After The Suits

[starkingenuity]

"And so then I told General Ross that I was a virgin, but he took my hand and told me he'd be gentle." And...nothing. Tony thinks about throwing his shoe at Banner's head, but that probably wouldn't go over well and then he'd be missing a shoe. He liked this pair too. Pepper got it for him after he threw the last at the Vice President's head. "Banner." Nothing. "Banner, I'm going to come over there and give you the wettest, most amazing kiss--"

"Sir, might I remind you of Ms. Pott's condition?" JARVIS chimes in.

Tony has to concur. You don't cheat on your power powered girlfriend.

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[starkingenuity]

"Your lab is just how you left it," Tony starts, back to Bruce, before he pauses and glances over his shoulder. "Oh, well. Okay, not exactly. Using it for gene therapy for--"

Ah.

Why didn't he think to include Bruce on this, exactly? How stupid-- "This is hard for me to ask, okay, so you have to say yes. Could you let me a hand with something? You know, after your done with your cure? Or...before. We should probably do this first."

[aggravated]

What??

Bruce looks hard at Tony - why is the man dabbling in gene therapy, one of his areas of interest? "What have you been up to, Stark?" From Tony's tone, this is something quite serious. Food, already, is out of his mind.

[starkingenuity]

"Before you freak out, I didn't do anything. Well I did a little. Elevator, remember?" Elevator. Was he really that boring? He even went into detail about Happy's mullet okay? All for Bruce's benefit!

He rubs a hand down his face and then sits back at the table from his friend, pushing over a bowl of blemish free and utterly perfect fruit.

"There was kind of an accident."

[aggravated]

That sinking feeling is rapidly going further down hill. Bruce takes a piece of fruit but just gives Tony a dry look. "How about you just tell me instead of acting like a five year old that broke a plate? What did you do, Tony?"

Looking over the other with deep concern in his eyes.

[starkingenuity]

Tony doesn't look at Bruce which is the first sign of really bad things are happening, okay? He fidgets with his coffee cup. And then he pounds it down. "Well, my house fell into the ocean. Pepper got kidnapped. I blew up all of my armors. And now she can sort of breathe fire when she's pissed off."

[aggravated]

What?

Why does everything Tony just say not make sense about ten seconds in? "...okay. Lets start a bit over. House fell in the ocean. I heard about that on the news. It's part of why I came back," admitting that before he realizes what it admits, "but... What happened to Pepper?? And you BLEW up your armors?! On purpose?" Absolutely gob smacked.

[starkingenuity]

Okay, no fruit for you. Tony pushes the bowl aside and tells Bruce everything...important. The panic attacks? Left those out. The kid too. And the bit with Happy-- He doesn't have to explain the whys of things right now, just the hows.

And while he likes to talk himself up on having flown the armor around unmanned-- Not. The. Time.

"So she's...you know. Sort of like you? Only she turns red and melty."

[aggravated]

In his mind, Bruce cursed. "Where is she now? I need to get a look at this myself? How has she been acting? Do we hve a sample of these chemicals they put into her?" Bruce is already standing up, ready to go. Forget sleepiness and hunger, this is more important.

[starkingenuity]

"Asleep." Probably true. She sleeps a lot. Sleeps or trains. It's like that stuff they pumped her with is forcing both on her. As Bruce stands, Tony reaches out to grab his arm.

"Please. Bruce. Please. After you've gotten some sleep. She won't die."

Hopefully. Possibly. That's not how it works, right? He wishes he knew. She's been refusing to sleep next to him just in case she accidentally sets him on fire.

[aggravated]

Bruce tenses at the grab to his arm, looking down to Tony's hand sharply before looking back to his face. People didn't just... touch him, yet here is Tony doing just that. It's enough to make him start out of his state of mind. He takes a breath and pull his arm away. "Okay. I'll wait until she and I are both awake."

It feels like Tony's hand is still on his skin. Is that normal?

[starkingenuity]

Nothing is ever normal when it comes to Tony Stark. He looks tired himself and that should be an indication as to the state of his mind. "Don't take this the wrong way, Banner-- But I'm coming to bed with you."

Yep. It's a little hard not to take it a certain way, but there it is.

[aggravated]

How is it even possible to not take that the wrong way? Bruce's expression changes to suggest Tony's suddenly grown two heads. "Excuse me, you're what?" Bruce asks, more to make sure he actually heard what he did.

[starkingenuity]

Allow Tony to roll his eyes starting... Now. "I can't sleep," he says. "Not without someone there." He doesn't care what Bruce might think about that. Tony's been sleeping with a pillow covered DUM-E. surely this is better? And c'mon. He trusts Bruce not to mention any of this.

[aggravated]

Bruce holds up a hand, eyes closing for a moment as he processes. "Tony, have you not been sleeping at all since everything happened? When was the last time you actually slept?"

No, as a Doctor, he won't mention it to anyone else. Already he feels like he's taking over as Tony's doctor.

[starkingenuity]

Ah. Hm. Tony actually has to think about this. "Well I passed out yesterday morning in the lab." He slept for almost four hours. That's pretty good!

[aggravated]

A faint wince and Bruce lets out a breath. The idea of sleeping beside someone is not a welcomed one except Betty, he could remember that well but if it would get some decent sleep for Tony, he could... deal with it. He might not sleep, but worth it if Tony could.

"I won't even comment, because you know what I'm thinking. ...Fine. Bedroom."

[starkingenuity]

"Oh!" Tony says with a shrug of the shoulders, wrists and elbows bent. "Doctor Banner! You're so cheeky!" He laughs at the look he's given and follows Bruce to his room.

Don't worry, Bruce. Tony cuddles pillows, not people. He intends on commandeering one and curling up at the edge of the bed. Only his shoes end up coming off.

[aggravated]

Bruce takes in the sight of Tony Stark in such a position, feeling a certain sadness at the sight. He knows his sleep hasn't been the best either thanks to the nightmares that crop up from the Other Guy's psyche, but clearly Tony's has been even worse. What is keeping you up at night, Stark? Bruce wonders to himself.

He's somewhat grateful for some of the extra clothing as he strips out of his button down shirt and pulls on a soft cotton tee shirt, shoes and socks gone. He'd normally shuck his pants for sweat pants as well, but that can wait. So for now he crawls into bed and burrows into the clean scent of a freshly washed pillow, sighing. "Just don't touch me if you need to wake me up. It... startles me."

Didn't need to explain why that would be a problem.

[starkingenuity]

"Touching you to wake you up startles you," Tony mutters into the pillow, back curving away from Bruce. "But zapping you with a electrical spanner... Yeah okay," he laughs.

Trying to sleep is difficult, though, not because there's a weight behind him that he can feel or because Bruce is so extremely warm -- and very comfortably so actually -- but because his mind won't shut off.

And because there'd been a fucking worm hole open over his head a few months ago, okay?

[aggravated]

"I'm conscious for the latter," Bruce mutters right back, staring up at the ceiling. "He's a lot closer to the surface when I sleep."

He's tried to wrap his mind over what happened in New York. It's the same as after Harlem, trying to understand everything that happened there. He can vividly remember the night he woke up and stared across the room - but instead of feeling fear and night terror, he felt... victorious, proud, and smug. He had dreamed of smashing Loki repeatedly into the ground.

[starkingenuity]

And of saving Tony?

"Fine," the man in question mutters. "No touching. That's one way to keep people from molesting you though if you end up in prison." And he'll shut up now, he promises.

Tony rubs at his eyes and presses his lips together. No more talking. Lots more sleeping. And then, fix Pepper.

Two geniuses on the case give her like a 100% greater chance of becoming less Dragon Woman and more Pepper. Right? He can only hope.

He ought to also hope, though, that his sleeping form's encroachment on Bruce's space, where it is warm, doesn't end up with him turning into pate.

[aggravated]

...Not a comforting thought, Stark. Bruce makes such a face in response to that.

Bruce doesn't immediately sleep. Tony might be used to sleep beside another person, but Bruce isn't by any means. He listens to Tony's breathing slowly even out into sleep, listens to the house settle around him.

He remembers that, Tony. It's something that's kept him up very late at night, haunted his thoughts. Why did the Hulk save Tony Stark?

His other half had acted faster than him. The control... the control had changed on that day, a willing change he allowed fully. He watched. He could see, little bits and pieces. Information came to him instead of total darkness.

And the Hulk had saved Tony's life. It was one of the only times Bruce had ever seen the Hulk actually think about someone other than himself, or someone he wanted to maim. The other had been Betty...

So, why?

The question haunts him as he falls asleep beside Tony.

[starkingenuity]

Two hours into it, ass pressing to Bruce's hip and body curled up around the pillow, the nightmares start. Everything from being thrown out the window to taking the nuke into space to Bruce leaving the Tower to Pepper in pain has him sweating and yelling.

It's hard to wake up when something like this has you, no matter how much, or how badly, you want to wake up.

[aggravated]

It's definitely enough to wake Bruce. His eyes snap open, staring up at the ceiling, and his heart gives a sickening thump before he remembers where he is. Tony's Tower in New York. ...Tony.

Stark.

Bruce sits up and looks over, eyes widening at the sight. A sheen of sweat on Tony's brow, crying out. Damn. He had guessed the nightmares must have been bad to keep Tony from sleeping but this?

"Stark!" He hesitates, then puts a hand on the other's shoulder, trying to shake him awake. "Stark-- Tony! Wake up!"

[starkingenuity]

There are no suits to come to his aid this time and Bruce will not be half ripped from bed because of Tony's panic attacks. He's about to get a chest full of teary eyed Tony Stark who is having entirely too much trouble catching his breath and whose vision keeps going blurry. He tends to hide this from Pepper. She might panic too and no one needs that.