╔═════════╗
𝑺𝑼𝑹𝑽𝑰𝑽𝑶𝑹
-𝒔𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏
╚═════════╝

╔═════╗
six.
green
╚═════╝

❝SO   YOU  GOTTA   FIRE  UP,  YOU
GOTTA LET GO.  YOU'LL NEVER BE
LOVED TILL YOU MAKE YOUR OWN.
YOU  GOTTA  FACE   UP,  YOU  GOTTA
GET YOURS. YOU NEVER KNOW THE
TOP   TILL   YOU   GET   TOO  LOW.❞

⋆

CHRISTINA fought back a smile, thinking Bruce was adorable in his state.

Bruce gestured to the mountains of food at the diner table before the small team; a mixing bowl of scrambled eggs, a serving plater of sausages, and another of bacon. "C'mon, I feel like I'm the only one who's eating. Try some. Have some eggs."

Scott blinked, not being able to fathom how it was Bruce's voice...with Hulk's body? He wore his usual glasses, a pale blue t-shirt, and a navy blue cardigan. "I'm...so confused."

Bruce looked down at Scott, chuckling and slowly pushed the bowl of eggs forward. "These are confusing times."

"Right. No, no...That's not what I meant." Scott sat up in the booth.

Bruce laughed, dousing his breakfast food in syrup. "No, I get it. I'm kidding!" He outstretched his hand, nearly smacking Christina in the face. "I know, it's crazy. I'm wearing shirts now."

"Yeah! How? Why?" Scott continued to question, blinking dumbly.

"I think the more important question is where did you get such large clothes?" Chris asked, watching Bruce take a bite of his food. Natasha chuckled at her.

Bruce wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Five years ago we got our asses beat. Except it was worse for me. Because I lost twice. First Hulk lost, then Banner lost. Then, we all lost."

"No one blamed you, Bruce." Natasha said with a serious tone.

"Or the Hulk." Chris added.

"I did." Bruce remarked, looking at the two women. Natasha avoided eye contact. "For years I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kid of disease, something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me," Bruce held out his arms. "Best of both worlds."

"Not wrong there," Chris muttered, genuinely impressed.

A group of children approached the scientist. "Excuse me, Mr. Hulk?"

"Yes?" Bruce answered in a happy tone, smiling politely.

"Can we get a photo?" the girl asked with giddiness.

"One hundred percent, little person." he grabbed her phone, motioning them closer. "Come on, step on up." Bruce looked down at Chris, offering the device. "You mind?"

"Of course not." Christina smiled, scooting back before holding up the camera.

"Thanks," Bruce removed his glasses. "Say green."

"Green!" the kids said with wide smiled as Bruce flexed his arm. "Did you get that?"

Christina nodded, about the hand the phone back when Scott stopped her. "Hey, you wanna grab one with me? I'm Ant-Man."

Everyone paused, staring at him. After a moment, Scott shook his head. "They're Hulk fans. They don't know Ant-man. Nobody does."

He pushed Christina's arm away, the one that was holding the phone. Bruce pushed back gently. "Wait, no, no, he wants to..." Bruce looked down at one of the boys. "You want to take a picture with him, right?"

Christina deadpanned, silently asking for help as Bruce and Scott pushed her hand back and forth.

The boy shook his head and Scott pointed. "He's even saying no he doesn't! I get it. I don't want it either. I don't want a picture with them." Christina's face twisted as his sudden change in attitude.

Bruce tried to laugh it off, continuing to bicker with Scott. Scott pushed the phone away finally, "Take the goddamn phone."

Christina cringed, handing the phone away.

As Bruce thanked the kids, and vice versa, Steve took a sip of his water.

"Hulk out!" the kids and Bruce said. Bruce held up one arm in the air, bending the other. "Dab!"

"Bruce," Steve said.

"Listen to your mom. She knows better." Bruce ignored, pointing at the children as they walked away.

"About what we were saying..."

"Right," Bruce nodded. He leaned back in his seat, which creaked under his massive weight. "The whole time travel do-over? Guys, it's outside of my area of expertise. If anyone could help pull it off, it'd be Christina here."

Chris nodded in appreciation.

"Well, you pulled this off." Natasha commented, giving a nod of recognition to Christina as well. "I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible, too."

Bruce nodded at her words, thinking things over.

"OKAY, here we go. Time travel test number one." Bruce said, looking around at everyone. They met back at the Avengers facility, in an open area. Scott's van was parked in front of them, along with Hank's quantum tunnel equipment. "Scott, fire up the, uh, van thing."

Scott opened the back doors, and the tunnel sprang to life, radiating colours of gold and blue.

Steve approached, dressed formally in a white button up, black slacks and brown dress shoes. Even Christina did a double take when she noticed him. "Breakers are set. Emergency generators are on standby." he said, looking around at everything gathered.

"Good," Bruce replied, moving beside Christina who attempted to do final checked on Hank's confusing tech. "Cause if we blow the grid, I don't wanna lose tiny here in the 1950s." Bruce jabbed an obvious thumb at Scott.

Scott looked up from his quantum realm suit. "Excuse me?"

"He's kidding." Natasha smirked, glancing up at Bruce. "You can't say things like that."

"Yeah, if anything happens, I'll pull you out." Christina nodded with a smile before winking at him.

"Just...it was, just a bad joke." Bruce said uneasily, looking around.

"You were kidding?" Natasha mumbled after Scott walked away.

"I have no idea!" Bruce hushed back, moving closer to the two women. "We're talking about time travel, here. It's either all a joke or none of it's a joke. Christina?"

She blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Hell if I know!" she muttered back, propping her hands on her hips. "I'm just as much in the dark as you are!"

"You really gotta help me pull this off." Bruce sparred a warily glance at Chris before quickly looking up, shooting a thumbs up to Scott. "We're good! Get your helmet on."

"I'll be pulling something off." Christina huffed to herself, only Natasha hearing the comment. She glanced up, and Christina shrugged nervously.

"Scott, I'm gonna send you back a week, but you'll walk around for an hour, then bring you back in ten seconds." Bruce informed. "Make sense?"

Scott waved him off. "Perfectly not confusing."

"Good luck, Scott. You got this." Steve nodded encouragingly.

Scott smiled proudly. "You're right. I do, Captain America." Before suddenly disappearing into the tunnel.

Christina sighed deeply and everyone looked at her. "I talked to him about this...He doesn't need to say Captain America every time he addresses you. I am so sorry, Mr. Rogers."

Steve waved it off, chuckling lightly. "Steve is fine."

"On the count of three." Bruce said, "Three...two...one... Christina hit it."

Chris flicked a few switches before hitting a small red button. Everyone looked up to see a young boy appear out of the portal. He looked around nervously, "Guys? This doesn't feel right."

"What the hell?" Chris asked, face twisting sourly.

"What's going on? Hold on." Bruce adjusted his glasses, eyes roaming over the panel of buttons and switches.

"Who is that?" Natasha frowned. "Is that Scott?"

"Yes, it's Scott!" the kid snapped before getting sucked back into the tunnel.

When Bruce pressed another button, an elderly man reappeared, complaining about his back.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Christina groaned, slapping her forehead loudly.

"Can we get a little space?" Bruce asked, making Steve moved around the two. Christina pointed to other buttons on the board, muttering something to Bruce and he nodded in agreement.

"Can you bring him back?" Steve asked frantically, staring at the aged man before them.

"I'm working on it!" Bruce shot back. Grabbing the small monitor, he hit it a few times. Christina quickly reached up, gently pulling his hands off the equipment. She knew Hank would kill her if he knew of Bruce hitting his machines.

Natasha and Steve blinked...and a baby stood before them.

When Christina looked up, she nearly screamed. "Are you kidding?! A baby?!"

"It's a baby..." Steve nodded, looking down at it.

"It's Scott." Bruce pointed at the infant.

"As a baby!" He snapped.

"He'll grow." Bruce remarked.

"Bring Scott back."

"When I say kill the power, kill the power!" Bruce waved his arm off, directing the order to Natasha.

"Oh my gosh," Natasha and Christina muttered in unison as Natasha jogged off. Natasha grabbed the handle of the breaker that powered the van.

"And," Bruce hit a few things. "Kill it!"

She turned the lever, and Scott finally reappeared in his normal age. He blinked at all of them with wide eyes.

Christina slowly moved around the panel, standing beside Steve in nervous anticipation.

"Somebody peed my pants..." Scott stuttered, standing completely still. "I don't know if it was baby me, or old me. Or-or just me me."

"Time travel!" Bruce smiled, holding up his arms.

The slap of Christina's hands over her face echoed in the open room before she rubbed her eyes tiredly, cursing under her breath.

Steve shook his head silently, turning away.

Christina rubbed her neck, following the solider. "I need a drink,"

"What?" Bruce asked, staring after them. "I-I see this as an absolute win."