AN: Hi everyone! So this is a new story, and the fun bit about this one is that I'm going to be updating it every day this week, and each chapter will take place the day after the previous one, so if you want to you can follow along with what Bruce gets up to every day this week :)
However the most important information is that this is SET AFTER 'THE AVENGERS' BUT WELL BEFORE 'AGE OF ULTRON' so the team are still really just getting used to each other and to living together in Avengers Tower (and the lullaby doesn't exist yet).
I'm excited to do this thing and I hope you all can join me on this one!
Also I don't own Marvel.
"What are you worrying over, Banner? The Hulk's actions were a marvellous success!" Thor's booming voice echoed around the quinjet as the Avengers made their way back to their tower in New York.
"Yeah, Bruce, we needed ya, buddy!" Tony chimed in, while Bruce buried his face in his hands, pushing his fingers through the roots of his floppy hair.
"The boys are right," Natasha said quietly, laying a hand on Bruce's knee, "We needed the big guy out there today."
At her touch Bruce finally looked up. Surveying his teammates around him, nodding enthusiastically in agreement, and seeing Clint's hand making a thumbs up gesture over the top of the seat he was driving from, Bruce sighed.
"It's not…" he started to say, but soon trailing off.
"It's not what, Banner?" Steve asked kindly.
"Nah, it's selfish of me." Bruce mumbled at the floor.
"Bruce." Steve said, pausing until Bruce forced himself to look at him. "We all want to help you, sometimes everyone deserves to be a little bit selfish. What is it not?"
Bruce picked at the dirt under his fingernails, considering how he might answer. Eventually, completely focused on his hands, he told them.
"It's not right, I mean it can't be right, when the only good I'm able to do for this team is when I let the Other Guy smash everything up… I guess I just want Bruce to be useful for once."
Bruce stood up as he said this, and walked to stare out of one of the windows of the jet, his face burning in embarrassment at being forced to admit to feeling sorry for himself.
"Bruce, what're you on about?" Tony shouted, and Bruce could hear Steve muttering to him to stop talking, but he battered on regardless, "You build tech for the Avengers all the time in the lab."
"No. You build the tech Tony." Bruce replied, turning around. "Besides, it's not important, I'm just tired from the Code Green."
"No," said Steve, striding to stand right in front of Bruce, "if this is important to you then, as your teammates and as your friends, we'll help you."
"Steve's right." Natasha added.
"Of course!" Thor declared. "I shall teach you the ways of Asgardian warfare!"
"That oughta be a sight!" Clint snorted from the cockpit.
"Why are you laughing, Bird-Man? He shall make a fine warrior." Thor shot back indignantly.
"Nah, I don't know that I'm cut out for Thor level training…" Bruce began to protest.
"Nonsense, you will excel with me as your teacher!"
"Guess that's it settled then." Steve cut in before Bruce could say anything else. "Thor will give you a few training sessions, starting tomorrow, Thor?
"No, I don't know that…"
"Of course!" Thor boomed over Bruce's protests.
Bruce met Natasha's eyes across the quinjet, and she gave a look that would almost have been sympathetic if she hadn't been laughing quietly at his predicament at the same time. Slouching over to her, he let his body drop heavily onto the bench beside her as Thor began the familiar argument on the benefits of magical hammers over arrows. Just as Tony decided to join in, claiming the power of the Repulsor technology was stronger than both, Bruce turned to Natasha.
"I'm never going to survive training with Thor." He stated bluntly, causing Natasha to smirk a little.
"Well, you did ask for it." she shot back.
"I wanted to be useful, not to be embarrassed out of existence."
"Maybe it won't be as terrible as you think." she offered. "I'll be training tomorrow afternoon anyway, I'll come see how you got on once yous are done."
"You'll come to scrape what's left of me off the floor you mean."
She didn't reply, turning to watch the ongoing argument, although he doubted she was interested. They heard it at least once a week. Instead, Bruce turned to watch the clouds sail by outside his window, beginning to wonder if he had made a very bad mistake.
AN: See you all tomorrow to find out how it goes…
