Thor

Late in the evening, before he and Tony had left the others in the nondescript lobby of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mid Manhattan office, Clint had given him a light punch on his bicep and Natasha another small touch on his arm. Steve had laid a hand on his shoulder, and Thor had clapped him on the back. Bruce was a little startled about all of that. Sometimes he went for weeks without another human being touching him. Sometimes he said goodbye to new-made friends with a kiss and a hug to indulge himself, to steal away a memory to savor.

He told Tony they'd better do the tour of the labs tomorrow. Tony hadn't even argued about that, so he must look as tired as he felt. Plus, he was kind of a lightweight when it came to alcohol. It was one of the reasons that he rarely drank, despite his demanding beer from Clint as his cut of that silly bet about his sex life. That had been... what? Indulging in a little fun with a teammate? He didn't know. It had been a long time since he'd been part of a group, and he was rusty at it.

Two beers wasn't going to even start to get him drunk, but they loosened him up, made him feel a little sleepy.

Being a lightweight wasn't the only reason why he didn't drink much. The real reason? He feared the ghost of his father might possess him if he became too drunk. He remembered the sequence so well. Cause and effect, and the budding scientist in him had taken careful notes. Chug the beer, gulp the whiskey, then rage through the house, destroy things, hurt people. Kill people.

"C'mon, big guy. Happy's waiting." Tony slung his arm around him and steered him towards the car. Tony, he decided, was just very tactile. He wouldn't read anything more into these gestures than that. He let Tony keep touching him, though. It would make a good memory.

x x x

In the end, there was little to say to Thor before he and Loki departed the next morning. Thor was sad and grim. Even Tony had been subdued, respecting Thor's anguish over his brother's fate.

Thor had clasped arms with each of the other Avengers, and he'd said quiet words to each of them. Then he escorted Loki to the place of departure, while the Avengers stood as the just witnesses for the Earth.

To Bruce, he had said should the Hulk wish to spar, he would be most glad to oblige him. He thanked him once again for joining in the battle, and expressed his utmost desire that Bruce continue to be an Avenger. Bruce made a non-committal sound and Thor took him by the shoulders.

"My brother forced your mighty warrior free without your consent or guidance, and I shall carry your grievance to Odin. He will judge Loki. I am sorry for the harm he did to you, and I shall pay any price you ask, in Loki's name."

Bruce's gut clenched when he looked up at Thor. He hated talking about his father, but he would. He thought that Thor needed him to do this.

"I don't hold you responsible for your brother, Thor. And, um, listen. I've got some experience with this. Somebody you love, family, they do something awful, terrible, and you're angry with them and disappointed and sad and maybe even scared of them, but sometimes, you still love them. Maybe you hate them, too, at times, but the love for them, it's still there. It's, ah, okay if you feel that way."

Thor's eyes were really very, very blue. Looking intently at Bruce a moment longer, he drew him into a rib-cracking hug that lifted him off the ground. Thor set him down and Bruce felt himself redden, discomfited for a moment.

"You are wise, my friend, and I shall remember your words of comfort. Fare thee well till I return to Midgard." He grasped Bruce's arm in a warriors clasp for a long moment.

Loki, subdued and silenced, took his place with his brother and together, hands on the tesseract's new casing, they were gone. Loki was no longer the Avengers' problem. The tesseract was no longer S.H.I.E.L.D.'s concern. His agreement with Fury was completed.

He caught Natasha's eye and she took him away from the milling crowd.

"If S.H.I.E.L.D. is done snooping through my backpack, can I have it back? I could use a few shirts, my other pair of pants. The few bucks I had in a side pocket, too."

He'd had some money in his trousers when Natasha had found him. Of course, that had been lost when he'd transformed into the Hulk on the helicarrier.

"We can buy you anything you need, give you money," Natasha said, carefully.

"Mmmmm. No. I think I don't want to feel... obligated to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You're really very stubborn, Doctor Banner."

"You already knew that, Agent Romanoff. You read my file."

She touched him on his arm, a light caress that seemed to have become routine between them, and left.

x x x