Hey all y'all, this is a commission piece for jamiehernandez8888. The prompt was Bruce getting hurt and the team having to rally around him to help. I hope I did it justice!
As always, anything belonging to the MCU is their property. I make no money from this story and no copyright infringement is intended.
I Don't Know You
Having the Hulk as his alter ego, the Other Guy, meant that it was pretty damn hard to injure Bruce, most would say impossible. Many had tried, of course, in the midst of battle, to incapacitate the green giant but so far, none had succeeded. Well, none had until that day, and it was fair to say that the entire team had been in complete shock when the roaring green giant was sent careening into a wall, and fell unconscious, the green skin shrinking and paling until Bruce was laid in a heap of rubble, his chest barely rising and falling.
Flying as fast as he could, Tony had been the one to reach him first. He had JARVIS scan him and check that his spine was intact before he could safely move the unconscious man. Tony snapped at the others to box off these goddamn bots and get back to the Tower, quick. He scooped up Bruce and put all the power he had into the thrusters, going at breakneck speed back to the Tower so he could have Bruce checked over and see what was wrong.
The other genius' breathing was weak, pulse thready and for the first time since meeting him, Tony genuinely feared for the man he called his Science Brother. The moment he smacked down on the landing pad of the Tower, Tony was thankful for no more spinning rims and a simple double tap at his chest sent the nanobots back into their casing on his chest, stumbling a second under Bruce's weight.
He staggered to the lift and had JARVIS rush them straight to Medical where a team of doctors waited for them, taking Bruce from his arms and promising they would alert him the moment they discovered anything or Bruce's situation changed. For now, all he could do was wait. Tony sank into a plush chair next to the bed Bruce would be placed on once they'd ran their tests and buried his face in his hands, fighting back tears that threatened to choke him.
Tony wasn't entirely sure how much time passed but soon his teammates were gathered around him, thankfully not clamouring with questions, each offering their silent support. Natasha curled up in Tony's lap, her curly hair brushing his nose and making him sneeze. Clint threaded his hand through hers, the other carded through Tony's hair once, making the mechanic close his eyes a moment, savouring the gentle contact.
Steve grasped his shoulder and squeezed, just a little too hard, but the pain grounded him and Tony was thankful for the fierce grip. Sam stood off to the side, but he offered Tony a gentle tip of his lips, his shoulder resting against Rhodey who'd flown in the moment he heard Bruce had been seriously injured. Lastly was Bucky, his glacial eyes locked on Tony's face, metal arm glinting in the fluorescent lights. He dropped to his knees in front of Tony and Nat, and cupped Tony's cheek with his metal fingers, the cool digits a balm to Tony's heated skin as he fought for control of his emotions.
Nat hissed in pain and slipped off, making Tony hang his head in shame and he let out a shaky breath. Expecting anger, he was surprised when Nat simply held a cube of ice from the jug of water at the bedside then quickly squeezed his fingers before retreating, lest she end up badly burned. "Deep breaths, love," she said softly to Tony. "Get yourself under control before these poor doctors end up more stressed out."
Tony raised hazel eyes to her bright green ones and heaved a sigh, carded a hand through his own hair and focused on the metal fingers at his cheek, already warmed from his skin. "Sorry, Nat. Do I need to get the burn kit again?"
Her eyes dimmed at his tone, the bitterness always present whenever he went too hot. "No, love, I'm alright. Nothing a little cream won't fix right up."
"What happened?" He asked the team, unsure how Bruce could have been so badly injured.
It was Steve who answered, pulling a chair beside Tony's and huffing a breath out. "We all know Bruce, or rather, Hulk, can take a serious beating. He's usually the only one of us we don't have to worry about too much. I guess, we left him too wide open and the bots quickly picked up on that and targeted him. One of them struck Hulk with a laser of some kind, kind of like your repulsors and it just…it just sent him flying. I've never seen Hulk smash into something so hard before."
Tony was well aware. Hulk had been literally put through a building before when Tony had had to suit up with Veronica, but that was nothing in comparison to how hard Hulk had smashed into the wall when fighting those damnable bots. He'd been about to say something else when the doctors returned with Bruce, shifting him from the gurney to the bed Tony and the team were beside.
Dark brown eyes fluttered open and met Tony's hazel ones, confusion evident in the dark orbs. "Um, I'm very grateful you've all come to see I'm alright, but…who are you all? I don't know you…"
-oo0oo-
Of all the things Steve had expected to be faced when Bruce woke up, amnesia was not one of them. It hadn't even crossed his mind. Not once. Because the Hulk, and by default Bruce, were meant to be indestructible. Bruce slept soundly, his chest rising and falling at a normal rate, Steve's eyes tracking the movements, subconsciously counting between each inhale and exhale, concerned his breathing could change any moment.
Tony had wanted first watch, but Steve had kindly (but gently) told the engineer he needed to rest and get his emotions under some semblance of control. His skin was constantly glowing, his eyes flickering between their usual whiskey colour and the bright blue of Extremis. The inhuman cry of pain that came from their resident techie was soul-wrenching and made many of the team look away, tears in their eyes.
Steve had promised to remain awake and let Tony know the second anything changed, and only after he'd promised a dozen times did Tony finally relent and let himself be chased away by the rest of the team. Steve wasn't sure which of them would have an extra body in their bed tonight, but he knew that someone would be taking care of him.
In the meantime, it was just Steve and Bruce in Medical, one asleep, one incapable of sleep. Steve barely slept more than a handful of hours on a good day, staying awake for the night wouldn't affect his ability to function in the slightest. Sitting back, he stretched out long legs and eyed the sleeping man before him, his mind buzzing with questions to which no one had the answers. How could this have happened? Would Bruce ever get his memory back? How long would it take? What if it never happened?
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "Whatever it takes, Bruce, we'll get you, and Hulk, back. I promise," he whispered, more to himself than Bruce.
Bruce stirred and blinked awake, sitting upright then hissing in pain. "The lights!"
Steve jumped up and killed them to a dim glow. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
Dark brown eyes looked at him and he pursed his lips. "Uh, yeah, sure, no problem. Um, is there a reason you're still here?"
"You might not remember us, Bruce, but you're part of a team. My name is Steve Rogers, we first met in two-thousand and twelve."
A frown marred Bruce's face. "Huh…how, um, how much time did they say I've lost? Because I'd swear it was still two-thousand and five. I was working in the lab, on the super soldier serum. There was an accident and it knocked me unconscious, right?"
The doctors hadn't yet had chance to find out how much time Bruce had lost, he'd fallen asleep not long after waking up, and Steve was gobsmacked that Bruce had been set back all the way to when he'd first creating Hulk. "Uh, no, Bruce. You and I met in two-thousand and twelve but the current year is two-thousand and sixteen, we've known each other for four years."
"Wait…I've lost eleven years?" Bruce shrieked.
Steve swallowed and nodded, his hand twitching to reach for Bruce but the other man pulled away and shook his head. "No, don't touch me, I…fuck! How? What the hell happened to me!?"
"There was a battle, involving robots. You were, well, you were knocked into a wall and it did some damage to you."
Bruce looked down at his hands. "What on earth was I doing fighting? I'm just a scientist!"
Blowing out a breath, Steve scooted his chair closer and rested his clasped hands on the bed. "The accident you had in two-thousand and five created something. You were experimenting, trying to re-create the serum that made me, but you used gamma radiation and it cause a violent reaction, when you were blown up, something bonded to your DNA and something called the Hulk was born. Your alter ego, the voice in the back of your mind."
"What voice? The only voice in my head is my own," Bruce said, scratching at his head.
-oo0oo-
A few days later and Bruce was released from Medical and it was Clint who was there to greet him. The archer smiled warmly at Bruce and showed him the way back to his rooms. "So, I know you don't remember me, but we're actually really good friends, me, you and the big guy."
"Uh, I don't know where the big guy is but if he pops up I'll pass on the message."
Clint winced. "Oh, yeah, I forgot he wasn't around now. I'm sorry, I hope he comes back but I know you two struggled to share a body. You didn't really get along with each other, but things were getting better, especially since we came up with the Lullaby."
"Lullaby?" Bruce asked. "Does someone sing to this Hulk?"
Clint burst out laughing and nudged Bruce's shoulder, trying not to let his sorrow show when the other man flinched away from the touch. "Uh, no. It's a series of phrases that are designed to calm Hulk down and help him recede so you can come back out. You were bonding better, moving more seamlessly from one to the other."
When they arrived at Bruce's rooms, Clint pressed his hand to the biometric pad and the door opened with a soft swish. "Tony asked JARVIS to wipe your handprint so you'll need to set a new one again."
"Oh, if I'm intruding I'm sure I can find accommodation elsewhere."
"No, not at all. Tony just thought you might feel better if you did it all over again yourself. Maybe it would trigger more recent memories, and if nothing else, it might serve to make you feel safer. I know you flinch away from our touches, that a part of you is afraid of us, that you can't trust us. But, I really hope that you'll learn to. Again, I mean."
He leaned against the door frame, watching Bruce move around as he familiarised himself with everything once again. He seemed to recognise a lot of things as his, even though they were given to him after he'd joined the Avengers. Clint guessed that the man simply recognised it as something he would probably own.
Clint missed the easy friendship they'd had, the way Bruce's lips would twitch in mirth when Tony bellowed out his name because of some stupid prank he'd pulled, how Bruce would manage to look completely innocent when he denied knowing where the archer was hiding, or how when Clint was feeling jittery, his hearing aids driving him nuts, Bruce would remove them, gently, and put them in Clint's pocket, and use sign language instead.
Dragged back from his thoughts when a throat cleared, politely, Clint flushed pink and apologised for getting lost in his own head. He crossed and uncrossed his arms a few times, flexed his fingers, eyes darting around. The jitters tore through him quickly, catching him off guard. Bruce's dark brown eyes filled his vision, and two warm hands touch each of his ears, clicking off the hearing aids and plucking them off.
He took them from Bruce's outstretched hand and signed thank you. Bruce signed back and a flash of hope raced through Clint's chest. I hope I didn't overstep. You looked like you needed to switch off.
Clint smiled warmly and swallowed back the lump in his chest. You didn't overstep. You've always done this for me.
Something flickered in Bruce's dark eyes but then it was gone. After that, Clint left the scientist alone, and ran to tell Tony what had happened. He'd had to sign it three times for the man, his hands moving too fast and Tony refused to rely on JARVIS to translate for him, determined to learn to be faster. That night, Clint slept outside Bruce's room, hearing aids still in his pocket. He didn't stir when the door swished open, Bruce almost stumbling over the body on the ground. He knelt down, covered Clint up properly, and brushed the long fringe off his forehead. He never did go get the glass of water he'd woken thirsting for.
-oo0oo-
Life in the Tower was very stilted for a while, everyone trying to adjust to not having the Bruce they were so used to around them. It wasn't even like he was the same man as when he'd first joined the Avengers. Nat had already done some research on Bruce's life immediately after the creation of Hulk, and on top of what she'd already known, she vetoed the idea of getting in touch with Betty Ross to come help them.
Not only was it likely that it would set Bruce back, but the risk of Secretary of State Ross finding out was far too high. Nat knew Betty Ross disliked her father but she still loved him, and there was no way to tell if she would be able to keep this kind of information from him. Ross might not be actively trying to get his hands on Bruce anymore, but he certainly wasn't someone to be trusted.
The amnesia was still there, Bruce hadn't regained any of his memories from the last eleven years, and Nat had done as much as she possibly could to try and get him to remember them. It should have hurt far more than it did, Bruce not remembering her. Not remembering them. But their romance had been so fleeting that perhaps it was best he didn't recall their time together.
It had been six weeks since Bruce's memory loss. The entire team was wrung out, each one of them hurting for a different reason that Bruce didn't remember them. Steve because he enjoyed Bruce's quick wit. Clint because he loved the way Bruce was always there for him. And Nat, well, she missed how even though they were no longer a couple that they would still flirt foolishly with one another.
Most of her terrible one liners now fell flat and it stung badly. She wandered into the kitchen and found Bruce already sat at the island, a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of him. "You and I need to stop meeting like this or people will start to talk."
Bruce looked up and frowned. "Sorry?"
Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Nat smiled, brittle and sad. "Never mind. Coffee?"
The scientist nodded and rose to his feet, misunderstanding that she was offering to make him a cup. She waited for him to ask how she had it and was surprised to find he was able to make it exactly how she normally had it. As far as she could remember, Bruce hadn't once made her a cup of coffee post amnesia.
"You know how I take my coffee?" She asked.
The clinking of the tea spoon in the mug stopped and Bruce looked up, surprised etched on his face. "Huh, how about that? I just knew you took it black with a little sugar."
Nat smiled and nodded. "Black like-"
"-like your soul but only a little sugar because you're sweet enough," he finished.
It was simple, small, nothing of any real note, but it made Nat burst into tears and she hugged Bruce tightly, her head laying over his heart and for the first time in six weeks, Bruce didn't flinch away from the contact. He didn't hug her back, but the not flinching was absolutely a step in the right direction.
"I was thinking we could go over the Lullaby today, maybe it'll help you remember some stuff? No word from the big guy?" Nat asked, sipping the coffee Bruce passed her.
Bruce tugged the tie at his neck. "Er, no, sorry, nothing. Do you…do you think I could maybe reach him?"
Cocking her head in thought, pondering it a moment. "Well, assuming that Hulk is still a part of you, which I guess he is considering he bonded to your DNA, it's a possibility. Why don't we test it out? I'll have Tony set up the lab under Green Protocol and we can see what happens with that and the Lullaby."
They agreed to meet after lunch, giving Bruce time to prepare himself. He didn't really understand how he was meant to contact the voice in his head but he couldn't deny that even though he didn't remember Hulk, he did feel like a part of him was missing. Which was a weird experience with no recollection of it. Still, everyone had been so patient with him that he felt he needed to make more of an effort.
Nat looked up when she heard footsteps and smiled brightly at Bruce, the tie around his neck so rumpled from his tugging on it that she had to literally clench her fists to stop herself from going and straightening it. Tony, however, had no such compunction and just told Bruce to take the damn thing off. Bruce complied without thought and launched the material at the other genius.
"JARVIS, enable Green Protocol, please," Tony asked his AI.
Bruce's eyes widened when a series of thick glass plates seemed to come from the ceiling and surrounded them in a wide cage. Nat took a deep breath and crouched down slightly, her hand outstretched. "Hey, big guy, sun's getting real low," she murmured, voice gentle, husky almost.
The way Bruce violently flinched and began to hyperventilate, Nat knew she'd just triggered something. Whether it was a memory or the Hulk she wasn't too sure, but the way Bruce's skin rippled, darkened to green and he started to grow, she quickly had her answer. "Oh fuck," she whispered.
-oo0oo-
Bruce wasn't really sure what he was expecting when he came down to the lab. He'd been in the Tower for six weeks and honestly, he still felt like a complete stranger, like a stray that had been taken in but no one knew what to do with. He knew his presence caused the inhabitants of the Tower a lot of pain, his inability to remember them making them all sad.
It caused an ache in his chest that he didn't understand, a hollowness that didn't make sense. How could he miss these people when he didn't know them? He only vaguely knew Stark from the number of times Ross had banged on about him before his accident in the lab. And Betty, god he missed Betty so much. And yet, he found her face was different when he tried to remember her. Her long dark hair was red, her beautiful blue eyes a brilliant green that saw deep into his soul.
They were caged in when Stark activated what he called Green Protocol. Bruce felt extremely displaced by it, like it was something he'd experienced before, or rather, seen before. Nat crouched down, her lithe legs flexing their muscles as she settled in position, her hand in the air. The weird buzzing he'd been hearing of late returning with force, driving him crazy.
"Hey, big guy, the sun's getting real low."
Without warning, a loud roar sounded through his skull and Bruce flinched so violently, his spine popped and cracked, his skin ached, no, it burned. He looked at his hands and the normally pale skin turned green, his fingers thickened and his body was aflame with agony. Another roar, this one out loud and making the other two bodies jump.
Banner, Hulk here! The voice clamoured in his head and it hurt so much. It was deep, gruff, stilted.
"Tin man," Hulk grunted. "Nat."
Green eyes sparkled with unshed tears and she grinned at him. "Hi, big guy, we've missed you."
"Why Banner no let Hulk out?"
Tin man walked forward and held both hands out to show he held no weapons or meant any harm. "Bruce had an accident that's affected his memory. He couldn't find you."
Hulk grunted and lightly thumped his fist off one of the walls of glass. "Hulk there but Banner no hear."
Nat placed her tiny hand in Hulk's gigantic one and ran her fingers along his palm. "I think he can hear you now. Sun's getting real low," she murmured, letting her face bump gently against one of the enormous green fingers, the skin shifting and rippling under her cheek until a calloused palm cradled it.
"What the fuck just happened?" Bruce wheezed.
Tony played back the video feed. "Bruce, meet Hulk."
The buzzing in his head faded until eventually, all Bruce could hear was his own thoughts, with the occasional grunted word. "Well, that's unsettling," he croaked.
His arms were filled with a red-head. "You got used to it, you said. It took a little time, but you adapted. I imagine you can again. I really hope you remember us soon, Bruce."
Lips pressed to his cheek and then she was gone, leaving Bruce alone with Tony. The other genius was rocking on his feet, hands shoved into his slacks pockets and he called for JARVIS to end Green Protocol.
"The glass was there so I couldn't cause any harm, right?" Bruce asked.
Tony nodded. "Yeah, but not to the team, to my equipment. I learned the hard way once that Hulk intensely dislikes a lot of technology and destroyed my entire lab once. Now, anything I do in here that involves him is done inside Green Protocol so I don't have to keep losing progress on projects."
Bruce grunted very much like Hulk and it made Tony laugh. Bruce rather thought he liked the sound of Tony's laughter.
-oo0oo-
After they'd managed to locate the Hulk, things in the Tower improved quickly and it wasn't long before Bruce was more himself, according to the other inhabitants of the Tower, anyway. There were little snippets he remembered, like Ross trying to imprison him, Abomination trying to killing him and the subsequent destruction of Harlem.
He recalled Nat finding him in Calcutta, meeting Fury and Steve for the first time, brief flashes of the other members of the team but nothing concrete. Everyone had been patient, helpful, and done everything they could to assist him in regaining his memories. He'd Hulked out a few times, catching himself and others off guard, but so far there had been no destruction.
Bruce and his alter ego conversed daily, and even though it left Bruce feeling a little wrung out, it seemed to keep Hulk calm and when the surprise transformations happened, Hulk just seemed to want to spend time with people again. He spent more and more time in the lap with Tony and only once or twice had Tony gone too hot and lost the iron clad control he had on his emotions.
"Tony, why does that happen? I know it's tied to your emotions, but from what I've read up on, you're human."
Tony paused in what he was doing and looked up at Bruce. "I uh, there was an incident, a bit ago, involving me, Pepper and someone who called himself The Mandarin. He dosed Pepper up and made me watch as he almost went too hot, but it melded with her perfectly. I think he planned for her to die so I'd lose it so instead, he tried to kill her. He'd been bonded with Extremis for some time and was infinitely in more control than she was and…well, in an attempt to kill her I jumped in front without thinking and he struck me instead. I should've died, Bruce. But Pep, oh god, she was so fierce. She made him get another dose of it and shot me up with it. It was crazy and absolutely in no way guaranteed to work as it did with her, but it did."
Bruce swallowed back bile and knew he was being given a heavily watered down version. "Where is Pepper now?"
The mechanic ran a hand through his hair and closed his blue eyes, taking a few calming breaths. "She left."
"Oh…I thought, um, the others made out like you were together?"
The wounded noise Tony made had Bruce flinching. "We were, she uh, she blamed me. For Extremis. She wasn't wrong. I lashed out and gave The Mandarin our home address and naturally, the events that followed the violent attack on our home never would have happened had I not been an arrogant ass. Pepper is still the CEO of my company, and we remain friends, but it's not like it used to be."
Setting his glasses down on the table, Bruce enveloped Tony in a hug, initiating physical contact for the first time. "I'm sorry, Tony. Do you want me to help find a solution?"
"That's the first thing you said to me when you first found out Pepper and I had split up. No, I don't want to get rid of it. Extremis has benefitted us so many times in battle. I asked Pep as well, and even though she's upset with me for causing it, she doesn't deny that being enhanced means she can run the company better since everyone is terrified of her breathing fire at them."
The blunt statement made Bruce laugh, whole body shaking against Tony's. "That…you always called Pepper a dragon behind her back because every time you pissed her off you swore blind smoke came outta her nostrils."
There was a cry of joy from the doorway and Nat ran forward, propelling herself into them and hugging them both tightly. "You remembered another thing!" She cried happily.
Bruce shuffled back enough so she could sandwich herself perfectly between them, her red curls brushing his nose and he inhaled the tangy scent of her apple shampoo. He felt like he was home, he was warm, and safe, and loved. Maybe, just maybe, it didn't matter if he never got his memories back.
-oo0oo-
As luck would have it, Bruce's memories would return at the most inopportune of moments. Hulk had been chuntering in his mind for days on end, filling him in on the last eleven years of his life in the stilted way that Hulk spoke. He'd been filled in on why they hadn't stayed together with Nat, they'd been better as friends and whenever they tried to get close, Hulk was less than impressed and threatened to emerge.
Bruce had asked the green giant why, but he remained oddly silent. It frustrated Bruce to no end but it was just another things that annoyed him for the moment. Tony and Clint were mucking about in the lab and one, or both, of them were distracted and caused an explosion. The bang made Bruce startle so badly he Hulked out and bellowed in rage, surrounded by too much tech and it irked him.
He swept a massive arm across the table and sent all the equipment crashing to the floor, Tony howling in sorrow at all his lost work. Hulk turned, roaring at the man, a smirk twisting his lips when he saw tanned skin glow orange and brown eyes lit up blue and dangerous. Bruce tried to get Hulk to calm down but suspected his other half was ignoring him on purpose.
"Goddamn it, Hulk!" Tony yelled. "What is it with you and destroying my shit?"
Hulk grunted at him, swung a fist out and blinked when Tony grabbed it and stopped him. Tony grinned madly at him and swung a fist back, connecting with Hulk's jaw and making the giant shake his head dazedly. Before Hulk could take a pop shot back, Clint was right in front of him and had his hand out, palm up.
"Come on, big guy, sun's getting low, too late to be kicking anyone's ass," Clint murmured, eyes locked on Hulk's green ones.
Bruce crowed happily when Hulk calmed enough to recede and allow Bruce to take control once again. Like Bird Man, Hulk grumbled in his head as he shifted.
Thanks to the clothes in his closet, Bruce was not left in tattered clothes, naked as the day he was born like so many times before. Clint smiled warmly at him, and Bruce, without thought, grabbed him and tugged him forward, meeting his lips in a gentle kiss. Hulk roared happily in his head and Tony made a sort of eep! noise and vacated the lab rather quickly.
Just as their kiss broke, Bruce grabbed his head and cried out in pain. He didn't know how much time passed but when he looked up, the team surrounded him, each one prepared to assist in any way he needed. It took him a few seconds to realise it though, his first thought jumping to assume they were there to stop him hurting anyone.
"That's why Nat and I broke up!" He wheezed.
Nat smirked at him and winked. "Uh huh."
He whirled around to face Clint, the archer still pink in the cheeks. "Uh, what just happened?"
Steve snorted and shook his head. "Bruce, you back with us? Properly?"
The scientist rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ, Cap, just because I lost my marbles for a bit doesn't mean I went anywhere."
The team howled with laughter, except for Clint who still looked very confused. Bucky wrapped his metal arm around Tony's waist and smirked. "Oh, doll, you are adorable," he teased the archer.
It was Nat who broke the news to Clint. "Bruce and I split up because he realised he was falling in love with you, bird brain."
Clint blinked stupidly at Bruce. "Uh…I, um, we, uh, what?"
With all his memories back, Bruce didn't think he'd ever made a move on the archer, and it was becoming alarmingly obvious that Clint did not feel the same way as Bruce. "Oh, fuck me," he whispered, voice cracking.
Nat smacked Clint upside the head. "I swear to fucking god if you don't go tell him how you feel I will let Bucky and Tony take him instead."
The archer snapped out of his stupor and grabbed Bruce's shirt, tugged him in real close and crushed their mouths together in a heart-stopping kiss. Bruce's heartrate spiked, the watch at his wrist beeping dangerously fast, but his skin never changed a shade. In the back of mind, Hulk grunted his approval and it made Bruce smile against Clint's mouth.
He'd been struggling to work out how to tell Clint how he felt about the expert marksman. Who would have guessed all it would take was a bout of amnesia?