the monster within → b . banner

[33] Take a Chill Pill

I sat by Pepper as I watched Steve and Clint chase Marie around the tower. She was giggling and dodging the two men, and Thor chuckled. Tony and Bruce were down in Stark's workshop, and Pepper had to assure me that everything was going to be fine down there. Steve caught Marie, and she squealed, making him chuckle. Pepper and I began to talk, and Natasha soon joined in. And, as a bonus, Steve's girlfriend, Blossom, joined the party. She's a pretty cool person, being an agent and all. Marie and Clint were now chasing Steve around, and Blossom smiled a bit.

"Honestly, he's brave, smart, sweet, caring, and great with kids? He really is a super human." She said, and I looked at her. She didn't mention his obvious good looks, so that means that even if he wasn't handsome, she'd still love him. I'm pretty sure that sounds better in my thoughts, so that's where it'll stay.

"Yup, the total package." Natasha said, and we all laughed a bit. I looked back over at Marie, and she was sitting on Steve after 'tackling and capturing' him with Clint's help. I started to wonder about what Bruce and Tony were doing, but Blossom nudged my arm gently. I looked up at her, since everyone here is taller than me. But, Blossom's only taller than me by a tiny bit, so that's nice. Midget buddies!

"Hey, Cynthia, if you ever need a babysitter for your adorable daughter, don't hesitate to ask us. Steve loves her." She said softly, and I smiled. Marie certainly brings a lot of joy wherever she goes.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." I said, and she smiled. We could all hear footsteps coming up the stairs, and I figured Tony and Bruce were coming up to join the fun-fest, but I was wrong. The footsteps were hurried, and it was only Tony who burst into the room. Pepper, Blossom, Natasha, and I all stood, and Blossom shot a look at Steve. The look clearly stated, 'Keep the kid occupied.' and he nodded. He scooped Marie up, and with Thor and Clint, he carried her into a separate room.

"Tony, what's wrong?" Pepper asked, and he looked from her to the rest of us. 

"Something went wrong in the workshop, and it was too much for Banner. He Hulked out." Tony said, making sure that Marie hadn't tiptoed back into the room. My eyes widened in fear, and I stepped forward.

"Are you okay? How bad is it down there?" I asked, and he took a deep breath.

"Ms. Coulson, I'm fine, and the damage wasn't too great, but I don't know about now." He said, looking me in the eye. 

"What should we do? Should we get the guys?" Blossom asked.

"No, we don't to worry Marie. If she notices us all in a frenzy, she'll get curious." Pepper whispered, and I stood up straight.

"I'm going down there. I have a special friend who might be able to calm him down. But, I need to go it alone." I said in a low tone. 

"Cynthia! The Hulk could seriously hurt you." Blossom gasped, and I looked at her.

"What choice do we have? I'd better head down there, before it gets worse. And have faith in me. None of my plans have ever failed, yet." I said, walked past Tony and making my way down to his workshop.

***

I saw the workshop, and it looked like a tornado ripped through. There were so many broken machines, thingamabobs, doohickeys, and thingamajigs. I entered the space, and I had to step carefully, due to all of the broken glass and sharp shard things. 

'Woah, this is a mess! I wonder what got him all riled up?" Demoria whispered out of nowhere.

'Holy hell Demoria. Warn me before you speak up. Now, I'm gonna need your help.' I thought, and she seemed to be happy. 

'When?' She asked, and suddenly, Hulk appeared out of nowhere and he roared.

'Now, if possible!' I thought in a rush, and I dropped to my knees as soon as Hulk tossed something at me. My hair turned purple, my fingernails turned into claws, I felt fangs grow in my mouth, and I'm guessing my eyes went black and my lips went icy blue. I stood, and this time, I had a jet black dress on, and I could move pretty fast. Her wings sprouted, but she didn't use them,

"Hulk! Calm down! It's me, Demoria!" She said, her sweet voice dripping from my mouth. Hulk didn't even pause. He chucked something at us, and Demoria launched us into the air, flying around in circles above his head. He tried to grab us, but we reached new heights each time.

"Hulk! Cut the shit! Remember me?" She asked, in a soft, motherly tone. Hulk paused for a moment, and he slowly lowered his hands, which held something neither of us could identify.

"That's right buddy. Put that down. You don't wanna hurt me, do you? You don't wanna hurt anyone, right?" She asked, slowly flying over. We sat on his shoulder, but Hulk reached up and gently picked us up with one slightly massive hand. He put his hands together, and we were able to sit criss cross applesauce on both of them.

"Hey, that's better, right? You need to calm down, and bring good ol' Bruce back. Please? I don't want you to get hurt." She said, and he nodded.

"That's my good Hulk." She whispered, flying up and over to his shoulder again. She kissed his cheek, and he grunted softly.

"Come on, change back. You need some rest, and so does Bruce. Do this for the both of you, I know you can." She whispered lovingly, and Hulk nodded. Demoria flew back to the ground, and Hulk slowly started to shrink back down to Bruce. At the same time, Demoria started to disappear, and I came back into control. The transformation back wasn't as painful, and I was able to stay on my feet. Bruce came back, and he stumbled slightly. I rushed forward and caught him, and I slowly lowered down to my kees, bringing him to his knees as well.

"Wha...? What happened?" He asked, his voice weary.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask Tony. Let's get you upstairs. Everyone's so worried about you." I whispered, and he nodded. I helped him stand, and he groaned softly. Together, we walked over to and up the stairs, going a slow pace so he didn't hurt himself, and we got to the living room.

"Oh, thank god you two are okay." Pepper sighed, relief in her voice. 

"Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without her." Bruce said softly, kissing my cheek.

"You'd still be Hulk, that's for sure." I mumbled, and he smiled weakly. I helped him to the couch, and Pepper rushed to get him an ice pack. I wasn't sure one ice pack would do the trick, but I didn't say anything. She came back, handed the pack to Bruce, and he thanked her. I sat beside him, and Blossom went to go get the others.

"Here." I said softly, taking the ice pack and resting it on his forehead. He closed his eyes, and Marie came into the room slowly.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" She asked quietly. She climbed onto the couch and sat on my lap, and he opened one eye.

"I'm fine sweetheart. I just, er, hit my head pretty hard. It'll be okay." He said, and she nodded. She looked up at me, and I nodded at her, to confirm his little white lie. Satisfied with the answer, she hopped down and went to go find something else to do.

"When do we tell her?" I asked Bruce softly.

"Soon, I promise." He replied, setting his hand on mine. I sighed and nodded, wondering how long 'soon' would be.