"You are a complete and utter dick head!" Tex snapped, slamming the door to the lab open and glaring at Bruce, who was sitting on the floor throwing up in to the rubbish bin. "I don't give a shit if you found the cure to fucking cancer you are still an idiot!" She walked to the sink and wet some paper towel, before walking back to Bruce and crouching in front of him. "If it wasn't kicking your ass already, I would have done it!" She mumbled, wiping his sweaty face.
"I think I cracked it..." He whispered hoarsely, staring up in to her eyes with a slight crazed expression. "I just need to get the ratio right and we'll have a stronger anti-biotic!" He shakily got up to his feet with the help of a very annoyed Bruce.
"You will do no such thing you complete and utter maniac!" Tex snapped, gasping as he back handed her with enough force that she landed on the ground. "ROBERT BRUCE BANNER!" She yelled, standing up and glaring in to his eyes.
"O-oh my god..." Bruce whispered, staring down at Tex as she held a bit of paper towel to her lip, her eyes filled with anger and annoyance. "I-I'm so sorry!"
"Get to the medical bay, I'll get a SHIELD medic down to fix him up with the mould he injected." Tex snarled, staring at Tony. "Now, Stark!"
"Fine, come on." Tony said, half dragging an apologetic Bruce out of the room to the medical area of the tower, leaving Tex fuming as she stormed away to contact SHIELD about his newest psychotic experiment.
Beep
Beep
Beep
Beep
Bruce groaned as the obnoxious machine beeped once more, he was positive that someone had turned the volume up as loud as it could go to annoy him, and he was certain that the someone was Tony.
"Ah, and the insane doctor awakens once more." Tony's voice rang out, before a needle pierced Bruce's skin, making him gasp in pain and a green tinge appear around his face, yet the monster stayed at bay. "Yeah, you can't transform, you tried it and nearly killed yourself. Apparently mould can nearly kill you, I had to sedate Tex before she murdered the doctor for hurting you..."
"I stopped the other guy?" Bruce asked, his eyes snapping open to stare up at Tony's, a small smile appearing across his cracked and bloody lips. "I-I found a way to stop him?"
"No, you found a way to kill yourself, it took three attempts to start your heart again." Tony said, pulling the needle from his skin and placing a cotton ball over the small dot of blood. "You've been out for seven days, we actually thought we had lost you, Banner."
"I-I'm sorry..."
"I'm not the one that you should say that too."
"Where is she?"
"Getting ready for opening night of her first ever Broadway show. She won't be back until way later, and before you ask, yes, you will be missing it. But don't worry, Steve is going with her."
Bruce flinched at the venom in Tony's voice and closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek as he rested his head back in to the pillow, turning his face away so that Tony would not see him crying. "I'm sorry." He whispered once more, making Tony scoff and move off towards the other end. "But if I refine the ratios, I'll be able to stop him forever, Tony! I'll be safe, and be able to have a nor-"
"Safe? You think you are safe? You hit Tex, you get to complacent and you go insane, you get to over vexed and you turn in to a green monster. You need all three of your personalities to be you! If you got rid of one of them, the balance would be off completely!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Bruce yelled, trying to get up and realising that he was attached to the bed. "LET ME GO, I AM NOT A BEAST!"
"REALLY? YOU COULD HAVE FUCKING FOOLED ME!" Tony yelled, spinning around and glaring at Bruce. "I WATCHED AS YOU TRIED TO CHANGE ON THE FLOOR, BOTH OF YOU SCREAMING IN AGONY AS STEVE HELD TEX AND LOKI AS THEY WATCHED YOU DIE AND COME BACK THREE TIMES BEFORE YOUR HEART GAVE OUT! THREE TIMES! THREE TIMES IT TOOK SHOCKING YOU TO BRING YOU BACK!" He gasped down lung fulls of air, trying desperately to calm down so that he could speak without punching or screaming at Bruce once more.
"Fury is looking at getting you some help, Tex says you just need something to occupy your time... I'm happy to chain you up in a room until you promise not to be a dick head once more. Until then, you can lie there and think about what you did."
"I AM NOT A CHILD!"
Tony snorted and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him to leave Bruce alone to think of what he had done, making sure that JARVIS kept a close eye on him.
Opening night had been one of the best nights of Tex's life, she was even shocked to see that her mother had showed up (though she was horrified to find that Nick Fury was her date). Her smile could not be killed, until she had walked in to the medical area of the tower, her black dress seeming to stand out even more against the white backdrop of everything.
"You are an ass hole." Tex whispered, walking to the bed and letting Bruce go from the restraints, to have him sit up and pull her in to a huge cuddle. They curled up on the bed together, her legs entwined with his as his head rested on her chest, her fingers gently playing with his curls.
"I found a way to stop him..." Bruce whispered, nuzzling against her in fear. "But it nearly killed me, I could have left you and Loki alone, unprotected... Please don't tell me SHIELD knows how to kill me, please!" His hands fisted against the silk of her dress, making Tex pull him closer.
"No, they just know that an experiment went wrong, but you destroyed the paperwork before we could find it..." Tex whispered, closing her eyes as the tears fell down her cheeks. "Why didn't you talk to me, Bruce? You don't have to go through this alone, I'm here Bruce, I'm here and I'm not leaving. Please, let me in."
"I can't." Bruce whispered, staring up at her as her tears fell on to her dress and mingled with his own. "I can't trust myself..."
"Then let me trust you!"
"I'm going back to Cal-"
"No you are not, Bruce. You are staying here and helping me protect Loki!"
"You want someone like me near the child?"
"Yes."
"You are insane."
"That makes both of us, my love."
Bruce huffed and nuzzled back against her, smiling as she pulled the blanket over them, cradling him against her as she closed her eyes and relaxed in to the soft mattress. "I turned in to my father." He mumbled, a sob escaping his lips as he held her even closer.
"You won't be him for long, Bruce. We'll get help, I promise we'll get help..." Tex said, more tears spilling out of her eyes as she clung to him. "We'll be a family, I promise, we'll be a family..."
To the person who found this story and freaked out over how Bruce is. Sorry! I forgot to add that it would be dark!Bruce in the story summery. But you know, Surprise! -sheepish grin-