Chapter Text
Finally, after almost three hours of endless smashing, leaping and tearing apart the Chitauri troops, it was over.
“If it′s all the same to you,” piped up puny god, snapping him out of the relative sense of calm he′d achieved, “...I′ll have that drink now.”
The Hulk, towering over the rest of his…team? raised his fists ever so slightly, giving an intimidating huff. Though he was tired, he wouldn′t hesitate to pummel Loki one more time, should he try anything.
His muscles tensed. He could smell the tension in the air, its touch electric on his bare, dirt-matted skin.
“Alright, get him on his feet,” said Tin man, knocking the tension down a peg, “we can all stand around, posing up a storm later.” He turned, and Hulk could tell he was angry, at least partially. He knew the feeling well.
“By the way, feel free to clean up.” Tin man commented as he passed him, probably to puny god.
The rest of the team spurred into action around him. Hammer man got a hold of Loki, yanking him to his feet. Arrow guy retreated to the bar. Spy girl followed. Flag man seemed to be talking to himself, touching his ear. Tin man was off to the side, taking off his armor and inspecting the damage.
Hulk lumbered from foot to foot. The smashing was done. There was nothing for him to do, but he didn′t feel like leaving yet. What if one of those weird monkey things survived and dropped in to attack? Puny Banner wouldn′t survive that. What if puny god tried something? Puny Banner would be helpless. Useless.
He decided to make himself useful, at least, and trained his eyes on Loki, watching as Hammer man wrapped a metal rod he tore out of one of the holes in the floor around his wrists in makeshift cuffs.
Though he looked like he had the situation under control, Hulk opted to step up behind them, keeping silent watch. His presence, however, didn′t go unnoticed, and puny god′s head whipped around to greet him with an uneasy grin.
He received similar, though more level, attention from Hammer man. “You fought well today, friend Hulk.”
"Of course you would call that brute a friend." Murmured Loki, earning himself a rough brotherly smack on the back of the head.
"Ignore my brother, Hulk." Thor added and proceeded to reach out to Hulk so as to give his green forearm a pat. Hulk flinched away and raised a fist in response, and so Thor stopped, instead holding the hand up in a surrender while gripping his brother′s restraints with the other.
“Hammer man hit Hulk, not friend.” Hulk snarled.
Thor's brows furrowed at this. “My name is not Hammer man. It is Thor, Odinson." He said, voice much more serious than a moment ago.
"I hit you, yes, but I was acting in defense of everyone′s best interests at the time.” the big words took a moment to reach Hulk. “You posed a threat to others present. Provoked by my brother, I′ll give you, but a threat nonetheless.”
“I did what I had to. But let us not dwell on the past now and instead rejoice together in our shared victory, what do you say?”
Hulk gave Hammer-...Thor...a long stare. The thunder god flexed the fingers of his free hand, preparing for the worst, but the jade giant simply huffed a nod instead, defusing the situation.
“Who gets the magic wand?” said Spy girl, grabbing his attention momentarily. She held the bad pointy stick that had made them so angry before, on the flying boat. The fact that it was her holding it didn′t make him feel any better.
“Strike team′s coming to secure it.” replied Flag man.
The hiss of the elevator made him jolt and take a tentative step back, a low growl rumbling in his chest as he stared down the men who entered. They looked like army men. Hulk didn′t like those.
He raised his clenched fists, teeth grinding, heart pounding. Were they here for them? They didn′t do anything wrong! They helped! They did GOOD! And this is how they repay them?!
"Hey, big man-" came from beside him and he turned so violently he almost knocked Tin man, holding the glowy cube in the metal glove from his suit, off his feet with his elbow.
"Woah, easy there, buddy." Tin man said as he looked at the cube warily before looking back up to Hulk. "They′re not here for you, K?" he added in a whisper, and then walked past to one of the army men holding out an open carry-on box to him.
Hulk huffed and lowered his fists again, his breathing evenning out. Maybe this would pan out well for them, after all. Neither of them really knew what would happen after this. Eye-patch man double-crossing them was not off the table, master spy and all that. The rest of them? They weren′t sure which of them they could trust, now that the whole thing was over.
Tin man, maybe. Tin man was nice. To both of them.
“By all means.” said Spy girl as she handed the bad stick to a man in a suit. She then turned and headed over to Arrow guy, who handed her a drink.
“Careful with that thing.” she added.
“Unless you want your mind erased, and not the fun way.” remarked Arrow guy, and Hulk couldn't agree more, though it hadn't been as bad for him as it was for Arrow guy.
Banner wasn't careful when working with the stick, and Hulk felt it work its magic from the moment they first laid their hands on it. Whispering, warping thoughts, making them sick with hot, blinding rage, until Banner couldn't keep it in anymore. Couldn′t keep him in.
He gave the bad stick one last apprehensive glance as suit man put it away in a carry-on box. One of the army men then shut it tight. Good, he thought, and nodded to himself.
Another army man came up to the three of him, Thor and Loki, regarding him in particular with a cautious gaze as he secured the puny god′s hands with proper cuffs.
The army man pulled out what looked like some sort of muzzle next and was about to put it on puny god as well, but Thor stopped him. "That will not be necessary."
"Precaution for magic users. Keep it - just in case - sir." the army man said and handed the muzzle to Thor, who put it away (the thunder god knew it was about as much use as, to put it in Earthly terms, a sift to cap the water tap).
The army man then left and Hulk′s attention drifted again. It landed briefly on Tin man, who was now working with the glowy cube, until Flag man caught his eye as he passed him, talking to himself, or maybe them, he wasn′t sure.
"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue."
"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue." said Flag man again, standing where puny god had just been standing- but no, he was still heading for the elevator! Taken aback, Hulk took a confused step back and looked between the two Caps, right as the one in puny god′s place became puny god again. Hulk snarled at him, agitated.
"I mean, honestly, how do you-" continued puny god in his own, annoying voice, before Thor utilized the muzzle he was given, clasping it firmly over Loki′s mouth in one swift motion.
"Shut. Up." said Thor, and in a moment of shared irritation the both of them gave puny god a rough shove to get him walking towards the army men meant to watch him. Hulk and the army men exchanged glances now and then as they waited for everyone to finish up.
Some of the army men, along with suit man, had taken the elevator after Flag man, taking the bad stick with them. Arrow guy and Spy girl had finished their drinks and were keeping to themselves to the side. Now they were waiting for Tin man to wrap up his work with the cube.
Once Tin man was done and shut it in its own carry-on box, he walked over to the remaining ensemble, calling up the elevator.
When the hiss announcing its arrival died off, the army men all huddled in, followed by Thor and puny god, Arrow guy and Spy girl, and Tin man with his box. Then it was his turn, but before he could even set his foot in
"Hold it there, jolly green," said Tin man, holding a hand out in front of him, turning his back to him for a moment as he handed off the box to Spy girl. "Keep an eye on that for me, will you?" he added with a wink, and got off, stepping out next to Hulk.
The occupants of the elevator regarded the pair with varying degrees of concern on their faces.
"Oh and-" he continued and reached a hand up to his ear, speaking as the elevator doors began to close. "you′ve all got about an hour to do your thing, by the way, then we′re getting that shawarma."
And with that, the two of them were left in the penthouse alone.