Stay With Me
Chapter One
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It's been four days since Bruce Banner discovered a new species on earth, or maybe it was just a freak of nature but it stuck to his side like a burr. He found out by examining it that it was a female, young by the state of it's teeth and it ate numerous plants and berries.
Some berries he knew were extremely poisonous to other animals and yet, it ate them without ill effect. It was overly affectionate towards him but stayed clear of the other mammals. And strangely, it could say only a few words in the English language but it was only various titles of 'Eevee'. Eevee.. after a few days he named the animal Eevee. Not very creative but she seemed to like it.
"Eevee!" Eevee rushed forwards and out of the jungle. Bruce stumbled forwards after her.
"Wait! Stop." He ordered. Eevee paused and looked back at him before flicking her tail and continuing onwards. Bruce sighed and followed her, pausing at the edge of the tree line. A bustling village met his gaze and the smell of freshly cooked food entered his nose and made his stomach gurgle excitedly.
"Eve?" Bruce looked down to see Eevee standing by his feet. He smiled and bent down before patting her head. She purred and put her ears back, showing her pleasure.
"Good girl." He praised her. Eevee chirped happily and followed him as he started for the village.
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It was easy to find work as a doctor in the village, even if he knew only the basics that he picked up. There was a lot of ill people that could use modern American medicine and for payment, he accepted food and board. He and Eevee were readily accepted by the adults and the children after he healed the village elder of a deadly fever.
Eevee was a favorite with the village children, playing with them with a big cotton thread ball and letting the girls groom her fur to make her all pretty. In the evening, Eevee would find Bruce and stick close to his side until he left for his hut for the night.
Their hut was small, made for one. It had a small bed in a corner with a lumpy mattress, a tiny table and chair. He made his own version of book shelf to keep a few books he managed to get from the village.
Bruce placed a chipped glass bowl on the dirt floor of the hut, a small pile of berries in berry juice was her dinner tonight as he had rice and some meat. He sat down on the lone chair that was in the hut and dug into his food. Bruce was beyond grateful for the village that let him stay. The food was bland but was filling and the people didn't seem to judge or mistrust him.
The men of the village even helped him repair the hut he was currently living in but.. he still missed the easy life before the other guy made his appearance. He missed the soft beds, the food and even the guy in his lab that used to annoy the hell out of him.
"Eevee." Eevee jolted him out of his thoughts when she jumped into his lap. He glanced over at her dinner bowl and the plate was licked clean. He smiled down at her and brought another forkful to his mouth.
He scrunched up his nose when he found the food to be cold. Eevee purred and nuzzled her face against his chest.
When he saw her eyes focused on his plate, his smile widened. "You still hungry?" Eevee opened her mouth and kept it open. He chuckled and scooped up a small bit of rice with his fingers and offered it to her. She sniffed at it before tasting it. Eevee perked up and eagerly gobbled down the brown rice.
Bruce smiled and rubbed her head with his free hand.
"You already ate. Leave mine alone." He playfully nudged her aside. She chirped and hopped down and moved onto his bed. She yawned before curling up on his pillow and closing her eyes. He shook her head and went back to eating.
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Bruce Banner snapped his eyes opened when a low growl entered his ears. He stiffened and was about to panic as the other guy started to stir. He slowly started to sit up when Eevee's growl rose on volume. He tilted his head and just made out the soft padding of boot steps approaching the hut.
He instantly knew that it wasn't a villager coming for a doctor. None of the villagers had boots for one and Eevee never thought of them as a threat.
Bruce stood, shaking the blankets off of him. Eevee was standing, facing the back window, her eyes narrowed and her ears pushed forwards. Her growl started to get louder with each second.
"Eevee." He ordered, "Quiet now." Eevee instantly went silent but continued to look intently at the wall. Bruce made his way over to the window and glanced outside. He felt the anger surge inside of him when he caught sight of several men in cameo moving towards the hut. It was Ross, it had to be. After two months of freedom, they were here.
"Leave Eevee." Bruce spoke urgently. Eevee looked up at him with a squeak and cocked her head. Bruce pointed towards the door. He knew things were about to get dangerous and she could get seriously hurt or killed. Eevee shook her head and turned her eyes back towards the wall.
Bruce's anger welled up inside of him.
"Go!" He shouted. Eevee jerked at his shout and took off running out the front door just as bullets erupted from the hut's wall. Bruce felt his control of Hulk slip and he fell into darkness.
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Hulk roared as he flooded to the surface, feeling Banner's puny human body swell and rip to make room for his own. Hulk growled and shielded his face as bullets bounced off his body. He roared and swung his arms our, demolishing the hut around him.
He jumped and landed before the armed men and with a sweep of his arm, sent them flying into the ground. He roared louder as a missile struck him in the back, sending him onto his hands and knees from the blow. A four wheeled vehicle wheeled out from the jungle, another missile readying itself in the launcher that was strapped onto the roof. Hulk stood and clenched his fists. He could hear the screams and yells from the village behind him and the orders that the armed men were shouting.
"Hulk smash!" He yelled and leapt at the missile carrier. He grabbed the sides of the car and tore it apart. Hulk jumped away before it could explode. He smiled when he heard the explosion behind him but slightly deflated when he saw three more drive out from the jungle.
He turned his head just as two more missiles exploded on his chest. He was thrown back and landed flat on his back. He groaned and sat up, bringing a hand to his head. Damn Ross. Ross make Hulk very angry. His eyes widened when the missiles vehicles approached and readied their weapons.
A blur of brown had Hulk direct his vision downwards. Eevee planted herself before the Hulk, facing the vehicles with a growl and crouching down. Hulk's eyes widened and he felt Banner's emotions flood his body.
"No!" Hulk roared as the missiles fired towards her. Time seemed to stop as Hulk watched the missiles designed for him heading towards his and Banner's pet. Hulk struggled to his feet, a roar of denial escaping his throat.
"Eevee!" Eevee shouted, her normally brown eyes turning a blinding light blue. Hulk stumbled to a stop when a rather large blue/green barrier appeared before Eevee and Hulk and the missiles exploded when they made contact with the barrier.
The dust settled slowly as the Hulkbusters were in shocked silence at what they were seeing. A small animal had stopped their weapon, a weapon meant for someone as powerful as the Hulk. Eevee let the barrier slowly dissolve before staggering.
Hulk bent down and swooped Eevee up his one giant hand; cradling her gently as he looked down at her with concerned eyes. Eevee chirped softly and nuzzled his thumb, assuring him that she was alright.
"Get him! Get the Hulk! Don't let it get away!" An order shattered the silence. Hulk glared up at them and growled, carefully folding his fingers around Eevee to shield her away from any oncoming fire. He crouched down and jumped, ignoring the peppering of bullets on his back.
For the first time in a long time, Hulk was retreating. He was running away from something he could so easily smash. He landed deep in the jungle that just a few months ago, he found his pet. He jumped again and again before he cleared the jungle and landed in a large field.
The herd of sheep scattered, bleating fearfully at the startling awakening that Hulk gave them. Hulk ignored them and plopped down onto the grass, opening his hand to see if his pet was alright. Eevee looked up at him, her brown eyes bright and her tail sweeping across his palm. She sat up when he didn't move his hand, getting her bearings quickly enough.
"Pet okay?" Hulk asked. Hulk raised his other hand and as gently as he could, pushed her with his finger. Eevee chirped happily and pushed back with her head. Hulk grinned and used his finger to pet her body as she started to purr happily. He hadn't known a support or unconditional love that a pet could give. Hulk wasn't used to someone that showed him that they had no fear of him. Even Banner was feared by people when they found out what he was, a monster.
Hulk growled at that. He wasn't a monster. He wasn't.
"Eevee?" Eevee asked, cocking her head when his finger stopped petting her. She stood and moved further up his hand when she heard him growl. She pushed her front paws into his wrist, like a cat would kneed it's bed. Hulk snapped out of his darkening thoughts and looked down.
"Eevee!" Eevee chirped, her tail swishing. Hulk's growl turned into a grin as he went back to petting her. It only took a few minutes before Hulk felt himself shrinking and turning back to Banner. Hulk yawned and settled back into Banner's mind.
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Bruce Banner groaned as he slowly came too. He hurt, his whole body ached but a firm, warm weight on his stomach felt wonderful. He blinked open his eyes and looked down. Even in the slowly brightening dawn, he could see a pair of dark brown eyes staring back at him. Eevee sat with her tail curled around her paws as she looked down at him from her position on his stomach.
"Eevee?" He croaked, groaning as he sat up, perching himself on his hands. His eyes widened when flashes of the other guy's memories went through his head.
"Eevee!" He yelped, his body protesting as he quickly sat up, scooping her up in his hands as he looked her over for any obvious wounds. Eevee held still, allowing Bruce to do his doctor thing.
Bruce could remember the missiles meant for the other guy heading towards Eevee, could remember the explosion that followed but Eevee didn't have a wound on her.
He gasped when the memory of a blue and green shield, made up of pure energy flooded his mind. He lifted Eevee up to his face and looked into her eyes.
"What are you?" He whispered. Eevee cocked her head and chirped happily, her tail swishing. She leaned forwards and swiped her tongue on his nose. He smiled. Bruce also remembered that Eevee wasn't afraid of him, both sides of him. He placed Eevee on his lap and waited for his body to settle down.