(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 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.

[starkingenuity]

There are half a dozen engineers in this space, the best and brightest in the world, most of whom have been developing Jaegers for nearly five years and have constructed two separate productions of the giant walking metal. Stark's ability to open up some of his genius will let them get to work immediately. There are already a fantastic amount of ideas floating around for the reactor cores. And that lets Stark catch Banner as he leaves, leaning over the doorway and therefore having to look up into Bruce's eyes.

"I want you on the medical team that's going to dig stuff out of my chest to fit the socket into place. I know it's not your field but I'd feel better if you could test out some sort of biological lubricant before the damned reactor chafes me worse than bike shorts."

[aggravated]

Bruce is no small amount of surprised at the request. He stops, pushing up his glasses and meeting Stark's eyes in return. "Test out? Did you already have something in mind, or is this something that still needs to be created, or are you willing to let me try a few already on the market?" No, this isn't his field, but he has thoughts already going about people to call, a few ideas they could try. He would need to speak to Yinsen more about how the man planned to set the reactor into Stark's chest and where the lubricant would be needed, check closely for any possible reactions...

[starkingenuity]

"Dad always wanted to branch out into medicine and clean energy but I was always too caught up in destruction." Tony doesn't shrug it off but it does look as if he's changed his mind on that aspect. He watches Bruce for a moment before looking down again at his paper. "You have license to do what you think best. Just don't kill me."

It's suppose to be a joke but they both know that is life hangs on this. And they both are aware of the consequences if it fails. More pilots will get sick. More Kaiju will appear. And they'll lose a genius in the process.

"If you pull this off, Banner, once this war is over, you've got guaranteed funding from Stark Industries for life." If the war doesn't kill him. Or his company.

[aggravated]

"Your father had the right idea of the way to go. I saw too much of what war does to people, and once you've seen it, you can never go back to the way of thinking you had before."

Bruce isn't sure why Stark offers that last part. In his mind, it makes little sense. He knows Stark knows, or believes he knows, that he's in this to make sure that Stark, and Jarvis, live. So perhaps his response isn't entirely unexpected. "You don't need to show me a biscuit, Stark. I plan to do the work. This.. happened because of me, and I'm going to fix it." Quiet, but very determined.

[starkingenuity]

"It's not a biscuit," he tells Banner quietly. "It's sort of like.. A promise. Don't go running off to Brazil or India or wherever it is you think people need you the most. Work for me." He feels sort of like he owes Banner. And sort of like Banner owes him. The war is doing horrible things to the world, no doubt, and there are going to be a lot of people that need them both. So why not work together? "Or... With me."

Tony claps Bruce on the shoulder and moves away. He doesn't need an answer now. He can wait.

Hopefully in a year or two this will all just be a bad dream--

But who knows. The k-lab scientists are saying that the attacks are slowly increasing in frequency. It's a troubling fault. Now is not the time for that. Or for pity. Or for blame.

They have a limited time to get Tony whole again and not much more to fix their radiation issues.

[aggravated]

That... isn't what he's expecting at all to hear. Bruce, a touch startled at the offer and the touch, looks up into Stark's eyes and is surprised by the sincerity in the gaze looking back. Stark is serious about this offer, and it's not a small one. "...you want me to work with you on your switch to clean energy?" Almost not even sure he understands. How would he even fit into that?

Bruce swallows, the strange feeling in his chest at someone offering him, not demanding, not forcing, not because he has no other options, a place. Does Stark even understand all he's offering?

"We... can figure that out later, I suppose. Right now, I have a lubricant to develop or find for you. I'll speak to Doctor Yinsen right away." A tiny smile, one brought on from... hope? Maybe not something that large, but related.

[starkingenuity]

Stark doesn't have anything else to say about it now. He can't think about restructuring Stark Industries at the moment to include more biomedical applications. He just can't. There's entirely too many steps between now and then.

For the rest of the day, he's caught between teams, caught between waiting on this or explaining that or trying out an idea or disproving a theory. Normally, he doesn't work well with others. This situations isn't normal though.

It's amazing what can be done when a bunch of geniuses put their minds to something.

Prototypes are ready to be tried and gels are ready to be tested. Tony is optimistic. And starving.