Since You've Been Gone
Since You've Been Gone
Since You’ve Been Gone
Your heartbeat elevated as your mind flooded with panic. Flood – that sounds much less terrifying. It sounded much calmer than the hungry flames enveloping your apartment, swallowing your entire life’s work and all of your possessions in one hungry gulp.
Your breath came and went in heavy pants as you saved as much as you could. Your clothes, your sentimental treasures, your files of scientific research – they were all being swept up in the blaze. Your hands were burned from having touched one too many singed objects, so you gave up on saving anything and booked it for the exit.
You let out a brutal cough as you fell to the ground just outside your apartment door. Your neighbor had called the fire department, but they were taking too long. You stood on wobbly legs and began running, trying to get away from the blaze.
You tripped over your own feet and fell to the concrete, holding your arms out in front of you to brace yourself for the crash. But the crash never came. You looked up in surprise, finding a large green… creature holding onto you. He was humanoid, but much larger. His muscles were obscenely large, bigger than your entire body, and an angry glare was placed on his face, complete with bared teeth.
You looked up in fear, wondering if the creature had saved you in order to take you for himself. You thought you saw his expression soften considerably as he looked at you, but you had no logical explanation for it to do so, so you told yourself that you were seeing things.
He carried you away from the fire as the fire department came. They looked directly at the creature and did nothing. You wondered why they just let him go. You looked up at him, his eyes full of determination as he led you further away from the blaze. He stopped in front of a different apartment complex, setting you on the ground. He looked at you as he began to shrink, his skin changing from green to tan, his body returning to that of a regular full-grown man.
You gasped in surprise as you looked into the man’s eyes, recognizing him instantly. “Bruce?”
“Hey, (y/n),” he smiled sheepishly.
“You just saved my life,” you noted.
“Yeah,” he agreed, looking at his feet. He unlocked the apartment he had stopped in front of and stepped inside, gesturing for you to follow.
“I assume this is your place?” you inquired.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, closing the door. “Make yourself at home.”
You looked around before taking a seat on the couch.
“Thirsty?” he called from the adjacent kitchen.
“Sure,” you replied. “Water would be great.”
He returned to the kitchen with two glasses of water and set them on the coffee table as he took a seat beside you. “Are you alright?”
You took a sip of your water before looking down at your lap. “I guess so.”
“What happened?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know,” you sighed. “There must have been something blocking the heater vent. I fell asleep working on an assignment and I woke up to the smoke alarm going off and the room being so foggy I couldn’t see a thing. I barely made it out.” You groaned, resting your elbows on your knees and your head in your hands. “I lost everything.”
His hand found your back, rubbing soothing circles on your shirt. “If I may ask, what are you doing here?”
“I was living in (hometown), making a breakthrough in scientific research. The university here contacted me to help them out with a project, and I agreed. The apartment was only temporary, but I had enough of my belongings to stay through the end of the year,” you explained.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered sincerely, the hand on your back moving to grasp your shoulder. He pulled you into a sideways hug, resting his head on yours. You leaned into his embrace, built-up tears welling in your eyes. You hadn’t had a moment to contemplate everything that happened until now. The tears flowed from your eyes as your turned, burying your face into the doctor’s shoulder. He took no time in comforting you, wrapping his arms around you and holding you close. You two had never been more than friends, as much as you both wanted to be, but you had been the best of friends before you’d gone your separate ways. You went back to your hometown five years prior, and he’d stayed in New York.
After a few moments of crying, you pulled back slightly and wiped your eyes on your wrists. You looked up at him with a shy smile. “Thanks.”
“For what?” he inquired, reaching a hand out to cup your cheek, using his thumb to brush away your tears.
“Everything,” you replied simply. “Saving my life, inviting me in… Letting me ruin your shirt.”
He chuckled as he looked down at the wet patch on his shoulder, shaking his head. “You deserve it,” he replied.
You were quiet for a moment, looking at your lap. “I missed you,” you whispered.
“I missed you too,” he replied almost instantly.
You looked up at him, his hand still holding your face. He leaned in closer, causing you to keep your eyes on him. Your eyes soon fluttered closed as his lips ghosted over yours.
Before he could really kiss you, he pulled back, an apologetic look in his eyes. You looked up at him with wide, confused orbs. He stood up, taking your empty glasses to the kitchen. You watched him, rejection sinking your heart. Why had he gone so far, only to back away?
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “That was inappropriate of me. You’ve just been through a tragedy; I shouldn’t have taken advantage.”
You thought for a moment before standing and walking over to him. He stood in his kitchen, looking down at his shoes. How could he just make a move on you when you were confused and saddened by recent events? You hadn’t seen each other in five years, and the second you’re together again he tries to kiss you? He mentally slapped himself, angry at his lack of control. Sure, with the Other Guy, he has plenty of control. But when it comes to a pretty girl? None whatsoever.
You stood in front of him, resting your hands on either side of his face. You tilted his head up to meet your eyes and he looked at you shyly, clearly upset with himself. Before he could protest, you pressed your lips to his, closing your eyes. His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you close. You moved your hands from his face to his hair, tangling your fingers in the brown locks.
You pulled back after a moment, smiling as you caught your breath. “I’ve wanted you to do that for years,” you smiled.
He blushed and smiled back, kissing your nose. “So have I.”
“Then why didn’t you?” you inquired. “You were just about to and then… I thought it was me…”
“I didn’t want to take advantage of you,” he replied. “You just went through hell and I wasn’t sure if I should make a move now.”
You kissed him again, pulling him as close as you could. He responded in kind, resting his hands on the small of your back. He pulled back just enough to brush your noses together, looking at you.
“I love you, (y/n),” he whispered.
You smiled. “I love you too. I always have.”
Your heartbeat elevated as your mind flooded with panic. Flood – that sounds much less terrifying. It sounded much calmer than the hungry flames enveloping your apartment, swallowing your entire life’s work and all of your possessions in one hungry gulp.
Your breath came and went in heavy pants as you saved as much as you could. Your clothes, your sentimental treasures, your files of scientific research – they were all being swept up in the blaze. Your hands were burned from having touched one too many singed objects, so you gave up on saving anything and booked it for the exit.
You let out a brutal cough as you fell to the ground just outside your apartment door. Your neighbor had called the fire department, but they were taking too long. You stood on wobbly legs and began running, trying to get away from the blaze.
You tripped over your own feet and fell to the concrete, holding your arms out in front of you to brace yourself for the crash. But the crash never came. You looked up in surprise, finding a large green… creature holding onto you. He was humanoid, but much larger. His muscles were obscenely large, bigger than your entire body, and an angry glare was placed on his face, complete with bared teeth.
You looked up in fear, wondering if the creature had saved you in order to take you for himself. You thought you saw his expression soften considerably as he looked at you, but you had no logical explanation for it to do so, so you told yourself that you were seeing things.
He carried you away from the fire as the fire department came. They looked directly at the creature and did nothing. You wondered why they just let him go. You looked up at him, his eyes full of determination as he led you further away from the blaze. He stopped in front of a different apartment complex, setting you on the ground. He looked at you as he began to shrink, his skin changing from green to tan, his body returning to that of a regular full-grown man.
You gasped in surprise as you looked into the man’s eyes, recognizing him instantly. “Bruce?”
“Hey, (y/n),” he smiled sheepishly.
“You just saved my life,” you noted.
“Yeah,” he agreed, looking at his feet. He unlocked the apartment he had stopped in front of and stepped inside, gesturing for you to follow.
“I assume this is your place?” you inquired.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, closing the door. “Make yourself at home.”
You looked around before taking a seat on the couch.
“Thirsty?” he called from the adjacent kitchen.
“Sure,” you replied. “Water would be great.”
He returned to the kitchen with two glasses of water and set them on the coffee table as he took a seat beside you. “Are you alright?”
You took a sip of your water before looking down at your lap. “I guess so.”
“What happened?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know,” you sighed. “There must have been something blocking the heater vent. I fell asleep working on an assignment and I woke up to the smoke alarm going off and the room being so foggy I couldn’t see a thing. I barely made it out.” You groaned, resting your elbows on your knees and your head in your hands. “I lost everything.”
His hand found your back, rubbing soothing circles on your shirt. “If I may ask, what are you doing here?”
“I was living in (hometown), making a breakthrough in scientific research. The university here contacted me to help them out with a project, and I agreed. The apartment was only temporary, but I had enough of my belongings to stay through the end of the year,” you explained.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered sincerely, the hand on your back moving to grasp your shoulder. He pulled you into a sideways hug, resting his head on yours. You leaned into his embrace, built-up tears welling in your eyes. You hadn’t had a moment to contemplate everything that happened until now. The tears flowed from your eyes as your turned, burying your face into the doctor’s shoulder. He took no time in comforting you, wrapping his arms around you and holding you close. You two had never been more than friends, as much as you both wanted to be, but you had been the best of friends before you’d gone your separate ways. You went back to your hometown five years prior, and he’d stayed in New York.
After a few moments of crying, you pulled back slightly and wiped your eyes on your wrists. You looked up at him with a shy smile. “Thanks.”
“For what?” he inquired, reaching a hand out to cup your cheek, using his thumb to brush away your tears.
“Everything,” you replied simply. “Saving my life, inviting me in… Letting me ruin your shirt.”
He chuckled as he looked down at the wet patch on his shoulder, shaking his head. “You deserve it,” he replied.
You were quiet for a moment, looking at your lap. “I missed you,” you whispered.
“I missed you too,” he replied almost instantly.
You looked up at him, his hand still holding your face. He leaned in closer, causing you to keep your eyes on him. Your eyes soon fluttered closed as his lips ghosted over yours.
Before he could really kiss you, he pulled back, an apologetic look in his eyes. You looked up at him with wide, confused orbs. He stood up, taking your empty glasses to the kitchen. You watched him, rejection sinking your heart. Why had he gone so far, only to back away?
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “That was inappropriate of me. You’ve just been through a tragedy; I shouldn’t have taken advantage.”
You thought for a moment before standing and walking over to him. He stood in his kitchen, looking down at his shoes. How could he just make a move on you when you were confused and saddened by recent events? You hadn’t seen each other in five years, and the second you’re together again he tries to kiss you? He mentally slapped himself, angry at his lack of control. Sure, with the Other Guy, he has plenty of control. But when it comes to a pretty girl? None whatsoever.
You stood in front of him, resting your hands on either side of his face. You tilted his head up to meet your eyes and he looked at you shyly, clearly upset with himself. Before he could protest, you pressed your lips to his, closing your eyes. His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you close. You moved your hands from his face to his hair, tangling your fingers in the brown locks.
You pulled back after a moment, smiling as you caught your breath. “I’ve wanted you to do that for years,” you smiled.
He blushed and smiled back, kissing your nose. “So have I.”
“Then why didn’t you?” you inquired. “You were just about to and then… I thought it was me…”
“I didn’t want to take advantage of you,” he replied. “You just went through hell and I wasn’t sure if I should make a move now.”
You kissed him again, pulling him as close as you could. He responded in kind, resting his hands on the small of your back. He pulled back just enough to brush your noses together, looking at you.
“I love you, (y/n),” he whispered.
You smiled. “I love you too. I always have.”