Chapter Nine:
When Blue woke up, he felt even more tired than when he slept. He moaned, turning over and forcing himself back asleep. He pressed his hands into the soft padding of his cage. What he didn't expect, was for his hands to sink into the surface.
Blue's eyes jumped open, and he saw his hand had been eaten by his cage. He yanked his hand out, holding it to his chest, and looked around, confused. Then it clicked. He was on a couch.
The realization of what he was on struck him a few seconds after. He was on a couch ― a person thing.
Blue never stood up so quickly in his life. He stumbled to get off, but as soon as he put pressure on his leg, it burned in pain. He hissed, and twisted, his limbs getting tangled in the process. Blue struggled, panic filling him. He finally ended up on the ground, his head banging into the leg of a metal table.
Blue groaned, his forehead stinging in pain. Blue tried to breathe and calm down, in and out. Steady and consistent. In and out. Steady and―
He heard footsteps coming down the hall. Blue's composure was gone immediately as he moved, trying to find somewhere to hide. If his Master saw that he was even near the people things, he would discipline him.
If he found out that he hadn't killed Steve yet. . . the thought made him faint with nervousness.
Blue managed to pull an arm out of the blanket and quickly unraveled himself. When he was out, he immediately began to blend in with his surroundings. He held his breath, watching as a man he didn't recognize step into the room. He was wearing jeans and a black tee-shirt. He had dark hair and a clean-cut shave. He wore red-and-gold shoes with some design Blue didn't recognize. He had dark bags under his brown eyes and he let out a yawn. He stepped into the kitchen, muttering to himself about, 'coffee grounds', 'sinks', and 'heathens'.
Blue swallowed hard, watching the man pour some water into a weird black machine, along with some black dust, and then put the pot in underneath it. The man sighed, and turned to where Blue had been sleeping. Blue watched in terror, as the man stared right at him, his brown eyes slowly realizing that Blue was no longer sleeping on the couch.
"Shit!" He snapped, running over to where Blue was. Blue was so stunned with fear, he didn't have time to react. The man ran over to the couch to find Blue, and ended up running straight into the boy.
The man tripped, falling forward, his head slamming into the couch cushions. Blue struggled to stand, his shoulder and leg burning. "Ugh. . ." The man muttered, rubbing his head. Blue tried to crawl away, using his one good leg and shoulder. The man turned to look at Blue, and eyebrow raised. "Where did you―? Why are you bleeding?" The man sat up, and Blue felt his heart jump.
His eyes went round and his fangs popped, sliding cleanly over his teeth. He growled at the man, maybe if he was scared he wouldn't try to hurt him. Maybe if he was scared, Blue could crawl away.
The man raised his hands, showing Blue his empty palms. "Wow, okay, I take it back. Those things are terrifying," He gave a uncertain smile. "Hi, I'm Tony. You're Bl―" He paused. "B, right?" Blue stared at the man, but he didn't stop talking. "Right. So, it's nearly three AM. You've been asleep all day. I honestly didn't think you'd be up yet ― you must have some crazy sleep schedule." He chuckled. "I think Cap is still sleeping ― he probably is, the man sleeps like a rock. Uh, I could take you to him, but I should probably, uh, check your forehead first. How did you get that, anyway?"
Blue blinked, overloaded with the man's information ― and his words, there were so many words. He latched unto the last question, and looked down at the edge of the table, where a few drops of his blood still dripped down the leg of the table. Blue looked between himself and the man, his body going into a blind panic.
He scrambled over to it, ignoring his injured arm and leg, and tried to desperately wipe it off. The man, Tony, watched, as Blue's hand shook, "You ― uh, don't have to do that, B. . ." Tony said slowly. Blue didn't stop, he could hear his Master hissing in his ears.
"If you so much as touch this, I'll skin you alive!"
"B," Tony said, and Blue looked at him. Tony gave a strained smiled. "I, uh, should probably fix that cut on your head. I'll be right back, don't move." Tony stood, and began to quickly walk out. Blue cringed as the man strode past, disappearing into the kitchen. He rummaged through a few drawers, picking out a few things.
He came back with a few small packages and a small rectangular box. "Okay. . . I'm gonna clean it, and then I'll put a band-aid on it, alright?" Blue frowned, but nodded. Tony sat close, and Blue flinched grasping the rug under him. He watched as the man tore open the small package.
As soon as Blue smelt the alcoholic wipe, he screamed. Tony jumped in surprise as Blue scrambled to his feet, stumbling. His leg burned as he limped as fast as he could. He tripped trying to get to the kitchen, trying to get away. He hid underneath the barstool table, the long legs of the chairs blocking him. Blue blended in, his arms shaking and breath ragged.
Blue tried to breath in ― in ― in ― in
"B? C'mon, kid, we gotta get that cut looked at," Tony sighed, looking around, trying to spot Blue's shivering form. Tears burned his eyes and he stayed as far away from the man as humanly possible. He could feel the cold, blue hands holding his head down.
"Inject the rest! Leaving him in a halfway state will be a waste!"
"This'll make it all better, baby."
"Give him another dosage."
"Going into shock!"
"My baby Blue. Lemme see those beautiful eyes."
"Stop squirming."
Blue grasped the leg of the table, needing something to hold onto, and he forced himself to breathe. He heard something snap and a second later, the chair fell, collapsing on its sudden mis-managed weight. Tony noticed and was there immediately, the alcoholic wipe in his hand. He let out another scream, trying to push himself into the counter.
"What's going on in here?" He heard a someone say. Steve. It was Steve.
"I don't want to hurt you. I want to help."
"Steve!" Blue wailed, his eyes never leaving Tony, who had stopped in his tracks. "Steve!"
"Hey, hey," Steve came into his line of sight and Blue calmed slightly. "Look at me, B. Over here," Blue's eyes darted to Steve for a second before looking back at Tony. "B, look at me." Steve's tone was firm.
Blue looked at him, "There we go. What happened here?" He thumbed Blue's forehead. He flinched, trying to not look back at Tony. He was still holding the wipe. It made him nervous.
"―Happened?" Blue blinked, and Steve repeated his words. "What happened, B?"
"Wake ― person thing. Fell ― scared," Blue licked his lips, trying to calm down. "He ― Tony help ― hurt. Wipe―" Blue shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. He tried to breathe, in ― out, in ― out, in ― out.
"What were you trying to do, Tony?" Steve asked, turning to the man.
"I was trying to clean that cut on his head," Tony said, waving the wipe. Blue's eyes widened, scrambling away, and hitting the other chairs, knocking another one down on the floor. Tony winced, "Please. . . stop breaking my stuff. . ."
"Stark," Steve warned, annoyed.
"Well, excuse me!" Tony huffed. "I was just trying to help the kid."
"You obviously did something that he didn't like," Steve snapped.
"How was I supposed to know that? He doesn't speak full sentences!"
"Really, Stark? You're going to blame him for that?"
"How am I supposed to help him, if he doesn't tell me what's wrong!"
"You listen to him," Steve growled. "But, you don't seem to be able to know how to do much of that, since you're always running your mouth."
Tony pointed a finger at Steve, anger in his eyes, "Listen here, Rogers―" He never finished his sentence.
Blue launched himself at Tony, his fangs bared and he pinned the man on the ground. Blue hissed, ready to kill the man who threatened Steve. His claws sank into his shoulders, drawing blood. Tony stared up at him, his eyes wide in sudden fear. Then, he relaxed under him, his eyes unfocusing.
"Whoa! Blue!" Steve exclaimed, "Get off of him!" Blue did as he was told immediately. He stepped off of Tony, and rubbed his shoulder. It stung in pain, but didn't burn like it used to. Steve helped Tony to his feet, who still looked a bit dazed. "You okay?"
"His eyes. . ." He muttered, and gently felt his shoulder. He winced, his hand coming back with blood.
Steve turned to Blue, "Why did you do that?"
"Tony hurt Steve," Blue said, still staring at Tony.
"No, he wasn't going to hurt me," Steve said. "In fact, I don't want you to hurt anyone who is in this tower, got that? I can fight for myself."
Blue stared at Steve, confused. "Me fight?"
"No. You don't fight, B," Steve said sternly. "Don't hurt anyone else who lives here." Blue looked down and nodded. "Good. Now, let's get that cut fixed, and then we all go to bed." Tony rose an eyebrow, "Yes, you too. Keep working late like this, and you'll work yourself to the grave. Give me a band-aid and a wet paper towel." Tony frowned, but went to the kitchen anyway.
He handed it to Steve who held it out to Blue, "Do you want me to use the wipe, or the towel?"
"Towel," Blue said, and Steve nodded. He began to gently dab the cut with the soggy paper towel.
Blue's eyebrow twitched a little, but he didn't pull back. When he finished, he took the box from Tony. Steve's eyes narrowed, "Really?"
"What? Blue is a lovely colour on him," Tony smirked. Steve rolled his eyes, and pressed the band-aid on his skull. Tony took out his phone, and snapped a picture. Then, he turned his phone around to show Blue.
Blue stared at himself in awe. The Blue in the picture was sitting on the floor, with a blue band-aid on his head. It was covered in red-and-white circles that had a star in the middle.
"There you go ― all patched up," Steve smiled, "Come on, time for bed."
Blue stood, wincing slightly, looking back at the couch. "Me sleep couch?" He asked.
"Do you want to sleep on the couch?" Steve asked. Blue didn't meet his eyes, and he nodded. "Are you sure? You can come sleep in my room, if you want." Blue looked at him, and swallowed. "Is that a yes?" Blue shrugged a bit. "Come on," He said, waving his hand at Blue.
Steve walked over to the couch, grabbing Blue's discarded crutch. Blue watched him walk for a bit, then turned to Tony, who had been watching him, his eyes narrowed. Blue looked down, "Sorry," He murmured,
"Yeah, okay, kid," Tony said stiffly, turning away, walking down the opposite hall.
"Here you go," Steve said, handing Blue the crutch. Blue nodded and put it under his arm. He limped down the hall behind Steve. He stepped in, and flicked on the light, then he held the door open for Blue. There was a big bed and a lot of open space. On the wall beside the bed was a dresser, and beside that, a nightstand. There were two doors, and a big window, which was tinted completely black.
Steve slipped past Blue, grabbing a blanket off the bed. He laid it across the floor, "You sleep on the bed ― you need it more than I do."
"Person thing!" Blue said, and Steve frowned.
"What did I say about that?" He scolded, and Blue flinched. Steve paused, "I'm sorry. I'm being too harsh." He sat on the bed, watching Blue lean on the crutch. "Why did you attack Tony?"
"Tony hurt Steve," Blue replied.
"But, you're supposed to kill me, aren't you?" Blue blinked, "Why would you help Tony if he was a threat to me?"
Blue opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. Steve smiled, "You don't have to say anything. And, I'm not mad at what you did. It was sweet." Sweet? "I had a friend like that. We stood up for each other. Well, he would do it more for me, but still." Steve looked at his hands, smiling, "His name was Bucky."
"Bucky?" Blue repeated, and Steve nodded. "Bucky friend?"
"Yeah. We were friends," Steve said. Then he glanced at the nightstand, where a small digital clock sat, displaying the time ― 02:24. "We should go to sleep. It's late."
Blue nodded and moved towards the blanket on the ground. "Ah―" Blue didn't let him say anything. He laid down, curling up on the blanket. Steve sighed, "Fine. If you want to sleep there ― fine." Steve got into his own bed, and Blue listened to the springs move and squeak.
It was silent for a few minutes, "I meant it when I said I wasn't upset with you, B. I was just worried about Stark. He can be an ass sometimes and start pushing the wrong buttons." Blue made a soft hum in response. "'Night, B."
Blue was quiet for a moment, "Night, Steve."