Just as Liam was about to head toward the city, an idea hit him. He looked down at his boots — the only things that had survived the explosion. A few scraps of fabric still clung to them. He crouched, pulled the pieces off, and sighed. "Better than nothing," he muttered.
His eyes moved to the trees nearby. Big green leaves swayed gently in the wind, and he got an idea.
"Alright, nature," he said, ripping a few large leaves from a branch. "You're my tailor today."
He used the torn fabric as strings, tying the leaves together into something that looked like a rough pair of shorts. It wasn't comfortable or good-looking, but at least he wouldn't end up naked on live TV. The last thing he wanted was his bare ass going viral during an alien invasion.
When he finished, he stood up and gave his "leaf shorts" a quick test. They stayed on. He nodded to himself. "Good enough."
He then focused and activated his Hardening Quirk, focusing the power into his legs. The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet as his muscles turned dense and strong.
"Let's move," he muttered.
He launched forward in fast, powerful bursts — not giant jumps like the Hulk, but short, explosive sprints that shook the ground. Wind roared in his ears as he picked up speed. The leaves around his waist fluttered dangerously, but thankfully, they held.
Within minutes, the forest thinned out. He broke through the treeline and onto a cracked, empty road.
It stretched ahead toward the city, where smoke and fire rose beneath the glowing blue portal.
Just as Liam was about to start running again, the low hum of an engine caught his attention. It was faint at first, but it grew louder — fast.
He stopped and turned his head toward the sound. A motorcycle. Someone was coming down the road.
He frowned. 'Huh… guess I'm not the only idiot heading toward the apocalypse.'
For a moment, he actually considered hiding — naked guy in leaf shorts wasn't exactly a great first impression. But then another thought hit him. Maybe I can hitch a ride, grab some clothes first.
He stepped right into the middle of the road, raising one hand. 'Screw it. If I'm lucky, they'll stop. If not, I'll just… well run all the way.'
The sound grew louder, echoing through the trees until a dusty, old motorcycle came into view. The rider leaned forward, dark brown hair whipping in the wind, wearing a worn shirt and a look that screamed exhaustion and anxiety.
As the bike came closer, Liam's eyes narrowed. Something about the guy's face felt… familiar. Too familiar.
And then, when the sunlight hit the man's face just right, recognition slammed into him like a punch.
"No fucking way…" Liam muttered, eyes going wide.
The man on the bike — was none other than Bruce Banner.
The Bruce Banner.
In an instant, all those MCU memories clicked into place — the drop of Hulk from the Helicarrier, the fall through that warehouse, and the late arrival to the Battle of New York… on a damn bike.
Liam almost laughed out loud. 'You've got to be kidding me. What a damn coincidence!'
Bruce, meanwhile, squinted at the strange figure standing dead center in the road — a tall, muscular man covered in soot, dirt, and wearing… leaves?
As he drove closer, his mind was already running a mile a minute. The guy didn't look like a threat — but given his life lately, Bruce knew better than to assume. Maybe another unlucky guy? Another accident? God, he really didn't have time for this.
"Hey!" he called out, stopping the bike a bit away from the half naked man. "You… uh, need help or something?"
Liam just blinked, trying not to laugh at the situation. "Yeah," he said finally, rubbing the back of his neck. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can find some spare clothes, would you?"
Bruce didn't answer right away. Instead, he sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the small duffel bag tied to the back of his bike — inside it, a single folded set of clothes.
They weren't much. Just a loose shirt, worn pants, and a pair of shoes he'd "borrowed" from the janitor back at that warehouse after his latest crash landing. He'd been planning to change into them after the fight — the one that they hoped to win.
But now, looking at the man standing barefoot on the road, covered in soot, dirt, and leaves, Bruce couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
He'd been there too many times — waking up naked, disoriented, and covered in god knows what after the Hulk tore through everything in sight.
Bruce sighed, thinking, 'I really need to ask Tony to make me some stretchable clothes.'
He turned back toward Liam, his expression softening. "Wait here," he said, climbing off the bike.
Liam arched a brow. "Not like I've got anywhere to go, man."
Bruce gave him a long, tired look — the kind that said I've seen too much weird shit today — then opened the duffel bag and tossed the folded clothes toward him. "They're not clean," he said. "But they'll cover more than leaves."
Liam caught them, relief spreading across his face. "Man, I could kiss you right now."
"Please don't," Bruce deadpanned. "Just put them on before someone drives by and calls the cops."
Liam quickly threw the clothes on. They were a little loose, but he looked less like a forest lunatic and more like a normal guy who'd had a very bad day. "You're a lifesaver," he said, tightening the pants with a grin.
Bruce crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, that's debatable." He studied Liam a little more carefully. "So… how exactly did you end up out here looking like you lost a fight with a flamethrower?"
Liam froze for a second, his mind spinning. He couldn't tell the Bruce Banner that he'd just nuked a HYDRA base, regenerated from the explosion, and was now planning to rewrite the timeline.
He exhaled and scratched the back of his neck, feigning embarrassment. "Honestly? It's stupid. I was camping a few miles out. Thought I'd try cooking over an open fire — you know, the whole 'roughing it' experience."
Liam continued. "Anyway, I was changing clothes near the fire and… one of my shirts caught a spark. Next thing I know, the whole damn pile of clothes and my gear go up like fireworks. Lost everything before I could even throw dirt on it."
Bruce's brows furrowed, his lips twitching like he was trying not to laugh. "You burned your clothes while changing next to the fire?"
Liam groaned. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead, laugh it up. I've learned my lesson — never multitask with flames."
Bruce actually smiled a little, the first hint of amusement he'd shown. "You're lucky you didn't set yourself on fire."
"Yeah," Liam said wondering whether Bruce really beleived that shit reason or maybe he was just pretending to.
They both stood there for a second — the weirdest pair of soon-to-be heroes in New York — before Liam finally asked,"Hey, uh… you wouldn't mind giving me a lift to the city, would you?"
Bruce frowned, following his gaze toward the massive blue portal in the distance. "You mean that place?" he said, pointing. "The one being invaded by aliens right now?"
Liam blinked. "Yeah, that one."
Bruce sighed and rubbed his face. "Look, I don't know who you are, but it's very dangerous up there. You should stay put until things calm down." His voice was calm but firm — the kind of tone that came from someone who had already seen way too much chaos. "Whatever's going on up there, it's not the kind of thing you walk into."
He wasn't wrong. Bruce had no idea who Liam was or what he could do. From his perspective, Liam was just some half-naked guy who burned his pants and had a death wish.
Liam sighed. "Yeah, figured you'd say that."
He looked down at the cracked road, thinking. He could lie, or just vanish back into the woods — but no. He was done hiding. Sooner or later, people were going to see what he could do anyway. Might as well start now.
He looked back up at Bruce. "Alright, man. I'll level with you," he said, stepping closer. "I'm not exactly helpless."
Bruce frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Liam said. "Before you start thinking I'm some random idiot trying to play hero, let me show you something."
He clenched his fists. A faint crackling sound filled the air as his forearms hardened and turned jagged.
Then, without another word, Liam turned to a nearby tree — thick and sturdy — and swung his arm.
CRACK!
The punch landed like a thunderclap. The tree split right down the middle and leaves and dust flew everywhere.
Bruce's eyes went wide. His scientific brain kicked in immediately, analyzing what he just saw. "That…" he said slowly, staring at the shattered trunk. "That's definitely not normal human strength."
Liam smirked, brushing sawdust off his arm as the armor faded away. "Yeah," he said casually. "Guess that means I won't die five minutes into the city."
Bruce stared at him — part impressed, part confused. His brain was already in scientist mode, studying everything — how Liam's skin had hardened, the force behind that punch, the faint red glow he swore he'd seen. He opened his mouth to ask, "How—"
Liam raised a hand, cutting him off. "Yeah, I know that look. But now's not the time for questions. That portal isn't gonna wait for us to chat."
Bruce blinked, snapping back to reality. Right — alien invasion, fire, chaos. No time to think. He rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. "You're right."
He turned toward his bike, gripping the handlebar. "Alright, get on."
Liam grinned and climbed onto the seat behind him.
The bike roared to life, tires screeching as they sped down the road toward the burning skyline.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The wind whipped past their faces, carrying the smell of smoke and metal.
Then Bruce finally called out over the wind, his voice calm but edged with dry humor, "You got a name, or should I just keep calling you 'leaf guy'?"
Liam answered while rolling his eyes. "Walker. Liam Walker."
Bruce gave a faint, tired smile and introduced himself. "Dr. Bruce Banner."
Liam smiled. "Nice to meet you, Doc. Let's go save the city."
The motorcycle picked up speed, racing toward the chaos ahead — one scientist and one stranger, heading straight into the fire together.