A/N: Swearing, Adult language, Adult themes. This is the Bruce Banner from the 2008 film. Bruce Banner in this film was played by Edward Norton.
He hated himself for giving in to the temptation of want so badly. He wished that his feelings could be transferred by the laws of conduction. He wished his feelings could move out of his own body and into the first person he saw, like heat moving from molecule to molecule with kinetic energy as it's guide. Physics was Bruce's best friend, but sometimes he wished it would evaporate into the black holes that he studied in college. He turned on the small Television and left it on the news and closed his eyes. All he could see was Nate. he opened his eyes and listened to the sound of the horrific reports of storms, drunk attacks and murder.
That was nothing compared to the havoc that Bruce had hidden inside of him.
Staring at his radio on the floor and thinking about it's lowest fundamental frequency it took him back to the first time he met Nate Diaz, a fighter, a kid that never realised how smart he was. Yes, how they met was as cliché as surface tension on a cup of coffee left overnight, but Bruce wasn't going to get hung up over one indecent night of fucking a stranger on his sofa. When Nate first came over their meeting was more verbal than physical. They rarely talked during intercourse and Nate's hushed moans were more than a positive result for Bruce. He may not have found a convincing voltage drop on that Robert's circuit, but he could satisfy Nate in bed with no complaints.
After Nate had a cup of coffee and made himself comfortable upright on Bruce's couch. "I'm a Physicist ...in case you're wondering" Bruce said waving a hand around at all the text books and encyclopedias around. Nate shrugged. "Any time you want to the know the ins and outs of Ohm's law...I'm your guy" Bruce said putting his shoes on. "Fuck...you're a geek" Nate said putting his bruised fingers around Bruce's coffee mug. "I wouldn't say "geek" more interested researcher of the nucleus of science...see what I did there?" Bruce asked. "Yeah, you're a geek" Nate repeated.
Bruce slid his thumb over Nate's fingers and Nate pulled his hand away from the mug. "I can see by the smug upward turn of your lips that you've got a cooler job" Bruce said going to the mirror and running a hand through his hair. "What do you do?" He asked. "Fight" Nate replied. "I mean job wise, not as a hobby" "Job-wise...dumbass" Nate said. "Really?" Bruce asked. "You're so good looking, why not get a degree instead, girls like a guy with brains" Bruce asked. "Yeah that's why you're single. You think you're so smart, but you don't get it" Nate said getting up. "Well I experiment all the time...make me "get it" Bruce said. "I'm a quick learner"
How Bruce ended up at Nate's next fight was as questionable as measuring the Gravitational potential energy of a snail. But Bruce made his way to the back of the hall and watched Nate sprawl and grapple and kick-box. He didn't have a real knowledge of Mixed Martial Arts, but if Nate practised it on a daily basis Bruce could watch more of Nate's fights on his computer on his lunch-break. "Come on Nate use your knees!" He heard an older man yell. Nate won his fight, but Bruce couldn't get anywhere near Nate to congratulate him. MMA seemed like a worth while sport when winning but Bruce couldn't see the gain of broken bones and dislocated shoulders all for a circle of gold wrapped around a punished waist.
It was ten minutes past one in the morning when the MMA high-flyer knocked on Bruce's door. "I told Nick I'm at the store" Nate said. "Well I can make it faster than an endothermic deer lower it's temperature in Brazil" Bruce said. "Quit it" Nate said walking in. Bruce didn't see Nate for a couple of weeks. Then when he did it was at an open lecture that Bruce doing on DNA divergence. "So umm..." Bruce said watching Nate look at him with a pen his hand. Bruce looked away from Nate and looked back at all the students. Had Nate told anyone? Did Nate give off waves of their secret meeting by physical osmosis? "Can anyone name an enzyme catalyst?" He asked. "Take your time" He asked as bored students started throwing paper balls at each other.
An awkward silence flew around the room that made Bruce want to go to the bathroom. Nate raised his hand. "Yes Sir" Bruce said looking at the projector looming over Nate's head. "DNA polymerase" Nate said quietly. "Yes...yes...well done" Bruce said. "Let's give this gentleman a round of applause shall we?" Bruce asked. Two claps could be heard then Nate watched students get up and leave. After a feverish tense hand-job in Bruce's bed Nate rolled away to the edge of the bed and Bruce put a grey shirt on. "You're a smartass. Youknew the answer all along, you just bided your time didn't you?" Bruce asked. "You bombed" Nate said. "When I go to the college on Munioth Avenue it's a different story" Bruce said. "I don't have people cheering me on like you do, performing in front of strangers is kind of lonely"
"Well...fans cheer on whoever's like hot at the time. My brother Nick is the only one that's you know, really there" Nate said as Bruce went to make himself some toast. These weekend fucks happened for a while. Until Nate could sense his older brother getting suspicious. He put off seeing Bruce until his brother Nick stopped taking him everywhere for training. When Nate knocked on the door a fortnight later Bruce was being tracked by General Ross and had to go into hiding...again.
"Leave?" Nate asked. "Like...where?"
"Spain, Brazil...somewhere hot, somewhere beautiful, somewhere far" Bruce said. Nate nodded. "This fighter...cool guy umm...Junior Dos Santos. He lives in Brazil you know. Said I could visit anytime" Nate said. Bruce knew where this little chat was heading.
"Nate you're not going to brazil. Not if I'm there. I can't believe you suggested that" Bruce said. Nate got up and walked to the door. "Nate I don't expect you to understand" Bruce said.
"Why? Cause I don't have fucking degrees up my ass?" Nate asked.
"No because you're not a psychic" Bruce said. "I know we haven't known each other very long so this is gonna sound corny. But...I wanna protect you. I like you and I can't trust myself around you...I can't tell you why" Bruce said getting a rucksack and folding his clothes. "You can call me, but only once a month" Bruce said. "You've gotta go, I've gotta be at the airport" Bruce said.
"I'll like...walk you" Nate offered biting his lip.
"Nate do I look like a dog to you?" Bruce asked. "It's not safe. Stay away from me" Bruce said opening the door. "You know what, fuck you. You were a lousy fuck anyway" Nate said walking out. That was the last time he'd physically seen him, but now thousands of miles away in Brazil Nate was the only person he could think about. He had treated the kid like shit. Maybe in the guilt keeping him awake. But every time Bruce got a Gamma ray rush, he knew that he'd done the right thing. He phone rang and he knew it could only be one of two people. "Hello?" Bruce said cautiously.
"Just heard...a flood and stuff?" Nate asked.
"That was in Santa Catarina, I'm in São Paulo" Bruce told him.
"Oh" Nate said.
"Nate...I'm glad you called...it's just...I've been thinking about you a lot and..." Bruce paused as he realised Nate's side of phone line was dead.