Chapter Text
No one was sure when the words first appeared.
Despite cameras constantly recording Hulk's every appearance he rarely stood still (much less let anyone make a close inspection), and as soon as a fight was over, he was gone. Avenger training sessions or down-time in the "Hulk room" at the Tower were other opportunities, but no one thought to look- why would they? Bruce thought of himself and the Hulk as one (reluctantly, it's true, but that was his reasoning). Hulk did not have Betty's graceful script circling his wrist; Bruce did.
It was JARVIS who noticed a line paralleling the Hulk's ribs, up under his right arm. Tony asked Bruce for some Hulk time to do some testing (it wasn't Bruce's fault he didn't ask what the testing was for; one of Tony's favorite pastimes was giving Hulk 'unbreakable' items and putting the results on YouTube- it was a very popular channel). Hulk was in the down-time room when Tony whistled softly in amazement at the looping gray script that seemed to fade into Hulk's skin: Hurry! Help me- they're trapped!
It made sense in a way- there weren't too many other opportunities for Hulk to meet someone other than an emergency. But it raised all sorts of questions and Tony had a feeling that Bruce wouldn't take it well.
***
He didn't.
Part of the problem was that Tony had all the subtlety of a Mack truck. He tried for almost three days to covertly see if Bruce had new words as well. Bruce didn't say he did, but then again, Bruce probably wouldn't. Tony knew that Bruce and Betty were estranged because of the Hulk; if he shut out his soulmate why would he let someone else in? Even if it was platonic?
For once, JARVIS was no help. Bruce had video turned off in his rooms for privacy, but everywhere else Bruce rarely did more than roll up his sleeves. There certainly weren't any new marks on his face or hands. Heck, if it came in anywhere on his back Bruce wouldn't even know. Tony first tried to talk Bruce into a swim in the pool (which he declined) and then a session in the steam-room (which Bruce also declined). He asked about hot-room yoga and Bruce gave him a flyer for a studio nearby. He even tried sidling up behind Bruce in the lab and looking down the back of his shirt, and when Bruce caught him doing it explained that his tag was sticking out.
By this point, Bruce was getting jumpy and suspicious; Tony finally broke down.
"Look, I know you think I'm acting 'weird'..."
Bruce snorted, Tony had a knack for understating his negatives. "You think?"
"Well, yeah, look, it's just, I was wondering. Uh. Your, uh. Soulmarks. Have they changed at all?"
Bruce gave Tony a long, puzzled look, eyes automatically drifting the gray letters circling his wrist. "No, Tony, why? Is something going on?"
"Oh, I don't know," Tony's attempt at being breezy and unconcerned was making Bruce even more nervous than his hovering had. "I just wonder if, you know, you might have any new ones?" Tony gave Bruce an expectant look.
Bruce took off his glasses and glared, "Tony, I swear if you know something... No, I don't have any new soulmarks. Now what are you talking about?"
"Can I, just, check you? Maybe? Please?" Tony would have fluttered his eyelashes if he thought it would help.
"No! Not until you tell me what's going on." Bruce crossed his arms and leaned against his lab table, ready to be as stubborn as he needed to be.
Tony let out his breath in a rush and started talking very fast, "Look, I really didn't want to do it this way but I think you need to know so yeah, Hulk's got soulmarks."
"What." Bruce's voice was flat as he leaned toward Tony, fists falling to his sides.
"Yeah, here. JARVIS caught it." Tony motioned and a closeup image from the Hulk appeared, clear enough that Bruce could read the words.
"Tony, how, this, this can't be right..." Bruce started to scramble, throwing off his lab coat and lifting his shirt, searching his ribs.
"Slow down there, partner!" They methodically went over every inch of Bruce's skin (Bruce finished his examination in the bathroom, on his own). There were no new words.
Bruce shrugged his lab coat back on and polished his glasses, the two leaning against the table.
"It's really there?" Tony nodded; for once, he didn't know what to say. "Does he know?"
"What? Uh, I didn't say anything to him. Does he know what soulmarks are?"
Bruce's face was grim. "Right. Yeah. Okay. Look, I- I need to think about this. Could you- could we keep this between ourselves? For now?"
Tony nodded a little more energetically, "Sure, sure! I mean, I'm here, you know? If you need anything?"
Bruce nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. "Yeah, thanks Tony," and wandered down the hall to his rooms.
***
A couple nights later Tony and Bruce sat out on the balcony, each with a bottle of beer, watching the sun set.
"Well, of course it's platonic. Unless there's someone out there..."
Bruce shot daggers at Tony, "She's my cousin, don't even go there," and took another swig of his beer.
"Yeah, right, so like I said, platonic. And she, or he... they? Looks feminine to me but I could be wrong. Anyway, probably wasn't just born."
"I thought about that. Hulk regenerates- I don't have any new scars since..." he waved a hand. "But I'm getting older, Tony. Even the Hulk has gray hairs now."
Tony nodded, "That's my point exactly. So really, this could happen any time, right? You have to let us tell him. Or at least let the team know so they're not blindsided. Someone is going to notice the words eventually; you need some spin-control in place."
Bruce rubbed his face; it was all too much. As if his life wasn't complicated enough, now this? "Does PR have someone... discreet?"
Tony huffed and rolled his eyes, "Pepper has someone, I'm sure. Pepper has a contingency plan for just about anything. Did you know she already had a plan in place for the giant mutant wombats? Apparently it applies to 'giant, mutant' anything but there you go- she's prepared." Tony gave a decisive nod and finished off his beer.
Bruce slumped back. "Tony, what kind of soulmate could the Hulk possibly have?"
He fidgeted a moment. "Well, soulmates are supposed to bring out the best in us, like me and Pepper."
Bruce shifted. "Your soulmate is supposed to be your match. What if this person isn't... good?"
Tony frowned; that was a legit concern and he hadn't thought of it. "We'll 'vet them of course, all the more reason for someone else to know so we can be prepared."
Bruce looked off in the distance, ashamed to meet Tony's eyes. "They might... they might not ever meet you know. Sometimes it happens."
It did happen occasionally- a soulmate dying before they meet, the words fading to scars.
Tony gave him a sharp look, "Is that what you want?"
Bruce sighed at his beer bottle and finished it off. "Look, just tell the PR person, Pepper if you have to, but no one else yet okay? Let's just wait and see what happens."
"Okay, but..." Bruce was already walking away, and Tony just barely kept from smashing his empty bottle on the balcony floor.
***
It happened sooner than they expected.
A few weeks after Tony's discovery, the Fantastic Four were out of town when Dr. Doom made one of his periodic appearances. The Avengers responded, tearing through the army of doombots in the usual way. Things had been going rather smoothly, all things considered, until Doom released a second wave of improved 'bots they hadn't fought before. Local police and SHIELD agents were directing civilians away from the fight, but when three of the 'bots converged on Hulk he wasn't quite fast enough and was blasted away from the main fight into the side of a building. He shook it off quickly enough, but bricks rained down around him, crushing the cars in the parking lot below. Hulk flinched at the wail of car alarms and was ready to launch back into the fight when a voice cut through the din...
"Hurry! Help me- they're trapped!"
Hulk's hearing was good, but there was something unusually compelling about the voice. He turned to see a woman in a brown jacket, scrambling to get into a half-buried car where a woman and small girl shrieked. The woman had clearly been hit by falling bricks; her head was bleeding and she cradled one wrist awkwardly as she tried to break in the rear window to let them out.
"Please!"
Hulk reached out and gently moved her away, then tapped the rear window to smash it. The woman darted around him, quickly helping them out of the wreck and directing them around the side of the building towards the nearest police cordon. At that moment one of the advanced 'bots caught up to Hulk, and he threw himself in front of her, smashing the 'bot into the ground. He turned and the woman huddled against the base of the wall on top of a pile of bricks. She blinked, dazed, then let out a yelp as Hulk scooped her up and ran down down the street, depositing her in front of the stunned officers.
She gasped, "Thank you," then smiled widely. "You did it- you saved us! Now go smash the rest of those 'bots!"
Hulk grinned in return, that he understood, but something made him linger just a moment longer. "Stay? Please?"
Her jaw dropped and she stammered, "Y-yes, I'll stay here." He nodded once, then threw himself back into the fray.
When the fight was over, Hulk ignored the Avengers and went back to the street corner, but the cordon had pulled back and she was gone. He stood there for a moment as Tony landed next to him.
"What is it, big guy? Fight's over! Time to go home and celebrate!" Hulk huffed and looked around, lost, finally shifting back to Bruce and they went to rejoin the team.