Green is the Colour of Life – Bruce Banner/The Hulk

Everything was chaos, people were screaming, explosions were going off and buildings were collapsing. I looked round with panicked eyes at the destruction surrounding me and just managed to duck behind a trashed car before a group of strange looking soldiers appeared. Peering round the bumper I watched as a man in a blue and red suit threw his shield at them, successfully knocking them all down.

I gasped as he suddenly left my sight and I hunkered down behind the car again, trying to slow my racing heart so I didn't have a panic attack. I cried out as something blew up from the side of me, throwing me feet away from the car I was using as a shield. I landed on my back with a pained groan and rolled onto my stomach as I felt a wetness soaking through my shirt, making me look down and see red.

My head spun with dizziness and I tried to reel the nausea back in. I heard footsteps coming closer to me and saw a group of the soldiers again, making me shut my eyes tightly as I had my mind set on dying right there. A load roar sounded and I squinted my eyes back open to see the area around me clear of life. I sensed something near me and averted my blurring vision to the right side, seeing a large pair of green feet and straining my head to look up at a massive green monster. My body felt incredibly weak and my strength gave out on me, making me slump back onto the dirty ground and darkness overcome me.

/

I woke up to find myself back in my own bed at home, the room slightly warm as there was a heater beside my bed and a small bunch of my favourite flowers in a vase on the bedside table. I rubbed my head before noticing the pain coming from my abdomen. I lifted my shirt up a little and saw the thick layer of bandages wrapped around my stomach and cringed, letting my top fall back down to cover them.

I slowly twisted so that my legs were dangling off the side of the bed and stood up, my bare feet hitting the floor with a soft thump. I shuffled my way out into the hall and gripped the banister tightly as I made my way down the stairs.

"Hailey!" my sister exclaimed, running over and engulfing me in a gently hug. "I was so worried about you! The fight was all over the news and I feared the worst when I realised you were stuck in the middle of it all." She had tears in her eyes and I gave her a small smile to reassure her.

"I'm fine. Something saved me, he was massive and green." I said, frowning slightly as the memory was a little hazy. I realised I didn't get to see his face before I passed out.

"The Hulk!? The Hulk saved you!"

"The Hulk?" I asked. "What's that?"

"He's part of the Avengers. His real name's Bruce Banner and his experiment with gamma radiation went wrong, causing him to be exposed to lethal amounts and then making him turn into the Hulk when he gets really angry." She explained. I nodded my head slowly, not wanting the headache to return, and stepped out of the house and onto the front porch.

The damage wasn't that bad from here, but I can imagine in the city centre that it would be a different scene completely. I found myself walking the way you would go towards the city and called out to my sister that I'd be back a little later.

I wandered around the destruction zone and looked at the wrecks of cars and buildings. I climbed over a twisted scrap of metal which I realised was the remains of a car to get to the shop my friend owned and winced as I felt the wound on my stomach pull slightly. I looked sadly at the ruined little café with a hand pressed on my stomach to ease the pain a little.

I looked through the shattered window frames and heard something creak from above me. I looked up and gasped as the front part of the roof broke away and fell towards me. Someone scooped me off my feet and away from the building just before the tiles shattered on the ground where I'd been standing moments before. I noticed the green skin of rather large fingers wrapped around my legs and turned my head to see the face of the green monster that had saved me during the battle.

I stared in wonder and slowly reached my hand out, brushing my fingertips along the contours of his face; along his cheeks and the edge of his jaw. I realised he was shrinking and gripped his shoulder tightly before he turned human again, making me see the man that he really was. Dark brown eyes stared back at me and I realised that my sister was right; Bruce Banner really did save me.

"You weren't afraid." He said, frowning slightly.

"Why would I be afraid when you've saved me twice now?" I said softly, seeing realisation dawn on his face.

"You were there yesterday, the girl that was caught right in the middle of it all." I nodded and his arms tightened around me as he continued to keep me off the ground bridal style. "You got hurt." His frown deepened and he gently set me back down on my feet before lifting my shirt a little to reveal the thick bandages underneath. "Don't worry, I'm a doctor."

"Doctor Banner." He glanced at me and nodded before going back to my stomach. "My name's Hailey."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hailey. I'm going to have to take you to my lab, that way I can patch you up better than whoever did this." He motioned to the bandage and I only just noticed that it was a little messily done.

"It was probably my sister." I commented. "She's always been the one looking out for me."

"Well, I'd like to change that if you'll let me." Bruce said, looking up to my face. I was slightly taken aback, but felt the blush creep into my cheeks as he was quite attractive; and he was only a few years older than me.

He scooped me back up into his arms and I let out a squeak of surprise before my arms latched themselves around his neck.

"My stomach doesn't cause me inability to walk Mr Banner." I said playfully, making him chuckle.

"It doesn't, but it's a fair walk to Stark Tower from here. And I doubt that you would have made it all the way there on your own legs being injured." He smiled as he began walking with me cradled to his bare chest.

"You now, my mother always used to tell me something when I was little and had gotten myself hurt." I remarked, making him look at me.

"And what would that be?"

"Green is the colour of life."

A smile touched his lips as he deciphered the second meaning behind my words while he walked through the destruction of the previous days battle.

Next: Loki