(I think by now it's apparent that I'll be cranking out these chapters at a slow pace…though idk when school starts I might get faster…anyway I apologized for how slow this has been going…and thank you for keeping with me anyway. Enjoy.)

Opal ran blindly down the hallway till she reached her bedroom. The word bedroom fit perfectly, for the room had only a bed and a pile of Opal's clothes on the floor. She walked over to the pile and hastily grabbed a shirt to dry her eyes on. A sigh escaped Opal's lips as she collapsed at the base of the pile. 'Why did everything have to be so difficult?' she pondered. She needed to relax, exercise maybe? Hopefully no one was using the gym.

Opal dug through the pile until she found her black bikini top and a pair of cotton shorts. She quickly changed into the outfit before walking out the door. She briefly considered putting on shoes but ultimately decided against it. Opal sauntered down the hallway, making sure to avoid anything even remotely human. The last thing she needed was another mishap. 'Damn Tony,' she thought, 'was everything a joke to him?'

She soon reached the gym and after making sure it was clear of life forms she entered. She was working out on the bench press when she heard someone slip into the room. Opal slammed the bar back in its place and hid behind the nearest machine. "Who's there?" She asked her eyes momentarily flashing that sickly yellow.

"It's Bruce…"

Opal let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding as she peaked around the corner. 'It's just Bruce…he won't hurt you…no need to be afraid.'

"Tony uh…told us about…well you know…I just wanted to talk…" Bruce started.

Opal eyed him suspiciously, "And you're not afraid of me?"

Bruce laughed, "You really know nothing about me do you…why don't you come out here where I can see you." He sat down on a bench and patted the seat next to him. Opal considered it, he already knew what a freak she could be, might as well let him see the rest of her freak show world. She stepped into the light and Bruce gasped. Hundreds of intricately carved marks covered her torso and five jagged lines were raked across her skin on either side of her belly button.

"What are those?" He whispered pointing to an X carved into her arm.

"These," she said waving a hand at the marks on her skin, "are reminders of the deaths she has caused. Circles are ten. X's are five. Lines are one."

Bruce stared at the lines around her belly button, "And those?"

"I don't want to talk about those." She finished as she went to sit by him.

Bruce shook his head, "Why do you do it to yourself?"

Opal pondered the question for a moment before making a reply, "So she can't take over completely. So I know my body is still my own."

"What happened to you to cause this?"

Opal ignored his question and asked one of her own, "Why did you come, Dr. Banner…why did you want to talk to me?"

"Last time we talked," he began, giving opal a half smile, "You said not to ask about your abilities and you won't ask about mine. Since Tony spilled your secret to everyone and I now know what your powers are, I thought it only fair that you know mine. Also, I thought it'd help…give you peace of mind…or as much as you can get in our position."

"Our position?" Opal raised an eyebrow.

Bruce nodded, "When I get angry…the other guy…the Hulk….comes out….and let's just say he likes to smash things….and people." The last part came out chocked and he looked down at his feet.

"How do you deal with it? Sharing a body with….a monster." Opal whispered.

Bruce's voice came out horse, "You don't." They both smiled and laughed bitterly. They sat in silence for a long time when Opal felt something against her hand. She looked down to see they were holding hands.

"How long have we been doing that?" She nodded at their interlocking hands.

Bruce shrugged, "Five minutes maybe." Opal laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Well you saw what happened with Stark earlier…normally I'd freak out if a guy even brushed by me…we've been holding hands for five minutes and nothing happened…she hasn't shown up in the slightest."

Bruce smiled and started to lean in closer before Opal stopped him. "Don't ruin this for me. This is the most contact I've had with a man in years…holding hands is intoxicating enough."

Bruce laughed, "Alright then but how about we go back to the lab and get some work done. You can hold my hand all the way there if you want."

Opal looked down at her outfit feeling slightly embarrassed for the first time. "Do you mind if I go to my room and change then meet you there. We can hold hands later."

"Okay fine by me." Bruce smiled at her as he got up and left the room. Opal watched him exit before letting out a little giggle. 'Maybe making friends is possible.' She thought. She burst into a wide smile which stayed plastered to her face the whole walk to her room.

(okay so there was going to be more after this but this chapter was so sweet I couldn't bear to put something after it so it will simply have to wait till next chapter. Hey maybe I'll update quickly for once because the next scene is still in my head and is itching to be written down. I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the great support. Also the poll about whether I should name her monster or not is still up so please vote.)