Disclaimer: Goes without saying but I do not own Bruce Banner nor the Hulk nor any other Marvel character herein included. They're the properties of the original creators as dictated by official documents, whom you can find out more about in Wikipedia or something. Stan Lee, Marvel Comics, etc.
Tuan aka The Abysmal as well as the plot related to them, the monsters and the military, are original by me, but they're still set in the Marvel Universe so I still hold no rights to them.
Rating: T for a bit of violence. I censor profanity like they would in a comic, if I ever use it.
(This story happens in the same timeline/universe as Spider-Man: Repulse, but it's self contained.)
PART 2: Independence
Bruce was in the middle of completely forgetting to have lunch when someone knocked. He was in a hotel, where he would stay for a couple of days while he waited for his new apartment to become available. He stood up and went to open the door.
The stark green hue instantly revealed who was visiting. It was his cousin.
"Jen," Bruce greeted, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, Bruce. Long time no see."
Bruce raised the other eyebrow. "Has it?" He glanced up in thought, but she gave him a light tap on the shoulder, which nearly dislodged it.
"Ow!"
"Ha," she smiled wide, "I'm still getting used to this self-control of yours. Pretty amazing."
Massaging his shoulder, Bruce walked back to his chair. "Thank you, I guess. What're you doing here?"
"Visiting my cousin! Can't a concerned adult visit her favorite cousin?"
Bruce glanced at her suspiciously. She had shown up in a hotel he had checked into the very next day after he refused to do what Tony told him to. That was suspicious to say the least.
"Did Tony really ask you to talk to me?" Bruce asked.
Jennifer stuck out her tongue, playfully, and Bruce rolled his eyes. "Seriously. Tony needs a therapist, he clearly has control issues."
"Stark's just worried, is all. Well, I guess I am too, somewhat. What is it you're doing, exactly?"
Bruce lifted his arms in mild frustration. He slapped his hands onto his knees and glared at her questioningly. She smirked, unintentionally flexing her hulkified muscles. The poor woman barely fit inside the hotel room, she had to be a bit slumped if she wanted to stand.
"What?" She asked, amused.
"How's your practice doing, Jen? Any good clients lately?"
Jennifer frowned, caught a bit off guard by the change of topic. "It's fine. Competition's getting hard, there's a lot of lawyers in Manhattan, but nothing I can't handle."
"Should be possible with your reputation, right?"
Jennifer opened her eyes in realization and chuckled. Bruce opened his arms, welcoming her to speak on his behalf.
"There's more to you than the Hulk," she said, grinning apologetically, and Bruce clapped once and then pointed at her. "You want a career of your own."
Bruce nodded, smiling at her, and then tilted his head sideways, urging her to continue. "Ladies and gentleman, Jennifer Walters is on an absolute roll. However, will she go for the hat-trick?"
Jennifer held onto her waist and rolled her eyes, and then looked at him condescendingly.
"And Stark's not your boss."
Again, Bruce clapped once and then pointed at her victoriously. "Dear members of the audience, Jennifer once again proves her mettle against-"
"Alright, alright, stop making fun of me. I just want to know that you're alright."
"Never better," Bruce said, but instantly, he thought of something she could actually help him with. "Actually, you're a lawyer, right?" Jennifer scoffed, and Bruce waved the deflection aside. "I'm having trouble figuring out the permits for some lab equipment, would you be able to help me with that?"
"No," she said instantly, almost insulted. "I don't do that kind of work anymore, I hired someone to do it for me."
Bruce opened his eyes wide, pleadingly, and she rolled hers.
"Fine. Send me the details by e-mail, I'll take care of it. Or rather, I'll have my guy take care of it."
Bruce brought his hands together gratefully, and excited. "Great! The patents were already really boring. I thought this would be a lot more fun, but there's a lot of parts to this that aren't fun. I'd forgotten about that."
"That's why you began working for the military," she recollected, watching him with some amusement. "They're good at paperwork."
"Yes, when it comes to their science departments, it's about the only part with any decent oversight." Bruce shook his head, he didn't want his mind anywhere near that experience, and what it had led to. "But I don't want to think about that. You want to grab some lunch?"
Jennifer flinched, caught off guard. "Seriously?"
"Yeah? Why? Have you had lunch?" He asked.
"I mean, no," she said, uncertainly.
"Alright, then let's have lunch," Bruce said, happily walking to get his coat.
"It's just…are you sure you're alright? I'm not sure we've ever had a meal like that, not outside of the eventual thanksgiving?" She pointed out, slightly perplexed but mostly still amused.
Bruce smiled, putting on his jacket. It felt great to have all the permits taken care of - that was a huge load off.
"Yes, Jen, I haven't done a lot of things that I want to do." He paused at the door and nodded, likely with an expression that was a bit too meaningful. "That's the point."
Jennifer laughed, and she laughed hard. She hugged her sides and bent over a little bit in a fit of laughter.
"That was so cheesy, what are you doing?!" Giggling, she walked forward and slapped him across the back, sending him skipping his steps right out the door. "I'm liking it, though. I hope the future's all you're hoping it to be, cousin."
"Can I answer that with another dramatic one-liner?" He asked, entertained.
"No," she said, pointing at him. "Stop that."
Part End: Thank you for reading, please consider leaving a review if you have the time.
Alright, I hope you've had a good time with things going well, because next chapter, things take the turn you've been waiting for. Featuring S.H.I.E.L.D.
