A Proper Reunion
Thor was in a bit of a panic. He was on the ship that brought Hulk to Sakaar, but now the Hulk was also on board and was trying to destroy enough of the ship for it to not function anymore. As he frantically pushed buttons, a video feed popped up. It was of Natasha. "Nice work, big guy. We don't know where Ultron's heading, but you're going very high, very fast so...I need you to turn this bird around, okay?" "Nat..." Hulk muttered, his features having softened upon seeing her again. Thor had stepped back once the video started and he was simply watching everything unfold.
He was hopeful that, since he was unable to turn Hulk back into Bruce, that Hulk seeing this video he stumbled upon, seeing Natasha, a woman Bruce loved, again might trigger something. "We can't track you in stealth mode, so...I need you to help me out. Okay?" The video started to glitch out and it vanished, but it seemed to have done the trick.
Hulk shook his head, trying to suppress the sudden appearance of Banner in his mind. Nat...Natasha! Thor watched as Hulk started to punch himself in the face, clearly knowing that Bruce was now fighting for control. Hulk stumbled and slammed into one of the walls letting out a roar of desperation. He felt as Banner started to gain control over him again. Hulk was tossed back and forth between the two walls, fading in and out of control. Natasha...Thor... I want to see them! I want to see them again! "No Banner!" Hulk pleaded. He knew how long he's kept Banner trapped, but he did it to protect him.
Bruce was loathing himself, he blamed himself for everything that had happened with Ultron. Hulk, once he realized how badly those emotions were, took over and kept Banner in a part of their shared mind that he couldn't get out of himself. He did it to keep Banner safe. Besides, Hulk was emotional too; he hated that Bruce hated himself, was angry at himself for forcing Banner to deal with the messes he always makes while he tries to protect the people Bruce loves and cares about. He didn't want to let Banner have control again, not because he didn't want the fragile human facing the dangers Hulk should be able to, but because he doesn't want Banner to be unable to face himself again.
But he was losing the fight for control. Hulk! Please! P-Please, let me see them again! He was pleading, crying, so desperate to see them again, and after hiding him away for two whole years, Hulk wasn't going to deny him any longer. ...Be careful, Bruce. He spoke as they finally traded places. "Banner?" Thor spoke as he saw the Midgardian slowly pushing himself off the floor, panting hard from the internal fight he just had. "Hey. Hey, hey. You alright?" Thor hushed as he got closer, knelling down and placing his hand on Bruce's exposed back.
He jumped and scrambled away, fear on his handsome face. "Sh. Sh. Sun's going down. Sun's going down!" He quickly spoke, voice strained to keep calm because holy hell that startled Thor just as badly. He quickly got control over his emotions when he saw Banner glance around, confused. "That's it. Breathe." He took a slow, deep breath, and saw that Banner did the same. "I won't hurt you. Sun's going down." He spoke with that bright grin. "Oh...Thor." "Yeah." He was relieved to see that Bruce was at last back in control.
"What happened to your hair?" Bruce asked upon taking a better look at his friend. The last time he saw Thor, his hair was long, falling just a little past the man's broad shoulders. "Oh, some creepy old man cut it off." He didn't sound too bummed about it. Which Bruce as happy about cause, "It looks good." "Oh thanks." Thor was a little surprised at that. There were days in the Avengers tower where someone was braiding his hair, Bruce loving to do so when he was stressed out; Thor never minded it because he was always happy to entertain his friends, but he saw just how much Banner loved to run his fingers through his hair, gently playing with it before he braided it.
"Where are we? Oh! How's Nat?" Bruce spoke as he pushed himself up, his hand resting on Thor's chest for just a moment. Thor fumbled for his words. "Nat is, is good." That seemed to put Bruce at ease. "And what about Sokovia?" "Sokovia?" "It's the city! Sokovia! Did we save it?" Oh God. Did Bruce really not know how much time has passed? "Banner, listen," "What?" "Sokovia, Ultron...that was two years ago." He saw the horror wash over Bruce's face. "What are you saying?" "U-Um..." What was Thor trying to say? "I've been the Hulk for two years?"
Thor's face softened as he spoke his next words. "I'm afraid so." He watched as Bruce removed the beaded necklaces and set them on the floor, still appearing a little bit dazed. Why didn't you tell me it's been two years?! ...Watch ship log. Hulk told him and that's what Banner intended to do. "What the hell happened?" He spoke to both Thor and Hulk, quickly getting to his feet and accessing the ship's log. He saw as Hulk desperately tried to hang onto the walls of the ship as it went higher and faster, seeing the apologetic look on his face in the video. ...Alright. He knew Hulk was just trying to protect him, like always.
Not long afterwards, the feed of the Grandmaster showed up, Thor explaining that he was the one who runs the place and that Hulk was living in his home when the man said, "It looks like that criminally seductive Lord of Thunder as stolen him away." Bruce glanced over to him when he growled under his breath. "Seductive God of Thunder! We need to move."