Mr. Pratt

Late Night:

Spike's POV:

I'm walking through the dark streets in New York, I'm honestly not sure where I'm currently at honestly, and there are not many people out and about which I'm glad about. I'd got some blood from a butcher shop earlier in the night so I'm good for a bit, got more stored in a cooler in my car a few blocks away. Just got a bit restless though being cramped up in the car during daylight hours.

I was turning down another alley when I heard a gun click about a block behind me. I stop and tilt my head for a moment in confusion before turning around and slowly approaching where I heard the noise.

Right at the other end of the alley, nearest to the sidewalk, a man was pointing a gun at another man.

"Give me your money and I won't shoot you, man," the gun wielder said threateningly, holding his gun out in front of him.

The other man didn't seem too worried, he calmly sat his bags down and started digging his wallet out of his satchel.

"You know, Stark has a lot of loans and scholarships out for people who need money, you don't need to be robbing people," the man says as he continues to dig in his bag, his heart not even quickening its pace despite the gun.

Before the guy with the gun can say anything else, I walk quietly up behind him and hit him in the head real hard. He drops like a sack of potatoes and his gun clings on the ground beside him. His heart's still beating so he should be fine.

"You good?" I ask, slowly stepping out of the shadows and stopping a few steps away from the man.

He gives me a small smile and nods, "Yes, I'm good. Thank you for doing that. Though I honestly only have one card on me right now and I would've had the account frozen before he could've used it."

I shrugged, "He shouldn't have been trying to mug you anyway."

The man shrugs and gives me a smile, brown eyes catching the street light and looking like shards of amber for a moment, "I suppose you're right. My name is Bruce. Er, um, Doctor Bruce Banner actually. Would you be inclined to share your name with me since you just saved me?" He asked with a raised brow, warm soft eyes meeting my cold blues.

"I go by Spike. But the name is William. Do you need assistance getting to your residence, Banner? Wait- Dr. Bruce Banner! The American theoretical physicist, with all those research papers in the fields of nuclear physics and gamma radiation!?"

I found myself wide-eyed and perhaps slightly fangirling. Bruce Banner is a phenomenal scientist; a genius. I've read most of his works during some of my downtime. I may be old but I try to keep up with how far the world is getting in understanding things. So many things are science now that used to be considered magic. Humans can be so dumb but so smart. Though I was human once, those decisions I made and still make I suppose kind of prove my point.

Bruce seemed surprised and disappointed that I realized who exactly he was but then he scrunched his brows together in confusion while he shifted his bags from one hand to the other as we stood at the dark street corner together.

"You know me for my work and not...Hulk?" He asked hesitantly.

I raised a brow and felt a small smile try to pull at my lips, "Well, I've seen stranger and scarier things than a strong green man. And I've partially assumed it was just a fake story or gimmick. Kind of have this thing about not believing something until I've seen it myself. But yes, I know of you for your work and research. I try to stay up to date with the world despite...my life choices and path," I explain with a shrug, "I find the new discoveries in science amazing. So many things that used to be considered magic before math and logical things were discovered. However I still think science itself is just proof of magic and explaining it. Oh bloody hell! I've been rambling like a buffoon!" I literally facepalm and if I weren't dead I know I would surely be turning red, "I'm so sorry. Back to my original question: do you wish for me to walk you home or at least stand with you as you call a cab? I'd hate for you to get mugged again."