Summary

Catching a cold is a minor annoyance; after all it isn't life threatening in anyway. Unless your name is Tony Stark; then you have something to worry about.

Authors Note

The wait is over! Sorry for the slow update, I didn't want to post this chapter until I was completely happy with it. I really cant thank you all enough for the positive feedback. Every review, follow and fav is a real motivator for me to keep writing. Anyway, enjoy : )

Fragility

Chapter 3

Bruce Banner was thoroughly confused when he awoke in the early hours of the morning to the sound of a loud voice frantically calling his name. With a pitiful groan he lifted his head slowly from the soft pillow cushioning his head with a pitiful groan and rubbed his tired eyes before squinting around the room in confusion. He fumbled a hand around his bedside table in the dark, when he found them he put on his glasses clumsily, sliding them up his nose before glancing at the bright red numbers on the digital clock just inches away from his face.

4:05 AM.

'Dr Banner.'

Bruce was only remotely surprised when he realized that it was Jarvis's familiar voice that had been addressing him. He couldn't help but glance at the clock a second time through weary eyes just to check that he wasn't dreaming. Who on earth could want him at such an ungodly hour? The physicist had enough trouble sleeping most nights as it was. Typical, the one night he had managed to fall asleep peacefully without any difficulty and he had been disturbed from his calm slumber.

'Dr Banner, I must insist you awaken,' the AI's voice echoed in the silent room.

The scientist desperately fought the urge to bury himself deeper into the warm covers, he hoped that it wasn't another late night call from S.H.I.E.L.D asking the team to group together and save the world. A hulk out was the last thing he needed to add to his weary state.

'I'm awake...' he mumbled, rubbing his face he let out a loud yawn. If it was Tony waking him to ask for his help on another one of his projects then the doctor was certain that he would have to make a quick trip to the hulk out room.

'Doctor, Mr Stark appears to be in distress and requires urgent attention.'

Now that definitely caught the doctor's interest.

'W-what?!'

Bruce quickly sprung from his bed, clumsily detangling himself from the white bed sheets that were wrapped around his legs and threw on the nearest shirt he could find before pacing out the room, tightening his lose fitting pyjama pants as he went.

'Where is he?' Bruce asked as he stumbled into the elevator hurriedly.

'Sir is still currently residing in the entertainment suite,' Jarvis answered, 'and has been so for over five hours.'

'What's wrong? Did he have an accident?' the scientists mind became clouded with worry.

'According to my sensors Sir's heart rate appears to be extremely elevated, and has been so for approximately 6 minutes.'

'Shit,' he swore under his breath, by now he was wide awake and extremely fidget. Everything seemed to so go in slow motion, the doors were closing too slowly for his liking.

When the doors finally slid open he staggered forwards on bare feet until he spotted Tony sprawled clumsily across the end of couch, right in the same spot he had been left hours earlier.

'Tony!'

The man didn't make any move to acknowledge Bruce's presence when the doctor called his name. Stark was hunched forward in his seat, one hand gripped the arm of the couch tightly in a weak attempt to hold himself upright whilst his other hand clawed at his chest frantically. The physicist couldn't help but be alarmed at the distressed chocking noise coming from his friend's throat.

'Tony?' Even as he crouched down beside him his lab partner didn't react, his eyes remained glazed over and unfocused, he looked as if he were in a haze, his mind a million miles away. It was only when Banner rested a hand on his shoulder that he made a move.

The playboy jumped suddenly and began shuddering violently before scrambling backwards as far as the back of the couch would allow him. The way his eyes flickered in fear made the scientists gut tighten, he couldn't but feel uneasy at his friends expression, he looked as if he were in pain.

'Tony? Hey it's me,' he extended in mild reluctance, slowly reaching out and gently resting a hand on Stark's arm.

'Tony what's wrong?'

The billionaire looked up; his eyes sparkled momentarily in recognition when they landed on Bruce's face for a brief moment before he looked away and carried on panting and heaving.

'B-bru-' he only managed to garble a few syllables before wheezing again.

'Jarvis wake the others,' Bruce ordered.

'I have already done so Doctor Banner.

'Tony I need you to tell me what's-'

'What's going on?' a sharp voice called out from across the room, three other figures stumbled into sight, followed by Steve, all were wearing various nightwear looking tired and disheveled.

'I need one of you to grab my kit bag,' the doctor ordered before turning his concentration back to his suffering friend.

'Tony I need you to tell me what's wrong,' he spoke slowly, with a serious look of concern etched across his face as he watched Tony's chest rise and fall wildly.

'I - I can't-,' he gasped, a small whimper of panic escaped his throat as he heaved heavily.

'What the hell is-' the archer froze mid-sentence as he and the others caught sight of their winded team mate.

'Bruce what's going o-'

'I need my bag now!' Bruce snapped interrupting Clint.

Without another word Romanoff sprinted from the room in the direction of Bruce's lab, taking the stairs instead of the elevator; leaving the rest of the team to look on in wild confusion.

'Tony you're panicking I need you to calm down,' the physicist spoke loudly and clearly, his brows furrowed in concern when he saw how badly his friends hands were shaking.

'I can't- I can't breathe' the mechanic spluttered breathlessly, he closed his eyes as he felt his head spinning, only to open them again when he felt warm fingers touching his face.

'Hey, look at me,' Bruce tapped the side of Tony's cheek to gain his attention, the billionaire blinked up at him wearily.

'Listen, I need you to breath slowly,'

The doctor took a deep, slow exaggerated breath and nodded at Tony, urging him to follow his steady breathing pattern.

'Come on, in,-'he inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly '-and out.'

The philanthropist took a few more strangled breaths before taking a shuddering cough until finally his breathing evened out.

'Doctor, why is it that friend Stark is in such distress?' Thor's deep voice echoed loudly.

Bruce said nothing; he shifted on his knees and winced internally at the sight of the mechanics unusually pale complexion. Natasha returned breathing heavily, carrying a small, worn looking bag in her arms, she dropped it to the floor next to Banner before taking a step back to give the man some well needed room.

Tony Stark was in a confused daze.

Everything seemed a complete blur. One moment he had awoken alone, in a complete panic unable to breath; the next thing he knew there was a pair of hands touching him. He jumped in shock, but felt complete relief when he heard a familiar soothing voice.

'Tony? Hey it's me,'

It was Bruce.

This time when he felt a gentle touch on his arm he didn't shy away from it.

'Tony what's wrong?'

He turned his head to face the physicist only to quickly shut his eyes when dizziness swept over him. He opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out, it felt like they were stuck in his throat. The tightness in his chest made it difficult to produce more than a short whining noise before he began choking again.

'B-bru-'

Stark felt like he was being strangled and suffocated.

Every time his breathing hitched he screwed up his face in pain. He could feel the arc reactor sitting heavily in his chest, touching his lungs every time he coughed. The sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs made it difficult to breathe, it felt like he was a fish out of water, drowning on air.

The billionaire could see Bruce's mouth moving but the words weren't reaching his ears. He was too enveloped in fear, the only sound he could hear was his own franic heartbeat.

'I - I can't-,' he panted, struggling for breath, another whimper escaped his sore throat.

Tony couldn't stop the tremors and shakes raking through his body. His hands were shaking so hard he couldn't control them at all. He was so absorbed in the anxiety that enveloped him that he jumped in surprise when he felt a sudden tap to his cheek.

'Hey, Relax, I've got you.'

It took all of Tony's focus to copy Bruce's slow breaths and after what seemed like a long life time his breathing evened out. He collapsed against the back of the couch heavily in exhaustion, panting as if he'd just run a marathon. He was breathing but he could still feel a heaviness pushing the air from his lungs. Bruce's hand rested against his forehead and it was only when he tried to push it away he realized he was still shaking.

How pathetic he mused as he slowly regained his wits.

When he looked up briefly he noticed he was surrounded by figures.

Great, he thought as he continued wheeze forcefully. The famous Tony Stark was reduced to a pitiful, winded, shaking bag of nerves; and there was an audience there to see it.

He could hear quiet, hushed voices and Stark forced himself from his daze to listen.

'-he doesn't look so good.'

'H-he is r-right here,' he muttered breathlessly.

'No talking, just keep breathing.'

Tony might have laughed at Bruce's stern expression if it didn't feel like all the air had been punched from his lungs. The playboy took in anther shaky breath before he was plagued by another fit of coughs.

He was vaguely aware of a glass being pressed against his lips; he took a small sip of water before leaning back against the cool leather behind him and closing his tired eyes.

'Tony? Tony!'

He didn't answer the frantic voice calling his name, he was too exhausted. Instead he allowed himself to be drawn into the darkness and into the welcoming arms of sleep.

Bruce Banner frowned as he rested the back of his hand against his friends forehead, he grimaced at the tense heat he could feel radiating from him, Stark was definitely far too warm. He needed to bring his temperature down, and quickly.

'He could use some water and ice,'

Steve left quickly, leaving Clint, Natasha and Thor surrounding the two, looking weary and unsure of their next move.

The super soldier returned soon after with a glass of cold water, Natasha pressed the cup to Stark's lips whilst Bruce rummaged around in his bag for a thermometer; he placed the instrument gently into one of his ears. Tony took a small sip of liquid before pushing the glass away lazily and closing his eyes tiredly.

Every breath he took was painfully audible but Bruce wasn't concerned until the mechanic turned unusually still. He barely noticed the change until he looked up when the thermometer beeped.

103.9°F

'Tony?'

He nudged his shoulder gently but the man remained still, his head lolled uselessly against his shoulder.

'Crap!'

The group's eyes widened when Bruce swore.

'He can't stay here, we need to move him.'

Steve and Thor stepped forward and carefully lifted the man around their shoulders effortlessly.

'I'm calling Pepper, she should know about this,' Romanoff turned to leave but stopped when Jarvis's voice echoed throughout the room.

'I have already tried to connect to Miss Potts, Agent Romanoff and I'm afraid she is currently unavailable at present.'

'You should speak to Fury,' Steve called as he and Thor stepped into the lift. 'Let him know whats going on, If Stark's sick there's a good chance he caught it from someone at Shield.'

'We'll be as quick as we can.' Clint nodded as the doors closed; he followed closely after Natasha, leaving the super soldier and demi god supporting Tony's limp form in the small enclosed space. The three men became painfully aware of each breath Tony took, the silence in the small space made every noise seem twice as loud.

'Jarvis take us up to Tony's apartment,' Banner ordered, glancing at the still billionaire out of the corner of his eye, his breathing was still considerably labored.

'I have altered the thermostat in Sir's room to accommodate his current temperature rise.'

'What are his stats like?' the doctor questioned the AI as the men stepped out into Tony's large suite.

Despite their rushed pace, the three couldn't help but gawp slightly at the size of the bedroom, no-one but Pepper and Tony had entered here until now. The few small abstract paintings on the walls definitely belonged to Pepper. The cream colored walls and sleek designed furniture only succeeded in making the room look even bigger and elegant, but tastefully so. The room was undoubtedly Stark's, the holographic clock on the bedside table and huge television on one wall proved that.

'Sir appears to be suffering from a high temperature rise and elevated pulse, my system does not seem to be able to determine the exact cause, however it is likely that these symptoms are caused by a virus of some description.' The AI's voice quickly brought them back to reality, now was no time to admire the decor of Tony's room.

'Keep me updated if his temperature changes,'

Bruce dropped his worn bag down next to the bed and threw back the soft, plump duvet to give Thor and Steve space to lower him down.

'Amazing,' Thor glanced up at the ceiling in wonder, even after staying at the tower on and off he could still never get used to the presence of an AI.

'It seems like Jarvis knows everything,' Steve sounded both impressed and curious at the Jarvis's intelligence.

'Jarvis can measure Tony's vitals through the arc reactor,' the doctor mumbled as he pulled out a stethoscope and rubbed it against his jacket before pressing it to Tony's chest. The sharp whistling noise that greeted his ears was a cause for concern.

'I fear we may not be of much use to Friend Stark at this time,' the god of thunder stared down at the philanthropists unhealthy looking form solemnly.

'Is there anything we can do to help Doctor Banner?' Steve asked, his face showing grave concern.

Bruce pulled his glasses from face and stuck them into his pocket carelessly as he began to take Tony's pulse from his wrist.

'We can't really do much until we hear back from S.H.I.E.L.D,' he sighed as he stepped away from the bed. 'He needs proper medical care and a proper doctor; I'm not even fully qualified.'

'Do not underestimate yourself friend Banner,' Thor looked up at the physicist with a smile. 'I'm sure you are more suited to care for him than anyone.'

'I'm not that kind of Doctor.'

'What do you think it could be?' the super solider asked inquisitively, growing more concerned by the minute at the horrible sound coming from Tony's chest.

'It could be anything,' Bruce closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he had an oncoming headache. 'Bronchitis, pleurisy, the list is endless; and the reactor makes things even more complicated.'

'You think it could be the reactor?' Steve probed, turning his attention to the blue light radiating from the billionaires shirt.

'Not the reactor itself, maybe something caused by it long term, but it's impossible to tell without any medical equipment,' the doctor continued to rub his head. '- And I don't really know anything about the reactor at all; Tony never really talks about it.'

Bruce disappeared across the room and into the en-suite bathroom for a moment before returning with a damp cloth in one hand, he handed it to Thor.

'We need to keep his temperature down,' the physicist explained, the god took it wordlessly before taking a step forward and resting the cloth on Tony's sweating forehead. He groaned quietly at the contact and furrowed his brows but he remained in a comatose state.

'Steve, I'm going to make a list, I need you to grab a few things from the pharmacy.'

The super solider nodded, looking eager to be of some use.

'What about you?'

The scientist looked back to his lab partners still form resting on the over sized bed beside them before he walked out of the room with the solider.

'I need to make a phone call.'