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Hermione and Bruce lay next to each other in bed. They had been dating on and off for a few weeks now. And Bruce had never been happier.
She was an amazing woman, who was absolutely brilliant, and she didn’t take any shit from anybody, least of all Tony Stark.
“Where did you get this one?” she asked tracing a long scar down his shoulder.
“I don’t remember. I think it happened back in the early Hulk days, when the military was trying to figure out how to trigger The Other Guy.”
“That’s terrible,” she whispered.
“Where did you get the one down your chest?”
“I was sixteen and we were tricked into going to the ministry to save my friend’s godfather. We walked into a trap, there was a battle. Adults versus children. I silenced the guy who fired this. I was told if I hadn’t silenced him, I wouldn’t have survived.”
“For the record, I’m glad you survived.”
“Me too. What about this one?” she traced a long thin scar that ran across his wrist.
“There was a point in my life where killing myself seemed preferable to living with my curse. So one night I tried to end my life by slitting my wrists. I immediately changed into The Other Guy, and stayed that way until I healed. Then I tried blowing my brains out,” he turned his head, showing the scar on his temple where the gun had sat, and the bullet had entered. “But I immediately turned into him, and he spit the bullet out.”
“How do you feel now?”
“I’ve long accepted the curse, and that Hulk is part of me. I’ve become comfortable with who I am. Things began getting better when The Avengers formed. And my time with Natasha really helped. It proved I was worth being cared for. And now,”
“And now?”
“And now, I have everything to live for. I don’t know about other people, but I think I’ve found love for the first time in a long, long time.”
“Well, other people would like you to know that they love you too.”
Bruce grinned. “That’s, uh, that’s good to hear.”
“Bruce?”
“Yeah?”
“I know that self-loathing and despair are scars that run very deep, and they’re very difficult to go away. If you’re ever beginning to feel as you did when you tried those things, please talk to me. I don’t know if I want to live in a world where you try something and for some reason it’s successful.”
Bruce gave her a soft smile. “I promise to talk to you.”
“Good, because you’re not alone anymore.”
“We’ve only been dating a few weeks.”
“I know. But don’t you feel it? What we have between us?”
“I do,” Bruce said, barely above a whisper. “I think I felt it from our first date.”
“Me too! It’s so weird. I always prided myself as a practical person. I didn’t not believe in love at first sight, and then—”
“And then all of a sudden you were completely clicking with someone on a level you never had before.”
“It’s eerie how easily you can read what I’m thinking.”
“I like it. As someone who finds it hard to connect with other people, the ease in which I connect with you is comforting.”
“However, even though we are finding this whole thing really easy, can we not rush into things? Maybe take things a bit slow? I don’t want to rush into anything super permanent, even though my heart is saying, ‘do it.’”
“Oh yeah, no, I totally agree. It’s not like I’m planning to propose to you tomorrow.”
“Good,” Hermione said.
“That’s on the schedule for next week.”
“Oh much more reasonable.”
“I thought so.”
They laughed, and Bruce’s heart soared.
“Can you stay tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”