paradisalogs | A much needed talk

A much needed talk

Who: Loki & Bruce Banner
What: Talking about what happened
When: After Stepford plot
Where: 1st floor Kitchen
Rating: PG13 so far

Loki paced the kitchen as he waiting for Banner to show up. He kept running over the distasteful events in his mind and just how he would deal with the aftermath. Banner was not one to be easily killed or threatened. Not with the Hulk at his command. But he would manage somehow. Surely Banner would not wish their... situation to be known by others either. With that hopeful thought in mind he started searching the cupboards for something that would make this discussion even slightly palatable. He looked around as Bruce entered. "Finally."

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Bruce came into the kitchen, setting his journal down on a nearby counter. He didn't want to be here, but he owed Loki this much, at least, after what Bruce had done. He sighed, shrugging with his hands out from his sides.

"All right, Loki. I'm here."

"Obviously." He replied dryly turning around from rummaging the cupboards. "I want you to listen to me and listen well. It never happened."

Bruce blinked in astonishment.

"That's it? We're just going to move on and forget?"

He tried to not sound utterly relieved, but he couldn't hide the feeling. He'd feared Loki would go on some terrible rampage or seek revenge. Bruce certainly felt he deserved that.

"What other option is there?" Loki spat out. "Dwell on it? Talk about it? This is not the first time my life has been made a lie." The memory of that time pained him in many ways, both in longing and disgust, as well as brought shame. "I would think it best that it not be discussed with anyone and forgotten. It never happened. A dream, a nightmare, whatever lets you rest well, but it was not reality and never will be so."

"God, Loki, did you think I would go around bragging about what I did?" Bruce spat. "Of course it wasn't real. You think I don't understand that you would never want...that? For what it's worth, I am sorry. I had no right...I wish I could forget it or undo it. I don't like it any more than you do!"

Bruce flushed green, not anger, but from shame, the feeling of loathing strong enough to stir the Hulk, even though aimed at himself. The Hulk had learned long ago to be wary of Bruce, when he felt like this.

"How am I to know what you understand about me? What you tales you have been told as to my proclivities. Am I not a seidrmenn?" Who knew what vile rumors about him Thor had shared? He sneered. "And what care has a monstrous beast for what it lay with?" A monster with a monster, was that not the natural way of things?

Loki paced the kitchen flipping open cupboards not having anything in mind for what he was looking for. Upon seeing glasses it occurred to him this was the perfect situation for ale. He glanced to the fridge then to Bruce. "Are we in accord? If you wish to blather more about it like washerwomen then I shall insist on having the closest beverage to ale available."

Bruce grimaced, going to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of beer. He handed it towards Loki.

"You know, for such a 'superior' civilization, you make Asgard seem kind of backwards. I don't know what seidermenn is, but I don't judge people based on who they choose to sleep with. I couldn't care less about your proclivities, even if I had any way of knowing about them. If you think Thor trash talked you, you can think again," Bruce lectured. "As for me being a beast, well, I could say the same of you, given your taste for murder, but this beast has a conscience. I've never slept with an unwilling partner before and I hope it never happens again."

Bruce looked away, his expression bitter. As much as he hated being seen only as the Hulk, he couldn't deny responsibility for him. Bruce was used to people seeing him as less than human, because of the Hulk, but it never got easier.

Edited 2014-01-26 18:37 (UTC)

"seiðmenn" Loki repeated. "A man practicing sorcery? Perhaps you heard a different term, ergi or argr? Ah, but if Thor was your only source of information that would make sense. He has ever been blind to that he does not wish to see." He took the beer and paced not noticing as the cold bottle had his hand slowly turning blue.

He had actually been talking about himself being a monster. "Oh I am far more a monster than you know. One cannot fight their nature." He growled popping off the top of the bottle and raising it to drink. That was when he caught sight of his cursed blue skin and the lines marking his hand. He dropped the bottle in fearful shock and quickly tucked the cursed thing under his arm, doing his best to hide it. "We are done here." He said quickly, doing his best to keep the panic he felt from showing.

"What's wrong with a man practicing sorcery? Lots of men are good sorcerers...like Dr. Strange. I told you, Thor didn't say anything about you...I called you crazy and he about took my head off. I don't know what ergi and argr mean, no. Unless they're terms meaning 'murderer,' you probably don't deserve them," Bruce insisted, then shook his head. "You're wrong, Loki. You don't have to be a monster. That's entirely your choice. You can fight your nature or at least learn to control it."

Bruce watched Loki's hand turn blue, a bit surprised. He jumped back, when Loki dropped the bottle, then immediately walked forward.

"What is that? Are you injured?"

"I have no interest in expounding upon Asgardian society with a Midgardian." Loki decided on. He had shared far too much with the man already. He snorted. "Especially as you know nothing of my true nature."

"Stay away from me!" Loki yelled, backing up as he did so. "It is nothing." He didn't dare look down at his own hidden traitorous flesh.

"Suit yourself," Bruce said, not willing to press the issue. If he ever got home, he could ask Thor about Asgard. He wasn't, however, going to ignore Loki's hand or Loki's reaction to it. "Loki, let me see your hand. I'm a healer, remember? You wouldn't react like this to 'nothing.'"

Loki sneered even as his heart hammered hard in his chest. "It is no wound you can heal." He looked down at his hand then, pulling it out to just see the hint of blue. He felt ill at the sight. Was it getting lighter though or was that his own frantic desire to have it go away?

"Maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to try," Bruce persisted.

He peered closely at as much of the skin as he could see. He had to admit, it didn't look like anything he was familiar with. In fact, it didn't really look like an injury at all.

"Do you know what's causing that?"

He growled, glaring at Bruce. "You want to see?" He pulled out the hand. "Then look! Get a good close look." He slammed the hand on the countertop, the cold of it freezing the bit of condensation there.

Loki snorted. "Surely you are familiar with changing of thy form into a monster?" The warmth of his armpit had turned it a lighter blue but the process back to his normal skin had ended when exposed to the neutral air.

Bruce ignored Loki's rage, putting on his glasses and stepping close to the counter. He reached out to touch the skin on the back of Loki's hand.

"A bit too familiar, yes," Bruce agreed, dryly. "I wasn't aware it was a problem you have. You're still...you. Is this hurting you?"

He jerked away as a first impulse then his hand reached out to grab Bruce's arm. But the cold wasn't enough to harm the man anymore and Loki had never learned how to bring it out himself. So he let go.

"It is not physically painful." He was looking everywhere but his hand now. "Usually this Aesir disguise of Odin's does not fail. Only when confronted with Jotuns or objects of power from Jotunheim has it ever..." He looked at the bottle suspiciously.

Bruce winced a bit, when Loki grabbed him, mainly fearing they were going to end up fighting. He sighed, when Loki released him.

"Wait, you're not...damn. Thor said you were adopted, but he didn't say you weren't from Asgard. Who are the Jotun?"

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A much needed talk

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