hulks off duty | bruce

[Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters]

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It was one of those rare afternoons that Jennifer Walters found her schedule to be completely devoid of any appointments with clients, firm meetings, or SHIELD missions. There had once been a time when she filled her schedule with as much work as she possibly could just to keep busy. Since joining the Avengers, though, Jen found that a few extra minutes of sleep sometimes meant the world of a difference. She had spent so many nights cleaning up the streets on her own as She-Hulk but the missions SHIELD sent her own weren’t to take down your run of the mill thief or bonehead. She was playing in the big leagues now. With work keeping her in the office, court room, or before the cameras all day, she was exhausting herself with her day job. The addition of being an Avenger was enough to stress any normal human to the point of insanity. But Jen dealt well with stress. All she needed was a good cup of coffee.

She stood over the sink in her Manhattan apartment as she waited for the kettle to boil. The room was silent except for the tapping of her fingernails against the counter as she watched the New York traffic outside the window. There was something incredibly soothing about watching the hustle and bustle from afar. Her life had become so hectic that a brief moment of silence became her own personal paradise. There was a stack of paperwork sitting on her desk that she planned to look over but only if she couldn’t find something more relaxing to do with her time. And that’s why she called her cousin, Bruce Banner, on her way home from the office. He had been quite cryptic about what his plans for the day were but agreed to stop by for a visit at some point in the afternoon. Although the two were cousins and were practically raised in the same house, they weren’t quite as close as one would think. It could all be chalked up to their personalities though. They cared for each other a great amount, that much was certain, but neither Jennifer nor Bruce were the type to be open or emotional. She preferred it that way, to be honest.

The kettle began to scream and she made her way to the stove to remove it. Caffeine was her drug of choice. Without it Jen would be a monster most days. Or at least a different kind of monster she already was. Once her cup of coffee was poured she pulled into a drawer and retrieved a few delivery menus from pizza and Chinese restaurants in the case that Bruce wanted to order food. Once they were pulled out she took her cup to the desk and began sifting through the manilla folders with case numbers printed across the tabs. Jen’s life really was all work and no play.

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Bruce was driving through the streets of New York enjoying his freedom, after being pardoned of all charges for being a hero in the Chitauri Invasion. No more looking over his shoulder, and all the paranoia was gone in a poof... Not so fast. General Theodore Ross was still obsessed with capturing the Hulk as a weapon, so he was the only problem Banner needed to worry about. The last thing he needed was for the General to attack his loved ones, taking his daughter Betty out of the equation. Jen was along that small line of loved ones, and right now his main priority. Bruce had saved her life in the past, after watching her take a bullet by an unknown vehicle. Whoever the unknown assassins were, they would've been dealt with sooner than later. He still needed more information, on the cold blooded killers. The thought of them raised Bruce's blood pressure, causing him to think about it no longer.

The good doctor still had regrets on exposing Jen to his blood, but it was the only way to keep her alive. He never wanted anyone to experience what he did within the past couple years. Running from the government, livng day and night to find a cure, dodging bullets, and the psychological stress that came with it all. She was now living a good life, by being a successful lawyer, and a part of the Avengers.

Bruce pulled up to a parking space, and retrieved his keys from the ignition of his Volvo s60. Every time Jen would pick up the phone, Bruce was always there within two minutes of her calling. He cared for her a lot, because she was the only family he had left. She was the only one who understood him, and helped him deal with most situations.

Bruce continued to the elevator and waited a good three minutes for the elevator to reach the top. He walked to the door, and slid the spare key from their secret hiding place, and let himself in. The immediate scent of coffee grounds, entered through his nostrils causing the good doctor to grin. "I apologize for letting myself in like that, but your phone call sounded urgent... Is everything okay?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

[Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters]

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To say that adjusting to life with her genetic mutation had been easy would be a blatant lie. The first few days had been the worst. She couldn’t remember much other than the blinding pain and the towel Bruce had placed in her mouth to keep from biting her own tongue off. Once the mutation had settled in her body she thought the worst was over. That hadn’t been the case. Each transformation for the first few months had been just as painful as the first as her body grew in height and density, muscles rippled into existence, and her skin changed to its green color. At first she hadn’t been able to control it. Bruce was the only thing that kept her from killing herself rather than deal with the ongoing pain. She owed him her life for many, many reasons. Jen knew that Bruce felt a certain way about infecting her but becoming She-Hulk was the best thing to ever happen. Once she learned to control the transformations, a feat Bruce hadn’t accomplished, she knew that it had happened for a reason. But that all seemed like a lifetime ago. With her new Hulk form came a new sense of confidence and, ultimately, a new perspective on life.

She flipped through the folders as her dark eyes scanned words here and there. Every so often she accepted a high profile case for a hero or mutant that received a lot of attention in the media. She did most of those cases without pay as a favor to others like her. Atop her current case load was an extremely confidential case within Queen Industries who, to her knowledge thus far, included neither. She typically would have handed off the case to one of her partners had the paying price not been so flattering and Oliver Queen so handsome. What’s a girl to do?

She was caught off guard by the sound of the door locking. Before she had a chance to drop her cup of coffee and assume a fighting stance, the sight of her beloved cousin calmed her nerves. ”You’re lucky I just had the place cleaned otherwise you would’ve walked into a very green girl.” Jen couldn’t help but laugh as she crossed the room to where Bruce stood in the doorway. She wrapped one arm around him in a sort of half-embrace. Hugging wasn’t something they normally did but every now and then it was nice to feel normal. Or something like that.

”Yes, everything’s fine. I’m sorry if I worried you, I called while fighting traffic home from the office. That was probably my road rage projected at you.” She walked back into the living area. ”Coffee? It’s fresh.” Jen made her way back to the kitchen area to pour him a cup before even hearing his answer. ”You got here pretty fast. That fancy new car of your’s treating you well?”

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Bruce was thankful to see that his cousin was okay, because of the phone-call sounding so urgent. He knew she could of handled herself, but it was his natural reaction to worry. Jennifer was the only family he had left, and if she were to ever become harmed, he would go absolutely nuts. The Hulk would've engulfed Bruce, taking over his body completely and permanently. This was how much he cared for his cousin, almost as if she were a sister. Bruce was in the lab at a nearby hidden SHIELD base, when he'd received the phone call. He was out of the lab within thirty seconds, and almost backed out into a passing car.

Bruce chuckled at her words, and revealed a small grin. He looked around her apartment, just now realizing how clean it was. "Well at least you aren't like me, you'll probably go green by seeing the site of my studio" he spoke as he rubbed his chin hairs with a smile. Jen wasn't ever a slob, not like himself. She was a woman who needed to be organized for her line of work. Bruce admired her for carrying two lines of work, making him want to do the same. Being in the lab was like the gingerbread man being in his house. The lab was his second home, because of the obsession he had in controlling the Hulk. While doing work for SHIELD, he wanted to better himself by going out to look for a job. OSCORP would of been his first interview in almost five years. He was ready to show Norman Osborn why he would've proven to be a valuable asset to his company.

Getting back to the subject at hand, Bruce listened to her explanation of the urgent phone call. Road rage was something that he would've never expressed because of the dangers that followed after. It was definitely a reasonable explanation, but he only hoped she wouldn't have scared him like that. No telling what Thaddeus Ross was planning next, knowing that SHIELD could no longer keep him away. Ever since the aftermath of the Chitauri Invasion, Bruce believed the secret services were after him again. He knew that they would come at full force one day, especially thriving off the fear of knowing that we are officially not alone in the universe. "You can take your road rage out on me as much as you want, as long as I know that you're okay... And that would be nice" he responded. Bruce kept the details about Ross in the dark, not wanting to inscribe fear in her.

She continued with her words, making Bruce fold his arms. "What can I say, I like to drive fast... and its treating me right... I'm just happy I can get my life back together after the monstrosities that have occurred" he answered with a quick frown. Bruce wasn't too picky on his cars, unlike Tony Stark. He just cared whether it got him from point A to point B. "Enough about me, my life is uninteresting... How are you? Need a consult for any of your cases or are you bound by attorney-client privileges?" he asked as he leaned over to peak at one of her open files. The name Oliver Queen quickly caught his eye.