the_other_guy: (bruce} the man / the soul)
They found him...she found him...in a little village just outside of Uijeongbu.

She wasn't there, but he knew, the moment he saw the strike team that arrived when the Hydra operatives made their presence known. He did his best to keep to himself, to stay out of sight, but the moment he saw SHIELD agents on the scene...

He knew.

The debriefing took place at the Avengers headquarters, but she was still nowhere in sight. He figured that he had it coming, that, but the longer he went without catching a glimpse of Natasha, the more anxious he got. He was, of course, expecting backlash for what he'd done, some kind of response...but the worst part was the simple reality.

She was here. Somewhere, she was here. He could feel it...even the Other Guy could feel it. It was thoroughly unscientific, the notion that some sixth sense or bond was calling to his subconscious across an unknown space...but the more time went by, the tighter he wound, to the point that he was worried about a Code Green.

When he couldn't take it anymore, he went looking. He found plenty: Sam and Rhodey, amiable and welcoming. Wanda, enigmatically smiling and shaking his hand with fragile, dangerous fingers...the Vision, who managed to turn a bow and a small, elegant smile into something that felt like a hug. He even found Steve, who held him up for an hour and a half, insisting they share a cup of coffee (or in Bruce's case, an herbal tea).

Only then did he tell Bruce where Natasha's office and room were in the facility.

Her office was empty, which left him shuffling up to the door of her apartment in the dormitory wing. For a long while, he stood outside, just staring at the blank white surface. Irrationally, he thought about the dress Natasha wore at the party where Ultron was born...blood red martinis and a flirty film noir swatted back and forth between them, something that turned into more, bigger, weightier than he ever expected.

Drawing a deep, shaky breath, Bruce raised his hand...then dropped it.

And finally, knocked on her door.
the_other_guy: (the other guy} the incredible hulk)
"Stop shooting him!"

"What the hell else am I supposed to do?!"

"Not shoot him, that'd be a good start!"

The Hulk barely understood what was happening as Tin Man and Hawk Eye fought with each other. Tin Man was telling him no, stop, don't, he understood that. He liked Tin Man. Tin Man liked him.

Tin Man understood. He always understood.

In truth, none of the other Avengers understood precisely what the hell was going on, after they had beaten back yet another incursion of both frost giants and Chiqtauri, attacking in tandem. The streets were a mess, everyone seemed to be okay...then they had all realized the last time anyone saw Natasha, she'd been taking on a squad with Hawkeye and the Hulk.

The group found her in a pile of rubble, unconscious and clearly out cold, and that's where things had stopped, because the Hulk was on her in an instant. Clint started shooting, to no avail, and it took all Tony's fast talking to stop him from doing worse as the green behemoth stood over Natasha's prone form, bellowing and beating his chest, ready to tear apart the first person that dared to try and get past him.

"Just give him some breathing room, huh?" Tony barked from behind his helmet, his voice hissing through the comms. "Maybe...I dunno, just see what he does. He's not hurting her."

"But she could be injured." Steve pointed out.

The Hulk tuned them all out, unaware that Tony was watching him closely as he turned his back and crouched low, fists resting on the ground as he peered closely at the Red Lady, still laying still and not moving in a way that made him angrier than he already was.

With a low, questioning growl, the Hulk reached out with one massive finger and gently nudged her shoulder. When that didn't seem to help, he growled at her.

That didn't work, so he finally took one hand and, very very carefully rolled her over so he could see her face. He knew the Other could help her, but he couldn't protect her. That meant he had to stay.

...but he wanted to help her. The Hulk just didn't know how.

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the_other_guy: (Default)
Dr. Bruce Banner

May 2015

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