‘Quinjet just sent out a crash log,’ Tony holds up his phone. ‘It’s in the sea, just off the English coast.’
Natasha gasps. ‘Oh my god…’
‘I’ll bring him back,’ says Steve, already marching from the room.
He takes a jet, and one hour later he’s running along the beach. The tide is on the way out, and his feet slap on cold, wet sand. He doesn’t know what he’ll find, but the longer he searches the more his heart sinks.
Finally he spots the Quinjet, half-submerged. Seagulls gather on the protruding wing. Further down the beach, there are Hulk-sized footprints. Steve follows them for about half a mile, and eventually they shrink down, accompanied by handprints where Bruce has dragged himself along.
At the end of the trail, a man lies curled up on the ground. There’s seaweed in his hair and his bare back is caked with sand, and he’s trembling in the cold air.
‘You know, when Tony said we all needed a vacation, I don’t think this is what he meant.’ Steve crouches down in front of him. ‘You did great, Bruce. We stopped Ultron and evacuated Sokovia.’
Bruce’s hands cover his face. When he speaks, his voice is barely audible over the crashing waves. ‘I need to leave.’
Steve’s stomach drops. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I am tired of being a weapon. Point me at the enemy and pull the trigger. That’s all I’ll ever be good for. On good days I kill strangers. On bad days I kill everyone.’
Of course he’s still upset about what Wanda caused Hulk to do. He reaches out. ‘Bruce…’
The moment he touches his shoulder, Bruce flinches and scrambles away, glaring at him from a crouch that’s almost animal-like. ‘But I go back there because Natasha’s in danger. I go back because it’s the right thing to do. And she – ‘ He stares out at the sea. ‘Even the people you love start to see you as a weapon.’
They’d all noticed how close Natasha and Bruce had grown lately. Now Steve wonders why Natasha didn’t volunteer to come here. ‘You’re not a weapon Bruce, you’re our friend. You’re an Avenger – ‘
‘I don’t deserve to be on this team,’ Bruce snaps, standing up. His eyes are red as if he’s been crying. ‘Ultron was my doing, I caused this.’ He looks ready to bolt at any moment, though they both know there’s nowhere to go.
Steve dares to take a step closer. ‘You acted with good intentions. That’s all any of us can do.’
‘You don’t get to absolve me of my past sins.’ He runs a hand through his hair, dislodging grit and seaweed.
‘Come back with us,’ Steve murmurs. ‘Please.’
Bruce smiles sadly. ‘I tried the sticking around thing Steve, it doesn’t work. I just endanger the people I care about.’ There’s no fight in him. Bruce Banner, wearing nothing but pants and the weight of the world on his shoulders, is as immovable as a rock.
And Steve has heard enough.
‘You want to blame yourself for this? For all of it? Fine.’ In two steps he’s nearly standing on Bruce’s toes, and Bruce reluctantly looks up at him. ‘Then start making up for it. Whatever Nat did to you, talk to her. Take some goddamn responsibility instead of running away when you decide everything’s your fault.’
Bruce blinks hard and stumbles back a step, shaking his head. This time, when Steve grabs his arm he doesn’t pull away. His skin is cold and gritty.
‘I’m still your leader. And it’s my job to keep you safe.’
For a moment, all the grief and pain and self-hatred peeks through Bruce’s blank façade. Tears well up in his dark eyes and with one look he seems to age ten years. Because in his eyes, this is cyclical, Steve realises. Whenever he finds peace, he expects to have it ripped away from him. And that is what happened with Ultron.
Bruce whispers, ‘You couldn’t keep any of us safe.’
The words hit him right in the gut, but he doesn’t back away. ‘Then let me try.’
They stare at each other for a long moment.
Bruce doesn’t hug him exactly, rather he just falls against him and lets Steve hold him tight. Steve rests his chin on his damp head and doesn’t let go until some of the chill has faded from Bruce’s body.
Finally, Bruce pulls away with a sniff. ‘Where are we, anyway?’
‘Uh, somewhere in the north of England.’ Steve shrugs off his jacket and drapes it over his shoulders. ‘You hungry?’
He smiles weakly. ‘Starving.’
‘Probably no shawarma here but they might do fish and chips or something.’
They walk back up the beach together. Steve knows that Ultron has created rifts between them all, but this is how they’ll get through it: one day at a time. Together.
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Word count: N/a - Art
Title: Good Morning
Rating: Gen
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairings: Bruce Banner/Steve Rogers
Characters: Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner
Warnings: None
Major Tags: Cuddling & Snuggling, Morning Cuddles, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff
~
Summery: Steve loves any and all time he can spend with Bruce, but mornings always held a special place in his heart.
Bruce and Steve bumped into each other late one sleepless night, and bonded over tea. After months it became a thing that they would stay up together if they couldn’t sleep for whatever reason.
During one particularly cold, hard night they cuddled up together to keep the ghosts of their minds at bay. They found that the horrors of world are easily kept at bay when they’re safe in each others arms.
For the:
✦ @mcurarepairsbingo prompt “Insomnia” (Card 1)
Word count: N/a + Moodboard
Title: Together Through The Night
Rating: Gen
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairings: Bruce Banner/Steve Rogers
Characters: Steve Rogers, Brace Banner
Warnings: Mental Health Issues
Major Tags: Insomnia, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Has PTSD, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Cuddling & Snuggling, Falling In Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sleepless nights, Artist Steve Rogers
~
Summery: Bruce and Steve bumped into each other late one sleepless night, and bonded over tea. After months it became a thing that they would stay up together if they couldn’t sleep for whatever reason.
During one particularly cold, hard night they cuddled up together to keep the ghosts of their minds at bay. They found that the horrors of world are easily kept at bay when they’re safe in each others arms.
recently went kinda crazy and wrote a 12k crack treated seriously fic about them but it has turned into something a bit too serious
like they're just sweet! to me!
fic premise is that Bruce writes Steve x reader fics and then meets Steve. it's pretty silly but I worked quite hard on it even tho I wrote it really fast
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
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An Abridged Explanation of GammaShield/ Spangled Banner
For manbeneaththegreen
Sooo... Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner, okay so it's kind of the oddball. If we start basic, Bruce was the first person to call him Steve. They're both intelligent (in different ways, but still) and in certain aspects they had similar childhoods, (taking road to comic canon) and supposedly Bruce was sent to military school. If you look more symbolically/connection wise, Steve is Bruce's childhood hero and (in MCU Avengers) whom Bruce wanted to be like, which resulted in the Hulk.
They both understand weakness and what it's like to lose the ones they love and they will likely outlast many of their constituents. Steve and Bruce are both in the realm of shy and introverted, and certain attributes are more opposite about them: Steve's self-righteousness and Bruce's not-so-much; Steve is an artist and a tactical man whereas Bruce is the equations and hypothesis guy.
I think there's a sense of balance that could be achieved and enjoyed, given appropriate circumstances. Steve also, while he is cautious as most people are, accepts Bruce's situation to the best of his ability in efforts to provide a sense of comfort. I think that Steve also represents the good in soldiers that Bruce has overlooked, given the forces that have presented themselves to him.
