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Language:
English
Series:
Part 22 of Love Is For Children
Stats:
Published:
2014-07-23
Completed:
2014-08-01
Words:
2,575
Chapters:
5/5
Comments:
163
Kudos:
1,113
Bookmarks:
64
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15,232

Blended

Summary:

Hulk makes his first, violent appearance in Avengers Tower. JARVIS helps him calm down.

This story takes place shortly after The Avengers, when the teammates have recently moved into the tower and are still hiding from each other prior to the advent of game night in "Love Is for Children." It features a scene referenced in a couple of places, where Bruce Hulked out and smashed half the common kitchen. But there's more to the story than the rest of them know ...

Notes:

Not all the end notes fit, so I moved some here:

People may be protective of friends or siblings. It's possible, though difficult, for someone to shift from bullying to protecting. Despite their problems, Hulk is very protective of Bruce.

At first Hulk displays aggressive and angry body language. He is often portrayed as angry in canon.

Anger management is a challenge for people with angry outbursts. This is a typical problem for abuse survivors, who are often angry about the abuse but afraid of the anger too. Know how to resist an outburst yourself and how to help children with their temper.

Hypervigilance is an exhausting state of constant alert for danger, with negative physical effects. However, it can also include precise discernment of people's emotional state, environmental hazards, and other risks. Hypervigilance is distinct from paranaoia as a mental injury rather than a mental illness. Therefore it requires somewhat different solutions. Hypervigilance is a common symptom of PTSD. There are ways to deal with feeling on edge.

Child abuse can cause lingering effects, including hypervigilance. Even with a supportive adopting family, the traumatized child may still have trouble relaxing. Highly sensitive, creative people may also experience hypervigilance.

Creating safety is a crucial step in trauma recovery. Everyone needs to feel safe. Domestic violence and abuse make it difficult or impossible for children to feel safe. Here is an exercise for feeling safe down to your bones. It's important to help children feel safe in stressful times and to make a secure home environment. Usually Uncle Phil is the one we see working to create safe space for the Avengers, but here it's JARVIS.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Hulk Comes Out Angry

Chapter Text

PAIN!

Hulk comes out angry. Foot hurts. Someone hurt puny Bruce. Hulk SMASH!

He tears through room. He looks for bad people. Room is big and light and full of things to smash. Cold box for food. Hot box for food. Thing to eat on. Things to sit on. Too many places for bad people to hide. Hulk tosses things aside as he hunts.

But he finds nobody. Hulk is alone. Only sound is smashing. Things only move in Hulk hands. Room is just room.

Hulk feels confused. Frustrated. Foot getting better fast, but still stings. Someone hurt puny Bruce. Hulk looks and looks but cannot find enemy. He growls, mutters, unhappy rumbles under his breath. Room has smash all over floor. He kicks at loose pieces. Scratchy underfoot.

Hulk still angry. More smash does not make him feel better. Who hurt puny Bruce? Where is Hulk? Why is room so empty? he wonders. Hulk head is full of questions but no answers. He does not know what to do.

Hulk paces through smash. He whines. Then he stops, still, quiet. Nothing helps.

Sound.

Hulk spins, looking for bad people. Nobody there. Hulk roars. He will find them! He will smash them!

But Hulk does not find anyone. He slows down again. Deep, huffing breaths. Huge hands paw through broken stuff. Metal. Wood. Things for making food. All smash now. Bits blended with other bits. Prickly.

Sound again, soft.

Hulk turns, looking and looking. Nothing. Maybe sound was always there, hidden by smash like bug under rock. Hulk listens. Hulk has good ears.

Sound is ... voice. Slow words talk about sunshine and numbers.

Hulk cringes. He scrabbles into a corner. Voices bad. Mean people always hurt Hulk and puny Bruce. But Hulk can't find enemies today. No find, no smash.

Hulk tries something new. "Who there?" he asks.

"My name is JARVIS. You cannot see me, because I am an artificial intelligence made by Tony Stark."

Hulk remembers, little bit. Tony. Blueberries. He looks around room. Plenty food here too. Or was before Hulk smash. He hunches down. Nobody likes Hulk smash. Another memory, though ... huge fan. Tony is not bad. New voice is just ... "Voice," Hulk says.

"JARVIS. I believe you call us Tinman when Tony and I wear the Iron Man suit."

Hulk remembers suit dancing in sky like hummingbird, cherry red and sunny gold. Pretty. Strong. "Tinman. Tony. Voice," says Hulk.

"Very well, you may call me Voice if you wish. Welcome to Avengers Tower, Hulk. You are safe here."

Safe? Nowhere is SAFE. Not for Hulk or puny Bruce, he thinks. Voice is stupid. They do not like stupid. Too many times stupid people hurt them.

"Not safe," Hulk grumbles, rocking from foot to foot.

"This place is safe," Voice insists. "Look around. What do you see?"

Voice is so stupid. "Room. Smash."

"Don't worry about that," Voice says.

Not worry about smash? That is NEW. Hulk does not know what to think. Thinking is Bruce thing.