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Logan had come here to be alone. Nothing but the Canadian forests and wild animals. A cabin near a lake, surrounded by mountains, so remote that no weekend hikers would reach him. The nearest town was 25 miles away. Not even a town, a village. He would visit it once a week for necessities and to hit a bar. Once drunk enough, he would use the payphone and call the Mansion back in New York, slurring to Kurt everything that he had been doing during the week, never remembering what he had said the next day.
Yes, he had come here to be alone.
Logan looked down at the unconscious man on the ground wearing nothing but torn pants. It had been over a year since Logan had last seen Bruce Banner and that year didn’t feel like quite long enough. Banner’s green alter ego had been causing mayhem in New York City and Logan had butted his head against the Hulk’s the way they had done many times in the past. The incident had eventually ended with the Hulk getting bored and simply walking away. It had been a little humiliating.
Logan stared at Banner, weighing his options. He could leave. Just get back to his cabin and hope that the man would be gone the next time Logan headed to the lake. He could forget seeing Banner at all and keep enjoying his solitude. No one would ever know. Who would even care?
With a heavy sigh, Logan picked up Banner and threw the man over his shoulder. Banner wasn’t quite as short as Logan, but still small enough to be easily carried. Logan walked back to his cabin and opened the door. He stopped there for a moment and looked around the place. The sweet, sweet silence, interrupted by nothing but a clock ticking on the wall, and for a second Logan considered taking Banner back to where he had found him.
He walked in and dropped Banner onto the couch.
Bruce woke up. His body ached and there was a sharp pain on his shoulder. That wasn’t new. He always hurt after a transformation. What was new was that he found himself lying on something soft. That was strange. Suspicious.
He kept his eyes closed, listening for any sounds of people. Waking up indoors after a Hulk-out usually meant danger. But he wasn’t tied down this time. After a moment, he opened his eyes and sat up.
Bruce found himself in a wooden cabin, lying on a couch near an empty fireplace. The cabin looked small. Just a kitchen combined with a living room and two doors, one probably leading outside and one to another room. The sun was shining outside and Bruce saw pine trees from the windows. He seemed to be a long way from New Mexico.
Bruce tried to recall what had triggered the transformation this time, but couldn’t remember. He had set camp at one of his earliest hide-outs, planning to build a new lab, thinking he’d be safe there. Apparently someone had found him.
Bruce got up from the couch and walked to a window. Woods as far as he could see. Next he tried the door, hoping to find a bathroom, but it led to a tiny bedroom.
“Kinda rude to snoop ‘round someone else’s place, bub.” Bruce startled at the voice and quickly turned to the front door. There he saw a man wearing plaid flannel shirt and a cowboy hat with a cigarette hanging from his lips. To his surprise, Bruce recognised him. “Long time no see,” Logan continued and closed the door behind him.
“Where am I?” Bruce asked, his voice so hoarse he could barely make out his own words.
“There’s water on the counter,” the mutant said and nodded towards a jug. Grateful, Bruce got to the kitchen area and grabbed the container. Not even bothering to look for a glass, he drank straight from the jug. He emptied the whole thing without thinking.
“Sorry,” he said once he was finished.
“There’s more in the well,” Logan said, shrugging his shoulders. They stood in silence for a moment. Bruce felt more uncomfortable by the second, but Logan didn’t seem bothered.
“Where am I?” Bruce repeated his earlier question.
“British Columbia.”
“In Canada?”
“The last time I checked.”
A new silence followed, longer this time.
“Could I, uh, use the bathroom?” Bruce finally asked.
“There’s the forest. Also an outhouse behind the cabin.”
Bruce nodded and left the house, relieved to escape the situation for now. He walked into the woods and took a piss behind a tree. Then he wandered around the area for a while, taking in the surroundings. There was nothing but trees all around. A trail led away from the cabin and an adjoined shed, but that was the only sign of connection to the rest of society. The sky was clear, but there was a chilly late summer breeze that made Bruce shiver. Though that might have been just the fact that he had spent the past couple of weeks in the south where the sun had burnt his skin. Also he was wearing nothing but a torn pair of pants. He got back to the cabin.
Logan had made coffee in the meantime and sat by the kitchen table with a newspaper in front of him. He didn’t offer Bruce coffee and Bruce didn’t ask.
“You wouldn’t happen to have clothes I could borrow?” Bruce asked instead.
“Borrow would indicate that yer gonna return them,” Logan said without looking up from his paper. Bruce shifted awkwardly and Logan glanced at him. “Take somethin’ from the bedroom. Anythin’ but the red and black shirt. I’m sorta fond of it.” Bruce thanked Logan quietly and slipped into the bedroom.
The wardrobe was sparse. Bruce found one pair of jeans and four different shirts, all plaid flannel. He picked one of the shirts, but left the pants alone, feeling like it would be too much to take the only spare pair Logan had.
The shirt was loose on Bruce’s scrawny frame, but perfect length, meaning it must have been a bit too long for Logan. The warm, soft fabric felt pleasant against Bruce’s skin. It had been a while since he had worn clothes that comfortable. He had spent two weeks in a frayed t-shirt and pants that he had stolen after escaping a Hulkbusters’ camp.
Careless, stupid, he had been caught by the military and kept under drugs for a week before he had been able to turn into the Hulk and break free. He shook his head as if that could shake the dark thoughts away.
He walked back into the main room.
Logan turned to Banner as the man returned from the bedroom. He was wearing the red and black flannel.
“There is a pair of jeans in there,” Logan said, noticing that Banner was still wearing his tattered pants.
“Didn’t want to steal your only other pair.”
“Not as if they’re the only pants left in the world. But suit yerself.” Banner looked away from Logan with an embarrassed expression.
“I guess I should get going,” the man said, rubbing his neck. “Could you point me to the nearest city?”
“No cities nearby. But there’s a village south from here.”
“Alright.”
“It’s 25 miles.”
“That’s okay.”
“Nah.” Logan rose from the chair and walked outside, Banner following him with hesitant steps. Logan led the man to his motorcycle parked in the shed. He got onto it and Banner took seat behind him silently.
They drove through the forest on the small trail that started slowly widening. It reached a road and they drove past a sign pointing to Gladstone. Logan picked up more speed and Banner put his hands on his waist. Logan realised that this was the first time someone had touched him in weeks. Neither spoke during the drive.
Once they reached Gladstone, Logan parked in front of a convenience store. Banner looked around the village, able to take most of it in with one glance.
“Looks nice,” the man commented. Logan shrugged. Banner turned back to him. “Thank you for the ride, Logan. I can take it from here.”
“What’s the plan?”
“The plan?”
“What are you gonna do next, Einstein?”
“Try to get a ride to the next city, I guess.”
“A village. What then?”
“Get to the next one.”
“You got any money?” Banner dug into his pants pockets and pulled out a couple of American bills. All of them were torn into pieces. “Follow me,” Logan sighed and walked into the store.
Banner followed quietly as Logan picked a basket and started gathering supplies. Two big bottles of water, some canned foods, beef jerky, deodorant, a soap bar, a bag of chips, several chocolate bars.
“Hi, Jones,” the old woman at the counter greeted Logan when he walked up with the purchases. Banner raised an eyebrow at the fake name, but said nothing.
“You don’t happen to have a backpack, Mrs Smith?” Logan asked.
“Only my own.”
“I’ll buy it.”
Smith looked like she wanted to argue, but closed her mouth as Logan pulled out two 50 dollar bills from his wallet. The old woman went to the backroom to fetch her backpack. Logan turned back to Banner and caught him looking at the cheap glasses that were being sold among sunglasses.
“How bad is yer eyesight?”
“It’s alright, I’m used to going without,” Banner said. “I seem to find myself without them more often than with.”
“Just pick a pair.” Banner looked between Logan and the glasses for a moment before giving in. He found glasses that apparently suited him and handed them to Logan. Logan placed them onto the counter and pulled out more money.
Smith returned and packed the supplies into the backpack. Banner picked up the glasses and put them on, starting to look more like a former scientist rather than a homeless tramp.
“Thank you,” Banner said as they left the shop. Logan lit a cigarette and ignored the thanks.
“There’s a bus that goes to the next village. From there yer gonna need another bus to go further. But after that you should be able to catch a plane back to America.”
“Only to America?”
“Or domestic. It’s a small airport in a small city. Where you headin’, bub?”
“Not sure yet. Europe first, I was thinking. Then continue on from there.” Logan didn’t really care, but nodded along. As long as Banner got out of there. No one wanted the Hulk in their neighbourhood any longer than necessary.
“I’ll take you to the bus stop. Yer on yer own from there,” Logan said, but found that he was suddenly speaking to himself. He turned his head around and saw a pair of torn pants and his favourite shirt disappear around the corner. Another turn of the head showed Logan why. A group of men were walking on the other side of the street. They were in civilian clothes, but Logan could see the guns they were carrying and their stiff way of walking. Soldiers.
Logan leaned against a lamp post. He smoked his cigarette and followed the men from the corner of his eye. The men stopped to ask questions from a passer-by. They showed the woman a picture that Logan didn’t need to see to guess who they were looking for.
The men continued their way and Logan left his post. He walked to the bus stop and wasn’t surprised to see three more soldiers keeping watch. The bus was the only public transportation out of the village and the soldiers clearly knew it.
Logan returned to the convenience store, half expecting to run into an angry Hulk, but instead found Banner crouching between trash cans behind the building, looking like he was ready to bolt at a moment’s warning. He noticed Logan and straightened up.
“Are they gone?” he asked, still obviously ready to run any second.
“Nope. Take this and keep yer head down,” Logan said and handed Banner his Stetson hat. The man put it on and kept his gaze downward, effectively hiding his face. The hat and the too wide shirt made him look like a scarecrow.
The two of them got back to Logan’s motorbike. Logan kept all his impressive senses alert, but found no sign of the soldiers. Banner took a hold of him and they quickly drove out of the town.
They reached Logan’s cabin and got quickly inside. Bruce took off the borrowed hat and handed it to Logan who put it back on. It suited the man far better than it would ever Bruce.
“How did they find you?” Logan asked. He sat down on the couch and Bruce took awkwardly a seat on a chair next to it.
“Someone must have seen the Hulk when he came here,” he said, staring at the cold fireplace. The glasses Logan had bought him weren’t quite his prescription, but better than nothing. They kept away the headache that he had grown accustomed to during the countless times he had lost or broken his glasses thanks to the Hulk.
“Uh-huh.”
“Is there any way I can get to the next city without being seen?”
“The next village,” Logan corrected him. “It depends on how many of them there are,” he continued. “They might be watching the roads.”
Knowing the army and especially the Hulkbusters, there were probably a lot of them. Bruce took off the glasses to rub his face. No rest for the wicked.
“I can move on foot. Keep to the woods,” he said.
“A long way to walk.”
“I’m used to it.”
“I have a tent. Set it up somewhere and lay low ‘til they’re gone.” Bruce didn’t answer. He kept on staring at the fireplace. Instinct told him to keep moving. That was what he did. Staying in one spot was dangerous. But he was exhausted and the thought of walking through unfamiliar territory didn’t sound very appealing.
Of course, he could let the Hulk out and let him take them away. Just a few huge leaps and they would be far away. But right now Bruce was relatively safe. He couldn’t trust the Hulk not to cause chaos on the way and draw the army right to them.
Coward.
Shut up.
“Banner?” Logan asked, bringing Bruce back to present.
“I’ll borrow the tent.”
“This time emphasis on ‘borrow’, I’m gonna want it back.”
“It’s a deal.”
Logan watched Banner walk into the woods, carrying the tent and a sleeping bag along with the backpack Logan had bought him. Logan had also added some more food into the ‘care package’.
“You’re a walking stick figure,” he had said, looking up and down Banner’s body.
“I spent a week in custody recently. Then I managed to avoid any human contact for a couple of weeks, meaning I ate what I could find myself.” Banner spoke lightly as if these things were completely normal. He didn’t elaborate on the custody part, but Logan didn’t need much imagination to get it.
Logan felt a small twinge of guilt as he saw Banner disappear behind the trees. The side of him that had started growing in the X-Mansion told him he should have offered his cabin to the man. The other side said that there was no way he wanted the ticking time bomb under his roof. Besides, he had come here to get away from people.
Banner’s problems were his own.
Logan returned inside, grabbed a beer and picked up a crossword puzzle.
Logan ran into Banner two days later. He arrived to the lake with a fishing rod and found Banner sitting on a boulder by the water. There was something strange about him. Logan tried hard to figure it out, but came up with nothing.
“Nice day for fishing,” Banner commented when Logan approached him. Logan was impressed that the man had noticed him. Few people could see him coming when he put effort into walking quietly.
“Yeah.”
“Is there a lot of fish in the lake?”
“Not really.”
“I see.”
Logan walked to his boat that was pulled onto the shore. He watched Banner turn smaller and smaller as he rowed away.
The man sat staring at the lake, looking more relaxed than Logan had ever seen him. Then a helicopter appeared in the horizon and Banner vanished into the woods. The helicopter flew over the lake and continued on.
Three days later Logan met Banner at the well. The man was filling empty water bottles. He nodded at Logan.
“You still got food left?” Logan asked.
“Starting to run out.”
“I’m goin’ to the town. Any requests?”
“Anything I can cook over a fire.”
“Alright.”
The next day the sunshine turned into rain. It started small, but became a downpour towards the evening. There was a knock on the cabin’s door and Logan let a very wet scientist in.
“Take new clothes and leave those on the porch,” Logan said and Banner obeyed with clattering teeth. Soon he was sitting by the fireplace in Logan’s second-favourite shirt and his spare pair of jeans. The jeans were too short and looked funny on the man.
Logan built a fire and watched Banner rub his hands together in the heat. Looking at him like this, it felt absurd to think that this meek man turned into a huge monster. Logan wouldn’t probably believe it at all if he hadn’t witnessed the transformation himself in the past.
“Thank you,” Banner said when Logan handed him a cup of coffee.
“Uh-huh.”
The rain continued the next day and Logan and Banner stayed indoors. Logan busied himself with his crossword puzzles while Banner picked a book from Logan’s collection. The cabin had no electricity, but the days were still bright that up north. They listened to music from a radio that ran on batteries and Logan caught Banner singing under his breath every now and then. That was the closest they came to speaking during the day.
“I had no idea you were such a good cook,” Banner broke the long silence as they ate supper.
“I’m full of surprises,” Logan replied. It was a simple meal of fish and potatoes, but Logan knew he was good at seasoning food. Something he had picked up along the long, long, long years. Once he was finished, he pulled out a whiskey bottle and poured a glass for himself and then offered some to Banner.
“I’m not really a heavy drinker,” the man said. “But a beer could be nice,” he added politely. Logan got up and opened a trapdoor on the floor, revealing a deep hole where he stored cold food and drinks in lieu of a working fridge. He had to get down onto the floor to reach the handle of a basket at the bottom of the hole. He pulled the basket up and handed Banner one of the beer bottles that had been stashed there.
Banner took a sip of the beer and made a face.
“You don’t have to drink that if you don’t like it.”
“Nah, I kind of feel like it. It’s been a few years since I’ve had beer.”
“Well, then.”
Logan drank his whiskey with two big gulps. He filled the glass and was done with it as well before Banner had finished his beer. Once Banner was finally ready, Logan got both of them new drinks. The silence they had been sharing was comfortable, but Logan started to get restless and he picked up a pack of cards.
“You play poker?”
“Sure.”
They started playing and Logan was glad to see that he had met his match. He was usually able to tell immediately when someone was bluffing, but Banner gave no indications whatsoever. In fact, he seemed to be able to read Logan better than Logan was able to read him and that was rare. They used crackers as chips and after an hour, Banner had won them all.
“Rum?”
“Like I said, I’m not a big drinker.”
“I meant the game, genius.”
“Oh.”
Banner turned out to be slightly worse at rum than at poker and Logan was able to win most of the time. He knew it was largely due to luck, but that didn’t stop him from wearing a shit-eating grin.
They changed the game again and opened new bottles of beer. After this round, Banner asked for the whiskey and Logan poured him a glass even though he could tell that the man was getting drunk enough already.
“No,” Banner said all of a sudden as Logan was dealing the cards. Logan thought that Banner was done with the games, but the man wasn’t looking at him. “It’s ok,” Banner said next, still not looking at Logan.
“What the hell?” Logan asked.
“Oh. The Hulk.”
“You two talk?” This certainly picked Logan’s curiosity. The idea of Banner and the Hulk talking to each other was weird. Maybe Banner was just drunk enough to hear things. At least he kept silent after that and they continued playing.
“It’s alright,” Banner said again.
“What’s the matter with the big guy?” Logan asked, still uncertain whether Banner was just imagining things.
“The booze.”
“The booze?”
“It reminds him of our father. Makes him anxious.”
“That why you don’t usually drink?”
“Kind of.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I feel like it,” Banner repeated. He was swaying slightly on his chair and Logan figured the guy had had enough. It was getting late anyway and Logan’s eyes had started to burn from playing in nothing but the candlelight.
“I think it’s time for bed,” he said and stood up.
“Good night, then.”
“Yer not goin’ to sleep yet?”
“I think I need to clear my head before. I may be a bit drunk.” A bit drunk was a bit of an understatement, but Logan kept that to himself. He said good night and retreated into the bedroom.
Bruce woke up with a slight headache. Three beers and whiskey had apparently gotten the better of him. He was a little embarrassed by how easily he had gotten drunk, but Logan made no comment of it as they ate their breakfast.
The rain had stopped during the night. The sky was still cloudy, however, and the wet forest looked miserable. Logan announced that he was going to go chop up some wood in his shed. Bruce offered to help and Logan burst out laughing. It was a little insulting, but the sight of Logan laughing like that was rare enough for Bruce to easily forgive it.
While Logan chopped his wood, Bruce got comfortable on the couch with the book he had started earlier. He had been surprised to find so many books in the cabin. Logan didn’t seem like the reading type. But there was only so much one could do in the middle of nowhere like that, Bruce figured.
Bruce finished the book and started another one. Then Logan was done chopping the wood and started carrying it inside. Bruce lent a helping hand by building a fire to the fireplace and starting the supper. Once Logan was done with the wood, he helped Bruce with the cooking. They ate in a comfortable silence, the clock on the wall the only sound in the cabin.
Evening came and Logan went to bed. Bruce kept himself busy, avoiding sleep as long as he could. Around 3am he gave in and got onto the couch, falling quickly asleep.
Logan woke up to sounds of shouting. He jumped up, claws instantly out. The shouting stopped, but Logan kept the claws out. Carefully, he opened the bedroom door, expecting intruders, but saw none. He walked further into the room and saw Banner tossing around on the couch, fast asleep, but fighting invisible men.
Logan was no stranger to nightmares. He had them most nights, in fact. He hovered over Banner for a while, trying to decide whether he should wake the man or not.
In the end, he walked back towards his bedroom and made heavy stomping noises, loud enough to wake up Banner. Then Logan slipped into the bedroom quickly before the other man could see him. His keen hearing picked up heavy pants and sounds of holding back crying.
Logan got onto his bed and lay awake until he heard Banner settle down. A light from the key hole told him that Banner had put a candle on, apparently deciding to give up on sleep. It was about 5am, much earlier than Logan cared to get up at. He turned away from the door and fell asleep again.
Two days passed with neither of them suggesting Banner to leave. They kept mostly to themselves during the days. Banner went through Logan’s books while Logan hiked outside. During the evenings they played cards and shared a couple of beers. On the third day, Logan took Banner to fish with him. Miraculously, they managed to actually catch one and used it for supper in the evening.
“I’m driving to Gladstone today,” Logan said on the fourth day. “Wanna tag along? It should be safe by now.”
“Sure.”
“We need more food and beer. Some new clothes, too. My jeans look ridiculous on you.” Banner laughed at that. Logan tried to think of the last time he had heard the man laugh and realised that this was the first time.
They rode the motorbike to town, Banner shivering a little against Logan’s back in the cold wind. The summer was drawing to an end and the days were getting chillier. Logan had on one of his flannels combined with a leather jacket and figured he would need to buy a jacket for Banner as well. New shoes, too. Logan’s spare boots had fit the man’s feet, but looked as ridiculous on him as the Stetson had done.
By the time they reached Gladstone, it had started to drizzle. They took shelter in the only clothing store of the town. Banner tried on a few different pairs of pants, looking for something loose, obviously out of habit of being prepared for a sudden Hulk-out. Then he picked up a couple of button-ups, also seemingly out of some old habit. Logan left him to pick a jacket and went outside for a cigarette in the meantime. He longed for a good cigar, but cigarettes were the only things he could find in the village.
Gladstone was always quiet, but in the light rain it was abandoned. Logan finished his cigarette and went back inside to pay for Banner’s clothes. He felt little sorrow about the money spent. It was out of the X-Men’s funds rather than his own pocket.
“What’s next?” Banner asked as they left the shop.
“Groceries, then the bar.”
They picked up food and other necessities quickly and then entered the Iron Horse. It seemed like half the town had decided to spend the rainy day in the warmth of the pub. Logan ordered himself a whiskey and Banner a beer. They seated themselves in a quiet corner which didn’t remain quiet for long as people recognised Logan and came over.
“How’s it goin’, Jones?”
“Same old,” Logan answered.
The men whose names had slipped Logan’s mind took seats at their table. They looked like they had had quite a few already.
“You’re new here, ain’t you?” one of them asked Banner. Logan saw the man tense at the attention.
“David. Nice to meet you,” Banner said to the men, one of whom slapped him on the shoulder hard. Logan finished his whiskey quickly and went to get more. The three men – Harry was one of them, Logan now remembered – were still at the table, talking loudly while Banner huddled in the corner.
“What brings you into town, David?” Harry asked Banner as Logan sat back down.
“I needed a break from city life. Good thing my old friend here,” Banner said, nodding at Logan, “has his cabin and was kind enough to invite me. Fresh air is doing me good.” Banner’s lying was so smooth that Logan doubted even he would have been able to pick it up. Harry and his friends certainly didn’t.
The evening wore on with Bruce sipping his beer quietly while Logan, Harry and the other men drank more and more, getting louder and louder. Banner endured it for two hours.
“I’m going for a walk. Catch you later,” he murmured to Logan and got up, leaving a half-drunk beer behind. Logan was quick to down it. By now his head was spinning enough for him to stagger to the payphone and dial Kurt's number.
“Yeh’ll never guess who I ran into, Elf,” he mumbled into the phone. “The Hulk’s here, yeh know. The Hulk himself. I came all the way here to be away from everythin’ and everyone and now I have this vagabond sleepin’ on my couch and yeh know what, Elf, yeh know what?” He forgot what he was going to say. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
“I miss you guys, yeh know. At times. You and I are gonna get drunk as fuck when I get back. My treat.” He finished the beer he had been drinking and slammed it down on a nearby table.
“The weather’s shit. Me an’ Banner have spent most of the time indoors. Did I tell yeh he’s here? Guess I did. The Hulk sleepin’ under my roof. Me an’ the green bastard go way back, yeh know? I think I know him better ‘n I know Banner. I have a feelin’ most people do.” He cast a look around the bar. Most people had left already and only the drunkest remained.
“I think I should hang up now. Say hi to everyone, Elf. I miss yeh.” There was no reply and Logan realised that he had forgotten to put coins in before dialling the number and starting his rambling monologue. He’d tell Kurt that next week, sure to give the younger man a good laugh.
“One more for the road,” he called to the bartender who poured him a shot of vodka. Logan drank it and left the bar. The rain outside had stopped and the clouds cleared enough for stars to shine. Logan stood in front of the bar, staring up at the sky. When he looked back down, he saw Banner standing nearby. The man was shivering under the new shirt and jacket and Logan tried to remember how long it had been since Banner had left the bar.
“You been standin’ here the whole time?” he asked, voice slurred.
“I went for a walk around the town and then came back to wait.”
“You could have come inside.”
“Too many people. But it’s ok. The night is so pretty.” Logan couldn’t argue with that last part. He and Banner walked to the motorbike and Logan was about to get on, but Banner grabbed his arm.
“No way you’re driving like that.”
“I do it every Saturday, college boy.”
“You could get badly hurt.”
“Healin' factor.”
“Or hurt others.”
“No one out there to hurt.”
“Give me the key.” Logan was too tired to protest. And as he dropped the key to the ground when trying to hand it to Banner, he figured it was maybe for the best.
“Can you drive a bike?” he asked sluggishly as he sat down behind Banner. Banner didn’t bother answering. He turned the motor on and took off, heading towards the road leading away from Gladstone. Logan put his hands on Banner’s waist and closed his eyes, soon nodding off.
“Here we are,” Banner said quietly after half an hour and Logan’s head snapped up. True, they were back at the cabin. Banner parked the bike in the shed and he and Logan walked indoors, Logan with a slight sway.
Banner closed the door behind them and walked straight to the kitchen area. He poured water into a glass and handed it to Logan.
Logan downed the water and set the glass on the table. Then he grabbed Banner’s face and smashed their mouths together.
Logan ignored the lack of response and fisted Banner’s button-up, walking the man backwards until they hit a wall. He pushed harder against Banner who flailed his arms uselessly. Logan’s kissing turned more aggressive and his hold on the other man’s collar tightened.
“Wait. Logan, stop,” Banner finally managed to say, turning his face away. He slipped from Logan’s hold.
“Shit,” Logan said.
“It’s ok.”
“Fuck.”
“It might be time for bed now, Logan.” Banner’s voice was gentle which made it all worse. Logan stood there staring at the other man for a while, long enough to make Banner look nervous, but then he turned around.
“See you in the morning then,” he said.
“See you in the morning,” Banner replied.
Logan woke up with a hangover and few memories of the night before. Unfortunately the little that he did remember involved him forcing himself on Banner. Logan took his time getting out of bed, hoping that ignoring memories would erase them. But he knew from experience that that did not work and finally he got up. He opened a window and breathed in fresh air.
Suddenly Logan’s ears picked up disturbance in the woods. He stood still at the window and sniffed the air. Then he closed the window and marched out of the bedroom, slamming the door open, effectively startling Banner who was sitting on the couch. The man jumped up and took a few steps back warily.
“Logan, I-“ Banner started, but Logan shushed him.
“Someone’s coming,” he said quietly. Not just someone but several of them.
“Maybe they’re lost?” Banner whispered, but it was obvious that he knew that that wasn’t the case. Logan could hear the people reach the cabin and surround it.
“How did they find you again?”
“I don’t know.”
“Get here.” Logan led Banner to the kitchen area and opened the trapdoor on the floor. He fished out the food and the beer they had stored there, leaving room enough for a slender man to crouch in.
Banner didn’t move. He stared at the hole with a frown and his hands became tight fists. Finally he sighed and then climbed silently down. Logan stopped to give Banner one last look before closing the trapdoor. Either the lights were playing tricks on Logan or Banner’s usually brown eyes had turned green. Logan popped out one of his claws and carefully made a small breathing hole on the hatch and then hid it under a carpet.
There was a knock on the front door and Logan opened it to reveal two men in American military uniforms.
“Morning, sir,” one of them said.
“This is private property, you know,” Logan answered. He crossed his arms, but stepped aside to let the men in.
“We’re sorry to bother you like this, sir, but we’re looking for someone and hoped you could help us.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You live alone here?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Neighbours?”
“Not within 20 miles.”
“Have you seen anyone in the woods this past week?”
“Not that I remember. Who are you lookin’ for?” The soldiers pulled out a photograph. It was an old picture of Banner. He looked younger in it than Logan had ever seen him in real life. There were no premature grey hairs or wrinkles and his eyes didn’t have that perpetually haunted look in them. The picture was probably taken shortly before the accident happened.
“This man is an extremely dangerous criminal and a fugitive from law. It’s crucial that we bring him in.”
“Doesn’t look very dangerous to me,” Logan said.
“We’re just going to have a quick look around if that’s alright.” The soldiers walked further inside without waiting for a permission. They looked around the room thoroughly and then checked the bedroom, opening the closet doors and even looking under the bed.
“Could I interest you boys in some coffee?” Logan said once the soldiers had searched the whole cabin.
“We would like to check the shed outside.”
“Be my guest.”
Logan walked out with the soldiers and took them to the shed. He was able to pick up the scent of five people around the area, hiding behind trees. If he wasn’t mistaken, they all had guns ready. It was clear that they knew that Banner was nearby. Logan only wished he knew how.
“That all?” he said when it looked like the two soldiers were giving up.
“I want you to contact the authorities immediately if you run into this man. It’s important that he’s caught.”
“So you told.”
Logan watched the soldiers walk away and could hear the hidden ones do the same as well. He waited until he sensed no signs of people anymore before going inside. There he walked straight to the trapdoor and tugged the carpet away to open the hatch.
“They’re gone,” he said. He held out his hand to Banner and helped the man squeeze out. Banner’s eyes were still green and he was breathing heavily. Logan frowned. “You ok?”
“Got a bit claustrophobic, that’s all. I’m alright,” Banner said. But his hands were shaking and soon his muscles started to spasm.
“If you gotta let the big guy out, do it outside.”
“I’m ok.”
“Just do it.”
Banner closed his eyes and shook his head. Then he took off his glasses and shoes and bolted out the door with Logan following cautiously. Once outside, Banner fell onto his hands and knees. The muscle spasms grew stronger and suddenly Banner’s shirt tore away as his body started growing. Logan grimaced. The transformation looked painful. Then it was over and Banner was Banner no more.
“How’s it goin’?” Logan asked the Hulk.
Hulk was out again. He stood up from the ground and looked at his hands. Huge and green. Yes, it was Hulk’s turn now. And Banner wasn’t just away, he had retreated so deep that Hulk barely sensed him. That was unusual, but not the first time. Right now Hulk was just glad to be out.
“Hey, I’m talkin’ to you.”
Hulk turned around and saw a tiny man. Hulk knew him. But he was used to seeing the man in a yellow costume and with claws. Hulk was also used to pounding the man into ground with his fists. He tried to remember if that was what he was supposed to do now. He worked on recalling recent memories of the man.
“You kissed Banner,” he commented. Maybe he was supposed to hit the man for that. It always seemed to be Hulk’s job to fight Banner’s fights for him. Stupid, puny Banner. The tiny man frowned up at him.
“He told you that?”
“No.”
“You saw it?”
“No.” Hulk didn’t know how to explain the way he and Banner experienced things. That was another thing that he didn’t really care about right now. He was finally out and for once he hadn’t woken up to people shooting at him. The only human he could see was the small man in front of him. It didn’t make sense to Hulk. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t scared. He looked around the forest he found himself in.
“Hulk is going to go now,” he announced and started walking towards the woods. The short man grabbed his wrist and Hulk whirled around, ready to punch the man’s lights out. But the man held up his hands in surrender.
“There are soldiers nearby,” the man said. “They know you and Bruce are here.”
“I can fight them.” But Hulk didn’t feel like fighting. He liked the smell of pine trees and he liked the crisp wind he felt on his skin. He liked not being inside of Banner.
“How ‘bout you don’t fight anyone and we keep out of the soldiers’ sight?” the short man said. Hulk stared at the man for a while.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
What followed was one of the strangest days of Logan’s life. He had expected the Hulk to simply take off, leap away with those incredible jumps of his, but instead the creature sat down at the edge of the woods and looked at Logan expectantly. At first Logan wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden attention, but then he decided to go about the day as he would normally do. He went to the shed to chop more wood and the Hulk followed him with his eyes.
When Logan was done with the wood, he went inside and picked up some food, water and a whiskey bottle and stuffed them in a backpack. He walked back out where the Hulk was waiting. Logan strode into the woods and the Hulk followed after him.
Logan was surprised by how quietly the monster was able to move in the forest. He had never seen the Hulk act so carefully. Logan led them deeper into the woods, to areas that he was sure would be safe from the soldiers.
They hiked for a couple of hours without stopping. Logan listened to the sounds of nature and ignored all other thoughts. His hangover had eased and he was far enough from the cabin to forget everything that had occurred there.
When Logan started to tire out he sat down on a tree stump and took off the backpack. The Hulk hovered awkwardly nearby, strangely resembling Banner when he did that.
“Just sit down,” Logan snapped finally. The Hulk’s brow furrowed and for a moment Logan expected to be squashed, but then the creature obeyed. Logan shared some of his food with the Hulk and they ate without speaking.
“Look,” Logan broke the silence and pointed to the woods. A huge grizzly was walking merely 30 feet away from them.
“Smash?” the Hulk asked.
“No, you idiot."
The bear stopped to look at the two of them. Had the Hulk not been there, Logan would have approached the animal. Now he settled for admiring the bear from afar. The grizzly stared at them for a while and then suddenly ran off. The Hulk found this very funny for some reason and he started laughing.
“Let’s go,” Logan said once the Hulk had settled down. They continued their hike until the sun set. Then Logan found a clearing and built a fire in the middle of it. The Hulk carried a fallen tree to the clearing and the two of them used it as a bench.
Logan cooked over the fire and they sat in a comfortable silence like one of those that Logan shared with Banner. The Hulk was turning out to be surprisingly good company, Logan thought as he mused on the weirdness of the whole situation.
“You want some?” Logan asked and pulled out the whiskey. The Hulk crinkled his nose at the question.
“Hulk has seen enough of people drinking.” Logan remembered what Banner had said about his father and alcohol.
“Is it alright if I drink?” he asked.
“Tiny man does what tiny man wants.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Logan drank straight from the bottle, relishing the burn of the whiskey. It was a cheap bottle, but good enough for a camping trip. He drank some more. The Hulk huffed next to him.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Logan snapped when he noticed the disapproval on the creature’s face. “You said it was okay if I drank.”
“You made Banner drink.”
“He decided to drink.”
“We hate alcohol.”
“I haven’t forced Bruce to do anything he doesn’t want to.”
“Except kiss you.”
Logan had no answer to that. He took one more gulp of the whiskey and put the bottle away. He stared at the fire dancing in front of them.
“Why are you here?” he said, eyes still on the fire. The Hulk made a questioning noise. “I mean,” Logan continued, “don’t you turn back to Bruce when you, you know, calm the fuck down or something?”
“I don’t know.”
The fire was slowly dying and Logan didn’t bother putting more wood in. He looked up at the sky. Stars were shining bright and the moon was almost full. One could see so much more stars out there than back at the X-Mansion.
“Time to head back, bub,” Logan said once the last flickers of flames went out. He picked up his backpack and started strolling towards the cabin, the Hulk walking in his footsteps. The forest was dark, but Logan had no problem navigating and the Hulk followed him as silently as before. They reached the cabin and walked inside, the Hulk squeezing himself through the tight door. The creature had to crouch down a bit to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling, but otherwise he was able to fit in. Logan took a better look at the Hulk and thought that he looked smaller than he remembered.
“You gonna turn back to Bruce for the night?” Logan asked. The Hulk took his time answering. He moved his mouth, however, and Logan guessed that it meant he was talking to Banner. The relationship between the two remained a mystery to Logan who waited patiently until the Hulk was done.
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Ok. The couch is not goin’ to hold yer weight so yer goin’ to have to sleep on the floor. Just give me a second.” The Hulk looked on in confusion as Logan fetched a pillow and a blanket. He set them on the floor and then waved his hand towards the sorry excuse of a bed. The Hulk looked between the floor and Logan. Then he smiled in a weird way that Logan didn't know how to interpret.
“Good night, big guy,” Logan said.
“Good night, Logan,” the monster replied.
The Hulk slept. He couldn’t remember the last time he had. Falling asleep meant turning into Banner. But this time he woke up during the night, still himself. He turned to lie on his side and the blanket fell off of him. It wasn’t doing him much good anyway.
“You planning on returning?” he asked the darkness.
Not yet.
“Suit yourself.”
The next day Logan took the Hulk for a hike to the mountains where they set a camp. At first Logan was worried about being too out in the open, but the soldiers seemed to have disappeared. The Hulk apparently enjoyed the mountains.
“It’s like back home,” he said as he looked up towards the top of the mountain. “Except not.”
“Home?”
“But it was just desert and not trees. The trees are nice.”
“That’s good.”
Logan and the Hulk climbed up the mountain as high as the trails led them. It was windy and there was a chill in the air that Logan found very refreshing. They sat at the edge of a cliff and watched the eagles soaring in the air.
“How’s Bruce?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know. Weird. Doesn’t want to come out.”
“He doesn’t want to come out?” That did sound weird. “Is it because of me?” Logan asked, afraid that he knew the answer. The Hulk shrugged his massive shoulders.
“I guess.”
“The stupid kiss?”
“That. And the hole. Reminded us of bad things.” Logan looked at the creature in confusion. “Hiding,” the Hulk explained. “Soldiers. Banner’s father. A lot of bad memories.”
“Sorry.”
“You want Banner back.” There was a tone of accusation in the Hulk’s voice. Logan reached out to pat him on the arm. This brought a crooked smile to the Hulk’s face and he patted Logan in return, almost knocking him off the cliff.
Logan and the Hulk spent two nights in the mountains. They headed back to the cabin when the weather threatened to take yet another bad turn. Logan noticed that leaves had started to change their colours. Summer was over.
The Hulk started slowly shrinking down as they arrived to the cabin. By the time they got to the door, Bruce had replaced the creature. His face was pale and he would probably have fallen down if Logan hadn’t grabbed his arm to steady him.
“Thank you,” Bruce muttered. Logan helped him get inside and walked him to the couch. Banner sat down, swaying a little where he was.
“Anythin’ I can do?” Logan asked.
“Tea would be appreciated.”
“It’ll take a while to put the stove on.”
“That’s okay.” Logan went to build a fire in the kitchen. He glanced back at Bruce and wasn’t surprised to see that the man had passed out. Logan had never seen him stay conscious after a transformation back to himself. It was a wonder that he had made it to the couch in the first place.
Once Logan got the stove heated, he made himself coffee and drank that slowly at the kitchen table before starting to work on the tea. Then he went to shake Bruce awake and handed him a cup, bringing one for himself as well.
“I wouldn’t have guessed that you drank tea,” Bruce commented with a badly concealed yawn.
“Don’t tell anyone.” Bruce laughed. Then his face got serious.
“Well", he said. "I think it’s about time I got going.” He put the barely touched tea down and stood as if ready to leave that instant. Logan put his hands on Bruce’s narrow shoulders and pushed the man back down.
“It’s dangerous. The soldiers have somehow been able to track you and might keep on doing so.” Bruce smiled wryly.
“That’s my life, Logan. I know what I’m doing,” he said. But he didn’t stand up again. Logan sat down next to him.
“Do you have any idea how they’re doin’ it?”
“I’m not sure.” Bruce stared at a wall, obviously deep in thought. Then he suddenly slapped his thigh. “They must have done something to me the last time I was imprisoned.”
“You don’t remember if anything suspicious happened?”
“I was kept under drugs. I remember being brought in, but that’s about it.” Logan was disturbed to hear that, but Bruce didn’t seem to notice. He was now bouncing his leg while thinking hard. Then he put his hand on the back of his neck and ran his fingers on the skin. “Damn,” he said.
“What?”
“I need you to use your claws on my neck. Try this spot.” Bruce tapped a place where his neck met his shoulder.
“You think they put something in there?”
“I've felt pain there after the Hulk and I escaped, but didn’t think too much about it.”
“Ok. Don’t move.” Logan popped out one of his claws and placed it on Bruce’s neck. The man’s body tensed at the touch, but he didn’t move.
Logan’s claws weren’t quite suited for surgery, but he proceeded carefully. Bruce made no noise when Logan broke the skin.
“Can you see anything?” Logan used his fingers to open the wound wider. It felt pretty disgusting and must have hurt, but Bruce kept silent.
“No, I don’t think- Wait.” Logan pushed a finger into the wound and thought he felt something strange there. He pressed his claw deeper, digging into muscle and this time Bruce gasped. Logan saw something in the wound and managed to pry it out.
“A tracking device,” Bruce said when Logan handed him the small object. Bruce’s neck was bleeding and Logan fetched him a piece of cloth.
“I don’t have a first-aid kit or anythin’. Don’t really have a need for those myself.”
“I’m alright.”
“Sorry I had to dig so deep.”
“It must have been pushed further into the flesh during the transformation into the Hulk and back,” Bruce said. He held the cloth over his shoulder, but it was soon soaked in blood. Logan brought him another one and taped it on the skin with duct tape.
“Should we break it?” he asked Bruce, looking at the tracking device.
“It could be useful,” Bruce said. He was bouncing his leg again and stroked his chin. “Make them think I’m heading somewhere. Send them on a wild goose chase.”
“We can stick it on a bus leaving Gladstone. Or someone’s car.”
“That could put people in danger. The Hulkbusters can be… eager.”
“One way to put it.”
Bruce sighed.
“How about you drink your tea and worry about everything afterwards?”
“Alright.” They fell into a silence and for the first time there was something awkward about it. Logan felt like he was supposed to say something, but didn’t know what. Or that’s what he told himself.
“The Hulk said that the mountains reminded him of home,” he said instead of what was on his mind.
“That’d be New Mexico.”
“New Mexico?”
“That’s where all this started.”
“He keeps on going between “I” and “we” when he’s talking about you two,” Logan commented, voicing what had been bothering him the past few days.
“So do I.”
“It’s weird.”
“My life has been nothing but weird ever since the gamma bomb.”
Logan didn’t know what else to say and was saved from the spot when the front door was kicked in. Logan recognised the two soldiers who had searched the cabin earlier. Both had guns ready and pointed at Bruce. Logan had been too focused on the conversation to hear them approaching. He and Bruce stood up slowly, Logan keeping his eyes on Bruce for an indication of what to do.
“Doctor Banner, if you would follow us.”
“And if I say no?” Bruce said, speaking in a polite voice, but Logan could see the skin of his naked torso turning slightly green. The soldiers seemed to notice this too and they waved their hands to gesture three other men to join them.
“Bruce,” Logan said, but that was all he got.
“Logan, I’m sorry,” Bruce said without looking at him. “You have been very kind to me and I wish I could repay it.” Then he started walking towards the soldiers. The men stepped back instinctively. It looked ridiculous to see the bulky soldiers with huge guns cower from the scrawny scientist. Actually it was so ridiculous that Logan started laughing. This he regretted seconds later when a trigger-happy soldier shot at him.
“Shit,” Logan said as he fell onto his knees. Three bullets had hit him in the chest. They would have gone right through his body if they hadn’t hit the adamantium bones. Bruce rushed to his side. He was speaking, but Logan wasn’t able to make out the words.
Damn he hated being shot.
He could feel his healing factor beginning its job already, but it still hurt and he had trouble focusing on his surroundings. But it was kind of hard to miss a huge, green monster that was suddenly rampaging in front of him. The soldiers were shooting blindly, tearing apart Logan’s furniture.
“Not the cabin,” Logan muttered to no one in particular. The Hulk seemed to hear this. The creature actually rolled his eyes at the words and then marched outside. The soldiers ran after him. Logan listened to the sounds of the fight and forced himself to get up.
He was bleeding through his shirt, but the wounds were already mostly closed. He would later have to tear them open again to get rid of the bullets still inside of him, but that could wait.
The ruckus from outside stopped. Logan walked to the door and saw the Hulk standing in the middle of unconscious soldiers.
“Nice work, big guy,” Logan said. The Hulk turned to him and nodded.
“Sorry about your house.”
“Nothin’ I can’t repair.”
“They’re not going to leave you alone after this.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“You don’t understand.” The Hulk’s voice changed and he started shrinking. “They are literally not going to leave you alone,” Bruce said. He stepped over the soldiers on the ground and staggered to Logan. He touched Logan’s chest and raised his shirt to look at the bullet wounds. Only scars remained. Those too would be gone eventually. Bruce ran his fingers over them and looked at Logan apologetically.
“You can’t stay here.”
“I guess I should start packin' then,” Logan said. He put his hands over Bruce’s, holding them against his body. He let go when he noticed how Bruce was shaking. “Let’s get inside.”
“I’m so sorry,” Bruce muttered as he looked around the cabin. There were bullet holes on the walls and most of the furniture was ruined. The havoc was partly due to the soldiers and partly due to the Hulk. “You’ve helped me so much and all I’ve done is cause you trouble.”
“I don’t know,” Logan said. “Maybe this is just a sign that it’s time for me to head home.”
“Home,” Bruce repeated the word with a smile that made Logan’s heart clench in an unfamiliar way.
“C’mon. Let’s pack.”
Logan stuffed his belongings into a duffel bag. There wasn’t much. His clothes, leftover whiskey, radio and some books. Bruce packed the clothes Logan had bought him along with food supplies. His backpack seemed as light as Logan’s bag was. It was strange how little a person needed in the end, Logan thought.
Once they were done, they headed to the motorbike. The soldiers were still unconscious. Logan gave one of them a good kick. Then he and Bruce got onto the bike and drove away.
“What about the tracking device?” Logan asked.
“I’ve got it with me,” Bruce answered. “Though I’m still not sure what to do with it.”
“I think I know,” Logan answered. When they got to the big road, he took a left instead of heading to Gladstone. He drove faster and Bruce wrapped his arms tightly around him. Soon his head fell onto Logan’s shoulder and he started snoring quietly. Two transformations in such a short time had obviously wiped him out.
It took an hour for them to reach their destination. Once there, Logan allowed Bruce to keep on sleeping against him until his back started to cramp. Then he carefully shook the man off.
“Where are we?” Bruce asked sleepily.
“Whitewater River.”
“Why?”
“Give me the tracking device.”
“Oh.”
Bruce pulled the device out of his pocket and handed it to Logan. They walked to the brink of the river. The river wasn’t very large, but Logan knew that it was long, eventually winding its way to the ocean.
“You sure it won’t just sink and get stuck?” Bruce asked. He sounded sharper as he looked doubtfully at the water. Logan opened his duffel bag and pulled out the whiskey. He opened the cork and poured the liquor onto the ground. Bruce suddenly laughed.
“You don’t have to go that far for me.”
“Not the last bottle of whiskey in the world.” Logan put the tracking device into the empty bottle and sealed it. Then he crouched down and set the bottle into the water. It was soon carried off, bobbing up and down on the surface. Logan and Bruce stood silently side by side until the bottle disappeared in the distance.
“Hopefully that’ll buy you some time,” Logan said.
“I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to you for everything. I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything then.”
“Thank you, anyway.”
“So,” Logan said, “what’s next?”
“A ride to the nearest city would be nice.”
“A village.”
“A village.”
“Can do.”
Logan and Bruce reached a town that Logan wasn’t familiar with. It was bigger than Gladstone, but Bruce would have to keep on going in order to fly out of Canada.
“You’re gonna drive all the way back to New York from here?” Bruce asked incredulously as they parked the bike.
“I’ll make a road trip out of it,” Logan answered. That was the way he had gotten to the cabin in the first place. The journey would give him enough time to get his thoughts straight. To be alone for a few days before being back in the middle of the insanity that was the X-Mansion.
Logan and Bruce asked around for public transportation and found out that there was a train station in the village. Bruce decided to take the train and keep going until he got to Vancouver and then continue on from there. Logan asked where, but Bruce said that it might be better if he didn’t know.
“Drama queen.”
“Hey.”
They waited for the train together.
“You don’t have to,” Bruce said. Logan didn’t answer.
The train arrived eventually. Bruce turned to look at Logan and then leaned in. Someone shouted “faggots” as they kissed. They ignored the yell and Bruce held his hand on Logan’s cheek gently and Logan knew that he would miss this man. Bruce started to retreat, but Logan pulled him back.
“Bye, Logan,” Bruce said against his lips.
“Goodbye, Banner.”
Logan didn’t stay to watch the train leave. He walked to his bike and turned the motor on. He was trying to decide which parts of the story to tell Kurt once he would be back at the Mansion. With enough beer, he would probably end up blurting out everything. Only to Kurt, though. He knew that the Elf would neither laugh nor tell anyone else.
Logan wondered where Bruce would head after Vancouver. Europe, he had said back in Gladstone. And then keep on going. Logan mused how much longer the man would have to keep on keeping going on. He also wondered how long it would be until they ran into each other again.
He stopped the bike to pull out the radio from his bag and turned it on. He drove on and sang along to the music.
Epilogue:
It took seven months for Bruce to be discovered again. He had returned to America and someone had recognised him and called the police. Bruce had easily given the inexperienced cops the slip, but he knew that the authorities across the country would be on a lookout after that.
He creeped around the edges of small towns and marvelled at how it was possible to find such idyllic areas so close to New York City. The evening arrived and he took shelter in an abandoned barn.
I could have fought them.
I know.
Coward.
I know.
Bruce spent the night in the building, curled up in a sleeping bag. He allowed himself only short naps, however. Around 2am, he got up to take advantage of the darkness outside. He walked through a forest, not sure where he was going. Just away.
The peacefulness was a culture shock after months spent in busy cities in China and Vietnam. Why had he come back to America, he asked himself. He always did. No matter how far he ran, no matter how long he stayed away, he inevitably returned to haunt the old scenes. A tied down ghost.
He reached another town. The sun was still down and normal people living normal lives were sleeping. Bruce sneaked through the dark streets silently. He came upon a newspaper stand and stopped to stare at his own face plastered on a front page. The picture was an older one. His hair was long in it and he had a beard. He stroked his now clean-shaven face. Also his hair was cropped short. He felt relatively well disguised as he looked at the photo.
He started walking again. His feet ached, but he didn’t let it slow him down. The morning would soon be there and he’d prefer to be away by then.
He followed a road out of town and passed a sign pointing to Westchester. An hour later he came upon a lake. He left the road and walked to the water. There he sat down and took off his shoes to let his feet rest. The sunrise arrived and painted the lake golden and pink. Birds started singing. Bruce closed his eyes and enjoyed the spring breeze.
“Bruce Banner. As I live and breathe.”
Bruce was ready to run the second he heard the voice, but when he turned his head, he saw a familiar cowboy hat and black and red flannel.
“Hello, stranger,” Bruce said softly. The man walked over and sat down next to him. He put his hand on Bruce’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. They shared a small smile.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Long time no see.”
“Long time no see.”