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[34] Relax

"Bruce, listen to me. You didn't mean for it to happen. Now, stop pacing and sit the fuck down, over here, with me." I said sternly. 

"Cynthia, this is so much bigger than that. I could've killed you. I could've gotten to the others. Marie could've gotten to downstairs, and I could've killed her." Bruce said, pacing.

"But you didn't, and we handled the situation. And you can't keep this from her forever." I retorted, standing up and walking over to him. He took a step back from me, so I grabbed his hand. He turned to face me, and I looked him in the eye.

"Bruce Banner, I know how big this is. I know how much pressure this puts on you, but you need to calm down and relax. Don't fight me on this, just humor me." I said softly, and his shoulders relaxed. I pulled him over to the bed and made him sit down. I moved and sat behind him, and he looked over his shoulder at me. I kissed the top of his head and set my hands on his shoulders, rubbing them gently. He leaned into my touch, and I inched backward. 

"Sit up." I commanded. He did as he was told, and I sat up and leaned back on the pillows. He turned to face me, and I smiled. 

"Lays back down." I said softly, and he did. His head was soon in my lap, and I began stroking his hair. He closed his eyes and sighed, making me smile.

"Isn't this much better? No stress, no muss, no fuss." I whispered, and he nodded slowly. I continued, and his chest rose and sank at a stable pace. I pressed a kiss to his forehead, and he opened one eye.

"I love you." He mumbled, and I smiled.

"I love you, too." I said softly, and he sat up. He shifted and sat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me closer and I rested my head on his shoulder. He squeezed my shoulder and I looked up at him.

"Why do you love me? I could hurt you at any time. I could hurt Marie." He mumbled, playing with my hair.

"Because you helped me cope with my new powers, and you helped me accept myself again. You never stopped caring for me, and you welcomed Marie into your life, no questions asked." I said back, and he smiled.

"Well, how can you say no to her cute little face?" He asked, and I smiled.

"Easy. Be like me and not have a soul." I joked, and he laughed. 

"Nah, you have a soul. Trust me. If you didn't, you wouldn't have any compassion for the monster." He said softly, reaching for my hand with his free hand. He ran his thumb over my knuckles slowly, and I smiled. This was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, no doubt about it. He was all I needed in a person, and he was perfect just the way he was.

"I told you I loved you, right?" Bruce asked, and I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Yes, yes you did." I said, and he smiled down at me.

"Well, I'm going to say it again. I love you. I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you." He said softly, and I snuggled against him.

"I love you, too. And without you, well...." I trailed off, not wanting to think about not having him beside me. He gently rubbed my arm and kissed the top of my head, and we enjoyed each other's company in silence.

***

That night, at dinner, Bruce kept glancing over at me, and I looked from him to Marie. He shook his head, and I set my fork down softly. 

"Mommy, are you okay?" Marie asked, looking at me.

"I'm fine sweetheart. But, daddy has something he needs to tell you." I said, standing and walking out of the room quickly. I pressed my back against the wall close to the kitchen so I could hear what was going on.

"What did mommy mean?" Marie asked. I could hear Bruce sigh, and he pushed his chair back, making it scrape the ground. I could hear his footsteps approach Marie, and I peeked out to see him kneeling in front of her.

"Marie, sweetheart, I have something to tell you. You see, I'm not.... entirely human. There's this.... Other Guy, and he's a part of me. I can't get rid of him, and sometimes, I can't control him. I wasn't so sure about telling you this, but your mother and I decided it was best if I did. Please, don't hate me...." He said, and I heard Marie jump down from her seat. I saw her wrap her little arms around his neck and hug him tightly.

"Never in a gazillion years daddy." She said softly, and I watched them hug. I smiled, and Marie pulled away from Bruce slowly. She gently kissed him on the cheek, and she skipped off to her room.

"Cynthia, I know you're there. Come back in here, please." He said, and I reentered the kitchen.

"You rang?" I asked, and he sighed, but smiled.

"Well, I feel much better about it now. But, I really didn't appreciate you leaving like that." He said, walking over to me.

"Look, I'm sorry. But, it needed to be done. No regrets on my end." I held my hands in front of my chest in a surrender-like gesture, and he chuckled. He reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. My hands rested on his chest, and his other arm wrapped around my waist. He leaned down and kissed me passionately, a gesture that surprised me, but I gladly returned. He pulled away from me slowly, and I looked up at him.

"Am I forgiven?" I asked, and he picked me up, chuckling as he did so. He then bent down and started to kiss my neck gently, and I gasped softly.

"Not yet you're not." He mumbled against my neck, and he carried me up to our room.

"We have to say goodnight to Marie." I said softly, hoping to stall him. 

"Oh, of course." He smiled mischievously, setting me down. We both walked to Marie's room, and she was all ready for bed. 

"Goodnight Mommy. Goodnight Daddy. I love you." She said, and I walked over. She lay down, and I pulled the covers up and over her tiny body. I gently kissed her forehead, and Bruce did the same.

"Goodnight Marie. Sweet dreams Angel." I whispered, shutting her bedroom light off. Bruce and I left her room, and I shut the door slowly. Bruce grabbed my hand and I glanced up at him.

"You're almost forgiven." He said, a smirk crossing onto his lips.

"Oh boy...." I mumbled, smiling up at him. He then proceeded to drag me to our room, and he shut the door with his foot, and I swear Marie could hear my laughter.

---------{A/N}---------

Heyo! I'm back, and I wanted to apologize for suh a long wait on this chapter. To be honest, I'm having a hard time thinking of chapters and such. And, the Age of Ultron trailer had me all emotional-like, so updating this after seeing poor Bruce in that snowy forest place hurt mah feels. But, anyways, if you have any ideas for me for chapters, they would be much obliged, and I'd totally dedicate the chapter to you if you give me an idea and I use it. Oh, and if you could please check out Winter Returns, A Bucky Barnes Love Story, it'd be greatly appreciated. :)

~*Kisses, Moonsong*~