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1
As Bruce had hoped, his room at Stark Tower has an amazing bathroom.
He steps into a wonderland of blue tile and reminds himself that this is just for one night. It’s dangerous to stay anywhere too long, and Hulk just smashed through half of New York. (So did Loki and the Chitauri, but still. He has to stay cautious.)
Even the tub is touchscreen-operated. He tells it no bubbles, no products and no hot water - room temperature is fine.
Whilst it’s running, he shucks off his borrowed clothes and scrubs his chest and arms over the sink. Brown water swirls down the drain.
When the tub is ready, he hesitates. It’s risky to do this, even behind locked doors, but his legs are itching so much it feels like snakes under his skin. He can’t stand another day of it.
Bruce braces himself on the lip of the tub, then carefully lowers himself in.
The moment his legs are submerged, they meld together into a glistening purple fish tail.
Bruce lies back, watching it flick lazily in the water. His scales are dull and dry, but it’s difficult to take baths when you can’t stay in one place for too long.
He slides down until his head is underwater, and the cool heaviness in his lungs is a relief.
For a while he lets his thoughts drift, enjoying the much-needed soak. He wonders if Tony will ask him to stay. He wonders if he’ll be able to resist the invitation.
When he finally resurfaces, JARVIS startles him: ‘Doctor Banner, your presence is requested on the communal floor.’
With effort, Bruce expels the water from his lungs and takes a gulp of air before he can speak. ‘Why?’
‘I believe he is planning a celebratory movie night.’
With a tap of his finger, the water drains away. Bruce grabs a towel, and as he pats himself dry his tail separates back into legs. ‘Okay, I’m coming.’
Just one more night. Then he’ll leave.
Probably.
2
One night becomes two, then three, then suddenly Bruce has been here for nearly two months. Tony has bribed him with a shiny new lab and his own floor of the tower, but that’s not what’s keeping him here.
The swimming pool is a nice bonus, though.
It’s an Avengers-only pool, with the A logo printed on its floor in red tiles. If Bruce is up at 4am, he gets it all to himself for a couple of hours.
Bruce twists deftly in the water, enjoying the rush of the current over his scales. He’s been coming here every morning for a while now, and he can feel himself getting stronger. He’s never had a place like this to practice before.
Eventually he surfaces, gripping the ledge as he ejects water from his mouth.
‘I believe this pool is for swimming in, not drinking out of.’
Bruce jumps. To his horror, Thor is standing over him, wearing nothing but a smile and a tiny pair of swim shorts.
Bruce instinctively ducks down, inhales more water and chokes again.
When he finally recovers, red-faced, Thor is sitting on the edge of the pool and dangling his legs in the water. ‘JARVIS told me you were here. I thought you might like some company.’
Thor’s crotch is now at eye level. Bruce struggles not to look at it. ‘Company?’ he stutters.
‘We have not spent much time together of late, you and I.’ He winks. ‘I should like to know you better.’
Those swim shorts really are tight. Bruce’s tail flicks unconsciously. He grips the side of the pool. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I prefer to swim alone.’
Thor’s smile turns kind. ‘You need not be embarrassed, Banner. Thanks to the Hulk, I have seen it all before.’
You really haven’t, Bruce thinks. ‘I also prefer to swim, uh, unclothed.’
Thor raises an eyebrow in challenge. ‘I can strip if it would make you more comfortable?’
Bruce can feel himself blushing. ‘As fun as that sounds, I’m gonna get out now.’ Except he can’t. And if Thor leans over right now he’ll see that Bruce currently has no legs. It was such a stupid move, being out here where anyone could walk in on him…
‘Very well. I will give you some privacy.’ Thor stands up. Bruce gazes enviously at his wet, non-fish legs. ‘Perhaps we will talk later, when we are both more suitably dressed.’ With a polite nod, he turns and leaves.
Bruce stares after him for a long moment, listening until his footsteps fade away. A confusing jumble of emotions well up within him.
He hauls himself out of the pool, flops gracelessly over to his gym bag, and scrabbles for a towel.
Once he’s dry and dressed, he goes to find Thor.
3
When Thor asks him on a date, Bruce nearly falls out of his chair.
‘A date?’ he repeats numbly. ‘As in, a date-date?’
‘Yes. A lunch with potential romantic connotations.’ Thor frowns opposite him. ‘Did I use the term correctly?’
He laughs, bewildered. ‘Yeah.’ He supposes it’s been building up to this. Thor has dropped plenty of hints, and Bruce has accepted any opportunity to flirt back. ‘This just feels... kinda serious.’
‘It needn’t be,’ Thor assures him, then hastily adds, ‘That is, you needn’t feel pressured. That is what dates are for, I understand? To test the waters?’ He swigs from his mug of juice. ‘Preferably away from listening ears.’
Bruce has endured his fair share of teasing from Tony. As if on cue, the man himself walks into the kitchen, whistling. ‘Sounds great,’ Bruce says quickly. ‘Work out the details later?’
Thor beams.
They go to the aquarium.
Bruce’s first thought is that Thor knows his secret and this is a test of some kind, but Thor’s fascination with strange creatures is immediately apparent. He wants to know everything and eagerly listens to any information Bruce offers. It’s nice. It’s easy.
Bruce still feels a little weird about it.
It’s easy for him to think he’s just a human-slash-Hulk, yet he probably shares significant DNA with the squid in that tank. Or maybe merfolk DNA is indistinguishable from human DNA. He doesn’t know.
He doesn’t know anything about himself.
Suddenly, the walls seem to be closing in on him. Bruce rushes through the glass tunnel and out into the giftshop, taking deep breaths.
‘Bruce?’ Thor is there, holding his hand. ‘Are you unwell?’
He swallows hard, unable to convey just how lost he feels in this moment. But he squeezes Thor’s hand. ‘I like you,’ he says truthfully, ‘and I think I wanna see where this goes. But... it’s been a while since I had any kind of normal life. I’m not really sure how to just be a person. We’d need to take things slowly.’
‘Bruce.’ Thor smiles gently. ‘Asgardian courtship can take up to ten years.’
‘Okay, well not that slowly.’ He lets himself lean against him, until his head is on Thor’s chest and strong arms encircle him. ‘Let’s get lunch. Connotations included.’
4
Bruce flops down on his back, sweating and breathing hard. ‘That was… fucking amazing.’
‘Well, I do have a few centuries of experience.’ Beside him, Thor leans up on one elbow, smiling softly. ‘I liked seeing you relax for once.’
He sinks deeper into Thor’s soft pillows, feeling a little high. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve… done anything like this. I’m sorry if it was uh…’
‘Bruce.’ Thor’s gaze sharpens. ‘Worry not. It was good. This...’ He waves a hand between them. ‘...is good. Courting you was worth the wait.’
‘Glad to hear it.’ He’s not quite sure how he ended up dating the god of thunder, but he’s not about to question it.
Thor runs a hand up his thigh. ‘So, are you up for a third bout?’ He grins at Bruce’s groan. ‘We had better get cleaned up before we miss lunch. Don’t fall asleep in my bed.’
‘Mmm.’ Bruce’s eyes are already closed. The mattress rises as Thor gets up, and he hears him pad across the soft carpet and into the bathroom.
Bruce is so in love with him it’s not even funny.
He sits up slowly, enjoying the ache in muscles he hasn’t used in a while. They’ve been dating for a few weeks, but it took him some time to pluck up the courage to take things further. Intimacy has never come naturally to Bruce Banner.
Thor is singing to himself: a rousing and hearty rendition of Katy Perry’s Firework.
Bruce clambers out of bed, unable to keep from smiling. It’s still early days, but he knows he wants more of this. Not just the sex, but the little domestic moments like this. It’s taken them a while to work up to it, but he’s been sleeping over often enough to have his own toothbrush in Thor’s bathroom.
Bruce pads across the soft carpet and dares to believe that maybe he can have this. Maybe he can let himself be close to someone and allow himself this happiness.
The shower turns on with a hiss.
Bruce stops dead. Of course he can’t go in there. How could he have been so stupid? He can’t hide this thing forever. One day he’ll slip, maybe spill a drink on his lap or forget to lock the bathroom door, and his secret will be out. And Thor will look at him and… and…
Bruce doesn’t know. He doesn’t dare to find out.
Silently, Bruce throws on last night’s clothes with tears in his eyes. He’s gone before Thor reaches the chorus.
5
Thunder awakens him.
Bruce coughs, tasting dust and damp. Cold concrete digs into his cheek.
He sits up slowly, aching all over. He’s in an abandoned warehouse. Rain clatters on the metal roof, spattering into a puddle in the far corner. The huge doors have been wrenched open; there are giant finger-shaped dents in the surrounding wall. Hulk knows the importance of keeping Bruce dry. For whatever reason, the big guy doesn’t share Bruce’s... condition.
Lightning flashes in the black sky beyond. Thor must be close. Bruce sits as close to the doors as he dares, careful to angle himself away from any in-blown drops. A few won’t hurt, but a deluge will trigger a change.
They haven’t slept together for over a week. Bruce expected Thor to confront him about it, but instead he’s kept his distance. The hurt in his soft blue eyes feels worse than if he’d shouted at him.
Bruce really, really wants to tell him. But once the secret’s out, it’s out forever.
Bruce hugs his knees, stares out into the blackness, and waits.
Ten minutes later Thor strides in, his wet cloak flapping at his heels. He sits down without a word, dropping Mjolnir at his feet. His armoured leg is cold where it brushes Bruce’s knee.
Bruce bumps their shoulders together (ow). ‘Did you miss me?’
‘I always miss you,’ Thor says, without looking at him.
Bruce wrings his hands. Grit scratches his palms. ‘I’m sorry.’
Thor turns to him then, and he seems genuinely confused. ‘Why are you sorry?’
‘For... I don’t know. I feel like I helped cause that.’ He gestures at the storm.
Thor sighs. He removes his cloak. ‘I am afraid this is too wet to warm you, but perhaps it will keep the wind off when we fly?’
‘Oh, I can’t – thanks, Thor. But I can’t go out in the rain.’
Now Thor is staring at Bruce like he’s a puzzle he can’t work out. ‘You are quite safe with me.’
A dozen lies flit through Bruce’s head – Hulk is afraid of thunder, Bruce nearly drowned as a child, his old house got struck by lightning – but they all die on his lips. He’s tired of lying. He doesn’t want to lie to Thor. ‘It’s complicated. I have uh, issues with water.’
Thor stares at him searchingly. ‘Is your secret dangerous, or merely embarrassing?’
‘It’s only dangerous to myself. And a little embarrassing, I guess.’ Bruce keeps his voice low, but his heart pounds.
It pounds even harder when Thor takes his hands. ‘Then you need not tell me. Say only what you need and I shall provide it if I can.’ His earnest face blurs through Bruce’s tears. ‘I hope that one day you will trust me enough to confide in me, but until that day comes, I hope that I might still be your lover.’
Joy and relief wash through him. ‘I’d like that,’ he says softly.
They cuddle up together, Thor stroking his hair. As the storm begins to dissipate, Bruce thanks whatever twist of fate brought this man into his life.
+1
It’s not the heat, but the dryness in the air that makes every breath hurt.
They’ve flown out to the middle of nowhere, and the place looks like a desert; scrubby trees clustered around a bunker. For three days, Tony and Natasha have been out doing reconnaissance. Bruce sits in the coolest part of the Quinjet and suffers. He scratches irritably at his legs, wincing at the flakes that fall out of the bottom of his pants.
‘Why are there fish scales all over the jet?’ Clint laughs. ‘Makes no sense, man.’
Steve chuckles. ‘Don’t ask me. Tony keeps all sorts of stuff on board. I just hope it’s not some kind of insulation peeling off the walls.’
Bruce presses his hot forehead against his knees. His lungs are burning, even after drinking up all his daily water ration. For the first time, he actually wants Hulk to step in. Then they can get this stupid mission over with and they can go home.
To his dismay, the reconnaissance turns up nothing. The others are called in to help, but of course Bruce has to stay on the jet.
He lies in his bunk, struggling to breathe. Everyone else thinks it’s heat exhaustion. Bruce fears it might be something worse.
His legs are a mess of white flakes. Throwing caution to the wind, he even dumped a bottle of water on himself, but he didn’t even transform.
Bruce has been careful all his life. But he has friends now. People who love him. Surely that’s enough?
How far can he go to protect a secret before it kills him?
He stumbles to the cockpit. It feels like he’s walking on fish legs. ‘I need help,’ he gasps.
‘What’s up, Bruce?’ Tony asks calmly. ‘Big guy putting in an appearance?’
Even his sweat seems to be evaporating. He collapses into the pilot seat. Everything is spinning. It’s hard to string words together. ‘I’m dry,’ he utters.
‘Gonna need you to be more specific, buddy.’
‘Need... I need water.’
‘If you need some, get some. I brought spare.’
Bruce could cry. ‘Not enough. Need... big water.’
Natasha chimes in. ‘He sounds confused. Someone should go keep an eye on him.’
They aren’t getting it. Bruce’s vision pulses black and white. Shapes flicker in the air like fish. ‘Thor,’ he whispers, then he’s gone.
The bang overhead jerks him awake. He looks up and Thor is there, scooping him up.
Bruce clings to him like a lifeline as he’s carried outside.
The sky has darkened. Bruce realises that the air feels cooler. It feels... damp. He shudders and sighs, hiding his face in Thor’s shoulder. ‘Thank you.’
‘Worry not, my love,’ Thor murmurs, ‘all will be well.’
Thunder rumbles directly overhead. Then, in the middle of the desert, it starts to rain.
*
He’s floating.
The water is warm and clean, as soothing as ice on a parched throat. It feels like breathing for the first time.
Bruce opens his eyes. The pool is vast, the water so clear he can see every white and gold tile. Tangled sunlight dances along his tail, which looks shinier than he’s ever remembered seeing it.
There’s a disturbance in the water. Bruce twists around to see a wall of bubbles descending; someone has jumped into the pool. There’s nowhere to hide. Wherever he is, he must face the consequences.
The bubbles clear. It’s Thor.
He treads water for a moment, looking around, then his eyes meet Bruce’s. His face slackens with relief.
And Bruce knows it’s going to be okay.
He swims eagerly into Thor’s arms, his tail slapping clumsily against his legs. There’s so much he wants to say, and he tries to convey it all in the tightness of their hug: I’m sorry, I was scared, thank you.
He starts to worry about Thor needing to breathe though, so he holds Thor’s waist and guides them to the surface.
The high ceiling is a rippling mosaic of sea creatures swimming through stylised waves. Bruce looks around at the huge bathroom with red and gold accents in confusion.
‘How do you feel?’ Thor asks tenderly, steadying himself on the edge of the pool.
Bruce spits out water. ‘Are we in Asgard?’
Thor nods. ‘When you passed out, I called to Heimdall. It was the only way to get you to water quickly.’
With effort, Bruce hauls himself up and sits on the edge, swishing his tail in the water. ‘Did you know?’
‘No. If I had, I would have brought you sooner.’ He looks pained. ‘But all that matters is that you are safe now.’
Bruce wonders what Thor must have thought, watching Bruce shift in his arms under the desert rain. ‘Do the others know?’
‘No. I only told them that I was taking you to the Asgardian healers.’
They should all know. Bruce is tired of keeping secrets. ‘I really wanted to tell you,’ he says hesitantly.
Thor jumps up to sit beside him. Bruce curls his tail around his ankle. ‘Merfolk are common on Asgard. They were very curious as to how you ended up on Midgard.’
Bruce shrugs. ‘I inherited it from my mom. I never even knew there were others.’ He’s excited at the thought of meeting more of his kind. ‘There’s a lot I don’t know about myself.’
‘Well, I’m sure we can remedy that.’ Curiously, Thor runs a hand down Bruce’s scales. It feels more intimate than anything they’ve done. ‘You really are beautiful,’ he says in wonder.
Bruce smiles and ducks his head. ‘So, you still like me even though I’m part fish?’
‘Bruce,’ Thor says solemnly, ‘nothing in the Nine Realms could make me like you any less.’
It’s like a knot in Bruce’s chest has suddenly been untied. He kisses Thor hard, pouring in every ounce of unspoken affection. Thor chuckles against his lips.
Bruce tips them over and they crash into the water. Thor’s golden hair forms a cloud around his head, and he’s grinning.
Then Bruce takes off, soaring through the water like it’s air, spiralling around Thor in wide circles at first, then tightening in. Every time he gets close, he twirls deftly away,
There’s an amused glint in Thor’s eyes, and Bruce suddenly wonders if he’s performing some kind of mer courtship ritual. It feels so freeing to finally accept this part of himself, and to know it hasn’t lessened himself in Thor’s eyes even a tiny bit.
Bruce finally slows down. He holds Thor’s face in his hands and mouths I love you.
Thor replies in a stream of bubbles. They both smile.
Between their beating hearts, the calm water curls around them like a blanket. It is so beautifully quiet. Bruce realises that he doesn’t have to choose, he can be all of himself at once. Who’s to say he can’t do experiments underwater, or swim in the sea at the next Avengers beach party? Somehow, he’s sure that after the initial shock his friends will be supportive. For now though, there is Thor, and there is peace, and that is enough.
Bruce kisses him again. Thor smiles against his lips.