Caught In A Web

twenty-two

 A hand holding yours was the first thing you noticed as you began to come to. It was rough and familiar, making you want to smile. But you were too tired for that. Your eyes were unwilling to open, and your ears could faintly hear the world around you. What you knew is that plenty of people were in the room with you, almost overwhelmingly so. You grunted as you tried to wake up more.

"Hey..." a familiar voice sounded, almost far away. "It's okay, honey... take your time." A groan slipped through your lips again. "I'm right here... you're safe..." A kiss pressed to your hand. "I'm not leaving your side."

"Ton—Tony..." You barely got out.

"It's me, honey. It's me."

Finally, your eyes let you open them. You were thankful that the lights weren't too bright, allowing your eyes to fall on Tony immediately. You pressed out a smile.

"You're okay," you rasped.

Tony couldn't help but chuckle, tears pooling in his eyes. "I'm okay? You're okay."

"What—" you cleared your throat, "What happened?"

"There was poison on the blade Rumlow used," Bucky stepped in and explained. "Shuri created the antidote."

You looked around and found the Princess, "thank you."

"Of course," she replied with a nod.

Your eyes continued to look over the crowd of people in the room. Everyone seemed to be here. Everyone but— "Where's Bruce?"

"He's out in the fields," Natasha answered. "He's the Hulk still. I tried to bring him back multiple times."

"I've got to help him—" You quickly tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by Tony.

"You're still waking up. Bruce can wait," he told you.

"No." You tried to wave him off. "It's been too long. I told him I'd help him." Looking around, you could tell that everyone was weary of letting you go. "Bruce is scared that he may not come back. It's been too long."

"Okay, okay, sweetheart," Tony said, trying to calm you. "We'll get you out there to him."

~~~

Tony shouldn't have been pushing you in the wheelchair, as he was still recovering, but he refused to let anyone else do it. You tried to refuse the wheelchair, but the looks you received from Bucky and Tony made you realize you didn't have a choice. The Team had come with you to where the Border tribe had last spotted the Hulk. They were coming in case something went wrong. But you knew the Hulk now; he was your friend, just like Bruce was.

The Hulk came into view along the tree line. It was clear by the area around him that he hadn't been in the best of moods. The Team spread out as Tony continued to push you closer to the Hulk.

"Hey, big guy!" You called out as soon as you felt like he could hear you.

The Hulk spun around, almost like he didn't think he'd ever hear your voice again. He was quick but gentle to come to you. Everyone was in awe at the sight. Not even Natasha could do what you were currently doing.

"Hey, big guy," you repeated softer once he was closer. The Hulk sat before you, and you could tell he was worried. "I'm sorry I scared you. But I'm all right." You reached out your hand. "See for yourself." The Hulk was skeptical at first but slowly reached out his very large hand. You set your hand in the center of his palm, smiling up at him. "I'm all right."

The Hulk grunted and groaned, quickly taking a few steps back. You could tell it was an internal struggle—the Hulk versus Bruce Banner. The Team watched carefully as the Hulk began to shrink and turn back into Bruce. Eventually, Bruce was lying naked in the field. Steve was quick to run up a blanket he had brought and threw it on top of Bruce. The man sat up, blinking quickly as he looked around. His eyes eventually found you and filled with relief.