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"Once more!" Thor called to Tony, who was picking himself out of the hole he'd created in the wall.
"I think we all know now that you're the strongest, Thor," Tony said. "There's no need to keep throwing me into the wall like this."
We'd finished with the tests a little before lunch. After an extended break for food – Loki was dead on his feet after everything Tony made him do; apparently his magic was a huge drain on himself – we went down to the training levels. They were truly impressive, far more so than what I remember of the arena at Camp. There were rooms full of weapons – guns, bows, long staffs, swords – and all of the facilities to train with them. There was even a fight simulator and gym down there.
Bruce left us before we got down there, saying he had no want of going, and went up to his lab. I said I'd go up and meet him there later. Steve went off to a punching bag, Clint and Natasha were in the firing range, and Thor and Tony were in the boxing ring. Well, Thor was in the boxing ring: as I said, Tony was peeling himself from the opposite wall.
"He's been asking for it all day," Loki said to me. "What Stark does not realise is that my brother is quite sensitive when it comes to his ego. No one insults the strength of Thor Odinson and gets away with it."
I laughed. "Sounds exactly like what I've read," I said.
"You are interested in Norse mythology?" Loki queried.
"When I first started researching Akisa, a fair bit of it came up in Norse mythology," I explained. "I became intrigued with the tales of Asgard and the other realms of Ydrisil."
He nodded. "If you were to ask Thor I'm sure he would regale you with countless stories of victories from various quests with me and his friends."
"I'll do that," I said.
There was a moment of silence.
"Helena, do you still have your iPad?" Loki asked me.
I held it up for him to see. "Yeah, why?" I asked.
He glanced at the ground, unsure of himself.
"Canihaveanothergoonangrybird s?" he asked in a rush.
Rolling my eyes, I handed the iPad to him. "Sure. You remember how to use it?"
He nodded, taking it eagerly. He sat against the wall and began to play. About to make my way over to Thor and Tony, I noticed a fight – a real one, not just sparing - was about to break out. I chose that moment to head up to Dr Banner.
After getting lost on the way up and having to ask Jarvis for directions, I found Bruce in lab 25 on the fourth floor of R&D. I took a moment to observe him through the large window that showed the Doctor hard at work. I had no idea what he was working on, but I could tell it meant a lot to him. His brow was furrowed in concentration. I watched at his pulled out a Petri dish, a pipette, a microscope slide and a… syringe? What the hell did he need the needle for?! I looked on in a semi-paralysed state as he pressed the syringe into his arm and drew blood. His face flickered pain.
I went storming in.
"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.
Bruce looked up at me with a start, the needle still in his arm.
"Would you pull it out for me?" he asked. "It's always less painful when someone else does it."
Gingerly, I pulled out the syringe and placed it on the lab desk. I hated those things: I'd had far too many tests done on me as a child using those things to put me off them for life.
"But what are you doing?" I asked again.
He picked up the syringe and emptied its contents onto the Petri dish. He covered it, dated it and placed into a small fridge, which I noticed had other dishes in with red liquid. I assumed it was also his blood. He pulled out a dish with the date on from a few days ago. I watched as he placed the pipette into the dish, drawing chilled blood and placing it on the microscope slide. Only once he'd put the slide under the microscope did he answer my question.
"I'm trying to engineer a cure," he said eventually.
"A cure?" I asked, oblivious. Then it clicked. "Oh, Bruce, you don't mean for Hulk, do you?"
"Of course I do," he snapped. He sighed, looking conflicted. "Well, I did at first," he admitted softer. "Now I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing. I've been trying for years to create a cure. I gave up for a while and went to Calcutta. But now I'm here, I thought I'd start looking again. I'm out of my depth, though.
"I'm a physicist, Helena, not a biologist. I've exhausted every route I can think of and now I'm retrying all of them again in case I missed something. Although, after the attack on New York, I'm not sure if I even want a cure any more. The longer I have him in me the less I want to get rid of him. And now I've seen I have some sort of control over him…"
He took a shuddering breath, propping himself up on the work bench.
I went over to him and pulled him into my arms. He stiffened at first before relaxing and putting his arms gently around my waist.
"Bruce," I said gently, "As you know, when I first had Akisa I had no control over her at all. She was one entity and I was another. But when I started thinking of us as one being, or at least began to accept her, I began to gain control." I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "At the battle of New York you and Hulk wanted the same thing: to protect the city. You worked in harmony to achieve something, and you felt in control. I still believe you need to stop fearing him and get on with him. Only then will you both truly be happy."
I glanced over his shoulder to the objects on the side and shuddered.
"And I bet Hulk doesn't appreciate you trying to find a 'cure'," I said, putting air quotes around it, "Especially when your methods cause you physical pain. It probably makes him feel scared and on edge, making it more likely for him to come out in an attempt to stop you. Was this what you were doing the other day when I first came here?" He nodded. "See? This is what I mean. You are two very distinct personalities inhabiting one being. If you're both scared of each other, neither is going to feel at peace."
He stared intently at the floor for a few moments.
"I get the theory of what you're saying, Helena, I really do," he said quietly, "And it's a nice sentiment. But the Other Guy isn't a centuries old phoenix placed inside you when his last vessel died. He's the product of a terrible accident that feeds on my rage and uses it to hurt other people."
"I doubt he does it intentionally," I said, wanting to defend Hulk. "Maybe if you let him out more often, he wouldn't feel the need to come out with your more negative emotions."
"It's not that simple," he said, almost inaudible.
"Not now, perhaps," I said, taking one of his hands in both of mine. "But maybe with time, it will be."
Bruce looked up from the floor and stared intently into my eyes. I could see the tears swimming in them, the pain and suffering so long hidden and buried coming to the surface in one big rush.
"How do I begin?" he asked.
I wanted to cry out with joy. At last, he was willing to try.
"Start small," I said. "Why not try… calling him by his name."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You always refer to the Hulk as 'the Other Guy'," I explained. "If you name him, or any fear, he'll seem a whole lot less scary."
"That simple?" he asked.
"At first, yeah," I said. "When you get the hang of that, we'll try something else, slowly building at a rate you feel comfortable with. And know if you need me, I'll always be here, Bruce."
A small smile appeared on his face, but I saw the pure elation in his eyes. How long had it been since he had someone there for him on every level?
"Thank you," he said, and I knew he meant it with his very soul.
"Never a problem, Bruce," I said, leaning up to gently brush my lips across his cheek.
I was alarmed at my own boldness. I never normally made the first move. I mean, I know I kissed him before I passed out in bed after the transformation, but I was half asleep and my inhibitions were lowered. Here, I was in complete control of my actions - unless Akisa had something to do with my sudden courage…
I schooled my features, however, and looked up at him, awaiting his reaction.
Bruce inhaled sharply, glancing down at me with disbelief clear in his eyes. After a moment, however, he pulled his hand from mine and placed it on my cheek, tilting my head up to better suit his height. (About three-quarters of an inch taller, if you wanted to know). I leaned into his touch, my own desires coming to the forefront for once.
Slowly, probably giving me chance to pull away, he leant in. I let my eyes flutter shut, waiting for the feeling of his lips on mine. I could feel his breath tickling my lips. He was so close to me I could smell him – a musky scent completely male and all Bruce. It made my insides quiver with longing.
"Dr Black?" Jarvis called, breaking the spell.
Bruce jumped back from me as if burnt, his eyes wide with shock. At his actions or mine, I didn't know. He crossed his arms over his chest as if to stop him from reaching out and touching me, looking away from me.
Sighing, I answered the AI. "Yes, Jarvis?" I asked.
"Agent Barton asked me to tell you that Director Fury is here," he said. "Apparently after Barton said that you weren't allowing any test to be performed on you, he got straight on a plane and headed over here. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him, although we did try. Also, Miss Pepper Potts is back, but will be unfortunately unable to join you for dinner this evening."
Groaning aloud, I said: "Thanks, Jarvis. Where are they?"
"In one of the meeting rooms," he replied. "I would be more than happy to direct you there."
"Thank you," I said. I glanced over at Bruce, who still looked shell-shocked. "You okay?" I asked.
His head snapped towards me, startled. He simply nodded, obviously unable to speak. Oh, Bruce.
"I've got to go," I said, "But this isn't over, okay?"
Again he nodded.
Sighing, I made my way to the door.
"Oh, and Bruce?" I called from the door. He looked over. "I wanted you to kiss me just now."
On that note, I left him to his own devices. Maybe Director Fury could be of some use after all. I need to vent my pent up emotions on something, so why not get into an argument with the man who wanted to issue scientific tests on me? I knew by the end of this, one way or the other, I'd end up with one more enemy to add to the list.
A/N: I know, I know. I'm evil. Especially since I'm going on holiday over Easter and will have no internet connection therefore I won't be able to update... I'm sorry! If I could, I would. But no... So, happy Easter everyone and I'll see you when I get back! R&R!
Fronk x
