Finally this chapter is up! I'm super sorry for the long wait, it's just that this was a difficult on for me. Thor's dialogue is really hard to write. Sorry if the ending is not very good. I had to rush this because I'm going overseas, and I'm not sure if there's internet in my hotel. I could have posted this later, but I didn't want to make you guys wait! BTW, I just got my Avengers Blu-ray, and it's freaking amazing! Watch the gag reel, you will laugh like crazy. So, anyway, hope you enjoy. Read, relax and review!

Day 5

"You people are so petty… and tiny."

X

"That's my secret, Cap; I'm always angry."

X

Standing outside Captain America's ward, Doctor Bruce Banner seemed like he wasn't doing much. But in fact, he was doing the exact opposite.

In his head, every single frame of the accident was flashing past, and it kept on replaying, making him feel all the more guilty. He was using every ounce of willpower to try and stop himself from either shooting or stabbing himself out of guilt. Even if he did, it wouldn't work because… well, just because. It was all he could do to stop himself from dropping the basket of fruits and muffins in his hands and run away into some dark corner, waiting for the emotions to ride past.

With all that energy being used to control himself, it's a wonder how he even managed to look at the Captain through the glass window. He had been standing in the exact same place for a whole twenty minutes. He had sighed, ran his hand through his hair and adjusted his glasses almost a hundred times. Bruce just couldn't go into the ward.

He was about to give up when Thor saw him. "Friend Banner!" The god of thunder ran to the doctor. "Have you come to see the Captain in his recovery room as well?"

"…Yeah, I did."

"Then why have you not gone inside?"

"I… I… can't."

"Why ever not? Never mind, I shall lead you in." Thor grabbed the basket out of Bruce's hands and walked right into the ward. Before Bruce could object, Thor started announcing his arrival, very, very loudly. "Captain, the doctor and I are here to visit you! We have also brought along some amazing delicacies!"

Bruce, who was still in the hallway, saw the faces of annoyance turned to him. Damn it, he thought, talk softer. He raised his hand in apology and quickly walked into the room. "You didn't have to tell the whole world that you were here, Thor. Sorry Cap, he's still adjusting." It took him a second to remember that Steve was still in his coma. The guilt instantly came rushing back. He tried his best to cover it. "Anyway… they're just fruits and some muffins. They're not really that amazing."

"I am sorry for creating a disturbance Doctor, but shouldn't the Captain know that we are here?" Thor was his usual self, asking questions ever so often. He lifted the basket. "And these consumables are unlike those of Asgard; they have never tasted as marvellous or tremendous as the ones of Midguardian origin."

"Fine, whatever" was all Bruce could answer to Thor's point on food. But, on the part about the Captain, Bruce just said, "I don't think Steve can hear you. He might not even know if we're actually here."

"What?! The Captain cannot hear us?" The god slammed the basket of food onto the bedside table in frustration and curiosity. "Is this coma of Earth not similar to Odinsleep? Does one not know the happenings of his surroundings when he is in this state?"

"Calm down, we don't need to destroy SHIELD's property." The doctor collapsed onto a chair in exhaustion. "A coma is like Odinsleep, I guess. I think they can't hear anything. I'm not sure; nobody has really proven it yet. Nobody is sure whether a coma patient actually realises what's going on around them or not."

Thor took a seat next to Bruce. "Then why did Lady Natasha and Archer Barton say that they had spoken to the Captain during their visit here?"

"You can talk to him, but I don't know if he can actually hear us. You can speak to him all you like, just don't expect any responses."

"Does it do any good by talking to him?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure. You can give it go; it might help him wake up sooner."

"Very well then." Thor took a seat beside Bruce. "Captain, you do look much better than when you first arrived in this establishment. All the traces of battle are gone, but yet you are still asleep… Doctor, is it just me or does the Captain look more at peace when he is in this state?"

"I guess he does, doesn't he?" Bruce leaned forward, staring at Steve's unmoving face. "I guess it's because he doesn't have to deal with the rest of us.

"He leads us, plans everything, and helps us all. Without him, we wouldn't know what do to do at all. He has to cope with the rest of us, no matter what kind of crap we do. He still takes care of us, because… because that's what he does. He's Captain America: he plans, he leads, he helps and he cares. He does it all without even hesitating." Bruce shut his eyes tight, breathing a deep, long sigh. "And that's why I just feel so damn guilty."

"I could have saved him. I could have just pulled him up. I just stood there while he fought that stupid robot. I should have helped, at least done something. I'm so useless and now… now he's like this."

Thor spoke up, with concern laced in his voice. "Doctor, do not put the blame all on yourself. We were had a part in this as well."

The brunette shouted an outburst that shocked the demigod. "He protects us every single day, without fail. He's always right by our side when we need him. He protects us, but we don't protect him. He helps us without even expecting thanks in return, and this is what we do to him? This is what we do to a man who has so selflessly helped his friends no matter what? We should have done something. I should have done something. Now he's in this state because of me.

"I just feel so bad. You know why I couldn't come in, Thor? It's because I didn't want to face him. I didn't want to see what I had done to Steve. Every day, I can still see him slip away, falling and hitting the ground in my head. And every day, it just kills me to know that someone brave and strong could become like this. If he wakes up 70 years from now, we would all be dead, and he would feel guilty because he couldn't help his friends get through their problems during that time. That's what would happen. We owe him so much, and yet he gets rewarded like this."

Thor waited for the doctor to cool down. Then, he spoke, calm and assertive. "Doctor, the Captain would not have wanted you to feel like this. He protects us because is he able to and that he is willing to, not because he is forced to do so. He protects us as he finds us worthy of protection. He cares deeply about us, so why should we question him?"

Thor placed a firm yet comforting hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Doctor, I do believe that if the Captain had not fallen out of your grasp, he would have most likely let go. He knew that you would not be able to carry him; he could tell that the strain was hurting you. He did not want you to experience pain. If he had let go instead, you might not be feeling so guilt-ridden. That is what he wants, and yet you do the exact opposite. If the Captain could see you right at this moment, he would most likely feel extremely bad over it. So, please, do not put the blame on yourself. Do it for the Captain."

Bruce sighed and leaned back against his chair, shut his eyes and tilted his head back until he faced the ceiling. He could feel Thor's eyes on him, so he turned his head to face his. "Fine, I'll do it. For Steve."

The god clasped his hands together. "Good!" Then he reached for the basket, grabbing two muffins. "Now all we have to do is wait for the Captain to wake up."

"Thor, that's not for you, it's for… never mind. Yeah, we just have to wait, but for who knows how long?"

"You know…" Thor said with a mouthful of chocolate muffin. "In Asgard, if someone falls ill, friends and family usually talk about good deeds that person has done. It brings about good luck and the person recovers quickly soon after."

"Really? Well, if you want to talk about good deeds Steve has done, he did help me with my anger-management issues once."

XXXXXXXXXX

A couple of weeks ago, Bruce was heading down to the kitchen in the middle of the night, just to get a midnight snack, when he saw Steve sitting at the counter. Bruce knew he wouldn't be able to sneak past the Captain without any questions asked, so he just greeted him. "Hey, Steve."

Steve looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hey, doc. What you doing down here so late?"

"Just getting a drink." Bruce walked over to the refrigerator. Upon inspection, he decided on a can of juice that Tony had bought from some country he visited. The doctor took a seat across from the Captain. As Bruce downed his drink, he noticed Steve quietly sketching away, drawing a place which he guessed to be Grand Central Station.

As Bruce finished his drink, Steve lifted his head, looking straight at him. "Hey Bruce, that time during the battle in New York, you said that your secret was that you're always angry, remember?"

Bruce nodded slowly, the memory slowly coming back to him. "Yeah, I guess so. What's up?"

"So… why are you always angry?"

The doctor was so shocked at that question he nearly choked on the last gulp of juice. Steve noticed, and asked, "I mean, why should you? There's no need to be angry at anything."

Bruce rubbed his eyes, settling the empty can on the counter with shaky heads. "You don't understand, Cap. I was trying so hard to replicate the serum they used on you. I thought I did it, that I finally unlocked the secret, but I was so wrong. And now, I'm like this. Becoming the Hulk ruined my life for me Steve. Nobody I loved could be safe around me. I brought destruction wherever I went. Everyone was after me, and I just had to leave.

In Calcutta, at first, I didn't know what to do. I kinda just wandered around, letting time go by. I didn't see an end. I tried suicide, but it didn't work out, as you can remember. I felt so stupid and useless because I failed. Then I started helping people, which made me feel better. But… I'm not that kind of doctor, I'm not the kind of helps cure others. But my original line of work was no longer an option for me. So I settled for what I had.

So, to answer your question straight to the point, Cap, I'm always angry because of my failure."

Steve folded his arms and leaned forward. "That was one failure, Bruce, and look where that failure has brought you. The Hulk helped out in saving New York from the Chitauri. He destroyed some of the Leviathans. He saved Iron Man from that massive fall. Not only that, but the Hulk also saved countless people on other missions we were on. People don't call you 'Incredible' for nothing."

"Okay, but like you said, the Hulk did all those things, not me."

"Ever since the battle in New York, you've learnt how to control the Hulk, so he is you. You did all those things doc. You shouldn't feel angry anymore. You've saved, protected and served. You should feel proud. You found the Tesseract, that's something you would never do in your line of work. You're doing so much more than you would be if you didn't have the Hulk. You have to forget about the past to progress in to the future, which is ironic coming from me, but still… you're not a failure, Doc. If you were, I don't think you would be here today."

Bruce fiddled with the can, letting the words process in his head. He mumbled to himself, "Every cloud has a silver lining." When he noticed Steve looking at him, the doctor smiled. "Thanks Steve."

"Don't mention it." Steve smiled back, and then scratched the back of his ear with his pencil. He lifted the drawing up for Bruce to see. "Does this look okay?"

Bruce laughed guilty. "Don't remind me of that place. I still haven't apologised to Thor for punching him there."

XXXXXXXXXX

Thor slapped Bruce on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "See? Remembering brings about good luck and happiness. It is a good practice."

Bruce coughed, trying to recover from the slap. "Yeah… what about you? Any good deeds Cap has done for you?"

"Well, there was this one time that the Captain taught me about arrogance."

XXXXXXXXXX

It was on a weekend around a month ago. Like on all weekends, if there were no battles to be fought or missions to be completed, Thor could be found watching what he called "the magical moving-pictures box", or what we called a TV. He was watching a wrestling match when Steve just happens to pass by.

"Captain Rogers! Come join me in enjoying this fight between ridiculously muscular humans!" Thor boomed from the sofa all the way across the room.

Steve, being Thor's TV buddy, couldn't refuse and sat down next to him. For most of the match, Steve was silent, quietly observing the moves of the fighters. But as for Thor, he kept on commenting on the fighters and their skills.

"Look at how the smaller one punches. That would not even hurt my mother, and yet, the bigger one still falls in pain! How is that possible? The two of them together would not even be able to hurt a cow, much less a god. You humans really are tiny."

During the match's break, Steve decided to talk to Thor. "Hey, Thor. You know, you should be more careful in the way you speak about us humans."

"I am sorry if I offended you, my friend, but it is true. You humans fight pathetically, but somehow, you all find it entertaining. Is that not something to laugh at?"

"Thor, compared to gods, of course we're weaker in a lot of ways, but that doesn't mean you can laugh at or insult us. You live among humans, if you're not careful about what you say, even if it's a joke, people might take it seriously, and you could be in big trouble."

Thor narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you saying that I do not understand you humans? Have you forgotten that I had once lost my powers and had to live like a human for a few days? I have experienced it, so why are you saying this?"

"I'm not saying that you don't understand. I'm just saying that, sometimes, we humans are equal to you gods. When you were a human, did you not feel more relaxed in some way?"

"It did feel… refreshing to not have the responsibility of a god."

"Exactly. I'm not saying that we're better. But both of us have our own troubles and problems, as well as successes and happiness. We're equals, so you shouldn't think yourself above them. I know that you think you don't, but sometimes you forget and let it slip. Just keep in mind, humans and gods… we're not that different."

"Your words are well-received, Captain. I thank you for kind advice." Thor sank back into the sofa. "Now, which one of the muscular men do you think will emerge victorious?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Good for you, Thor." The doctor looked at the god. "I hope you understand that humans are not all puny and weak."

Thor nodded his head. "I will never underestimate you humans ever again. One example is you, doctor. You are an incredibly worthy opponent, I must say. You may not look like one, but you are."

"I'll take that as a compliment so, thanks." Bruce looked at the clock on the wall. "It's about time to leave. Visiting hours are almost over."

"Very well then." Thor stood up from his chair. He looked down at Steve' body, placing a gentle yet firm hand on the Captain's arm. "Captain, you have been a great friend to me. I really do hope you awaken soon. I miss having you enjoy the magical box with me."

Bruce wanted to correct him, but decided against it. "It called T- never mind." He faced the Captain, sighing for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. "Thank you, Cap." He was about to let the words 'I'm sorry' slip, but thankfully stopped himself. As he got up, he realized something. "Hey Thor, you know, I think this is the longer conversation we had since we met."

The god's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, what do you know, it certainly is."

As the two left the room laughing, Thor slapped Bruce hard on the back again. "The Captain really is a good man."

Bruce looked over his shoulder and at Steve on last time before he shut the door. "He sure is, Thor. He sure is."

P.S. the next chapter is the last one, followed by an epilogue. Figured I should let you all know in advance. Please review!