After a couple weeks of living in the tower, Bruce was quite comfortable with Tony Stark.
Once the awe had worn off, he realized that the genius was actually a pretty fun guy, and that was a lot coming from Bruce. He'd always felt uncomfortable around most people, preferring to remaining silent than get his two cents in. But, oddly enough, he felt safe and unguarded around the billionaire.
And even more strangely, Tony felt safe around Bruce, even with the threat of the Hulk looming over him.
On some level, he could tell that the other connected with him, but he couldn't find out how. They were completely different.
Until he realized they weren't.
The longer the gamma scientist lived with Tony, the more obvious the mask became.
They weren't very different at all.
It was after a difficult battle that the whole truth was revealed.
Even protection from the Iron Man suit wasn't enough to protect Tony against their new opponent. The man was a first time villain, but he had planned and prepared so well, he turned out to be unusually difficult. He had been studying their battles for nearly a year, carefully cataloging the heroes' weaknesses and fighting styles.
Even Tony ended up giving the guy some props.
However, it turned out that the machines he built were good for the specific Avenger they were to be paired against, but add a second one to the mix and the thing was toast. Unfortunately, groups of two didn't end of working as there was six robots and only three groups. Somehow, Tony ended up battling three at the same time; one his own, Bruce's, and the last Hawkeye's, so the others could focus on the ones they were fighting together.
No one knew why he even dared, especially since Fury had specifically told him not to.
He probably would have gotten thoroughly chewed out if he wasn't unconscious.
Bruce, feeling more than a little guilty, offered to treat him. It was soon apparent he would have a lot of work to do. Tony was practically covered in injuries.
One new pair of pants and a ride to the lab later, he was ready.
"Does he have any allergies to medication?" he questioned aloud, glancing over at the man lying on the table. Hesitantly, he brought up Anthony Stark's medical files.
He wasn't happy invading his friend's life like this, but Pepper was unreachable. She was a apparently in a highly confidential meeting; the kind where they searched everyone and took away phones and other types of technology, It wasn't like he could ask Tony himself, either. Biting his lip, it only took a second to bring up the digital information.
Instantly, he knew something wasn't right.
His juvenile records were completely perfect, which worried him. Living with a inventive parent warranted a few accidents. A burn here or there, maybe a stitch or two. But in his there was absolutely nothing.
A bad feeling settled over Bruce, but he didn't stop as he began to dig deeper. Compared to his housemate, his hacking skills were okay at best, but it didn't take much to access his real medical past.
When he did, Bruce's eyes widened in horror, and for a moment, took a greenish tint. No, these kind of injuries were consistent with-no, not Tony...
It took several minutes of deep breathing for him to calm down enough to approach the subject again. Broken and fractured bones, internal bleeding, concussions, burns, deep, infected cuts... Tony had experienced it all. It took all of Bruce's willpower not to Hulk on then and there.
"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, Tony..." he murmured, looking sympathetically at the male. It made sense now. It made so much sickening sense that it hurt. He picked up the phone, told the medic that he wouldn't be able to help Tony at this point, and proceeded to his designed room.
Though he knew the Hulk would never hurt Tony, he didn't want to chance it.
He would do anything to spare him that pain.
Again, not my favorite chapter, but I'm amazed by all the feedback I've gotten! You guys are unbelievable, and I love hearing your ideas. The reviews really inspire me!
Elemental Nikki: Thank you for the compliment! I really try to get into the head of each of the characters, and it's nice to know that I'm doing well.
LaNaturalBreezeOf-Books: Honestly, Coulson is their babysitter. For Loki I was thinking something along the lines of oh-Odin-this-obnoxious-mortal-actually-understands -and-he-even-had-it-worse-than-me kind of horror. Nah, I was thinking of doing something where they all find out separately and put it to use if Tony has a panic attack or something. I'm not really sure...
KRAlover: It's a good idea, but it won't work with me, I'm afraid. I've always had trouble making sure all the characters have say, favoring some over others. I'm worried that if I do something like that, that some voices might be neglected.
Hachikonohime: Man, I swear our brains have got to be connected or something, because I've been thinking about doing that! I've actually been considering making something along those lines into a separate fanfic when I'm finished with this one. Can you imagine how panicked the Avengers would be?
GirlFromNorth: Well, I hope you enjoyed it :) Bruce has always been one of my favorite characters, but it was a bit of a challenge to get into his mindset.
JazzNProwl's sparklingAriaFyre: Thank you! I've always felt there was more of Tony than just what we saw on the screen, and it's been a pleasure exploring that.
THEBATMANIMPOSTER: Thank you, and don't worry about it, I am the exact same way~
RawR: Haha, yeah, I know what you mean. I go on those too often to be healthy.