I'm Only Me When I'm With You

A/n: this was requested by Dragonsw so thank you very much! I always love requests that take a step out of my usual, like in this one, it's male!reader. Hope you guys enjoy this!!

LA wasn't bad. At least, that's what you had decided now that you've been living there for a couple years. You found your routine, and it was working well for you.

You worked a part-time job during the day, and fought crime at night. And some times, like today, you went out a bought groceries. That was actually a bit more common than most other things, because you had to eat quite a lot of human food to keep up with your metabolism.

Right. You're... not from around here. While you may not look like an alien, you definitely were one. Along with some classic alien powers, like telekinesis, telepathy, and astral projection, you also had some pretty cool super-human samurai skills. Along with a magic katana.

You originally were in your clan, training and living with your family. As it usually goes, your clan was attacked one day. And lost. You were barely able to escape, and now LA had to be your home.

There were still "training opportunities" in LA. Bad guys in all shapes an sizes tormented the city. Night was their usual strike time, so you patrolled. Others could take care of the daytime threats.

So it wasn't bad.

Being so lost in your thoughts, you barely noticed the person you were about to bump into with your cart. Luckily, at the last second, you snapped back to reality and stopped the cart with a small exclamation.

"Oh my- I- I am so s-sorry-" you stumbled out.

The beautiful woman you nearly ran over turned and smiled. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be standing in the middle of the aisle, staring at the shelves and pondering life choices," she said.

You chuckled. "Sounds like my kind of Saturday," you joked. To your extreme happiness, the woman laughed. And it wasn't a stupid polite laugh, it was a real laugh.

"Oh come on, not really?" she asked, the humor still in her face but you could feel the oncoming pity.

So, you shook your head. "Nah, only every now and then. I'm... I'm (Y/n), by the way," you said, reaching your hand out for her to shake.

"Jennifer, but I like Jen," she replied, gripping your hand in a firm shake.

It made your eyes go wide. "Quite the business-y handshake you've got there," you pointed out.

Jennifer- Jen smiled. "I'm a lawyer, you kind of have to get it down," she explained.

You nodded. There was a small lull, so you figured this was a good time to leave. "Uh, well, it was nice meeting you Jen."

She gave a small nod. "Nice to meet you as well, (Y/n)."

As you walked off, you tried to figure out why she was recognizable. She said she was a lawyer, maybe she was one of those popular ones who had ads everywhere. That felt right, so that's what you settled on as you started checking out.

You couldn't help but regret not getting a way to contact her, though. The two of you talked only briefly, but there was something sparking inside you that made you feel so... happy? But not just regular happiness.

There wasn't a ward to put on the feeling, and you didn't have time to find one since the cashier was handing you the receipt.

"(Y/n)!" You turned to see Jen running after you. "Here's my number." She handed you a piece of paper. "You seem really cool, I'd like to hang out again."

You nodded. "Uh, yeah, absolutely, I'd love that. I'll text you? After I get home and put all of this away," you said, gesturing to the food in your cart.

She nodded. "Sounds great. I'll see you around."

And you did. The two of you hung out almost every day for the next few weeks. You weren't used to this, never having made friends... yep. That's where it stops. Sure, you were friendly enough, but anxiety always came a-knocking, reminding you of how different you were.

With Jen, however, that knock never came. She made you feel a kind of normal you never have before. It was amazing.

That same feeling you first felt at the grocery store would always come back, and you still didn't know what it was. But you held onto the comfort it brought you.

Later that night, after you and Jen finished hanging out again, you were suited up and heading out to the streets. The police scanner in your closet gave you some good starts for the night. Those usually led to other things to take care of, so you felt pretty set.

As you arrived to the first spot you had heard on the scanner, you started to take in your surroundings and the people you were dealing with. They looked human, so easy enough.

You unsheathed your special katana (jeez that sounds like a euphemism for something else-) and made your way over.

"Evening folks," you greeted, causing the perps to freeze in their spots. They all turned to you and you recognized the symbols on their uniforms. The Hand. "Let's get this show on the road then, hmm?"

They never said a word, and just started throwing punches. You threw back, obviously, taking the goons out as best as you could. Of course, it was a very unfair fight considering there was one of you and five of them. Nothing you hadn't handled before.

In the midst of the fight, the ground suddenly shook and the shock sent everyone, yourself included, to the ground. You landed a bit more gracefully than the others and were able to get up quickly to assess the possibly threat.

You didn't expect to see a giant green woman. "Hey there, figured you might like some help," she greeted.

Words weren't coming to your mouth, so you just nodded. Then, the groans of the Hand caught your attention again and you- along with the green woman- took care of them.

"Thanks...?" she trailed off, waiting for name.

"Kenshi," you answered, the name from your clan. It happened to also be the name you used for "superhero" duties.

Jen nodded. "She-Hulk. Nice to meet you," she said.

Neither of you spoke for a second, and just looked at each other.

Suddenly, both of your eyes went wide and you were pointing accusatory fingers at each other.

"You!"

"You!"

Then you were both talking at once.

"I thought I recognized you that day, but couldn't put it together!"

"Who are you? I mean, not in a bad way, I just know almost every enhanced being in this city since I usually represent them all."

"This is so amazing though, I can't believe this!"

"You're insane, by the way, those were some impressive moves you pulled on those guys!"

"They're nothing to me at this point, I'm so used to dealing with them that I know what to expect."

"Well thanks anyway, I've been needing this guy for a case."

Finally, the chatter stopped, and the two of you stared at each other, unconscious goons waiting a few feet away. Even though the fight was over, and kind of easy with help, your chest was heaving. You could even feel a light warmth to your cheeks.

"So..." you trailed off, hoping she'd pick up where you left off.

"Do you wanna... hang... out?" she asked you. This time, though, it was awkward. But not in a bad way?

Those feelings you'd been having were starting to come back, and the only thing you wanted to do was grab Jen's face in your hands and pour out everything you felt.

Minutes later, the two of you were crashing through her door, barely coherent enough to shut it before anything kept going. The two of you had hands roaming everywhere and had to come up for air every minute before continuing where you left off.

As the two of you made your way through her apartment, you felt the intense need to tell her everything.

You pulled away from her and looked her deep in the eyes, something that made Jen freeze. "I haven't felt more comfortable, more at home in a long, long time. Not since my clan was destroyed. I didn't... I didn't think I'd get that happiness again. But I have it now. And I need to thank you for it."

She smiled bright. "I'm so glad. Especially, well, the dating scene isn't the easiest when you're either a normal woman or a nine-foot tall green woman."

"Lucky for you, I like both."

The next morning, you woke up with Jen wrapped in your arms.

Maybe LA was more than "not bad."

~Fin~

A/n: here you go! Sorry about it being late, midterms are kicking my ass. Fall break is almost here, though! I cannot wait to go home and see my dog for the first time since I moved back to Nash.

Also, I seriously hope I did this request justice! It was weird, trying to make sure it worked for a male reader since I'm not one, but then I quickly realized it really wasn't that difficult! I'd love to do more in the future if you guys like, or other things if you want!

See you next week Lovelies!!!!!!!!!!