Vital Communication Chapter 32
Disclaimer: Same song, 85th verse (or something...)
Warnings: Discussion of triggers, their validity (even to the triggered), and their consequences. Romance in the air!
AN: We have finally caught back up to Blackhawk Retirement, this chapter coincides with chapter 4 of that story. BTW, it took this long to make sure I had the timeline right! That was a headache and a half (and I know from headaches). Enjoy!
The team was still reeling a week later with the fallout surrounding Phil, Director Fury, and the whole misbegotten event. Maria Hill called Phil, explaining that aside from the initial lie, she'd had no idea he'd truly survived, if only because of the extent of the injuries.
Hat in hand, Jasper Sitwell had come calling one afternoon, to express his sorrow that he'd even inadvertently been a part of the cover up. While he didn't mind playing the patsy, Jasper vastly preferred warning of what he might stumble into. Having Clint and Natasha angry at him was not something he thought he could survive.
With his lions to protect him solely on the powers of their glares, Phil laughed and dismissed the issue. Tasha and Clint relaxed, but only in so far as one of them always remained in the room, with eyes on Jasper's every move. It would unnerve lesser people, and served to remind the agent just how close SHIELD had come to potential obliteration, simply because these two assassins, and the rest of their team, were upset over Phil and his perceived loss.
Jasper had also brought the trio much anticipated information on the girl that had tried to complete the job of ending Phil's life. Turned out, the girl was a sleeper agent, handled by the World Security Council to 'deal with potential rogue elements' in the groups they oversaw. As distasteful as it was, the agents knew that final solutions were often the only answer they would get in some situations. Clint, Tasha, and Phil knew intimately about finding other options.
Nominally forgiven, Jasper left the trio when it was time for Phil's daily therapy. While the nannites had repaired the physical damage, they could not rebuild the muscle strength he needed to be a field agent. Today was Tasha's day to accompany him, as Clint had his own therapy to attend to in a short time.
Phil and Natasha ran into Bruce in the elevator.
"Doc," Natasha offered in greeting with a small smile when the doors opened.
"Doctor Banner," Phil added as the pair got on the car at their floor.
"Bruce, please, both of you. How are you?" Bruce smiled warmly from the back of the elevator. He carried a thick folder under one arm, and a steaming mug of tea in the opposite hand.
"Phil, then," the agent said, with a smile of his own. "Doing all right for someone headed to their thrice weekly torture session." The elevator moved once everyone was safely inside.
The flinch was minute, but there. The mug in Bruce's hand wobbling just enough to slosh liquid over one edge of the hand thrown, blue and gray pottery. Natasha immediately stiffened beside Phil, who quickly realized what he'd alluded to.
"My God, I'm sorry Bruce!" he hastened to explain, a slight flush overtaking his face, eyes going wide in his embarrassment.
"It's all right Phil. Yes it bothers me, but we can't just creep around the issue," Bruce allowed with a deep shrug, and almost negligent sip of his tea. He didn't fool either agent.
"No, that's not necessarily how it works, Bruce," Natasha said, relaxing her stance now that the hazard of a 'green incident' was immediately past. "You asked us to respect the things that could trigger the Hulk. It only makes sense to add in this recent event, even if it doesn't call upon his attention."
Phil readily agreed, just as the elevator came to a stop at the first of the lab floors.
"All right. Remember we do need to have that team meeting if Phil is up to it," Bruce reminded Natasha as he disembarked.
She nodded as the doors closed behind him.
"Meeting?" Phil asked pointedly once the elevator started moving again.
"Confab to get you up to speed on the other things you missed," Natasha didn't elaborate. She rarely needed to as her partners were in singular tune with her. Phil accepted the lack of details as he got his mind centered for the therapy he was going to endure.
He thought over the recent conversation, and while it sometimes felt like he was enduring more than he had to, the use of a triggering word in front of a survivor was in bad taste. He'd been specifically warned about what had occurred nearly three months ago, and still had nearly caused an incident. He sighed, Natasha glancing at him briefly to confirm he was okay, before they went into the medical wing's gym. Phil just shook his head and got to work. There was no easy answer for what happened, he just had to be more aware from then on.
At one point over the course of the next hour, Natasha asked, "Do you think Clint will take Stark and the Doc up on the nannite treatment?" She had moved closer to where Phil worked on a weight machine set up for stretching his arms and shoulders.
"Maybe. He's still waiting on my recovery," Phil allowed, pausing for a moment to reach out and touch Tasha briefly on the cheek. She smiled, and leaned into the touch before gently pushing him to get back to work. Phil returned the smile and nodded, focusing on his workout again.
The team gathered for dinner that night and it was a grand, jovial affair with Thor still present. When pressed for why he'd not returned to Asgard, he cited an agreement made with his father. He explained that the agreement allowed Thor to spend about half his time on Asgard, and half his time on Midgard, recording what had changed in the intervening thousand or so years since the last time Asgardians had interacted with human kind.
This required him to travel, and Tony had gifted him with a jet to help make transitions through nations easier than his normal mode of transportation. The entourage that now accompanied him had originally been a mix of PR people from Stark Industries, and security personnel from SHIELD. With the Avengers having broken away from SHIELD, Pepper had turned around and changed the entourage completely to SI employees, without having to argue the benefit as Maria Hill had to get Thor to accept them in the first place. They maintained that the security forces were trained to spot all manner of Earth dangers, and the PR people were adroitly skilled in managing high profile individuals who were keen on remaining accessible to all.
Over grilled salmon steaks, Thor regaled the team of exploits he had in other realms, glossing over the fighting in deference to Pepper, and focusing on the feasts and pranks between his friends and describing the palaces and villages.
Steve shared lighter moments of his time with the Commandos, much to Phil's delight. And he'd shared that he had been working on the plan to get Bruce's pardon in between press junkets he attended for the continuing rebuild of New York. While Steve hated being a show pony, he admitted that aside from Tony, he was the best person for this job. And unlike Tony, wouldn't deliberately or inadvertently piss off the press corps, unless given a sufficient reason. So far, the press had been very well behaved, somehow sensing that Steve would not appreciate any deviation from discussing anything other than the reconstruction.
After dinner, Tony offered drinks in the lounge, where the team moved for comfort, to continue discussing how things had changed in the last 3 months since getting Phil back, and over all how the team had been dealing since the battle with the Chitauri.
Phil thought his team had done well for themselves in the intervening months, even with the trials of Bruce's kidnapping and the potential military espionage that Tony was still dealing with.
"This is all well and good, but how are we going to move forward?" Steve asked, spinning the bottle of craft beer in his hand. They had all spent time dissecting the decision to cut ties with SHIELD, as they realized that moment had come in a heightened emotional phase for the team. Tony was adamant about finalizing the action, having an awakened sense of betrayal that he was having significant issues with.
"What do you mean, Steve?" Natasha asked for clarification, one slim eyebrow arched in query. She held the narrow stem of a martini glass in her left hand, while her right carded through Clint's short hair. The archer relaxed beside her, head in her lap.
"How will we figure out where we're needed? Seems like listening to the police band radio is a waste of time. Plus, what if we're needed on an international level?" he threw out, these questions were ones he'd been unable to find answers for, in the short time since Phil had been back.
Phil thought he had a point, and said so. "We can let SHIELD inform us of hot spots," he suggested in turn, from Natasha's side on the leather couch.
"You'd still trust them after?" Tony stated from his seat in front of the bar, frowning into his scotch. It was his fifth since dinner started, and Bruce and Pepper shared concerned glances with each other. Bruce was set to install himself as bartender if Tony tried to make another, and hopefully stop him.
"All of SHIELD is not to blame for Fury's decision. I believe it was a misguided attempt to protect both me, and the rest of you," Phil explained, pausing to swallow some iced tea. He still wasn't allowed alcohol.
"And you know this how?" Tony growled. Bruce leaned over from his corner of another couch and touched him on the arm, briefly distracting him. Natasha caught the gentle maneuver, and briefly touched Clint's shoulder to get his attention. When they looked at each other, they confirmed with simple facial movements that this was a new thing for them.
"Many years of friendship," Phil allowed. "Look, Nick Fury is many things, but a heartless bastard he's not. In all the years I've worked under him, the idea that any agent is expendable is the last thing from his mind."
"He's right," Clint said with a negligent shrug as he sat up from Natasha's lap. "And it is SHIELD's job to figure out when cannons are needed to swat the flies," he waved one hand lazily at the gathered heroes. "Or if just a regular bug zapper will work."
"Weird analogy, but Clint has a point. SHIELD, like the CIA and FBI, have trained analysts who know what to look for when it comes to spotting trouble," Phil explained, "This is not something we want to contract out from Stark Industries. The headaches from the government are not worth it."
Pepper absently nodded from the armchair she'd claimed. She had enough to deal with, as holdovers from when SI still made weapons.
Tony lifted his nearly empty glass in salute, conceding the point, "Okay, point taken. No need to drum up more aggravation, much less waste time in front of useless bureaucratic committees."
Bruce wasn't sure working with SHIELD again was the right answer, no matter if it was just a small portion, or the whole organization. "Surely JARVIS is capable of modeling trends in a similar fashion?" he offered, hesitating. He was uncomfortable with the idea of an overwatch group for the team.
"Fuck yes," Tony exclaimed, nearly coming out of his chair, "With half his processing power tied behind his figurative back." He practically slammed his glass to the bar top.
Bruce sighed, a barely audible sound, before standing up from the couch. "I need some tea," he said, stepping over the corner of the narrow coffee table to extract himself from the huddle. He went to the back of the bar, knowing Tony had stocked it with a few of his favorites, and an electric kettle. "Anyone else?" he asked over his shoulder. Thor, Phil and Clint asked for refills. Bruce played bartender, letting the conversation wash over him. At least, until he heard his name.
"Steve, you said there was a good chance for a pardon for Bruce?" Phil changed the thread of conversation again. They wouldn't come to an agreement about SHIELD in one night. However, he was already considering options.
Bruce brought over the drinks, and tried to retreat to the bar, but Tony reached out and captured his left hand, and looked up into his face. Bruce tried not to get lost in those brown eyes, but sometimes, it felt like he was drowning. And he was sure he didn't want to be saved.
Tony broke the moment by rising and offering to get his tea once the kettle 'popped'. "You need to pay attention to this," he said in an undertone, tugging on the man's hand to get Bruce to sit. Reluctantly, Bruce traded places, allowing Tony to bring back a perfectly brewed mug of green tea. Bruce took the first sip, blowing out a tense breath as he did so.
"You've learned," he said, pleased that Tony cared enough to bother.
"I can be taught," Tony replied, stoic for a moment. "By the right teacher," he then leered, ruining the moment. Bruce huffed a laugh, shaking his head.
Steve had jumped up out of his seat, going to the kitchen where dessert waited on delivery to the others. When he returned, he bore a tray piled up with cookies in hand to pass around, and answered Phil's question. "Yes, there's a very good chance. Better if we can bring Ross in." He started the tray with Thor, then sat back down in the armchair he'd been occupying.
"That will be hard, if not impossible, if anyone in the Army is still protecting him," Bruce muttered into his mug. Feeling too stressed with the new path the discussion had taken, he hadn't taken any cookies. He hadn't even realized he'd begun to tremble.
Tony finished the one morsel he had snatched from the plate, and moved his now empty hand to Bruce's knee, partially to support him, and partially to keep him in the room. He'd noticed the faint trembling, and was silently angry at the fear that still lingered within Bruce about this bastard, Ross.
"Are Bruce's chances better or worse with Ross?", Pepper asked, a slight frown on her face. She was contemplating legal recourse that she might have Stark Industries lawyers to bring to bear.
"Well, as I said, better if we can find him. Ross's crusade to capture Bruce and essentially, I'm sorry Bruce," the scientist barely heard Steve, who looked at Tony, who squeezed Bruce's knee in silent support. Steve continued, "Essentially torture him trying to figure out a way to reproduce the Hulk."
"Tried, can't do it," Bruce whispered. He'd finally put down the mug, as now the shakes were very visible in his hands. Bruce tried flexing them in an attempt to stop it.
"I have been assured that no one wants Ross as a loose cannon anymore," Steve responded earnestly. It was important to him that this man be brought to justice. Steve thought that while bending the rules could be of overall benefit, a loose cannon was no good to any piece of the military, as Steve knew well.
"That could be a project for us," Clint interjected, waving a hand to indicate himself, Nat, and Phil. "The security upgrades for the Tower are finished, and we tracked down the visitors from months ago. They took nothing, and all the contacted employees have been fired as per their contracts."
Tony instantly relaxed with that news. Neither he nor JARVIS had discovered anything missing, but it was nice to have independent corroboration. "Excellent news," he breathed, boneless beside a still quivering Bruce. He slumped a little, leaning into the arm of the couch.
"We'll work on finding Ross starting first thing tomorrow morning," Phil supplied, the promise of delivery heavy in his words. Bruce relaxed minutely, accepting that the three former agents would scour the world for his most hated tormentor. The team went on to explain to Thor about the process of amnesty in the United States.
As they wound down for the night, Bruce chose to begin gathering up the empty bottles to throw out, looking for a bit of distraction from the information revealed this night.
Tony stopped him with a hand on his wrist, "You joining me tonight?"
That single comment outed them both.
Bruce closed his eyes and sighed. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go, but it was done.
"What's this?" Clint asked, eyes sparkling. He sat up in frank excitement, like a dog with a new toy. If he'd had a tail, it would have been wagging for all he was worth.
Tony gently squeezed Bruce's wrist in silent apology. Bruce opened his eyes and looked at Tony, giving him a shrug. It would not have remained a secret for too much longer.
"What about it Barton?" Tony grumbled good naturally, though his hackles were up regardless. Bruce moved off to toss the bottles he was holding, hoping he could keep from being drawn into the conversation.
"Since when have you two shacked up like lovebirds?" the archer said, with a leer and wiggle of his eyebrows. Natasha reached over and slapped his shoulder. He gave her a look as though to say "What?" with all the nonchalance he could muster. She could only shake her head in vague bemusement.
"Shacked up?" Thor asked curiously from his spot by the windows. Steve quietly answered him and they waited for the non-answer Tony was sure to give.
With no small amount of surprise in himself, Bruce came back from the kitchen, and calmly replied, "For a couple of weeks, since we got back from the house."
"Then it is a moment to celebrate, correct?" Thor queried, a beatific smile breaking his face nearly in two.
"Not quite, Thor," Bruce didn't want to crush his ebullience, but better to explain the whole truth now, than have the team confused over miniscule, inconsequential details. "We're simply sharing space, lightening the load," he explained, even as Clint made lascivious faces from the back of the sofa. "Helps the nightmares when there's someone else there." Pepper nodded knowingly from her armchair, still working through her glass of red wine.
"And we know nothing about that, do we Clint?" Natasha's whip-like tone hit Clint where it counted. He blushed, not at all shamed or repentant.
"It's fine, Natasha, Clint. Really," Bruce reassured. Tony remained silent, eyes hard, letting Bruce handle the team. Pepper caught his eye and smiled a warm smile, acknowledging that he'd grown up a little. He gave her a half smile back in understanding and agreement. They still cared about one another, but the new, forced distance had been hard to get used to. They'd had to rearrange how they dealt with each other, no longer believing they were welcome to the same liberties as before.
There wasn't much to his relationship with Bruce to talk about yet, and he wondered if it was time to suggest more. He thought he might be ready, and hoped Bruce was amenable. It was definitely something to think about. And maybe, he could try something tonight, just to test the waters.
Clint had just one more thing to ask, "So, Jolly Green is okay with this arrangement? Because really, you're in as much a threesome as we are."
"So far, so good," Bruce shrugged off any concern about how his other self felt about all of the changes thus far. In truth, Hulk had been more than fine with the arrangement, and that was a relief to Bruce. He'd almost swear Hulk was ebullient in his agreement that he and Tony be together.
"All right, you've teased enough, " Phil said, reaching out to tap Clint on the leg. "Bed."
"Yessir," Clint sarcastically replied, choosing to roll himself backwards off the couch and stand up.
"Show off," Phil stated with a warm smile. He received a youthful, open grin in return.
"Good night gentlemen, Pepper," Natasha said for all three, standing to turn and help Phil reach his feet. The trio left the lounge to a chorus of 'good nights'. Steve, Thor, and Pepper also gave their well wishes, and quietly went their own way.
Once they were alone, Tony sidled up beside Bruce, suddenly unsure of himself, "Can we talk?"
Bruce nodded, and led the way through to the penthouse bedroom. "Sure, what's up?" he asked as he went straight to the en-suite bathroom. He stripped out of his clothes for a quick shower. He left the bathroom door ajar, just in case Tony wanted to join him. He hoped, at least. Something had stirred them both tonight, with the admission of them spending the nights together. He didn't think Tony would share the shower, but perhaps, they'd be in the same room for whatever Tony needed to talk about.
Tonight, Tony sauntered into the bath almost as soon as Bruce was under the luxurious spray of warm water. "You're really okay with our arrangement?" Tony couldn't come to the point if handed a file. Always he had to dance around a subject when it involved exposing his feelings.
"Yeah, of course. It's been good for both of us. Why?" Bruce diligently ignored the desire to look in Tony's direction as he went through the motions of washing.
"Well, I wondered," Tony fidgeted with a tube of toothpaste, leaning against the marble counter, "Maybe we could try stepping up to the next level?"
"Next level?" Bruce wondered, albeit coyly. Hulk stirred briefly in his mind, practically shoving agreement across their unique link. "Tony," he turned, shampoo still foaming on his head, to look through the half frosted door, catching sight of the bent dark head, as though Tony couldn't bear to see what Bruce thought of him now. "Do you want," this time, his own insecurities flared up. "You want to date? Me?"
The level of sheer incredulity now present in Bruce's voice brought Tony's head up in a sharp, jerking motion, so that he could stare at Bruce. There was a softness there in his eyes, and a hint of the banked fire that might only need a little bit to stoke into an inferno. Bruce could scarcely believe that inferno might involve him, of all people!
Tony managed not to gape stupidly. Did Bruce not see? How incredible? Warm, caring? Well, that was a job he'd take on, gladly. "Yeah man, you..." Tony had to reach for words that meant something, rather than being his usual callous self, "You are an incredible individual. Hell of a man. One I wouldn't mind spending more time with, out of the lab." The distinction made Bruce snort in amusement, they were always spending the majority of their time in the lab and workshops.
Tony watched as Bruce finished washing up. The shower door hid a goodly portion of Bruce's trim body, but Tony'd seen enough at other times to appreciate what he had. When Bruce was done, and the water shut off, he brought over a large, fluffy, and warm cream colored towel to give to Bruce
He accepted the offered towel through the partially open stall door, and wrapped it around his hips. Another, smaller towel was handed over, and Bruce used that to scrub the excess water off his torso, and out of his hair. Tony nobly refrained from calling him a spaniel, but it was a near thing. The grin on his face made Bruce chuckle. He did quietly appreciate the lines of Bruce's body. No excess anything, except dark colored, wiry hair over most of his torso, arms, and legs.
Bruce watched Tony watching him with a bit of bemusement. "See anything interesting?" he had to tease. Tony actually blushed, caught out in his rapt contemplation. "Okay, we can try," Bruce said, not expecting more of an answer than that adorable blush. He dared to close the brief distance between them, leaning slightly forward, with a tiny tilt to his head, just enough to gently brush slightly damp lips to Tony's dry, chapped ones.
With that one gentle kiss, Tony had to use every ounce of restraint to hold himself back, not wanting to scare Bruce off. They separated, quietly staring into each other's eyes, before Tony darted back in for another, sweetly brief kiss, and then not quite fleeing out of the bathroom. Bruce lingered a little while, marveling over the new feelings taking hold in his heart. He eventually made his way back into the bedroom, to find Tony in bed, but not waiting on anything other than the usual, a brief conversation, and sleep.
Bruce thought, maybe tonight, they'd try and cuddle a little before visiting the land of Nod.
They needed to go slow, both of them so wary of hurting the other, and of the ease with which they could tumble into more than they were ready for. They knew they were good for each other, on multiple levels, but to get to the point of forever, the path was fraught with pitfalls. It scared them both.
Tony wanted this relationship to last, Bruce deserved that much.
Bruce wanted someone to give his whole heart to, and hoped Tony was that person.
So, where do I want to go from here? I got to the initial point I want with this story, that is, Bruce and Tony together. But do I want to strengthen what I have here, or move on to a new story? If you feel like leaving an opinion, go ahead and comment please!