Chapter 4
“You wanted to see me?” Bruce asks. Tony thinks Bruce looks more tired than usual.
“You look more tired than usual.” Tony says, throwing tact out the window. (̶K̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶L̶o̶k̶i̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶w̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶.̶)̶
Bruce blinks owlishly. “Um, thanks?”
“So, we have a situation.” Tony starts.
Bruce takes a deep breath, shaking his head. “Should I be worried?”
Tony winces. “That depends. How would you react if I told you Loki’s alive?”
Look — Bruce isn’t particularly proud of the fact that he spent two years as the Hulk beating people to a pulp. And he doesn’t particularly like Loki. But that doesn’t change the fact that the last time Bruce saw Loki, Loki was fighting to save the people of Asgard. That has to count for something.
“Honestly, I’m not even that surprised.” Bruce says. Because Loki worming his way out of bad situations seems like his entire MO.
“Okay,” Tony says, caught off guard by Bruce’s calm. “Well, how would you react if I said that Loki may or may not be a teenager who doesn’t remember the last 200 years?”
“That still wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen this year.” Bruce’s brow furrows. “What does this have to do with me?”
“Well, Loki is possibly in the Tower.”
“Oh.” Bruce says.
“And that may be a secret at the moment.”
Bruce sighs. Tony plows forward.
“And we may or may not need you to make sure that Loki’s vitals and everything are fine cause if he dies in our care Thor is going to go fucking ballistic. Also, an X-Ray might confirm his age.”
“You do remember that I’m not a medical doctor, right?” Bruce raises an eyebrow. (Does he regret getting 7 PhDs? Only a little bit.)
Tony sighs. “You’re the best option we have.”
Bruce would much rather be doing science stuff than Hulk stuff, any day. So he agrees. Begrudgingly.
“Rise and shine,” Tony sings.
Loki pulls a pillow over his head and turns over.
“We need medical to check up on you. Well, not medical, cause nobody other than the Avengers know you exist right now. But you’ll get to meet Big and Green!”
Loki pushes aside the pillow and stares at Tony in distaste. “I’m still not wearing those cuffs.”
“Yeah,” Tony sighs. “I think you are.”
“I really don’t think so.”
“If you don’t put them on, we’re going to have to send Thor in there to make you.”
Loki freezes. Tony can’t help but think he played the wrong hand.
“Why do you think I can’t take Thor?” Loki asks. “Because I am fully capable of fighting Thor and winning.”
“When you first got here, he took you down,” Tony says, ignoring the second part of Loki’s comments. He doesn't have the time nor patience for this.
Loki stares at Tony like he’s a particularly stupid child. Tony is getting a bit tired of that. “I was only dodging. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
Tony shakes his head. “I’m afraid I do.”
Loki’s eyebrows crinkle. He picks at his palm and studies Tony’s face. Tony hates how young he looks.
“Fine,” Loki whispers.
When Tony puts the cuffs on Loki, a shudder runs through his whole body. Loki gasps sharply.
“You alright?” Tony asks. He knows that Loki’s a good actor, but he looks pained. And if Steve thinks their prisoner is hurt, he’s going to go all ‘America is better than that’ at Tony. Again.
“Come on, kid. Sooner we get this over with, sooner you can get that metal off you.”
Loki grits his teeth and follows.
Loki cocks his head when they get to the Med Bay. “You’re new,” he says to Bruce.
Bruce stares at Loki. Except for Thor, Bruce has spent the most time with Loki. He knows Loki’s cruelty and his rare compassion. But this Loki looks so young. He’s staring at Bruce with interest but absolutely no recognition. Bruce clears his head and does his job. He’s gotten rather good at that.
Everything goes smoothly for the blood pressure and the X-Ray. Loki is snarky, but no more than usual. They are so close to the end when things take a turn for the worse.
“I’m going to have to draw your blood,” Bruce says gently.
Loki’s eyes widen. “Absolutely not.”
“‘Tis the last thing, brother.” Thor says. He tries to place a hand on Loki’s shoulder, but Loki wrenches away.
“Fine.” (Loki does not look fine. He’s shaking a little.)
Loki presses his eyes together when the needle is brought out.
“This will only take a minute,” Bruce says.
Loki winces when the needle goes in. Then his eyes open wide and he looks straight at Thor.
“I feel strange.” His face is shades paler than it was already — which, frankly, Tony hadn’t known was possible. Then his eyes slip closed and his head falls back.
“Shit.” Tony says.
“What did you do to my brother?” Thor yells.
“Nothing,” Bruce says, putting some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad. “Passing out while getting blood drawn happens sometimes. He might be dehydrated. Or stressed. There are lots of reasons it might have happened.”
Bruce slips the needle out of Loki’s arm and presses a band aid in its place. (The band aid has a little cartoon Iron Man on it. This is Tony’s tower goddamnit, and he can have Iron Man band aids if he wants them). Then Bruce waves the cotton pad under Loki’s nose.
Loki’s eyes open slowly.
“Thor,” he mumbles.
“Yes, brother?” Thor’s eyes are wide and hopeful.
“This is why I don’t listen to you.”