Ready, Fire, Aim!

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

Bruce gave Tony a glance through the rearview mirror, and upon seeing the dark bruise-like smudges under his eyes, felt a pang of sympathy for him, although with all of Tony's b*tching and moaning, it was hard to stay that way.

 

"Why don't you try and sleep for a bit? It will be about 30 more minutes till we get to the airport, and you can always just sleep on the plane, ya know..." he offered with a sigh. He was pretty tired himself, what with the small amount of sleep, the after effects of the small burst of adrenaline from earlier, and his mental struggle with the Other Guy. But someone had to stay awake, and Tony looked much worse for wear at this point.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony suddenly sat up straighter, rubbing his eyes and glancing away. He almost looked anxious- though he was trying to hide it.

 

"Tell you what, I feel a lot better now. Besides, we should both stay alert in case something happens," he insisted, coughing nervously. He really didn't want to sleep, well he did, but he didn't want to face what came with it. And he certainly didn't want to wake up screaming when Bruce and this stranger were with him.

 

"I'll sleep on the plane," he lied.

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

Bruce could hear the false tone in his voice, but decided that they could deal with that it was something they could deal with later, preferably in a more private setting than some stranger's vehicle.

 

They rode in near silence for nearly 20 minutes, the only sound coming from the truck's engine. It was sort of soothing, and was making it harder and harder for him to stay awake. He felt himself doze off once or twice, but managed to pinch himself awake, causing him to catch strange looks from the woman beside him.

 

Clara kept her eyes on the mysterious men in her truck throughout the ride, sending them contemplative looks that made Bruce the slightest bit uncomfortable. He wasn't quite sure what she was thinking, and was a little worried that their strangeness was making her have second thoughts on allowing them a ride. He just smiled politely at her curious stares, hoping that she wouldn't dump them on the side of the road.

 

Finally after another 10 awkward minutes of quiet driving, they arrived at the airport.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony managed to keep himself awake by programming his suit to give him a slight shock whenever his brainwaves decreased below conscious levels. He noticed that the woman kept shooting him looks, so he made sure to meet her gaze every time.

 

When they finally, finally arrived, he was stir crazy enough to start doing backflips in the air. Instead he got out quickly, stretching and sighing before putting his helmet under his arm and walking to the driver's side door. A little compartment opened on his chest, and from it he withdrew a hundred dollar bill and held it out to her.

 

"This should cover gas," he said with a smirk, glancing at his private jet. His name wasn't on this one- incognito, right?

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

Bruce stepped out of the car, grinning a bit at the look Clara gave Tony when he handed her the bill. He stepped over to her and shook her hand.

 

"Thank you for your help. I hope that we didn't cause too much trouble..." he said with that nervous grin of his.

 

"Oh, no! It was fine." She paused, as if going over something in her head. "Maybe I'll see you again sometime..." she muttered, her eyes shifting to a dent on her truck's hood.

 

Bruce didn't know how to respond. He stared at her for a moment. "Yeah, but I doubt that we will, unfortunately," he breathed, trying to brush off the comment like Tony did sometimes. You could say that he was more than a little unprepared for the expression of interest.

 

He quickly turned away, thanking her one last time, before making a hasty retreat to what he could only assume to be Stark's plane, considering the grandeur of the thing.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Just because he could, Tony put his helmet back on and flew to the jet -yes lady, he could fly, wasn't that nifty?- and waved at the pilot in the cockpit before landing next to the stairs.

 

"Smooth sailing from here, Bruce. Where do you want to go? I'm thinking Costa Rica, always nice this time of year," he sighed wistfully, climbing the stairs to stand at the top.

 

He was being a little more casual than Bruce, but honestly he saw no reason to worry. They would get through this.

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

He leaned a hand on the railing leading up to the plane, not turning to hear the the rumbling of the truck's engine as it drove away. He didn't allow his thoughts to stray back to her, and instead followed Tony into the plane.

 

He stopped in the entrance, trying to process how Tony could still afford something like this with his Iron Man suits. It was lavish to say the least, which is not surprising, considering the owner. Still though, it was worth a good stare. He settled down into the lush, beige leather seats, and waited for Tony to do the same. He needed to relax a bit, and now they finally could...

[Sweet_Wyvern]

When he got no reply, Tony shrugged and walked up to the cockpit. He quickly delayed their destination and walked back down the aisle. However, instead of stopping he kept going- all the way to the back.

 

Two minutes later Tony returned minus the suit, sitting down opposite Bruce. "Well, its smooth sailing from here," he sighed, sinking into the chair and rubbing his eyes. The dark circles remained, though he tried not to outwardly show his exhaustion.

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

Bruce eyed Tony carefully. "Are you really okay? You look like you're about to give out from exhaustion... Why don't you sleep for a bit?" he said gently, in hopes of convincing his friend. He knew that Tony would probably brush it off and ignore him.

 

"Besides, you're no use to me half-dead," he added with a smile, a slightly serious undertone hidden in the statement.

 

The jet took off a minute later, making Bruce's stomach flop into his mouth. He didn't think he'd ever get completely used to that feeling. It leveled out fairly smoothly though, and from there he tried to enjoy the ride.

 

"So Costa Rica, huh? A bit touristy, don't you think?" He must've been getting nervous, despite his best efforts to relax. He didn't usually talk so much, especially with Tony in the room.

 

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony sighed and leaned back, unconvinced himself. "I'm fine," he said quietly, though he didnt accept or deny his suggestion to get some rest. He seemed very off, though he didn't want to confide in anyone. Not yet. Tony Stark didn't share his feelings, he swallowed them.

 

"Yeah well, its the last place they would think to look. And there are some places in the tropical forests that are off limits to tourists. We should be safe for a while, and it will give us time to plan and figure this out," he explained, his eyelids drooping. Sheer exhaustion forced him to start drifting off, unable to hold consciousness any longer.

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

Bruce only gave a gentle nod in reply, choosing to let Tony sleep instead. He knew he couldn't stay awake for much longer, and it wasn't a minute later that he heard the gentle snores coming from the figure sitting in front of him.

 

He sighed contently at this, rose quietly so as to not wake the billionaire, and looked around for something to occupy his time while they flew. The only thing he could find was a tablet, which ordinarily would have been more than fine with him, but seeing as how the device would ping softly ever so often with news updates, he didn't want to take the chance that he would see Ross' name in the headlines. Just thinking about it was causing the Other Guy to stir in the depths of his mind.

 

After 20 minutes of searching, he finally decided that he should probably try and catch some sleep too, considering that their near futures would consist solely of difficult and draining days on the run. He lay on the long bench seat on the side of the jet opposite Tony, and let his lids close, giving into the clutches of sleep without protest.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony slept fairly peacefully for about a half hour. However, there was a reason he had been avoiding sleep, and despite his carefulness it happened anyway.

 

It started with a twitch, his brow wrinkling slightly and his quiet snores pausing only to resume again. After a few minutes he got progressively worse, muttering under his breath, tossing and turning, and even whimpering. Nightmares had taken him like the plague ever since the incident with the nuke and New York, and what little sleep he did catch was riddled with horror and agony.

 

The nightmares were usually the same- various explosions, getting thrown out a window, space unrolling before him, sometimes even old memories of the cave in Afghanistan troubled his slumber. It was maddening, and it was the chief reason he didnt want to sleep. Another whimper issued from him, followed by a shaky intake of breath and the contortion of his face into an expression of pain.

 

((Have you seen IronMan3?))

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

((OMG, I just saw it today! It was soooo good! I actually have to get off now, since I have testing in the morning, but I'll make sure to think up something good for tomorrow!))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Okay, my next question: do you mind if I add things from the movie? Not the mandarin or anything, but like his suit that can assemble on him when he waves his hand, or the ability to just step in and out of them.. Etc))

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

((That's more than fine! And incorporating Tony's anxiety into everything is great too.))

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

It wasn't 40 minutes later that Bruce woke to the sound of Tony's troubled sleep. He was a fairly light sleeper, so he was instantly stirred by the inventors murmurs and cries. He bolted up from the seat, and moved across the small space.

 

"Tony. Tony! It's okay!" he assured, gently taking the man's shoulders in his hands. The man's face was contorted in pain, and a sheen of sweat covered his face. He continued to shake him, growing more and more desperate when the billionaire's twitching and uneven breathing didn't cease. If nothing, it was getting worse!

Edited May 10, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony continued to shudder and twitch, his whimpers mixing with little sobs until the nightmares suddenly disappeared and he was awake. Panting for breath, the billionaire reached up and felt his face, sweat and possibly tears leaving it wet. Using his sleeve he mopped his brow, shuddering in the aftershock of a horrible nightmare.

 

The grip on his shoulders seemed to relax him though, because after a moment his bloodshot gaze slid over to look at Bruce. "Hey," he croaked, because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

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

Relief washed over him as Tony woke, and even more so when the ragged 'hey' left his lips. Obvious worry was evident in Bruce's eyes. Tony looked haggard, and Bruce wasn't sure how to help him.

 

He knew from experience the effect that nightmares had on a person, having suffered from them almost constantly for the first couple of years after the accident. He still had them every so often, although not nearly as frequently. Tony wasn't one to show or receive affection too well (and neither was he really), but Bruce continued to support him anyway, his hands holding the other man's shoulders as the billionaire shook and sputtered. Bruce held himself openly, almost as if to let Tony know that he was there if he needed the support, not wanting to smother him.

 

Finally after a few moments of labored breathing, he seemed to calm down a bit.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony took the time to get his breath back, calming down and letting reality settle once more. Though he was never openly affectionate, the firm grip on him kept him grounded, reminded him he was here and not blowing up in space.

 

Surprisingly he relaxed into the embrace, thinking about what he could possibly say to explain himself. It was embarrassing to say the least, but he didn't quite care considering the comfort felt nice. Pepper didn't know about his nightmares yet, and he wanted it to stay that way.

 

"Sorry you had to see that," he sighed, coughing once to clear his throat. Worrying Bruce wouldn't help anything- he should've stayed awake.

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

Bruce looked at Tony, his lips in a tight line. "You don't have to be sorry, Tony," he said lightly. "We all have nightmares, me included! You don't have to apologize for something you aren't in control of."

 

The irony of what he just said dawned on him like a church bell, thinking back on all the times he'd apologized for the Other Guy's rampages, or having to leave those he cared about. But he forced these thoughts from his mind, and focused back on Tony.

 

"Listen, I may not be the best listener sometimes, but I'm still here for you. No one should have to go through this kind of thing alone," he offered.

 

He stepped back from him and sunk into the chair opposite Tony, figuring he should try and give him some space now that he's calmed down.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony nodded, absently raking his fingers through his hair. He had barely gotten an hour of sleep, but he didn't want to try and sleep again. He was afraid it would start all over again, and it was so much easier to just stay awake and ignore the exhaustion.

 

"Thanks, but I don't want to talk about it," he said with a halfhearted smile, rubbing the back of his neck. He was grateful for Bruce's sympathy, but he didnt want to face the problem.

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

Bruce just looked at him with understanding, not wanting to pry where he wasn't wanted. He knew that Tony would have to face his demons sooner or later, and he would have to sleep eventually, so he left the issue so Tony could work things out for himself. He'd be there if he needed him.

 

He found himself staring out the small window at the view below, which wasn't much, only a few small islands scattered in the ocean below. The water looked dark and churned menacingly, like a storm was coming. "How much longer do you think we have in the air?" he asked.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony flashed him a grateful look, then turned to gaze out the window. Anyone else would've forced him to talk about it, and he really couldn't handle any more stress at the moment.

 

"Maybe an hour, or less," he replied, casting the clouds a wary glance. "Guess there won't be any sunbathing today." It was a lame joke, an excuse to cover up his feelings as per usual. Sarcasm and smarmy comments were his defense mechanism; he sometimes did it without even realizing it.

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

A small smile played on his lips. 'How could anyone be so predictable, yet so random and chaotic, simultaneously?' he wondered absently.

 

The next 53 minutes passed by relatively quietly, with the exception of the Lead Zeppelin and AC/DC that Tony had blasting through the jet's sound system. No one spoke, though, which made the space seem somewhat peaceful, but off at the same time. Bruce chose to try and enjoy the moment of calm before their lives became what he could only expect to be chaos of life on the run.

 

A lurch from the jet, and a message from the pilot told them that they were now making their descent, broke him from his thoughts. The jet landed fairly smoothly, despite the now full-on storm raging outside, much to the pilot's credit. The billionaire and the physicist stood to exit the aircraft when the hairs on Bruce's neck rose. Something was wrong.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony stood, awaking from a slight doze as they landed. He was glad he hadn't fallen asleep again. He thanked the pilot, glancing at Bruce and frowning slightly at his expression. He didn't think anything was wrong, but then again he didn't have the best sense for those types of things.

 

"I have property here, we can probably stay there for a little while. Only Pepper knows about it," he offered, walking off the plane without bothering with his suit.