Avengers Imagines

I Trust You- Bruce Banner

(Gender Neutral Reader)

"Alright, gang's back together again!" Clint said excitedly as all the Avengers boarded the quinjet. 

"What do you mean? We're together all the time," Nat asked in return.

"Not like this though. When's the last time we were all called onto a mission?" Clint's excitement hadn't wavered despite everyone's expressions suggesting they were siding with Nat. 

"So this possible disaster is exciting to you?" you teased, sitting beside Bruce.

"Oh, absolutely," Clint smiled, earning some amused looks among the team. 

"Causalities and all? That's a bit worrisome, Clint," Bruce joked from your left. A couple of chuckles sounded from the group, you included, and you gave a light shove to his arm. Bruce gave a rosy cheeked smile in return. Some would call it flirty, how you acted around Bruce. The team did especially, and despite your attention being on the deep brown eyes of the man next to you, you knew they were rolling their eyes as they all strapped into their seats.

Truthfully, Bruce made your heart flutter since the moment you met him. It took him a little to stop ignoring the same feeling he had for you, though you expected nothing less from the calculating scientist. But he made you feel safe. Like any worry you could possibly have melted away whenever he so much as intertwined his hand with yours. And in a sort of poetic contrast, you made him feel brave. Like he could do anything with you by his side. You lifted each other up.

You each knew about these, crushes. Everyone did. And as shocking as it was at first, the flirting wasn't one sided. Bruce, quiet, reserved Bruce Banner, flirted with you too.

Problem was, it never got past flirting. You two never discussed your shared feelings, never acted on them either. Call it a defense mechanism, call it denial, but was just...how things were. Some unspoken thing. 

"I got an update, guys," Tony announced, last to jog onto the jet just as Steve was closing it up to take off. Everyone turned to Tony expectantly, and he looked at Bruce with an almost apologetic expression. "Some new intel shows this robot death machine is a lot bigger than we expected. We might need you to do a bit more than pull some strings from the jet, big fella."

Bruce's face fell a bit at that, but he nodded. 

The engines rumbled to life as you leaned over to whisper in Bruce's ear. "Are you gonna be okay with a code green?"

"Don't really have much of a choice," he responded with a polite yet worried smile. 

"That's not what I asked," you pressed gently. You felt his hand softly grip yours, either to comfort you, or himself. 

"I'll be fine." The softer smile on his lips gave you some comfort, but knowing how much he must be dreading this, your stomach still churned with worry.

*

"Bruce..." you found yourself whispering, still aware of the ten foot distance between you sitting on the bed, and him standing in the window. The lines in his forehead seemed to only be getting deeper, concern overtaking him at every moment, and your foot was bouncing nervously. "Bruce, please say something." He always wanted to keep his distance when things were rough, unable to trust his own mind, but you couldn't help it. 

You pushed up to your feet and carefully tiptoed over to him, barely making a sound. Your fingers barely touched his forearm before he twisted it away from your touch. There wasn't any anger behind it, you could tell by the slightest wobble in his lip and how his soft gaze still lingered on the streets of Istanbul below.