Vital Communication Chapter 31
Disclaimer: Still don't own, more's the pity. Would mean I could be on set with our favorite bunch of superhero actors!
Warnings: None, though there's some shenanigans by Team JARVIS.
Tony caught up with Bruce near the elevator. "Hey, you all right?" he asked Bruce, who was practically hunched over and drawn in on himself.
Bruce jerked his head in uneasy agreement. "I just need to get back to work. I'll see you in the lab?" he countered.
"Sure buddy, no problem. I'll be down as soon as Cueball," the epithet carried a bit more venom this time, "is done with us. I'll bring some food with me?" Tony offered. He wasn't usually so gentle, but knew Bruce could stand some TLC after everything. It also worked in his favor, to get closer emotionally.
"That sounds fine, Tony." And Bruce ducked into the elevator, shooting Tony a brief look that the engineer interpreted as pained, with a large hint of longing.
Once the door closed and the car moved off the floor, Tony addressed his AI. "Keep monitoring him, J. We don't need a green incident."
"Of course sir. May I suggest ordering from Level 8? He has a variety of favorites," JARVIS suggested.
"Do that J. Hopefully we'll be done soon," Tony said, frowning as he turned back to the meeting room. He wondered how he could speed things up.
Time passed, as it does. Clint, Natasha, and Steve teamed up to work on the security upgrades to the Tower, especially the Avengers only areas designated by Tony. He worked on the upgrades to the rest of the building, and with Pepper, ferreting out the rest of the disenfranchised employees.
Bruce spent most of his time working out the upgrades to the armor, and working on vetting and hiring a complete medical team. With JARVIS' help, Bruce went through dozens of applicants, all eager for a chance to work with actual superheroes. They checked backgrounds as thoroughly as only the AI could, hacking his way through privacy measures and firewalls with ease. Most were eliminated due to incompatibility in handling 'the weird' that was inherent in the nature of superheroics, as well as those who were inclined towards bragging about their patients when they were famous individuals.
Kent Ashwhite was the first hired, honoring the offer Tony made two months previously to bring him out of SHIELD's grasp in the wake of the disaster surrounding Bruce's rescue. The in person interview was less about seeing if Ashwhite could handle the oddities of the heroes, and more about how he wanted to set up the medical wing.
"Dr. Ashwhite," Bruce welcomed the young man as he stepped off the elevator.
"Ah, thank you Dr. Banner, but not yet," Ashwhite smiled, taking Bruce's offered hand. "Still need some certifications," he demurred. Those certs were coming in, but he preferred not to take the honor until they had.
"Well, you'll still be lead here in our clinic. Shall we take a look?" Bruce indicated the hall before them. He'd decided to meet Kent on the floor that Tony had chosen to house the medical facilities. It wasn't fully furnished but had just enough supplies that Bruce was able to manage the few times Clint, Natasha, and Steve had needed something more than a bandaid after full contact sparring. They'd had no call outs as a team thus far, and hadn't needed more than the occasional ice pack and taped ankle or wrist.
They walked down the wide hall, discussing potential usage for each room they passed. In a temporary office, Kent stood at the floor to ceiling windows.
"It's a fantastic location, Bruce, with lots of potential. Though I'd like to discuss the possibility of a clinic for the rest of the building?" he said, gazing down to the street below.
Bruce sat in a folding chair beside a portable banquet table scattered with first aid detritus from just that morning. "I don't see a problem with that. If you worked solely on us, you'd be bored," Bruce answered with a laugh. Sobering, he gave the idea more thought. "How about a free clinic?" he suggested.
"Possible. It will depend on the support staff we hire. Will Mr. Stark be willing to install one here? I can only assume you'd want to keep the public out of the team areas, including...no especially here," Kent said, turning back to Bruce to check on the reception of the idea.
"I'll talk with Tony. If we can't put one in the Tower, I'm sure we can lease space nearby. What else?" Bruce agreed.
"Better to go over the top than discover you need something during a crisis," Kent said, sitting down in the other folding chair.
Bruce pulled out a tablet and stylus, prepared to take notes on Kent's needs.
Their meeting went another hour before JARVIS interrupted emitting a discreet bleep.. "My apologies, Dr. Banner. Mr. Stark was wondering if you were coming to the workshop this afternoon," the AI said.
"Very diplomatic, J," Bruce said with a chuckle. "Well Kent?" He looked at the medic.
"I'm in," Kent was convinced this was the best option for his career.
"Great. JARVIS, tell Tony 20 min. I need to email Pepper about paperwork." At Ashwhite's confused look, he explained, "She handles all Avengers related paperwork, for now. We're hoping to find someone else, however the background checks required are daunting to most who view it as a glorified secretarial position. Others see it as political capital."
"Makes sense, the team is very high profile, and needs someone who can handle that, and still maintain your privacy," Kent responded knowingly. He gave it some thought, and suggested, "There might be someone from SHIELD I can talk to?"
Bruce's previously open expression closed off at the idea. "The problem is one of trustworthiness. Neither Tony nor I have a lot of faith in SHIELD as an organization. You've proved yourself already," Bruce smiled grimly, "But others?" He shook his head.
"Understood," Kent answered, deflated for the moment.
"Sirs, perhaps I can be of assistance?" JARVIS inserted himself into the conversation.
"Go ahead, JARVIS," Bruce prompted, curious.
"I believe I may be able to run background checks on prospective hires from SHIELD, and perhaps Agents Romanov and Barton can weigh in on trustworthiness. Mr. Stark left the maintenance of system back doors open ot me, and they are still open." JARVIS explained. Bruce considered, and agreed to the proposal. Ashwhite hummed, also considering. It sounded like a solid plan.
"Then we'll get started with that. Mr. Ashwhite, I look forward to your input," JARVIS said, as the two men left the meeting room. As they walked back to the elevator, Bruce had one more offer.
"It'll take a couple of weeks to get the floor set up, so I want to offer to pull together the team's medical records. Take that off your plate while you find your team."
"That helps, thank you Bruce," Ashwhite shook his hand in farewell, and they parted ways.
A few hours later, Bruce was helping Tony rearrange wiring and hydraulic systems in the wire frame mock-ups. Tony was yawning, and rubbing his eyes as the work carried on.
"Hey," Bruce said, reaching over to nudge Tony in the shoulder.
"Huh?" Tony responded, not focused at all. He fumbled a connection, metal springs and a few wires skittering across the tabletop. He had to stop to blink dully at the mess in front of him.
Bruce huffed a tiny sound that might have been a laugh. "Go take a nap. How long have you been up, anyway?" He gently pushed Tony away from the steel table scattered with the detritus of many jobs. Tony stumbled, forcing Bruce to leap to his side to catch him before he fell. "JARVIS?" Bruce asked the AI, while attempting to shuffle the two of them across the concrete expanse of the shop floor. Fortunately, they were still at the mock-up stage of reworking the armor, and none of its pieces were strewn across the path he took to the small alcove that held a deep set couch.
"His blood sugar is a little lower than normal, and it has been 40 hours since he last tried to sleep," JARVIS said in response.
"Dummy, bring me a bottle of juice, please," Bruce called, stirring the bots to life. They'd been relegated to their docking stations when You couldn't keep from bumping Tony's elbow during a bit of fine tuning that had resulted in a test firing of the new boot propulsion system before they were ready. Fortunately, Tony's temper was the only thing that exploded.
Bruce manhandled Tony to the couch, Tony leaning heavily on him, mumbling about finishing the work they'd started. Bruce had to keep forcing Tony to stay seated, when Dummy rolled up, chirping in quiet distress. A bottle of apple juice was trapped in his pincer as he came to a stop at Bruce's side as he squatted in front of Tony.
"Tony, just sit still for a minute. Here," Bruce pushed Tony down into the thick cushions once more, then he managed to take the juice from Dummy, twisting the cap off as he tried to give it to Tony.
"Not thirsty," Tony repeatedly insisted, trying to push Bruce's hand away.
"Humor me, drink," Bruce said, pushing back. Tony sulkily grumped and took the bottle to slug the liquid down. He barely got the lip of the bottle to his mouth before he'd tipped it sideways, some of the amber colored juice running down his chin. He finally got the bottle emptied, and in a fit of pique, threw it across the room, vaguely aiming for a trash receptacle and earning a frown from Bruce.
Tony whined a little more as Bruce took his vitals, "We weren't done yet!"
Bruce thought he sounded all of 6 years old and denied dessert. "It's fine, Tony. It will keep while you get some rest. C'mon, lay down," he said, nudging Tony into a supine position. You brought over a blanket, and held it up for Bruce's attention. "Thank you," he said, taking the fabric from the robot to spread over Tony. "Why aren't you sleeping, Tony? What's going on?" Bruce murmured as the other man grumpily settled, features relaxing out of the stony frown as sleep finally claimed him. Bruce tried to get up and go back to the work bench, only to discover Tony had clamped a hand around one of his knees. Sighing, he realized Tony would have to wake enough to shift to let Bruce settle more comfortably on couch. He reached over to grasp his friend around the shoulders and lifted enough to pivot himself under Tony's head. The other man grumbled, but shifted to accommodate his new pillow.
"JARVIS, please bring the wire frame over here. Looks like I'm not going to be able to leave any time soon," Bruce asked the AI as he settled down.
"Yes sir," JARVIS replied, suiting actions to words, and the blue 3D modeling system flickered to life in front of Bruce, at a smaller scale than above the main work table.
"Dim the lights please, JARVIS, no need to disturb Tony. Tell me though, how has he been sleeping?" Bruce requested, looking over the armor specs to continue making the necessary changes.
"Mr. Stark's sleep patterns have been very disturbed, and very brief. Often he rests for less than 2 hours at a time. His ability to focus has diminished more than 50% since your return from the Mansion. I believe we're fortunate that he hasn't tried to work on any of the more volatile projects he has waiting for him," JARVIS explained, the tones Bruce associated with worry and exasperation prominent in his digital voice print.
"Dammit Tony," Bruce grumbled quietly, daring to put a hand on his shoulder. Tony shifted a little, but did not wake. Bruce gently rubbed his fingers along Tony's upper arm, eliciting a quiet sigh, and half hearted, almost snuggle.
"If I may be bold sir, your sleep patterns have averaged about the same as Mr. Stark's," JARVIS added.
Bruce huffed a laugh, caught out. "You're right, J. The best sleep we both seem to have gotten occurred at the mansion. But, how do you convince two touch starved, but physically and emotionally disconnected individuals to reach past their barriers and take advantage of the support?" he admitted, still ghosting his fingers along Tony's arm. The action raised gooseflesh, but didn't disturb Tony in any way. A jaw cracking yawn caught Bruce by surprise. "Well, guess a nap will do me good. J, try to let Tony sleep as long as he can, all right?" Bruce said, pulling his glass off and settling deeper into the corner of the couch. He was prepared for the inevitable neck contortion, and was pleasantly surprised when one of the bots rolled back up, a pillow clutched in its claw.
"Thank you," Bruce murmured sleepily, taking the thick square of gray fabric and foam and stuffing it under his head.
Once comfortable, he quickly drifted off to sleep. The wire frame blinked out, work saved. Lights throughout the workshop dimmed or went out entirely, plunging the room into a state of near total darkness.
"Gentlemen, we need to make sure our creator and his partner are at their best. Both of you go move Dr. Banner's things," JARVIS instructed the bots. JARVIS rarely made such bold moves, but in the interest of Tony's health, the AI would move mountains. Hulk heard everything, briefly surfacing to check for threats as he did whenever Bruce was attempting to sleep some place different. It had kept them safe more than once. He voiced a grunt in appreciation, that the invisible voice was also trying to meddle to everyone's benefit.
This action confused both men when they finally made their way to their rooms to try for more sleep many hours later. Bruce's door refused to open to his known keycodes, and JARVIS was apologetic, but unmoved about the situation. He did strongly suggest joining Sir upstairs in the penthouse, as Dr Banner would be most welcome, but the first few times, Bruce ended up turning back around and returning to the lab. If JARVIS had known he'd meet such a stubborn man, he'd have planned accordingly. Hulk was no help. He had no reason to take over and could only leave suggestions on the backdrop of Bruce's subconscious. That didn't work fast, or well with the physicist.
Tony had been vociferous at first, trying to deny that he needed any kind of help, until JARVIS 'threw down' the gauntlet of incontrovertible evidence of his vitals between the time he split up with Pepper, when he'd been at the Mansion, and the present situation. Tony folded like a house of cards in the face of his AI's presentation.
Both men dealt with the situation as only they could, by ignoring their burgeoning feelings while getting on with the 'proven science of sleeping in the same bed'. JARVIS would have rolled his eyes, had he had any. Hulk huffed and grumbled from within the mindscape, disappointed in his puny half.
A week later, Bruce worked alongside JARVIS to cobble together medical files on each team member. JARVIS electronically ripped any pertinent files from SHIELD's servers, while Bruce read everything and prepared a summary for Kent Ashwhite. When they discovered the records of Clint's hearing loss, Bruce stopped, reading the file in depth instead of skimming.
He and JARVIS debated asking Clint to come in, except the archer was entirely too reticent about exposing anything like weakness. Bruce therefore felt it was only prudent to flag the information to make sure Ashwhite saw it. He also considered bringing Tony in for a check up, since the man had stubbornly refused any kind of medical help. He was understandably reluctant about anyone handling the arc reactor and its accompanying issues, but Bruce felt better with trying to get Tony to sit for a physical. His file was also marked as high priority for the incoming medical team.
"Dr. Banner?" JARVIS paused his download, interrupting Bruce's notetaking.
"Yes, JARVIS," Bruce answered, his pen coming to a stop on the notebook.
"I have discovered a file that needs your immediate attention," the smooth, inflectionless British voice did nothing to alleviate the sudden jackhammering of Bruce's heart. That particular turn of phrase alerted the Hulk, previously quiescent in the mindscape. The screen before Bruce was wiped, a new file spinning open in place of the information on Tony. Bruce shifted uneasily in his chair, the pen beginning to tap against the half used notebook.
As the document came into focus, Bruce quickly scanned the contents, concern building for the yet unknown patient. "JARVIS, is that?" he asked, voice shaking, pen creaking as his fingers bent the hollow tube of plastic.
"I am afraid so, sir."
"Call the team."
"At once, sir."
AN: And we're finally matching back up with one of the older stories in my set. At this point, and until the next chapter of VC, go read the events of Blackhawk Retirement found here: (link)
Also, some items of that story need to be 'retconned' – I established in Blackhawk that Bruce and Tony were already in a relationship, they obviously aren't (though teetering on the edge). Disregard that from Blackhawk. Vital Communication remains the absolute canon of this series.
In regards to Clint's hearing loss. I barely touched on it in Blackhawk Retirement, and that was a failing on my part. I intend to possibly redo that story, and work on it more, but I'm not sure when that's going to happen. Any comments, concerns, or problems can be directed to the usual places.