A/N: I just really wanted to thank everyone for their really sweet comments and remarks;

Elaina, Rayner Fox, A guest, proudtobepurple, AvengerGal.

They really do mean so much to me. Thank you soooooo much!


Please R&R


Don't Touch Him


It was at least 6 minutes of pure struggling before Bruce finally gave up and blacked out completely. What seemed to be just moments ago for him, was one of the most stressful two hours for the three of his closest friends. Stark went into high panic mode, beating Pepper into the room to check vital signs. With a little help from JARVIS and Tony's moveable technology, they managed to stabilize their friend. In a groggy haze, he could just start to make sense of the voices around him;

"Actually Lizzy, it's a complicated system using virbranium and a few other chemicals. I'll show you how it works sometime."

That had to be Tony.

"And, when he needs wires changed he's running to me like a five year old. He thinks I'm qualified to play with his heart."

That was definitely Pepper.

"It's a nice piece of technology...Guys! I think Bruce is waking up. Bruce? You okay?"

He mumbles when his eyes start to flutter. The brown haired girl hovering over him with a cloth in her hand. Banner breathes a small sigh, pain subsiding a little since the blackout, "Betty..."

His poor voice was a little scratchy causing Pepper to make a face in discontent. Miss Ross presses a gentle hand over his forehead when he tries to sit up before he's ready. Even Stark forcefully presses Bruce's shoulder back into the bed they laid him in for the time being;

"Oh no, no, no! You're going to stay right there Brucey, so don't even ask if you can get up!"

He persists, voice a little clear as his eyes crack open officially. Knowing Bruce is not fond of excessive physical contact, both his friends pull away, "I feel fine Tony."

Stark crosses his arms, speaking up before Pepper can offer him tea, "No, you don't! Stop trying to play it coy and take care of yourself for once! My God!"

"I'm pretty sure 'God' has nothing to do with it." Banner presses his elbows into the bed, subconsciously breathing a sharp inhale through his teeth.

Tony's eyes widen, eyebrows raised as he tenderly pushes his friend's shoulder, "You- Get- Back- Down - Right Now! Jeez bro! Even I'm not kidding around right now!"

Betty's eyes widen, fixed on the dark haired scientist as he holds one hand back over his head. She runs a cool cloth over his head, addressing the engineer behind her, "He feels warm."

Pepper holds her cheek as she calmly replies, "He's shaking. Tony, you should seriously call your doctor. What if there was something in the dart?"

Betty glances upwards, the back of her hand gently held over her boyfriends cheek, "Your artificial intelligence said it was medicated. Did anything else come up from the test results in your lab?"

Bruce feels his cheeks turn red, heart pulsing double it's normal speed. It's more than just from his physical condition. Being watched and studied for any reason got him uptight and completely upset. If there was one thing Banner absolutely hated done to him more than anything else, was to be 'studied' by too many eyes. And under these circumstances in his physically weakened condition, it was also downright embarrassing.

Tony never removes his focus from off of the doctor, deciding on multiple reasons for his discontent as he answers the girl, "You like that lab don't 'cha?"

He's abruptly cut off by the built in AI; "James Rhodes has arrived Master Stark."

Miss Potts drops her arms, eager to speak with him, "I'll get it."

Stark gives a nod tugging on the back of his neck. He gave a look around the room, eyes refocusing on the physician when he makes an observation worth double checking, "Miss Ross, can I talk to Brown Eyes alone for a quick, New York minute?"

She nods politely, double checking her friend's body language for approval. She doesn't quite receive what she's hoping for, as Bruce already covered his face with his hands. Betty assumes it's okay seeing that he hasn't verbally refused. And she was beginning to trust Tony a lot more since she spent the past two hours 'alone' with both him and his CEO.

Once the girl left, Stark wasted no time in closing the door behind her before giving Bruce a nudge, "Now that it's just the two of us, I'd like to know exactly what you've been doing behind closed doors."

Bruce drops his hands frustrated with the question, "What?"

"You heard me. What are you doing to yourself?!"

He blushes. He knows that Tony figured it out, and it's no surprise. The physician releases a huff, smirking to lighten the mood, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Knock it off Bruce. I took a blood sample and it's got so much other, 'stuff' in there that my machines can barely spot the radiation. You're messing yourself up. I know that's the last thing you want, but I've got no choice but to get some serious help if you keep this up."

"You're out of your mind."

"Not sure what makes you think you can hide your drug intake from me. I was bound to find out eventually so just knock it off!"

"Tony, I can handle a lot more then an average person. It's just a fact of life."

"According to my records, your blood can't handle whatever you did recently. I don't know how many pills you swallowed, but if this happens again, I'm calling emergency. As it is right now I'm ready to call for help."

"No, don't. I'm fine. And why do you have, 'records'...it's really none of your business."

Tony leans forward, "It is very much my business! When my best friend starts eating nothing, faints on the floor, starts wincing, crying, hiding, and has little to no interest in science, I know there's something wrong and I need to fix it."

His friend sighs, frowning at the explanation. All he cared about was being left alone. With his cheek pressed against the pillow his body begs to shut down, craving more sleep.

Tony pulls over a chair, sitting for the first time in a solid hour. He crosses his arms, admitting an embarrassing fact, "You scared me."

Bruce smirks, "That's not a rare accomplishment."

"Oh, you and your mouth."

"If I'm that much trouble, why don't you be a friend and ship me off to Africa someplace."

"Listen, we talked about that. You're not going to Queens if I can help it so just drop it."

Stark turns his upper body around after hearing a knock on the door frame, "Rhodey! You're late."

He gives off a sarcastic glare, "Hi Stark. Pepper said this was important."

"Imperative. My buddy here is attracting the attention of an army general and his mutely crew and not in a good way. How many strings can you pull to get Banner full blown security?"

Rhodes lifts his eyebrows, "As long as he's not a criminal."

"No no, he's misunderstood."

Bruce wrinkles his nose in a bit of shock. He didn't want to looked after. And Tony's comment? -That only made it sound worse.

"Well, I'll try my best but don't expect full- blown miracles."

Tony wraps his arm around Rhodes with a smile on his face, "Atta boy!"

"Yeah yeah."

Bruce glances upwards tapping his finger with an escape route in mind, "Tony, can I just get a book?"

The engineer thinks for a moment, "I'll get it for you."

He persists, "No, I don't need people doing things for me, I'll be right back."

"I don't think you should get up."

"It's a quick walk, I promise I'll be right back."

"And you'll get back in the bed, understood?"

He rolls his eyes, standing a little wobbly back onto his feet. His head is spinning, but he's determined not to clutch anything on his body until he's out of Tony's sight. Once he exits the room, his face expresses the pure frustration and agony he can only blame himself for. Bruce had no clue Betty was standing on the side until she ran to him and gently touched his arm;

"Bruce, are you okay?"

He nods, cheeks losing color though he tries to remain composed, "Yeah, I'll be right back Betty."

"Bruce?"

The stare in her eyes was horrific. The girl was genuinely afraid, worried beyond belief. He clenches his jaw to hide the discomfort, tenderly touching her cheek, "It's fine Betty, I'll be alright I promise."

She nuzzled into his arms wrapping her own around his waist. He shuts his eyes to bear through the pain she's unknowingly putting him through at the moment. The physician waits for her to release him until he plants an innocent kiss on her forehead and moves directly towards his room.

He's alone up the elevator and into his small living space before shutting the door. Bruce debates on calling Steve, recognizing the fact that maybe he does need a little help. As quick as the thought pops into his mind, he dismisses it. To him, it's stupid, a sign of weakness, and he's already humiliated himself enough for one day.

The dejected practitioner bearly has enough time to turn his head around before spotting a strangely familiar face inside the room. through the darkness he can spot a figure/figures. His window is dark, or is his vision just that bad at the moment? Before he can utter a word, Banner finds himself falling into his desk with a throbbing jaw. In his mind he's already begging for control, but his body has a different idea, and all he can see is green before his muscles start to contract and expand at a rapid pace. If there was talking, it was muffled. And if there were people poking at him, he was unable to feel them. At this point pure revenge was his top priority. Having reached the limit, Banner was beyond ready to retaliate no matter who else was standing in the room.


From downstairs, Betty was the first one to hear the growl which was followed by an aggressive crash. Tony brushed it off continuing in his conversation with Rhodes. Miss Ross wrinkled her nose, ears perked up for any further noise that would cause suspicion. Even James 'Rhodey' was slightly alarmed by the muffled noises.

By the time Stark finally turned his head around with a look of pure confusion over his face, the walls shook, parts of the cieling falling around them despite the 'monster' exploding at least 4 stories above them. Tony wasted little time in hovering over Betty to protect her from the flying debris.

James gives a sigh from the ground, hands over his head, "I see why you need help."

Tony stammers to his hands and knees, eventually getting to his feet as he calls for JARVIS, "Suite III, initiate now. Scan security cameras and set the house on lock down."

Pepper reaches for Betty's wrist, leading the foursome from the room, "Good work Tony! Now what?"

"I'm going for a fly-around. I thought I heard gunshots."

A bullet barely misses James before his eyes become as wide as soccer balls, "Yeah, apparently you did!"

Betty huddles in the corner, temper flaring as she spots a familiar jet, "That damn asshole!"

Tony whips his head around, shocked when the young girl snatches the pistol from Rhodes holster. Pepper covers her hears as Betty fires mercilessly, "Lousy weasel! You have a plane Mr. Tony?"

"As a matter of fact, I do,' Stark can't help but smirk as he whispers to Pepper, 'Oh I like her."

Potts nudges him, "Knock it off!"

Tony waits for his suit to catch up to him, "Alright Rhodes, get the girls in the jet and I'll meet you after I find Banner. Betty's in charge 'til I get back so listen to her."

Pepper pulls on his shoulders, eyes wide, "Don't do anything stupid."

He smirks, "When have I ever done otherwise?"

Ross hands the pistol back to James after the attackers flee the scene, and from the large broken window, the group can spot a large green 'dot' from the half demolished building. Stark sighs, heading off through the broken window, "Well, this is going to be a multi-million dollar patch-up job."