Behind His Quiet Lies: Part Four
By: Villain's Vindication
"So Pepper dumped me last night," Tony sighed taking up his usual spot on Bruce's bed. "And I know what you would say: 'Tony you and Pepper break up every weekend.' So yeah, okay, that's technically true but this time I think it's different. Now don't give me that look. I am aware that I always say that, but this time I really mean it." Tony smiled softly at his friend, "I'm glad you're such a good listener. I have nearly five hundred numbers in my phone and at least six people living in my house, but somehow... the only one I want to talk to is you."
"He has that effect."
Tony turned to see a petite woman step through the door. "Who are you? A new doctor?"
She chuckled softly, "well I am a doctor but I'm more of the professor sort... I shouldn't be here, but I couldn't stay away any longer." She sat down and took up Bruce's other hand, "I'm Betty, his girlfriend... at least I was. Bruce made his decision long ago that he would suffer his affliction alone." She looked over at Tony suspiciously, "which makes me wonder why you're here."
Tony didn't like this Betty.
It had been nearly a year and only now she visits her definitely ex-boyfriend? And the Hulk was not an "affliction." Tony frowned at her, "I'm his best friend. You know, Ironman? From the Avengers? You might have heard of us. We are the worlds mightiest heroes and all."
Betty's smile didn't reach her eyes, "of course." She brushed her annoyingly perfect fingers over Bruce's hair, "I heard he was attacked by mutants, but that's obviously just a cover. Do you know what happened, mister hero?" Tony glared at her and said nothing, but she didn't seem to notice. "At first I thought it was my father trying to kill him again. But nothing he ever threw at the Hulk ever hurt Robert more than he hurt himself."
"Your father's trying to murder him? Who's Robert?" Tony asked. She looked over at him, clearly exasperated, "best friend, huh? Bruce is his middle name. Robert is his first."
Tony really didn't like this Betty.
She was making him realize just how little he actually knew about Banner. Every inane detail of Tony's life was publicized and analyzed in the tabloids. He had no secrets. But Bruce built his life by twisting words and with quiet lies. His secrets insured his survival, but they also isolated him from the world.
And lost in the darkness of his own mind, the man thought that swallowing a Stark grenade was a good idea.
"He did hurt himself. It wasn't the mutants," Betty nodded. It was just as she had guessed, not that it was hard to figure out when you knew Bruce. Anyone who cared to look could see his struggle. She smiled sadly down at the man she loved. It was also clear to her that she no longer belonged here. "I brought him a gift. Will you give it to him when he wakes up?" She handed a small box with a green bow over to Tony.
"Yeah, I'll be here. I'll give it to him."
She turned and left.
She didn't look back.
Tony looked at the empty doorway for some time trying to figure out what had just happened. "Looks like you just got dumped too Banner. I'll take an extra shot in your honor tonight before I head out to Chile. They had a massive earthquake there yesterday that could use my special brand of elbow grease to fix up."
"Hrrrrn..."
Tony's gaze snapped up to Bruce's face.
Where he met a pair of unnaturally green eyes.
"Uhh... guess they don't give comatose patients pain killers huh?" Tony fell out of his chair, forced back by the transformation.
"Hulk hurt!"
Tony scrambled to his feet as the Hulk broke loose from the leather bonds. His new jaw had been wired shut, but the Hulk pulled the wire free as if it was nothing more than floss. Tony laughed nervously, "so you can talk? Well why didn't you say so before?"
Hulk leaned in and yelled in the Iron-less Man's face. Tony grimaced, apparently his humor wasn't appreciated at the moment. He pulled himself together and gave the Hulk a stern look, "Hulk stop it. I know you hurt, but if you stop trashing around and focus on healing yourself the hurt will go away!"
The Hulk growled softly, glaring at Tony for a moment before making a decision. He sat right down in front of the man, an act the shook the entire hospital. The creature looked at his hands for a moment, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
"Hulk... alive?"
Tony collapsed on the vacated bed in relief, "sure looks that way."
"...and Ironman okay?"
Something warm bloomed in Tony Stark's chest that he didn't want to identify, "yes I'm alright. I have you to thank for that." The Hulk surprised him by smiling a little. He was quiet as he really seemed to take Tony's words to heart and the scientist was amazed as he watched the larger marks of surgery and reconstruction fade from the Hulk's body. Sweat broke out on his brow as the healing took its toll on his weak body.
Alarms were echoing through the hallways and the last thing the Hulk needed was a bunch of doctors attempting to coral him. So Tony had to do his best to convince him, "hey Big Guy, time to change back okay? You're safe here and you need to finish healing. I'll stay with you and make sure you get all the fun drugs."
"Ironman stay?"
Tony smiled softly and rested a hand on one of Hulk's great shoulders, "yeah, Ironman stay." He felt the muscle beneath his palm relax and begin to shrink. He couldn't believe that had actually worked, but it was just as he always thought.
The Hulk was a good guy.
He was no monster.
Tony found himself with a lap full of unconscious scientist.
Naked, unconscious scientist.
Tony blushed but decided to ignore the strangeness of the situation. He pulled the pale man into his arms and held him close. With the threat brought on by the transformation gone, he could finally realize what it all meant.
Bruce had woken up.
He would be alright.
Tony buried his face in the man's hair as a hoard of guards and nurses burst loudly into the room. The floor and walls were cracked and instruments were destroyed, but for whatever reason the Hulk seemed to like him enough to listen. It could have been much worse.
And he was not crying.
He wasn't.
Really.