Driven Mad (Book 1 in the MAD Series)(An Avengers Fan Fiction)

Bruce Banner

Bruce woke to violent shaking and someone yelling his name. He felt incredibly sore and it was far too early to be awake after an episode. He forced his aching arm up and batted whatever was waking him up away, ready to go back to sleep for another six hours. But the person didn’t stop. He forced an eye open and saw Betty rocking him back and forth, shouting his name. “BRUCE! Get up! Get your fat butt out of bed, you lazy, green bum!” she yelled.

Bruce just yanked the covers back over his head and closed his eyes. Every inch of him was aching, just like the first few times the Other Guy had come out. He knew that he hadn’t completely shrunk back down, and he probably looked like he did when he was halfway through the transformation, green and big, but not quite the Hulk. No way would he ever get up like that, not that he even could. It would take more will-power than what he had in him. His aching muscles would never let him leave.

Images of the day before flashed in front of his eyes. Only tiny flashes, but they horrified him. He clenched his eyes shut. This sometimes happened, but rarely. He assumed it was because he was still shrinking and he should have been asleep. He clamped his eyes shut hard, struggling to escape the images. He imagined armed Giants charging at him, threatening to kill. He couldn’t escape the horrifying hallucinations, and he curled up, afraid.

The sound of Betty’s annoyed shouts snapped him from the hallucinations, thankfully. Though her violent shakes and annoyed and hurried yells weren’t a whole lot better than the hallucinations, he was glad that he wasn’t actually being attacked by the Giants. He loosened his tight muscles and spread back out underneath the sheets. He just wanted to sleep, but Betty refused to let him. Bruce couldn’t remember why she needed him so urgently, but he knew there had to be a reason. She didn’t wake him up for no reason, and she sounded frantic. His mind was still drugged from the episode, and he struggled to remember. He sniffed the air and didn’t smell smoke, so a fire wasn’t why she wanted him up, so he just yanked the blanket further over his head.

“Bruce, we have to leave in ten minutes!” Betty yelled. Bruce just batted her away with his sore arm, not even comprehending what she had just said. When she wouldn’t get off of him, he irritably pulled the pillow over his head to muffle the noise. She jerked the pillow away, so he pulled the blanket over his head, knowing she wouldn’t dare take that away.

“Bruce, I am going to be late! You have to come, or else I’m going to end up destroying all of Manhattan!” she shouted. Bruce finally pulled the blanket down, knowing that she wasn’t going to let him sleep. He didn’t understand what she was talking about, his mind still in a fog. “What?” he asked, his mind still sleep-drugged.

“Bruce, today I have to go see Kyle!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, right… Oh! When do we leave?”

“Ten minutes, Bruce!”

Alarmed that he only had a few minutes to get ready, he bolted up out of bed, soon regretting it because of his sore limbs. Dragging the blanket with him so he would be covered, he slowly made his way to the duffle bag, leaning down and picking up a pair of clothes. He pulled them on; making sure Betty couldn’t see anything. He looked in the tiny mirror that stood against the wall. He was green still and just a little taller and buffer than usual. He sighed, annoyed by his finding.

“What?” Betty asked, brushing her hair.

“I’m green.” He answered.

“Yeah. So?”

“Someone’s going to notice. They might even call your dad.”

“Old Thunderbolt Ross hasn’t come close to finding you in years. You’re safe, Bruce.”