Ready, Fire, Aim!

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony glanced at their linked hands, slowly squeezing back after a moment. Soon the doors were sliding open, and they were on the penthouse floor. Mistaking Bruce's hesitant answer for reluctance, he mumbled, "I mean, you don't have to stay with me. I get it, that's weird." He tried to pull his hand away.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce tightened his grip a bit, automatically shaking his head. "No, no, it's fine. I mean, I still care about you, and I want you to feel safe. I really don't think sleeping beside one another is going to hurt anything," he assured with a small smile. He really didn't mind.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony looked totally unconvinced, but he didn't protest any further. Leading the way to the bedroom, he let go of Bruce to walk into the closet. He didn't even bother with the light, stripping his shirt off and making his own flashlight from his reactor as he went. He used to never wear pajamas, but now.. He emerged again in sweatpants and a tank top, light still shimmering beneath the white fabric as he climbed into bed and hugged a pillow to his chest. "You coming?" He muttered.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"Yeah, yeah..." Bruce wandered over to the other side of the bed and climbed in, having remained in his t-shirt and shorts when heading down to the garage. He made himself comfortable, wrapping his arm around Tony's waist in a protective gesture. He wanted Tony to feel safe and secure. Maybe then he would be able to sleep.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

The engineer stiffened as an arm wrapped around him, tingles of surprise running up his spine. He hadn't anticipated Bruce doing that to him, and while it used to be normal, it wasn't anymore. Gradually Tony relaxed into the arm, shutting his eyes and finding that exhaustion was lurking beneath the surface. It hit him like a wave, washing over him and pulling him into the depths of sleep.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce waited until Tony seemed to relax, and his breathing became more regular and deep, before he began to drift off himself, surprisingly comfortable like this, his arm draped lazily around the billionaire beside him.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

For an hour or two Tony slept soundly, hugging the pillow to his chest. However, after a bit he began to twitch. His fingers scrabbled at the pillow case and his breathing picked up, eyes moving rapidly behind their lids as he dreamed. In it, he was forced to imagine what had happened to Bruce when Ross kidnapped him. Only this time he was there and he had to watch, his mind supplying him with hundreds of horrible things that could've possibly happened (Bruce hadnt given him the details). He began to whimper as the Bruce in his dream shrunk into his five year old self, trying to reach the boy that was crying out for him and not being able to even get close. Then he was blindsided by teenage Hulk. Now it was his turn to cry and plead, though the beast ignored him and battered on.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce roused near instantly as Tony began to twitch and tense, and he sat up a bit, looking down to Tony with concern in his eyes. "Tony? Tone, come on, it's only a dream," he promised, lightly shaking his shoulder as he tried to rouse him. "You're safe, I promise."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Seemingly oblivious, Tony clutched the pillow tighter to his chest as small sobs escaped his stressed form. It wasn't a night terror per se, but it wasn't easy to wake the man either. He shook and flinched constantly, pulse rocketing through his veins as the nightmare got worse. "You didn't come for me, Tony. Why didn't you come for me?" Bruce asked, somehow appearing menacing despite his age of five. Tony felt himself pinned, as though he was strapped to a steel table- maybe he was. "Don't you love me, Tone?" The boy went on, using the name sarcastically. "Or do you not have a heart? Oh, maybe it's broken. Here, I'll fix it." Tony could do nothing but scream as the reactor, not just the device itself but the metal wall built into his chest was ripped out and little hands reached in. Tony began to scream.

Edited October 18, 2013 by Sweet_Wyvern

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce's stomach twisted painfully, his heart hammering in his chest as Tony screamed, and he shook his shoulder with more force, panicking internally. "Tony! Come on, it's alright, you're safe," he pleaded, a hand moving to cup the engineer's cheek. Even without his memories, it tore him apart to see Tony in this much pain.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony jolted awake with a gasp and a broken sob, at first thinking he was still strapped to that table, his heart being ripped from his chest. Then he saw that this Bruce was older and looked considerably concerned. For a split second he lay there, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, before scrambling up and racing into the bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet before he threw up violently.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce bolted out of bed in worry, but halted in the door frame, not wanting to intrude on Tony if he didn't want his help. He stood, bouncing anxiously on his feet, watching helplessly as Tony retched into the toilet. "Tony? Are you...nevermind, stupid question." He obviously was far from okay.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony heaved a couple times, hacking and spitting as he tried to rid his mouth of the rancid taste. Coffee and liquor may have been a bad idea, though this was probably stress or something else. He braced his arms on the toilet seat, leaning his head against the left while he tried to catch his breath. "That sucked," he managed to croak.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"Figured as much," Bruce muttered, arms wrapped around himself for a moment as he hesitated. With a mental nod, he walked in and knelt down beside Tony, bringing him into a gentle hug; he didn't want him to think he was being held down, as Bruce himself often felt after nightmares. "It's okay, just a dream."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony slumped against Bruce, welcoming the touch as per his increasingly tactile personality. "Mostly," he mumbled, then thought better of it and refused to say a word about what had happened. Part of it was real, what had happened to Bruce, but he didn't want the man to know and he certainly didn't want to talk about it. Closing his eyes, he set his head against the man's shoulder. He did feel safe, even if this Bruce wasn't as affectionate with him.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce placed a comforting hand on Tony's back, holding him close when he didn't pull away. He may not be the same person.as he was before, may not remember everything that the two of them experienced together, but he still cared about him. What was so bad that it would elicit a reaction like this? "I know you won't want to talk about it, but just know you can tell me, alright?"

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony shook his head minutely. "Not this. Not this," he repeated, clenching his fists slightly as the urge to be sick hit him again. He couldn't tell Bruce what had happened, since this Bruce was old enough to know who Ross was. He'd be horrified. No, he would bottle it up and carry the weight himself. Just like always.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce frowned deeply, but continued to hold Tony close, rubbing soothing circles into his back. "You can tell me anything, Tony. It's okay, I can handle it," he murmured in assurance. He wanted to be there for the engineer as much as Tony needed the comfort. "Bottling things up is only going to be worse for you in the long run. I speak from experience." He smiled faintly at that last bit, an understanding one, a hint of sadness in the faint tilt of his lips.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony took a shuddering breath, moisture threatening to leak from his eyes. Bruce was not making it any easier for him. He said he could handle it, and yet the engineer doubted. But he wasn't going to get away with not telling. "A.. A couple months ago, you got kidnapped by General Ross. He tortured you, badly. I dreamed about that. You were upset that I didn't save you and.. You tried to rip out my heart," he muttered, knowing he'd feel guilty.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce blinked in shock, eyes wide as he tried to process everything Tony had told him. He remained in silent contemplation for a moment, mulling over how he should possibly respond to something like that. Ross had been a...well, he'd never liked him. Far from it. And the feelings were reciprocated. Ross wasn't aware that he was even the Hulk, at least by the memories he possessed, although he suspected that the general had an inkling. Still, he shouldn't be all that surprised that he had finally figured it out in the span of twelve years. Even Ross wasn't that stupid.

He quietly squeezed Tony's hand, swallowing a bit, and he studied the arc reactor, shining brightly through the engineer's white tank top. He felt the desire to touch it, examine it, just as Tony had allowed him to do before, but he held himself back. Considering his dream...he didn't think it a good idea. "I...I'm sure you did everything you could to get me back. I don't doubt it for a moment that you stopped...I know how much you loved- love- me, even if I don't remember. And as for this," he said, gaze flickering from Tony's eyes back down to the electromagnet, "I would never try and hurt something so beautiful." Whether he was talking about the tech, or Tony himself, he wasn't completely sure. Probably a mixture of both.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony waited in silence for the breakdown that never came. He at least expected shock, stammering, questions, anything but Bruce calmly accepting it. He was grateful for the man's understanding- he didn't owe Tony a damn thing, and yet here he was. Were his feelings even real? If not, he was very generous. His words finally broke the damn that sent tears sliding down his cheeks, silent however, not sobs like before. "I know. It was just bad," he managed, lifting his head to meet Bruce's eye.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce smiled softly and pat the other man's shoulder, lifting a thumb to swipe away a few stray tears. "It's okay. You're okay, and I'm safe, and no one can get to you from here," he promised, "Isn't that right, JARVIS?" His eyes glanced upward, lips tilted in amusement. "Of course, Doctor Banner. You are perfectly safe here, Sir, I assure you," the AI confirmed without hesitation.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony huffed a weak laugh, setting his head back down on Bruce's shoulder. "I don't doubt that. I just.. I don't know if I can sleep after that," he muttered, even though his eyelids were fluttering mutinously. He could probably sleep, needed it in fact, the problem was that he was almost certain to have nightmares.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce knew by the way the engineer's shoulders slumped forward in utter exhaustion that this wasn't truly the case, and he simply rubbed circles into Tony's back with a silent sigh. "Come on, let's get back to bed. I'll be right there for you if anything happens. And there's always that tea we could try."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

There was a mental battle going on at the moment between Tony's pride and his desperation. He said he didn't like tea, and therefore, shouldn't drink it in order to remain his stubborn self. Then there was the fact that he was probably going to wake up screaming again. "Yeah.. I think I'll have some now," he mumbled, trying to rise on shaking legs.