Work Text:
Guangzhou, China 2009
A shadowed figure ducked into an alleyway and held his breath. The man’s pulse was racing and he was trying, with a level of difficulty, to calm it down before anything horrible happened.
It was just Bruce Banner’s luck that General Ross would follow him all the way to China.
He turned towards the alley end to try to hide out in the shadows for a while. Ross’s goons tended to look for a large green monster when they were trying to find him, not a skinny guy with curly hair and glasses. When Bruce found what looked to be a good hiding spot amidst a pile of broken down boxes he was surprised to see that someone was already vacating the hiding spot.
And by the looks of things, that someone was not doing very well.
When he got closer to the figure he noticed that it was a man, most likely a few years older than himself, and he looked to be very injured and slightly delirious. Bruce slowly bent down towards the injured man to see if there was anything he could do and froze immediately when he saw a flash of at the corner of his eye. When he looked down towards the man his eyes were wide open, but unfocused, and he was holding a mean looking knife to Bruce’s stomach.
He was speaking calmly in Chinese, although Bruce could tell that the man was new to the language and he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the man’s rough words.
“You just told me to stop where I am and to either back away or wash my crab.” The man looked confused only for a moment and when he shifted a little he let out a hiss of pain. “I’m not really a medical doctor but I know enough to at least treat some of your wounds.” The man looked at him skeptically but Bruce could tell that he was fighting to stay awake, and he was losing the battle very quickly.
With a nod of his head the man let down his knife and proceeded to pass out.
…
When his new guest started coming too after a few hours Bruce made sure that his body language read submissive. While checking over for wounds he had found more than just a few scars and a set of scratched out dog tags labeled him as a soldier. The man didn’t look like much at first glance, and Bruce would bet money on that being exactly what the man wants. But underneath the loose civilian attire was a different story, the man was dangerous and he could possibly mean danger for Bruce if he wasn’t too careful.
When the man finally opened his eyes Bruce expected to be trying to defend his self but instead the man seemed to be studying him. It was a little unnerving and Bruce had the strange feeling that the man knew who he was.
“Thank you Dr. Banner.” Bruce, in a panicked state that the man did indeed know him, put him under with a quick insert of the needle.
…
“How do you know my name?” The man in question, and Bruce thinks that when he knows he can trust the man he will ask for his name, studies his for a few tense seconds before answering.
“I used to work for SHIELD. At one point you were supposed to be someone I was supposed to bring in.” Bruce is slightly taken back by the man’s honesty, but if he knows who he is he suspects that the man is being truthful for his own benefit. Bruce doesn’t like liars. “Things came up and I chose to retire.”
“If you were supposed to come after me you must have been high up on the chain of command.” The man only inclines his head and Bruce realizes that he is studying him. It’s something he can relate to, but the man isn’t studying him because he fears him, he’s studying him with a look of awe.
“I saw what you did in New York; you’re a hero Dr. Banner.” Bruce snorts at the suggestion but the man’s body language says he is completely honest. It surprises him how people can still think he is anything but a monster, the man reminds him of Betty in a way.
“Not many people would agree with you.” The man gives him a look that clearly says that he is not most people and Bruce agrees. He’s met mercenaries countless times, each of their faces have fogged over the years. Bruce doubts he’ll forget this man’s face.
…
When Bruce awakes in his small rundown apartment the first thing he notices is that the man he’s been helping to heal is gone. In his place on the bed is a note:
Dr. Banner,
I thank you for the help you have given me these past few days. It was not a small kindness and I will never forget it.
General Ross will find himself very busy over the next few days, while he is busy I think you should go visit Germany. I hear Quedlinburg is lovely this time of year.
Thank you again,
Phil