Open// Love Hurts
Betty looked even more distraught when she saw his face “Y-you didn’t know? Bruce.. I was pregnant when you left.. I lost the baby.” She was more calm now, attempting to control herself “I was tortured until it died Bruce.. Than it was cut out of me..” She started crying “I’m sorry.. I know I should’ve been safer but I wanted the baby so bad and I didn’t think anyone would put two and two together..” She looked at the ground “I-If you’re not here for the baby.. What’re you doing?” She stared blankly “I know you’re not here for me..” Betty had convinced herself he had left because he didn’t love her anymore.. She kind of wanted to hold him as she watched him get into worse and worse condition.. She wasn’t sure how to.. She just pulled him close, resting her head on top of his not sure if it was alcohol or her instincts around him but she just wanted to hold him and keep him safe. She sighed, feeling better with him in her arms.
Every word she spoke was like a knife being driven into him. Had he known? No. No, he hadn’t known. If he had known, he... well, actually, he didn’t know how he would have felt about it. What if his child had been a monster, just like he was under the surface? The beast inside of him didn’t magically appear out of nothing. His father was right, at least to some degree. Bruce should have died, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t-- he couldn’t, actually, he had tried himself since then --and that had its implications.
Two and two together. Tortured. Died. Cut out. Should’ve been safer.
Her cascade of words weighed heavily on his conscience. He should have been here. He should have taken her with him. He never should have tested the damned work on himself. Never.
But he was, in some sense, here for her. Not to see her, no, but to try to cure himself. That had been the goal for such a long time. Cure himself, and come back to her. He still had her picture. Bruce loved her. He adored her.
However, he had been prepared to accept her being with someone else, should that be what he returned to find. Banner had mixed emotions about that, but ultimately wished she would be happy, somehow.
His watch beeped as his heart-rate steadily increased, alerting him. Suddenly, her arms were around him. His voice wasn’t more than a whisper, almost a plea, “Betty, I-- I need a minute--” But he didn’t pull away, forcing himself to take a deep, shaky breath. “--I’m sorry, I just-- I need a minute--” Bruce’s eyes closed tightly, willing himself not to cry. He needed to focus, calm himself despite this heartbreaking, new information. The mere thought of transforming here and now with the revelation of this news was horrifying, and it rather counter-productively made his heart rate sky-rocket. It would defeat the entire purpose of him leaving in the first place, after all.
Though, it seemed she had been absolutely no safer for it to begin with.
