The Brute Hulk boyxboy (completed)

Chapter 6: The Second Encounter

~BRUCE~ 

I threw myself on the bed of my penthouse, shuffling through the mail. I hated going through mail. As I got to the end of the stack, I raised my eyebrow when a letter with the Oxford seal on it caught my attention. I immediately raised my body so I was sitting on the edge of my bed, my hands quickly opening the paper to unveil its contents. The heading of the thick paper read List and Resumes of Banner Labs Inductees. I didn't want to admit it but my heart raced at the thought of Neal being on that paper. I followed my index finger down the long white sheet, skipping everyone else's photo and resume.

Any doubt of Neal's absence on that paper was immediately extinguished. My worried expression soon reflected happiness at the sight of Neal's warm and inviting smile next to his credentials. I fell back on the bed, letting a sigh of relief escape my lips. Neal had a pretty impressive resume, not the best I've seen, but definitely great enough for Banner Labs. I tilted my head curiously when I discovered the words (alternate) written in parenthesis next to his name. The list from last year's induction didn't have the words alternate written on anyone's resume. I chalked it up as a formality and checked the other inductees profiles to see if it was next to all their names.

My brows furrowed, discovering that it wasn't. I nodded my head in approval as I checked the other resumes to see if they were on par with my laboratories requirements. I looked at Neal's face on the paper one more time, remembering how good it felt to see his smile even if it was just on a letter. I was reminded again of that puzzling word alternate when I saw it again next to his name. I soon drifted to sleep with the thought of Neals smile playing in my head.

The echoing beep of the alarm rang through my ears, waking me up in a jolt. I quickly turned my alarm off, preventing the incessant noise from frustrating me any further. I was more pleased than surprised to wake up in my bedroom, with the peaceful thought of what the day might bring. I was getting better at controlling "The Other Guy." It had been almost a month since that green beast made an appearance in my life, and I wanted to keep it that way.

As I waited in the lift, my phone buzzed in the right pocket of my pants suit. Looking at the all too familiar digits, I answered. "Hello, Mr. Banner." Martha said, sniffling.

"Hi Martha."

"The Dean wanted to know if you got her letter."

"Yes"

"Oh okay good." she said, which seemed to set off a hideous coughing fit.

"Are you okay?"

After a few seconds of coughing she replied with a not so convincing "Yes I'm great Mr. Banner." I stepped off the lift, the light letting me know I was on the fourth floor, as the silver door opened. "The Dean also wanted to know if all of the applicants are eligible for Banner Labs."

"Yes, all the applicants have very impressive resumes... even better than last year's inductees." I said with a smirk. Martha let out a chuckle which led her to yet another coughing fit. I swiftly took out my key card that hung across my neck and opened the door with a simple swipe.

"I'm sorry Mr. Banner, it's just my allergies."

"I understand, spring snuck up on me too."  I hung my tailored suit across the rack and rolled up my white sleeves, ready for the busy day ahead. "Before you go Martha, I have a question about one of the applicants."

"Ask away."

"Next to Neal Wright's name it said alternate. What does that mean?"

"Oh it just means that he was the fifth alternate for the award. One of the students dropped out, and since Mr. Wright was next in-line, he got to take his or her place."

"That makes sense."

"Also the Dean wanted to know if you would be the guest speaker for the students graduation, like you did last year. "Oh." I fucking hated giving speeches. "Tell Dean Griffin I'd be honored."

"I'll let her know as soon as possible." she said, sniffling a little.

"Thanks Martha." I adjusted my glasses I had just put on, giving me a clearer view of the abundance of work I still had laid out on my desk.

"Thank you Mr. Banner."

As I hung up I slumped in my desk chair thinking about how I should deal with Neal being an alternate, professionally. He needed a way for me to push him, so he could be just as good as his fellow inductees. Yes, I cared for him, but I needed to make sure he had a reason to be here. It would be unfair for me to let him be here just because we knew each other and he was a replacement. It was definitely gonna hurt, but I needed to think about his career and his future as his mentor and not as his friend.

~NEAL~

As I drove up to the venue my jaw dropped. It was simply beautiful. The spring weather also made the temperature perfect. Beautiful red roses were along what I assumed to be the walkway to the seats. My white graduation gown brushed the tips of the perfectly green grass as I made my way to the back of the stage . As I turned to my left, a sea of white chairs lay in abundance across the park floor. Standing at both ends of the stage lay two colossal trees, arching their branches over the steps.

Before I got anymore distracted by the beautiful scenery, I rushed on over to the back of the stage to join my fellow classmates. After about an hour of them arranging our line up and explaining to us every possible detail of the ceremony we finally got a small break. Curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to take a peek from behind the stage and my eyes widened as I saw hundreds upon hundreds of parents, siblings, grandparents, friends etc... fill up every last seat. I quickly shot my head back and took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. As long as I didn't fall, I would be okay.

Suddenly I heard a plethora of gasps come from backstage and I whipped my head back to see the commotion. At that moment I almost passed out. It was Bruce, and he was just as handsome as that day at the hospital. Even though we only talked for probably 10 minutes, I wanted to run up to him and tell him everything that's happened since that day. Sadly, there was already a swarm of soon to be alumni swarming him, asking him questions and such. He wore that same smile he did just years ago.

Since my last name was Wright, I was one of the last ones to appear on stage. As I walked across the stage shaking hands and getting my diploma, I tried to focus on not falling. I almost lost my balance when a familiar hand slipped into mine. My eyes met Bruce, and for a second I held my breath. I searched for any piece of familiarity he had in his eyes, but they reflected nothing close to that. I let my hand slip from his and looked down in disappointment. I then realized he probably just didn't recognize me right away. I decided to brush the thought off, and the face of sorrow I wore soon turned to determination when I planned to tell him how I felt after the event.

I was so glad to see my family after my graduation, especially since my parents never made it to anything I asked them to attend. As I saw my sisters, I immediately grinned and ran to hug her. I really did miss her so much, even though we just saw each other a month ago. They made me promise to have a graduation dinner with them. After I said hi and took some pictures with them, I immediately went back to trying to track Bruce down. Wow, I'm kind of a stalker I thought, as I rushed off to try and find him. After about 20 minutes of looking I gave up and figured I'd see him at the internship anyways.

As I sat on the edge of the curb, I swung my head in defeat. As I got up to return back to my family I caught a glimpse of his hazelnut wavy hair and darted towards him. He looked like he was about to get in his car so I ran even faster, not caring that I'd probably ruin my nice clothes. I yelled Bruce and he turned with a look of annoyance. I stepped back, a little surprised by his scowl. "It's actually Mr Banner, but yes?" He asked, clearly uninterested. "Uh... i-it's me Neal. Don't you remember?" "Oh are you one of the inductees, for my lab?"

I tried to talk but nothing came out. "I knew I recognized you. Well... I gotta go." he said looking at his watch. "But it was nice meeting you uhh Neal." I could feel my eyes start to water. How could he forget me, just like that? "Right, well uh... bye Neal." He rushed off as if to avoid anymore prying alumni. The same unfamiliar look he had in his face also rang through his voice. Before I knew it, he was already in the car halfway down the street, and I stood there, heartbroken.