Chapter 10: Comforting Darkness

Tony can hear a voice talking to him him, a muffled voice. He wants to open his eyes but they are too heavy to open and the darkness is so comforting. The darkness is enveloping him, holding him in its hands, comforting him. Why is it comforting him? Jarvis…where is Jarvis. He needs to get up. He tries once more to open his eyes, tries to move, his body is heavy and the darkness doesn't want to let him go.

"Tony…are you…," he hears someone's voice.

Bruce stares down at Tony as he sleeps, his eyelids are moving and there's his finger twitching at his side. It seems like he's going to wake up but as he waits, Bruce realizes that Tony had fallen back asleep. It was three days ago when they had brought the red and gold mess of the Iron Jaeger back into the hangar. Its once polished metal parts were battle scarred and Bruce noticed that there was a gaping hole in the Conn-Pod. The Iron Jaeger was also missing a hand. Then Fury had called him. Telling him to get a team of nurses to the Drivesuit Room immediately. It was an emergency.

He was there watching as the technicians pulled Tony's body from the wreck that was the piloting device. At first he'd thought Tony was dead as the nurses laid him down on the bed. But he could see the faint movement of his chest rising and falling with each breath. He was pale as a sheet though. As he looked around he realized that Tony was the only pilot that had been let out of the Iron Jaeger. Jarvis his co-pilot wasn't there. He looked down to Tony; did he know that Jarvis hadn't made it?

Now he was three days later still sleeping. Bruce had stayed by his side all the while, watching over the pilot as he slept. The man gave him a wipe every morning, helping him to shave his goatee and other menial tasks. He stayed vigilant by his side, waiting for when he would awake. That day, the Amérique suffered a loss as well. Bucky's leg had gotten caught in the wreckage of the Amérique as the Kaiju smashed it and he'd suffered a fracture in his left leg. He wouldn't be piloting for a while.

Bruce settles down in the chair he's situated beside the bed once more, it's 3:14 AM. His eyes settle on Tony's sleeping form. He had always been a fan of Tony's works at Stark Industries and now here he was the billionaire himself, injured and under his care. Okay not really under his care. He'd asked to take care of Tony. They had been working together every night since Tony got here. Tony's little secret project as he had come to call it. The project involved fixing together all of Jarvis's memories and so far it was coming along fine.

The only reason he had ever agreed to let Tony use his lab space and help him at all was so that he could spend time with the man. He liked him, but he was just too afraid to say anything to him. So he settled for what he could get. Bruce folded his arms, laying his chin on them as he watched Tony sleep. He knew that Tony loved Jarvis; the blond pilot had been the only one in his sights. But with the blond missing what would happen? Bruce lifted his arm, his hand moving to touch Tony's cheek, the back of his knuckles brushing softly against the roughness of his stubble.

"You'd better wake up soon Tony," he whispers, his fingers moving to trace the sleeping pilot's features, "Fury wants to hear from you. He says Jarvis is dead…we need to know what you saw."

Jarvis doesn't know how many days he's been here for. Loki of course hadn't given him back his speech at all. Choosing to mock him and treat him like a pet. He'd been allowed a change of clothes and food but other than that he was never allowed away from his position from the pole in the ground unless he needed the bathroom. Yes, wherever he was there was a bathroom. Apparently even the Kaiju master needed a bath from time to time. Jarvis has gathered some information though as he pretended to sleep; information that he hopes might be useful when he gets away. If he gets away that is.

He knows for one that Loki's staff is magical. He also knows that Loki uses the staff to control the Kaiju somehow and that this place where he was being held captive was something like Loki's office of sorts.

Jarvis looks up now as Loki comes into the room. "Oh, you still haven't eaten? You're not to starve you know! I'm keeping you alive because we all know that Tony will come looking for you."

'He's certainly not here now is he?' Jarvis thinks to himself, staring at Loki.

"Well of course he can't come just yet. I told you he was trying to pilot a Jaeger on his own," Loki muttered, before he continued, "Do you want to see him?"

There must have been something that showed on his face because Loki cast another spell and a portal was opened, showing the other side. It was the infirmary where they had shared their first kiss. Jarvis saw Tony lying on the bed, eyes closed as he slept and at his bedside was Bruce who was holding his hand as he slept. Jarvis was pained at the sight and he looked away averting his gaze now.

"What?" Loki said looking from the image and then back to Jarvis, "Oh love. It hurts you doesn't it?" he says advancing upon the blond haired pilot. "You know you won't have to suffer any more once Tony comes here. Because by then I would have killed you."

Jarvis balked, shaking his head violently.

"I can't possibly keep you alive! You already know too much," Loki said with a wicked grin on his face.

"Don't worry I'll make sure I kill you swiftly. Your time is up once Tony arrives. Tick tock Jarvis, tick tock."