Beauty and The Beast ((Bruce Banner/Hulk love))

Chapter 5 (EDITED)

**Aero's POV**

Most of the plane ride was completely silent. There was quiet chatter between the pilot and the helicarrier as we headed back towards it. I kept my attention on the words of my book, every once and a while I would glance over to check on Doctor Banner. He had taken the seat across from me when we had first started to take off. He hadn't looked away from a particular spot on the floor most of the ride. I had only caught his glance once, but he had quickly looked away when it had happened.

"So," His voice broke the silence between us. I let my eyes trail over the last few words in the paragraph. He said nothing else, obviously waiting for me to give him my attention. I gave a small smile in his direction when I finally closed my book. He was looking at me with a bit of an uneasy look in his eyes. "You were really ready to take on," He cleared his throat. "The other guy" He had a hint of distaste in his voice when he spoke about the hulk. "With only your fists?" That was obviously a question that had been weighing on his mind since the almost incident inside the abandoned house. I blinked a few times as the question processed through my mind. I made sure my page marker was in place before setting my book to the side. I turned to face him completely and clasped my hands together in front of me. My eyebrows were knitted together as a displeased frown formed on my face. I didn't like to be underestimated.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Doctor." I warned. My eyes are set on him across the small jet. "Why do you think they sent me?" I asked almost rhetorically. He stared at me blankly for a moment unsure of how to answer my question. "Do you think it was because of my pretty face? Or because I'm small and not intimidating?" I shot with a sarcastic bite to my tone. It was easy to tell that he upset me, so he just shrugged instead of answering. "No, Doctor." I corrected him firmly. "I have practically supersonic speed, super strength, and a healing factor that is nearly instantaneous." I explained as I crossed my arms over my chest. I leaned back pressing my back into the wall of the jet. He stared at me in disbelief for a moment. The jet fell into silence again.

**Bruce's POV**

The plane ride away from Calcutta was creepily quiet. The only sound was the pilot communicating with wherever we were headed. I had decided to sit across from Agent Mitchell instead of beside her. When we had gotten on the plane she had picked up a book with a black cover and started reading. She hadn't pulled her nose from the book for more than a brief moment, just to glance over and check on me. I did my best to keep my eyes away from her, but she was strikingly pretty and it was hard not to take glances at her. She only managed to catch my eyes once, which quickly caused me to look down and away from her. I shifted in my seat feeling a bit uneasy on the confined jet.

"So," I spoke up trying to break the silence between us. I lifted my eyes from where I had been looking at most of the ride. I was taken back for a second by how pretty she was yet again. It was much lighter in the jet than it had been in the abandoned house in Calcutta. I was able to see the soft features of her face much better now. Agent Mitchell hummed almost unknowingly as her eyes trailed on the page. I waited for her to look up at me before continuing my attempt at conversation. I had never been very good at it, but it was that or sit in silence. She closed her book using her finger to keep her place. "You were really ready to take on." I swallowed thickly at the thought of bringing up the green guy. "The other guy," I mentally cringed at the words that left my mouth. "With just your fists?" I asked. That had been bothering me since I faked my little outburst in the abandoned house. She hadn't pulled any weapon or called for back up. She just stood her ground against the Hulk without showing any fear. I couldn't believe that she could be foolish enough to have thought she could stand against the hulk by herself. She stared at me for a moment before her expression turned to one of displeasure. She only took her attention off of me just long enough to stick a bookmark in her book and lay it away from her. She rotated her body so she was now facing me head on. I instantly regret asking my question at all.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Doctor." I could feel the warning coming off of her words. You would think that I would have a better understanding of being judged before anyone looked deeper, but I was doing it to her. Her eyes were set on me and I could clearly see how unhappy she was with me. "Why do you think they sent me?" The tone in her words told me not to answer that question. "Do you think it was because of my pretty face?" She sassed. "Or because I'm small and not intimidating?" There was a strong sarcastic bite to her words. Her jaw was set and anger was written in her expression. I automatically backed down. She may be pretty small, but the look in her eyes was intimidating. I settled for shrugging instead of voicing a dumb answer that would make her more upset. "No, Doctor." She corrected me. "I have practically supersonic speed, super strength, and a healing factor that is almost instantaneous." She leaned back crossing her arms over her chest. Just by looking at her, you wouldn't know that she could pack such a punch. She looked like a normal girl on the outside, but if she could do what she said she could do, I was now not surprised that she had stood against the Hulk alone. Agent Mitchell turned her head away from me with a small huff. She retrieved her book and purposefully ignored me this time. I just stared at her for a bit longer trying to understand what she had told me. The jet fell back into silence for the rest of the flight. 

(Word Count : 1115)