Ready, Fire, Aim!

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony probably should have been a bit more alarmed when the Hulk freaked out again, but honestly, he was impulsive enough not to care. He wasn't hurting anything, and he had every right to be wary of Ross. In a way, he and Bruce had a lot alike. Misunderstood creatures, hunted for all the wrong reasons.

 

"Only if you want to go big guy. I don't mind you staying out- you earned some time to run around," he replied, looking up at the Hulk. Fearless? Or stupid? He wasn't sure anymore. Like he had told Bruce countless times, he wasn't afraid of the Other Guy.

 

 

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

Hulk grinned, like a child who just found out he was getting all his presents on his Christmas list. "No one ever want Hulk to stay! Hulk like Tin Man."

 

They spent the next few hours pretty much destroying the East side of the island, both of them taking turns destroying the variety of foliage growing around them. Sometimes Hulk would throw trees and Tin Man would blast them, creating pretty blue sparks from his hands or his chest, and sometimes Hulk would just smash while Tin Man watched. Either way, he was enjoying having free reign for once, and after a while, the rain stopped pouring, which made him even happier. He hated thunder.

 

He was completely worn out by the time the sun began to set. "Tin Man play with Hulk again?" he asked waringly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand not unlike a toddler (which was about as weirdly adorable as it sounded).

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony didn't mind playing with the Hulk. Really, he was like a big, cuddly, rip-your-arms-off cat. He felt like the one person who truly knew that the big guy was completely misunderstood, and that he didn't just hurt people willy nilly. However, doing so had taken its toll on him. Whatever was bleeding hadn't stopped, and he was feeling remarkably light-headed- not the good kind, either.

 

Stumbling as he landed for the billionth time, his back hit a tree and he slid down, his vision dotting black and white. "Yeah.. big guy.. sure," he wheezed, slumping against the trunk. At some point he passed out; it was really hard to tell with all the bees buzzing in his head.

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

"Tin Man?" he asked in concern. When he received no reply, his eyes widened, alarmed. He poked a finger at the still form, causing an unconscious groan to escape from his lips. Without hesitation, he gave Bruce control back, knowing that Banner would be able to help his friend more than he could. Banner had always been smarter.

 

It only took a few seconds to change back, for which Bruce would've been grateful, if it hadn't been for the wave of exhaustion that washed over him, making him collapse on the soil below. He moaned, blinking his eyes open again as every muscle screamed in pain. What the hell had the Other Guy been doing? he thought.

 

His head was swimming but he turned his head to look at the form beside him, his heart jumping into his throat. He started to yell his name, but the only thing that came out was a mangled whisper. He blinked through the daze, pushing his exhaustion aside as he dragged himself over to Tony. After clearing his throat a few times, he finally managed to croak out, "JARVIS, give me...Tony's vitals, and open his suit so I can see..."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Certainly sir. The suit simply fell off of the man's body in pieces, scattering around him and making it look as though he had crash landed where he lay. Tony seemed otherwise uninjured, but there was a gash in his right side where a bullet had managed to ping him while his suit was assembling around him. After all, it couldn't protect him very well when it was all over the place. Heart rate currently at 70 BPM and dropping. Sensors indicate a large amount of blood has been lost- estimated time of death: one hour. Doctor Banner, I advise that you hurry.

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

D*mmit! he thought. He was in no condition to do this, and they were in the middle of the freakin' forest for God's sake!

 

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, this time to ease his worry, for once not fearful that the Other Guy might come out. He looked at the plants and wildlife around him, looking for something, anything, he could use. He could barely recognize anything, having never been to this part of the world before now. And he was in no condition to try and find clean water...

 

"JARVIS," he breathed heavily, "do you think you would get us both back to the cabin without major damage to Tony's injuries? I need medical supplies..." his voice trailed off, but he fought unconsciousness. Tony needed him right now.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

For an answer, the pieces of the suit moved and shifted away from both Tony and Bruce, assembling together so that the IronMan suit stood before them completely put together. Then it turned its head and looked down at them, alive sans one engineer. The Mark 42 was upgraded for specifically this purpose- I will be piloting for now. I can carry you both, Jarvis assured him.

 

The suit bent over and slid his arms under Tony, who moaned feebly in protest as it jarred him. Lifting the man into a bridal carry, the robot looked expectantly at Doctor Banner. Please, hold on tight. I would rather not drop you. As soon as he grabbed on, the suit flew them up at a fairly steady pace, and in less than five minutes they were descending in the cabin. The bodies lingered, though Jarvis paid them no mind as he laid Tony on a couch. At your service, sir.

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

Bruce's feeble body wobbled, and he leaned heavily on the suit for support before his head stopped spinning. "Alright, I need clean water, lots of it, some sort of cloth, some scissors, a pair of tweezers, a butterfly bandage, gauze, and some rubbing alcohol, if we have any."

 

Right away, Sir, the AI replied, leaving to fetch the needed supplies. I was weird seeing JARVIS with a body, but he pushed that thought away. He pulled up a chair next to where Tony lay on the couch, breathing labored and eyes working to close themselves. He didn't even register the bodies of the soldiers around him, too exhausted and worried to really care. He knew he'd be consumed with soul eating guilt later, but he pushed those thoughts away, too.

 

JARVIS returned a few minutes later with the supplies, and he set to work. Infection was going to be a major problem, but it wouldn't mean anything if he didn't stop the bleeding first. He used the scissors to cut away the bloody and sweaty material of Tony's t-shirt, revealing the wound. It wasn't that deep, but was near a nerve, so the pain must've been excruciating. The doctor looked for an exit wound, having to lift Tony slightly, which caused him to moan deeply, but he couldn't find one. That means I'll have to dig it out... He reached in the tweezers, wishing he had some anesthetic to give him, and pulled out the cursed metal.

 

He repeatedly trickled water in the wound, trying to ignore Tony as he flinched at the water's coolness, until it was completely rinsed clean. He dabbed the alcohol on a cloth, and gently wiped it over the wound, careful not to press too hard, to help reduce any risk of infection. He decided that he didn't want to use a suture to close it, thinking it best to let it drain of any infectious materials, while using a butterfly bandage to keep the gash somewhat closed, and covering it with a clean dressing to keep.

 

After he was done, he asked JARVIS to see if there were any painkillers around the house. When the AI left, he leaned back in the chair, on the brink of utter exhaustion. He desperately needed sleep, but fought to cling on to consciousness just a bit longer, for Tony's sake.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

The AI returned a minute later with a bottle of prescription painkillers. I apologize that I have nothing intravenous to offer, but Sir has never needed anything like morphine in this house before. He will simply have to take them when he wakes up. Though, there was no telling when that would happen- he'd lost a lot of blood. The robot suit stood at the end of the couch, regarding the two men in silence. Finally Jarvis suggested, You should sleep as well, Doctor Banner. I will rouse you if anything happens, as I do not need sleep. Neither of them was in good condition, though he was reading slightly better vitals from Tony, which was good. He would not be happy if his creator were to perish. In the meantime, I believe I may tidy up a bit, he added, mostly to himself. Ironically he was a stickler for cleanliness, so without a word he began dragging bodies outside, leaving them in a small hole. Next he began scrubbing blood away, which was a funny sight- the Ironman suit bent over cleaning.

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

Bruce nodded to the AI thankfully, and he stepped over to the other side of the living space to the loveseat. He collapsed there, muscles crying in sweet relief, unable to get up even if he wanted to, and let the iron weight of his eyelids fall. He immediately fell into the clutches of sleep, his last thought thinking of how lucky they were to have JARVIS by their sides...

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Timeskip several hours?))

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

((Yeah, I think that'd be best. Let our bbies rest for a while.))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Heh. WHOOOSH!))

 

It was roughly eight hours later that Tony finally cracked his eyes open. His side hurt like a , he was hungry, thirsty, and just all around achy. "God.. what the hell happened?" He moaned, mostly to himself. His brown eyes circled the room, coming to rest on the sleeping form of Bruce. Then everything came back- the gunshot wound, the Hulk, passing out in the forest.

 

Reaching down, he felt a bandage on his side and had to bite back a scream as the mere feather soft touch sent bolts of pain through him. When a robotic hand offered him pills and a glass of water he downed them, regardless of his aversion to being handed things, and then finished the glass of water. "Jarv?" He croaked questioningly.

 

Seven hours and forty nine minutes, sir, the AI responded automatically, for it was common question of Tony's to know how long he had been unconscious. Luckily he had no nightmares this time- in fact, no dreams at all. Just the kind of unconsciousness associated with a painful wound. Idly he considered blacking out again, his eyelids fluttering. God damn it hurt.

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

((Wow, we covered a lot today! fun, fun, fun! But I have to get off now, as I have to drive to Oklahoma and have a little family outing tomorrow, so I might not be back for a bit. I'll talk to you later!))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Alrighty, see you later!))

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

Bruce slept for a lot longer than he expected, almost 12 hours straight, actually. He blinked the morning light from his eyes, his body still sore from when the Other Guy came out to play. He groaned and sat up, noticing that there were a fresh pair of pants lying on top of him.

 

His lack of clothing last night had never even crossed his mind, what with all of the drama, and apparently, he'd just passed out without covering himself in the slightest! Great job, Bruce... he thought, a deep blush spreading along his cheeks as he hurriedly slipped on the dark grey sweats.

 

He looked around the room, remembering Tony on the couch across from him. The place was totalled, anything resembling glass having been cracked or just plain shattered. There were massive holes in the ground where it looked like several bodies had collided with the floor, and there was another on the ceiling, although the room overall looked much cleaner than it did before he'd fallen asleep. JARVIS must've cleaned the place up while Tony and I slept...

 

His brain suddenly seemed to kick in, making any lingering drowsiness vanish. The holes in the floor... His heart sank, and he placed his head in his hands, guilt and anguish already washing over him as he remembered Ross' soldiers.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Brucey?" Tony forced himself not to sink into unconsciousness again, at least, not yet. He could see the wreckage around them, and while such a thing didn't bother him, he knew it would upset his companion. Probably not even the mess, but the dead. They weren't laying around any more, so he assumed Jarvis had cleaned up as best he could. However, he didn't doubt that the scientist was beating himself up about it.

 

Turning his head, he could just make out the hunched form of his friend on the loveseat. He shifted, ignoring the pain that screamed up his side -when would these damn pills kick in?- and adjusted so that he was facing the man. "Bruce, it's okay," Tony said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. He wasn't really accustomed to comforting people, but he knew his friend needed it now more than ever.

 

"Those men knew what they signed up for. They would have just as easily killed you- and hey, now there's less people chasing us," he pointed out, wondering if he should get up and try to comfort him. The ache in his side suggested that this would be a bad idea.

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

Bruce lifted his head to look at his friend, who must've already been awake for a while, judging by the look of him. He looked exhausted and in pain, which was to be expected, although not necessarily easier to look at. He sighed deeply, not irritated at Tony, but with the whole situation they were in. Of course he knew that these men chose to do this, and that he had probably saved Tony's life by releasing the Other Guy, more or less. The b*stards had shot at them! If it wasn't for Bruce, Tony would be dead right now! Of course, if he'd never stepped into Tony's life in the first place, he would've never been placed in this situation to begin with. No, Bruce, don't think like that. You can't change what happened... None of this made this feeling of crushing guilt any easier to bear; their blood was still on his hands. "Yeah, I suppose that's true," he agreed glumly, more to make Tony feel better than himself. He ran his hand along the thin layer of stubble he'd produced in his sleep, feeling drained once again, more emotionally than anything else. He rose slowly, his muscles whining in protest, and walked over to Tony's side. "How are you feeling?"

Edited June 17, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony continued to stare at Bruce, and it was obvious by the defeat in his stance and the way his shoulders sagged that he wasn't forgiving himself. It wasn't the guy's fault- really, they opened fire first, not Bruce. If anything, they should feel bad. Or at least, he had nothing to be upset about. It wasn't surprising that Bruce didn't feel this way, though.

 

"Like ," he replied, letting his head flop back down on the pillow. "I guess they managed to hit me- lucky shot. I'm calling foul play; if anyone asks it was heroic," he rambled on his smarmy fashion, offering the man a slight smile.

 

"Bruce. I played with him." He let that sink in, studying the man's face for any change. "I told him he could stay out and.. well, I played with him. Mean and Green loves to smash stuff, by the way. Really, it's kinda cute. He didn't hurt anyone." Tony still found it incredibly amusing that the two of them had gotten on so well by just destroying part of the island.

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

Bruce stared at the injured man, not quite knowing what to say. Did Tony say he had played with him? Like a little kid? And he thought it was CUTE?! I swear, only Tony Stark...

 

He could feel the shock on his face, but didn't try and hide it, instead choosing to just try and digest the information slowly. He searched through what few of his muddled memories he possessed from when he had changed. He couldn't remember much, but he could see flickers of red and gold, and the feeling of happiness (?). Since when was the Other Guy ever happy?

 

He decided let the memory float away, knowing that he wouldn't get very far with it anyway, and turned to examine Tony's wound. "Well I guess that explains why I woke up so damn tired," he joked, mostly for Tony's sake, in order to distract him a bit while he gently lifted the bandage. Blood had bled almost completely through, but as far as he could tell it didn't look infected, although that could change very quickly out here in the wilderness (well, more or less).

 

I mean it wasn't like they could check into any hospitals here, since Tony's face would be pretty much everywhere within the first few hours after they checked in. Costa Rica was such a tourist trap, that there were bound to be paparazzi around every other corner, ready to snag a good picture of some poor woman's breast slipping from her bikini.

 

Meaning they were pretty much on their own until they could leave the country for somewhere safer, where Ross wouldn't be able to track them down. But they couldn't go anywhere until Tony got better, so that would be their main focus until then. He re-cleaned the wound with rubbing alcohol, and redressed it with clean bandages that JARVIS had been kind enough to set out for them.

Edited May 12, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony chuckled again at the comment, gasping and wincing as Bruce peeled the bandage away. He tried to focus on the emotions on Bruce's face, thinking to himself about how funny his shock was, but nothing could penetrate the wall of holy thathurtslikea .

 

He couldn't help but flinch and squirm, crying out as alcohol was used on raw flesh. By the end of it his eyelids were fluttering dangerously and- ah, nope, no more staying awake. Too painful. See you in a few hours Bruce, okay? Can you hear me? Oh well. He blacked out again.

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

Bruce realized that Tony was about to pass out from the pain, but there was nothing to do to stop it. He felt the billionaire's body relax beneath him, and he sighed. He wished he could do more, the doctor in him making him feel awful that his patient was without suitable pain meds.

 

"JARVIS?" he asked, not knowing if the AI had connected itself to the house, or if he was still animating the Iron Man armor. It turned out to be the former, as the British tone replied from the ceiling, How can I help you, Doctor Banner?

 

"Is there anyway of obtaining morphine, or even vicodin out here? This is... well- it's barbaric to leave Tony in this much pain..." he asked.

 

Yes, sir, I have already taken it upon myself to do so. 100 mg of vicodin and 20 ccs of morphine should be delivered from a local hospital to a small shop in town, where it can be picked up tomorrow, the AI replied.

 

Bruce was relieved at this news, knowing that Tony wouldn't have to suffer for weeks while his wound healed. He'd just have to hold on for one more day...

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Not sure what to do now. I guess we could time skip- Tony will be out cold for a little while))

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

((Fine with me! If it calls for it, and nothing suggests otherwise, it's always cool with me to skip ahead a bit.))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Okay. There'll probably be a lot of skipping around with Tony passing out))

 

This time only about three hours went by before the billionaire cracked his eyes open. The constant passing out was at least getting him some rest, and he didn't have to deal with nightmares that way, but still. Tony groaned slightly, shutting his eyes again whil he tried to come fully conscious.

 

The medicine was helping a little, but it didn't do as well as something prescription might. "Bruce?" He asked, wondering if the man was still in the room. He cracked his eyes open again, looking around the room. He felt so helpless, it was killing him.