Live to Rise (Avengers Bruce Banner Fanfiction)

Chapter 37

"Where are we going?" I ask still a bit dazed as Bruce turns the car onto the Interstate heading North. I can finally concentrate although all those voices and emotions have left quite a headache.

"I know a perfect place to go when you need to be away from people." He tells me. 'After all. I am the expert at getting away.'

It takes me a moment to realize that was Bruce's thought. "How-?" I ask but i feel Bruce squeeze my hand and look down to see our fingers intertwined. My knuckles paler than the rest of my hand as I've been holding on so tightly.

'You do have quite the grip. I know how badly you need it.'

He's right of course. Somehow by holding Bruce's hand I've been able to find my way back to reality.

We're holding hands....

"Where are we going?" I ask out loud.

'Do you trust me?'

"What?!" i ask as the emotion behind that question washes over me.

Bruce looks over at me and i see a strong sincerity in his dark eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." I say knowing that no matter what I'd always trust him..

I feel his contented sigh and in his mind see an image: Bruce pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead and i can feel that strange whirl of emotion from him before he blinks and the image is swept away.

"You need to get some sleep." Bruce tells me effectively changing the subject. "We'll arrive in a few hours."

'Sleep.' Bruce urges me and i feel my eyes already starting to fall.

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I jump awake as the car comes to a stop. "Easy." Bruce tells me before letting go of my hand. "We're here."

I look out the window to see a small stone cabin with vines clinging to the side and surrounded by trees. "Its beautiful." I say as we walk up the path. We stop and Bruce unlocks the door. "It might be a bit dusty." He tells me as we step inside and he flips on the light. Nothing happens and Bruce sighs. "I've got to go turn on the generator. Ill be back in a minute."

He leaves the door open as he walks out the light showing a cozy living room, the large couch, coffee table, and armchairs covered in plastic and bookshelves lining the walls.

I carefully remove the plastic sheets and dust them off outside before folding them and stacking them in an unused corner.

A loud whirring sound and a pop make me jump but its just the generator kicking in and the lights flicker on. A moment later Bruce walks in the door. "I thought there was plastic on the furniture." He says.

"There was." I say and brush my hair behind my ears, a nervous habit. "I took them off and put them here in the corner. I can put them back-" I say quickly but he stops me.

"No, its alright. I would have taken them off any way. Thank you." He says and gives me a small smile.

"What is this place?" I ask as Bruce leads me further into the house. Giving me a quick tour. Dinning room. Kitchen. Two bedrooms and a bathroom between them.

"This was my Grandparents house.  Where my mom grew up." He tells me and i can feel how strongly attached to this place he is.

"Its a wonderful home. I can feel how much it means to you."

"Yeah." He says as he pulls the plastic sheets off the dinning table and takes them out the back door, shaking them to get rid of the dust and then folds them. "Now that i have complete control of the Hulk i can make this place my home." He tells me.

"You've had control for a year and a half now... Why havent you already made it your home?"

"I needed to know for sure that I no longer posed a threat." He tells me but i can feel it is not the complete truth.

"You can have a good life here." I tell him as we rest on the couch.

"A second chance." He brushes his hand against mine and i feel the presence of his mind. 'Something i never would have gotten without you.' In him mind i see him pulling me into a hug. 'Thank you.' he says before breaking contact and stands. "Tony is bringing by food later. What do you say to watching a movie?"

I laugh. "Sounds good to me but where's the tv?"

He just smiles and walks over to the bookshelves along the right wall to an area where it has doors like a cupboard. He pulls them open and then slides them into the shelves. He kneels down to look at the movie options and i see that the tv is an old box tv with a built in VCR.

"I love watching Vhs tapes!" I tell him as I sit on the couch. "The sound and image quality reminds me of when i was younger."

"Yeah." He says and i can hear that he is smiling. "Me too. Could I surprise you with the movie choice? I know that you like what im wanting to choose."

"Sure. It's a little chilly in here-" I don't even have to finish the sentence and he is standing. Movie begining to roll through the previews.

"I'll get some blankets. Be right back." He says as he disappears down the hall. A minute later he is back with two beautiful quilts.

"Thank you." I tell him as he sits the right of me and hands me one. "Their beautiful."

"My grandmother made that one," he says gesturing to mine "and my mother made this one."

"I wish i could have met them."

"Me too." He simply says.

"And Now your feature presentation." The narrator says and the Indiana Jones theme song playes.

"I love Indiana Jones!" I say before realizing that i had gripped his knee in excitement. "Oh." My heart rate sky rockets. "Im sorry." I say and move my hand off of him.

"It's okay." He says to me with a small smile and a strange look passes through his eyes before he blinks and looks back to the tv. "I know its one of your favorites."

"Thank you." I say again softer this time as i brush my fingers against his letting him feel how happy he makes me.

I feel the tension in his body but he doesn't pull away, instead he laces our fingers together. I glance at him shocked and im sure he felt it but he doesn't react. He just stares at the tv and keeps his thoughts hidden.

[A/N: Sorry for such a long wait. I've had the worst writers block. I am hoping to get the next chapter out soon. I am slowly but surely working on it. Thank you all for being patent!]