Demons

Special thanks to those who reviewed for the last chapter!

Sandy-wmd (^^ I loved that part ^^ It was probably my favorite part of that chapter!), ShadowAbsol13 (lol, Loki was an interesting bad guy! You can feel bad for him for sure. I'm glad you are liking this story!), Margaret (My first camera was a Canon Rebel and now I shoot with a 7D, which is a wonderful camera! A good and cheep portrait lens is a 50mm but I would recommend something basic with zoom capabilities ^^ Happy shooting!), Qweb (lol, I'd want to be free too if I was Bruce, but he's loyal and good hearted), PlushChrome (I'm sorry it took so long, but here is the next chapter. Tied up with a digital bow!), Yukinakid (I love Bruce and Hulk interacting, it was one of the reasons why I wanted to tackle this prompt! Glad you are enjoying!), SniperKingSogeking0341 (lol, yep, Hulk is a big scary rage monster. But really he's just a kid who wants to go home ^^), discordchick (The Clintasha was for you! I'm glad you liked it!), kimbee (lol, I'm glad you liked my dramatic spell! Well, the dramatics aren't over yet!), annie rules (Aw, thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! I'm loving writing it!), Hawaiichick (lol, well I'd be slightly impatient as well…anyone would be! Glad you are enjoying!), Linzerj (lol, that song actually has been in the back of my head all through writing this story! I'm glad you caught that. Imagine Dragons is one of my favorite bands!)


Chapter Eight

Bruce was only mildly surprised at this point to learn that Hulk wanted out of Tony as much as Tony wanted the Hulk out of him. It only took a few minutes to convince Hulk to calm down enough to morph back down into a very unhappy Tony.

Silently Tony accepted a new pair of scrubs from Bruce, but he didn't meet his friend's eyes or make any indication that he wanted to talk.

"Tony I'm going to fix – "

"Just go, Bruce." Tony interrupted and waved Banner off as he moved back to sit on his bed.

Bruce lingered for a moment longer after being dismissed before he finally left Tony in peace.

With a heavy heart Bruce walked through the halls of the helicarrier aimlessly. His mind turned over the conversation he had with Tony. Silently he began to question his own motives. Was he stalling? Part of him was certain Tony was being rash and not thinking things through. The machine really did have the potential to kill them, or possibly fry their brains. However there was a big chance that Bruce was being overly cautious – a big possibility.

What Tony had said was true, in a way. Bruce did like the silence. He did like the fact that he didn't have to worry about the possibility if he lost control and so many other perks one had when one wasn't half rage monster. Hulk was a burden, but he was Bruce's burden, not Tony's. He knew he couldn't live with himself if he left Tony in his current condition. Bruce couldn't live freely with the knowledge that he had left Tony chained to a demon.

Distraught Bruce decided to check on his other demon.

Steve looked up from his sketchpad as Bruce knocked and entered Clint's hospital room. The archer was still very much unconscious with the same amount of machines attached to his body as the last time Bruce had seen him.

The bruises that had painted Clint's chest a horrible shade of purple were faded now. Bruce could see traces of the bruises left but instead of the deep plum they had been they were faded down to pale green and yellow.

"How is he?" Bruce asked, even though it was obvious.

"The same." Steve sighed out the answer as he looked at Clint. The Captain looked tired himself and pale. "How's Tony?"

Bruce collapsed into a near by chair and groaned. "Growing more and more frustrated." Again Bruce found himself studying Steve. "When was the last time you slept?" The technically uncertified medical doctor inside of him questioned his team leader.

"A few hours ago." Steve answered a little too quickly.

"I meant when was the last time you slept for more than an hour or two at a time." Bruce corrected knowingly.

Steve chuckled. "Before Natasha left. It was easier when she was here. I kind of hope she'll return soon."

"So do I." Bruce nodded and stood. "Go find an actual bed and sleep for a while." He ordered Steve both seriously and playfully. "I'll look after Clint – I think Tony needs a break for a while anyway."

Reluctantly Steve nodded and folded his sketchbook closed as he stood. "My neck thanks you. Apparently even with the enhancement of the super serum it is still uncomfortable to sleep in hospital chairs. Even ones as comfortable as these."

"Take your time." Bruce nodded and took Steve's place by Clint's bedside.

Steve nodded gratefully and left the room.

Left alone with Clint Bruce glanced at the monitors casually before he hunched over in defeat. The doctors were still unsure of how Clint would be when he woke up. Would he be able to walk? They weren't sure. The swelling in his back around his spine had gone down, but really they needed Clint to walk up and answer their questions for them.

"Aren't we a pair?" Bruce mumbled and leaned back. "I kind of wish I was the one unconscious, honestly, but no you had to be the hero. Like always." Bruce sighed. Of course what he said was a lie. Bruce didn't want to be in Clint's current position. He also didn't want to be in his own – he wished everything hadn't changed so drastically, but that wasn't how life worked.

"I'm not sure if we can fix this. Tony's angry – he thinks I don't want the Hulk back. He is right, of course, but I wouldn't leave him saddled with something I created. My demon."

Bruce sighed and shook his head as he looked down at his hands. "Don't get me wrong, I thought about it. I'm not a Saint. I've thought about slipping out the back door and never looking back. I couldn't. I could never do that to a friend. He doesn't deserve it."

"I'll miss the quiet, you know? I had forgotten how wonderful it is. You understand, you get it – I'm sure. You're a sniper and you spend a lot of time alone. You must understand the joy of things being quiet. You have no idea how it feels to share your mind with something else. Having a creature within you screaming for control over what is yours."

Bruce chuckled. "Well, no, I guess I'm wrong. You have shared your mind with a demon, haven't you? The whole Loki thing – I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget because you never talk about it. I guess I never talk about the other guy either. Can't even say 'Hulk' half of the time. And hell, what would be the point of talking about something I couldn't change? There was no chance of being free, but now – now I have that chance and I can't even take it."

Bruce dropped his head to his chest and groaned. "I couldn't do that to a friend. Anyone else, maybe, but not Tony."

"Well shit."

Bruce's head jerked up at the sound of the soft, rough voice. His eyes focused immediately on Clint's face. The archer's slightly foggy eyes were open. He was awake.

"I thought my day was bad." Clint continued airily. His voice was only vaguely loud enough for Bruce to hear.

"Clint?" Bruce gaped back at his friend in complete surprise.

"The one and – " Clint was cut off by a weak and dry cough. It sounded painful to Bruce's ears.

"Only." Clint finished before another coughing fit overwhelmed him and shook his battered body.

"I'll get you some water." Bruce announced and stood so abruptly he almost fell over. After he recovered he moved to the sink on the other side of the room and returned with a glass and straw.

Clint sucked the water up greedily and Bruce automatically pulled it back. "Slowly, you don't want to make yourself throw up."

"Nope." Clint agreed with a tired nod and when Bruce guided the straw back to the archer's lips he obliged and drank slower.

When Bruce pulled away again Clint sighed in relief. "How long?"

"How long until what?" Bruce blinked with confusion.

"How long have I been out?" Clint sighed and looked around the room. Probably for Natasha, Bruce thought as his heart twisted in his chest.

"Long enough, more than a week – I haven't really been keeping track of the days." Bruce said and immediately felt guilty. Carefully Bruce leaned over and pressed the button to alert a nurse to come to the room. "Um, how do you feel?"

"Like I should shoot the driver of the truck that hit me." Clint grumbled and tried to shift only to grunt in pain. "Happened?"

Bruce decided not to sit down, but instead he shifted nervously on his feet. "Um, what do you remember?"

Clint seemed to consider the question and closed his eyes to think back. A few minutes ticked by and for a moment Bruce thought the archer might have fallen back asleep.

Then finally Clint answered. "Hulk's fist. Should have ducked. Or weaved left, or something." Clint sighed and opened his eyes. "Did, I – I thought, was – was Hulk Tony?"

Bruce swallowed thickly and nodded. "Yep. Still is, but we're working on it."

"Yeah, heard some of your monolog." Clint nodded and looked over as a nurse entered with a doctor in tow.

"Agent Barton, good to see you back with us." The doctor announced with a friendly smile. Bruce glanced at the nametag and saw the man's name was Dr. Marc. Bruce hadn't been around enough to familiarize himself with the medical staff.

"Marc, nice to be here." Clint greeted with a grin. Apparently they were familiar with one another. "Although I was having a pretty awesome dream about a blond and a brunette."

"I'll make sure to mention that to Natasha." Dr. Marc teased as he and the nurse began to check Clint's vitals over. A few basic questions were asked and answered and finally the biggest concern was brought up.

"You did a number on yourself," Marc informed Clint, Bruce hovered in the corner as he waited for the most concerning results. "We need to make sure the impact didn't do anything permanent to your back."

"My back?" Clint immediately went white – well, whiter, nearly translucent. Immediately Clint's leg twitched and Bruce let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Wait a moment, Agent, you don't want to accidently strain anything by moving to fast. We're just going to do a few tests to make sure everything is working properly." Dr. Marc said as he placed a restraining hand on Clint's knee.

"Fine, but I moved it – that's good right?" Clint breathed, clearly in pain.

"Yes, but we don't want you to agitate any injury you might still have. Only move if I tell you to, alright?"

"Sure thing, Doc." Clint nodded weakly and waited for instruction.

They ran through several tests. When they had finished Marc smiled at Clint before giving him the okay sign. "Seems like everything is working as it should. You'll still have to go through some Physical Therapy, but you should be back in the field before long." The doctor announced and then left the two Avengers to themselves.

Clint looked exhausted as Bruce settled down in the chair next to his bedside. Bruce debated silently on whether or not he should inform Steve and Tony that Clint had woken up, but decided to wait a little longer. Cap needed all the sleep he could get and Tony still needed some time to cool off. Not to mention Bruce was fairly sure Tony wouldn't listen to anything he said at the moment. Not that Bruce could really blame him.

"Natasha? She's gone after the guy that started this, hasn't she?" Clint asked after a few minutes of silence ticked by.

"Yep." Bruce answered dutifully. "She's been out of contact, but Fury said that's normal."

"She's probably close." Clint nodded with no fear in his eyes. He trusted Natasha to take care of herself. Probably a significant amount more than Natasha trusted him.

"I hope so." Bruce sighed, but knew the longer they waited the harder it would be for him to reverse the situation. "Look, Clint, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Clint's eyes narrowed. "Like I said I made a stupid move trying to calm Hulk down. He didn't even see me when he swung out." Clint shrugged a shoulder in indifference.

"I should have listened to you, about keeping Tony hooked up. He would have been more stable on the drug." Bruce shook his head in protest. "If he had been on the drug this wouldn't have happened." He added and waved a hand to gesture to Clint's injuries.

"We had no idea what that drug was or the damages it might have been doing to him." Clint shrugged a shoulder. "I wanted Tony free from the drug just as much as you did. If I didn't I wouldn't have let you unhook him." Clint smirked. "And no offense, Doc, but you wouldn't have been able to stop me stop you."

Bruce gave a watery grin and nodded half-heartedly. "Maybe."

"Definitely." Clint grinned, but it faded quickly. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Just – " Bruce started only to stop. "I think I should listen to Tony."

Clint's eyes narrowed worriedly. "Bruce, when has listening to Tony ever been a good idea?"

"If I don't do it now, I might lose my courage. I might never want to go back." Bruce started to ramble. His eyes dropped from Clint.

"Bruce, what are you talking about?" Clint asked and Bruce met his eyes as he stood.

"We're going to try and fix this." Bruce announced. "I can't wait. If I wait – I just can't. I can't do that to Tony."

"What? Wait a minute – " Clint struggled but his exhaustion tied him down.

"Clint, if it doesn't work, well, you were a good friend. A great one." Bruce started to back out of the room. "Look after yourself."

"Bruce!" Clint shouted after him but Bruce didn't turn back.

It was probably blind determination that pushed Bruce forward and down the halls. He was barely aware of what he was doing as he collected the machine and pushed it into Tony's glass room.

Tony looked up from where he lay on the bed and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Still want to try it?" Bruce asked flatly.

Tony pushed himself up and off the bed and nodded skeptically. "What changed your mind?" Stark questioned.

"Clint woke up." Bruce answered easily. "And Hulk."

"Hulk?" Tony asked openly confused.

"He wants to come home." Bruce shrugged and looked at the machine pointedly. He was trying desperately not to think of all the things that could go wrong. They should wait for Natasha to come home, but Bruce wasn't sure he could. Not now. They needed to do this now.

Tony nodded slowly and moved over to the machine. They set up the wires and cords and slipped the complex looking helmets onto their heads.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked and Bruce was surprised to see that he looked a little hesitant. Maybe the billionaire had never considered that Bruce would actually agree. It was too late to turn back now – at least for Bruce. He had to do this now.

"Yes." Bruce nodded. He knew if he didn't do it now and Natasha came back empty handed they'd never try it.

"You?" Bruce checked to make sure.

Tony's nod was enough of an answer for Bruce and before he could lose his courage he flipped the switch and screamed.


So sorry I didn't post this Friday. I started writing it and then got super distracted with other things. One more chapter after this one, I believe. It's been fun writing for you all and I hope you all enjoyed the story!

Reviews are Loved and Appreciated!