[See author's notes at the bottom of the page.]
Leave out all the rest- Linkin Park
It had started off as a normal night- normal being him going to bed at 3 in the morning smelling of car exhaust and coffee, shirt covered in grease stains. And actually it wasn't that normal for him to go to bed, but it had been 3 days and he hadn't had much sleep. A few hours here and a few hours there. He actually would have kept working on whatever he was working on but there was Bruce, always mother henning him. Always watching over him and though he didn't mind at all he always complained, but inside it felt nice to have someone to care for you, for someone to worry about you and if you've actually ate today. It was different but it was nice nonetheless.
Carefully he slipped in the bed so he didn't wake up his lover, (or maybe his boyfriend? but in his mind that sounded to high school-ish. And sometimes lover made it sound like Bruce was just another notch on his bed post, which he wasn't). After about ten minutes he finally fell asleep but only after an hour or so (honestly it felt like five minutes) he woke up, sweaty and panting. His slumber had been disrupted by a nightmare, one that was different from others he had been used to.
Besides him Bruce stirred, but he remained asleep and thank god because he really didn't feel like talking about it. Instead of staying in bed and trying to continue sleeping (like perhaps a normal person) he slipped out and headed towards the main lounge. The engineer headed directly to the bar and grabbed a bottle of scotch and served himself a full glass (it was time to deal with his problems the only way he knew).
He enjoyed the soothing burn the light brown liquid brought to his throat and mouth, the way it eventually made him forget about everything after only a few glasses. The only downside to alcohol was that the next morning he remembered everything he was trying to forget. The amnesia he longed for only lasted a few hours. And perhaps if another person had been going through whatever it was he was going through they might just brush the nightmare away with a glass of milk and a hug from someone, but it wasn't that simple for him. Not simple at all, especially when those nightmares contained everything he ever feared, everything that challenged who he was, everything he had worked so hard at burying.
Tonight was just supposed to be another normal night. It was supposed to just go smoothly like every night since Bruce had moved in (because ever since the doctor moved in, he hadn't had any nightmares, it was like he felt protected). Now here he was, sitting on top of the bar counter, half empty scotch glass in his hands and mind somewhere else (remembering his nightmare). A quiet sigh escaped him before he brought the glass to his lips, taking another long sip.
Bruce knelt over his body, clothes tattered but at that moment that was the farthest thing from his mind. "Tony please wake up. Please, don't do this to me. C'mon, I promise I'll make you those brownies you love just please-please wake up." He shook the body, bitter tears streaming down his dirtied cheeks. "Please…" Around him the rest of them watched, neutral faces. "Help, helps us! Help him!" Bruce begged and pleaded, only to be ignored.
"Other things to deal with big guy." The archer said, moving away from the debris and rubble, followed by the redheaded assassin. The doctor looked up at the Captain, but the blond man only shook his head and walked away.
"Tony?" The doctor's sleepy voice carried through the lounge and caused Tony to lift his head.
"What's up?"
"Are you alright? I felt you come to bed…" Bruce padded barefooted through the lounge to get to Tony's side. He sat on a nearby stool and looked up at the engineer through bleary eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep."
"Tony…you can't fool me. Just tell me what it is?" Bruce said, raising an eyebrow and looking pointedly at the glass of alcohol the billionaire was holding, obvious it wasn't just nothing.
"Just a nightmare. No biggie." He said nonchalantly, bringing the glass to his lips once more, this time draining it from all the liquid inside it.
"It doesn't seem like it's 'no biggie'. Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really." He murmured, reaching for the bottle again, only to be stopped by the doctor's hand who got to the bottle first and pulled it away. "Drinking isn't going to solve whatever it is you're going through.
"What will I leave behind if I die? Hm?" Tony blurted out, eyes looking at the far wall behind Bruce, wanting to avoid that gaze that could look through him (or so it felt that way).
"Tony what are you talking about? Is there something I should know?" Bruce's voice displayed a bit of fear, mostly because he knew the billionaire's past, the way he almost died from palladium poisoning.
"Answer me Bruce. What will I leave behind? How will I be remembered?"
This type of behavior shouldn't come as a surprise to the doctor, but it did nonetheless, especially these types of questions. Though he hated admitting it to himself, he had thought of what would happen if anything ever happened to Tony and it made his heart ache. He was the only person who ever made him feel human, the only person to see Bruce as a person and not just a shell for a huge angry monster. The thought had first happened when he felt himself falling harder for the genius, when he had felt him self falling in love. It was just a brief moment where he questioned how it'd be if they grew old together. Would he be able to die? Or would he have to watch everyone around him die while he stayed old and bitter. It was only for that moment but soon enough he pushed those thoughts out of his head.
"Many things Tony. Many things. You're a hero. You saved Manhattan. You've saved thousands of lives. You've revolutionized the world and soon you'll do it again with your clean energy project."
Tony shook his head and laughed sardonically, his hands still clutching the empty glass as though if he focused hard enough it would refill itself.
"Revolutionized the world? Is that what selling weapons for 20 years does? Bruce there's nothing. Yeah, yeah Iron Man. But that's it. There's nothing else."
"That's more than a lot of people have done Tony. You are a hero. Even though it's obvious you don't believe it. But you are. Besides where is all this coming from Tony? Your nightmare?"
"Yes Bruce the nightmare!" His voice grew in decibels before he took a deep breath. "I died and no one cared. It was only you. You were there, you were the only one that cared."
"It's just a nightmare Tony. And of course I would be there and I would care but so would everyone else. Pepper, Steve…everyone Tony. Don't think like that." Bruce said, his voice strained, hating where this conversation was going. It hurt him to think that maybe one day he would have to be alone once again.
"No they won't. They're only there for Iron Man. Not me. When I die they'll just take the suit and have someone else fly it. Someone else gets to be the hero but Tony Stark won't be remembered."
"Tony…" Bruce sighed quietly as he looked at Tony. He had never seen him like this. There was definitely pain there, and regret. So much regret. He reached out and placed a tentative hand on top of Tony's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Tony Stark created that suit. You've done so much. It was just a nightmare…just a nightmare."
Tony brought his thumb over the doctor's hand and brushed slightly against his knuckles. "I just want you to know that when my time comes…forget all the wrong I've done...someone needs to do it."
"Tony…you never know I might die first. Maybe Loki escapes and kills me with his magical god powers." Bruce half-joked, gently nudging Tony, hoping to snap him out of this- this trance he was in.
"Bruce I'm serious. For once in my life I am…just promise me that if no one else cares, if no one else remembers me that you will. That you will keep me in your memory and you won't resent me...that you will leave out all the rest. Just promise me that."
The way Tony's voice came out so low and pained made his heart lurch forward, the words that fell from his lips making his mind run back to those thoughts. He quickly stood up and embraced the engineer, hands grasping his shirt tightly. "Tony I promise."
Author's Notes: Alright so I was listening to Linkin Park and I just got an idea for this fic. Honestly this is the first fic I've ever done based on a song so...yeah. If you know the song - yes I used some of the lyrics at the end. So all that belongs to Linkin Park and their writers. On another note, I'd like to say that more fics will be coming but sometimes they won't be the same universe. If that's the case I will put that when I post it, but I think for the most part it will remain in the same U. Alright, thank you for reading and review and follow!