was mended and vital signs stable, for whatever reason Bruce remained unconscious and unresponsive.

In the time passed Thor hadn’t left Bruce’s bedside, and between checking for fevers, cold sweat and any abnormalities Thor had done alot of thinking over the words Shuri had expressed to him regarding his and Bruce’s friendship.

“Just think about it… What it would mean to you if you lost him. You may be surprised what that can tell you.”

Thor thought about it. Bruce was, all he had left, after losing everything. His home, his family, his people, but through all of it Bruce remained constant. Without him… without him.

Thor staggered backward as a full frontal assault rained down his realizations upon him.

Through it all, Bruce had been there. From the scorching and bloody battlefields to the bedroom on quiet nights when Thor needed a listening ear and a hand to hold. Thor was never alone with Bruce by his side, and he would have it be the same for Bruce.

Before him, Bruce had never known someone could be so powerful and fragile at the same time. His equal, was someone who was just as gentle and kind as he was strong. Despite how much he despises himself, for his past and for his present, Bruce Banner is the most powerful man Thor knows, and when Thor needed him most, Bruce, even with the fear he may never return, released the hulk to save his people.

Thor felt his heart throb, painfully full with emotions he never realized he had. He can’t lose him, not now. Not after everything.

“Bruce…” Thor’s voice echoed in the emptiness of the room and he feels his pulse quicken when it dawns on him it is possible the man before him may never come awares again. “Bruce it’s Thor, I need you to hear me, I need you to wake, I have something I need to tell you.”

No response.

Thor slammed his open palm on the table in frustration, unsure of who or what it was directed towards. “Bruce answer me! I refuse to let you die without hearing what I have to say, not after everything we’ve gone through thus far.”

The monitor Shuri told him to watch began to beep more rapidly, Thor glanced to it, alarmed.

“That, that’s your heart, Bruce can you hear me?”

It continued to increase, and for a moment Thor felt himself smile, his heart lightened as Bruce began to wake, except… His face was contorted, twisted with pain, as though… he was getting worse.

“Bruce? Bruce! No no you can’t you need to wake up! You need to wake up right now!” Thor was shouting frantically, shaking Bruce’s shoulders and sliding his palms up and down his arms hysterically. “Bruce! Answer me!”

Thor turned to the door and shouted up the stairs, “Shuri?! Anyone?! I need help! Please! Bruce is, he’s…” Thor trailed off, collapsing next to the operating table his head in his hands as the heart monitor went still. He’d lost everything, everyone.

What was he meant to do now?

For a moment Thor allowed himself to mourn, to cry and curse the world for its cruelty and humiliation, but stilled as a hand ran gingerly through his hair. The god looked up, eyes and face damp, to see Bruce smiling a bit dazedly down at him, The IV needle plucked from the tender skin of his forearm. “I don’t really like hospitals and needles,” Bruce explained, his voice raw and hoarse. “Reminds me of some bad memories.”

Thor could only stare at him, open mouthed and gasping like he couldn’t breathe, or like he was going to pass out. And at the moment it felt like he could.

“I felt like I was floating,” Bruce continued. “It was kind of just lethargic, I wasn’t doing anything really I was just. There. It was dark, and quiet, and empty. But I, But then I heard you and then there was this whole flash of light and-”

Bruce’s eyebrows knit together and he paused as he took in the ragged and emotionally exhausted state of the God. But before he could say anything Thor launched himself off his knees and sealed their lips together. He grabbed onto Bruce’s face like a lifeline and all the poor doctor could do was hang on for the ride, and what a ride it was. He could feel electricity spark down his veins as Thor put all his emotions into kissing Bruce like he would disappear.

Thor eventually knew he had to pull away and when he did Bruce followed him making Thor chuckle a bit when Bruce opened his eyes looking bewitched.

Bruce blinked at him and refocused at the sound, flushing when what had just transpired settled into him. “Wha-What was that for?”

Thor smiled, and curled his hand behind Bruce’s neck, bringing their foreheads together. “Bruce Banner, you are my Asgard. You are my home, my family and my people, anything I could ever need has always been right here in front of me and I’ve been blind to it all this time. Just say the word and I will belong to you and you to me.”

Bruce stared at Thor, eyes wide and dewey, “Oh man, Oh Thor I mean I guess you’ve really, understood me in a way no one else has. I. I feel like I don’t have to be afraid or, or hate myself around you but I never thought you would… That you’d… I-I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes, say yes and just, smile. I really need to see you smile right now.”

Bruce gave Thor the biggest smile he could muster, a smile that was all teeth and dimples, “Yeah. Yes, yes.” Bruce whispered.

Thor could feel Bruce’s smile against his own, and for a moment, their charred, battle torn world became paradise. It became Asgard.

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