Ready, Fire, Aim!

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"You wound me, sir," Tony joked, putting a hand over his reactor. As the plane landed he finished his drink, setting it off to the side. "Alright, I think we should find a place to stay temporarily and then we can get started. That's okay with you, right?" He asked as an afterthought. Bruce's consent did matter to him.

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

Bruce nodded, but didn't say anything else, as he was trying to quiet the grumbling in the back of his mind. The Other Guy could tell that it was nearly time for his "big debut" and was getting more and more difficult to keep him settled down.

 

They made their way off the jet, JARVIS following close behind. Bruce figured that Tony would put on the suit for himself sooner or later. "Hell, he probably missed it." It wasn't that difficult to find a place to stay, a small shack (although a nicer one compared to some of the others in the area) that was big enough for the both of them, a tiny kitchen, a table, and a place for Bruce to treat patients far enough away from the living area that it would be less likely for someone to catch infection or illness. It suited Bruce well enough, although he wasn't sure about Tony, considering how used he was to the luxury lifestyle.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony set up a laptop in the corner and uploaded Jarvis into it, because he needed the suit now. "Bruce darling, its perfect," he joked, grinning in a lopsided manner. Eagerly he stepped towards his suit where the back was open an let it form around him. "Oh baby I've missed you," he groaned, flexing in the suit. Running through a checklist, he turned to the doctor. "All up go you now big guy. Take your time- but we should take it outside," he added.

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

Bruce shot Tony a sideways glance at his obviousness, but nodded anyway. They found a somewhat empty clearing, far away from the populace in case anything didn't go as planned. He had changed into a large pair of sweats, leaving his shirt, shoes, and glasses behind in the shack with the rest of their things. When they arrived, he instructed Tony to get as far away from his as possible, but he doubted he would listen, him being so stubborn.

 

He felt around in the recesses of his mind for the beast, and it wasn't that difficult to lure him out. He felt the Other Guy's presence shift forward, and he felt himself being slowly suppressed beneath the beast's incredible weight. He felt his skin ripple, crawling and shifting sickeningly across his arms and chest. It was always easier when he willingly gave in to him, but it was still agonizing. His bones grew, becoming larger and denser, his muscles shifting and and growing, heat radiated from him in waves. It only took a handful of seconds, but it always felt like so much longer.

 

Bruce shot Tony a glance, hoping so much that nothing goes wrong, before he became buried and finally went to sleep.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony only moved a few yards away. "Everything will be okay, Bruce," he called, watching him grow and shift. It always amazed him to watch the man change, a process that seemed impossible. Then again, weren't they all defying nature. As the Hulk finally emerged he took a step forward, his face plate up so his face was visible. "Hey there big guy," he greeted, waving. "Missed ya, pal."

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

The Hulk felt disoriented a moment, as always happened after a transformation, but quickly recognized the shiny red and gold suit, and burst into a grin (which still looked strange on his face). He moved forward, similar to that of an ape, long arms swinging low to the ground. "Tin Man!" he growled, happy to see his friend after the long weeks away. Not only did he get to smash as much as he pleased when Tony was around, but he genuinely liked him.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony matched his grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Hey Hulk. I don't know how much you heard, but were going to help make people stop chasing you. Are you up for this? It means you can smash as long as you don't do it around people," he tried to explain, talking slow enough so at least the big guy would get it.

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

He let out an approving snort, inching closer to Tony in excitement. "No more Ross?" he growled questioningly.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"No more Ross. You can come out more, and I'll even make you a special playground for smashing and running around. Sound good?" Tony asked, gazing up at him without fear. He still trusted him, just like he was an overgrown toddler. Well, one he respected anyway.

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

The Hulk pounded the ground happily, ready to take Tony up on his offer of smashing. They spent a while wreaking havoc in the clearing, on the nearby trees, and even a few abandoned shacks and ruins they found in the wilderness. He jumped and played around like an overgrown toddler, his booming laughter echoing for miles as he uprooted trees and created craters in the rich soil, sending dirt flying everywhere.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was admittedly enjoying himself playing with the big guy. He'd never thought much about having kids, but he figured if it was anything like playing with the Hulk, then it wouldn't be too bad. They took turns breaking things, he fired his repulsors, and even got a contest going to see who could throw a tree the farthest. Obviously the Hulk won. The physical activity strained his side slightly, but he ignored it. "Now, you know you can't do this around people, right?" Tony asked. "It might scare them. You have to be gentle around people."

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

The Hulk stopped in his smashing for a moment, looking at Tony in confusion. "But, people shoot at Hulk! People afraid of Hulk! They call Hulk a monster!" he shouted angrily, crushing the small boulder in his hands in pebbles. His face contorted into a snarl, his teeth bared. "Why should Hulk not smash?!"

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony held his hands up in a calming motion, trying not to get him too worked up. "Soldiers have guns. Not people. People are in cities and they're afraid when you try to hurt them. I promise, people don't shoot at you. If a soldier shoots you, then smash them. But don't smash until someone hurts you, okay?" He tried to explain. He could defend himself, but smashing up civilians wasnt good.

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

The Hulk growled, the cogs in his brain turning slowly in an attempt to understand. After a moment, things seemed to click, and he nodded in a very Bruce-like way to show that he understood. "Hulk smash soldiers and trees with Tin Man, but no people?" he asked, as to clarify what Tony said.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony gave a thumbs up. "Right. People are like Tin Man- they don't hurt Hulk. Soldiers are like Ross, they hurt Hulk," he explained, pouncing on the explanation. He was glad he understood, because civilian casualties would just set everything back by about forever. They needed to show Hulk as a snugly bunny. A green, huge, loud snugly bunny.

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

The Hulk grinned, pleased that he'd gotten it right. "And Hulk like Tin Man, so Hulk like people!" he said enthusiastically. "Tin Man SMASH!" He broke a tree over his knee and chucked both pieces far over the horizon of the trees, which a moment later created an audible crash, as if to emphasize his point.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"That's right!" Tony said encouragingly, glad that the man understood. When the trees collided he lifted his hand and fired a repulsor, causing the halves to explode in a flurry of wood chips and splinters. Luckily they were too far away to hit the pair.

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

He beamed at the explosion, and the pair continued to cause considerable damage to much of the surrounding area. It took a lot to wear the Hulk out, but after (after nearly twelve hours, in fact) a while the exertion of smashing everything in sight, as well as the adrenaline and dopamine running through his system, finally wore him out, and he slowed down more and more until finally he stopped altogether. He breathed heavily, and looked at Tony. "Hulk glad Tin Man friend. Smash again?" he asked simply, wondering if he would be allowed out again any time soon. He hated being cooped up all the time, which is one reason why he fought so hard to claw his way to the surface whenever the opportunity presented itself.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony came forward and patted his arm in a friendly manner. "Yup. Tell you what, we can smash again in a few days. Sound good?" He asked, smiling. This was like putting a small child to bed who wanted to keep playing.

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

The Hulk gave a tired grunt in reply, and grudgingly gave back control back to Bruce, his body shrinking back down to its normal size, the sickly green fading from his skin, and his weak form dropping unceremoniously to the ground. It took a few moments for Bruce to open his eyes again, and when he did manage lift his heavy lids, he was in a daze, squinting confusedly up at the night sky. He tried to prop himself up on an elbow, only to collapse back onto the cold soil. He was completely drained, and he was only able to catch a glimpse of red and gold before he went limp and everything went black.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony lunged but was not fast enough to catch him. He grimaced, knowing the doctor was probably exhausted. "My turn to play mother hen," he mused to himself, scooping his arms under Bruce's back and knees. Because he didn't want to wake him, the engineer walked the full mile back to the shack they were staying in. When he reached it, he carefully laid the doctor down on the provided bed and draped a blanket over him. Then he stripped out of the suit and set about making a pot of coffee, resolving to make tea when the man finally woke up. He figured it would be a while.

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

((slight time skip forward whoooosh))

 

It was morning when Bruce finally began to stir. Every muscle of his body ached, and he sat up, a blanket sliding down his bare torso, grimacing at the soreness that seemed to radiate from every part of his body. He ran fingers through his mess of curls, groaning as he draped his legs over the side of the thin mattress. He saw a glass of water sitting on the small table next to him, and he readily took it, gulping down its stale contents to try and wash away the acrid taste left in his mouth.

 

Bruce looked around their small home, trying to remember how he'd gotten here. He faintly remembered changing back, but only for a few seconds. Had Tony brought him back? He stood to search for him, but his legs had other ideas, and gave way. He reached out for the table to stop his descent, causing it to clatter clumsily to the ground and causing him to swear lightly to himself.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was currently in the only other room of the house, and came out, alarmed, as he heard a crash followed by cursing. "Hey, only I'm supposed to pull stupid stunts like that," he scolded, helping Bruce to his feet. Despite any protest he led him back to the bed and eased him back down on it, disappearing and returning a moment later with a cup of tea. "It's probably not as good as when you make it, but.." he offered the cup out to him before moving to straighten out the table.

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

Bruce leaned heavily on Tony as he helped him back into the bed. He took the cup and took a grateful sip before freezing. He forced down a grimace while Tony's back was turned, not wanting to hurt Tony's feelings over how awful it was. It tasted like he picked some leaves up off the ground outside and just threw them in the pot of water. He instead offered a smile and a murmured thanks, setting the cup down and leaning back into the pillow, closing his eyes tiredly.

 

He could feel the bags under his eyes, and he knew he must look awful, but in truth, he really only care that 1) The Other Guy hadn't hurt anyone 2) That Tony was okay and 3) That he had on pants. It looked like 2 and 3 could be checked off the list, although the sweats he had were stretched beyond repair, so he asked about 1, praying that nothing had gone wrong.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony didn't notice his aversion to the drink. "He didn't hurt anyone. Actually, I explained to him that he shouldn't hurt people and he understood," he elaborated, patting his leg.

 

((Sorry a bit busy))