Marvel: Short stories

Not your fault - Part 2 - Bruce x Reader

"What do you think your doing?" Natasha asked, as she walked into Bruce's room. A pile of clothes and a half filled holdall on the bed, as Bruce searched through a set of draws.

Since Clint's outburst, no one had seen Bruce. The doctor having skulked away as the rest of the team bombarded Cho with questions about (Y/n)'s condition and possible recovery time. Bruce knew that every word that Clint had spoken was true. That (Y/n) was lucky to be alive, that because of how she felt for him, and how he felt for her, Bruce had allowed himself to think that she was safe around him, around Hulk. But he had been proved wrong in the worst way possible. And now Bruce had decided that the only way that he could stop (Y/n) from getting hurt again, or anyone getting hurt again, was for him to leave.

Bruce knew that what Tony had told him on the Quinjet was correct. That Clint would tell (Y/n) that he didn't want her to have anything more to do with him. (Y/n) would call his bluff, probably hide his bow, and would be back down in the labs asking him a hundred and one questions about his new projects. And if she did that, Bruce knew that he wouldn't ever be able to leave her.

"You're seriously not leaving? I can't believe you Bruce. Do you think that leaving is going to make things better? That everything with be ok if you're not here? What do you think (Y/n) will say when she wakes up and finds you're gone? You know damn well that she will blame herself, and that will only make things worse. When (Y/n) wakes up, you and Clint will be the first faces she will want to see. Why won't you let yourself be happy Bruce? Why do you do this every time someone gets close to you? Why..........." Natasha asked, stopping as Bruce turned to glare at her, a tinge of green getting steadily darker around his eyes.

"(Y/n) will be better off without me, you all will be. Eventually she will see that. I end up hurting everyone I care about. Sooner or later everyone I love seems to die. And because of me, because of the Hulk, this time it could have been (Y/n). And I can't have her death on my conscious. All I need you to do is explain that to her when she wakes up." Bruce said, turning back to pull the last of his possession from the draw.

"No. I won't!" Natasha declared angrily as she rose from her seat.

"If you want to tell (Y/n) that, you can do it yourself. Do you think that you are the only one to have lost people you love? The only one that has done things that they regret. You aren't the only one that feels pain. You aren't that special, Bruce. All those things are part of the job, we all knew that when we signed up for this, (Y/n) included. I care about you a great deal Bruce, we all do, and I never thought for one second that I would ever say this to you, but..............Bruce Banner, you are a coward. And if you haven't got the guts to stick around to make sure that the woman you love comes through this. Then I have lost every ounce of respect that I ever had for you." Natasha told a shocked Bruce, before turning and leaving the room.

Bruce dropped onto his bed. It was true what Natasha had said, he was a coward. If he couldn't be there when (Y/n) needed him the most, then he really didn't deserve Natasha's, or anyone else's respect. (Y/n) would blame herself for what had happened, she would always blame herself if he vanished. He so wanted to be there when she woke up, to be the first face she saw smiling down at her when she opened her eyes, so why shouldn't he be? He loved (Y/n), and she loved him, even love the Hulk. How much longer could he punish himself for all his mistakes, for being the big green monster? Natasha was right about him not being the only one that had lost someone, the only one that had felt pain. Steve had lost Peggy; Tony had lost his parents at the hands of the Winter Soldier. Wanda had lost Pietro. And Bucky had lost himself. So, what gave him the right to think that he had the monopoly on pain? He had always left when people got to close, not because he feared hurting them, but because he feared being hurt himself. He feared that they would eventually realise what he was and leave him. But (Y/n) wasn't like that. (Y/n) knew everything. All the secrets he would never tell anyone else, all his fears and hopes for the future. She knew the Hulk, cared as much for his alter ego as Bruce knew Hulk did for her. And for once, for once he wasn't going to run out on a chance of being happy.

Bruce almost jumped to his feet. A new determination in his step as he made his way from his room out into the corridor. He was going to find Clint. He was going to tell the archer that he loved (Y/n), and despite the fact he was her brother, there was nothing that he could do or say that would keep him away from (Y/n).

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Clint sat uncomfortably in the common room. Natasha had persuaded him to take a break from watching over (Y/n). That Cho, or one of the doctors would inform him as soon as there was any change in (Y/n)'s condition. Clint hated it, but he knew Natasha was right. And as Tony placed another beer in his hand, Clint felt as though he could let go of some of the tension that had built up inside him since this whole incident had begun.

"Are you sure that she's gonna be ok?" Clint asked no one in particular as he took a gulp of beer.

"Wanda is down there with her now. (Y/n) couldn't be in better hands." Bucky said, doing his best to reassure Clint.

"Lady (Y/n) has the constitution of an Asgardian. If anyone can get through this, it is her." Thor added, as he raised his glass at the archer.

"Yeah. Anyway, she has to pull through. She if the only one around here that can out prank you without the threat of getting an arrow in the ass." Tony chuckled, as he too raised his glass.

"To (Y/n). Our little sister. And the better of the Barton siblings." Tony continued, the rest of the team joining him in the salute.

"Clint." Bruce said softly as he quietly entered the room. Clint and the rest of the team turning to see the doctor.

"What do you want?" Clint growled, as he turned away. Doing his best to ignore Bruce.

"I've come to tell you something." Bruce continued, moving further into the room so that he stood in front of the team. Clint glaring up at him, as he reluctantly waited to hear what the doctor had to say.

"I know that you will probably never forgive me for what happened. And at this moment in time, I don't expect you to. But......well I'm here to tell you that I don't care what you think. That the only person whose opinion counts to me, is (Y/n)'s. When she wakes up, if she tells me that she doesn't want anything more to do with me, then I will respect that. But you have no right to make that choice for her. I love (Y/n), and I know that she loves me. And this time I'm not going to run away. I am going to be there when she wakes up, and I am going to tell her that if she wants, I will never leave her." Bruce announced, his heart pounding violently in his chest as he looked between a stunned Clint and the rest of the team.

"I'm proud of you, Bruce." Natasha said, as she got up from the sofa, and gave Bruce a hug. A ripple of applause coming from the assembled heroes as Tony got up to join Bruce and Natasha.

"Its about time, Bruce. Now, come and join the rest of us." Tony chuckled, slapping Bruce on the back as he joined the rest of the team.