Warnings: None that I can think of
It's Jarvis that calls him.
"Excuse me, sir, but your presence is needed urgently on Level 6."
Level 6. Loki's room. Steve bolts from his chair, the art pad on his lap flapping to the floor, and rushes to the stairs without a backward glance. With the Super Serum, he's actually faster than an elevator (and boy, was Stark's son ever mad about that). Plus, he's only on Level 4. It'll take a minute tops to get there. He slams the exit door open and storms up the stairs as fast as he can go, almost as fast as when he'd tried to rescue Bucky – he's that worried.
"What's the damage, Jarvis?" he asks the computer.
"Hulk has emerged and Loki…reacted negatively." Jarvis says, oddly with a somewhat concerned tone. But then, Jarvis always seems to have more emotion than he should and that's something Steve will just have to focus on later.
Steve snorts though as he passes by Level 5. He pumps his legs to go even faster, ignoring the slight burn (He hasn't run this hard in a while and his morning jogs aren't quite like this, more smooth). Of course Loki had reacted badly. He probably had a vague image of Hulk slamming him into the ground. That, or he just saw a huge monster and was panicking like most people did when they first saw Hulk. Granted, Steve didn't think Hulk was going to smash the alien into the ground again….was he?
"How's Hulk doing?" he asks, a faint bit of worry emerging. He really didn't want to deal with an angry, confused Hulk. He hopes Bruce has talked to the Big Guy and convinced him that Loki's no longer a threat. Or a stress doll.
"There doesn't seem to be an animosity on the Hulk's part, sir. He was merely curious and now worried."
Steve breathes a sigh of relief and flies into the hallway of Level 6. And then his heart stops for a second. He can hear it, the screaming. Loki's screaming bloody murder. The 'No, no, please no!' is reverberating off the walls and it nearly sends Steve into a mini flashback of the war. But he shoves that away, he can't afford it right now, and shots down the hallway.
This is bad. Really bad.
Steve's only glad that Jarvis thought to call him and not Tony or Clint – Natasha's out for the day with Pepper. He skids to a stop at Loki's door, draw himself up, and throws it open without hesitation.
The sight he gets is both sad and horrifying. Loki's backed into a corner, knees to his chest, screaming, his hands balled into fists on the floor. Everything about the hunched figure cries out 'don't hurt me'. Steve swallows the bile that rises to his mouth and turns to Hulk. The Big Guy is closer to the door and seems unsure, if not a little wounded. His large mouth is turned down and his eyebrows are almost touching. The Big Guy wrinkles his nose and looks to Steve.
"Hulk not hurt."
Steve forces himself to relax, he has to be the mature one here, the leader, and smiles tightly. "I know, Big Guy, I know. But Loki's…not feeling great right now. He's…confused as to who his friends are."
Hulk slumps and Steve suddenly feels bad for the Big Guy. He didn't know coming out would be so detrimental to Loki. Oh, Steve doesn't doubt Bruce said something along those lines, but Hulk probably thought Bruce was exaggerating. Hulk shuffles a few more inches away from Loki – who's stopped screaming and settled on shivering like there's a blizzard going on.
"Hulk help."
Steve reaches over slowly, he doesn't want to give the Big Guy the wrong idea – and they're both still new to the 'friends' idea – and pats him lightly on the arm. "I know, but how about later. Kay? Let me explain this all to him first."
"Talk now?"
Steve glances at Loki and makes a impulsive decision. "Yes."
He's never been introduced to Loki, and Natasha will probably have him bubble dancing* for weeks for not clearing it with them first, but Loki looks like he really needs some structure right now and Steve's the only one here to do it (Heaven forbid Tony try it just yet. Loki's not ready for that powerhouse.). Steve pats Hulk again, flashes him an encouraging smile, and makes his way cautiously over to Loki, making sure all his movements are open and clear to see.
The alien man watches him through his long, dark hair (Bruce needs to give him another bath soon, it's looking a bit greasy), but doesn't seem like he's going to bolt. Not that he would, now that Steve thinks about it. Natasha said he'd had the flight instinct literally beaten out of him. Loki can't even think about trying to protect himself, let alone escape. Steve swallows again as he moves closer.
"Hey…" he scrambles for the name Bruce gave him, "Loptr. Mind if I sit next to you?"
Loki doesn't say anything. Steve really doesn't expect him to, but he knows that giving the option to Loki will only enforce to the man that this situation is different from the ones he knows from…well, whoever has done this to him. Steve hesitates a moment, unsure where and how he should sit. He can't be too near, that'd just make Loki twitchier. And the position in which he sits is key too. It has to be non-combative and give the illusion that he can't get over to Loki at a moment's notice.
Mind decided, Steve sits about five feet away, facing Loki, and crosses his legs into the lotus position. He rests his hands lightly on his knees and curls his back just a bit – he can't be too stiff or Loki will think he's mad about something. He takes a deep breathe in and lets in out slowly. Hulk grunts a bit behind him, but Steve ignores the noise. He's got to focus only on Loki here. Besides, looking back might make Loki think they're concocting a plan to hurt him or something.
Jeez, Steve mentally huffed. Anymore of this and they'd need an entire dictionary on the do's and don'ts of Loki.
The instant the thought passes though, Steve regrets it. Loki hasn't asked for this. He didn't want to be broken and used. And the very fact that Steve even blamed him for one second for that, makes the captain more ashamed then he's ever been before. He wants to hide in his room and beg God for forgiveness, but Loki wouldn't understand his sudden fleeing, neither would Hulk. So, Steve nips his guilt in the bud and buckles down to business.
"Hey, Loptr, my name's Steve." He flashes a small smile. "And the big guy behind me in Hulk."
Hulk rumbles in a friendly manner, but Loki still flinches at the noise. Steve presses on regardless. He's a mission to carry out and he will not fail – not this time, not like Bucky.
"Hulk didn't mean to scare you. He just likes meeting new people." Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but Hulk will have to forgive him on this. "I'm guessing Bann – Bruce didn't have a chance to explain that to you yet?"
"Changed." Loki whispers through his hair, the locks waving a little from his breath.
Steve nods. "He does that sometimes, but it doesn't mean he's mad at you or that you're in trouble. See, there are two people in Bruce. Hulk and Bruce. Sometimes, Hulk will come out for a while. Bruce always comes back though, so you don't have to worry about that."
He hopes Loki's following this so far. He's guessing at the alien man's throught process so far.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
"You don't have to talk to Hulk just yet, maybe when you're more comfortable." Steve glances up at the roof, a sudden thought coming to mind. "Jarvis, has Natasha been informed yet?"
"Indeed, sir. She and Miss Potts are on their way. She says to 'sit tight' and that she'll be along in ten to fifteen minutes."
"Thanks, Jarvis." Steve turned back to Loki. "See, Loptr, Natasha's on her way. She probably worried about you."
"Was bad," Loki whispers again.
Steve shakes his head hard. "No. You weren't bad. You just got scared. Natasha will understand that and, if she doesn't, I'll make her."
Steve doesn't really think Natasha won't understand, but Loki thinks the woman's connected to his former tormentors, so he probably needs that reassurance that someone's batting for his side. If the slight easing of Loki's taut shoulders are anything to go by, he made the right call.
Right then. "Jarvis, I want you to store this away in one of Mr. Stark's private files and then delete it. SHIELD is not to get this, understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Tony might think Steve's a mitt flopper*, but Steve knows when to obey orders and when to questions them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone into the belly of that hover-carrier and looked for those secret weapons. No, Steve knows the value of thinking on one's feet and this is not something Fury or SHIELD needs to know about. Especially, because their board of directors might try and use it against Bruce and Hulk. Loki, they're not so interested about just now, but Steve won't put it past them to perhaps try something in that area too.
I thought boot camp was tough.
But Steve steels his nerves and buckles down. He knows this team, that Loki, needs a leader and at this moment all they have is him. So, Steve will push aside his own worries and focuses on keeping Loki calm enough until Natasha gets back.
A small movement catches his eye and he sees Hulk shifting back to Bruce. A quick second decision and he slowly gets up – no need to freak Loki out by quick movements – and ambles over to the chair nearby. He picks up the thin blanket flung over its back and walks over to a, now, mostly-Bruce. He shakes the blanket out and throws it over the man's shoulders, giving him a bit of dignity back.
Bruce's pale, human hand reaches up and tugs it tighter around him, flashing Steve a grateful, yet nervous smile. "Thanks."
Steve shrugs. "It's nothing."
Bruce sighs and shakes his head. "I tried to tell Hulk is was a bad idea, but he just couldn't wait. Loki smells different now, so Hulk wanted to meet the new him. I fought him on it, but he just shoved me out of the way."
Steve lowers his tone to match Bruce's quiet one. "Well, there wasn't too much harm done and now Loki's expecting it, so it's not all bad. Why don't you go change and I'll wait here for Natasha?"
Bruce, seeming still a bit unsure, gets up. He wraps the blanket around him like a toga and peeks over Steve's shoulder. "Hey, Loptr. Sorry about that. Sometimes Hulk can get a little impatient."
Loki blinks at them both.
Bruce turns back to Steve. "I think I'll stay here. It might not be a good idea for me to leave either until Natasha gets here. Loki's at a bad point right now."
Steve nods. "Right. But are you gonna be okay with…" He waves at the blanket.
Bruce snorts softly. "Believe me, Captain, I've had worse. I'll be fine."
His respect for the doctor/scientist goes up a notch. Not everyone would do this. Some people would leave the awkward situation and come back only when their nerves had settled. That Bruce doesn't means a lot to Steve. Plus, it also means Steve has backup if Loki freaks out for some reason. So, Steve grins and waves Bruce to the chair. "Well, then, might as well get comfortable."
Bruce takes his suggestion of the chair gratefully. "Thank you, Captain."
"It's Steve."
"What?"
"Steve. My name. You can call me that, if you want." And suddenly Steve wonders if he might have overstepped himself. Bruce and he are still getting to know each other, still sniffing around the edges, checking to see if everything matches up. Maybe Steve got a little too eager and jumped the gun on this.
But Bruce tilts his head and quirks a smile. "Okay, then, Steve."
Yay, I got a chapter out. I'm so pleased right now. I honestly didn't think I'd get one out until September, I've been so busy with my novel. :P Thank you all for your patience. I hope you think I did Steve justice.
Phrases Steve Uses (couldn't help myself):
1) Bubble Dancing - Dishwashing
2) Mitt flopper - Kiss-up/ a soldier who always says 'yes,sir' without question.