Bruce wasn't a bad person, not exactly. Well, most of the time he wasn't a bad person. But he was also a criminal, for more than one reason, and not all of them were noble. The under-the-table employment that he exercised was illegal, but he did it to help people who couldn't get help otherwise. And the first time he had been arrested... Why he was even arrested? He felt the weight of having taken the lives of other people on his back, but couldn't remember exactly what had happened. It was strange, every time he thought about it his mind simpl...
Bruce wasn't a bad person, he was convinced. What was he thinking just now? He ignored it, it shouldn't be anything important, his mind tended to wander. It was as if something was missing in his memories and he was constantly in search of that. He needed to concentrate, he had an important mission to fulfill. He told himself again that he wasn't a bad person and that what he was doing wasn't as wrong as it appeared to be, and then he entered the hall. He had managed to invade Tony Stark's Halloween party.
The party was crowded, but he feared that he would stand out, because there were at least ten women for every man. Still, it was his only chance to get into the tower. Tony Stark was known for his great parties, and this was no different. All attractive people of New York and a few other places were there, there was no doubt. He tried to relax, he didn't want anyone knowing his intentions. He needed to find the path to a laboratory or a deposit, and ASAP. He justified himself again with the argument that Stark was rich and wouldn't feel the lack of a single robotic hand with a built-in laser and a remote control, and with a petty theft he would become capable of performing complicated surgeries with much less risk. People who sought his help were illegal or couldn't afford medical care, they didn't have the luxury of going to a hospital.
He had just found a door that might take him out of there and was headed to it when the person he least wanted to find appeared before him.
Tony Stark looked stunning as always, not that Bruce thought of it. No, what Bruce was admiring was his costume. He was dressed as a murder victim, with a shirt stained with what Bruce hoped was fake blood, a bit of makeup to make his skin paler, and in the center of his chest, with fake blood leaking through the edges, there was a hole. That was exactly what it seemed, a big empty space, Bruce could even see the party through it. It was a holographic projection, certainly, but the effect was simply amazing. He could swear that if he stretched his fingers he could run through his body. And the worst part was that vision seemed to remember him of something, but he couldn't tell what it was. He was dragged back to reality by a comment of the other one.
"I don't remember you, you were definitely not invited. I never forget handsome people." he said in a flirtatious tone, but showing without a doubt that he knew what he was talking about.
Bruce ignored the last part, and had to think fast to find an acceptable answer.
"I came with a friend, I thought it would be ok."
Tony moved closer, making the space between them almost nonexistent. He didn't know with whom he was talking, but he was attracted as if by a magnet, as if his place was here.
"You know, you'll have to pay me for having invaded my party." and then he grabbed Bruce by his mad scientist's costume coat. "A dance is the going rate, but maybe I require a little more..."
Bruce should have said no, he knew it. But the touch and proximity to other body seemed so right... I mean, Bruce realized that it would be less suspicious dancing with Stark and then return to his plan to steal equipment. It was just because of that that he was dancing. And if they were dancing in a slow music's rhythm despite the fact that the music that was playing was heavy metal, well... It didn't matter, all that mattered were the eyes of each other. It was as if all that they were living were a farce and only that moment was real.
Tony didn't even realize what he was doing when he transposed the short distance and captured Bruce's lips between his. He simply did what seemed natural. When Bruce pushed him violently away, it wasn't that that scared him.
"You saw it too?" He asked scared.
"What?" Bruce said trying to stay calm.
"You and me in my room and..." he tried to explain the flashes he had, but they seemed impossible to describe.
Bruce rolled his eyes.
"You are too cocky." He answered sharply and turned away.
Tony grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around.
"It's not what you're thinking, I mean, it is, but it not how you think. They were like memories, as if..."
Not knowing how to explain, Tony pulled him in for another kiss. Caught off guard, Bruce let himself go. It was as if they had done it a million times before, like if...
And then all the memories came back. The world around him began to unravel. He struggled to continue holding Tony in his arms, but he also disappeared.
He woke up.
He was lying on the floor in the middle of a square. The other Avengers were starting to wake up, and as far as he could see, all the people were beginning to wake up and stand up.
Loki hasn't even tried to escape. The memories of what had happened just before passing out were unclear, but he knew it was a spell of Loki. The god of mischief just kept lying in the same position, with his fists covering his face. Nobody heard him say "I just wanted a world where everything was fine" and nobody cared. Later, Thor wouldn't tell anyone that in the world created by Loki, he and his brother were living as humans in Midgard, and their parents treated them as equals.
- Bruce!
He heard his name being called by Tony, who came running toward him. He still lying down, so Tony knelt beside him.
"For a moment I thought I've lost you." Tony continued. "What happened? How was the curse broken?"
Creating the courage to tacitly say what he hasn't said after months of relationship, Bruce answered.
"True love's kiss can break all curses." And with these words he pulled Tony for another kiss.
It didn't matter that the world was in chaos and that seven billion people were waking confused after being released from the curse. All that mattered was that they had found each other.