Okay you guys so here's the third chapter! I want to thank you for reading and reviewing! I didn't expect this story to catch people's interests, just thank you. So in this chapter there's a couple of flashbacks. Honestly I really love this story I really want to incorporate all the avengers or at least most of them but I'm still trying to figure it out so give me time. Most likely in the later chapters! I'm trying so hard to not make Tony sound well like cheesy or too soft but it's hard especially with this topic. Okay I'm done ranting and enjoy!


The darkness faded away as he opened his eyes. Nothing looked familiar. Where was he? Much to his distaste, a clear tube was taped to the side of nose. He reached up and tugged it, gagging slightly as it moved in the back of his throat. Hacking in protest of the movement he gave one final tug and it pulled free with a string of saliva and mucous. The air was cold here, wherever here was. It chilled him to the very marrow of his bones. Tony attempted to turn, only to have something tug slightly from the center of his chest.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a heavily accented voice broke the silence. Pain bloomed across him, the center of his chest the heart of this white hot bud of sensation. His fingers sought the source of this discomfort, hardness was all he felt. Ripping open his bandages a gasp of utter disbelief escaped him. What was this? Still palming at the circular metal device implanted in his chest, he let a long breath of incredulity. A breath of agony and fear.

Tony
He stood up when Bruce was well out of sight, and paced around his lab. Because you're my only friend…the words echoed in his head, bouncing around the walls of his skull like a superball thrown in an elevator. He knew he needed help, he had known it since the day he had come back from Afghanistan. Heck, he'd known it before he built the suit in the cave. Tony ran his hand through his hair, still trying to process what Bruce had told him. He went back to his chair and resumed working on those camouflage panels. It was a meager attempt to push all these thoughts out of his head.

Bruce
Entering his room he found the edge of his bed and sat down, pressing his face into his hands. Tony was right; how could a person that's attempted to take his life numerous times try to help someone? He sighed heavily as old memories began to flood his head. Vague memories. Roaring, screaming, growling. Shaking his head lightly he murmured to himself, "I'm sorry Tony, maybe I can't help you after all."


A week had gone by since their little confrontation in the lab. Neither of them brought it up. They continued working on the respective projects as though nothing had changed. But something had changed. A lingering shard of proverbial shrapnel that had dug in under Bruce's skin. He could look at Tony and see that the man was in pain, pain no one knew about. Bruce would often drift into thought, trying to remember anything that showed a sign of Tony's darker side. Nothing ever really came to mind. He often found himself analyzing every one of Tony's gestures, tones, body movements. He did so as though trying to read beyond and find a hidden message, like Tony's past would just unfold before him like the pages of a book. Everyone knew Tony to be the overly confident, narcissistic ass who could basically talk himself into anything. But they were businessmen and women to keep his bed warm at night, professionals, and none of them had noticed anything wrong. Tony's façade was too well constructed, as though he had been perfecting it for years. More than five years at least.

Bruce kept his interactions with Stark to a minimum, only the casual question about an algorithm or things of that sort. Finally... a small crack appeared in the mask he had one day in the lab while they worked on a set of chemicals that could paralyze someone. They were meant to be added to the Iron man suit. Bruce was intently working on mixing the chemicals when he heard Tony mutter something.

He looked up, "Hmm what was that?"

"I said…stop worrying about me."

"Wha- worrying about you? I'm just mixing some paralytics," Bruce said surprised.

"Bruce, you know what I mean."

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, "I find you seizing on the floor, yelling in pain and you're asking me not to worry?"

Tony looked up and flashed him the well know Tony Stark smile, "Yeah. Basically."

Bruce shook his head slightly and sighed, "I know you're just trying to cover it up. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I mean you're not some green rage monster."

"Who says I'm ashamed of…this. Maybe I just don't want people giving me pity, I don't want people thinking I'm," he stopped for a second in search of a word that would fit, "that I'm..broken."

Tony returned his attention to the left leg of his suit as though nothing had been said. Bruce simply looked at him, not knowing what to say.
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't pity you. I understand you."

"Do you really?" Tony asked skeptically, still messing with the wires and servos under the metal plating.

"I think if anyone could understand what you've gone through it would be me. The nightmares, the guilt…everything. But maybe you were right the other day, I'm not the right person to help you."

Tony let his hands go still. Falling back in his chair he issued a quiet sigh, "I'm not one to say sorry, you know the kind of man I am. I didn't mean to like…offend you and stuff."

Bruce chuckled softly, "Trust me, you didn't offend me. You get use to it when people are so scared they won't even talk to you, try to kidnap and experiment on you, and often try to kill you."

Tony let out a dry laugh, "I know your intentions, I know you're only trying to help but I just don't want to go through it all over again."

"Go through what again?"

"The whole 'I'm your friend, let me help you and eventually leave you'. Too many have failed me…No one actually stuck around long enough to actually make a difference."

Bruce gave Tony an understanding look, "Tell me about it." Bruce had slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"The only serious relationship I ever had ended all because I just can't…can't allow people inside. I've tried, and tried but I just can't. Pepper is now just the CEO of Stark Industries and nothing more."

"Well you might not believe me but I won't leave. Just, you know…when you want you can talk to me. I might not be the right person but I will listen, and sometimes listening is all it takes."

"Thank you Green Machine. Sorry to break the moment but I really want to finish this so I can test drive it." Tony turned his chair toward the lab table and went back to work.

"Yeah, well if you need help tell me. I'm famished, so I'll see you later," Bruce stated with a smile.

He pushed himself up off the floor and started to leave. When he reached the door though, he paused and glanced back at Tony, "By the way, Tony? You're not broken, you're just bruised." Like saying something at the door was his closing act, Bruce headed up the stairs.

Tony stayed locked away in his lab the rest of the night, like he was known to do when he wished to avoid the real world. Give or take it was usually about five times per week. If he did go out, it was to get drunk and sate the carnal need to have sex with someone. Sometime between 3 in the morning and 5 he got up to serve himself some scotch. He felt his body relax as he drank but soon after the flood gates opened in his mind. Not just thoughts, but memories. Telling Bruce about the disappointment with Pepper had opened old wounds. He never thought he could love someone, but he loved her and she let him down.

"Tony I can't be with you, you are ticking time bomb, and I just can't handle it. I can't be always on the edge, expecting a phone call telling me you're dead. I'm sorry, I love you but I can't continue watching you slowly kill yourself."

"You're giving up on me now? After all you've been through with me? You said you'd be here, I told you that I felt Iron Man was the right thing to do. I killed so many people and now I'm trying to redeem myself. I need you Pepper, you can't just abandon me now. How can you leave and tell me you love me?"

"Tony don't you understand? It's not just the fear of you dying on the field saving lives, it's the fear of one day walking into your lab and finding you…" Her voice broke. "You try so hard to save other people, try so hard to be a hero. Tony you can't be a hero when you can't even save yourself." She kissed him on the cheek and left.

He closed his eyes and the muscles in his jaw clenched as he tried to suppress the memories. His mind drifted to earlier in the night, the conversation with Bruce. Did he really care? Or was he just going to leave like the rest? "…you're not broken, you're just bruised." Tony sighed and muttered, "I think I might be more than broken."


"What the hell did you do to me?" He directed his anger to the foreign man in what seemed to be a cave.

"What did I do? What I did was save your life." He said with a chuckle,"I removed all the shrapnel I could but there's a lot left and it's headed to your heart. Here wanna see?" The foreign man shook a small glass jar containing small metal scraps. "It makes a good souvenir." He examined the jar, "I've seen many wounds like that back at my village, we call them the 'Walking Dead'."

"What is this?"

"That is an electromagnet hooked up to a car battery and it's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart."
He looked around the cold, damp cave and spotted a camera.

"That's right, smile. We met once you know at a technical conference in Berne."

"I don't remember."

"Oh you wouldn't. If I had been that drunk I wouldn't have been able to stand much less give a lecture on integrated circuits."

"Where are we?"

A loud clunk made his head snap around quickly. A man's voice echoed throughout the cave speaking a foreign language, and the large metal door swung open.


Thank you guys so much for reading! I really hoped you guys liked it!

Alright, so some updates have been made to this chapter and well..basically all of them. I noticed I had a lot of grammatical mistake so my friend edited it for me. I'd like to thank her! Thank you Crow! Love you. 3

And thank you guys for reading! Please review and follow!