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Notes: For the 30 days of writing challenge on tumblr. This is a Pacific Rim AU featuring the phenomenon of Ghost Drifting. I will probably write more of this because of reasons.
Title: last ones to bleed
Fandom: The Avengers
Pairing: Thor/Bruce
Prompt: promise
Words: 1229 words
last ones to bleed
Bruce wakes up in the middle of the night, gasping and panting for breath and a scream on his lips. The dim light in his room from the small nightlight in the corner throws everything in to sharp relief. He's breathing heavily, chest heaving and eyes flicking about madly.
With his blood hammering loudly in his ears, Bruce tries to calm down, but the terror is too new and fresh for him to bring himself back. He's shaking and shivering – the air is too cold, too thick, and he cannot get enough.
There's a soft knock at the door and it makes Bruce jump. He turns to the door and manages to stutter out a breathy and broken, “Wh-who... c-come in...!”
He knows who it is before the door is completely open. Thor only opens the door wide enough for him to slip into the room and he closes the door gently behind him. For several long moments, Thor doesn't move from the doorway – he just stands there, hands behind his back and watching Bruce carefully.
Bruce still can't breathe properly, but Thor just being there is enough to settle him a little. The world feels a little smaller now; he focuses, tries to at least, and pants, but he still cannot breathe. He can't say why that is; he's terrified and the fear is still coursing wild and free through his veins and he cannot stop it.
He has always been afraid, been weak, been running away, and now he's forced to confront it all. He still remembers, vividly, their failed drift; he's reminded that no matter how compatible he and Thor, he is still a failure. Bruce cannot do anything right. His father told him that, emphasized it, and Bruce knows nothing else. It is, to him, an immutable truth and it's just been reinforced.
Thor breaks the silence, gesturing at the side of the bed. His voice is low and quiet, “May I?”
Still trembling wildly, Bruce nodded and tried not to flinch when Thor sat down on the side of the bed. There was still distance between them, but it was far less than before. From here, Bruce swears that he can feel the heat that Thor gives off.
Gently, Thor lay his hand over one of Bruce's trembling ones. His thumb stroked along Bruce's hand, a slow movement and Bruce looked up at him. Thor looked solemn, blue eyes intense in the dim light as he stared at Bruce.
“I'm here,” Thor quietly said. “I will not leave you alone, Bruce. You have my word.”
There are words on the tip of his tongue; ones to say how sorry he is about their continued failures – four attempts at drifting and they're still on the bench. He and Thor might be Drift compatible, but Bruce doesn't believe that they're actually compatible in anyway. After all, all he does is hold Thor back.
He's jerked out of his thoughts by Thor's fingers gently resting on his cheek, trailing along his cheekbone before they curled under his chin. Thor tilted his head up so that their eyes could meet.
“Bruce, I promise I will not leave you alone.” Thor kept his voice soft, but firm. “Just focus on breathing, Bruce. Simply breathe.”
Very slowly, Thor leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Bruce's. So close, their breath mingled and Bruce could close his eyes and hear the sound of Thor's breathing, steady and loud in his ears. His eyes closed and he focused on the sound until it was all he could hear.
It was another matter to match his own breathing to it. With it being the only sound he could hear, it was like thunder in his ears and he took shuddering breaths as he tried to match it. He measured the breaths in numbers, counting them out and then repeating the process for himself.
Bruce wasn't sure how many minutes passed until the feeling of light-headedness had passed and the room had stopped pressing in on him and spinning. Thor was still there when he finally opened his eyes, his face not even an inch from Bruce's; his eyes were closed, hiding his stormy blue eyes.
If he wanted to, Bruce could reach out and take Thor's face in his hands. It was something that he was sorely tempted to do; he wanted to trace Thor's strong features out, learn them and know them. Maybe if he could touch that strength of Thor's, it would rub off on him.
Thor's eyes fluttered open, revealing those strikingly bright blue eyes of his. They crinkled into a smile, “Better?”
Staring, slightly wide-eyed and lips parted, Bruce nodded. His words had deserted him and his heart was fluttering in his chest. Bruce worried that Thor could hear it and that only made the fluttering worse.
It was Thor's hands that came up and cupped Bruce's face between them, thumbs smoothing across his cheekbones. The gesture was so reassuring, something that Bruce never thought he would have, that he leaned into it. His hands were shaking as he reached up, stopped, and then clasped them over Thor's hands tightly.
Thor smiled and it made warmth blossom in Bruce's chest; he returned it nervously, his heart still fluttering in his chest.
“Thank you,” Bruce said, voice shaking. “Thank you.”
“It was nothing,” Thor replied. He pulled back enough to press a soft kiss to Bruce's forehead. “I'm simply glad to help you.”
Bruce felt his cheeks flush and he wanted to duck his head, but Thor's hands on his face kept him from doing so. Instead, he averted his eyes and tightened his hands around Thor's.
Inhaling a shaky breath, Bruce forced the words out – even though they were sticking to the roof of his mouth. “How... how did you know?”
“That you needed me?” Thor blinked. “Or the nightmare?”
“The nightmare... both.” Because maybe that was true, maybe he had needed Thor. He wouldn't admit it, but Thor made him feel safe; he felt like he could trust Thor and he did. It was hard not to trust someone whose head you'd been inside.
There was a crease in Thor's brow, and his response came slowly, “I just... felt it. I felt that you needed me.”
And then Thor's face broke out into a small, warm and genuine smile. “I did promise that I would protect you, no matter what that might mean.”
Maybe that was something worth looking into. He wondered if he and Thor would turn into Steve and Tony – always finishing each others sentences and having arguments that were half inside of their own minds. Then, Bruce wondered if that would be such a bad thing.
While he was lost in his own thoughts, Thor had shifted them back onto the bed so that he could lean against the wall. He settled Bruce into his lap, holding him close and gently stroking a hand up and down Bruce's back in a comforting gesture.
“What am I supposed to do for you?” Bruce mumbled, feeling exhaustion settle in as his body came down from its panicked high. “This isn't fair, you know.”
Thor rested his chin gently on the top of Bruce's head, voice rumbling, “You give me a reason to fight; that is more than enough.”
He would've said something to that, but he was rapidly losing the fight against his own heavy eyelids. Bruce yawned and fisted his hands tightly in Thor's shirt. He mumbled against Thor's collarbone, “Will you stay?”
“Always.”
FIN.
Title: last ones to bleed
Fandom: The Avengers
Pairing: Thor/Bruce
Prompt: promise
Words: 1229 words
Bruce wakes up in the middle of the night, gasping and panting for breath and a scream on his lips. The dim light in his room from the small nightlight in the corner throws everything in to sharp relief. He's breathing heavily, chest heaving and eyes flicking about madly.
With his blood hammering loudly in his ears, Bruce tries to calm down, but the terror is too new and fresh for him to bring himself back. He's shaking and shivering – the air is too cold, too thick, and he cannot get enough.
There's a soft knock at the door and it makes Bruce jump. He turns to the door and manages to stutter out a breathy and broken, “Wh-who... c-come in...!”
He knows who it is before the door is completely open. Thor only opens the door wide enough for him to slip into the room and he closes the door gently behind him. For several long moments, Thor doesn't move from the doorway – he just stands there, hands behind his back and watching Bruce carefully.
Bruce still can't breathe properly, but Thor just being there is enough to settle him a little. The world feels a little smaller now; he focuses, tries to at least, and pants, but he still cannot breathe. He can't say why that is; he's terrified and the fear is still coursing wild and free through his veins and he cannot stop it.
He has always been afraid, been weak, been running away, and now he's forced to confront it all. He still remembers, vividly, their failed drift; he's reminded that no matter how compatible he and Thor, he is still a failure. Bruce cannot do anything right. His father told him that, emphasized it, and Bruce knows nothing else. It is, to him, an immutable truth and it's just been reinforced.
Thor breaks the silence, gesturing at the side of the bed. His voice is low and quiet, “May I?”
Still trembling wildly, Bruce nodded and tried not to flinch when Thor sat down on the side of the bed. There was still distance between them, but it was far less than before. From here, Bruce swears that he can feel the heat that Thor gives off.
Gently, Thor lay his hand over one of Bruce's trembling ones. His thumb stroked along Bruce's hand, a slow movement and Bruce looked up at him. Thor looked solemn, blue eyes intense in the dim light as he stared at Bruce.
“I'm here,” Thor quietly said. “I will not leave you alone, Bruce. You have my word.”
There are words on the tip of his tongue; ones to say how sorry he is about their continued failures – four attempts at drifting and they're still on the bench. He and Thor might be Drift compatible, but Bruce doesn't believe that they're actually compatible in anyway. After all, all he does is hold Thor back.
He's jerked out of his thoughts by Thor's fingers gently resting on his cheek, trailing along his cheekbone before they curled under his chin. Thor tilted his head up so that their eyes could meet.
“Bruce, I promise I will not leave you alone.” Thor kept his voice soft, but firm. “Just focus on breathing, Bruce. Simply breathe.”
Very slowly, Thor leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Bruce's. So close, their breath mingled and Bruce could close his eyes and hear the sound of Thor's breathing, steady and loud in his ears. His eyes closed and he focused on the sound until it was all he could hear.
It was another matter to match his own breathing to it. With it being the only sound he could hear, it was like thunder in his ears and he took shuddering breaths as he tried to match it. He measured the breaths in numbers, counting them out and then repeating the process for himself.
Bruce wasn't sure how many minutes passed until the feeling of light-headedness had passed and the room had stopped pressing in on him and spinning. Thor was still there when he finally opened his eyes, his face not even an inch from Bruce's; his eyes were closed, hiding his stormy blue eyes.
If he wanted to, Bruce could reach out and take Thor's face in his hands. It was something that he was sorely tempted to do; he wanted to trace Thor's strong features out, learn them and know them. Maybe if he could touch that strength of Thor's, it would rub off on him.
Thor's eyes fluttered open, revealing those strikingly bright blue eyes of his. They crinkled into a smile, “Better?”
Staring, slightly wide-eyed and lips parted, Bruce nodded. His words had deserted him and his heart was fluttering in his chest. Bruce worried that Thor could hear it and that only made the fluttering worse.
It was Thor's hands that came up and cupped Bruce's face between them, thumbs smoothing across his cheekbones. The gesture was so reassuring, something that Bruce never thought he would have, that he leaned into it. His hands were shaking as he reached up, stopped, and then clasped them over Thor's hands tightly.
Thor smiled and it made warmth blossom in Bruce's chest; he returned it nervously, his heart still fluttering in his chest.
“Thank you,” Bruce said, voice shaking. “Thank you.”
“It was nothing,” Thor replied. He pulled back enough to press a soft kiss to Bruce's forehead. “I'm simply glad to help you.”
Bruce felt his cheeks flush and he wanted to duck his head, but Thor's hands on his face kept him from doing so. Instead, he averted his eyes and tightened his hands around Thor's.
Inhaling a shaky breath, Bruce forced the words out – even though they were sticking to the roof of his mouth. “How... how did you know?”
“That you needed me?” Thor blinked. “Or the nightmare?”
“The nightmare... both.” Because maybe that was true, maybe he had needed Thor. He wouldn't admit it, but Thor made him feel safe; he felt like he could trust Thor and he did. It was hard not to trust someone whose head you'd been inside.
There was a crease in Thor's brow, and his response came slowly, “I just... felt it. I felt that you needed me.”
And then Thor's face broke out into a small, warm and genuine smile. “I did promise that I would protect you, no matter what that might mean.”
Maybe that was something worth looking into. He wondered if he and Thor would turn into Steve and Tony – always finishing each others sentences and having arguments that were half inside of their own minds. Then, Bruce wondered if that would be such a bad thing.
While he was lost in his own thoughts, Thor had shifted them back onto the bed so that he could lean against the wall. He settled Bruce into his lap, holding him close and gently stroking a hand up and down Bruce's back in a comforting gesture.
“What am I supposed to do for you?” Bruce mumbled, feeling exhaustion settle in as his body came down from its panicked high. “This isn't fair, you know.”
Thor rested his chin gently on the top of Bruce's head, voice rumbling, “You give me a reason to fight; that is more than enough.”
He would've said something to that, but he was rapidly losing the fight against his own heavy eyelids. Bruce yawned and fisted his hands tightly in Thor's shirt. He mumbled against Thor's collarbone, “Will you stay?”
“Always.”
FIN.