Although Thor had managed to mature a lot over the past several years, Loki still often found himself questioning his brother’s decisions. Now was one of those occasions.
When Thor had insisted on accompanying him on the supply run he was making to a nearby planet, Loki had grumbled but relented, knowing that arguing would ultimately prove futile. However, when Thor had shown up at the Commodore with Bruce close behind him, he had glared daggers at his brother and told him that he was practically begging for something to happen.
Bruce, for his part, actually seemed to agree with Loki but didn’t voice it, and Thor eventually won out.
However, now that they had landed and were looking at the bustling street of the small trading port, Loki decided to, again, voice his opinion. He mumbled, “Why not bring the mortal to a planet that we’ve never even been to before? Sure. What could possibly go wrong?”
Thor just sighed, though he was smiling, and instead of addressing Loki, who he knew was just being his normal, moody self, addressed a very nervous looking Bruce Banner.
“Don’t worry, Banner! I checked the planet before we even left the Statesman to ensure it was unhostile, and with Loki’s heart rate spell firmly in place we have no reason to worry about the Hulk making an unwanted appearance. Besides, better to do some sightseeing on a new planet than to sit idle all day. Right?”
Bruce hesitated. “Uh… yeah, I guess.”
Loki huffed. He knew for a fact that Bruce, much like Loki himself, was perfectly happy spending hours upon hours in a single room, busying himself with one project or another. He knew this because the two of them had done it multiple times back when the ship’s engine had mysteriously decided to start acting up.
As they began walking, Thor looked over the list they had brought.
“Right, so basically, we’re going to need to stop somewhere with weapons, medical supplies, food, and fuel, and we should be good, so keep your eyes peeled.”
Bruce looked around, but soon realized that all the signs were written in a script that Eir had told him was the ‘universal language’ back when he had been helping her in the medical area. She had explained to him that, while Asgardians used a magically laced language called Allspeak to help them communicate, most beings used this universal language in order to read, write, and speak to other species.
Bruce tried to get a bit closer to Thor’s side. The trio had already passed multiple beings that looked like they could rip him in two without any effort, and because it was clear that he wouldn’t be much help in finding anything, he simply focused on not getting separated from the two gods he was there with.
“There’s a weapons shop.” Loki said, pointing.
They veered off the street and approached the building.
Bruce peered in and was pretty sure he would have hulked out right then and there if it weren’t for Loki’s spell. There were four, massive, gnarly creatures that made the Chitauri look like adorable little puppies.
Ok. Maybe that was a bit of a stretch, but in that moment it certainly felt like it.
Thor and Loki shared a glance and then both looked at Bruce.
Thor clapped his hands together. “Ok! So, how about I get the weapons, and you guys go look for one of the other things on our list!”
“Right.” Loki said, flatly, and tore off the section of the paper that listed the weapons they were looking for. He handed it to Thor and began steering himself and Bruce down the busy street.
Bruce tried to ignore the extra pang of anxiety that came at the thought that Loki was pretty much in charge of him for the time being. This place was making him nervous enough without adding onto it.
Besides, Loki wouldn’t actually let anything happen to him… right?…
After the two of them had grabbed some medical supplies at a moderately friendlier looking shop than the one they had left Thor at, they headed back to regroup.
“Man. There’s enough people here to rival New York in the rush hour.” Bruce said as he ducked out of the way of yet another alien species.
Loki merely hummed in response as he could neither agree with nor disagree with his statement.
“Just stay close.” He said, and Bruce wasn’t going to argue with that.
As they approached the shop, Loki’s eyes scanned over the crowd, looking for his brother.
He spotted him. Thor had a leather bag, that was certainly filled with their newly acquired weapons, tossed over his shoulder.
As Loki approached, Thor saw him too and flipped the bag off his shoulder, holding it out. Loki made it disappear with a flick of his wrist and stored it safely away in an interdimensional pocket.
However, anxiety began to fill Thor’s features as they neared each other.
“Loki, where’s Banner?” He asked, cautiously.
“What?” Loki asked and spun around.
Gone.
He turned back around to face his brother, his own eyes growing wide.
“I swear he was just behind me!” Loki said.
“Yeah?” Thor asked, already moving. Loki was right on his heels. “Don’t you think it would have been easier to keep an eye on him if he were next to you?”
“Oh sure, because that definitely would have been safer. The man has the stature that we had when we were like sixty, Thor. That’s what, like twelve for a Midgardian? I had to be wary not to get myself crushed. How do you think he would have fared?”
‘Looks like we’re about to find out.’ Neither of them said it, but they both heard it echo in their minds.
“Banner!” Thor began yelling. “Banner!!”
That’s when Loki remembered his spell. Bruce was coated in a layer of his magic.
All he had to do was feel for it.
At this, he stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes. He allowed himself to feel the energy all around him. Every creature possessed a life force. Sorting through them to locate a single individual was nigh impossible. Luckily, he wasn’t looking for a life force.
He focused in, feeling specifically for his own energy. The majority of it, as expected, clung to him. His brother, who was moving away from him into the crowd, had a very light aura of it just from being in Loki’s presence so often.
He focused his attention out.
Farther.
Farther.
There.
A glow of his magic, quite a bit stronger than the simple residue that clung to Thor, but not even close to as strong as Loki himself.
Bruce.
He grabbed onto it so as not to lose it, and his eyes shot back open. Thor was gone. Loki couldn’t even hear his brother’s calls anymore, but that was fine. Thor could handle himself. Bruce on the other hand…
Loki ran towards the energy that still hummed quietly in the back of his head.
~~~
Bruce was freaking out.
He hadn’t even had a chance to scream as the vaguely insect-looking, eight foot tall creature had grabbed him, brought a large hand-appendage-thing, that looked closer to a praying mantis claw than an actual hand, over his mouth, and carried him down a couple turns before eventually entering a building where five more stood, waiting.
Waiting for what?
The one who had been carrying him dropped him and began talking with the others. Their language seemed to consist entirely of clicking sounds and screeches.
Bruce pushed himself to his feet and was about to make a run for the door when two of them grabbed him. The spikes on their appendages were biting painfully into his arms, but as the ones who weren’t holding onto him began to rub their two front limbs together, he suddenly became incredibly concerned that spikes weren’t going to be the only things biting into him.
At that thought, he began to scream as loud as he could, begging anyone who might be able to hear to help him. His cries only became louder as one of them, the one who had dragged him there in the first place, began to advance on him.
Figures that just when Bruce had managed to find a truly reliable way to keep the Hulk in, he found himself in one of the once in a blue moon instances where he actually really needed his alter ego.
And just as he thought that was going to be the end of him, eaten by carnivorous insect aliens, there was a knock at the door that, under the circumstances, sounded far too calm.
They all froze.
The creatures exchanged a couple clicks that, Bruce would dare to say, sounded almost unsure. Finally, the one who had been about to take a bite out of him turned and opened the door.
Loki grinned at the creature, who he believed to be Zaxxorian, as it opened the door.
“Hello.” He said, cheerfully, and quickly flicked a glance towards Bruce to ensure the mortal wasn’t too badly injured. There was some blood dripping down his arms from where they were holding him but nothing more that Loki could see.
He then turned his attention back to the one who had opened the door.
“I’m terribly sorry for interrupting your…” He paused. “meal, but that man is actually with me, so if you wouldn’t mind handing him over, and I’ll leave, no harm done.” Loki said with a smile.
The Zaxxorian huffed and slammed the door in his face.
Loki sighed. “And I even asked nicely.”
Inside, the creature let out a shriek that Bruce could only guess meant something along the lines of ‘Alright guys, back to the party!’ Suddenly, the door flew off its hinges and it, along with the creature who had been standing in front of it, went flying across the room and into the opposite wall.
Loki’s foot, still flaring with green energy, came back down from his kick as he took a step inside. Upon seeing Bruce, he brought his hands up in a ‘What gives?’ kind of gesture.
“I thought I told you to stay close!” He said, completely ignoring the multiple hostile aliens in the room.
Bruce looked at him incredulously. “What, you think this was on purpose?!” He shrieked.
Loki rolled his eyes. Then one of the Zaxxorians charged at him. He took a single step back and braced himself as the creature rammed straight through him, head first into a wall.
The illusion disappeared in a flicker of green and gold, and the real Loki reappeared, only about three feet in front of Bruce, who jumped in surprise.
Two throwing knives whizzed through the air and straight into the foreheads of the two who had been holding Bruce. Loki lunged forward, grabbing him and instantly teleporting them both away as the remaining two gave outraged screeches.
When the ground reappeared underneath him, Bruce felt his knees buckle as, with Loki’s guidance, he fell down into his seat on the Commodore.
The feeling of his mind racing while his heart stayed slow and steady under Loki’s spell was very strange.
Loki looked him over quickly, searching for any major injuries, but again came up empty. That did not, however, stop the very visible distress painted on Bruce's face.
“Are you alright?” Loki asked and mentally scolded himself as a bit too much concern came through in his tone.
Bruce didn’t seem to notice though as he gave a short, stiff nod.
Loki eyed him for a moment, then conjured a cloth. He handed it to Bruce, who immediately pressed it to the bleeding holes in his arms.
“I’m… going to go help Thor. We’ll be back soon.”
“Ok.” Bruce responded, quietly.
Loki spared him one more glance before picturing his brother and teleporting. Though perhaps a bit closer than intended.
“Bann—” Thor’s calls were halted as his brother materialized directly in front of him, and they collided, falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
“Oh! Hello, brother.” Thor failed to keep the amusement from his eyes as he said it.
“Get off!” Loki growled, pushing his brother off of him. He grumbled as he stood, dusting himself off.
“Did you find anything?” Thor asked. The worry was clear in his voice.
“Oh, yes.” Loki said, acting bored as he continued to knock the dirt off his clothes. “Bruce is now safely back in the Commodore.”
Thor visibly deflated with relief. “Is he alright?”
At this, Loki looked up. “Well, he was very nearly eaten by a group of hungry Zaxxorians, but other than that, yes. He’s fine.”
Thor stared at him in shock for a moment. Definitely not the response he had been expecting.
Before he could say anything, Loki had turned and began walking down the street again, saying, “Now, we’d best finish our errands. Shouldn’t we?” Then he paused and turned on his heels. “Perhaps you should refrain from bringing him on any more supply runs regardless of whether the planet is labeled as ‘unhostile’ or not.”
Thor huffed but nodded.
Yes. That would probably be best.