𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 ▹ 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐔

▹ 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫

𝐢 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞
𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥

𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃, 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑. By then, he'd already been on the run for years, hunted vehemently by government organizations hellbent on locking him away. One could only imagine his confusion when the fugitive scientist-turned-monster — an individual so stressed about his emotions that he did his best to bottle every single one — suddenly found himself... calm.

Bruce would later describe the feeling as an abrupt wave of relaxation that washed over him, consuming him completely and immediately. He'd even go as far as claiming that, for the first time since his 'accident', he'd felt as though he could breathe. Even 'the big guy' (a presence the man was still adjusting to at the time) seemed to thoroughly mellow; a feat he honestly considered impossible until that moment.

By all means, it perplexed the doctor. Why had his demeanor changed so suddenly? Where did his newfound peace come from? It wasn't until the tranquility left a few hours later, replaced by shock and joy, that Bruce understood what had happened.

"This can't be real," the American whispered from his dingy cot, his unkempt mop of dark curls held tightly in his grasp. "This has got to be some kind of sick joke — it has to be. No one can be this unlucky."

It wasn't, and he was.

At 38 years old, Banner was no stranger to romance. Sure, he'd had his soul-mark since infancy, but he'd never developed sensitivities nor had the blemish ever itched. Not willing to wait forever, he moved on, falling in love with an unmated colleague named Betty Ross with the hopes of someday settling down.

Honestly, everything was good, no — it was perfect, until The Hulk was born. The green gargantuan was rage fueled and dangerous, a beast in every sense of the word. It instantly crushed any hope of a normal future, dreams of white picket fences and fresh-cut lawns left demolished in its wake.

Bruce Banner's happiness was perhaps the biggest casualty. He already thought himself cursed with his lack of a soulmate, but his new condition only cemented the notion completely. His once vibrant soul dulled and there was no cure; there never would be.

Gaining his other half's sensitivity two years after his accident was like rubbing salt into a wound. Fate was telling him that the love of his life was there — that they were alive and waiting for him — but he could do nothing about it. He couldn't accept them; he couldn't subject them to a life of constant peril at his hands; he was damaged goods. To him, there was only one course of action: ignore the sensitivity completely.

━ lyrics from feelings are fatal by mxmtoon.
━ this blurb takes place on march 7, 2007 at approximately midnight new york time. for the sake of this story, i'm saying it's during the time bruce was in south america. era is sleeping when bruce first feels her sensitivity.
━ all references to bruce banner's past as well as the location mention in these author's notes are from the film the incredible hulk starring edward norton, which is the same banner throughout the mcu. the only difference is the casting.
━ soulmark graphic by me.