Ready, Fire, Aim!

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

Sir, Master Stark is awake and asking for you. JARVIS said, his voice ringing over the sizzling of the frying pan. Bruce immediately stopped, turning off the burners in the kitchen and leaving his food where it was to go check up on Tony. He was starved (the transformation tended to do that to a person), but Tony's issues were more important at the moment.

 

He walked back into the living area, where he'd decided to leave Tony until he asked to be moved anywhere else. "Yes, sunshine?" he mocked lightly.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was afraid for a terrible moment- silly as it was. He was afraid that Bruce had run away, had left him all alone to deal with this and more importantly had abandone him. He needn't have worried. Bruce entered, and relief washed over him. Moreso when he cracked a joke, making his lips quiver in a sort of smile.

 

"Oh nothing. Just wanted to see if you were around," Tony said smoothly, craning his neck. He could smell something cooking in the other room, but he was in no way hungry. The wound was too close to his stomach for that- in fact the mere smell nauseated him. Needing food and wanting it were two different things. "I'm fine. You better go finish whatever you're cooking before you burn this place down, though."

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

Bruce smirked. "Nah, JARVIS is watching it, and I turned the burners off," he replied. "Some of us know how to cook." He was in a better mood than before, for which he couldn't really explain, but he'd decided not to question it.

 

At seeing the green tint to Tony's face, he worried a bit. "Is the smell making you nauseous?" he asked, the answer dawning on him as he looked at Tony's wound and smelled the stir-fry from the adjacent room.

 

He held up a finger to Tony, indicating that he'd be right back, and he left to search for what he needed. A moment later he smiled in triumph, a bottle of Kaopectate (which helped relieve nausea) in hand. He came back into the room and gave Tony 2 pills, setting the bottle aside.

 

He helped Tony swallow some water, doing so in a very non-condescending way. Tony was a prideful SOB, which no doubt made this situation that much harder for him. Right now, he was just a doctor taking care of his patient. "I think I'm going to try and scrounge up some ginger root for some tea," he told him absently. "It'll help soothe your stomach, and it'll be good to get something other than pills into your system..."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony could only nod at the question; he was afraid he would vomit if he opened his mouth. After taking the pills however, he did start to feel a little better. At least, there was no impending doom of up chuck.

 

"Yeah, sure Bruce," Tony said with a nod, though he didn't normally drink tea. He knew he needed something, and that would have to do if he refused to eat. "Yeah, but you should eat first. You're no use to me dead," he joked, but there was real concern in it. Bruce needed to take care of himself too.

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

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he said unconvincingly, his stomach betraying him by choosing that moment to grumble loudly. He sighed. "Okay, you might have a point..."

 

He stood, looking at Tony. "Just tell me if you need anything, okay. You tell me any symptoms you're having, don't leave anything out! Not kidding, it's important," he chided him. Tony almost never listened, especially when it came to his health.

 

"I'll be back in a bit." He left the man lying on the couch, beginning to cook the massive amount of food without delay. He really was starving, and he could begin to feel the weakness of having waited too long to eat properly.

 

When it was ready, Bruce didn't hesitate. He ate hastily, knowing that the speed in which he ate wouldn't really affect him that much, having been cautious when the transformations first happened. With the Other Guy's metabolism helping him out, the only real danger was him choking on a noodle or something equally ridiculous.

 

He left a small portion for Tony if he decided he was up to eat in the next few hours, and packaged away the portion in a plastic tupperware container.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Yes mother," Tony huffed, watching him leave with a done smile. Where would he be without his good doctor? Settling down, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a StarkPad. He had disabled Internet so it couldn't be tracked, but he had a lot of schematics he had been itching to write down. After all, his mind was almost never idle.

 

After a little while, when he couldn't possibly do any more without his lab, he set aside the piece of technology. His body was more restless than his mind though, and against his better judgement he swung his legs slowly over the side of the couch. Gradually, with a lot of pain and swearing, he got to his feet. The dizziness hit him like a wave, but he was stubborn, and with the use of the wall he hobbled into the kitchen. "Hey," he greeted, his face pale and drawn as he stumbled and caught himself on the counter.

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

Bruce had just about finished cleaning up the mess he'd made in the kitchen when Tony hobbled in. "WHAT THE HELL, TONY?!" he yelled, dropping the soapy sponge form his hand. He ran quickly over the him, Tony's face covered in a thick sheen of sweat, and helped keep him upright while he dragged his butt to the chair and forced him down, ignoring his protests.

 

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack and kill yourself in the process?!" he accused, pacing a bit as he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "You really gonna leave JARVIS all alone in the world, because you sure act like you want to! Honestly, Tony!" he rubbed his brow in frustration, turning to look away from the other man's pale features.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony eventually gave up his protests and allowed Bruce to help him over to a chair, panting and grimacing as he sank into it, boneless. He was starting to get the feeling that it was a bad idea when Bruce starting chewing him out; really he was only half listening.

 

His head lolling to the side slightly, he offered the man a pained grin. "Sorry. Couldn't sit still. Bad idea," he said, slowly regaining some color. "Although I did almost die once. That's sorta why I made Pepper CEO. Forgive me, Bruce?" He rambled, either delusional or tired or both. He was known for making rash decisions, so it was no surprise he had come in here.

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

Bruce sighed, feeling a little guilty at yelling at him when he was obviously in agony. Those pills JARVIS had found might've been expired, considering the horrible job they've been doing. If they were going to work, they definitely have had enough time to do so.

 

"It's fine, you just scared me... But please don't do it again! I don't want to get up to find you bleeding out on the floor..." he breathed. His mention of his near death experience made Bruce flinch a bit, remembering the articles he'd read on Tony's kidnapping and torture in Afghanistan. Tony never talked about it, for which he didn't blame him, and he knew that the memories still haunted him. He knew what the nightmares were about...

 

"Listen, JARVIS ordered you some better pain meds, and I'm going to pick them up tomorrow. You think you can manage one more day without killing yourself?" He could tell that the pain was getting to Tony, and it killed him that he had to sit on his hands. He used the thought of Tony on morphine to help comfort him, knowing that if he put him on enough, that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony nodded slowly, inhaling and exhaling heavily through his nose. Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have done it. Obviously he was stressing Bruce out, which made guilt coil in his stomach. He shouldn't be making this more difficult for the doctor, and resolved to try and be a little more compliant.

 

"I won't. I'm sorry," he apologized, his gaze downcast for a moment. Contrary to Bruce's belief, he wasn't talking about Afghanistan. Sure he had almost died, but that wasn't when he thought he was dying. The palladium poisoning in his chest had been it for him, his final chapter. He came close to giving up, though the nightmares were about Afghanistan and New York. He shuddered involuntarily.

 

"I'll try, but you owe me," he joked lamely, reaching up with the arm on his good side to mop his brow. "Do you think you could help me back to the couch. I kinda want to lay down now," he said sheepishly, his gaze flitting to the floor.

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

Bruce gave Tony a little half-smile at his sheepishness, as seeing anything resembling the emotion on Tony's face was something to cherish. "Sure, although I think a bed might be more comfortable than the couch."

 

He helped Tony rise from the chair and guide him to one of the many bedrooms (the one closest to the kitchen, to be exact), ready to stop if Tony needed to catch his breath. Finally after about 10 minutes, they made it, and the billionaire fell unceremoniously into the soft mattress. "There, much more comfy, huh?" he joked, which he figured was the best medicine for Tony at this point.

 

It tore him up to think that Tony was going through so much pain because of him. He could've just gone by himself, and Tony would've been safe and sound at the tower. But, the more that he thought about it, the more selfishly liked the idea of not being alone.

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

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony had to lean heavily on Bruce, willing himself not to pass out. The movement caused him to bleed more heavily, and it made him extremely out of breath. A little gasp escaped him as he hit the mattress, then he groaned and all but sank into it. Egyptian cotton, nice.

 

" Bruce, I don't think I'm gonna last much longer," he ground out, his vision spotting as he stared at the ceiling. It was obviously bad if he didn't rise to the bait of a joke and respond with his own. However, before the man could leave he reached out and caught his arm. "Bruce? Thank you," he said sincerely, though after a few moments his grip on the man's arm went slack and his eyes fluttered shut.

 

((You're still kind of god modding. Role play is different than a book: one person is responsible for their own character. If you said Bruce tripped, and then I said Tony watched Bruce trip, that isn't god modding because you already said it. However, you saying that Tony swore or cried out is god modding because I didn't say that it happened))

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

((Sorry, I'm honestly not doing it consciously! I'll fix it and make sure not to do it anymore. o_o ))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((I'm not trying to be mean, I was just warning you. I know you're new to it, and that's fine. Some people will get mad and yell at you though, and you really don't want to deal with that. You'd be surprised how touchy some people get..))

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

((I know you're just trying to help me out, and I appreciate it. Thanks, and like I said, I'll try and stop doing that. I had just finished working on my fanfic, so I guess I was still in that state of mind when I came back, and I guess some of it bled through in my posts?))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Probably, it happens. I write fanfics too, but as a result a lot of them look sort of like rps. It just happens))

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

Bruce felt Tony's grip fall slack from its grasp on his arm. "Tony?!" he yelled, desperation bleeding into his voice, much like the blood running from Tony's wound. He held his ear above the billionaire's lips, trying in vain to hear the sound of breath leaving his lungs. His pulse was fluttery and weak, barely there anymore.

 

Bruce swallowed down his panic, quieting the growling voice in his mind. "JARVIS! I need something to shock him awake: an exposed wire, a taser, a repulsor, something! I need to get his heart rate regulated!" he shouted. He knew that the AI could hear him, but he didn't care. It was hard enough trying to form enough rational thought to even ask the machine!

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was unresponsive to Bruce's calls, his breath growing more shallow each time the beat of his heart slowed. The arc reactor flickered warningly- time was of the essence. The bedside lamp should suffice. Remove the bulb and you will see a small plastic plate- pull that off, and there will be two wires underneath. They should serve as a sufficient shock without killing him, however you must hurry, Jarvis replied quickly. A small hologram opened up above Tony, courtesy of the AI, displaying his vitals. He had already lost a lot of blood, and the continuous loss of it was just making it easier to die.

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

Bruce did as the AI instructed, removing the top of the lamp and carefully gripping the exposed wires. He hovered over Tony, hesitating at the flickering arc reactor, before finding the appropriate points in which to place the wires, before making contact between copper and Tony's pale skin. He could feel the minute jolt of electricity run through the man's body, and he jumped a bit in fear of being hit by a spastic limb, which in reality he was in no danger of doing considering the size of the charge itself.

 

He could see a small crackle of energy along the rim of the arc reactor, its edge creating a small burn along his skin. Please, Tony, don't leave me like this...

[Sweet_Wyvern]

For a scary moment, Tony was still after the shock. Then his eyes snapped open and he gasped, coughing and spluttering before he fell still. "Goddamnitthattasteslikecoconuts," he rasped, his chest heaving as his gaze frantically flickered all over the place.

 

When it finally settled on Bruce, he offered a weak smile. "Guess I broke the not dying promise. Sorry," he mumbled, tilting his head back and shutting his eyes. His vitals showed significantly better, apparently his heart rate having evened out. His chest hurt from being shocked, especially the burn around his reactor, but luckily it wasn't a charge strong enough to kill the reactor.

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

The few seconds after the shock, before Tony opened his eyes, nearly caused him to shut down completely. The thought that he might actually be dead made his heart squeeze painfully in his chest, and the presence in his mind all the more prominent. Apparently the Other Guy didn't like the idea of being without him either, he realized.

 

When Tony woke, sputtering and in shock, a wave of relief washed over him, making him feel a bit weak, to be honest. A genuine grin bloomed on his face, glad beyond measure that the billionaire was okay.

 

He turned his attention to Tony's wound, which still was steadily flowing blood onto the bed spread. He grabbed a first-aid kit from the bathroom across the hall, taking a suture and thread, as well as a basin of water and a cloth. He set the supplies down without a word, and began to stitch up the wound. He'd wanted to keep it open in fear that infection would set in, but at this point he didn't care. He would not allow something like this to happen again. Tony would have to work much harder to cause this type of damage in the future.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony winced as his side was stitched shut, his back rigid and his fingers digging into the soft mattress. By the time Bruce had finished his face was coated in a sheen of sweat, but he didn't appear to be dying, at least. He was feeling faint though, and told his companion as much. "I think I might pass out again," he warned, his tongue feeling almost too heavy to talk. He felt so grateful to the man, even though Bruce probably didn't owe him anything. It was his stupid idea to come to Costa Rica after all, if he had just picked somewhere else, this wouldn't have happened. He gave the doctor another slight smile, shutting his eyes and his whole body relaxing as he passed out again. This time though, there was no impending death, he was simply unconscious. He probably could've done with a blood transfusion, but he would just have to be okay without one. They didn't have a choice.

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

Bruce sighed. He was thankful that Tony was okay, and he was sort of glad that Tony had passed out, if he was being honest, since he could finally get some sort of rest. His body would be able to refill his supply of blood more safely while unconscious.

 

This entire event had left Bruce exhausted, and he really didn't have it in him to cope with another of these near-death experiences. He threw the medical supplies in the first-aid kit leaving it by the bed for the next time he cleaned his wounds, and he took the basin of bloody water to the bathroom to dump its contents in the tub. Right now a shower seems like a great idea...

 

He went to the next bedroom down the hall, the one closest to Tony's room, and shut the door behind him despite the fact that he knew no one would disturb him. He told JARVIS to monitor Tony's vitals, and proceeded to find a change of clothes before stepping into the shower, washing away the sweat, blood, and over-all grime that he'd accumulated over the past...2, 3 days? He honestly couldn't remember. It's not like they were exactly on a normal sleep schedule.

 

He turned off the water, quickly dressed himself, and walked into the large room. It had a queen sized mattress that took up most of the space, although he didn't mind all that much; it was certainly a lot more than he was used to having. He fell into the bed's soft cushions, and gave into the sleep that his body direly needed without protest.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Timeskipping!))

 

Night turned into day, several hours having passed as the two men slept. Tony didn't wake as morning came round, though his vitals didn't seem to reflect any sort of coma. For lack of a better word, he was tired, and needed rest. His body kept him asleep and immobile while it tried to replace much needed blood, too heavily unconscious to have dreams at all, let alone nightmares. His brain activity was significantly lower than usual, but that could be chalked up to the deep sleep.

 

Jarvis had been monitoring the entire situation. Seeing as Tony was stable, he decided to finally wake Bruce after about nine hours of sleep. Doctor Banner, the medicine has arrived in town, he alerted, giving him an address where he could pick it up.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Sweet_Wyvern

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Bump))