She had heard tell of his... Problem. And, honestly, after having worked extensive months with him, she was beginning to detect hints of its presence.
Though his usual demeanor was of a genteel doctor, there was an underlying darkness. A pot always on the verge of boiling over. Always waiting to emerge. A green tint to his skin. The vein on his forehead, which pulsed wildly when he became frustrated. Some days she swore she noticed him enter the room looking like regular old, skinny Bruce, and leave at the end of the day with bulging biceps.
Yet now, as she stood amidst the wreckage of their workroom, it surprised her to realize she wasn't afraid.
The problem that so many had warned her about, had pleaded with her to avoid, seemed insignificant. Here, standing in front of a ten-foot tall green rage monster, she finally began to understand. Bruce Banner didn't frighten her at all, in truth, she was in love with the man.
She had often given thought to what she would do if she ever witnessed him "Hulk" out. Would she run? Would she freeze? Would she scream and faint? Given the circumstances, those seemed the more likely options, but then again, she had never been one to stick to the status quo.
He still hadn't noticed her there, or if he had he didn't show it. He just continued to clench and unclench his fists. She couldn't tell if he was trying to hold them back or if he was looking for something else to wail on, but in that moment she didn't care.
Slowly, she took a step towards the enormous body. Her heeled foot crunched a bit of glass, and she tensed. When no reaction came, she glanced up at his face. There, written clearly on the harsh green features, she observed regret and agony, but most acutely she saw dejection.
Her heart began to beat a rapid staccato. Had he read her tensed shoulders to mean that she was frightened? Most likely. She was suddenly filled with an urgent need to comfort him, tell him she didn't fear him or hate him. She needed to him to know that it wasn't his fault!
Tentatively, not wanting startle him, or come on too strong, she reached out and gently took hold of his immense hand. She felt him shudder as he sank to his knees.
Now standing at eye level with him, she could see his clear golden brown eyes. Not green tinted and not dangerous. Bruce's eyes. She stared into them, and found apprehension and fear.
Her heart crumpled for the broken man in front of her. She could hold herself back no longer. Slowly, her hands moved up to cup his face. Quietly, so utterly quiet, she whispered, "Bruce." And pulled him into a hug.
His body went rigid, but she continued to hold him. Then as if in slow motion, he began to change back into his true form. His arms, shrinking, moved to wrap around her waist, and she felt him clutch the fabric of her shirt.
His body slid further down hers as his mass decreased, and in what seemed like both hours and Nano seconds, he was Dr. Bruce Banner again.
As he changed, his grip never faltered, and when he assumed human form he buried his face against her mid section. He knelt there, desperately clinging to her, before finally, voice quaking, he spoke.
"I'm… I'm so sorry."
She smiled and ran her hand through his hair, "I know."
"I love you."
She hadn't expected that; that he would feel the same way. But she knew, somehow, that it was real. She knelt down in front of him, and using her finger tilted his chin so his eyes met hers. Quietly she answered him, "I love you both."
Tears appeared in his eyes, and fell as he kissed her soundly.
Fin
