~Eliza's POV~
I woke up the next morning to find the facility almost deserted. I assumed everybody was having a lie in after the late night the day before, and I used it as a chance to wander the hallways alone, and get lost in a tangled stream of my thoughts.
Despite battling with my emotions, I still unsure how I was meant to feel about living with the Avengers. I loved it, but that was what scared me. The only reason I was here was because somebody had recently injected me with the Hulks DNA, but they hadn't resurfaced since. That thought terrified me, but the safety the facility offered me often made me forget quite how serious the attack was.
I strolled through the maze of corridors, but slowed my pace as I heard thuds and muffled swears coming from the kitchen. I tentatively pushed the door open, but relaxed as I saw Thor squatting on the floor surrounded by pots and saucepans. His swears were directed at them, as he haphazardly attempted to push them back in the cupboards with little luck.
"I will break you if you bang on the floor again! You shall wake the others!" Thor whispered harshly.
I stifled my laugh as I stepped into view, waving at him as he turned his head to look at me. "Do you want some help?"
He wore a sheepish smile as he glanced down at the pans, which had just fallen back onto the polished floor. "They attacked me."
I nodded along, humouring him, and collected them from where they'd rolled away. "They have a habit of doing that." I smiled, securely stacking them in their correct places.
His chuckle filled the kitchen as he stood up, wiping at the soft cotton pyjamas he wore. "Indeed. What brings you to the kitchen so early?"
I took the last saucepan from his outstretched hand, and slid it into the cupboard. "I was hungry. You?"
Thor smiled and danced around me to pull the freezer door open. He pulled out a tub of chocolate brownie flavoured ice cream, with his name clearly printed on a sticker stuck to its lid. "Bruce was kind enough to purchase this for me. Would you care to share it?"
I grinned, feeling like Thor had accepted me, and opened the drawer to pull out two spoons. He split the tub between the two of us, and offered me a bowl with a simple smile on his face. We ate in silence, sitting beside one another on the island stools. In the time it took me to eat my small bowl, Thor had made a second and third trip back to the tub, before scraping out the melting remains with his spoon.
"So you are not Bruce's daughter?" He asked, his attention now fixed on me after he'd devoured the delicious ice cream.
"No, we're not related." I confirmed, sliding off the stool to flick the kettle on. After such a sickly sweet breakfast, I was dying for a strong cup of tea.
"I did think it was odd that he never mentioned a child to me." He mused, running his fingers through his knotted hair.
Remembering what Pietro had told me last night, I decided to ask him about his relationship with Bruce. It had come as a shock, but the pair obviously shared feelings for one another. "Pietro said that you two were together."
"Pietro and I?" Thor asked, a horrified look on his face.
I tried not to snort as I saw his reaction, and shook my head as I turned away to tip the boiling water into my mug. "You and Bruce."
"Oh, yes. Yes we are." Thor beamed, love and pride on his face as he stood up, his height filling the room we were in.
"How long?" I asked.
"Oh, just over a year I think. Bruce has the dates but I forget. Time on Midgard is different to Asgard."
I nodded, although I wasn't entirely sure what he meant. "You said you have a brother?"
Thor grinned, "Yes, Loki. The Avengers weren't too welcoming - he tried to take over the Earth, as I'm sure you're aware."
I hadn't realised it was Thors brother who led the attack all those years ago, but realisation hit me as he spoke. It made sense - who else was related to a God with the ability to destroy half of New York?
"Anyway, he changed his ways, and has returned to the kind brother he once was. He helped me defeat the Dark Elves, and I have seen his true colours once more." Thor smiled, ruffling my hair as he marched past me, pushing the doors open to go outside.
I watched him leave, but he stopped abruptly, turning around to wave me to follow him. I slid my feet into a pair of crocs that had been left in the doorway - which baffled me but I decided not to ask who they belonged to - and stepped outside.
I basked in the morning sunlight, as it poured down from the sky. Without a cloud in sight, the temperature was growing warmer, promising a hot day. It was early enough for me to not feel hot in the long cotton pyjama trousers I'd pulled on the night before, but my bare arms were warming up quickly.
"Do you have a job here Eliza?"
I accepted the bin bag Thor held out to me, and shook my head. "Not any more, but I did used to work in a café. Before the Hulk incident." I explained a little uneasily, looking at my feet as Thor tossed a couple of empty cans into the bag I held.
He didn't notice my slight change in behaviour, as he smiled at me, now holding a half drunk bottle of wine that he slid into a cardboard box by his feet. "Those are the ones that sell the coffee right?" I nodded, and his excited laugh made me glance back up at his face. "I love coffee. My friend took me bought me some on my first visit to Midgard. Just... magnificent."
I laughed at his cheery persona, my short lived embarrassment about being injected leaving me, as Thor began telling me stories. My mood brightened as the sun grew stronger and, in our pyjamas, we worked our way around the fields collecting the rubbish to recycle.
"So you were banished?" I asked.
He nodded, "Yes. But then I proved myself worthy and was able to travel back home."
I frowned. "But how did you prove yourself?"
Thor sat down, the remains of the picnic now tidied into boxes and bags next to us. "I don't know. I fought my brother, and defeated him which allowed me to return. I suppose that was how Mjölnir returned to me."
"You fought Loki?" I was a little confused. Thor had a habit of going on long tangents during his stories, and I had no idea which one we were now on.
"Yes." Thor nodded.
"But I thought New York...?"
Thor smiled at me, "Loki again, I'm afraid. He definitely lives up to his name of God of Mischief. He used to use his tricks for bad. But like I said, he's changed his ways."
He scooped most of the boxes and bags into his arms, letting me only carry a small box and knotted bag back to the kitchen, where we sorted through and binned the remains of the picnic.
"How do you know that he's changed?" I asked, unsure of how Thor's faith in his brother was unwavering even after everything he'd told me.
Thor sighed, "He supports Bruce and I. Reluctantly, but he does. And that's enough for me. Plus, he's not in the dungeons any more and hasn't caused any bother for many years now."
I smiled, just as Bruce walked in. "You look happy Eliza. Did you enjoy the picnic?"
"I did, thank you. Have you seen anybody else? I've only seen Thor this morning." I peered around Bruce to look down the corridor. Normally Pietro was up with the birds - he wasn't very quiet and usually ended up banging against my door as he left his room.
Thor wrapped an arm around Bruce's shoulders, hugging him into his side. "Eliza and I shared that delightful ice cream you bought me." The smile fell from his face as he glanced back to the empty tub by the sink. "We've run out of ice cream."
Bruce shook his head softly as he patted Thors chest. "I'll get you some more next time." He then turned back to me, "A few of them have gone on a meeting with Fury across the city. They shouldn't be too long." He paused, then raised an eyebrow. "Pietro was with them, before you ask."
"I didn't ask." I said defensively, turning around so he wouldn't see my flushed cheeks.
"I was wondering if you could possibly help me? It would only be for a few minutes, then you can get back to your day." Bruce added quickly, before I had a chance to leave the room.
"Sure, what do you want help with?"
"I need a sample of your blood. I need to see just how far the Hulk DNA has mixed with your own." He explained gently.
I sighed, but nodded. "Yeah that's fine, just let me get changed first."
He nodded and let me leave. I was growing weary of the Hulk, and it hadn't really been that long since I'd been injected. I was tired of the constant emotions whirling around my mind, that would emerge when I wasn't distracting myself.
I pulled a pair of comfy cotton trousers on, not really planning on doing anything other than visiting Bruce today. I wanted to walk around the fields and enjoy the novelty of feeling the warm grass beneath my feet.
"Bruce!" I called into the labs once I pushed the door open, looking around the shining labs that were filled with messily organised notes and numbers.
He stood up from behind cabinets filled with what looked like complicated paperwork. "Are you ready?"
"It's only a small sample right? Not a lot?" I asked, sitting myself down on the seat he'd cleaned and prepared for my visit.
He nodded, and pulled out the needle and small bottle that would be used to capture the blood.
At the sight, my stomach began churning. Something felt off.
I steadied my breaths, trying to breathe the nausea away. It didn't really work though, as I felt a wave of panic as Bruce turned around, holding it between gloved fingers.
No.
My throat closed up, as the voice rung through my head. "Bruce stop!" I yelled.
I pushed away from the chair, stumbling over my own feet as a ripple of pain spread from my chest outwards. My vision grew blurry, and the ache in my head grew as I swallowed back a mouthful of vomit.
I knew what was happening.
I charged out of the labs, and as I held my hand to the door, I could see huge green veins protruding from them. A pulse caused them to grow, but I wasted no time in studying the colour as I ran through the hallways, trying to find a door that led outside.
The hot sun beat down, and I could feel sweat rolling down my back. If only I was hot and bothered from the cloudless sky, but I knew it was more deep rooted than that.
And with a gut wrenching roar, I felt the pain consume me.
***
~Pietro's POV~
"Green?"
"Of course not green, it would wash me out."
I listened to the two men arguing, letting my mind wander. Trapped in the back of a car with Tony and Rhodey wasn't awful, but my thoughts were drifting to somebody I would rather be seeing.
Tony drove us past the locked gates, and we started the mile driveway that wrapped around the facility, before we reached the garage where he could leave his car. Steve was sat next to me with his eyes glued to his phone, and from the flushed cheeks I knew he was messaging Barnes.
A cry interrupted the conversation between the men in the front seat. A toe curling, stomach clenching, painful, raw scream that made the entire car fall silent.
I knew who it was.
"Let me out." I muttered, pushing against the locked doors. "Stark, let me out!"
"Kid, just wait while I park-"
"Let me out!" I screamed, and I felt the tell tale click of the doors unlocking. Within the second I had found her, body collapsing in on itself as her skin morphed into an agonising green.
"Eliza." Her name was a whisper on my lips, but she heard it nonetheless.
She didn't look back though. Not her, but the Hulk. She grew, unfurling from the folded position she'd been stood in. She threw her arms back, and continued to grow taller and taller.
Bruce charged out of the door beside me, panting as he turned slowly to look at her. "Eliza-"
She roared again, stumbling over her feet as she attempted to get away. Stark appeared by my side, fully equipped with his Iron armour, and Steve and Rhodey chased after him.
"I'll get the Hulkbuster, this shouldn't be a problem." He murmured, holding his hand out as huge chunks of metal flew through the skies toward him.
I shook my head as Elizas Hulk continued shouting, the words incomprehensible to any of us. "No." I stood my ground, "let me talk her down."
"Pietro, she is dangerous!" Tony argued, "That's not her anymore, and it's not Banners Hulk. She doesn't know you."
"Let me try." I spoke slowly, not budging. I wouldn't let Eliza be beaten to a pulp, even if this was the Hulk. She'd told me how she felt after waking up from the Hulk attacks, and this was only her second time fully morphing into the green giant. She would need comfort, not pain.
I was gone before they could argue with me, and danced around the Hulk as I enticed her away from the others.
She walked clumsily, hitting out at the air as her roars grew in volume. The others kept a safe distance away, and once we reached the centre of a wide, empty field, I backed away. She watched me go, falling quiet.
"Eliza-"
"No!" The voice boomed, and I could feel the air hit me as she screamed. "No Eliza! Only Hulk!"
"Okay!" I held my hands up in surrender, "okay, Hulk. I am Pietro."
Her shouts started up again when I took a step forward, so I attempted to step back.
But the Hulk had a different idea.
She reached out and grabbed my leg, flinging me onto my back before letting go. I heard the thud of my body as I hit the ground, but I ignored the pain as the Hulk bent down to stare at my face. "Eliza try to stop me! But I am here! I am not going!"
Her face split into a painful grimace, and she staggered back, holding onto the hair of her head. I took the opportunity to stand back up, and walk slowly towards her.
Eliza was in there, and I needed to get her out.
"Eliza-"
"Stop!" She bellowed, her gruff voice splitting the air as her body spun to face me. "No!"
"Eliza, you need to come back!" I pleaded, feeling worry crawl up my back. If I couldn't get her out then Tony would knock her unconscious.
"I said... stop!" The Hulk threw her arms out, hitting the side of my head with her closed fist.
I couldn't help but fall to my feet, feeling a sharp thud begin to ache on my temple. "Eliza-"
I pushed myself to my feet, and clumsily ran towards the house, feeling the air glide over me as I darted through the abandoned halls to Eliza's room. Her soft blanket lay neatly folded at the end of her bed, and I grabbed it in my hand.
I was outside again before the Hulk had a chance to react at my disappearance. She hadn't noticed me go.
I held the blanket tightly in one hand as I threw myself at her, wrapping my arms around her broad shoulders. My feet lifted from the floor as I held my body close, staring directly into her eyes. "Come back!" I begged.
Huge hands hit me, and I bit down to stop from releasing a sound as I felt a sharp nail rip through the clothes on my back. "Eliza, look at me! Come back to me!"
The eyes flickered, worry becoming evident on the Hulks brooding features as she wobbled. She took several short steps back, staggering as she crouched down.
I felt my feet land on the floor, and I lifted my arms to unravel the blanket in my hand. The Hulks body was shuddering in front of me, and I wrapped the blanket tight around the shaking form.
"It's okay." I whispered, as she began shrinking, her face falling from towering over me to drop below my eye level.
The skin faded from the green to a more human colour, although blotchy red marks covered her face and neck. I covered her quickly, before she collapsed against me, dropping unconscious.
I lowered myself to my knees, hugging her soothing body against my chest. She was shaking too much, her whole body almost convulsing under the soft blanket.
"Is she okay?" Bruce yelled as he ran forward, his own veins beginning to flicker an inhuman shade.
"She-" I croaked, "she is in pain."
"Pietro!" I heard Steve's slight gasp as he slowed his run to stand behind Bruce. "Pietro, your back!"
"What of it?" I kept my eyes locked on Eliza, rubbing my hand over her covered back and arms, hoping to soothe her shakes.
"You're bleeding - We need more doctors," I heard Steve begin, but his words muddled at the end.
All at once I felt agonising pain everywhere. My head throbbed and my back felt like it was on fire. Scorching pain drowned my body, but I forced my eyes open, pushing Eliza into the arms of Bruce who was crouched by my side.
"Eliza-"
"She'll be fine, Pietro. Just keep your eyes open okay? The doctors are nearly here. Just stay awake-"