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Your eyes scanned the empty area around you as you walked down to the lab. Bruce wasn’t in the bed when you woke up. It didn’t come as a surprise to you; he’d been getting up early for weeks. You were, however, getting worried. He would rarely ever come back before you fell asleep, and when he did, he was too tired to talk.

You understood what he was trying to do. Bruce was trying to find a “cure” for the Other Guy. You knew he had a hard time dealing with the Hulk. You tried talking to him, but he demanded that he find a cure. You accepted it, though you weren’t happy with his early mornings and late nights.

Entering the lab, you found him hunched over another experiment. Tony wasn’t in your sight, and you weren’t about to go looking for him. Carefully, you approached your boyfriend, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Bruce?”

Bruce flinched and gripped the table his experiment was on. You saw how frustrated he was with this. You noticed a very small pulse of green through his hands.

He turned around and pulled you into a hug, kissing the top of your head.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be up soon.”

You pulled back, just enough to look at him and place a cautious hand on his cheek. “You need to rest. Why don’t you come up now and sleep, then we’ll have lunch and come back down.”

“I need to finish this. It’ll only take me a few hours.”

“Bruce,” you said firmly, “you’re tired. You haven’t had any sleep and it’s putting you on edge.”

“I wouldn’t have to worry about this if I could get rid of him.”

You dropped your hand and laid your head on his shoulder. You just wished he would come to bed.

“Alright, honey. I’m going to call Fury and see if I can help with anything. I think Steve’s supposed to be going on a mission soon. Just get some rest whenever you can.”

Bruce’s grip tightened around you. It didn’t hurt; it was just strong enough to keep you from going anywhere. He didn’t like you going on missions.

“Stay,” he said quietly. You ran your hand down his arm and nudged him away from you.

“Who discovered that I heal 5 times faster than normal?”

“Me,” he answered. He knew where you were going with this.

“And who discovered that I can take bullets like Steve’s shield?”

“Me,” he repeated. You smiled, “And who discovered that I’m the most badass agent S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever had?”

“Me,” Bruce said, starting to grin. Your smile widened and you tiptoed to kiss him.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I love you,” Bruce told you.

“I love you, too.”

You directed a loving smile at him before turning away. Bruce watched as you left, an empty feeling taking the place of warmth. He’s seen how strong you are, but worry still fills him when he’s with you. He’s worried that one night, he’ll have a nightmare and the other guy will come out while you’re sleeping next to him. He’s worried that you two could get into an argument and he’ll do something he’ll regret. He’s worried that he’ll get jealous, or scared, or lonely, and he’ll “Hulk out”. Bruce wanted you to be safe, and if he couldn’t find a cure, he’d have to leave you and S.H.I.E.L.D.

You walked into your room, holding your phone up to your ear. You dialed Fury’s number and waited a few seconds for him to answer.

“Director Fury, it’s (y/n). You have anything for me?”

“I have something for you and Dr. Banner. It involves undercover work. I assume you both are comfortable with that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll send you guys the details.”

“Thank you.”

The call ended there. You sighed and sat on your bed, eyes scanning the room. A few of Bruce’s shirts laid on the back of a chair, and you had a pair of shoes by the bed from where you slipped them off after an exhausted day. You held your head in your hands as you thought about everything that was stressing you.

Bruce sighed and looked at the door to your room. He really should be working, but you were right. He needed sleep. For a moment, he thought about asking you not to call Fury, but you had probably already called him.

Bruce slowly opened the door, just enough to peek in. “(Y/n)?”

You looked up and ran a hand through your hair. “Yeah?”

He walked through the door and shut it behind him. He wrung his hands nervously as he was planning out his movements. Slowly, he sat next to you on the bed.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” you responded. He shook his head, “No, it is. I just want to protect you. I can’t imagine what I’d do if I lost you, and if I was the one who did it. You’re everything to me.”

“Bruce, I knew what I was getting into when we started dating. I love you and the other guy, and if I ever thought I couldn’t handle him, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I love you so much. I can’t lose you.”

“I can’t lose you, and right now, I feel like you’ll die of exhaustion. I called Fury, and he has something for both of us. Let’s take a nap, then we’ll look into the mission.”

“Alright,” he said. You smiled and kissed him lovingly. You watched as he got dressed in more comfortable clothes before settling into the bed with him. His hand reached over and turned off the light. You felt him kiss your forehead as you drifted into a peaceful sleep.

“I love you,” he whispered. You grinned softly and replied. “I love you, too.”