I am not dead, I am just dying by the amount of work I've had. You wouldn't believe it. So, anyway, sorry for the late update, but…here's an update!
"Nice car" I commented dreamily as he pressed a button on his car keys, making the front lights flash brightly.
"Second-hand: Had to do a bit of work on it but it still has life in her" he remarked, sounding distracted as he shoved his messenger bag and the medical supplies in the boot. He kindly grabbed my suitcase and packed it in there as well before slamming the hood down.
I flinched at the noise, wondering if he was still mad at me.
"Are you okay?" I mumbled, stopping him, as he was about to get in the car; the roof of the car hiding his head as the muscles in his arms clenched while he gripped the roof.
"I just need to relax" he bit out, eerily calm.
"Do you want me to help?" I offered confidently.
"I'll be alright. I just need a few minutes" he nodded, lifting his head above the roof to smile at me before ducking back and sliding into the car.
I nodded even though he couldn't see it as I opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, gently closing the door behind me.
The leather on the seats rubbed against my body gently, releasing my clenched muscles while I hoped it had the same effect on Bruce.
"I'm sorry, Bruce. I know you feel uncomfortable so I'm sorry" I apologized, head down, staring at my hands and I twiddled my thumbs.
"I'm sorry for the outburst earlier; my social skills are a bit rusty" he retorted as I glanced up into his eyes, noticing the small green ring around the pupil.
I faked a yawn, trying to dispel the awkward situation.
"Well, I'm absolutely exhausted. Mind if I sleep for a while?" I asked sleepily, really pushing the act.
"No problem" he gave a chaste smile before turning on the car with revved to life before he slowly drove out of the cramped, narrow car park.
The slow and steady drive felt like gliding over the road as I fell into a blissful, although short, 'sleep'.
After a while, my 'dreams' became blank as the bumps of dirt roads jogged my head, making it bash into the window and forced me to 'wake up'.
I was trying to sleep to make Bruce more relaxed and less tense: our previous conversation when we were heading to his car hadn't helped anything.
"I know you're awake" he spoke suddenly as I peered at him with a half-lidded eye to see him with a small smile on his face.
"I was trying to sleep" I stretched, clicking my neck as I looked around: nothing but a road and desert was visible as the moon glowed in the sky with what looked like millions of stars surrounding it.
"It's beautiful," I mumbled, pressing my face against the glass to see.
"It's peaceful," he added, glancing in my direction.
I sat there awkwardly, trying to look into his eyes to see if I could ask questions without giving myself away.
"You can ask me," he mumbled, making me fix my eyes on the glove box in front of me.
"Sorry, I'm not used to asking" I squeaked, wringing my hands on my lap.
"Not much of a talker, then?" he asked.
"Not especially. I mean, they wasn't really anyone to talk to," I mumbled, biting my lip to repress any more information.
Instead, I brought the conversation back to him.
"How long?" I asked suddenly, wondering if he'd understand the question, which he didn't since his face turned into confusion.
"How long have you…had the gift?" I finished as his face relaxed in understanding.
"A few years now" he replied as if daydreaming.
"How did you get it?" I whispered, not wanting him to react badly.
"It's a long story" he tried ending the conversation but I selfishly denied him.
"It's a long drive," I argued gently as he sighed loudly before replying.
"I was in the military: we were testing experimental bombs. I had a gift for nuclear physics so I was tasked with overseeing an experimental gamma bomb. It was just a normal day and the experiment was going to continue as planned until some teenager got into the blast zone when we were about to set it off. I managed to get him out of the zone but I got caught in the blast so I was irradiated in gamma energy which turns me into…him" he explained simply as I admired his bravery.
"That was a noble thing you did, Bruce. I would probably be too scared to try, I'd just be yelling at him so there's no doubt you're a good man, Bruce" I encouraged him as he humorlessly laughed.
"Now the rest of the world fears me for it" he stated solemnly.
"If that was true, I doubt people would come to you for help" I lectured him, leaning on my arm against the small ledge next to the window.
"It's because they don't know what I am" he turned to face me fully, his features buried under shadow.
"You are a man who wants to help people" I replied curtly.
It was only then that I realized that the car had stopped.
"But who knows he'll end up hurting them" he retorted.
"That's why I'm here" I finished as we stared at each other.
"That's why they're after me" he stated eventually, crossing his arms while gazing out the window.
"Who is 'they'?" I asked confused.
"Military; police; anyone with a gun" he listed tiredly.
"That's impossible: how did you manage to get onto the plane? How do have a medical license? How come-"
"Fake IDs, the well-placed bribe; you must have heard of this before" he shook his head slowly before facing me again.
"I have spent four years hiding from them. I think I would've learned how to travel on a plane undetected by now" he finished before a wave of exhaustion overtook his body as he slouched, facing the road.
"Is it that easy?" I mumbled disbelieving.
"It never is" he replied gently before starting to drive the car again.
"You must have had a lonely life," I stated.
"It was better that way" he commented, checking the time on the dashboard.
"Was?"
"Well now I have an assistant and I can't exactly hide from you," he joked weakly. I grinned for a few seconds before relaxing into the chair.
"How do you control it?" I enquired.
"I can't. I've only been this way for a few years so I haven't had the chance" he explained.
"Well then, we'll have to fix that" I mumbled to myself, wishing I had a notebook with me to write this down.
I sighed loudly, staring out the window before I felt eyes on me. I glanced over to see him switching between watching the road and looking at me.
"Want to say something?" I asked loudly, fixing his eyes onto the road.
"I don't think bringing you with me was a good idea" he stated after a few minutes silence.
"You're not leaving me, are you?" I panicked.
"No, but bringing you with me will only get you into trouble, or worse" he added grimly.
"Cheerful, aren't you?" I tried to lighten the mood.
"Realistic" he corrected; silencing me.
I felt my eyes begin to droop as I shifted in the chair to try and get some sleep.
"Just don't leave me, okay?" I asked, quietly. It was silent for a few seconds, meaning he probably didn't hear me.
"Okay, I won't leave you" he replied just a quietly.
"Promise?" I added hopefully.
"Promise" I could hear a smile in his words as I drifted to sleep once again in a relaxed and calm mood; a small smile taking my features.
Many hours later…
Mumbling, my eyes fluttered open to bright, burning sunlight before slowly pushing away from my curled-up position in the car.
"Bruce?" I turned to face him, only to see he wasn't in the car and the door was wide open.
"Bruce!" I panicked, shooting up, ignoring the crippling pain at the sudden muscle movement, and began scanning madly over my surrounding, only to realize that we were at a gas station.
I sighed a shaky breath, calming down instantly at seeing the station's sign swing in the wind.
I eventually had a small laugh as I relaxed into my seat when I noticed Bruce in the rearview mirror, carrying a small bag to the car.
I grinned as he almost jumped into the car; setting the bag so it was leaning against the gear stick.
"Thought you might want a pick-me-up" he smiled as I pulled out a 7UP from the bag.
"7UP in the morning? Can't be good for you" I smiled gratefully as I almost drank the whole can in one go. I hadn't realized how parched I was.
"So what time is it anyway?" I asked, feeling regenerated as I placed the 7UP down and began working out the kinks in my limbs.
"9am" he replied as he started the car and slowly began to leave the area.
"That early?" I said astonished as we slowly fell into a comfortable silence as the small stones smacking against the front of the car took my attention.
"So are we nearly there?" I asked, looking back at my companion.
"A few more hours and we'll reach the outskirts of the city," he replied with a smile that told me he couldn't get home fast enough.
A few hours is a long time so I spent the time thinking up questions to ask him, leaving a few minutes in between so he didn't get annoyed.
"So, what's your home like?" I asked after half an hour of desert, except this time there were more gas stations and cars on the road, reminding me that I haven't completely abandoned civilization on this seemingly never-ending car drive.
"Well, I live on the outskirts so if your expecting something fancy, don't bother" he stated simply, leaning back in his car seat.
"At least tell me you have the bare essentials," I asked before trying to turn on the radio.
"Of course, and I'm lucky to have them" he added, noticing my exploration of his radio system.
"How do you turn it-" he cut me off by pushing the dial button in. Immediately after, the screen lit up.
"Oh" was all I said as I turn up the volume before looking for a radio station.
"Classical music…something foreign…here we go" I mumbled under my breath as I discovered a radio news channel.
"-And so far there have been no more sightings of The Hulk, who had recently destroyed a classified research lab earlier this week. Currently, the armed forces are on the lookout for-" Bruce almost broke the radio as he slammed the palm of his hand on the radio dial, switching off the report.
He sat silently and I didn't question his actions as we fell back into silence…well I didn't ask him then.
"Are you ok, Bruce?" I asked, hesitating before laying a hand on his shoulder. He tensed slightly but slowly relaxed.
"Better" he stated.
"I was meeting a colleague of mine in the lab after the people had left. We were trying to perform an experiment and it failed. I was…not happy about it" he answered my silent question, a hint of shame in his words.
"I'm sorry" was all I said.
"Not going to ask me what it was about?" he questioned me with playful suspicion as I smirked.
"Well f you insist…" I joked as we laughed. Time flew by after that, and it wasn't long before shacks in the distance came into view.
"There it is: home sweet home" he mumbled as we slowed to a halt.
"What's wrong?" I asked, as his eyes remained frozen on the road.
"We might have to make a quick detour," he explained before turning the car off the road and behind the shacks.
"I asked what's wrong but I might have an idea already" I added, images of rifles and military uniforms came into my thoughts like a slideshow.
We stalked around the buildings, searching for any sort of enemy as he pulled up in a back alley between two shacks.
"We're here," he said before climbing out of the car.
I quickly joined him but was almost thrown back by the putrid and extremely pungent smell.
"I don't want to know," I stated grimly, swelling with pity for the people living here.
"Can you help me carry these in?" Bruce asked before passing me a few heavy boxes.
"I'm your assistant, remember? Physical labor is practically in the title" I joked, struggling with the boxes slightly as he secured the car before leading me around to the front of the alley.
He pushed me behind him gently as he examined both sides of the street before allowing me out and up the small set of stairs.
He swiftly unlocked the door before leading me inside: it was incredibly dark but yet spacious with small chairs, tables and appliances scattered around the area, along with various amounts of lab equipment.
"Are the windows blocked out?" I asked, questioning the darkness.
"Naturally" he said before shutting the door, enveloping us in darkness before a flash of light illuminated the room.
"The covers over the windows block sunlight coming in and block light going out" he explained as I admired his handiwork: he really has thought about his cover.
"Helping the people here has build me a reputation: I've told them I'm being hunted by the government from false accusations and they've agreed to help hide me in exchange for my medical services" he continued, grabbing the boxes out of my hands before placing them on a nearby coffee table.
I couldn't help but become distracted by the amount of rubbish and items littered around the area; I felt like I was in a teenager's room, not the home of a scientist and a doctor.
"First things first: I'm cleaning up" I crossed my arms and frowned at the amount of dishes by the sink.
"I haven't had the time to clean up" he shrugged sheepishly as I rolled my eyes at his antics.
"You work, I'll clean" I stated, heading to the sink before halting.
"You wouldn't have a pair of gloves would you?" I asked sweetly as he eyed me questionably.
"What? I don't know where those plates have been!"