Re-crossing Paths
Summary: Bruce Banner, also known as the Incredible Hulk, has traveled the country treating as many patients as he could with his expertise. During his travels from place to place, the good doctor wistfully recounts his feelings towards a certain super soldier. [Bruce x Steve]
A/N: This takes place after the events depicted in the 2012 "Avengers" movie.
It was a long day. For the past two weeks, Doctor Bruce Banner was accommodating and facilitating some medical help in the town of Nashville, aiding some sick tenants at a rundown apartment in the bad side of town. Not that he minded; it was something he was glad to be doing, giving back. He wondered whether leaving it all behind was the best idea, but he needed some time to himself.
He'd never admit it to anyone, but Bruce was a little homesick; not so much as going back to a four-walled structure called a house, but seeing someone he had learned to enjoy the company of. Ever since they parted ways after the Loki incident, Bruce regretted not asking Captain America where he was planning on going.
Granted, the doctor had many chances of asking. But seeing Steve Rogers bring a Harley motorcycle to the meet-up at Central Park to witness Thor and Loki's departure crushed his hopes of going wherever the super soldier had plans of going. Bruce, after all, wasn't comfortable riding on the back of a motorcycle. A motorized scooter, sure, but a motorcycle was out of the question; especially if he wasn't the one steering it. And just like that, the doctor's chances went up in smoke.
Bruce sighed as he walked up to the bus stop, to the back of the line of other commuters waiting for the transportation. He shook his head to will away the thoughts that were attempting to flood his mind again. 'As if I'd be able to see him,' he thought dejectedly, sighing heavily and adjust the sling of his bag.
The air-conditioned bus finally arrived, and the good doctor boarded it and quickly found a window seat on the left-hand side. It was going to be a one-hour journey to his next destination, and he wanted to see the sights as he passed when it became difficult to read the worn out book he had been bringing along on his travels.
Night had already fallen when the bus had gone on his way. Bruce struggled finding some peace while trying to read his book under limited light. It was his way to battling the motion sickness he had on bumpy rides like this, and his empty stomach wasn't really helping. When he was getting a bit too dizzy to pursue reading, he marked his book just when he heard a clap of thunder and saw the splatter of rain hammering against the windows.
"Looks like Thor's busy," Bruce noted, glancing outside and moving his gaze skywards, spotting the bright moon despite the heavy rain fall and thunder resonating, decorating the lightning strikes that descended. While he glanced outside, the doctor made a daunting realization along with the drastic weather change – he didn't carry an umbrella with him.
"This is not my day," he groaned before sighing again. He tried to shift his attention to something else, and all thought clung onto Steve Rogers. He wondered where Captain America was, and where he had gone off to. What was he doing? Where had he settled down? Would they meet again? These were the types of questions Bruce had asked himself frequently when his mind had come to think about the First Avenger. Oftentimes he was hopeful whenever he saw someone from behind that resembled Steve, only to be disappointed when the anonymous would turn around and not be the good captain. The doctor was inwardly irked during those times; wistfully hoping that Steve would be at his next destination to meet him. But he already knew how much it was a lost cause to continue going about like that; for Bruce, it was slowly becoming bad for his health.
It took every ounce of control to stop the Hulk from coming out during his moments of distress and overall want to vent out about not seeing Steve. Bruce considered his thoughts of the soldier to be the tranquilizer that kept the green machine from making an appearance. He was inwardly thankful for that.
'At least he still makes a difference in my life even if we don't see each other…' he thought to himself as he heard the conductor calling out the stops every once in a while, realizing his was the next one. Getting up from his seat and wheedling past his seatmates to get out into the aisle, he grabbed onto the overhead railing to keep his balance while moving up to the front, getting ready to disembark.
The rain was still pounding heavily on the bus and the other vehicles alongside it, with no signs of letting up. Bruce had concluded that it was inevitable for him to get soaked, along with whatever he was carrying in his bag.
'Hopefully the water-proof feature they were telling me pays off,' he thought to himself as the bus came to a stop, the doors slid open and he disembarked into the night, a foot splashing into the slightly flooded streets as Bruce ran towards the nearest building to seek shelter from the impending rain. Reaching a nearby bus stop to catch his breath, he shivered and wrapped his arms around himself to fight off the cold night air that blew the drops of rain toward him as a single line of thought passed Bruce Banner's mind:
'When am I going to see you, Steve?'
That's it for now. If you liked the story and/or the pair-up do review this fanfic and we'll see what we come up with as a follow-up and see where we can take them!
(^o^)/
