(no subject)

[starkingenuity]

"Yep, actually, I did hear you, Doc.  I'm just ignoring you."  Don't be a buzz kill.  Stark is riding high from that last fight.  "It's just a cut.  I've gotten a lot of cuts.  Some bactine and some bandages and a little kiss over it from Jarvis here and I'll be just fine."  The tall, leggy blond at his side doesn't even bother to roll his pale blue eyes.  He's worked with Stark for years, too long really.  He knows how the man acts.

"Sir."

That always makes Stark laugh and he lightly pats Jarvis on the back of his drivesuit.  "Not your boss anymore, Jarv," he reminds him gentle.  Or maybe he's just trying to drown out the mousy little guy following him.  And that's when it hits him, halfway down the corridor, through the cheering crowds and the crews trying to get his Jaeger back into one piece.  He knows that mousey little man follow him.  "Shit.  You're Doctor Banner!  Well hey, nice to meet you finally!  Man, we studied your tactics against Onibaba for months after that attack in Tokyo!"

Comments

[starkingenuity]

"I like work. I like learning. That can be fun, sure, but I'm talking about actual fun, the stuff that the entire world would understand as 'fun' too." He pushes up his safety goggles and then pauses again to really take a good look at Banner and his mousey, never really look at you mannerisms. He's adorable in the way that older men really don't want to be adorable. Stark can dig that. "The titanium connector plate please?"

See? Talking about yourself and talking shop at the same time can be a magical experience! Stark is pretty damned sure he's having a magical experience too because the battery in his lap has just gotten a little heavier. Floating away with all of this, Tony waits for Banner's response as they work together on the next component of the reactor. No more schematics. They're doing this in real time. Trial and error. Drawings take too much effort.

"And hold the left side of the spring until it catches, thanks."

[aggravated]

"Oh, ah, sure," Bruce gets up and actually starts getting hand on with the device Stark's already starting with. It's incredible, watching the movement of Stark's hands, how strong yet surprisingly elegant they are.

Why is he watching Stark's hands? He looks away from that, focusing on anything but.

"I'm not sure there's anything the rest of the world would consider fun in my days. I don't really have the time, too much to do." In particular now, with what Fury tasked him with and what he tasks himself with. His eyes lift to the pit in Stark's chest, and the guilt comes over him again. It gets quickly shoved back down. Focus on the work.

[starkingenuity]

What else is he going to watch? His face? His ass? Well he's sitting on the last one and that isn't doing any of the work that he needs Banner's assistance with. He gets the springs tacked down before his fingers start to shake and he pulls his hands away with a sigh. He's tired. He feels dirty. The altoids are totally not cutting it, he's really sorry.

Sitting back, Tony drags a hand through his stylishly messy hair and, after a few moments, bursts into the world's most brilliant smile. Even before the feet can be heard moving double time down the hall, Stark's already known his co-pilot is on the way. Normally, Jarvis is so much more refined and careful. He isn't one to throw his arms around anyone, much like Stark.

"Sir--"

"Still alive, Jarv. And so are you. We're gonna keep it that way." You don't get closeness until you'd been in someone's headspace.

[aggravated]

It's very strange to be between the two of them, somewhat like being the third wheel of a couple in love levels of awkward, at least for Bruce. He pulls back, a little awed by the smile, but he gives an easily faked one of his own. "You were right, Stark. He would find you." Not that Bruce is entirely surprised, but he believes Jarvis, who will forcibly be on downtime as well, will be able to help Stark with the arc reactor.

"...if you'll excuse me, I should get to work on the issue of the shielding." Quiet, not expecting to really be heard, more just noticed long enough for it not to be rude for him to slip away.

While Jarvis, in his calm way, is somewhere between pleased to see his co-pilot up and about and knowing that Stark should, undoubtedly, still be in bed. "I think you've done quite enough for today, sir." But instead of being tight and as much as an order as Jarvis would give, there is a warmth in his voice Stark would recognize. Relief.

[starkingenuity]

Their foreheads touch and Stark closes his eyes. "Fury gave us a deadline. I want to beat it," he complains. But Jarvis is pulling him away and he's so tired. So tired he forgets about the pretty brown eyes for now. Jarvis gets him back into bed and covers him up and feeds him and they sit together, not talking, for almost two hours before Tony falls asleep.

Jarvis is still holding his hand when he wakes up be Stark has to take a leak and he needs a shower and he needs to get to work. Who's be best to help with that? In amusement, Stark gives Banner a call and then calls again until the other man picks up.

"I can't have any nurses or scientists. Doctor's orders. But I could use some help. Are you busy?"

[aggravated]

Bruce almost didn't pick up at all as he hates phones because they interrupt him, but on a whim, after the first time, he did pick up and isn't Jarvis with Stark? "Hmm?" Still looking at the specs on the table, trying to figure out where the weakness is. Oh, ha ha, his own orders. Cute.

"You know I am, Stark, but what do you need help with?" And isn't Jarvis there with you or did you somehow ditch him again? Bruce gently removes his reading glasses and sets them on the blue prints of the shield on the Apostle, his eyes burning a little from staring.

[starkingenuity]

"Yeah but Jarvis is asleep and I'd rather not wake him up just because I don't think I can pick up a shampoo bottle and I'm pretty sure that I shouldn't get the massive battery attached to my chest wet." He is funny. Laugh out loud. It's amazing for his ego, you know! The smile he gives on the phone is probably audible because people with those smiles light up the entire room their in.

Stark waits for the sigh that signals defeat in Banner and adjusts his weight against the wall. He already feels dizzy from standing. A few more days of food ought to correct that. But for now--

"I'll owe you. One decent dinner not in the mess. Or send me that redhead from yesterday?"

[aggravated]

Bruce thinks about sending the nurse up for a few seconds, but realizes Stark would somehow charm her into doing something he shouldn't and that he really should go. He runs a hand back through his hair, looking over and eyeing a clock for the time, before sighing again. "Alright. I'll be up in a minute."

How did he get involved in all of this again?

It's not long before there's a knock on Stark's door, and there's Bruce with an armful of supplies. Specifically towels, sponges, what looks like a med kit hanging off one arm, and a few other things to make this work. "You requested a shower?"

[starkingenuity]

There are plenty of things that cute redheads can manage to do that aren't immortal or wrong or seedy. Though Banner is probably right. Stark really can't have anything put by him. It's a very dangerous thing indeed. He hangs up after his short conversation with Banner and goes to meet him in the hall. He misses having his own bathroom the most when it comes to his old, semi-private life, but at least the other pilots are more or less neat and Jarvis double checks the shower stall Stark uses most in his day to day life at the Shatterdome.

He grins as he's met at the door -- either he's very slow or Banner walks quickly -- and glances over the supplies. He could say something dirty and nearly does when he hears Jarvis shift in the darkened room he'd just left. Later then.

"Thanks," is his response as he leans a bit on Banner and insists on cradling the battery in his other arm. It's his burden. And it makes for good biceps. "Really. My scalp is itching like crazy. I don't remember the last time my hair was washed and now it's a big greasy mess."

[aggravated]

Stark, you are pampered compared to the other pilots. You don't know how good you've got it because you have Jarvis as your co-pilot. Jarvis acts very much like the servant he had been.

It smells like a big greasy mess, too, but Bruce is more pilot than to say anything so rude. He lets Stark lean on him and walks slowly, but has no difficulty with the other's weight. "I spent most of last night trying to go over the shielding on your Jaeger, trying to figure out where the weakness is. I think I might have it isolated to the last major upgrade the system went through and that the shielding was considered good enough for the system at the time, but now it's just not quite capable of handling it which is why the effects have been so slow in coming."

He leads Stark out into the showers, and somewhat grateful to hear none running now and he starts to lead Stark into one near the back.

[starkingenuity]

"We get the arc reactor going and find a way to produce it on a larger scale and no one's going to need that shielding," he points out, trying not to shuffle even though his feet don't seem to want to properly cooperate and his knees just go to jelly. How embarrassing. He's a fucking pilot. He's stronger than this?

He's got a specific stall all right? And the one in the back isn't it. He stops just short of the one in the corner and, a little too pale, he leans against the thick white tile. Getting himself undressed is going to be impossible. How fun! Juggling the battery and trying to appear stronger than he is-- Next time he's just going to wake Jarvis up.

"This one. I don't trust what goes on in the other ones."

[aggravated]

Brows up. "...okay," Bruce says after a moment, and brings one of the items he'd been balancing in his arms - a little tripod folding chair. He puts it down and actually physically nudges Stark into it, pushing him down gently. "Sit."

He still is a doctor, and he takes care of stripping Stark out of his pants with careful, gentle hands, pushing off the open button-up shirt. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to tarp off everything below your neck and do your hair, first. After that, I cut off a bit of plastic and some medical tape... we'll cover your chest and use a sponge for the rest."

He actually meets Stark's eyes, for a moment. "This is going to be a very awkward shower. Sorry." Not really sorry, but he knows Stark's not going to be happy about this.

[starkingenuity]

He's not as embarrassed as other men might be and Banner is a doctor so seeing nakedness likely is not a problem. Then again, he's probably never undressed someone like Stark, and man at the height of his physical peak and even sickly and smelly, not bad at all to look at.

He shifts in the chair and looks pointedly at Banner as the doctor folds his pants up and sticks them aside. "Yanno, this is why we needed the redhead."

But he doesn't mind much. It's efficient this way and there's no denying how much he needs it.

"I would have shared."

[aggravated]

Bruce gives a little snort of amusement, shaking his head at Stark. Of course he'd say something like that. And no, Stark, he's not eyeing you over or any of that fun stuff. You're a patient right now. Patient overrides everything else.

"I doubt she's my type," he says, attempting conversation. He pulls out his make-shift tarp with a hole on the center, and this is about to become wholly embarrassing for Stark. The tarp goes over his head, and the hole taped up around so no water can get down his neck.

When Bruce has it on Stark, the corner of his mouth lifts despite himself.

[starkingenuity]

"So what is--". Okay. He's just gotten toddler-at-a-barber-shopped. Stark blinks up at Banner and he tilts his head forward, battery safely housed under the tarp. This is awful. Not embarrassing so much as semi horrifying.

"If you take this opportunity to shave or dye my hair, there will be revenge, Banner. I just want you to be very well aware of that before you come near me." Stark has a pleasant voice even when he's trying to be menacing, incidentally, so the growling really doesn't work even a little for him.

Not in his favor at least!

If Banner is wearing a smirk, it'd better be done behind his back.

[aggravated]

Bruce's smirk only comes when he gets behind Stark with a bucket, and starts the bucket filling up. Meanwhile, he makes sure to strip out his shoes and socks, putting them safely out of water's way, and rolls up his pants and sleeves.

Only now will Stark see the marks of blue on Bruce's skin - strange shapes and thin lines. Very few people know the full story behind why the Hulk no longer was asked to fight the Kaiju. They'd hidden Bruce's identity as much as they could, but more importantly, they'd hidden that something as strong as the Hulk had been nearly killed by the Kaiju's blood.

"I'll keep my mischief well away, Stark, for now." He gathers the bucket, using a cup to start soaking Stark's hair.

[starkingenuity]

He'll see the marks soon enough but when someone is standing behind you and about to drop water on your head, you keep your eyes closed. Even if that person is being an exemplary human being and not letting it drip in your face. He luxuriates at the feel of fingers at his scalp, though, even if the first wash will just get the grease out. So much grease.

Pardon the happy little noises too. He's a little too much like a cat sometimes and though he has space issues and touch issues and all sorts of other issues, he really does try his best to let people in from time to time. Right now is one of those times. Banner is one of those people.

"Good. Maybe. What were we talking about?" he asks, dropping his chin forward against his chest.

[aggravated]

It's a bit like giving one of the strays around his previous home a really good scratching when they needed it badly. No cat would ever let themselves be bathed this willingly, but Stark is acting like one nevertheless. All he needs to do is start purring to complete the picture; the thought makes Bruce chuckle to himself.

He doesn't know about Stark's touch-issues, but if he did, he would certainly sympathize with them. Maybe not out loud, but internally, all the sympathizing.

"Nothing don't worry about it. Here, keep your head tilted back while I rinse all this out." Bruce cups the back of Stark's head as he rinses out the first shampoo, thumb swiping over the forehead, temples, to keep water from getting into his eyes. While this is a surprisingly new thing to be doing for a patient, it comes second hand to be careful, and gentle.

When he's finished, he starts on a second shampooing. It's that bad.

[starkingenuity]

You be unconscious for a few days, Banner, and see what that messy rat trap curly hair of yours looks like! It doesn't help that Tony exudes Italian. That's just like asking for his hair to be an awful grease ball! After three washes and rinses, the pilot looks fairly content. There's been nothing much going through his mind, just the pleasure of a touch that doesn't want anything in return,

He tilts his head lightly to the side as if to encourage neck scratching and opens his eyes as the conditioner is reached for. Huh.

"I didn't know that Kaiju Blue permanently stains," he says, trying just a little bit of calmness. Will Banner talk to him without questioning? "New tattoo ink...? Because your dance partner wouldn't let you get tribal tats on your back?"

[aggravated]

Bruce nearly drops the bottle of conditioner at those words. He doesn't turn back to Stark immediately, taking a few seconds to school his expression back to something more neutral. It'd been a very long time since anyone had seen the markings on his skin, because he hid them constantly.

His fingers pop open the bottle, and his voice stays level. "It will stain anything it touches, organic or non-organic." However, the part about tattoos and dance partners is just shy of insulting, and he has nothing to say to it. At least he doesn't have to explain what it is. "I'm one of the lucky ones." There was only a spot on the top of his foot and the palm of one hand, one on his neck at the base of his hairline, if one knew where to look, but otherwise it had stayed mostly at his core.

He poured some of the conditioner onto Stark's hair and maybe surprisingly, his hands massaged more than just put it in.

[starkingenuity]

It's not an insult. Stark doesn't fear the Other Guy. Before all this happened, back when he was just a weapon manufacturer for the world's super powers, he'd been contracted by the Army to invent spy drones to find and keep an eye on Banner. He's always liked him. Always thought he was hiding a useful, important side of himself.

It's not his place to say and anything he might say about it is taken over by more scalp massages that lead instead to somewhat disastrously flirty comments instead: "You should charge for this. But not me. Ill be your shampoo pimp."

As if he couldn't afford it! Even with all his money and resources tied up in the war against the Kaiju, he has spending money set aside for somewhat similar activies.

He doesn't have to pay. He just finds paying gets him a better degree of what he wants.

"Uuuuh. I'm going to keep you forever."

[aggravated]

There's always the assumption everyone is terrified of the Other Guy, as they should be in Bruce's opinion. Bruce has no idea what Stark's had to do for the Army, and frankly, might not be as kind as he's being if he did know. His privacy has always been deeply important to him and knowing someone is willing breeching it is more than a bit bothersome. More like infuriating. He'd given his time, his genius, and nearly his life to the Army; he deserves better than to be spied on.

But welcome to the Army.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Bruce says with amusement in his voice, working on the conditioner until Stark's hair is thick with it, then actually leaving it for a moment to wash his hands and get the supplies he needs to tape up Stark's chest. Oh yes, he lets his conditioner sit. Soft fluffy curls need to be maintained.

"Just don't expect to get this treatment every day."

[starkingenuity]

"Yeah, but every day until I can wash myself properly right?" Tony asks, watching Bruce move around out of the corner of his eye. He wonders if Jarvis would be willing to do it but then imagines that he'll get a frown and an eyeroll for his trouble. Besides, he probably wouldn't do it right or the drifting done will ruin the idea of it in the end anyhow. Oh well.

Redhead might still be on the list, though. Once he's done being a patient of course!

Stark hooks an arm over the back of the chair he's lounging in and tilts his head all the way back as Banner moves behind him. "Besides, what else are you really doing? Reading? Boring. I bet you already know the material back to front any way, am I right?"

[aggravated]

"The faster you get the arc reactor done, the faster you won't need help bathing," Bruce points out with a little quirk of his lips. He starts carefully using cups of water, once he's gotten his supplies, to clear out the conditioner from Stark's hair, one hand cupped to keep water from his eyes. "So I expect you to get it done soon."

Tony, wait until you don't have a battery hooked up to you for sex. Think of the possible terrible consequences.

"Working on projects, mostly," Bruce informs him about what else he's doing. "Working on figuring out why the shielding failed on the Mammoth, how to fix it - getting a whole new engine in all of the Jaegers is going to take time. How to counter the sickness from the radiation already absorbed. Trying to find a way to nullify Kaiju Blue entirely."

[starkingenuity]

"'Washing Tony Stark's hair'," he adds to the list as if it is significant and impossible to ignore or leave off. His smile, upside down, hair darker from the water and slicked back away from his forehead. "All very noble pursuits. The last one in particular. Once I get the prototype done, we can have these babies cranked out." He's over estimating the size that reactor will need to be, how supplies have been diminished, and the logistics of testing it. That's not exactly his fault so much as its his upbringing.

He wants, and after he took over Stark Industries, he gets.

"When I get done with this build and don't have to carry around my boyfriend here, I can help. During free times. I'm not a biologist but I learn fast."

Remarkably fast.