Avengers On Standby - Chapter One
In the aftermath of the New York City attack, the group splintered off and returned to their respective habitats. Thor returned to Asgard with Loki, Steve retreated to his humble apartment in Brooklyn, Clint and Natasha returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony took Bruce to visit his labs at Stark Tower. In the wake of the destruction, Stark Enterprises and Oscorp emerged as the two major financial contributors to the cleanup of the city. With hundreds of people killed and millions of dollars worth of damage, Tony personally led the reconstruction campaign and lent Stark Tower's resources to aid the injured, during the immediate time of emergency.
After a night's stay at Stark Tower, Bruce figures he should head back to Calcutta or maybe go to the Philippines instead. Although, after Natasha's revelation that he hadn't actually escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, as he was previously convinced he had, any relevance to leave arguably seems to be absent. Yet he decides to leave a note on his door thanking Tony for his hospitality and informing him of his departure. After scribbling down the words and jamming the paper in between the door, Bruce secures his bag's strap and turns toward the elevator. As he approaches the metal shuttle in anticipation of JARVIS catching him and his mechanical voice notifying the entire floor, he is instead stopped in his tracks by a different, more disappointed voice.
"Going somewhere?" it said.
"Uh...I was just, uh..." Bruce stammered, as he turned around to see Tony leaning against the doorframe of the guest bedroom he had just slept in.
"Hmm, what's this? 'Thank you for your hospitality, but I have to get going. See you soon. Bruce'," Tony said after pulling Bruce's note from the door frame.
"That's my, uh… my note. I didn't think anybody was awake at 4 a.m. so I thought I'd leave a note."
"You mean, you decided to leave at 4 a.m. because nobody would be awake."
"Uh… Fine," Bruce sighed. "You're right. I was sneaking out."
"Yeah, I always am," Tony retorted, as he began closing the distance between them.
"Look, I'm sorry I was gonna leave without telling you. I ju-," began Bruce.
"No, no. It's fine."
"Really...?"
"Sure. It's not like we fought against an alien army that was trying to conquer the Earth, together, or anything. I thought we were friends, Bruce," Tony teased.
"Oh, come on. Don't be like that."
"Ha-ha, okay, okay," surrendered Tony. "Where were you gonna go, anyway?"
"Funny. Um, back to Calcutta or maybe the Philip- What do you mean 'were'?"
"Well, I'd say I've effectively guilted you into staying, hence past tense. Hey, come see what I'm thinking of adding to the suit," Tony said as he walked away, expecting Bruce to just simply follow him along the twisting halls to one of his numerous labs, like some puppy. Oddly, Bruce found himself doing just that.
Bruce? Bruce..? How could you do this? A cold voice spoke, seemingly, directly into his ear.
He was my father, Bruce, and now he's gone. The voice came harsher now, almost angry.
You did this. It's your fault. You destroy everything! His apprehension grew as the voice became more familiar.
Why, Bruce? Do you not love me anymore? Bruce! Could it- No. Betty? Oh God.
Please, Bruce. Just stay out of my life. You're a monster! Awaking, bolt-upright in a cold sweat, Bruce registers that it was just a bad dream. He returns his damp head to the soft pillow and wills himself to sleep, though he fails in his attempt to ignore the fact that he is too afraid to close his eyes.
As his digital watch starts beeping, signalling for him to get up, Bruce slides out from under his cloud-like cocoon and staggers across the carpet, towards the door, with his head hanging down slightly, most likely being weighed down by the heavy bags that have formed beneath his eyes. He exits his room, barely registering anything in his peripheral vision, and homes in on the sofa sitting opposite the kitchen area of the floor. As his vision comes into focus, he sees a figure in the kitchen slowly materialise and instantly knew it was Tony. Although Tony's bedroom is located in the Penthouse, which he rarely uses when Pepper isn't there due to his tendency to not sleep when he's working on his suit, which is quite often, it is not uncommon for him to hang out on Bruce's floor, considering the labs are conveniently located on the same level.
"Wow. You look rough. Get much sleep?" Tony quizzed.
"Nah, not really."
"Here, have some juice."
"Thanks." Bruce takes the glass of orange juice Tony is holding out and takes a sip, allowing the sharp liquid to settle in his mouth, figuring the sour taste will squeeze his senses into action. Tasting an extra kick, he asks "Is there alcohol in this?"
"Yeah…? Problem?"
"It's eight o'clock!"
"What, something wrong with Mimosas now, huh? Just shut up and drink. You look like you need it."
Finding himself unable to argue with his response, Bruce finishes his morning Mimosa.
Walking against a cool and refreshing breeze, Bruce was careful not to wobble, the one morning Mimosa had led to two more. Bruce would prefer to be able to say his early buzz was a result of Tony's questionable influence, but he is all too aware of how deeply his dream affected him. So, instead of working with dangerous chemicals and heavy machinery, Bruce thought it to be more responsible to take a walk to clear his head.
The deep blue sky looked like a blanket stretched above him. The only impurities on the ethereal canvas were a couple of clouds and an aeroplane, with its trail, scattered across it. The flawlessly mowed grass and the overhead leaves added the perfect splash of green to the picturesque day. Bruce couldn't help the thought of how devastating the addition of some extra green would be. Then he had another thought. So he turned around and began walking back to Stark Tower.
Upon arrival at Stark Tower, Bruce swiftly entered the elevator and pushed the floor numbers of Tony's possible location. With the effects of his morning Mimosas still lingering, Bruce neglected to mentally prepare himself for the classic 'Tony' elevator music. Heavy metal after a morning buzz isn't what he considers enjoyment. Finding Tony on the second button pressed made Bruce feel a slight feeling of pride, which he shrugs off as the remnants of his intoxication. Tony is working on some machine and clearly didn't hear his footsteps so Bruce decides to just instigate a conversation instead of using the cliché 'clearing-my-throat' move.
"Tony!"
"Huh?" Tony said as he slid out from beneath the machine. "Oh, hey buddy. What's up?"
"Hi, you got a minute?" Bruce asked as he noticed how Tony in sweatpants and covered in grease is a humbling picture. He asks himself how long it will take for Tony's words to ruin that image.
"Sure. If you have a cheeseburger." There it is.
"Come on, it's important."
"Oh. Sure, go ahead," Tony relented as he stood up.
"My stance on looking for a cure for my… condition, is currently a little fuzzy. So, I've mostly been working on trying to understand it," started Bruce.
"Mhmm…"
"Well, I've determined that there isn't a sure-fire way for me to revert back, when I've changed accidentally. The other guy just kinda-"
"Burns himself out," Tony finished.
"Exactly. So I thought that maybe we could work on some sort of damage-control project. Like a target for… Hulk, to focus on-"
"Instead of destroying everything in sight."
"Precisely."
"I like it. Have anything in mind?"
"Not really. Even vibranium wouldn't hold forever. So some kinda wall wouldn't work."
"How about someone?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if someone could go toe-to-toe with Hulk until he wore out?"
"I dunno. I mean, he's on par with Thor and can get stronger."
"How about me?"
"What? Are you crazy? The other guy would tear through your gold-titanium alloy as if it were tissue paper."
"Okay. A, I love how you got the alloy right and B, not my suit in its current form."
"What, you mean create some kind of Hulk-buster armour?"
"Think about it, if the suit was somehow reinforced to withstand some blows it would be the perfect counter. It's agile and has decent enough firepower. Maybe it could allow me to stall out a rampage."
"Maybe, but it would be dangerous. And how would you reinforce your armour?"
"Hmm… Maybe some sort of exoskeleton?"
"That would be simpler than having a different suit. You could just put it on over your armour."
"Yeah. But it would probably cost some utility and mobility."
"Hmm. Maybe," Bruce said, still slightly sceptical of Tony fighting Hulk.
"Hey, come on. Who else could do it?"
"Uh… yeah. I know," Bruce says as his face tightens into a look of concern.
Tony notices this and questions his turn, "What's up?"
"Nothing, I just…ugh. What if General Ross finds out about this? It would make the military want your suit even more."
"Hey. If we did this, it would be top secret. Only you and me would know about it and it will solely be used to contain a Hulk rampage where people could get hurt. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to keep Ross away from you."
"What? Really?" Bruce said, completely taken aback by Tony's sudden and considerable loyalty.
"Of course. We're friends, right?" replied Tony, with a grin on his face. However, Bruce did not feel as comforted as Tony intended him to be.
"You know what, I don't need someone to look after me, Tony. I'm not some animal. I thought you saw that," Bruce snapped. Then he turned and headed toward the elevator. As the metal doors shut behind him, he saw Tony's perplexed face trying to work out what had just happened.
A/N Hey guys, first fic here. Hope you enjoy :P
You're welcome to leave a review and I'm happy to reply if you'd like.
Happy Shipping!
