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"What do you think of adding an insulating liner?"
Loki hummed in thought at Bruce's question, clearly taking the time to consider it before responding.
"It would not be likely to make much of a difference. Crystalline structures have been known for their abilities to capture and retain energies, but the input of said energy must be done purposefully and according to precise guidelines." His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the mechanism resting on the table before them. "It would be possible to set up a spell or enchantment of some kind to funnel the energy, but it would result in the device being too unstable for use."
Bruce scrubbed his hands over his face and turned away to make another cup of tea, letting the routine clear his mind a bit so he could try to come at this problem from another angle. He and Loki had been working together on a new way of containing Gamma Radiation waves. Since moving into the tower, Loki had shown himself to have quite the working knowledge of a variety of sciences. It was one of the first things that the god and the doctor really connected over since Tony had introduced them. Bruce smiled at the thought of that particular encounter.
"I have to admit, I'm still hoping this is going to turn out to be some elaborate joke, though I can't imagine the point."
Tony grinned broadly at Bruce from his place across the booth of the vintage bar they were in. The Olde Haunt was tucked away, but it seemed to be doing decently enough. At the very least, the owner had promised Tony complete discretion.
"Don't be like that, Brucie-bear! You'll get along great!"
"Right. Loki and I are going to end up just the best of friends, I can see it now."
"Trust me, Dr. Banner, I am about as thrilled with this as you are."
A tall, lanky man with short, blonde hair slid into the booth next to Tony. His face was creased with laugh lines and his eyes were a sparkling blue. If the voice hadn't been exactly the same as Earth's would-be invader, Bruce would never have known it was him.
Tony grinned broadly and pulled Loki down for a quick kiss.
"Hey, after I accidently spilled the beans last week I couldn't exactly not let the two of you meet. Besides, I think the two of you may have more in common than you might think."
The look Loki gave Tony was clearly meant to call the other's title of genius into question.
"I still find myself wondering how you managed to talk me into agreeing to this."
A wicked grin stretched across Tony's face.
"Well, there was that promise that I'd kneel for you later…"
Bruce coughed uncomfortably. He really didn't want to hear any of this.
It hadn't gotten much better after that, but at least Loki had seemed more…normal. He was still the same guy who led the invasion on Earth, but it was like his bag of cats had decided to take a nap. It wasn't until nearly a month and a half after that meeting that Bruce got another glimpse of Loki's change in behavior.
Bruce stumbled into his room, clad only in a pair of SHIELD-issue sweatpants. He and the rest of the Avengers had spent the past several hours battling a bunch of mechanical squid-like things that had attacked the shores of Maine. They'd been awful. The creatures had hidden under water in the bay, withdrawing further into the ocean when attacked. Every time the team had thought it was over, the creatures would just show up again.
It'd been especially exhausting for the doctor, who had wound up going Hulk four separate times, enough to rip through all his spare clothing. It left him with a bone-deep ache and wanting nothing more than a nap. He hadn't been able to, though, not with what had happened to Tony.
The genius had been as reckless as ever, darting and weaving through the outstretched tentacles to fire repulsor blasts at the creatures' weak points. The plan had actually been working out pretty well until he'd gotten caught. A tentacle had wrapped around his midsection, dragging him under the water's surface and attempting to crush him. Tony had managed to get free, but only barely…and not before sustaining considerable injury.
"Is he alright?"
Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin and spun to face the figure standing in the doorway to his living room. Loki held himself as proudly as ever, but his nervous shifting gave away just how uncomfortable he really was. Bruce squeezed his eyes shut to hold the Other Guy at bay. That was the last thing he needed right now.
"What are you doing here?"
"A blind man would have noticed Anthony was injured in today's fight, and he has not returned to his quarters."
Loki's tone was biting, but Bruce could hear the concern underneath. He cracked one eye open to look at the god.
"He's in SHIELD medical. He suffered internal bleeding and three cracked ribs from the fight today." When Loki just nodded, mind clearly elsewhere, Bruce frowned at him. The Other Guy seemed to have calmed down, at least for the time being. "So…uh, why come here?"
Green eyes met Banner's and, for a moment, he was sure Loki wasn't going to respond.
"I do not like being out of the loop when it comes to Anthony's condition, but it would be far beneath me to risk detection by sneaking into a SHIELD facility." He snapped his fingers and a small piece of paper appeared in his hand. He held it out to Bruce. "This is my number. I expect updates regularly."
As soon as the paper was safely in the doctor's hand, Loki vanished. No dazzle, no fanfare. Just, one second he was there, the next he was gone. If it weren't for the paper still clutched in Bruce's hand, he might have thought he'd imagined the whole thing. With a sigh, he removed his glasses to pinch his nose. Well, at the very least, it was good to know he cared.
Despite Loki's penchant for causing mischief and Tony's complete inability to stay out of anything that so much as vaguely resembled trouble, the two actually seemed to be pretty good for each other. Loki had taken up the hobby of cooking, often being the one to bring Tony meals and get him to eat them while he was working. In turn, Tony had this way of calming Loki down.
"Don't be such a fool, brother. Surely even you can see why I cannot return to Asgard."
Thor frowned at Loki's scathing tone, but continued on anyway. If the blonde god were not currently blocking the room's only exit, Bruce would have long ago beaten a hasty escape. Tony, who sat of the couch beside him, seemed completely uninterested in the near-argument going on behind them.
"I am sure if you just explained to father-"
"I owe Odin no explanations! And he is not. My. Father." Loki bit out each word from behind clenched teeth. "I will not bow before him and beg for mercy only to be locked in a cage once more like an animal."
"Loki, once father learns the truth of what happened with the Chitauri-"
"Are you so blind, Thor, as to believe he has not already seen the truth? What difference could I, the Liesmith, Silvertongue, make? I weave only falsehoods, or have you forgotten?"
Green magic crackled around Loki's clenched fists, a sure sign that he was not in the best of moods. Bruce squeezed his eyes shut, praying that the two gods did not get into a fight in The Avengers living room.
From the seat next to him, Tony barked in laughter. All eyes were suddenly upon the genius as he leaned over the back of his chair, waving a Starkpad at the mischief maker and grinning upside down.
"Lokes, seriously, you've gotta check this out. The National Inquirer is running a story that Elvis was killed by the mob after assisting in a government sting! They're talking about 'sealed FBI evidence' and everything!"
Surprisingly, Loki turned away from his brother to approach the couch. He took the Starkpad from Tony and frowned at it. "Who is this 'Elvis'? Another of your ridiculous Coffee Lords?"
Tony flipped over so he was kneeling on the couch, front pressed to its back cushions.
"Woah, woah, woah! Lay off my baristas, man! Coffee is an art and they are the masters."
"And you, my dear, are clearly the slave."
The grin Tony gave him was downright lecherous.
"I didn't realize you were open to such things. Care to…discuss this further?"
Loki purred, a matching grin spreading across his own face.
"Perhaps…If you were to use the proper method of persuasion…"
Tony had been over the back of the couch and pulling Loki down the hall towards the elevators in 0.2 seconds flat. Bruce and Thor just stared after them, dumbfounded.
The gamma specialist eyed Loki thoughtfully, the god noticing but pointedly ignoring his gaze. The moments stretched in silence until Loki sighed and turned to look at his usually mild-mannered companion.
"This isn't going to end up like that talk I had with Barton, is it?"
"You had a talk with Clint?"
The look Loki was giving his nails was decidedly disinterested.
"He felt convinced I was corrupting Anthony's virtue and naïve sensibilities."
Bruce snorted.
"I'd be more worried about him corrupting you. And I realize how that sounds."
Loki cracked a smile, if only a small one.
"So long as you realize." He eyed Bruce thoughtfully. "Why the examination, then? I have had others attempt to discover my intentions far too often to not realize the kind of look you were giving me."
"I was just…Neither you nor Tony have shared how you two went from enemies to being in a relationship. It kinda leaves the rest of us wondering."
The frown was back, but it was too late to do anything about it now.
"It is not a pleasant tale, I can assure you. While the results were undeniably worth it, you can rest assured neither of us particularly enjoyed the transition."
He said 'enjoyed' in the same was one might say that they didn't enjoy having their fingernails ripped off. It did little to quell Bruce's curiosity.
"It sounds like an interesting story."
"It is one that, in all honesty, started many centuries ago, back on Asgard. As I have mentioned before, I am far from the only magic user of Asgard, though it is predominately a woman's area of practice. There is a particular witch named Amora whom I have had…a tumultuous relationship with." A scowl etched across Loki's face. "I can no longer recall precisely which of us started it, but we have been trading spells back and forth since we were young, pranks, if you will. They have gotten decidedly nastier as the years have worn on."
"So I can assume it was one of these 'pranks' that led to you and Tony getting together?"
"Something of the sort. It took her quite some time to track me here to Earth, so she was in a rather foul mood to begin wi-" Loki was cut short by JARVIS's voice from above. It was a touch odd, since he almost never interrupted anyone. They soon found out why.
"Excuse me, sirs. It appears that an attack has been mounted against Avengers Tower. My sensors indicate that Level 72 is taking the most concentrated hits."
The two were already on their feet and heading for the door. Level 72 was Tony's lab, well, one of them at least.
"Is he there?"
Loki's voice was as controlled as his expression, revealing nothing that he didn't want to be revealed.
"Indeed, sir. I feel it would also be prudent to warn you that he has been working on a magic-suppression field to deal with Dr. Doom. To my knowledge, the machinery is still up and running."
The two were on the stairs, knowing better than to try and take the elevators while an attack was on.
"Can't you shut it down?"
"My apologies, Dr. Banner, but Sir has yet to integrate them with my systems. Remote shutdown would be impossible."
Bruce couldn't help the frown, but otherwise kept a tight grip on his emotions. It wouldn't be good for the Hulk to come out before they had a full understanding of the situation. Loki had already disappeared from Bruce's view, taking the stairs faster than any human would have been able to.
"Where are the others?"
"The remaining Avengers are defending other points of the Tower. Sir is currently on his own."
"And the suit?"
"Dismantled for upgrades."
Bruce cursed as he hit the final flight of stairs.
"That might have been a good thing to start with."
"Dually noted, Dr. Banner."
The destruction to Tony's lab was…substantial. It took Bruce a moment to really grasp that, yes, and entire chunk of the wall was just gone. Pieces of machinery were strewn across the floor and a good portion of it was cracked and looked decidedly unsteady. One of the work tables had been tipped over on its side, Loki and Tony hiding behind it to avoid the shots being fired at them by masked gunmen who had, apparently, arrived by plane.
Loki's face was pulled into a snarl as he peered over the table, blue tinging his skin. Tony leant heavily against him, expression pained as he clutched his side. Bruce couldn't see the actual wound, but the scorch marks on his wife beater were enough to tell him it wasn't good.
Feeling a familiar rush of heat flood his system, Bruce knew it was not about to get better. His skin felt tight for just a moment before all control was gone. He felt his body going through the change as if from a distance as he faded to black.
The Hulk roared his displeasure as he came to the surface, scowling angrily at the gunmen who had dared invade his home, hurt his friends. Hulk liked Tony. He didn't like those who hurt Tony. Hulk would smash the bad men.
Turning into a giant, green rage monster, as Tony would put it, had certainly brought him to the attention of the room at large. The gunmen instantly switched their fire in his direction, doing little more than pissing him off further. The Hulk roared again and batted two aside, sending them crashing into one of Tony's walls, not waiting for them to crumple to the ground before grabbing a third and throwing him through the gaping hole into open space. His screams, as he plummeted, brought a smile to Hulks lips.
Stupid man, hurt Tony. Now he wouldn't be hurting anyone.
A panicked cry drew his attention inwards once more and Hulk had to pause for a moment to take in the scene before him. Ice impaled one of the remaining gunmen and another was being held aloft by his throat. The gunman's captor was…new.
He was taller than most Hulk had encountered, though not as tall as himself. Ridges lined his deep blue skin in intricate patterns and his blood red eyes gleamed with calculated intelligence. His lips were pulled back into a snarl which, perhaps, would have been frightening if that were something Hulk felt. However, it didn't stop Hulk from registering him as a possible new threat.
The newcomer was close to Tony, too close. And Tony was hurt. The man himself was half-standing on the other side of the over-turned table. His pained gaze clung to Blue, worry etching every line of his expression. Hulk frowned. Tony scared of Blue. Blue bad.
Before Hulk could remove the threat Blue presented, though, the last gunman turned his fire upon the philanthropist. Blue moved instantly, putting himself between Tony and harm. Ice began to form around his arm, coming together to reveal a blade. His displeasure was clear.
"Oh, you're going to regret that, though, admittedly, not for long."
Blue sprang forward, lashing out with his sword and cleaving the man in two. The sound of gunfire could be heard elsewhere in the tower, along with the sound of flying engines, but the lab, at least, was safe for now. Blue turned away from his fallen opponent and rushed back to Tony's side.
Hulk threw out a hand, slamming his fist down between them and stopping Blue in his tracks. A hint of fear tinged his gaze now, an expression Hulk was quite familiar with. Hulk shoved a massive finger into the man's chest.
"Blue."
Despite his fear, the other's lip curled at the single word.
"Yes, how very observant of you, beast."
Ignoring the bite in Blue's words, Hulk wrapped a hand around his torso and lifted him, startling a cry out of his captive. Moments later, though, he deposited him next to Tony and shoved a finger into his chest again.
"Blue, stay. Tony hurt. Blue protect Tony. Hulk," his head swung back to look out the gaping hole in the wall, at the plane that was drawing closer and closer, "Hulk smash."