Chapter 1
The fight was nearing its end, with Thor as the obvious victor, and the Hulk collapsed against the rubble from Thor’s blow. Lightning crackled as Thor moved closer to the green figure, fading away with each slow step. The abnormal electric hue left his eyes. It was over.
The noise of the crowd was lost to Thor, his attention was completely focused on the Hulk, on his friend. Thor would help him; he knew the Hulk - no, Bruce - needed him.
“Hey, big guy,” Thor started, creeping close. He kept his voice soft and low, not wanting to startle the Hulk. “Sun’s getting real low.” Thor continued. The Hulk was only growing more agitated, though, yanking at his helmet and shaking his head, attempting to stand up. Thor persisted. He raised a hand, the one free of a weapon, and offered his palm to the hulking figure, a sign of submission. His fingers danced toward the Hulk, copying the movements Natasha had so often done. The Hulk seemed to recognise the words, as he reached out his own large one, an offer of peace. Thor smiled to see that his idea seemed to be working. Of course it was.
“That’s it. Sun’s going down.” The god soothed, voice gentle and his movements cautious still. He held his hand steady, patient as he waited for the Hulk to make the first move, to understand that Thor no longer posed a threat. The air was tense between them, but Thor barely reacted and remained calm, even with his own old fear and anger boiling beneath his skin.
The Hulk’s fingers reached out to touch Thor’s palm. His touch was rough, large hand covering the blond’s. Their hands were so close to intertwining. It was intimate and Thor almost shivered as the Hulk’s fingers brushed his own.
“I won’t hurt you anymore. No one will.” Thor promised. His lips were curled up in a warm smile, his words genuine. He was confident the Hulk understood. This would work, Thor was sure of it. Bruce Banner would be back with Thor soon.
Then, suddenly, the Hulk stumbled back, flinching away from Thor. For a moment, Thor thought it was over, that the Hulk would fight back against him again and he prepared himself for a second battle. Yet, it had worked, his words and gentleness triggering something, the way it had so many times with Natasha. The Hulk was struggling, attempting to resist the transformation. He shouted and stumbled, angry with himself and Banner, refusing to lose control. “No!” The Hulk screamed over and over, fists slamming against his own chest. It was futile, though. Soon, he was shrinking and falling, the green fading away rapidly as Bruce Banner returned to the world, to Thor. Banner slumped, slamming into the rubble. He appeared small, a tiny and seemingly frail figure compared to what had once been the Hulk. His eyes were wide and scared, overwhelmed by everything.
“Banner!” Thor shouted, excited and pleased, thankful that fate was finally on his side. His father was dead, his hammer gone, and his haircut, but Thor felt a little lighter knowing Banner was with him now.
Repeating his shout of the man’s name, Thor scrambled forward. He abandoned his weapon and ripped his helmet off; Banner would never - could never - hurt him. Anxiously, Thor dropped to Bruce’s side, immediately pushing the confused man to sit up. An arm was thrown over Banner’s shoulder. Thor checked him over for injuries, free hand running across Bruce’s chest and over his arms. Finally, he beamed at the man, happy to see the man was healthy and free of hurt.
Banner blinked back at him, expression a little crazed and wide eyes scanning the arena with barely concealed fear. He was lost and afraid, but Banner had Thor now! It took him some time to acknowledge the blond, with Bruce distracted by the roaring crowd, many screaming their confusion, whilst others cheered for the Lord of Thunder. It was baffling. Bruce curled into himself, settling back into Thor’s touch and relaxing slightly as he was cradled against the god’s chest. Soft, silky material came to sit around Bruce’s shoulders. It was Thor’s cape and Bruce found himself clinging to it desperately.
“Thor?” Banner said eventually, his gaze finally settling on Thor, watching him with fear-filled eyes. He calmed, though, at the sight of the blond, something familiar in a place so foreign. Bruce focused solely on him, twisting in Thor’s arms to take in the recognisable face and its features. “You got a haircut. It looks good.” Bruce murmured, the only words he could find. He reached a hand up, fingering at the short strands of Thor’s hair for a long moment, tracing at the shaved patterns on the side of his head.
Then, it dawned on him. He was in a battle arena, naked except for the ripped cape, and surrounded by thousands of screaming strangers. Bruce panicked. His breath quickened, his chest rising and falling frantically with terrified breaths. His hands shook. Bruce pulled away from Thor quickly, recoiling back. He moved to stand, stumbling on his feet and shivering at the cold. Thor reached for him, hands grabbing at his shoulders. “Breathe,” Thor whispered, soft. He took one of Bruce’s trembling hands and pressed it against his chest, just over his heart. Bruce could feel the steady beat of it, a constant thud thud thud for the man to focus on. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Banner nodded, attempting to match Thor’s breathing pattern. Eventually, after some time, he calmed. Thor squeezed Banner’s hand, offering the other man some comfort. For a second, he reached up to touch the Bruce’s cheek, but just as quickly, Thor stepped away.
As Thor moved back, the rest of the world returned to the god and he heard the angry screaming of the crowd, their confusion clear. Thor glanced toward the sky to see a hologram of the Grandmaster playing, demanding for the people to calm. The Grandmaster looked somewhat baffled, but to Thor, it was still similar to the same expression he had worn in all of Thor’s time on Sakaar.
“Sakaar, hear ye! There has been a slight issue. My beloved champion has not been defeated.” The Grandmaster laughed, hands waving about as if nothing was wrong. He looked strained. “All will be sorted!”
“Who is that?” Bruce asked, stepping close to Thor again, as if seeking the blond’s protection.
“He kind of runs the place. You were his champion. Quite a lot has happened.” Thor shrugged, watching the hologram as the message repeated. The sound of the crowd was dimming, the people of Sakaar being escorted away. The sky was darkening.
Thor needed a plan. And quick. The Grandmaster wouldn’t take too kindly to Thor getting rid of his Champion; he had been annoyed at the very thought of Thor defeating the Hulk.
He could hear people making their way towards them, armed and ready to fight.
Thor stepped forward, pushing Bruce behind him. He tensed and curled his hands into fists, preparing for a second battle. A little thunder would scare them all away.
“Watch out, Banner.” Thor warned, glancing back at his friend for a second, a reassuring smile on his lips. There was no need to worry. They would be fine.
Just as his eyes were crackling blue and lightning beginning to fly from his fingertips, pain eloped his body and his muscles seized, the obedience disk active and angry. Thor collapsed to the ground, consumed with pain. His vision grew fuzzy and darkness took over. The last thing he heard was Bruce’s panicked shouts, fear clear in his voice as Thor left him.