Chapter 2: Demons
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter! I hope you enjoy this story, and remember to favorite, follow and review! In this chapter something happens between Bruce and Emily... ;)
This time the song is Demons by Imagine Dragons.
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There's nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Bruce walked to the shop. He always tried to be as much alone as he could, but at some point he had to go outside.
"Ah, Dr. Banner! It's good to see you!" The kind old woman who owned the shop said.
He nodded and said: "Hello, Ayita."
It had been one month since he left his house to buy food, and three weeks since the blond girl visited him. He was glad that no one, especially Emily, had come to see him. Anyone never came to see him honestly. But he didn't care. It was the best.
He took the normal things he bought: bread and water. The owner bought the things in the store from internet, and someone brought them to her. After that she sold them with a bit higher price for the people in the village. He always was very excited about that the old lady thought about a thing like that: it was brilliant.
He paid and walked towards his house. He was on his thoughts when he realized that someone yelled his name.
"Bruce! Bruce! Bruuuce!" The blond girl shouted when she ran towards him.
Bruce stopped and waited for Emily to catch him.
"Hello Bruce! It has been a long time! How are you?" She said happily.
She was a bit too excited for him, he just wanted to be alone.
"Hello, Emily. I'm fine. How are you?" He said just to be polite.
"I'm fine! Hey, are you busy today?" She put her hand on his shoulder.
He looked at his feet and back to her before he said: "I have a lot to do. Important stuff."
"Oh", she said, "how about tomorrow?"
Bruce put his hand on hers and took it away.
"Nope. Sorry, I can't meet you this week."
She looked at him innocently. It melted his heart. She just looked so adorable with her big blue eyes and straight blond hair that just reached to under her breasts.
"Next week?"
"Can't."
"After that week?" She prayed.
"No!" He yelled.
Bruce tried to calm his pulse. The last thing he wanted was to lose control. He breathed slowly and carefully. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind.
He opened his eyes slowly and said: "I'm sorry."
"It's okay", she said softly.
Bruce turned around and left her. He almost ran when he reached the door. The door flew open and was closed with a bang. Bruce leaned on it and breathed carefully.
"I'm going to need the watch again."
Emily raised her eyebrows and walked towards the shop. She was sure there was something he never told her. Why he didn't want to see her? Or did he really have so much work she would just be a distraction? She had no idea what was wrong with Bruce Banner.
She opened the door of the shop and tried to find something to eat. She was disappointed on what there was, but still bought food for herself and her brother. When Emily was paying she realized that maybe the old woman knew something about Bruce.
"Um, can I ask you something, ma'am?" She asked her.
"Of course, dear. And please call me Ayita", the woman said with a soft voice.
"Thanks, Ayita. Call me Emily. You know my neighbor, Bruce. What do you know about him?"
Ayita smiled a bit and said: "Not much."
"Tell me everything you know", Emily begged.
"Well", she started, "he's from America, he's a scientist, he wants to be alone..."
"That's all you know? I know all of that too. Does anyone know anything else about him?" Emily said desperately.
Ayita raised her shoulders and said: "I guess it is. And he doesn't talk much to anyone else. He is in his house all the time, but every month he comes here to buy bread and water."
"Okay. Thanks", Emily said and walked outside.
This man was so interesting. He never told much about himself. And it made her to fall in love even more.
Bruce walked into his bedroom and took the watch he had used before. It showed his pulse. He put it on his wrist and looked at it.
"I didn't have to use it for a long time."
Bruce walked to the main room and sat down into the old armchair with his book. He read the book and skipped few pages.
He sighed and mumbled: "I know all of this."
He read few sentences and skipped few pages again.
"Nothing new! How I'm supposed to learn when I know! This isn't helping. Not at all. It's just making me angry."
He looked at his watch and took a deep breath.
Emily walked around her house and mumbled. She had no idea how she could make him like her.
"If I... No way. How about... Never..."
Her brother came back inside. He was looking for plants that he could use to weird science things. She didn't know anything about science.
She watched him doing something she had no idea what it was and then walked to her room. She got an idea: she could search Bruce Banner's name from internet and look what there was about him, but then she remembered that she didn't have internet in her new house. She kicked her bed and cursed because she hurt her leg when she did that.
Next day she had had enough. She had to tell him. What could went wrong? He already avoided her. She walked to his house and knocked on the door.
Emily heard the sound of his feet and then the door opened. Bruce looked at her with a bit confused impression. She looked at him from head to toes and raised one eyebrow. His hair was ruffled, he had the same clothes as before but he didn't have socks. He looked like he just had woken up.
"I'm sorry, is it a bad time?" She asked.
He blushed and said: "No, I have been up many hours... I just never expect guests..."
She nodded, looked behind him and returned to look at his eyes.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure", he said and moved away from the door.
Emily sat down on a chair next to the table.
"We must talk", she said.
Bruce took a chair, put it in front of hers and sat down. They sat quietly looking at each other eye to eye for awhile. Finally Emily broke the silence.
"So. I know you avoid me for some reason, but I had to come to say you one thing", she said.
She took a deep breath and said the three words.
"I love you."
His reaction wasn't what she had thought it would be.
"Oh", he said with a surprised impression.
"I understand if you don't feel the same and you don't want to see me again, I just had to-"
"Emily."
She stopped right away when he spoke again.
He sighed and said: "It's not like that. I like you too. The thing is, we CAN'T be together. I avoided you because I was falling in love and I knew it's impossible. I really want to know you better and spent my time with you, but I can't do it."
Her chin dropped and her eyes widened. She jumped out of her chair, placed her hands to each side of his face and kissed him passionately. Bruce almost fell from his chair. After the shock he relaxed and kissed her back. Soon he understood what he was doing and pushed her away.
"What?" She said.
"Did you hear what I said?" He stood up.
"Yeah, you like me."
"But I can't be with you."
She took his hands to her own and asked: "Why?"
He looked at their hands and sighed.
"There is one thing... I can't have a relationship..."
One tear escaped her eye.
"What thing is so bad you can't be with anyone?"
"I can't tell", he said and looked at her eyes.
More tears fell down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his fingers.
"It's better that we don't meet again", he whispered.
She hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and kissed her forehead. Emily cried against his shirt and Bruce stroked her back. They kissed once and then she left him alone.
Emily closed the door behind her and stopped. She leaned against the door and cried. She ran away crying, not going home.
Bruce looked at his feet after she closed the door. Tears started to flow down his cheeks.
"I hate this shit", he said and threw one empty glass that hit the wall in front of him.
He looked at the watch and took a deep breath.
