skyrosebud

Content notes: None
Author notes: Bruce Banner/Thor, set sometime around Age of Ultron, also a fill for "boredom" on my 15kisses table

Bruce wandered the labs of Avengers Tower, his mind already racing with his research plans for the day. His eyes caught on a common sight, Jane Foster and Thor huddled together at the edge of a table.

Jane’s mouth was moving but it was clear they weren’t in any sort of conversation. Jane was thinking out loud, her eyes focused on the computer screen in front of her. Thor was watching Jane in silent admiration, a gentle smile on his face. It was clear he wasn’t listening to her murmurs, no doubt unable to comprehend her astrophysics theories. Jane didn’t seem to mind. She threw him a small grin, a thanks for keeping me company grin.

Bruce remembered the first time he’d seen them in the lab together, not long after the Battle of New York. He had been thoroughly moved by the two of them, his insides warming and turning to mush. They were cute together.

Bruce had witnessed this scene enough to not melt at it anymore. He still smiled. It was hard not to smile when Thor was smiling.

He took his seat at his desk. It didn’t face the happy couple, so he mostly forgot their presence. His ears still occasionally caught Jane’s muttering or a chuckle from Thor.

Bruce was deep into an article on the work of Helen Cho’s team, who he really meant to email one of these days, when Natasha appeared out of thin air.

“When’s the wedding?” she said, startling Bruce. She leaned back against his desk, her gaze fixed on the couple she inquired about.

“I don’t know,” Bruce replied, suddenly aware of the stiffness in his back from sitting for so long. He stretched and added, “You’ll have to ask them yourself.”

Natasha hummed. “Wanna grab lunch?”

“Clint not around?” Bruce wondered.

“Fuck off, you’re my friend too,” Natasha replied easily, lightly punching Bruce’s shoulder.

Bruce agreed to her offer. They walked past Jane and Thor, the latter catching Bruce’s eyes for a moment and giving him a short wave. Bruce returned the gesture.

---

When the news hit that Jane and Thor had split up, everyone was surprised. Except for Bruce.

Everyone else didn’t see how the atmosphere in the lab changed. When Bruce walked past them, Jane’s lips were pressed tight and Thor was staring out a nearby window. There were no soft glances. Bruce felt nothing but coldness.

A week before the breakup, Jane had loudly sighed, prompting Thor to ask, “Jane, what’s wrong?”

“Can you just… let me work alone today?”

Bruce was waiting for it from that point on.

It wasn’t a fight. It wasn’t a rough patch. It just wasn’t working between them anymore.

When Bruce saw Thor at a debriefing with Fury the day after the headlines are all over celebrity gossip sites, he patted one of his godly arms. “I’m sorry, man. I was really rooting for both of you.”

“Thank you, Banner,” Thor had replied. He looked tired, but relieved.

---

Bruce was comparing silicone oils when thumping footsteps interrupted his train of thought. He looked to find a familiar blond demigod grinning at him.

“Hey, Thor,” Bruce greeted, perhaps not as brightly as he normally did. He had already downed one cup of coffee but its effects were minimal after a night of little rest. He already texted Nat to bring him up another cup when she had the chance. It wasn’t an odd request. She usually visited him when he shut himself up in the lab for research.

“Banner!” Thor exclaimed, taking a seat on the stool on the opposite side of the worktable Bruce’s supplies currently occupied.

Bruce was puzzled by it. This wasn’t the first time Thor had popped in while Bruce was working, but it usually was for a brief how are you? or for an invitation to a meal with the rest of the Avengers. He never was around long enough for a chair to be necessary.

“You, uh,” Bruce paused, trying to formulate the thoughts in his head. “You need something?”

“No,” Thor replied simply. He didn’t move to stand, nor to say anything else.

Bruce stared at him for another ten seconds before he realized Thor really wasn’t going to say anything else. He turned his gaze down to the vials of liquid he was supposed to be researching.

As Bruce scribbled down another finding, Thor finally opened his mouth again. “What are you working on?”

Bruce glanced at him quickly, just long enough to see he was, in fact, still seated opposite of him. “Tony wanted me to do some research on coolants, for his machines and robots and stuff. I’m no mechanic, so I’m not really sure about those specifics.”

“And what… branch of science is this? Jane never did anything like this,” Thor stated, his blue eyes wandering over Bruce’s gloves and the glass containers.

“I wouldn’t suspect she would, considering she’s an astrophysicist. This is chemistry,” Bruce answered. At Thor’s raised eyebrow, he continued with, “The study of matter. Chemical reactions. The periodic table of elements?” He pointed to the color-coded poster on a nearby wall.

“Oh, yes! I have heard of that!” Thor proclaimed. “There is one named after me, so I’ve been told.”

Bruce laughed and nodded. “Thorium, yeah.”

“Which element is the best?” Thor prompted, tilting his head.

“Well, Vibranium, technically,” Bruce replied.

“Which is your favorite?” Thor asked.

Bruce was reminded of when Tony brought the Keener kid into the Tower. The kid asked a million questions, barely leaving room to breathe.

At that thought, Bruce shrugged and answered, “Oxygen.”

Thor frowned, the expression nearing a pout. “That’s boring. Choose a different one.”

Bruce didn’t think the ability to breath was boring, but he still racked his brain for a different answer. He could just say Thorium, maybe that would appease Thor. Maybe Neon? Any of the Noble gases, really.

As Bruce stared at Thor’s, he noticed a few stray stranded had fallen from Thor’s bun and into his face.

“Gold,” Bruce decided. He didn’t wait for Thor’s response, just looked back down at the beaker in his hand and continued to work.

“A worthy choice,” Thor spoke after a few moments. “I’ll have to bring you to Asgard one day, so you can see all the gold. It’s very beautiful.”

“I’m sure it is,” Bruce said, half-listening to Thor.

Bruce busied himself in his work. He felt awkward with an unexpected audience. Casual conversion was hard enough for Bruce, so this strange circumstance clammed him up. Better than saying something embarrassing in front of Thor. His exhaustion wasn’t helping him at all, either.

Eventually, the door swung upon. It hit the wall loud enough to catch both of their attention. Bruce saw it was Natasha, holding two cups of coffee. She had an odd expression, one akin to when Agent Romanoff was assessing a crime scene.

“Hi Bruce, Thor,” she said as she approached them. She handed over Bruce’s coffee. Bruce gratefully took it, immediately taking a sip from it.

“Hello Natasha!” Thor greeted loudly, while Bruce opted for a nod.

“If I knew you were up here I would have brought you one,” Natasha replied, gently shaking her own cup.

“No worries,” Thor assured. “I don’t really like it, honestly.”

“Good to know,” Natasha said. Bruce noticed her eyes shifting between Thor and Bruce rapidly. “What brings you up to the lab, Thor? I haven’t seen you up here since the breakup.”

Thor was silent for a second, clearly hesitating before answering. That was a rare sight, something Natasha surely noted in her brain. She was much better at reading people than Bruce. Maybe she already knew the answer to Thor’s appearance in the lab.

“I was curious to see what Banner has been up to!” Thor exclaimed a bit forcefully. “I feel I rarely see him!”

Natasha nodded, a dangerous glint in her eyes. She was planning something. “I saw Cap in the gym, if you’re looking for something to do.”

Thor cocked his head at her statement.

Bruce nodded too, everything clicking in his brain. “Yeah, Thor, go workout with Cap. Surely that will cure your boredom better than sitting with me in a lab.”

Thor stared at Bruce’s face for a long moment, then looking at Natasha. He suddenly jolted, as if lightning had struck him. “If I’m intruding on…” he trailed off. Bruce and Natasha were silent, waiting for him to finish. “Are you two…?”

Bruce flushed, his face falling into his gloved hands, which was not safety protocol. “No, no, Thor. We’re friends!”

“Oh. Okay,” Thor stated. “I’ll… I’ll go find Rogers.” He got up and hurried out of the room.

Natasha’s eyes were now intently fixed on Bruce, causing him to squirm. “What?” he asked helplessly.

Natasha took a long sip of her coffee. Bruce fidgeted as he waited for her answered. “Thor is totally into you.”

Bruce gawked. Full-on jaw-dropping to the floor. “Nat!”

“Did you not see how he was looking at you!” Natasha exclaimed. “Bruce, he was smitten!”

Bruce shook his head. “C’mon, Nat, this isn’t funny.”

“I am one-hundred percent serious,” Natasha replied, reaching out to place a hand on Bruce’s arm. “He was looking at you with the same expression he used to look at Jane.”

Bruce’s lab coat felt unexpectedly warm. His mind spun with Natasha’s accusation. Did she know if he liked men?

Whatever Bruce’s face was showing regarding his inner turmoil, Natasha disliked it. Her own face hardened. “Why would I joke about this?”

“I-I don’t know,” Bruce admitted. “But, Nat, this is the God of Thunder! Why would he — it doesn’t — he wouldn’t —”

Natasha shushed him with her stern gaze. “I know you’ve decided that you’re undateable, but that doesn’t mean the world agrees with you. Or other worlds, in Thor’s case.”

“This really isn’t about me,” Bruce tried to argue. “I mean, he could be dating people that look like, well, you!”

“I’m flattered,” Natasha deadpanned. “But he doesn’t want to date me. He wants to date you. He was clearly trying to have a lab date with you like he used to with Jane.”

Bruce stared down at his hands resting in his lap. He had so much to think about, too much to think about. He finally sighed and questioned, “You really think he likes me?”

Natasha smirked. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

---

Bruce did odd things when he stayed up late in the lab. Harmless strange experiments, usually. Well, no, sometimes he suffered a minor burn or cut.

He was doing an experiment of sorta, he supposed. A comparison of data.

“Friday,” Bruce began staring at the bright screen, gnawing at his bottom lip. “Pull up the security footage of the lab from this morning.”

Friday did as asked, knowing to show the camera that pointed Bruce. Bruce skipped forward to Thor entering the room, pausing when he found what he was looking for.

The screen displayed Bruce, gazing down at his notebook, and Thor.

Watching…

Smiling…

“Friday,” Bruce repeated, his voice coming out a bit strangled. “Can you pull up some footage from the first time Jane Foster was in here?”

“That would be June 5th, 2012, Dr. Banner,” Friday clarified.

“Yes, that’s right, I think,” Bruce agreed as the video loaded. It didn’t take long to find Thor again.

Bruce’s eyes flicked between both of the paused videos. He could barely believe the images in front of him. He closed the files, shut down the computer, and hurried out of the lab.

He needed sleep.

Tomorrow would be… something.

---

Thor didn’t show his face in the lab again. Nat and Bruce must have scared him off yesterday. When the afternoon began to drag, Bruce finally halted his work and asked Friday, “Can you tell me where Thor is?”

“In the weight room with Romanoff and Captain Rogers, Dr. Banner,” Friday answered immediately.

Bruce shed his lab coat and headed to the elevator. When he entered the weight room, he quickly spotted his fellow Avengers. They didn’t seem to be doing much working out. There was loud music playing and they were scattered on various equipment while chatting.

“Bruce,” Natasha stated as a greeting as well as a declaration to the two men who were unaware of the new presence in the room. Thor’s head turned instantaneously, locking eyes with Bruce.

“Hey guys,” Bruce said, anxiety filling him more and more with each second that passed.

“Hey! Haven’t seen you in a while, pal,” Steve said earnestly. “I’m told you’re doing some interesting work up in those labs.”

Bruce laughed, inwardly disturbed by Thor’s silence. He kept staring, just staring. God, what should he say? What if he had this all wrong? Thor’s a friendly guy, maybe he…

Bruce’s mind drifted back to the two videos. His jaw clenched. No, there was no other way to interrupt that soft, loving expression. Not even from a regularly affectionate guy like Thor.

“What brings you up here?” Natasha prompted, as if she could read Bruce’s mind. She maybe could. It wouldn’t be the weirdest power of his teammates.

“I, uh,” Bruce faltered. Thor’s blue eyes were still on him. Bruce had trouble focusing on the task at hand while looking at them. “Thor, do you, er, wanna get dinner tonight?”

Thor smiled. It wasn’t the soft, close-mouthed smile Bruce had compared last night. It was wide and bright and infectious. Bruce was honored to be the reason for it.

“Oh! Can I tag along?” Steve asked, shattering the shared moment between Bruce and Thor. Bruce’s eyes widened and Thor’s lips flattened.

“Rogers,” Natasha practically growled. “Stand down.”

Steve’s looked back and forth between Bruce and Thor. “O-oh! Sorry, I didn’t — wow — you guys are — I’m so fucking stupid.” His face was redder than his shield.

Natasha patted Steve’s shoulder. “It’s alright, Steve. You weren’t the only one who had a hard time putting the pieces together.” She looked pointedly at Bruce as she said it, but her eyes were proud. She led Steve away from Bruce and Thor.

Bruce looked up at Thor again. He was surprised to find Thor was already looking at him. “You, uh, didn’t answer.”

“Yes,” Thor said with a nod. His deep voice sending chills through Bruce in ways it never had before. “Yes, I would love to.”

Bruce could feel a million chemical reactions firing through him. He struggled for a response, so he smiled, softly and simply. But that was all he needed to know Thor loved him, so he hoped Thor would learn the same from it.