Ready, Fire, Aim!

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

((whooooosh))

 

Another few weeks had past on the island, and Tony's wound had almost completely healed, at least to where he could walk around and exert himself a but without pain in his side. Bruce allowed him to take one Vicodin if the bruising around the wound got really bad, since he knew how addicting the medication could be, especially for someone with such an addicting personality like Tony had.

 

The time had come that they needed to move and find a few place to stay for a bit, and to finally put their little plan into action. Bruce let Tony come up with most of the details, since he had come up with the idea, and he only chimed in when he needed to answer a question about Ross or the Other Guy.

 

The whole thing still made him deeply unnerved and uncomfortable, but he swallowed his discomfort down for Tony's sake. He'd grown to trust Tony, and he was willing to give it a shot if Tony was confident in his plan, which he seemed to be. That was good enough for him.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony had packed some things he knew they would need, including tech that he ran with signals that were practically untraceable. He needed to research and such, after all. However, at Bruce's insistence, he made sure to pack lightly. They couldn't carry everything around with them.

 

"Alright, I've got a jet waiting. Where are we going? I think we should pick somewhere and then stay on that continent for a while, not use a jet, you know?" Tony elaborated, putting on a ball cap to at least partially disguise himself.

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

Bruce thought for a moment. "Well, I would love to go back to Calcutta, but considering that SHIELD, and by extension Ross, knows about my stay there, that's out. Maybe somewhere in South America? South America is better off economically than anywhere in Africa, really. Paraguay or Bolivia maybe? Wherever we can help people, and where the Other Guy can't do a whole lot of damage if something goes wrong with his plan of yours," he thought aloud. He honestly didn't care so much about which third world country they decided on, and since Tony wasn't exactly used to the lifestyle, they might want to start off with somewhere a bit better off than Ethiopia or Niger.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony thought for a moment. "Paraguay it is then. Maybe we can make it to Brazil and see a soccer game," he added, grinning slightly. He was just messing with Bruce, although he wouldn't mind going to a game.. Picking up the bag that he had been granted, he lifted it over his shoulder and winced slightly. His side was pretty much healed, but every now and then the wrong movement tugged at it. He had a feeling it would be that way forever. "Alright big guy, lets head out. Jarvis is gonna fly the suit there," he said, glancing at the armor.

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

Bruce nodded, slinging a bag filled with extra pairs of Tony's sweats, jeans, and t-shirts (he really missed his button downs and khakis) over his shoulder. They left the summer house and to the car, Bruce tossing Tony the keys so he could drive. They threw themselves into the car, tossing their bags in the back, and in a moment were speeding down the twisting roads until they arrived at the airport, where Tony's jet was waiting as promised. JARVIS had flown there, and in doing so had arrived much faster than their car. The AI was waiting for them in the Iron Man suit, taking their bags and carrying them onto the plane, which was as strange as it sounded, considering the Tony was the one usually in the suit. But still, they boarded the jet without any mishaps, and before Bruce knew it they were lifting off into the air.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony relaxed into his seat on the plane, sighing contentedly. "When we find a place to stay in Paraguay, do you want to start.. Y'know," he asked, looking at him. He wanted to begin letting Mean and Green out as much as possible, because they would have limited time. Ross would no doubt track them everywhere.

 

Something he'd noticed however, was that the nightmares had stopped. Maybe it was because he had been so relaxed lately, no action, no work, just Bruce and his zen ways. It was a nice change, really.

 

((Wondering how to incorporate panic attacks.. Hm, maybe when Bruce pesters him about something that was a mad memory. Dunno.))

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

((That could work. Like mentioning something about the Chitauri incident? Bruce would hardly remember anything of importance, so maybe he would ask him about it to help fill in the blanks. Um, I'm going with that.))

 

Bruce fidgeted in his seat. "Um, I suppose it would be as good a time as any..." The nightmares he'd started having since Tony's near death experience hadn't stopped, and he would always catch glimpses of things through the Other Guy's memories. He hardly ever retained anything that the Other Guy saw, and what he did see was jumbled and tinted in anger and confusion. The best way he could describe it would be like seeing through muddied lenses that aren't your prescription while you're half-asleep; it was a mess. These glimpses, along with the memories of being captured by Ross and the military, had clouded his mind every other night, and it was really starting to eat at him now that the time to release the Other Guy was drawing closer and closer.

 

He sat in the jet's cushioned seat and stared at the window, lost in his thoughts, trying to understand everything that he'd seen, now that they had some time to kill. "Tony... do you mind if I ask you something?" he asked quietly. He knew that this was a touchy subject for Tony, and he hated to ask, but the anxiety over this was beginning to outweigh his trust in the billionaire.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"It'll be okay big guy, I promise," Tony insisted at his hesitance. The Hulk liked Tony -tin man, he thought with a snort- so it couldn't be that hard. No doubt he would love to be out and about without getting shot at by soldiers. He couldn't see this not working, but they would just have to wait. In the meantime, they had a long flight ahead of them.

 

"Sure Bruce. What's up?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to one side. He wasn't sure what the man had in mind, but he didn't think much of it. Just a question.

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

He took a deep breath, still unsure of how to ask. "I've been having uh, nightmares, lately, and uh, catching glimpses of the Other Guy's memories, but I can't make sense of any of them. I saw the Loki shaped hole in the tower when I changed back, and Steve told me that the Other Guy had saved you when you fell from the wormhole... but I can't remember anything else. Could you tell me more about what happened? I know that it probably seems stupid, but...I hate not knowing what he's done. And if I'm going to be giving him control more and more...then that's more time that I'm going to have blotched from my memory. I just- I need to know what happened and what does happen, when I change, even if by some miracle he doesn't end up doing anything but smashing a few trees..." He let his voice trail off, not quite knowing how to phrase it, and it sounded so strange when it actually came out. He let the question hang in the air.

Edited June 21, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony paled slightly at the question, memories surging forward and jostling to be foremost in his mind. "Well," he began, his mouth dry, "the Hulk, he uh, he didn't hurt anyone. Cap told him to smash and he just went nuts on the alien whack jobs -I heard he punched Thor too, but I think the guy deserved it anyway-" he rambled, his gaze distant. The memories were getting way too real, and it was almost as though the whine of their blasters and explosions was actually ringing in his ears. "I blacked out.. when I took out the portal.. he caught me," he wheezed, his breathing unsteady. The plane hit a small bump and he yelped, slipping from his chair and onto his hands and knees as he started to hyperventilate. It was too real, he was dying, space, explosions, death-

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

Tony seemed more than uncomfortable answering the question, and Bruce was about to tell him that he didn't have to answer when Tony started to twitch and jump at the jostling of the jet. When he hit the ground and began to hyperventilate, Bruce, startled at his sudden attack, dropped to his knees beside Tony and tried to calm and even out the man's breathing. He wrapped his arms around Tony, tried to help ground him. "It's okay, Tony, you aren't there. You have to breathe. We're in a plane. You're perfectly safe now. I'm right here," he assured him. He held onto him firmly, but not so much that he would feel trapped or claustrophobic. He needed support, not to be locked down, since he knew from experience that that didn't help matters at all.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

His breath continued to come out erratically, his heart beating a staccato tune against his chest as Tony struggled to come back to reality. At last he seemed to get control of himself and sagged into Bruce's embrace, peeling open his eyes which hurt from being clenched so tightly shut. "What.. what the hell.. was that?" He panted, little ripples of fear and anxiety still emanating from within.

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

Bruce relaxed somewhat when he felt Tony's body lean into his. He continued to hold him, even though the worst of the attack was over now, if not simply for support. "Has this sort of thing ever happened to you before?" he asked quietly. He knew what had happened, but if this was Tony's first attack, well... it made matters a bit more delicate. He didn't know how Tony would react, and he was a bit unstable right now.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was actually sort of glad that he didn't let go. He almost felt like he was going to throw up. "No.. not really," he answered, wondering if he'd had a heart attack. He felt at his chest but there was no pain, and his left arm felt fine. What was happening to him?

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

Bruce looked down at the man, who was still breathless and somewhat shaky. "Tony, I think you had an anxiety attack," he said simply. He didn't know how Tony would react, so he left it at that. He could see a flash of red and gold from the corner of his eye, JARVIS, still in the suit. "I concur with Doctor Banner, Sir. Based on heart and brain activity patterns, you seem to have experienced a severe anxiety attack," the AI chimed.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony sat up slowly, wiping perspiration from his brow and looking at his hands. They were still shaking slightly. "I.. okay," he said carefully, unsure of how to react. So now, to replace the nightmares he kept having, he would get anxiety attacks any time someone mentioned the city of New York? Fantastic. The only thing he could think to say was, "I'm sorry Bruce."

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

"For what?" he asked, brows stitched together in confusion. "Even if you were at fault for this, which you're not since you had no control over this...why would you apologize to me?"

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony looked up, guilt creeping from every line in his face. "Well, this isn't supposed to be about me. We're supposed to be helping you and clearing your name, but I'm getting shot and having ing anxiety attacks- its not about me," he sighed, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath before he got himself worked up again.

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

"Tony, this isn't your fault. You almost died! Of course you're going to carry some baggage after something like that! Do you know how much of a wreck I was after the accident?! I could barely function!

Listen, I'm not upset because you are hurt. The fact that you even came here with me says enough. We can focus on this crap with Ross later; right now, I'm here to help you. I'm not leaving you to fight your battles, just like you promised not to leave me," he promised.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony listened in silence, finally looking up again as Bruce insisted that it wasn't his fault. He nodded slowly, gradually standing to sit back down in his chair. "Alright," he sighed, relenting. "I guess you're right. I just didn't want to make this any harder. And.. Thank you, Bruce," he said, surprisingly vulnerable and open. All of his sarcasm and witty comments.. Well, they were a façade. A front to protect himself.

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

Bruce was slightly taken-aback at Tony's openness, but he didn't know quite what to say. He nodded, quirking his lips up in a half-smile. He stood from his grouch and moved back to the seat opposite Tony. The awkwardness hung in the air between them for a moment. He leaned back, trying to get more comfortable, but what with the everything that just happened... well, it was hard to ease the tension when both were still so shaken.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony sat back and draped a hand ove his eyes, sitting in silence. He needed some time to sort this out, because he was seriously shaken. Usually things didn't faze him so easily, but this was his psyche they were talking about. Simple words had made him go into fight or flight- how could he be a superhero if that happened every time? After a stretch he stood abruptly, looking slightly edgy. "I'm gonna go make myself a drink. Helps me calm down," he said, knowing it was probably a bad solution. He couldn't help it though, on top of everything he abused alcohol. It had become a terrible habit, a way to feel better when things got rough. He probably didn't even know he had a problem.

 

((Getting in depth with Tony, love it!))

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

((ikr!))

 

Bruce didn't comment about Tony drinking right now. It probably wasn't the best thing for him to do right now, but he could tell that Tony needed some comfort right now, and if alcohol was the 'solution' well...

 

He knew what an alcoholic looked like. Oh God, did he know... But he decided to keep his mouth shut and just allow Tony to relax the best way he knew how. They sat in silence for a while, not really wanting to talk about anything in particular, and neither of them feeling like sharing...

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony went to the minibar in the back and poured himself a scotch over ice, immedieately knocking it back. The usual burn was a comfort, something familiar when everything was getting so bizarre. He poured himself a second before returning to his seat to sip it slowly, leaving the bottle so he couldn't pour himself another. He just needed these two and he would be okay. He watched the sky and clouds outside go by, occasionally taking a drink. The light buzz was enough to calm him down, and they would be landing soon anyway. "I gotta warn you, I don't think we'll be staying in a five star hotel," he finally said.

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

Bruce smirked. "I thought it would be me that would have to remind you that," he teased lightly. He fiddled with his glasses (Tony had taken to keep an extra pair with him ever since he had started living in the tower), for lack of anything else to do. The whir of the jet's engine's lulled him, allowing him to relax into the seat's cushions. It seemed like only a moment later that they were landing.

Edited May 18, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms