Chapter Text
Bruce scratches his head. It’s his 36th day in the lab without leaving. He’s had delivery pizza here and there, but he’s been mainly focusing on his newest discovery.
Ever since Hulk saved his life (again) a few months ago, he’s been giving the other being that he shares a body with a lot more thought. Hulk had always talked here and there somewhere in his mind over the years, but lately he had been talking non-stop. He’s now able to form complete sentences, and sometimes he even comes out to talk.
Bruce saw an opportunity in this. Once he and Hulk were both out at the same time. Is there a possibility that they could do that...permanently?
There was only one way to find out. He’s been studying psychology and mental illnesses and of course there was the occasional biochemical experiment. It’s good to have something to distract him from everything else, Bruce has realized.
He’s working on one of those biochemical experiments now. He pricks himself with a needle, flinching slightly, then carefully places the blood on glass, which he slides under a microscope. He delicately sticks his small dropper full of a new chemical formula into the drop of blood, then watches the reaction. To his dismay, his abnormal blood cells seem to swallow up the cells of the formula. He throws down his dropper in frustration, pulling off his goggles as well. He slumps onto the couch of his hotel room defeatedly. This was never going to work…
“Why is Bruce sad?” he hears Hulk question somewhere in his mind.
“Because nothing is working, and you’re not helping, by the way,” he answers aloud.
Hulk is quiet for a moment. “Hulk sorry.”
Bruce sighs. “It’s not your fault. I understand why you don’t want to come out, the world is frickin messed up.”
“Is Bruce trying to find cure again? To get rid of Hulk?”
“No...not this time buddy.” Bruce looks at his hands, seeing if there’s any sign of Hulk coming out, but there’s not. “You know, I’ve been looking at you like a disease for the longest time. I thought, maybe you are the cure.”
Another idea comes to Bruce’s head. Maybe he didn’t have to bother with all this experimentation crap. Maybe the answer has been right in front of him this entire time…
“Hey Hulk, how would you feel about helping me out? We could figure this out together!”
“Depends...Hulk want to help, but Hulk want to know what Bruce is doing first.”
Bruce jumps up from the couch, pacing excitedly.
“Nonono, it’s fine, it’ll be fine. Look, all I want you to do is come out, but only half out.”
Bruce rushes in front of a mirror, plans and equations coming together in his mind.
“Ok...Hulk doesn’t understand.”
“Look, do you remember three years ago when you wouldn’t come out, in New York? And I was yelling at you, so you only came half ou-”
“Yes! Yes, Hulk remember!”
“Ok buddy, let’s try it again. Only this time, we’re going to control it, alright?”
He watches in amazement as Hulk begins to come out, slowly and cautiously. Half of Bruce’s face turns green and gets bigger.
“Umm, ok, this form isn’t going to work. Try taking over the whole body, but don’t grow all the way.”
Bruce closes his eyes this time as Hulk carries out the instructions. He’s almost afraid to open them again when Hulk cheerfully announces that he’s done.
When he does...whoa. Is that, is that him? In the mirror, an unnaturally tall, slightly green, well built man stares back at him.
“Bruce...did we-”
“Yeah buddy. We did it.”