Loving Yous A Little Bit Hard Sometimes / Bruce Banner

35. Suddenly Sober

'Bruce you failed to mention that I still have to deal with a hulk sized hangover.'

'You get used to it.' Bruce remarked. 'I'll see you out there.' Jens forehead slumped to the countertop and he blew an air horn in her ear.

"Make it stop.' Alisha groaned comingninto the kitchen. Bruce handed her a steaming cup of tea with milk and sugar just how she liked it. " why are you guys screaming this early in the morning?" She begged taking a tea cup from him.

" sorry honey training has already begun," Bruce answered

" no he forgot to tell me that I would have a hangover in the morning like a human." Jen hissed

'So when do you think I can leave? I mean I legitimately do have a life to get back to.' Jen was saying as alisha fed anthony. Half asleep and a baby on her chest, a bottle in his mouth, she had switched over to formula long time ago because her body refused to produce enough milk for him.

'I know I've been pushing you through a lot but being a superhero is a trial by fire,' Bruce told her

'Bruce I'm not going to be a superhero.' Jen told him confidently

'What else are you going to do as a hulk?" Bruce countered.

" how about what I want us to do which is retired and not deal with Hulk related or super villain alien anything in that classification ever again." Alisha gave bruce a pointed look.

'Return to my career which I've spent years building using my law degree that I am paying a fortune in student loans for.' Jen suggested.

'It's not one or the other I'm trying to show you that we have to live with between what we want and what is we are two of the few people on earth that can actually protect earth which is why we have to make sure of your ability to deal with stress and regulate your emotions especially your anger.' Bruce told her. "Lida you know that better than anyone."

" I do and I agree that doing what you do in controlling it takes practice and which is why we've had years of back-and-forth and wanting to rip your head off." Alisha agreed. " she's getting a hang of it and villains aren't popping up all the time so why not let her fight the normal bad guys as a lawyer."

" I don't know..." Bruce countered hesitantly

'Well here's the thing Bruce I'm great at controlling my anger I do it All the time,' Jen told Bruce, he nodded but not believing. 'when I'm cat called in the streets when I am man-splained my own area expertise to me. I do it pretty much every day because if I don't I will get called emotional or difficult or might just literally get murdered. so I am an expert and controlling my anger because I do it infinitely more than you.' Jen remarked. 'so all of this just feels like projecting a lot of shit onto me.' she said shifting back-and-forth

'See,' Bruce said pompously

'No I'm doing this.' Jen told him

'OK this is completely new territory.'

'She's right bruce, women have to deal with a lot more shit than you do I know you've been green for a while but pretty much the entire day of a woman's life in a mans world they are harassed one way or another sometimes it's by your own female species but the majority of the time it is egotistical man childs who think they know best,' alisha added

" you never told me this. It happens to you?" Bruce questioned.

" it happens even more so since I became a public figure. A superhero. The media is a cruel place." Alisha agreed and Bruce felt a rage for him. " I know how to handle it." She assured. 

'I guess I've outgrown your binder cousin I'm going home.' Jen told him 'I'm going to borrow the Jeep and take it back to LA you can pick up at my place.'

'Just stop and think about this' Bruce begged. "Lida help me out she's just not ready."

'honestly I don't know she's sort of seems like she has got this under control.' Alisha agreed.

'Listen to your super awesome wife bruce,' Jen agreed 'I did your dialectical behavioral therapy I can change back-and-forth and I'm happy I can get back to my life.'

'Whether you like it or not you're a superhero and who's gonna protect the world if it isn't people for like us.'

'Are you quoting a comic book right now?' Jen questioned and bruce shrugged.

" he reads them to the kids at night. It's adorable" alisha added.

'The idea of being a superhero is not appealing to me and I'm not going to become you I don't need to join some secret government contractor squad and have my entire life taken away from me-' jen went on.

'My life wasn't taken away.' Bruce corrected.

'Oh no? you aren't hiding away in a remote beach definitely not dealing with a decades worth of trauma!' Jen shouted 'why would you want that for me Bruce?' Jen questioned. 'You're a cautionary tale'

'It's not wrong to want to keep people safe.' Bruce told her. " it's not wrong to normal life hidden away from society to keep my family safe. And I want to protect them the only way I know how. I've spent a lifetime running from myself going that way it's not the way to live,' Bruce told her. "Alisha showed me a better way to live, and that inhibitor helped in her guidance helped, and her acceptance of both sides of me was everything. So I'm not hiding here..."

'Goodbye," jen countered moving to the jeep  but Bruce blocked the car 'what are you doing?'

'I'm asking you to reconsider.' Bruce told her.

'Done I've reconsidered I'm still going.' Jen corrected. Bruce put his hands on the car

'I'm serious.'

'So am I.' Jen spat.

" I'm too drunk to deal with you people." Alisha decided. " I'm going back inside."

'You think you can just say a bunch of mean things like that and drive away?" Bruce questioned.

'Yes!' she screamed plowing the car into Bruce. Alisha turned at the sound of bruce smacking into a pile of boulders.

'Bruce!' they both called he broke out from underneath.

"Brucie!" Alisha demanded suddenly sober as she ran to him. She knew realistically that he was fine because Hulk would not let him not be. But still a part of her always worried what if it was the last time.

'dick move.' Bruce told jen

'See I learned it from you.' Jen answered.

'You're doing the best you can and you can do better,' Bruce told her confidently.

'Dialectical behavioral bullshit!' Jen said transforming alisha took a step back as the Hulks started to duel.

Alisha eyes ping ponged back and forth as the two hulks threw each other across the island.

" I am going to finish my tea... let me know..." alisha hesitated. "don't let me know. I don't care. I'm going back to bed."