Take the world back

Rick "Hiro-Kala" Banner || 18 || Not a Hulk, but will still kick your ass 

[hirobannerson]

Bucky listened as the doctor spoke to the boy, looking around with a sigh. He wondered if Banner had any idea what had been going on with his son. He offered the young man a little smile. “Hey,” he said. “I was talking to Hiro Kala, but he left. I’m guessing he ran you pretty ragged, huh?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed to say the least that he had collapsed in front of him. At least he was in good hands. “I suppose he did. Funny thing is, I don’t really remember a thing. He was always there in my head, but he’s never taken control like this before.”

[hirobannerson]

“You’re both my godson and nephew, so you can stop with that ‘Rick, Hiro’ spew,” he claimed. “And, I said no.”

Rick narrowed his eyes, the irises brightening in blue for a split second. “This favor has nothing to do with the job. We want answers about our mother and ‘daddy-dearest’ won’t tell us.”

[hirobannerson]

Bucky was on his feet in seconds, crossing over to the boy. “Rick?” he said, fairly certain that whoever he’d been talking to wasn’t in charge anymore. It wasn’t much of an effort to scoop the other into his arms, and he carried him out into the hall. “Call ahead to the infirmary,” he ordered calmly as he met another teacher in the hall. It wasn’t long before the boy was safely tucked into a bed, with Bucky perched on a chair by his side.

Rick barely remembered how he got there. One moment he was standing there, facing the teacher, when things got fuzzy. At least once he was placed in the bed, he was able to get rest. A doctor mentioned something about dehydration and sleep deprivation. Of course, none of it was within Rick’s control. All of it had to do with his counterpart deciding he didn’t need basic human needs. Great. 

He turned his head and faced Bucky, staring at him bleary-eyed. 

“What happened?”

[hirobannerson]

Another faint smile crossed his features. “Good to know,” he said. He gave a little shrug. “With some people, your actions now don’t matter as much as what you did before,” he said. “You can move forward, people around you can move forward, but there are plenty of people are still stuck. And considering what the Soldier did, I can’t blame them.”

“I see people act like that all the time with my father.” Hiro-Kala rolled his shoulders and let out a tired sigh. For a moment, he seemed to have lost his focus in the conversation and the color in his eyes briefly returned to their normal color. He seemed confused and glanced at Bucky almost as if he was asking for help. 

Words could not escape him fast enough as his skin appeared to have regained its color and he collapsed to the floor. It was not known how long Hiro-Kala had been in control over Rick, but it was long enough that it exhausted Rick’s body to the limit. 

[hirobannerson]

Bucky smiled faintly. “Most people don’t care about Bucky Barnes,” he said. “They care about the Winter Soldier. Who I really was is pretty much pales in comparison.”

“Well, at the very least, you do have one person who sees you for more than the Winter Soldier.” Hiro-Kala moved to lean against a wall, eyeing him carefully with a smile. “I am certain you can do just as much as Bucky Barnes.”

[hirobannerson]

“Does he?” Bucky asked, mildly surprised. Apart from his immediate family, he assumed people either didn’t care about him or didn’t like him. “He’s a great kid. And I say ‘kid’ coming from a place of being over 100 years old. Not being dismissive.”

Hiro-Kala nodded his head in respect. “He sees you as someone who understands him. Not many on this campus do. They hear the name Banner and regard us with fear.” 

[hirobannerson]

“Referring to the old man as his surname? Cold. But, hey, I get it. I was a rebellious, asshole teenager,” Tony claimed with a shrug. “Listen, kid. I can’t get you a job acting like this. You need to go talk to someone, alright? Uncle Tony’s orders.”

“Banner is Rick’s father. Hulk is mine.” He said with a scoff. “The job is solely for Rick, I am only here to ask you for a favor. Rick will resume control shortly after.” he promised. 

[hirobannerson]

“Ah.” Bucky looked over at him and shrugged. “I wasn’t worried,” he said, his nonchalant tone giving truth to his words. “I can’t really talk shit about someone sharing a mind with someone else.”

Hiro-Kala grinned. It was nice to know that there were people here who understood him, or hardly cared for that matter. As long as he was not perceived a threat, he did not mind. “I can see why Rick has a...fondness for you.” he mused as he moved to sit in a nearby chair. 

[hirobannerson]

“We?” Bucky repeated, his fingers still lingering on the keys. “Who else is in there with you?” Perhaps it was a blunt question, but it wasn’t like he was unfamiliar with the concept of someone else in your head.

“No one else, unless you count Rick. We share a mind. I am Hiro-Kala. I understand the name is a bit...foreign. It was a Sakaarian name given by Hulk.” he explained as he stepped further inside the room, eyeing the grand piano. 

“I am not hulk-like, by any means. You do not have anything to worry about.”

[hirobannerson]

Bucky turned his head at the sound of footsteps, his expression not altering despite his surprise at the boy’s current appearance. “Hello,” he said, his fingers still moving across the keys. He suspected this had something do with the Hulk side of the boy, though he wouldn’t ask. It wasn’t his business and he didn’t want to pry. “Did I bother you? Sorry.”

Hiro-Kala simply shook his head. “There is no need to apologize. We would have been the one’s disturbing you, in fact.” he joked lightly and watched Bucky curiously. “The song, it reminded us of a simpler time. I suppose that brought a moment of comfort.” he admitted.  

[hirobannerson]

“We? You’re not helping yourself here, kiddo. You don’t look like a Hulk, so I doubt you’re turning into that mindset,” Tony mused as he eyed him.

Hiro-Kala tensed at the reminder. He hated that he was not nearly as physically strong as his father or brother and resented himself for it, despite being granted capabilities that made him just as formidable. “Rick and I share a mind. His desires are my own. He hears Dr. Ross through the Earth. We both do. Most of what we are are of those long since passed. Sometimes they are people barely hanging onto life. Perhaps you should start with Banner. He tends to...leave out information.”

[soldxtbxrnes-deactivated2018102]

It had taken some string pulling, but Bucky had finally been able to install a piano in his office. It was only a baby grand, though it still took up quite a chunk of space. Even so, there was plenty of room room enough for him and a student to sit if a student needed help, but most didn’t, it seemed. Or most didn’t feel comfortable enough with him – or didn’t like him – or didn’t give enough of a damn – to come to his office. And playing the piano soothed him. His mother had put him in lessons when he was in high school, and it was comforting to realize that, despite everything, those memories remained. Not realizing anyone else was in the building at this hour, much less at this point in the year, Bucky played one of his favorite pieces, trying to forget the world around him for a few minutes.

[hirobannerson]

Since taking control, Hiro-Kala spent quite a bit of time trying to get used to his surroundings. After all, if he had to go dormant again, he wanted to make sure he knew the ropes in case he got a chance to wander himself. Luckily, there was no struggle with Rick considering they both shared similar goals. Hiro-Kala was not inherently dangerous either. Not yet, anyway. He just made people more standoffish due to his grey skin and bright blue eyes. Some could say he looked more like a ghost than he did a Hulk. 

The music stopped him and made him gravitate toward the sound. There was something familiar about it that made him feel at ease. A distant memory perhaps? Still, he wound up in Bucky’s office and stared at the man silently, watching him play. It looked as though he did not want to be disturbed and Hiro-Kala recognized him as someone Rick looked up to, so he waited patiently to let the man play.

[hirobannerson]

Tony frowned at the usage of words. He slowly moved to his chair to take a seat, getting himself comfortable before he reached across his desk to take a look at the job application. “You want me to approve you for a job?” he asked with a raised brow.

Hiro-Kala nodded. “A job would be nice. Just to get father off our backs.” he retorted almost carelessly. “But we have another request. We...want to know if you can check on the status of our mother. Banner has yet to pull through, and we...” he trailed off for a moment before continuing. “...just want to know if she is alive. You don’t need to visit or anything.” 

[directorstcrk]

Tony hadn’t exactly discussed it with anyone, but he decided to return from his leave as director. He needed to get out of the house and… the job of director wasn’t exactly hard. It just involved a lot of mind-numbing paperwork. Luckily, he could focus more on campus affairs and the students and leave the paperwork to the couple of assistants he was planning on hiring. 

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he got back, but his entire office being off and a mess wasn’t it. Everything was in the wrong spot, despite having given specific instructions as to where to put everything. He was slowly moving one thing from one place to another, which was frustrating him beyond relief. So, when there was a knock at the office door and someone opening it, he boiled over.

“I’m not back five minutes and I’m already being bugged?” he asked the intruder as he looked over his shoulder at them.

[hirobannerson]

Blending in was surprisingly easy for Hiro-Kala. He supposed since people already were eyeballing Rick for the nasty scars along his face that faded skin would not surprise anyone. Perhaps the standoffish behavior from others came with the label as “son of hulk”. It did not matter to him. Since he was now in control, Hiro-Kala was doing what he could to find the information he needed. Banner was nearly useless.

But Stark? He could definitely find the answers. Uncle Tony could always pull through. 

Clearing his throat, he handed over a job application and hung back, folding his arms across his chest. “We actually have a request if you’re not too busy.”

[hirobannerson]

“Idle threats don’t work on me, son.” Bruce warned him carefully. “You might not look at me like your real father, but you are still my son regardless.’ Truthfully, threats were not something that phased him anymore. Not since the Hulk became a part of his life. He should have reacted better to that from his own son, but this was not Rick speaking.

The mention of Betty, however, tugged on his heartstrings. He ran away from her. She was his first love. They had children together. All Bruce did was throw it away. Now he has no clue what became of her since he agreed to Ross that he would run away and never look back.

“I’ll…I can look into it. I do not know what might have happened to your mother.”

Hiro-Kala merely gave Bruce a dismissive wave of his hand. Whether or not Banner was bothered by his threats meant nothing to him. It was just a warning for what could happen. Fingers drummed against the counter as he scanned about the lab, noting anything out of place. He was not really looking for anything, just observing his surroundings. 

“You need to find out. We do not care about Ross, he can burn for all I care. You should not care either. We just...I want to know if Mom is safe.”

[hirobannerson]

Bruce kept his palms out and open, showing Rick–Hiro-Kala–that he meant no harm. He knew that Rick did not show the potential for turning into a hulk-like monster, but having a calm and dangerous demeanor on top of controlling an unknown energy did not mix.

“Hiro.” Bruce restated. “I know who you are.” The name was Sakaarian, reminiscent of Hulk’s time spent on Sakaar. He did not give Rick or Matthew the names of Hiro-Kala and Skaar. That was all Hulk. Their real father. Bruce never knew, or even remembered, what happened on Sakaar. Hell, Hulk probably had more answers about the Old Power than he did.

“What do you want of me?”

Hiro-Kala glanced at Banner’s open palms. Good. No weapons. No syringes. Harmless. He concluded this as he casually leaned against one of the lab tables. A thoughtful hum escaped his lips and he looked beside him at a holo-screen to catch a glimpse of some of Banner’s work. 

“I am merely warning you. Rick shows quite some distrust toward you and your experiments. You do to Skaar or myself as you do Stark, we will destroy you.” Hiro-Kala warned. Of course, he knew he was threatening Banner and Hulk would pound him into the floor. However, he could do his best to eliminate Banner and keep his real father in the picture. 

He paused and clicked his tongue. “The real matter is, because we are connected with the planet through the Old Power, we hear echoes of lives lost. One of which is our mother. We ask if you can find out if she is dead or alive. Put Rick at ease.”

[hirobannerson]

“Cool so… Your shout?” The Boy grinned, jumping up from where he sat, book closing in his hand. “Kidding. But I do hope you are paying your own.”

Rick gave him a wry smile as he crammed his book into his bag. “Oh I am more than capable of covering my food. Question is, are you?”