On the Helicarrier, the Avengers were busy tending to their wounds and some equipment repairs after their latest mission. It was something of a cycle for them, it wasn't as if the bad guys made a habit of throwing feather dusters and colourful language at them.

Cap was sitting, repainting his shield following the mission, trying to concentrate as he worked on it. Although they had since met and become allies of Wakanda, and so now they had access to people who knew how to forge and re-cast Vibranium, Cap's shield had been forged long before the world knew the truth of Wakanda's technological status. For a long time, it was thought the Vibranium used to make his shield was the only sample of it in the whole world, and just like Adamantium, once it cooled, once it was set solid, they did not have the technology required to melt and re-cast it.

The upshot of that was that his shield was one-of-a-kind, and that meant there was no supply of shields for him to use for different purposes. While he was always happy to fly the colours of his home nation, the red-white-and-blue was not the best suited to all missions, and so it meant he had to become used to painting it for each mission as was required. The last mission had begun as a stealth operation, but now it was over, he was able to once again pin the colours of his beloved home nation proudly to his chest so to speak. He was just concentrating on the central star, but he found himself wincing as he became momentarily distracted by a loud crunching.

"Kamala, do you have to do that in my ear?" He asked.

"What?" She mumbled through a mouthful of chips.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about." Steve sighed. "I need to concentrate on this."

"But I find it relaxing watching you work." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Who knew the world's greatest soldier was an artist?"

"I'll have you know that many of the greatest soldiers in history have been artists. From the Greeks, through the Samurai, the Knights of Europe, all the way to the poets of the early twentieth century many of whom wrote at length about their campaigns in Europe." He told her.

"I mean…you don't seem like your typical art type." Kamala commented. He just smiled.

"I'll have you know that before I finally got accepted into Project Rebirth, I was considered something of a prodigy in the field of cartoons." He told her. "I even got some of my work published in the local newspapers once or twice."

"So, do you do stuff for like, friends and family and the likes?" Kamala asked him. He just smiled.

"I've been known to." He said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh…oh nothing, just interested." She commented. "I guess when times were tough it would be a great way to give people heartfelt gifts for like…I don't know…weddings, or graduations or…"

"Or Birthdays?" He asked her slyly. "Nice try, Kamala."

"What?" She asked out loud.

"We are all well aware that it's a certain someone's special day soon." Cap told her, finishing off his work and starting to clean out his brushes. "But there's no point in fishing. You'll need to wait until the day to find out what you're getting."

"Oh, come on!" She whined.

"Kamala…"

"Come on, it's not fair! Just a little hint, please?" She begged him.

"But if you know what you're getting, then what'll be the big surprise on the day?" He asked her.

"You could…always get me another thing and not tell me?" She suggested. Kate just laughed from the corner, where Nat was busy cleaning up some of her grazes.

"Oh, that's a good one, I'm going to have to remember that one." Kate commented. They all stopped talking as Bruce walked in. He was wearing a sports coat and a dark grey shirt with a white tie. Natasha came across, straightening out his tie for him.

"Very nice, you really do clean up nicely Dr Banner." She complimented him. He just smiled.

"Why, thank you Ms Romanoff." He answered.

"And where are you going to?" Kamala asked him. "I thought we were all doing a pre-birthday movie night!"

"It's only one night." Bruce assured her.

"But it's my birthday!" She protested.

"No, tomorrow is your birthday, and I promise I'll be back by then." Bruce assured her. "But right now, I've got an old colleague to meet up with."

"Well, can we at least come along?" Kamala asked him.

"Look, I promise I'll be back by tomorrow." He reiterated. "Alright, Thor, can you do the honours?"

Thor summoned up the Bifrost, teleporting Bruce out of the room. Natasha came across, putting her hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, if he says he'll be here, he'll be here." Natasha told her.

"But we could have gone with him." Kamala muttered. Tony just laughed.

"Kid, did you see the way he was dressed? He's probably going to meet up with some stiff, stuffed-shirt science geek friends of his."

"Uh…aren't you a science geek?" Steve asked. Tony just pointed at him.

"No, I am a scientist, but I know how to have a good time." Tony declared proudly. "It's probably some symposium or other, I used to go to those until I realised what a snooze-fest they are. Trust me, you are not missing anything by not going with him."

"Besides, if he's not here then we can pick a sci-fi movie without him explaining all the errors." Kate added. "Or worse, getting offended because of the monsters being created." Kamala just sighed.

"I guess so." She answered.

"Believe me, there is no way he's going to be having as good a time as us." Natasha assured her.

In Arizona, Bruce appeared outside a roadside tavern just off the Interstate Highway. It was miles from anywhere, and the rows and rows of trucks, coaches, camper vans and motorcycles outside gave the indication of the kind of clientele that frequented it. It was the kind of place people stopped off on their way to literally anywhere else.

The building itself was a wooden structure, built some time well over a century ago. The sign outside advertised that it had rooms available, but since most people coming through had their own accommodation in their vehicles, most didn't bother. The music, if it could be called that, was so loud that he could feel it reverberating through his chest as he approached the door. He opened it up, looking around the interior.

He stood out here as much as Banner as the Hulk did pretty much everywhere else. The other customers were wearing hard-wearing clothing, denims, leathers, overalls, plaid shirts and the like. Some of the bikers wore cut-off leather jackets bearing the patches of their various clubs.

The bar was lined with patrons, all calling for refills of their pitchers of beer and assorted snacks.

"Yo, Bruce!" He heard a voice calling out. He smiled as he finally saw a man, a little younger than him, with long, brown hair waving him over. He was wearing a t-shirt with the logo for a band, A-Bomb on it, and a cut-off leather jacket. Unlike many of the other patrons though, he wore no patches aligning him with any motorcycle clubs. He had never joined up with them, he was always much more interested in doing his own thing than following anyone else. Bruce smiled brightly and crossed over to him, shaking his hand, before pulling into a deep hug.

"Rick!" He called out. "Man, it's good to see you! It has been way too long!"

"You can say that again, man normally when you drop off the radar, I go with you but this time you REALLY dropped off the radar!" Rick replied. Rick Jones was a long-time friend of Bruce's. Two men that had wildly different lives, and two men that under almost any other set of circumstances would probably have never even met, but remained to this day two of the closest friends.

Rick Jones, lead singer of the wildly popular rock band A-Bomb, and one of the biggest heartthrobs on the music scene to legions of teenage fans. Unknown to the public, however, he was also one of the only people who knew of the true origins of the Hulk.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm really sorry about that." Bruce said a little awkwardly. "It was pretty…"

"Dude, I was in LA when that whole thing went down in SF, if you remember, it was kind of hard to miss." Rick told him. "But, recently I've seen you've been…well…you've been getting out and about again."

"Yeah, you could say that." Bruce responded. Rick took a deep breath. He could see that it was something Bruce was not overly keen to talk about.

"So, how about I get us some drinks and we can catch up a little?" Rick asked him. "Jules! A bottle of your finest tequila over here when you can! Pretzels too!"

Back on the Helicarrier, the team were in the midst of watching some movies. Ordinarily it was the kind of thing that would be Kamala's idea of Heaven, sitting around with a bunch of her best friends, some snacks and drinks and a whole library of some of the wildest adventures ever put to the screen, but as time went on, Nat could see her continually looking towards the clock. She didn't make a big deal about it; the others were far too busy debating the nonsensical nature of the plot to even notice. She edged closer to Kamala on the couch.

"He's a big boy, you know." Natasha reminded him. "He's allowed to be out late."

"I know, it's just…" She said, looking a little dejected. "Look, I'm going to be spending the day with my family and friends in Jersey, so I was hoping that I'd get at least some time before we got back there with you guys."

"I'm sure he'll be back in plenty of time." Natasha answered. "I mean, you do have breakfast with us before you go home, I'm sure he'll be back by then."

Kamala did look a little happier hearing this, but Nat could still tell that she would prefer to have him here for the whole night. She and Bruce had a connection, one that Nat could tell was important to both of them. She put her arm around her.

"Hey, I wish he was here too." Nat told her, pulling a blanket around both of them. "But, since he's not here, how about we share this instead?"

"I guess." Kamala answered.

"Hey, whatever he's doing, I'm sure it won't be half as much fun as we're having." Nat assured her.

Back at the bar, both Rick and Bruce slammed their shot glasses down after downing their latest shots. Bruce's face was a picture as he ripped the lemon wedge apart with his teeth, completing the ritual. Rick cheered and pounded his fists on the table.

"My man, you are not slowing down in your old age!" Rick complimented him. Bruce just chuckled.

"Old age?" He asked.

"You know what I mean." Rick stated. "So, the band is back together and has some new members?"

"Yeah, it is." Bruce replied with a little smile. "If you'd told me a year ago, I'd ever go back to that I don't think I'd have believed you…well…come to think of it, you probably wouldn't be talking to me. I was spending a lot of time as the other guy back then."

"Really?" Rick asked. "Dude, that sounds kind of rough. You know you could always have asked for help, right?"

"I wish I had." Bruce agreed. "But the way things are going now, it's not so bad. It's good having a lot of the old gang back together."

"So, what about the new kids?" Rick asked him. "I don't remember them from back in the day."

"Well, Kate was kind of a prospect for us." Bruce said, causing Rick to look witheringly at him. "She was already good enough, but as of late she's really stepped up."

"What about that other one? The stretchy one?" Rick asked him. He could see the expression on Bruce's face changing as soon as he mentioned her.

"Kamala…what can I say? If it wasn't for her, we'd all still be…well, I honestly don't know where we'd all be." Bruce told him. "I'd probably still be in the desert, hiding in the wreckage of the Helicarrier for a start."

"Sounds like you've got a lot to be thankful for." Rick commented.

"You don't know the half of it." Bruce agreed. "She's a great kid, she's got this kind of…well…she's a lot like you in a lot of ways. She just kind of has this thing where people are naturally drawn to her. She's a great kid, the kind any parent would be proud to have."

Rick could only smile hearing Bruce talk about her so fondly.

"It's actually her birthday tomorrow. She wanted to have a movie night with us, but…I promised I'd make it up to her." Bruce told him. "In the meantime, I guess Nat's going to have to take my place."

"Nat?" Rick asked him with a raise of the eyebrow. Bruce just smiled.

"It's early days." Bruce stated. "We're…we're still figuring stuff out, but we talked about it and we figured it might be worth giving things another try."

"My man, I could not be happier to hear that." Rick told him, shifting a little in his seat. "Which…brings me to another thing I wanted to talk about. You're not the only one that's um…"

"Rick Jones, are you telling me…?" Bruce said, looking elated as they each poured another drink. "Rick, I could not be happier for you."

"Yeah, well…it was a bit of a surprise for me I'll tell you that much." Rick said to him. "And, I just really, really wanted to tell you about it myself."

Bruce just looked to him, a little confused. He couldn't quite put his finger on why that sounded so odd.

"Bruce, you know you and I have been friends for…well…ever since that dumb kid rode his bike onto the wrong section of desert." Rick explained. "And it's because you mean so much to me, to both of us, that we felt we owed it to you to hear it from me."

"I'm not sure I…" Bruce started to say, before a thought came to him.

"Bruce, you've got to know, we mean the world to each other." Rick assured him. "I'd never do anything to hurt you, or her, but…you weren't the only one that went through a rough time back then, and we helped each other through a lot of it and it just became something else."

"Betty?" Bruce asked him. Rick just nodded.

"I swear to you, she means everything to me." Rick assured him. Bruce just nodded, causing Rick to sigh in relief.

"What Betty and I had, it was a long time ago, and she deserves someone that'll make her happy." Bruce answered. "And I know that dumb kid that thought a nuclear testing site was a great place to use as a dirtbike track turned into one of the strongest, kindest and most dependable men I'll ever know long ago. I hope you'll make each other very happy."

"I hope so too." Rick answered as they clinked glasses. They were about to drink when another patron bumped into them. He spilled their drinks, and his own pitcher all over the place. "Hey, dude…"

"Watch it kid!" The trucker yelled drunkenly. "You owe us another pitcher!"

"ME?" Rick protested. "Dude, I was just sitting still! You were the one that walked into us!"

"I said, you owe us another pitcher!" The trucker reiterated. Rick didn't move to start anything, but got up off his chair and moved into a more defensive pose. Bruce just interjected.

"Rick, it's not worth it." Bruce told him. "Look, it was an accident, we're all fine, how about we just call it one of those things?"

"How about you get my friends and I drinks for the rest of the night?" The trucker suggested, drawing himself up to full size. He was taller than Bruce and Rick by a good two feet, and looked like he was about two fifty, possibly more. Years of loading and unloading trucks had obviously had a big effect on him. Rick was looking like he was getting ready to defend himself when Bruce interjected yet again.

"Tell you what? How about a little wager instead?" Bruce suggested. "You win, I pick up the tab for you and your friends for the entire night. You win, you pick up our tab."

"Yeah, and what kind of wager?" The trucker asked. Bruce planted his elbow on the table and held his hand up. The trucker took one look at Bruce, before turning to his friends and laughing hysterically.

"Is that a forfeit?" Bruce asked him. "I'd be happy to take the W that way."

The trucker sat opposite Bruce and clasped hands with him. Bruce looked away, but flicked his eyes up to Rick with a little smirk on his face. Rick could hardly keep his face straight as he saw Bruce's eyes flashing a little green.

The following morning, Natasha was up early, and came into the commissary, finding Bruce sitting at the table with a mug of coffee. His hair was messy, and he had some distinct stubble. His eyes were hardly open. She could see a glass beside him, with what looked like some headache tablets fizzing in it. She chuckled.

"Feeling a little delicate?" She asked him. Bruce groaned and nodded.

"Someone please remind me never to drink tequila again." He grumbled.

"Well, you look like you had a good night anyway." She said as he took a sip of coffee. "Have you eaten?"

"Something with bacon." Bruce muttered. Natasha just nodded. The others were all starting to file in, and they saw Bruce looking rather strung out.

"Whoa, someone had a heavy night." Tony stated. "I guess symposiums have really changed since the last time I went to one."

"Actually, symposiums in Ancient Greece were well known for excessive consumption of alcohol, hallucinogens and even orgies." Natasha pointed out. Tony just shuddered.

"Please, do not give me the mental image of Banner and orgies." He responded. Just then, Bruce winced as there was a loud cry and Kamala bounded into the room.

"It's my BIRTHDAY!" She screamed, bouncing around the room in an animated way. Bruce just had a look on his face like he wanted to die, just so the splitting pain in his head would end. "Bruce, you're back!"

"Yeah, I promised I would be." Bruce said as she hugged him tightly. Steve came across, handing her a present.

"Happy Birthday kiddo." He told her. Kamala started tearing off the paper, finding a framed picture inside. It was one of Cap's cartoons, one he had drawn of her.

"It's the best! Thank you!" She gushed as she hugged him. "I can't believe I own a Steve Rogers original artwork!"

"Well, you deserve it." Steve told her.

The others started to give her presents while they got their morning ritual underway. She was positively giddy as she unwrapped all her presents.

"Alright, that just leaves yours." Kamala said as they all looked down the table to Bruce. He just stared at them.

"Uh…"

"Oh, ha ha, real funny, Bruce." Kamala said as she looked to him. "Is this that oh so funny fake 'I didn't get you anything' joke that everyone does?"

Bruce just looked a little alarmed. He had asked Rick to sign something for her, but he couldn't remember right now if he actually had or not.

"Um…I think it's in my…"

Just then, a door opened and they all looked confused. Tony made a point of pointing around them all, counting out the members of the team. A few moments later, a guy came into the room, pulling on his t-shirt.

"Bruce, you have like…the greatest futon ever!" Rick told him. Kamala just sat, staring at him. "So, what does a guy have to do to get a coffee around here? After that much tequila, it's definitely a must."

Without warning, Kamala let out an ear-piercing shriek and launched herself across the room, wrapping her arms around Rick. He just laughed.

"Whoa! Alright…um…I'm guessing this is the new girl?" Rick asked.

"THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Bruce just groaned.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy." He answered, grabbing his glass. "And thank God for paracetamol."