Faux Pas

Chapter Nine

Bruce gave a sigh as he made his way back up the staircase, finally finished with that night's impromptu study session. The material wasn't overly complicated but it was nice to see the students taking an interest in staying on top of the subject matter. Bridgette had also returned safe and sound that evening. She seemed to be in brighter spirits than before, so maybe she really did just need to go out and blow off some steam? It seemed likely, but the doctor couldn't help but be suspicious as she left precisely as night was falling. Well, at least she wasn't hurt, from what he could tell. Then again, no one could ever really tell when the girl was hurt and she never said otherwise. He wasn't sure if he ever met someone so incredibly stubborn. Well, perhaps Tony was the closest competition.

With his arms full of papers and his teacher's edition of the science text, he kept his gaze down as he opened the door to the shared room and shut it behind him with his foot. When he glanced up, his brown eyes widened in surprise, pulse stuttering in surprise. Bridgette was already in the room with her back facing him. She had her headphones on, swaying to whatever music she was listening to, clearly oblivious to the gamma doctor. She was wearing her usual sweat pants, and her tank top was in her hands as she was in no particular rush to finish changing. This was far more skin than he was used to seeing from the girl and he cleared his throat and tried to focus on putting his supplies on the desk. The task was suddenly more complex as he was fumbling to set his belongings securely on the desk as his gaze traveled back to the exposed skin and black bra. He tried to clear his throat to alert her, the effort halfhearted as he found himself staring and he tried to focus on anything else. Anything at all. The carpet, his fingernails, the notes that were still somehow in his hands. Anything but the taunt, smooth skin that displayed the angles of her well-earned muscles, the curve of her hips as the pants slipped a bit low due to their poor fitting. Just then, she turned.

"Bruce!" she yelped, turning around and tugging the shirt on over her head quickly in her surprise and her headphones fell back around her neck. He hoped that he had managed to look away in time and not appear entirely guilty.

"I wasn't-I mean, I didn't," he stammered. "I was reading over the notes." There, that was a believable cover. He felt a bit more confident. She couldn't disprove him and he could just concentrate on lowering his heart rate, everything would be good.

"Really? You were just...reading?" she asked. Those blue eyes were glinting and he knew that he was caught. How could she possibly know? She couldn't, there was no way.

He cleared his throat again. "Yes. Yes, I was just making sure everything was set for tomorrow," he explained, gesturing to the school supplies that cluttered his desk.

"Oh, well then..." She started to make her way toward him and Bruce was sure to hold his ground so to prove his innocence. That was how it worked, right? She gave a devious grin as she stepped right up to him and he didn't move a muscle as she reached into his shirt's front pocket and pulled out his glasses. Setting them on his nose where they belonged.

"Then you might want these, doc," she winked. His face felt hot at being caught and his mouth opened and closed soundlessly, unable to formulate a proper excuse.

"It's all right, it was my fault," she reassured him with a laugh. After taking a breath, Bruce was interested to see that her cheeks were a shade of pink as well. Was she embarrassed too?

She made to move past him but he reached out and caught her about the middle, stilling her for the second time that day. He was starting to discover that it was his favorite method of catching her. Close contact, his hand slipping about her waist as her own hand would rest against his arm in support of being abruptly stopped. She looked up at him in surprise, blue eyes widening a fraction as she waited for him to continue. A few heartbeats passed as he tried to figure out what he wanted. It was always Bridgette who made the first move, the physical contact, never him. He could do it, couldn't he? If he was sure to be very careful about his heart rate, he could instigate the moments they shared. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves.

"Would you...would you like to bunk over?" he managed to ask as the heat crawled up the back of his neck. That had been the phrase she had used back at Stark tower before they arrived at the Institute. They hadn't slept in the same bed since arriving even though they stayed in the same room. They were still finding the boundaries in their relationships and this was one he wanted to expand upon.

"Yeah. Of course," she answered. He couldn't help back take a certain amount of pride to see that the color in her cheeks deepened slightly just before she made her way to finish getting ready for the night.

The overly self-aware part of his brain came to light while he was getting ready for bed himself. It was normal for him to sleep without a shirt but he half considered changing his routine. Then the common sense kicked in and he had to remind himself that Ricochet had seen him after his Hulk out sessions and had already seen his body clinging the bits of fabric. His body wasn't new to her but he couldn't swallow the flush that was determined to remain.

"You look awfully tense for someone about to go to sleep," came her teasing voice.

"I'm not tense," he defended albeit too quickly. She raised her hands in surrender, trying not to laugh at his expense.

"All right, doc. You're not tense," she admitted, still smiling. A smile made its way across his face easily as the tension ebbed away now that she was nearby. What a strange power to have, especially for someone of her stature and ability.

The lights were shut off, wiping away all tells of either person's embarrassment and they were thankfully cloaked in darkness. Bruce was the first to lay down as Bridgette made her way over, his pulse starting to pick up again. Some of the awkward air was dissipated when Bridgette slightly overreached and slipped on the sheets. Thankfully Bruce was already laying down or else they would have knocked heads, instead, she landed heavily on his chest, mildly knocking the breath from him.

"Oh-dang it, sorry," she half whispered. He could feel her hand resting on his chest as she leaned over him, trying to see in the dark if he was all right.

"It's okay," he tried not to wheeze. He could hear her give a short laugh and he distinctively noted that she did not change her position.

"Hey, can I try something?" she whispered. It was a perfect darkness that covered the room and he still couldn't see her or her expression.

"Sure, I-"

His words were cut off when he felt her other hand trail up and curve around his neck, her thumb brushing his jawline. The next moment, his mouth was covered by hers and all intelligent speech left his brain at once. While he was thrown off guard, he didn't want to waste the opportunity and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, torsos flushed together. He would only have a few moments before he would have to calm down unless he wanted to accidentally Hulk out. His hand slipped under her shirt so to feel the skin under his palm while the other became lost in her russet hair, tangling around his fingers. She smiled against his mouth as she slipped her other hand to cradle the other side of his face, making his heart rate spike.

"Wait," he gasped, breaking their kiss. Without a sound of protest, she completely stilled as she caught her own breath. His chest heaved as he closed his eyes tightly, working hard to calm down. Bridgette gently moved her hand so that it was resting over his heart and he gripped her hand tightly in appreciation.

Moments of quiet passed, neither one saying a word as they both felt his pulse calm down to a safe rate.

"Are you all right?" she dared to ask. He nodded, the motion lost in the dark.

"Yeah...I'm good," he promised. "Sorry."

"Not a problem," she reassured him. "Although I would be entirely flattered if I caused a Hulk out. "

"What?" he yelped, making her laugh in response.

"What? I just think it'd be a compliment," she explained, the grin in her voice.

"You're ridiculous," he chuckled. Her mouth found his again for a quick kiss, raising his pulse.

"Oh, I know," she agreed. "It's one of my better qualities."

Bruce gave another soft laugh as he wrapped his arms around the girl once more. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted how exactly she fit to him as her head tucked under his chin, her hand curving at his waist, a subconscious gesture to keep him from slipping off the edge of the bed. His eyes closed as his body relaxed, drifting off to sleep as he vaguely became aware that she was the right amount of warmth next to him.

Under the privacy of darkness, Bruce didn't see Bridgette give a soft smile as the sound of his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

Friday afternoon could not come quick enough as Betty Ross hurried across the grounds of Bayville High. She was breathless with the news she had received and she couldn't wait to tell Bruce. Her father had called late last night to tell her that they had found a cure for the gamma radiation and needed to speak to Dr. Banner immediately. Her heart soared at the possibility of Bruce being restored to his former self without having to overanalyze every little thing and fear for the safety of others. Seeing him brought an old ache to her chest but she was happy to see that he was all right and managing.

Her father did warn her about the other teacher she had run into when she came to see Bruce, the physical education woman. The one with the serious grip, she recalled. Bridgette Smith. She wasn't supposed to know about the cure, only Bruce. Betty was also told that the teacher was abnormal, despite her average appearance. Betty didn't exactly get a good look at her due to the cap being pulled low, only noticing her height and russet colored hair. She didn't stick around after bringing her to Bruce, vanishing at the first available moment. It didn't concern her as she was focused on Bruce.

The school bell rang out and the woman took a spot beneath the shade of a tree as the students started to spill out of the building. She could hardly keep still, she was thrilled to tell Bruce of the new discovery. She wasn't even aware of her dad working toward a cure for the Hulk. Perhaps this was his way of trying to apologize as he wasn't much for words.

Students passed the General's daughter without a second glance as she patiently waited. Out of her range of sight, a large armored vehicle with tinted windows had pulled up to the sidewalk and parked, the engine still running.

"Wait for my signal."

When most of the students had finished leaving, Betty stood up straighter when she spotted Bruce. He was walking alongside the gym teacher, Bridgette Smith, and was laughing at something she said. Bridgette took off her cap and shoved her overgrown bangs out of her face and her smile froze when she saw Betty. The woman scientist stepped forward with a smile of her own, eyes only for Bruce.

"You know what, I'm going to go ahead and change," Bridgette told Bruce. Clearly, there was something about Betty that set the girl off but she didn't give it another thought. It meant that she could speak to Bruce without any distractions.

"Are you sure?" asked Bruce, his gaze following her as she started to turn around and head back into the school.

"Yeah, I'll just be a second, doc," Bridgette grinned, giving a wave as she jogged back inside.

With her out of earshot, Betty couldn't keep the news to herself any longer.

"Bruce, there's a cure," she blurted without any preamble.

"A cure? For what?" he asked, already interested. "For cancer? Or-"

"For you!" she clarified with a laugh. "My dad called to tell me about it last night. He said you should come over right away-"

Bruce reached out to still her excited hands, giving a small smile at her enthusiasm. Her mood was dampened when she sensed his serious mood. Why wasn't he as excited about the cure as she was?

"You're...not happy?" she asked. He gave a heavy sigh.

Out of sight, dark cladded figures started to slip out from the armored vehicle.

"I just don't trust your father's word," he explained as delicately as he could. "I've been studying and looking for a cure for years, with some of the best minds helping me. How is it your father has found a cure so suddenly, out of nowhere?"

"I-I didn't really think about it," admitted Betty. "I was just so hopeful and-"

"I know," he said, still wearing the sad small smile. "You mean well, but your father-"

Bruce was cut off when the figures suddenly surrounded the two scientists and sprung on the gamma specialist. His glasses were knocked to the ground and broke as the men piled up on him and there was one who drew a needle and stuck it into the side of his neck, injecting something into his bloodtsream.

"Stop-what're you doing?" shouted Betty. "What did you give him?"

"Epinephrine."

Betty was pushed aside as the group of men used their combined strength to drag the thrashing doctor away into their vehicle, slamming the doors closed as the wheels squealed and took off down the street.

"Bruce!"

Betty was startled by Bridgette's shout and even more shocked when the slightly shorter girl grabbed her by the neck and slammed her up against the tree.

"What have you done?" she snarled. "Where are they taking him?"

"I-I don't-" Betty gasped, clawing at her hand. "They g-gave him...epinephrine..."

"What?!"

Bridgette dropped her heavily to the ground in order to pull out her phone.

"Epinephrine...is-"

"I know what it is! It's adrenaline!"

Using the flexible technology, she put the blue tooth device in her ear as she looked around. Seeing the bike stand, she ripped one free from is chain and took off down the road.

"Put me through to SHIELD!" she ordered the phone. "Code Green!"

REVIEW! Sorry if it's a bit short but now we get the exciting action next chapter! And I am having all sorts of tech problems, had to take my laptop into Geek Squad and I basically retyped this chapter in my Unversity's library (awkward) and am currently laptop-less. So I wore this up, uploaded it, and I'm double checking, adding to it (as the library closed at 7) and will post it from my phone. So I apologize for any weird typos, I'll try to fix them later. Now to outline the next chapter in the ol' fashioned way and hang out in the library again tomorrow lol

I hope you enjoyed! Next time, the big show down and a Hulk out!

Thanks!