(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

[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.

[aggravated]

Bruce's brows lift, looking down at Stark as he leans over him. For a moment, he almost asks why Stark wants to help, but he thinks of cool blue eyes and knows exactly why. It would all be part of trying to save Jarvis' life. So instead, he only gives a little more. "Once you get rid of your boyfriend, you'll lose the spark in your life."

Yes, an attempt at a joke. A terrible, terrible joke. Still, he gives a tiny smile and runs his big palm over Stark's head to wring some water from it. "Ready to try part two of this?" Reaching over for a towel, he works to make sure no drips will slide down until he gets the wound and cables tarped and taped off.

[starkingenuity]

"Guess that just means that I will need to find a new boyfriend," he replies with a laugh, not even skipping a beat. His smile is done in a wink, one eye closed so as to not have to worry about water in his eye.

"I can't wait for the next part. This is going to be so much fun for everyone, huh?"

((Pardon the shortness. Will be back later ))

[aggravated]

Bruce snorts at the smile-wink, shaking his head. "You are endless, Stark, and not always in a good way." Meant to be a little vague to keep the other guessing, Bruce drapes the towel around Stark's neck to catch any further drips from his hair after removing the tarp. He begins taping on the piece he'd cut earlier, making sure to be careful with the wires and the delicate tissue around it.

"Let me know if this hurts," he says, giving a look to Stark that means he means it. If it's hurting him, he wants to check on it while he has the chance and move the tape elsewhere.

(No prob - have fun!)

[starkingenuity]

"I could probably use a shave," the other mutters, glancing down at his chest. The tape is absolutely going to hurt. Especially coming off. But it's a necessary evil. Getting the battery wet won't be the issue, but where the electrodes catch with his skin could be a nightmare. Electrocution is not the way to go.

Of course, after this step, Stark can actually take over from here and finish this himself. Washing won't be a problem but hey, new opportunity for fun, right?

Banner really should just leave him to it before he's drawn in.

[aggravated]

"Sorry," Bruce says honestly, looking up at Stark from where he's kneeling. "If you want, I could get a razor?" He hadn't thought about that like he should have. "I'll do my best to not rip half your chest hair off. Find some oil, it'll loosen up the tape." He finishes off with the tape, then steps back and fills up the bucket again.

He drops the soap into Stark's hands and the sponge into the bucket. "All yours. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" A small, easy sort of smile. Stark is an odd one, but for some reason, he enjoys being around the other.

[starkingenuity]

At least he's not too weak to do some decent soaping up. It feels amazing to have the dirt and sweat and days of bed rest washed off of him. Some parts are harder to get than most, but he's just finishing up his feet when Bruce gets back. The rest of the shower-sponge bath is innocuously awkward but Stark keeps up the conversation which reverts back to the reactor time and time again.

He needs to get this done before the next Kaiju attacks. He needs Bruce's help. And most of all, he needs to keep a bit of automony with himself. Stark is use to ruling the roost but this injury has left him on the outs of even his own wellfare.

"We need a team," he says as he lets Bruce help him back to his feet to be dried off. "I can do this on my own with Yinsen but we have to work in parallels. Miniature for me. Massive for the Jaegers. And we'll need funding. And I need to have access to whatever I want."

[aggravated]

'I can do this own my own with Yinsen'. The words make him pause, just for a second, before giving a small nod. "I'll tell Marshall Fury what you need. If he's smart, he'll put the engineers under you so that can be done. I don't know how much access he'll give you, but," he finishes with a little shrug.

He'll speak to the nurse Stark seems infatuated with as well. Maybe it'll be easier on Stark if it's her instead of him doing this work. "Do you think you can get it done in time?" If Stark says he can, seeing what work he's already done, Bruce will shift his focus from the shielding to the sickness instead.

[starkingenuity]

That's where Bruce is suppose to come in. He's not an engineer but he is a doctor. A good one, from what Tony's seen and possibly Google-stalked. "Maybe, if you help me out," Tony says, and since he's standing, that means that they can look eye to eye. And probably just a bit too closely. "I need someone to give me deadline and boundaries and someone that won't just yes-man me."

He could use Fury, but Fury had twelve Shatterdomes to run. That leaves Banner.

"And to make sure I eat and to keep Jarvis from worrying and--" This will sound weird but-- "I kind of need a friend."

[aggravated]

The all too-closeness of their bodies makes Bruce tense unconsciously, and Stark's first words confuse him. Before he's even done, Bruce is already thinking 'why me?' because certainly Fury would do those things. The man is big on boundaries and deadlines, and definitely wouldn't 'yes-man' anyone--

Then Stark drops that last statement, and all of the questions vanish from Bruce's mind. His brows come together, lips parting, but he has nothing to say to that at first. He swallows, hands wringing unconsciously, before saying quietly, "I'm not exactly the right kind of person to have as a friend, Stark. I'll be happy to work with you, but... I don't think I'll be of much use in the friend department." The corner of his lip lifts, the humor aimed squarely at himself. "I'm not exactly someone you go have a drink with in a bar." Referencing the night he pulled Stark out of the bar.

[starkingenuity]

Stark doesn't hardly remember that night. He likes being black out drunk after a Kaiju attack. Of course, that's not something people like to hear and right now, there's not much out of Bruce's mouth he really wants to hear. Stark doesn't do friends, and this is exactly why. He figures Bruce is just letting him down easy.

That's all right. It's all jealousy. People that can't understand him. He's sure of that.

It's Bruce's loss.

"All right, well work with me now and figure out where my pants are."

[aggravated]

Oh Stark.. this has nothing to do with jealousy. It has everything to do with a man who has no self-confidence what so ever. The two friends he's had in his life - one he had lost when everything happened with Ross and he hoped his dog found a life outside of being a stray, and the other.. the other.. he had to push away for her safety.

It makes him think of the disc Fury pushed into his hands. He still needs to watch it.

"Over here." So Bruce brings him his clothing, and believes that's it. It's safer for Stark to not be involved with him. Hadn't that already been proven? Only a few weeks in their lives, and he's destroyed much.

[starkingenuity]

It's easier for him to believe that it's jealousy and not genuine dislike. He feels a little betrayed, as he always does when his feelings aren't returned because he's a damned good catch and that goes for friendship as well as whatever else he's interested in from a person. He went out in a line. He got burned. It happens.

It happens too often.

Oddly enough, Tony isn't good relationship material. God only knows why Jarvis likes him.

He gets dressed and helps Bruce clean up and bobbles back to his room where Jarvis is already blinking owlishly at him. "Sir--"

The look Stark gives to Jarvis is deadening. A 'don't ask' sort of look. He doesn't want to talk about this. He just... Just wants to lay down and rest for a little while.

[aggravated]

Bruce helps Stark to sit down on his bed, giving him a look. "Is there anything else you need?" Honestly offering to still help, but he actually looks over at Jarvis. Badly, he needs to speak to the other about Stark, about a few things he's said, and more importantly, what he thinks Stark needs for his continued care.

[starkingenuity]

Jarvis takes the hint and carefully sees to it that Tony is laying down, the battery is out of reach and his co-pilot is comfortable before he makes an excuse to go with Banner to fetch something to eat for them both.

He joins Banner in the hall and shuts the portcullis door half way.

"Dare I ask what occurred?"

[aggravated]

Bruce gestures with his head for Jarvis to follow him, and he starts, very slowly, towards his own lab. "He didn't want to wake you up, so he asked me to help him with a bath. Not that he didn't need it, but I had the plastic and medical tape to make it happen." A little twitch of his lips at the thought. "I left the supplies down there, by the way, for future use."

His eyes are mostly staying focused on the floor, never looking over at Jarvis. Thinking. "He... mentioned something that surprised me. I didn't think could be right, considering who he is."

His fingers flex at his side, then he says softly, "Stark said he had no friends, other than you."

[starkingenuity]

"He doesn't," Jarvis says without much air of indignance, fondness, or the rest. "He might have considered Colonel Rhodes a friend, but he perished during a Kaiju attack. Ms. Potts, his personal assistant, is no longer in contact, and his driver, Mr. Hogan, was let go from Mr. Stark's service and they have not been in touch."

Two of three names are employees, Bruce. That's about how far Tony gets with friends. He hires them and hangs out with them. The rest are transient, fleeting, at best.

"Is that why he's upset?"

[aggravated]

Oh dear... Bruce frowns, looking own at his own feet as he tries to pull that together. His brows furrow, taking on Jarvis' choice words. Upset? Had Stark been upset? He tries to think about it, but he doesn't really see it.

So Bruce looks up, not meeting Jarvis' eyes but at least looking more at him. "What do you mean, upset? Other than the indignity of the shower?" Suddenly, he feels like he's missing something. Why would Stark--

Bruce suddenly comes to a stop and looks back in the direction of Stark's and Jarvis' room. Stark had asked him to be a friend, and he'd gently, or at least he considered it gently, turned it down for Stark's safety. But Stark had no idea why, and if what Jarvis said is true... "Oh." Very quiet, but understanding. "Excuse me."

He turns with that, heading right back for Stark's room.

[starkingenuity]

Jarvis pauses as well, two steps ahead of Bruce, and watches the Doctor's eyes before the blond smirks and turns away. "I'll be in the mess. Take your time." Geniuses are so difficult to handle. Jarvis is a young man, younger than both the doctor and his dear mechanic, but he certainly knows how to handle their type. Good. Stark needs friends. A good friend. And he just doesn't count.

They're more like...siblings. Or deeper than that. Jarvis has never analysed it. All he knows is that he wants what's best for his former master and co-pilot. And Banner might be it.

Stark's dozing when Bruce makes his way back, pale against the rough cotton pillows and sheets.

[aggravated]

Bruce stops in the doorway, looking over at Stark. His fingers grip the metal, knowing better than to disturb the other while he gets the rest he needs so badly. Stark's been pushing himself far beyond what he should considering how badly he was hurt by his chasing of the R.A.B.I.T. Bruce only knows the term on an intellectual level, and what it means, but he has no experience in it, not properly. He's seen it happen in other Jaegers before, but it's always been handled before it went so far.

His fault.

By the time Stark wakes again, when he rolls over, he'll find something particular by his bed. There is a little paper swan perched elegantly on the table, with a little note of 'open me' on one wing. The note inside of it is simple.

There is a 'yes' and a 'no' written in large letters. The no is crossed out, the yes is circled.

So maybe Bruce Banner isn't so good at all of this.

[starkingenuity]

Tony blinks at the origami for a long time, not sure what to make of it honestly. Jarvis is no where to be seen and none of the nurses are here-- He touches his chest, where the electrodes connect, and then reaches out to take the swan. What he sees inside makes him grin stupidly.

Banner came to his senses? Maybe Jarvis said something. It doesn't matter. He closes his eyes again and tucks the paper under his pillow after ten minutes of attempted refoldings and then giving up.

He stretches his legs and waits.

"Mr. Stark?" Yinsen. He knows that accent. "Are you ready to work?" Stark grins.

"Yep. Call Banner and get my team together. We're gonna be pulling a few all nighters."

[aggravated]

It doesn't take long to get everyone together. Bruce stays at the back of the pack as Stark speaks to them, listening with a little bit of pride as Stark starts talking about the simultaneous development of the world's largest clean-energy engine that would go in one of the most advanced devices in the world... and the smallest one in the world, that would sit right in the center of Stark's chest.

He goes to leave back to hide in his lab when Stark is done, wanting to get back on the case of how to use what he's developed to save the pilots already infected by the radiation sickness.