Thanks for the huge response last chapter! Good to know people are still reading this. Sadly, this will probably be my last update for a while. With a severe spine surgery coming up on Tuesday, I've got quite a bit on my plate, so this chapter is very short. As soon as this is all over, I PROMISE I will try to update as quickly as possible. For now, if you guys want to learn a little more about me, check out my profile, I've updated it quite a bit.
On a happier note, if you are a general fan of Marvel or X-Men, go see X-Men Days of Future Past NOW. It completely blew me away. By far the best in the entire series. I've already seen it 3 times. Trust me, I am already plotting some nice X-Men fanfic to go with all the beautiful emotions the movie supplied. MWAHAHA :3
Warnings/Disclaimer- Bit of history behind Tony. Feels, because I love to fit in as much angst as possible. I, sadly, do not own Marvel.
Chapter 35- Do You Love me IV
Bruce and Tony both turned around when they heard the swish of the lab doors sliding open.
"Patchy, how nice to see you!" Tony said, walking over. Nick Fury had entered the lab where the two scientists were running tests.
"Do I look like I'm in a great mood?" Fury asked, stepping forward.
"I'm not sure why you wouldn't be," Tony said, smirking. "I mean we both came at your command. And we'll be here 'till be get this little alien mystery figured out. What's not to love?"
"I want to know why Agent Barton was shot with one of your weapons in Italy."
"I haven't made anything for years. You know that," Tony said defensively.
"Well, apparently that's not the case," Fury said. "Barton and Romanoff were hunting down an Italian terrorist organization. It wasn't anything serious, but they were starting to gain power and needed to be shut down. Barton was shot with this." Fury pulled a picture out of his coat pocket and handed it to Tony. Tony grabbed the picture, examining the shrapnel.
"This is one of my earlier weapons," Tony said. "I can't think of how they would have gotten their hands on this."
"All that matters is that this is shut down," Fury said. "Another incident like this and the press will be all over it. Find out how they got their hands on your weapons."
"But dad, I don't know if Bruce and I can handle two jobs at once!" Tony whined.
Fury rolled his eye, heading back out towards the door. "Just get it done." The Director walked out of the lab, but Tony was already swiping at a screen. He opened his phone, dialing a number.
"Hey Pep…Yes, I'm behaving. Can you ask J. .I.S. to forward all files on Stark Industries to the Helicarrier?...Yes. As soon as possible….Thanks. Love you too."
Tony shoved his phone back into his pocket, turning his attention back towards the screen. Soon a multitude of electronic files flooded the screen. The engineer grabbed a stool and started sorting through them.
"This is tedious. You know, if Patchy would let me install the hologram system I talked to him about into the Helicarrier, this would be so much easier."
"I don't know," Bruce replied, still peering through a microscope. "I still can't believe Fury allowed a connection between the Helicarrier and J.A.R.V.I.S. That seems like an accomplishment to me."
"I guess so," Tony muttered. "Gotta choose my battles, huh?" Tony looked at Bruce. "Come oneover here and help me. Those samples aren't going to be ready for a while."
"Ok," Bruce said, pulling a stool over to the screen. "What exactly am I looking for?"
"Any shipment orders to Italy would be helpful," Tony said.
Silence ensued as the two men pored over countless files. Bruce pushed his glasses further up on his nose, eyes slightly widening. He knew that Stark Industries had always been a successful company that Tony had run well, but now he realized the full extent of the industry. Tony had sold everything from tiny bullets to massive missiles. Not only was that a huge responsibility on its on, but most of the shipments were worldwide. Bruce held his breath when he came across a file labeled 'Cap Amer.' Glancing at Tony, he opened the file. Handwritten documents popped up, most of them signed by Howard Stark.
"This is amazing," Bruce muttered. Tony looked over, nodding slightly.
"Howard never stopped talking about the program," Tony said. "I think it made him feel like a god, being able to take the weakest of humans, and to turn him into something more. I mean, he was working on hovering cars at a time where cars were barely functional. He told me once that flying cars would only fuel man's desire. But he also said that if you upgrade man, you fuel his humanity. That's all he really wanted. He wanted to be able to have a part in the evolution of man."
"His timing was impeccable," Bruce said. "Nothing appeals more to man than being able to upgrade himself, but to upgrade him during a time of war….Perfect timing," Bruce paused, running his hands through his hair. "So then how did the Stark family go from trying to improve man to building missiles?"
"Funny enough, that's the question no one seems to ask. Howard felt guilty when Steve went down into the ocean. It wasn't just guilt though; it was regret. That shield Steve uses has always been the iconic 'Captain America' icon. That was something else Howard took great pride in- that damned shield. A metal stronger than any ever discovered was definitely an achievement. He felt that his shield wasn't enough to save Cap. So when Howard realized that he might not be finding his supersoldier after all, he expanded on the shield. He spent all night in his little lab, trying to prefect every aspect of the shield, only on the slight whim they would find Steve. Well, eventually the shield led to him working on general defense, which led to offense, and suddenly Stark Industries is making bombs," Tony said, clapping his hands together.
"Have you and Steve ever… talked about all this?" Bruce asked, fiddling with his glasses.
"We talk about it here and there. There isn't a lot to talk about. He loved Howard and I hated him," Tony said, tensing up slightly. Bruce noticed this and subtly moved his stool closer so that their arms were brushing. Being on the team so long had taught Bruce little secrets about all of them- believe it or not, Tony was a sucker for contact, and Bruce had gotten more comfortable with touching people.
"Does hating my dad make me a bad person?" Tony asked quietly, looking down. Bruce had never seen Tony so insecure, and immediately scoffed.
"No," Bruce said reassuringly. "Trust me, it doesn't. And if it does, we'll be going to hell together."
Tony hesitated before speaking. "Steve…Steve said something about how it was wrong to hate your dad. Honestly, I don't think he and I have anything in common."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Bruce said quietly. "Steve is afraid of thunder and fireworks."
Tony looked up. "What?"
"That one night, when he had that huge storm while Thor was up in Asgard, I met him in the training room. He thought I was his friend Buck or Bucky or something. He was having flashbacks."
Bruce ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. He had always liked rain, but the constant thunder shaking the tower was starting to give him a headache. He put down his science journal to grab some tea. Walking to the kitchen, Bruce pulled a mug from the cabinet and filled it with hot water. Another crack of lightning flashed through the dark windows. It was late, and no one else was up. Bruce had always been a night owl- it gave him a chance to think.
The scientist dropped a tea bag into the mug, leaning up against the counter. The lights in the kitchen flickered momentarily before turning back on.
'Thor must really be upset," Bruce muttered, carrying his mug back into the living room. Just as he was exiting the kitchen, Bruce caught a glimpse of Steve's back, heading down the stairs to where the training room was. It was no wonder the soldier couldn't sleep- Bruce wasn't sure how anyone else was.
As soon as he sat down, Bruce could hear the dull thudding of Steve pounding a punching bag. The sound easily mixed with the thunder, but was distinguishable.
Bruce looked back down at the science journal, becoming engrossed in a fascinating article by Hank McCoy involving genetics. Soon time flew, and Bruce rubbed his eyes. He had been here for an hour, and felt sleepily satisfied after reading the article. Just as he stood up to go to bed, he strained his ears. The thunder was still shaking the tower, but he could no longer hear Steve pulverizing a punching bag.
Bruce lightly padded down the stairs. He surely would have noticed if Steve had come up the stairs. Steve, being the hardworking American he was, rarely took breaks while training, so it seemed strange not to hear him.
"Wanna teach me how to throw a perfect punch Cap?" Bruce asked playfully as he rounded the bottom of the stairs. Except he wasn't there. Bruce walked forward until he stopped the man.
Steve was curled up in the corner, his hands over his ears. His knuckles were bloody, the bright red a heavy contrast to his pale white skin. The punching bag had been reduced to sand, which was scattered all over the floor.
Bruce immediately crouched over next to the man, but the supersoldier's eyes were shut so tight he didn't realize the other's presence.
"Steve? Are you alright?" Bruce asked, attempting to pull his bloodied hands away from his ears. Bruce flinched as Steve looked up, grabbing the scientist's arms tightly.
"B-Bucky, no, no, no. You can't be h-here!" Steve said urgently.
Bruce looked at Steve in the eye, confused. Then he realized the man's eyes were almost glassed over. "Steve, I'm not Bucky. It's Bruce. Bruce Banner. Wherever you are right now, you need to wake up."
"Q-quit screwing around Bucky! You al-always fall, and I can't- can't catch you!" Steve said, his voice raising.
A crash of lightning struck, shaking the building. Steve grabbed Bruce, pinning him to the wall. Bruce tried to wrestle himself out of Steve's grip, but failed. "Dammit Bucky, you are n-not getting on that train." Steve yelled, looking up as if seeing bombs flying overhead.
Bruce stopped struggling, wracking his brain on how to wake Steve up. Bruce took a deep breath.
"Captain Rogers!"
Steve continued to keep his grip on Bruce, swinging his head around at imaginary objects .
"Captain Rogers at attention!"
Bruce froze as Steve looked right at him. The man halted, ad his grip on Bruce slackened. He stepped away slowly, refusing to meet the scientist's eyes.
"I am extremely sorry for disrupting your evening Dr. Banner," Steve muttered, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I think I'll head back to my room now. Goodnight."
"I don't think so," Bruce said, gripping Steve's arm. "at least let me fix you up, alright?" Bruce asked, looking down at Steve's hands. The question rang in the air, but it was clear it was an order rather than question.
Steve nodded slightly, following Bruce over to a table. The supersoldier sat down while Bruce went to the cabinet, grabbing a medical kit. He walked back over, not surprised Steve was still refusing to meet his gaze.
Steve's voice was rough and low when he spoke. "So, is this the part where you psycho-analyze me? Pretend to be concerned?"
Bruce chuckled as he opened the box. "Only if you want me to." He stayed silent, waiting for Steve to speak first.
"I didn't put on any tape," Steve said after a couple of minutes, gesturing to his hands with his head. "I should have. I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Did the thunder spook you?" Bruce asked, wrapping white gauze around one strong hand.
Steve didn't speak. Bruce set the gauze down, looking at Steve. "Steve, there's nothing wrong with being afraid of thunder."
"Not what our generals taught us," Steve said quietly. "There were a couple men, after their first battles, that couldn't sleep at night. They used to wake up screaming, and would flinch at loud noises. The generals taught us…they said shellshock was an excuse for cowards who couldn't handle war. Then they would put the scared men in the front lines, just to try to break them in. Most of them died, and the ones that didn't were always scared."
Bruce picked up the gauze. "Well, thank god for medical advances. Shellshock is and was very real. Nowadays it's know as PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."
Steve sighed. "So what? New name, same thing. I'm still afraid of things I shouldn't be."
"Between you and me, I think everyone on the team has it. Even Tony."
"What?" Steve asked, looking up.
"It's said that the will of the mind is stronger than that of the body, but I think…I think most of the time it's the other way around," Bruce said, taping the gauze. "All done."
Steve flexed his fists, smiling at the doctor. "Thanks. I think I'll do some research on that…PDSL?"
"PTSD," Bruce said, cleaning up his medical kit. "I think you might learn something new." He stood up, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Goodnight Captain."
"Goodnight."
Tony froze, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Well…I guess maybe I should lighten up on the guy."
"Might be a good idea," Bruce said. The machine holding the samples started beeping, and Bruce walked over to them. He grabbed a glass slide, placing it into the microscope. The lab was relatively quiet as Tony continued going through slides and Bruce peered through the microscope.
"Found it!" Tony said triumphantly. He looked over when Bruce didn't say anything.
Bruce was still staring through the microscope when he spoke.
"Get Fury in here now. He's gonna want to see this."