#radioative

A/N: So this is a super headcanon-y fic. I always thought that there should be some kind of side effect that happens when Bruce de-Hulks, so I researched radiation sickness and made that the side effect(s). Anyway, hope you enjoy my headcanons lol.

Pairing: Bruce Banner x Reader

Prompt: None

Words: 1.7k

Warnings: none except descriptive sickness I suppose

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

You began dating Bruce Banner four months ago. Everything was perfect. You were busy with work, and so was he. But somehow your free time always aligned with his. The free time was typically at night. Those times were spent snuggling and talking for hours about anything and everything.

But sometimes, you had days off from work, and you would go visit him in his lab. Tony was usually there, assisting Bruce with whatever project they were working on. And sometimes, when Tony slipped out the door, Bruce would tackle you with rough kisses and curious hands.

You had hoped that you would get one of those romantic surprise attacks today, but the Avengers received an emergency mission. Bruce didn’t know it was your day off. You had planned to drag him out into the beautiful daylight and have a picnic with food you made at home. Determined to still surprise your boyfriend, you patiently waited in his office, connected to the lab.

You knew about the Other Guy. Bruce often explained it as being part of Dissociative Identity Disorder and gamma radiation accident; the two factors combined turned him into the green “monster” he always despised. It worried you, though, to know that he went through massive amounts of stress to “be” the Hulk.

You had seen him turn into the Other Guy once. Bruce’s vocal cords shredded themselves as he let out screams of pain when his muscles grew and his skin greened. All you wanted to do was to be able to hold him in your arms and press kisses across his face.

As you waited for Bruce’s return, you sat in his office chair, spinning it around in boredom. Bruce had hundreds of papers in hundreds of folders on shelves. His desk was neatly organized, and you smiled at the photos on his desk. One was of him and his mother when he was a toddler. Another one was of the two of you on a date at the science museum; his lips were smushed against your cheek as you had reached out to take the photo on your phone. And his final photo was purely of you, laughing at whatever Bruce had said before the picture was taken. Your heart was warmed by Bruce’s office mementos.

And then your heart froze as you heard the same vocal cord shredding screams approaching the lab. You saw Steve Rogers dash into the lab and swipe everything off one of the tables.

“Bring him in here!” Steve yelled. “Clint and I can hold him down.”

You peeked towards the door and saw Tony and Clint drag Bruce in and drop him onto the table. Bruce, clad only in a spare set of pants that Tony had brought with them on the mission for the post-Hulk nudeness, was dripping in sweat. Odd amounts where it was already pooling on the table. His skin was illuminated with red burns and blisters.

You immediately sprinted into the lab and rushed to Tony’s side. “What the hell happened out there?!” You cried.

Tony’s breathing nearly stopped when he saw you, eyes popping out of his head. “(Y/N)! You’re not supposed to be here!” He exclaimed.

You grabbed Tony by the collar of his shirt. “What happened, Stark? You better tell me right now, or I’m gonna-“

“WHY IS SHE HERE?” You were cut off by Bruce’s crackled yell.

Bruce began to struggle against the hold of Steve and Clint, trying to get to you. Tony turned away from you and placed a gentle hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

“Bruce, you need to calm down. You don’t need to Hulk-out again today.” He said sternly.

You walked over to Bruce’s head and cupped his face in your hands. “Bruce, sweetheart, I’m right here. What happened?” You whispered.

Clint had been staring at your lips, reading the words carefully. “Nothing happened, (Y/N)…don’t you know what’s going on?” He asked confused.

Tony shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. Bruce, here, wanted to keep it a secret from her.” Tony looked to Bruce. “How’s that working for ya now?”

Bruce let out another deafening yell of pain before his body began to shake violently. His eyes rolled to the back of his head while Clint and Steve rolled him onto his side.

“Oh, wow, way to avoid the question,” Tony mumbled.

You held your hands to your mouth, tears flowing down your cheeks. “TONY, WHAT’S HAPPENING TO HIM?” You screamed.

Tony assessed the situation and grabbed a pillow from the couch in Bruce’s office, returning to place it between Bruce’s knees. “He’s having a seizure, can’t you see that?” He replied sharply.

Becoming more and more worried, you looked to sweet Steve, who you knew would tell you the truth if you threatened him. “Steve, if you don’t tell me what happened to Bruce out there, then you can say goodbye to-“ You began.

Steve looked at you with sad eyes. “I’m sorry, (Y/N), as much as I want to tell you, this needs to come from Bruce. Wait for him to wake up.” He responded.

Eventually, Bruce stopped seizing. His breaths were irregular, and the redness and blisters had increased on his skin. Tony reached over another table to grab a bucket and held it patiently.

“What’s that for?” You asked.

“You’ll see.” Was all Tony said.

Your heart seemed to ease when Bruce’s eyes fluttered open. Then, without missing a beat, Tony lunged forward with the bucket in his hand just as Bruce leaned over the side of the table and violently vomited. Steve and Clint took a step back, giving Bruce some air. After the vomiting spell ended, Tony looked to his coworkers.

“Well, that’s the end of the show. Tune back in next mission.” He said dryly.

Steve and Clint both nodded and headed out the door of the lab. Tony walked towards the chemical sink and cleaned out the bucket.

You looked to Bruce, who stared at you with dull eyes. You reached for his hand, noticing again the sweat running off his skin and onto the table. “Bruce, what happened to you.” You breathed with tears streaming furiously down your face.

Bruce inhaled roughly and squeezed your hand. “It’s radiation sickness.” He said.

You shook your head slightly, confused. “It’s…what? Radia-…how is that possible?” You questioned.

“It’s radiation sickness…from the gamma radiation accident I was in.” He responded.

“But I thought that’s why you turned into the Hulk? That’s what saved you right?” You questioned.

Bruce nodded weakly. “That’s true…but I didn’t escape the radiation that easily.” said. “Every time the Other Guy takes over, my body is invincible. But as soon as I take over my body again, I suffer from radiation sickness. Specifically, the radiation sickness that I would have suffered if I hadn’t turned into the Other Guy.” He explained.

You squeezed his hand tightly. “So you’re gonna die?” You cried, trembling slightly.

“No, darling, no. I’m not going to die.” He reassured you. “But every time I retake my body, I suffer from what I would have suffered…which is seizures, tremors, burns, fever, and vomiting.”

You felt sick just hearing about Bruce’s suffering. So all this time he was basically dying after he de-Hulked? “But it only lasts ten minutes?” You asked.

Bruce laughed dryly. “Yes. Because that’s how long I would have lived after I was exposed to the enormous amounts of radiation. It’s like a twisted ‘quid pro quo’ situation. I don’t die from radiation sickness, but I have to suffer from it every time I come back.” He explained.

You nodded weakly and brought his fingers to your lips. The redness and blisters had disappeared as if they were never there. The tremors in his arms and legs had ceased. He was still a little sweaty, but that was all.

“Bruce, why didn’t you tell me?” You breathed.

He sat up weakly, and you helped him stand to his feet in front of you. His arms wrapped around you in a desperately needed embrace. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N)…but I knew you would care too much. You would want me to stop aiding the other Avengers…”

“You’re damn right, I do.” You responded quickly.

Bruce sighed and kissed your forehead sweetly. “You know I can’t do that though.” He whispered.

You stared deeply into his eyes and raised your hand to caress his cheek. “I know, Bruce. I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”

He nodded. “I understand. And I love you for that. I should have been honest with you instead of letting this be the way to the truth.” He laughed softly.

You giggled and placed your hands on his waist. “Yes, you should have.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow and smirked. “So why are you here, anyway?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah,” you laughed, “Today is my day off. I brought you lunch and thought we could go to the park down the block and have a picnic.”

Bruce grinned and squeezed you in a tight hug. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re so wonderful.” He said before holding his hands on your shoulders. “If you give me just a moment to find a shirt and some socks, we can still go.”

You smiled, finally relaxed again and happy that your boyfriend was safe and healthy. “That sounds great.” You said before walking towards his office.

Before you could walk through the doorway, Bruce snaked his arm around your waist and kissed your neck slyly. “Aaaaand I have the rest of the day off…so whenever we’re done with lunch, we can-“