Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.
THE NEXT MORNING/WITH BRUCE:
Bruce woke slowly, blinking against the harsh light coming through the window. With a groan, the doctor sat up and cracked his back. The apartment was silent, prompting the man to stand and walk back to the guest room. He didn't even have to open the door to know Tony wasn't there. In fact, Bruce knew Tony wasn't going to be in the apartment at all. With an exasperated sigh, Bruce pulled the folded note off the door, careful not to peel paint as he took off the tape. He quickly unfolded the note, moving back to the living room as he read it.
Dear Brucie,
No need to worry. I'm fine. Thanks for the help last night; sorry for the drama. See you around?
-Tony
Bruce shook his head, stuffing the note into his pocket and tidying up the apartment. He fished out his phone, dialing the hospital to tell them he would be taking indefinite leave. They couldn't stop him after all, he was a volunteer. While he was on hold for the department head, Bruce made his way to his car and grabbed his laptop. He had a plane ticket to book.
ABOUT EIGHT HOURS LATER:
Bruce took the first available flight to Malibu from Manhattan. The flight had been a long five hours, not including the time in the airport or the time waiting for loading and unloading. Bruce wanted nothing more than to find a hotel and collapse into a bed for a few hours. As tempting as it sounded, Bruce had made his way to Tony's front door instead. He had been to the Malibu house a few times, but he'd never seen it with panels over all the windows before. He pushed the doorbell, sitting slightly on his luggage.
"Doctor Banner."
"Jarvis. Nice to hear from you again."
"You as well, sir."
Bruce smiled affectionately at the AI. Tony hadn't gotten around to integrating JARVIS into his and Loki's apartment, so the only time he'd had contact with the AI in the last few months was when Tony used his phone around them.
"Can you let me in Jarvis?"
"Of course, sir. I was preparing to call you when I saw you exit the cab."
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"Mr. Stark is in need of assistance. However, he cut off my communications with all outside sources."
Bruce walked into the house, dropping his bag in the living room. He noticed how much darker it was with all the windows covered. He felt as though he were in a cage.
"How were you planning on getting a hold of me? And where's Tony?"
"In his lab. You're phone is Stark Tech that is directly linked to Mr. Stark's; therefore, the only way to keep me out would be to shut me down."
Bruce didn't bother answering, choosing instead to enter his pass code to Tony's lab. The lab was extremely hot and Bruce could feel his shirt begin to stick to him as he wandered through the mess of tools. He rounded Tony's desk, finding the man himself slumped on the ball. One of the robots, probably DUM-EE, had draped a blanket over him. The man was sprawled on the floor, breathing shallow and open-mouthed. Bruce frowned, kneeling next to him.
"He has severe palpitation*…."
Tony groaned under his fingertips, twisting his head and trying to pull the blanket farther up his chest. Bruce stopped him, taking in the fevered flush on his cheeks and the sweat soaking the man's shirt and hair.
"Jarvis, how long has he been like this?"
"Shortly after he arrived, he claimed he was cold and turned up the heat to the current temperature of 93 degrees Celsius. He fell into unconsciousness approximately three hours ago."
Bruce bit his lip.
"He has a fever. Turn down the air to a more acceptable temperature please."
"Of course, sir."
Bruce slipped an arm around Tony's shoulders, easing him into a sitting position. DUM-EE whirled to life, appearing on Tony's other side and slipping his robotic arm under one of Tony's.
"Thanks Dummy."
Bruce wrapped one arm around Tony's waist and then slung Tony's free arm over his shoulder, grasping his wrist to get better leverage. With DUM-EE's help, Bruce managed to get Tony to the couch. Bruce busied himself getting a wet cloth to lie on Tony's forehead and measuring his pulse for a second time.
"Jarvis…has Tony mentioned a doctor?"
"Yes, sir. Mr. Stark went to see a specialist yesterday afternoon."
"Do you have the number?"
"I am dialing her office now."
Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sat in Tony's chair, facing the computer screen. A women's face appeared, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and blue eyes looking up from a file.
"Mr. Stark…oh, you're not Mr. Stark."
Bruce smiled, trying to be polite.
"No, I'm his friend. Bruce Banner."
The woman's eyes widened slightly.
"Dr. Banner! Pleasure to meet you. I'm Dr. Jenna Preston. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised Mr. Stark knows you."
"I suppose. I'm sorry, but I need to know what you learned at Tony's appointment yesterday."
"He hasn't told you?"
"No…doctor-patient confidentiality isn't going to be a problem is it?"
The doctor stared at Bruce for a long moment before shaking her head.
"No, I don't think it will. He didn't mention anything?"
Bruce sighed, rubbing his aching neck.
"He mentioned cancer…I was hoping I'd misheard or he had…exaggerated."
The blond shook her head sadly.
"No, you heard right. Mr. Stark has cardiac sarcoma."
All his breath left him in a whoosh that had him collapsing into the chair. Heart cancer.
"Christ."
Dr. Preston nodded, flipping through her notes quickly.
"Luckily we caught it fairly early on. If he would accept treatment, he could be better within a few months. The possible treatments is a relatively short li-"
"Wait, did you say he hasn't accepted treatment?"
"That's correct. When I mentioned possible paths, he told me it wouldn't be necessary. I thought, perhaps, that he wanted to get treatment with another doctor."
"No…Tony doesn't do doctors. I'll talk to him."
"Of course. Try to get him to my office within the next day or so."
"Ah…we're in Malibu."
Dr. Preston's brow furrowed for a moment then smoothed.
"Well, if Tony decides he wants me to treat him, I'll go stay with a colleague and use my San Francisco office."
"I'll get back to you soon."
"Very good. And Dr. Banner?"
"Yes?"
"Best of luck."
Bruce sighed, dropping his head into his hands once the call was ended. He spun in the chair, turning to face the sleeping Tony.
"I just don't get why you dumped Loki…you need him now more than ever."
To his surprise, Tony opened his eyes to look at him quietly.
"I have an 8.3% chance of surviving…that's if the treatment works before I get to stage two, which is when it drops to a 3% survival rate."
Tony sighed, shifting onto his side so his back wasn't pressed against the couch. Bruce watched him silently. The genius groaned, running a hand over his eyes and opting to leave it there.
"It's not worth the fight…rather spend my last few months doing things than laid up in a bed going through chemo or whatever treatment Preston is going to suggest."
"Tony…"
"Hm?"
"Shut up."
Tony pulled his hand away from his eyes, watching as Bruce stood and began furiously pacing. He sat up in shock when the level-headed doctor swiped a pile of tools off a desk.
"Bruce? Are…are you ok?"
"No, Tony, I'm not okay."
Bruce spun around, eyes suspiciously red and pointing a shaky finger at him.
"I just found out that my best friend has a particularly rare and brutal form of cancer and he doesn't want to even try to live! Not only that but he's determined to live his last few months miserable, without the love and support of his boyfriend and his friends because he won't tell anyone what's going on! So no, I am not okay."
Tony licked his lips, sitting still as possible as Bruce walked over to him. The doctor sunk to his knees, grasping Tony's hands in his.
"Tony, please, please, at least try to fight this. For me. For Pepper and Rhodes and Clint and Natasha and Steve, because you know Steve would cry his eyes out! Fight for Loki!"
Tony shook his head.
"I can't fight for Loki anymore…he's better off without me anyhow."
"No, don't even try that. You're such a jackass! Loki loves you and I know you love him so why can't you just call him and apologize, tell him what's going on?"
"No. I'll fight this, Bruce…but not for Loki. And no-one can know but you and Preston."
Bruce clenched his jaw but he knew a compromise when he heard one.
"Fine. I'm going to call Preston back. Go upstairs and take a cool shower. You have a fever and we need to get it down."
Bruce stood, pulling away to call Dr. Preston back. He heard Tony stand and head toward the door.
"Bruce?"
"Hm?"
The doctor turned to look at Tony, who had the blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his lower lip caught between his teeth.
"Thank you…"
Bruce offered him a small, genuine smile.
"It's what friends are for Tony."
TWO MONTHS LATER:
Loki took a deep breath as he stepped out onto the sidewalk cradling a cup of coffee. Tucking his new book in one hand and holding his coffee in the other he started the trek back to his apartment. It still hurt to think of it as his, and only his, but he was getting used to it. It'd taken him a couple of weeks to even leave the destroyed flat. Thor had come and gone every day. It wasn't until Clint and Natasha came back from Cambodia, about two weeks after the breakup, that Loki even bothered trying to clean up. Clint had promptly taken everything of Tony's and burned it. Then he and Loki had cleaned up the living room while Natasha called in some favors and got new furniture.
Loki had often wondered why they were all helping him when Tony had been their friend first; well, besides Thor of course. He'd asked Pepper once. The conversation had been tense and angry on Pepper's end. All she would say is that Tony hadn't talked to any of them since the day of the breakup and that he has disappeared with Bruce to who knew where. Loki hadn't let that bother him; he knew Bruce was straight as an arrow and the two had been friends since they were small children. He had to admit he had been worried (secretly still was, if he was being honest) that Tony had just dropped off the map.
Loki was having a hard time completely letting go of Tony. He had been in love with Tony practically since they met; he couldn't just shut something like that off. Loki had used the emotions to create something positive. From is introverted thoughts and feelings, Loki managed to crank out a dark tale of sorrow and betrayal. He'd already started on the second installment, though he didn't expect the series to go anywhere. He felt it was more of therapeutic writing practice; he hoped the series would end with a happy ever after for the two main characters, even if it wasn't a happy ever after in each other's arms or even in each other's worlds.
Loki would admit to drawing inspiration from the Norse mythology his mother had been so fond of when he and Thor were still children. Pepper had managed to talk him into sending the first installment to a few publishing companies about a week ago. Loki was knocked out of his musings when he realized he was at his apartment. Carefully placing his book under his arm, he fished around for his keys in his giant coat pockets. He was saved from having to open the door when it opened for him, revealing Natasha.
"Loki. You need to come in."
"Ah, okay?"
Loki followed the red-head into his apartment, closing the door behind him swiftly. He pulled off his coat and hung it, kicking off his shoes and placing his keys on the hook. Picking up his coffee and book, he made his way into the living room. What he saw shocked him enough that he dropped his coffee and book. Clint cursed, jumping up to grab some napkins. Natasha stood to, bending down to save the book from coffee damage and then leading Loki to the couch. The man sitting on the armchair across from him offered a weak smile.
"Loki."
"Bruce. I…I thought you were with T-tony."
"Ah, I was. We just got in about an hour ago. He, ah…he thinks I'm getting coffee."
Loki licked his lips, threading his fingers together to hide their shaking.
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you about Tony."
"Wha…no, I…"
Loki turned to look at Clint and Natasha, who both looked ready to leave the room.
"Why'd you let him in?"
Natasha gave Clint an unreadable look, to which he nodded, causing the red-head to turn back to Loki.
"We came to pick you up for lunch and he was waiting. He said he wanted to talk to you…I think it's a good idea."
"You've been telling me to forget Tony and now you want to me talk about him?"
Natasha gave a small sigh, leaning forward to grasp Loki's shoulder comfortingly.
"You need to listen to what Bruce has to say…we'll be outside."
Clint sent him an encouraging smile before following Natasha out of the room. Loki didn't turn back to Bruce until he heard the door shut.
"H-how is Tony?"
Bruce pursed his lips, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his chin the platform his folded hands created.
"He's not good. Look, I promised not to tell anyone but I've already broken that promise by telling Natasha and Clint, who are probably telling everyone else right now. I hope you know that…this is a huge risk that could blow up in my face. Tony may never forgive me. So please…listen to everything before you say anything, ok?"
Loki nodded slowly. Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"Tony has cardiac sarcoma, which is heart cancer. He was diagnosed…the day he broke up with you. Tony's been getting treatment, though he's fought against them the whole way. However, the cancer started progressing about a week ago, very rapidly. So Dr. Preston, Tony's doctor, scheduled an emergency autotransplantation. It's uh…open-heart surgery. Well, they'll actually be taking his heart out of his chest and operating on it, then putting it back. I just…I think Tony could really use your support."
Loki sat silently, trying to process what he'd just been told. Tony had cancer? Had found out he had cancer and then dumped Loki? Bruce nodded, seeming to understand that it was a lot to take in.
"Look, I have to get going. Tony's scheduled to go in at 5PM today…that's in about four hours. I know it's a lot to ask…"
Bruce stood, moving towards the door. He paused next to the couch, turning to look at Loki.
"Cancer can affect the brain, especially heart cancer. He could have been suffering delusions, confusion, delirium, a number of things."
"Are you telling me I should blame his cancer for him leaving me?"
"No, I'm saying he was protecting you. He thought that by breaking your heart, you would be saved the possible, or in his mind definite, pain of losing him."
Bruce sighed, resting a hand on Loki's shoulder lightly and squeezing gently when he wasn't shrugged off.
"I'm not saying I know what Tony was thinking, because I don't and he certainly didn't tell me. However…I do know that he weighed all the options before he came home that day. He did what he thought was best for you…and I know I'm screwing up his plans but I'm trying to do what's best for him. Because Tony is many things, but he's always been my best friend. And best friends take care of each other. I'm sorry for dropping this on you."
Bruce let his hand fall from Loki's shoulder, moving towards the door.
"Thank you, Bruce. For telling me."
Loki didn't see him nod but he did hear the door close softly. Loki dropped his head into his hands, kneading his temples.
Tony.
END OF CHAPTER
What do you think? You have no idea how hard it is to write JARVIS…and I know, JARVIS should be all caps but I think in a conversation, it's more of a name. Kinda like DUM-EE is Dummy…it's hard to explain. Anyway, hope you like the chapter! Sorry if it feels like its moving fast, but that's kinda the point of this story. I'm at this point in my life where everything moves way faster than it should. And life gets like this sometimes…and I think at such a point like this in both Loki and Tony's lives, time would go faster. Or slower maybe. I don't know, I've never been separated from my one true love. xD Also, I am not a doctor, so don't take this stuff to heart.
Review?
Eris-R-Renee
