Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 3

Tell Me You Love Me (Banner x reader)

Oh no, here we go again
Fighting over what I said
I'm sorry, yeah I'm sorry
Bad at love, no, I'm not good at this
But I can't say I'm innocent
Not hardly, but I'm sorry

And all my friends, they know and it's true
I don't know who I am without you
I got it bad, baby
Got it bad

Fighting with Bruce was always a risk; even though he hadn't lost control of 'the other guy' for so long that you stopped tracking it, there was always the small thread of fear that had woven itself through your mind. There was always just the slightest hint of green in his eyes as you argued, possibly just a figment of your imagination, but it was there nonetheless. It wasn't that you avoided arguments simply because of the Hulk, because if something were worth the battle, then it needed to be fought; it was that you wanted to spare your husband the pain of having to control his inner beast, and to spare him the regret should he not be able to.

When Bruce slept at your side, you felt peace as you would listen to the soft rhythms of his breathing, hearing the faintest sound of his voice within them. When he went to sleep angry, the voice would echo that of the Hulk, as if he were challenging his host to fully let go and rest. In those times, you would be there to soothe him too and convince him to fall away so that Bruce could have these few precious moments of peace. The Hulk had yet to challenge you, but you weren't sure how long your luck would last; when he wanted to get his way he certainly could, with his last attempt at control sending your spouse to a foreign planet for two years that plagued his nightmares to this day.

On this night, however, he would be left to fend for himself after an argument that could only be called epic, leaving the two of you split apart and into separate bedrooms for the night when an agreement couldn't be reached. You tried to push him out of your mind, when the memories of the fight left you unable to sleep, but you couldn't stop the worry of what it was doing to him now. It was probably best to not sleep anyway so that you could keep your ears trained to the sounds around you, waiting for the Hulk to appear when he could finally overtake the doctor when his defenses were all but destroyed. You would be the one to greet him, after all, since those defenses had been beaten down by you.

Oh, tell me you love me
I need someone on days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, tell me you love me
I need someone
On days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, can you hear my heart say
No, you ain't nobody 'til you got somebody
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody

Your assessment of Bruce was on point, as he too found himself unable to sleep. The rumblings of the monster inside of him were berating and exhausting, as if he knew that his counterpart was at his weakest and most vulnerable. Hulk wasn't vindictive in any way, but he had no love lost for Bruce. He had felt what it was like to be the one in charge for so long that he had become accustomed to it, and wanted it back. He didn't want to rob Banner of his own life, but he didn't want his to be pushed aside any longer, either.

"Come on, Hulk," he whispered to himself, "just give me tonight to sleep, okay? I've had a terrible day. You should know, you were there." But there was no reply from the voice in his mind; the one that was ever-present and whispering to him to just let go when the fight became too much. It surprised him, and terrified him. "Can I take that as tacit compliance? Or should I be worried?" He waited a few seconds for a reply from deep in his mind, and just as he was about to give up, one came.

"Sleep."

"Oh...okay...t-thank you," Bruce sighed heavily, his body visibly relaxing. "I suppose you don't like to be without her either, do you?"

"Sleep."

"I'll just take that as a yes. Goodnight, big guy. I'll let you get into the next fight, I promise. So long as you promise me that we can work together and you'll let me back out."

"Talk later. Sleep. Hulk tired."

"Right, sleep," Bruce agreed quickly, not willing to push his luck any further. He rested deeply into his pillow and pulled his blankets up, turning to lie on his side so that he could look through the windows and out onto the compound grounds where the moon was just beginning to bounce off from the quiet ripples across the lake. It was a sight that had lulled him to sleep on many occasions, but you had been at his side for them all. This was the first time in as long as he could remember that he was on his own, and he missed the touch of your hand gently caressing his back to keep him in the moment. He would so easily fall prey to the thoughts in his head that would pull him from sleep and into the lab late at night, but you kept those thoughts quieted, and Bruce knew that tonight would be a struggle to stay in bed.

He didn't know if he was strong enough to fight his own demons; he knew for certain that he wasn't strong enough alone, and if he really had lost you, the Hulk could have him and he wouldn't care.

And I hope I never see the day
That you move on and be happy without me
Without me
What's my hand without your heart to hold?
I don't know what I'm living for
If I'm living without you

All my friends, they know and it's true
I don't know who I am without you
I've got it bad, baby
I got it bad

As much as you should have appreciated the time away, and the chance to sleep off the anger that had built up in every nerve and muscle fiber of your fatigued post-battle body, you found yourself almost wishing for Bruce to be there, even if that meant arguing again. At least he would be with you, and you could know that he was alright. He had enough trouble sleeping on a good day, and it hurt you to think of what he must be going through now.

The fight was founded on miscommunication and misunderstanding, as any of them really were, only this time it had become personal when the Hulk was the point of contention. The team had found itself in the middle of a battle that needed Bruce's alter ego, but he refused to tap into him and bring him out. After the war against Thanos in Wakanda, your husband felt a new sense of bravery and confidence in himself; so much so that he decided he could fight as Bruce Banner and that the Hulk wasn't needed. You knew that he was putting himself in more danger that way, but he wouldn't accept your view, and he took it as a lack of faith. He took it that you didn't believe that he could do it.

For the first time since you met, Bruce was convinced that you didn't believe in him.

With the passing minutes dragging by, so painfully slow that your body ached, you decided that you couldn't take it any longer, and it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth your pain or his, and you had to be the one to make this right. Of course you believed in Bruce; there was never a chance that you didn't, and you needed him to know that. Even if you showed up at his door only for him to turn you away in anger, you had to try. You had to own up to your part in this, and the only way to do it would be to take the first step towards the door.

You sat up and pushed your legs over the side of the bed, resting your feet on the cool wood of the floor to give your eyes time to open and adjust to the darkness around you. The moonlight gave you enough to see your way to the door, and all it did was make you even more upset; it was the same moon that the two of you would watch until you fell asleep each night, its glow soothing and calming to you both. It was enough to fuel your loneliness, and you hurried to the door to get to him. As you reached for the door and pulled it open with a renewed energy, you were immediately halted at the sight of Bruce on the other side, reaching out to do the same with a look of pure fear in his eyes.

"Bruce?" you gasped. "Are you alright?"

"(Y/N), I can't...I-I need..." he stopped to catch his breath, closing his eyes to focus his fear, "please...just...just tell me you love me."

Everything I need
Is standing in front of me
I know that we will be alright, alright, yeah
Through the ups and downs
Baby, I'ma stick around
I promise we will be alright, alright