A/N: An update for I LOVE HULK (Guest) because she requested another update for the weekend. (I know that its easier to catch up on reading updates on the weekends, so this is for you busy readers, too) also the reviews I got for the last chapter were AWESOME! Ambitiously, my goal is a hundred reviews by the end of this story. I hope you'll help me reach that goal. Thanks so much!
Bruce blinked in surprise. Had Tony just called for Steve? He swallowed hard as Tony went still again, lines ceasing on his face as he relaxed. He continued to hold his shoulders until he was sure it was over, and when he released his grip, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
He reached down and picked up the phone. "He's okay."
"He...he just called for me."
The hopeful wonder in Steve's voice made Bruce's heart pang. He wished he could explain to Steve that it was only Tony's subconscious memories causing that, and not his feelings, but he didn't. "He's definitely remembering things."
"I knew it. I could tell before we left there was a lot of signs, you know? It made me so mad that we had to leave right when Tony's getting better. At this rate, he could be back to normal earlier than we thought." Steve reminded Bruce of an excited child now.
"Maybe," he agreed faintly. "Let's hope."
Honestly, though, he had a dreadful feeling it wouldn't be as easy as that.
For the first time in a while, Steve smiled, just slightly. The thought of Tony getting better was just extremely exciting to him. Sure, he was only remembering small stuff right now, but surely that would improve. "Let me know if anything comes up, okay?"
"I will. I'll call you," Bruce nodded, knowing all to well that Steve was probably getting his hopes built up for something that possibly wouldn't happen. "Get home safely."
"Will do," Steve nodded before he hung up, sighing softly as his hands fell to his lap.
"What's up? You sounded a little worried." Clint peeked his head around. "Tony okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine. He had a nightmare." he told him. "Did you know he's remembering things?"
Clint shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know, I had my guesses. Little things. Why, did he admit it?"
"No, but Bruce and I are positive that some things are coming back. Like how he called for me when he was having the nightmare, and calling me nicknames from before..." Steve explained.
"Oh," Clint nodded, then added reluctantly, "Erm, I'm no expert, but aren't you just a bit scared that he's going to keep denying it altogether? Like, even if you remember something, I wonder if the emotions you felt come with it?"
Steve hadn't really thought a lot about that. He figured that that was the case. It felt all too complicated for him; what was Tony going to feel as the memories come? What did Steve even expect? That Tony would remember their times together and just...feel the love as he did before? He bit his lip before shaking his head. "He will. Tony'll remember all of us, and it'll be fine."
Clint didn't looked convinced. "Okay."
Steve chewed on his lower lip, trying to convince himself that everything truly would be fine, and that Tony would remember everything and it'd all be normal again.
Clint sighed softly, before deciding to change the subject. "So," he said and then promptly realized he didn't know what to change the subject to. Whoops. So much for that, he thought.
"You think he'll be okay, right?" Steve said abruptly. "Right?"
"Um," Clint blinked. "Right. Yeah. Tony will.. be fine."
Steve didn't seem to hear, lost in his thoughts. "What happens if he won't? What do you think will happen?"
"I..." God, what he gotten himself into? He wasn't good at these things, and Natasha made sure to remind him. He wished, not for the first time and certainly not the last, that he'd just kept his big mouth shut. "I really have no idea."
"I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't get better." Steve whispers softly, looking at the ground from his chair. "I couldn't take it."
Clint frowned. "Hey. Listen up, buddy. If Tony doesn't get better, yeah, it'll suck. It's going to suck for a while. But you'll still have us, even if its not all the same. On the contrary, we don't know what's going to happen, so we might as well keep it together and take it day by day, got it?"
"Yeah," the captain said miserably.
"You really think moping is going to help?"
"Clint, just...shut up, okay?" Steve glared at him suddenly. Clint, exasperated at the change in mood, threw his hands up in mock surrender.
"Aye, aye, Captain."
There was a pause, and then Steve let out a small sigh. "Sorry…" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that."
"It's alright," the archer replied easily. "I get that you're all stressed out and whatnot. You've got reason to be."
"Yeah."
"Hell yeah is more like it, really," Clint shrugged, throwing a glance in Steve's direction. "Anyways, you know what would help you feel better? A big, nice cheeseburger. I betcha it would. We'll stop on the way back to get-"
Steve shook his head. "Don't really want one," he mumbled. "Sorry."
"Right. Well." Nevermind, then.
The 8 hour transport lasted into the night, and Clint and Steve kept silent the rest of the way. Clint fiddled with his arrows, then when he got bored with that he sat up in the cockpit with the pilot, longing to pilot himself. Steve knew he loved the feeling of flying, even if he did get a little sick to his stomach if he ever gets lifted by Iron Man to a perch.
Steve, personally, hated flying. He had reason to. After all, it'd been a plane that had crashed into the ice that froze him for nearly 70 years. So yeah, airplanes? Not really his thing anymore. He's gotten used to it, but the edge was still there. Tony of all of them loved flying the best. And not in an airplane. The super sonic speeds of his suit made him disregard the military planes, having claimed they were way too slow. Which, compared to his suit, it was...
Steve drifted off dreaming about Tony flying.
The next thing he was aware of was Clint shaking him.
"Cap," the archer was saying, nudging his arm. He was looking at him expectantly, almost with an expression that said, 'I will slap you if I have to.'
"Rise and shine. Time to exit the aircraft."
Steve blinked, looking around for a second. He'd just been dreaming about Tony and was a bit disappointed to be awakened from that. However, when he realized what Clint was saying, he bolted from his seat with every intention to hurry up and get the heck off this thing.
"Jesus Christ..." Everything hurt. And it was bright in the room. Way too bright.
"Morning, sleeping beauty."
He recognized Bruce's voice and he started a bit, taken off guard by the man sitting beside the bed, and still being a little shaken from his dreams. "Uh.." he tried to sit up, but quickly realized that wasn't a good idea. "Have I been out for a while?"
"Yeah."
"Right.." he groaned, rubbing his ponding head. "I need more meds."
He half expected to be denied so when Bruce handed him two red pills and a plastic cup filled with water he took it gratefully. "Still no blue? You're breaking my heart, Banner."
"Yeah, well, we'll have to have some trust exercises. How does that sound?" Bruce said drolly.
"I'm serious, I admire you intense sarcasm. Its very heartfelt. I could learn something from you."
Bruce rolled his eyes as Tony tried to get off the bed and failing pathetically. "Aren't you cute?"
"You aren't a very nice doctor." Tony muttered, stuffing his face into his pillow as waves of pain ran through his body.
"Well-"
"I need to rest. I know, I know." he growled. He heard Bruce talking about how Steve was on his way from the airlift and would be back in a few minutes, but he ignored it and squinted through the light. "JARVIS, can you dim the lights, please?"
The AI did, and Bruce sighed. Tony could practically feel the annoyance radiating off the doctor. Shrugging, he picked up a tablet that lay on the bedside table and fiddled with an abandoned document that had been left behind from "before the accident" Tony. Could he just say "before" Tony? Although that wouldn't make a lot of sense since he was past Tony. Thinking about that logic made his head hurt more than it did already. Bruce didn't say anything, just fiddled with his phone.
Then he heard the door to the Tony and Steve's floor open.
Steve practically flew into the bedroom, still in his uniform, his eyes wide. When he saw Tony in the bed he relaxed just slightly and walked over, shooting a glance to Bruce that said thank you. He was so glad the doctor had been able to come back and watch over Tony. "Hey." He managed a smile and looked at his husband, eyebrows raised as he tried his best to seem cheerful. "How are you feeling?"
"Shitty," Tony mumbled, looking away as Steve walked closer. It wasn't that he was annoyed about him being back… he just didn't want to deal with the constant worry and hovering that came with Steve. It nearly drove him crazy. "Saved the world and all that?"
"Something like that," Steve mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Do you need anything?" He looked down at Tony with a look of concern, wanting to make sure the man was comfortable. He simply couldn't help it- he wanted to be sure he was alright.
Ah, so there was the hovering. Already, Tony thought. It was going to be a long day.
A/N: Thanks for reading and review please!
