Bruce studied Alex for a long moment, his brow furrowed.
"You really think that's possible? That I could ever… coexist with him?"
Alex nodded slowly.
"It's not easy. But from what you've described, Hulk isn't mindless. He reacts to what you feel—fear, anger, pain. That means there's a connection between you two, even if it feels one-sided. The key is to recognize that link instead of fighting it."
Bruce leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping against his knee.
"So instead of trying to suppress him, I should… listen?"
"Exactly," Alex said. "Suppressing him only makes the rebound worse. But if you can anchor yourself—through breath, focus, or even a trigger word—you may be able to influence what direction Hulk takes when he surfaces."
Bruce gave a short nod, thoughtful.
"Like… training a reflex. Conditioning him instead of resisting."
Alex offered a faint smile.
"Something like that. But it starts with you not treating Hulk as the enemy. You're both sharing the same body. If you're at war with him, you'll both lose."
For a while, Bruce was quiet, the weight of the words settling in. Finally, he spoke, his voice lower than before.
"You're the first person who's ever told me to work with him. Everyone else just wants Hulk gone."
Alex's tone stayed even.
"I'm not interested in erasing parts of people. I'm interested in balance. If Hulk exists, then he exists for a reason. Ignoring that reason will only tear you apart."
Bruce looked at him.
"You are saying… maybe it's time I stop seeing him as a monster?"
Alex nodded once.
"That's the first step."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice calm but steady.
"The accident didn't give you the Hulk. What it did was push your body beyond its limits. The gamma radiation amplified everything—your cells, your muscles, even your instincts. It stripped you down to the most primal core and then rebuilt you around it. What came out wasn't some foreign thing living inside you. It was your own body and mind, forced into survival mode."
Bruce's brow furrowed, his voice tight.
"…Survival mode."
Alex nodded again.
"Yes. The animal inside you—that instinct to endure, to fight, to never let yourself die—that's what took over. The Hulk isn't a monster, Bruce. He's you, when every single cell in your body chooses to live no matter the cost."
Bruce's lips pressed into a thin line. His hands tightened on his knees, knuckles pale. The words hit something in him, something he'd tried to bury under years of guilt and control.
Alex's tone softened, but the weight remained.
"You're not cursed. You're alive because your body refused to die. The Hulk is just that refusal given form."
For a long moment, Bruce couldn't answer. His chest rose and fell slowly, and behind his glasses, his eyes glistened faintly—not anger, not fear… but a hint of understanding.
Bruce sat in silence, staring down at his trembling hands. The weight of Alex's words pressed heavier than the years of self-condemnation he had carried.
Alex broke that silence with quiet certainty.
"Rather than trying to get rid of him… you should try to merge with him."
Bruce's head snapped up. "Merge?"
Alex nodded.
"Your brain and Hulk's muscle—brought together. Not one fighting to suppress the other, not two halves tearing themselves apart. But one whole, working in the most optimum way. Your intelligence, your control, guiding his strength. His endurance and fury, protecting your mind. Best of both worlds."
Bruce let out a shaky laugh, though it carried no humor.
"You make it sound simple."
Alex smirked faintly. "It isn't. It's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done. But tell me, Bruce—how long can you keep living like this? Running from him? Fighting him? You'll tear yourself apart long before he ever does."
Bruce's chest tightened. He knew Alex was right. Every night of insomnia, every experiment, every country he had run to—all of it was just delaying the inevitable. The Hulk wasn't leaving.
Alex leaned back, his tone still calm but sharp like a blade cutting through Bruce's doubt.
"The monster isn't the Hulk, Bruce. The monster is the division between you and him."
Bruce froze at that. The words landed like a verdict.
Bruce's lips parted, but for a long moment no words came. His mind spun, calculations and doubts colliding in the same storm. Finally, his voice emerged—quiet, uncertain.
"…How? How am I supposed to even begin merging with something like him?"
Alex tilted his head slightly, his crimson eyes glinting in the dim light.
"First—you stop calling him 'something.' Start calling him 'you.' Because he is you. Your instincts, your survival drive, your rage… they're not an alien parasite. They're born from you."
Bruce swallowed hard, his jaw clenching. "So… I have to accept him?"
"Acceptance is the foundation," Alex confirmed. "The more you resist, the more violently he answers. But when you acknowledge him… when you see Hulk not as your enemy, but as your partner—that's when you gain ground."
Bruce exhaled, running a hand down his face. "Partner," he muttered, almost disbelieving.
Alex leaned forward, his voice steady, almost commanding.
"You have the brain—the mind that can solve equations no one else dares touch. And Hulk has the body—the raw physical might that terrifies armies. You've spent years trying to silence each other, but what if instead you listened? Imagine that union. Not a man chained to a beast, or a beast bursting out of a man… but something greater. A balance."
Bruce's hands were still trembling, though not from fear. This time, it was a strange energy coursing through him—hope mixed with dread.
"…And if I fail?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Alex's lips curved into a small, knowing smile.
"Then you'll just try again. Failure doesn't kill you anymore, Bruce. It's the one advantage you have over everyone else. Hulk won't let you die—not until you understand him."
The words sank deep into Bruce's chest, shaking something loose inside. For the first time, the thought of coexistence didn't feel impossible.
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