Title : What keep you alive is never a flaw
Author : JackB
Prompt : Past + Pride
Warning : Child Abuse, Violence against Child, + some other tag, each chapter will be appropriately tagged, just see the tag section at the head of each.
Resume : As Bruce takes a look back on his childhood, he can't really be surprised about the fact he is a mutant. He should have died back then, so many times.
Tag : Bruce Banner, Brian Banner, Rebecca Banner, Hank McCoy, Mutant Banner, Childhood, child abuse, Violence against child, Extreme violence, Heavy injury, emotional-physical-psychological Abuse, X-Men, hopefulness, some fluff at the end, Ultimate Science Bros, Mutant acceptation, sort of.
Note : The chapters are independent and not chronological, they can be read in any sense, you can jump them and go right for what you want / avoid those you don't want to read, with no problem. Though the first and last chapter should be read first and last. Also you can totally skip the middle chapter and go just for the chap 1-4-8 who doesn't contain trigger.
Each chapter has their specific tag you must read them before going into the chapter, I haven't put every tag in the present tag section, but I will give you two tags for each chapter as an idea of what you will find on it. You will find more detailed tag ahead each chapter.
Chap 1 Safe to read
Chap 2 (Food Privation, Hurt/comfort)
Chap 3 (Extreme violence, Dissociative Identity Discorder)
Chap 4 Return in present on chap 3, safe to read, can be read even if you didn't read chap 3
Chap 5 (Drowning, Hurt no comfort)
Chap 6 (Physical abuse, burning)
Chap 7 (Pedophilia, Extreme Violence)
Chap 8 Safe to read
Another note : When I say Extreme Violence expect Extreme Violence, not just violence or physical abuse it goes deeper/stronger, just be warned.
Another Another note : due to a lack of time I don't actually made resolution for the 'past' chapters, by that I mean that I do not explore the extend of the trauma, nor explore way to cope in the present, because that's was not what this story was about, and really I didn't have the time. There is little present!Bruce and this story would derserve another arc to explore those thematic (which I may plan in the futur). I'm sorry if that's what you searched in this story.
Chapter 1
« You're a Mutant Bruce. My analyze are clear, you can check by yourself, but you got the gene. »
Hank said that to him one day. He had taken a retreat into the X-Men facility. The mutants gladly accepted him and he was not sure why. He was not that kind of Mutant, sure the Hulk was due to a mutation, but not that kind of mutation. He wasn't born with it. Still they accepted him despite his reputation. They gave him a breath from the world and he could even do scientific researches along side McCoy, aka the Beast.
Then a day came where Hank wondered if he was not a Mutant.
« I'm not. » He had said.
« But are you sure ? »
Bruce had offered him a dead look and Hank elaborated on the fact that plenty of mutations were not 'visible' and did not have necessarily an impact on the exterior. Some were fully intern, it did not make someone less of a Mutant.
« You told me you corrected your father equation on gamma nuclear physic at what ? Four ? Five ? »
« Somewhere around. »
« You know that's not possible for regular humans to do such a thing, you can't have that kind of intelligence if you're not a Mutant. That just not possible, the cognitive construction would never be advanced enough for you to make the connection and resolve complex equations and problems on nuclear and quantic physic. Nobody, fully human, could do that. »
« But I'm not.. I'm not a Mutant. »
« Would you mind if I check ? Because I think you could be. »
« That would be a waste of your time. »
« I'm okay to waste that time on this matter. I'm curious, let me do a check Bruce, please. »
He accepted despite finding that stupid. He can't refuse a fellow scientist colleague to satisfy his curiosity if it meant no harm on him. Which was the case.
« So what, my power would be extreme intelligence ? » He joked a little dry. If he was a Mutant, he would have liked to have a power that would have helped him and his mother back then.
« Yes, maybe not only. »
« The rest is from the Hulk. » He waved off.
« Maybe. » Hank shrugged. « Maybe not. »
And the result had been here.
« I'm not. »
« You are. »
« Re-check. »
« I did, three times. »
« Still, I'm not. »
« Still, you are. »
He had denied the whole thing. He even checked himself the result, thanks to Hank previous work, he learned everything there were on the subject.
Well, he was. He had the gene. He was a Mutant.
« It's okay Bruce, there's nothing wrong with it and we're family and friends, we protect each other. You're not a simple guest anymore, you're one of us. »
He kind of reacted badly to the new. It's not like he was against Mutant, not at all, just the fact that he was one. If people knew. If the government knew. If Thaddeus Ross knew. It would only make his life harder, people would have another reason to hunt him, to confine him, to test on him. It was a dangerous information.
« Also during our many conversations, you mentioned the fact that you kind of heal fast. »
« That's the Hulk. » Bruce had snapped.
« But is it ? Because you were talking about time before the Hulk. And you said you have no idea what flu felt like when one of the kids got it and you helped treat it. »
« That's not exceptional, plenty of people never had the flu. »
« True, but did you ever get sick ? » Bruce had frowned in wonder.
« No. » He had hesitated, before resuming his anger. « But that mean nothing, there's many human that have a strong immune system and never get sick. »
« Yes, yes, of course, I'm just saying, there may be more, that's all. » Bruce had groaned before leaving. Hank did not stop him.
The following days weren't easy. Bruce mind was focused on what Hank told him. What if he was right ? What evidence he had for Hank hypothesis ? Abnormal high intelligence, fast healing, strong immune system and endurance.
What if it was what saved him back then ?