"Everyone is staring," I muttered for the tenth time in the last five or so minutes. I could feel their penetrating stares and see their gaping mouths, and it was causing me to panic. And trust me, they didn't want me to lose control.
Some of my tension was released when Tony placed his firm hand on my shoulder, stroking it softly in a non-awkward way - which still didn't keep my heart from momentarily breaking its natural rhythm. "Chill, Bruce," he said, flashing his award-winning smile at some girl with a camera phone. "We'll get through this line, and then we won't be so cramped. You are doing fine!"
Nervously licking my lips, I gave him a slight, reassuring smile, masking my panic for the meantime. In all honesty, I couldn't tell what was worse: the line, or what followed the line.
When Tony had found out that Steve had never ridden a roller coaster - "Not even a carnival ride?!" - and that Thor didn't even know what one was, he immediately had Pepper set an Avengers-plus-Pepper-and-Jane date to some theme park. It had been a non-negotiable date as well; I'd found that out through experience.
Tony had wanted for the group to stay together the entire day, but - after Natasha had nearly snapped Thor's head off during the long car ride - she had dragged Clint off to who-knows-where. Shortly after that, Steve and Thor had somehow wandered off, probably entranced by the incredible mechanics that were involved in running roller coasters. The moment they had noticed two somebodies were missing, Pepper and Jane abandoned Tony and me to track down the god and Captain Clueless. And, instead of waiting, the genius dragged me off to ride something near the back of the park.
And, of course, he picked the tallest and fastest one there.
Pinching the bridge of my nose - I could feel a headache beginning to form - I asked again, "Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, he might feel provoked by the jostling."
Giving me his fake-annoyed look, the slightly-taller brunette murmured, "I think it would be fun if he came out on the ride." When I gave him a stunned look, he laughed at me, throwing his head back and nearly hitting someone in the shoulder. He calmed himself before saying, "Bruce, you should've seen your face. No, actually, I should've taken a picture of it. Do you think you could replicate it for me?" If it wasn't for the fact that he was actually reaching for his phone, I might believe that he was kidding.
"No, Tony," I muttered, refusing to look him in the eyes. Sometimes, he was so infuriating! And it certainly didn't help that he could easily make my body betray me just by looking at me in a certain way. Like the look he was giving me now, with his dark brown eyes wide with concern.
Tilting his head to the side – as if that could give him a better view of my face – he asked, "You okay, big guy?"
For a moment, I was almost sure that he was worried I was going to hulk out in the middle of a packed line. But, I quickly reminded myself that he oftentimes asked me if I could release the Other Guy; he'd love to see my counterpart's reaction to a theme park.
Deducing that he was probably worried about me – I didn't get why, but it was the only logical answer – I nodded, replying, "Yeah, I'm fine." Of course, it wasn't very convincing when my voice cracked slightly on the 'yeah.' But, he didn't press it. Instead, he became distracted by someone continuously taking pictures of him with the flash on.
That's Tony Stark for you; he can never stay focused for too long.
The line slowly slithered on, sharpening my panic as we finally entered the loading station. Even though Tony had tried convincing me that I would feel more open once we weren't shoved between bars, I began feeling the Other Guy's conscience trying to merge with mine, much more insistent than it had been ten minutes ago. I sincerely hoped that Tony couldn't tell I was freaking out, but he was usually able to tell when I was near losing it.
Which explained why he randomly stated, "Bruce, this'll be good for you." I grimaced in response, but I knew he was right.
When Pepper had informed me that we were attending a theme park, I had nearly lost it right then and there. Instead of turning large and green, I located the billionaire as fast as I could – which didn't take long at all, since he normally was holed up in his lab – and demanded that he let me stay home.
Tony hadn't been surprised at my reaction; instead, I had been a major factor in him planning the event. Or, more like Pepper planning the event. "You can't just avoid living in order to keep yourself from losing control," he argued, not even bothering to look up from the machinery. "People lose control all the time, but they also savor life. Why can't you live just so you don't lose control?"
"But when I lose control, the Other Guy kills-" I tried to argue, but Tony cut me off by raising his hand.
"Bruce, just do something fun for once. I doubt the Hulk will see roller coasters as the equivalent of danger. In fact, he might actually like it. I know if I was turned into some giant rage monster, it would like roller coasters. And it would probably be red. Or gold. What do you think, Dr. Banner?"
After that, the subject had been dropped as Tony brainstormed for fifteen whole minutes what he would look like if he had his very own 'Other Guy'. I hadn't wanted to bring up the issue again, because Tony was very insistent that I come and ride something. But, I'd figured I would have time to convince him otherwise.
Now that the time was here, I regretted not acting sooner.
Far too early, the gate opened for our turn on the ride. Despite his fame, Tony hadn't insisted on cutting everyone and riding in the front; instead, he waited in line like everyone else – albeit impatiently – and found a seat in the middle. Finally time, he practically pounced into the ride, settling into one of uncomfortable seats. He then turned to me and patted the one next to him, motioning for me to come.
Even with the deep intake of air, I felt like I was going to throw up. Or lose control.
"This'll be fun," Tony muttered into my ear, the air from his lips tickling and causing for me to momentarily forget where I was. If it wasn't that I was certain that this would end in absolute disaster, I would feel grateful that Tony was doing this for me. Once he had motivation to do something generous, he would do it.
"Sure," I replied as somebody walked by and checked my restraints. If I had thought the crowd was bad, the cart was a considerably worse. It was cramped, and it was about to be several hundred feet above the ground.
The ride started with a lurch as someone said a catch phrase related to the ride's mascot, neither of which I had paid attention to. Instead, I was feeling overly conscious of moving, of the Other Guy's rumbles in the back of my mind.
Several dozen people were about to die if I didn't get control, and now.
"Tony," I squeaked out as we started heading up the ridiculously tall hill, gripping his arm tighter than I should have. "This was a bad idea. I can feel him wanting out."
On what must have been an instinct, Tony reached over and took my hand, locking our fingers together and squeezing once for good measure. "Just take deep breaths, Bruce," he murmured into my ear. "You will be fine once we start going downhill."
I wanted to open my mouth, to protest that I would most certainly not be fine and that the Other Guy would reveal himself and kill hundreds. But, I couldn't seem to unglue my jaw to say anything. Instead, my thoughts were soothed, and I felt my beast begin to relax. Suddenly, inside my head seemed more comfortable to him. And all because Tony was now holding my hand.
That was something new.
I expected for him to continue holding on until the ride was returned to the start. Instead, just as we were nearing the top, he slipped his fingers free of mine, causing me to release a humiliating, protesting noise. Which then made me flush a violent red, which made him smile at me, which made laughter light up his eyes like the sun.
"Hold your hands in the air," he said over the noise of the ride, causing for me to stare at him in shock. I opened my mouth to protest – my body finally allowing for me to say something – when he added, "It makes the ride smoother."
I barely had enough time to grudgingly raise my arms into the air, letting go of my tension, before we were flying downwards at an exhilarating speed.
The wind whipped at my clothes and body, catching my breath momentarily as we plummeted. But, as suddenly as we fell, we were rising again, scaling another hill in seconds. Next to me, Tony let out a loud whoop, laughing in delight. I couldn't help but laugh along with him, because hey, this actually wasn't so bad.
And, I didn't feel like the Other Guy was trying to take over.
Maybe Tony was right. Maybe the Other Guy does like roller coasters.
The ride only lasted around two minutes, full of hills and a large spiral downwards. But yet, in those two fast minutes, I had never felt more relaxed in my life. It was almost like a contradiction to my whole existence. But yet, I didn't mind at all.
Tony wasn't just maybe right. He was definitely right: I had needed some fun.
The ride finally slowed to a stop, waiting for the other car to take off on its voyage up the hill. Tony looked over at me, his smile now smug. "I told you," he teased, slightly soiling my relaxation.
At least, until he reached over and took my hand again, startling me.
"You're cute when your hair is all messed up," he mused, studying me fondly and causing my heartbeat to falter.
Feeling very embarrassed – mostly because I was blushing again, for my body was fond of betrayal – I muttered, "My hair is always messy." But, I was also smiling. Maybe Tony did like me after all. Maybe bracing myself for the inevitable had been all for naught. Maybe I liked him more than I thought.
"Yes," he agreed, reaching over to run his fingers through my curls. "So it's always cute."
The car lurched forward, returning to the loading and unloading area. Even when we came to a stop in front of all of his fans, he still refused to release my hand, instead leading me off of the ride in a protective manner.
And even when we were away from the ride, he kept a firm grip of my fingers in between his. I certainly didn't want for him to let go, and he must've sensed that.
But, like always, Tony had to ruin the moment. "Want to try out a wooden coaster?"