Affairs of the Arc Reactor (DarkledMind and Eli)

[Eli]

Bruce Banner kneaded the bridge of his nose wearily. The Other Guy was restless; the moment the plane touched down in New York Bruce could feel him scratching away at the walls of his mind. The cacophony of the place, the breakneck speed at which everyone hurtled through their lives, the sheer hordes of people were not what bothered him; years of practice had made Bruce perfectly capable of keeping his cool in much more chaotic places than New York City.


It was waiting at the airport for two hours straight, staying still while all of these people milled about, that made him fidgety. He breathed, he meditated, he listened to the inane chatter of the passerby. He plucked pieces of fuzz off his khakis just so he could have something to do with his hands. And finally the Hulk's presence amounted to an impatient growl, and Bruce, grown and independent man that he was, decided he would navigate his way through the city streets and arrive at Avengers Tower on his own (which was his original plan until Tony insisted he be picked up and delivered like a shiny new gadget).


He slipped through the crowds, tracked down a cab, and after wading through the traffic, screeched to a halt outside Avengers Tower. After handing the driver the last American dollars in his pocket Bruce stepped into the air-conditioned confines of the skyscraper. The place had the scent of Windex and plastic; it was polished and open and incredibly modern. The woman at the front desk may have once been a model; as Bruce approached she grinned at him with crisp white teeth and clicked her manicured nails against the counter. Tony probably handpicked her, he thought dryly.


"Hi, uh..." Out of habit his eyes swept from wall to wall, door to door, person to person. It was busy here. He refocused on the lady, whose practiced smile was unflinching even in the face of the scruffy, sun-baked man. "I'm here to see Mr. Stark, I--"


"I'm sorry, sir, Mr. Stark isn't seeing anybody today. His official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday. If you want I can take your name and number and we can get back to you as soon as we can?" She pouted with false sympathy before doling out another Barbie doll grin. Something primal in him wanted to rip that simper off of her spray-tanned face.


Instead Bruce blinked and sighed through his nose. How could he explain his purpose here? He hardly knew it himself. All Tony told him was that it was really important to ditch everything and fly across the globe ASAP for the sake of science. "He's expecting me." I was expecting him.


In response she clicked away at her computer for a few moments, doe eyes staring absentmindedly at the monitor. He rolled back on his heels and glanced over his shoulders again. She continued to click and crunch on her keyboard. A pause. "Oh! We're... Letting you through." She looked confused for a moment before regaining her cheery professionalism. "There's the elevator to your left -- it'll take you up to the second floor where you'll get processed by security and sent to the waiting area."


Must be JARVIS, Bruce thought, and stepped into the elevator. With a mechanized click it closed behind him and rocketed upwards.


And finally -- after slight tampering with the controls -- Bruce arrived at the workshop that he knew Tony frequented. He was too tired to submit himself to scans and manhandling and waiting any more today. Black Sabbath was booming, sending tremors through the floor, and Bruce resisted the urge to cover his ears. Tony would make himself deaf sooner than any villain-induced explosion could.


Bruce's gaze surveyed the entire workshop, taking note of the tools strewn about, the bottle of scotch, a plate of half-eaten and stale toast...


He ambled forward, following the trail, until he came across the playboy philanthropist himself.


Bruce shuffled his feet indecisively, reluctant to startle his host, and unwilling to attempt shouting over the music.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony was slouched over an unusually small machine, at least by the billionaire's grandiose style. He held a pen-sized cylinder that had sparks bursting forth from the tip, fusing metals with one another. His dark hair was disheveled and greasy, bobbing along with the beat of the powerful music. His lips were expressive as he sang along with the twisted voice of Ozzy Osbourne, but nothing could be heard above the ear busting guitar rifts.


There was a prickling along his neck as JARVIS spoke into his ear piece. Yelled is more the word, since JARVIS had told Tony repeatedly that Banner was coming. "MR. BANNER IS HERE." Despite how loud the artificial intelligence was, Tony heard him just below the music. The billionaire smirked slightly and drew out his phone. From there he turned down the music to almost an agreeable level, but shouting was still necessary.


Extravagant as always, the billionaire spun around on his chair. "I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am!" When he passed by the station again on his rotation, he grabbed the tool he had dropped and placed it in his mouth. Stark pressed the small button used to fire the sparks with his tongue. He spun around a few more times before placing a Converse clad shoe on the ground. Discretely under his arm, as to make his performance more... ridiculous, he turned off the music, allowing the sound of his shoe skipping along the tile to echo through the now quiet room.


Soon after he posed, Stark quickly took the tool and haphazardly threw it onto his working station. He pointed at it and smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Shouldn't have done that part." With a shrug he went and placed a finger into a petri dish. "But it wouldn't have looked as awesome." He laughed a little, his shoulders slouching suddenly, then perking back up as he spun on his heel towards his companion.


"Now before you ask what we are doing, look at this!" The genius struck out the finger he had dipped in the dish. "Well, actually there isn't anything to look at because I can't get the circuits quite small enough yet." He frowned, his jovial mood gone, and absentmindedly the genius wandered back to the work station.


"Maybe if I use a different material..."

 

[Eli]

Banner's lips twitched upwards at Stark's trademark theatrics; the man always did have to assert his presence in the most colorful way possible. Despite this display of energy his colleague had the air of a man who'd labored for hours -- perhaps even days -- in the lab. It was apparent from the stringy hair, the tenseness of his shoulders and the way his eyes were slightly unfocused from hours of recalculating and reworking for the right but ultimately not-right result. It was a countenance Banner was supremely familiar with. That was him most days of the week.


"Now before you ask what we are doing, look at this!" Bruce blinked at this, which was markedly nothing. "Well, actually there isn't anything to look at because I can't get the circuits quite small enough yet." Stark's demeanor shifted and he returned to his musings, the search for a solution having gripped him thoroughly.


Bruce hmmed and stepped carefully after him, shrugging off his threadbare backpack and depositing it on the ground. He fumbled for his glasses and fixed them over his nose. Bruce scrutinized what was on the worktable, absorbing whatever data he could. The scientist's eyes sparked with intrigue. This was nanotechnology -- not an enormous arc reactor, not another mechanized suit, not a larger-than-life gadget. Yet this could potentially be more revolutionary than any of that. His mind was whirring with incoming ideas and possibilities. Tony had a solid foundation here. But to develop it and bring it into reality? It was no small wonder that Tony seemed so wired -- and fixated -- over it.


"Maybe if I use a different material..."


Tony's words snapped him out of his reverie. Banner's mind was fervent to work -- the jetlag, the Other Guy prodding incessantly at his brain, the headache blossoming in his right temple, it all faded into the background as he clicked into his element.


"Why not try this?" He itched for a pen and paper, but such things were probably too primitive for Tony Stark. Bruce plucked the holographic model floating in the air and fiddled with it for a short moment. It was a minor edit -- he needed to look at the specifics more -- but it might do the trick. "Streamline this," he gestured at his addition and elaborated, " ...and it should cut down the nanometers. For the circuitry, though... What've you tried thus far?"

 

[DarkledMind]

Stark hmmed as well, turning his chair towards the other scientist. He looked up quickly to the hologram Bruce was working with. A small smile stretched and crept upon his lips. Someone this smart made him feel normal. Which, despite his extravagant lifestyle and boisterous attitude, he did long for more than the genius would care to admit.


As he watched Bruce expand and manipulate the rough idea for a nano-circuit board, Tony licked his lips and found his tongue was painfully dry. Absently he reached for the bottle of scotch. His hand fumbled and paused slightly before picking it up. Until then he had been simply taking shots straight from the bottle, thus why there was no decanter here. But he had to look like he still had control of the situation, right?


His mind fell out of focus of the hologram and into keeping appearances up. He tried to remain calm, but the slight shake in his shoulders proved otherwise. Stark swore mentally, cursing the fact that he hadn't had the premonition to sleep before inviting his friend over. Then he began to think; he hadn't slept since before he had invited Bruce. And that was how long ago? Considering Bruce came in on an airline (he assumed, he really had no idea,) it must have been at least a day. But that was normal.


Quickly, Stark looked back at Bruce before then searching around for a glass. Aaaaaaand there was none. Shit, how was he going to pass this one by, as he was now nearly cradling the bottle in desperation. The genius (maybe genius wasn't even right any more. Crazy man? Mad scientist? He never really was a sociopath, but what is another word for crazy?) had to take a moment to collect his thoughts and align them properly. What looks like it could be used to hold liquor? Tony quickly found a large crucible made for heating metals to their boiling point. Usually, crucibles were small, but Tony usually didn't do small. Perfect. Or at least worked-for-now. He quickly poured a shot into the container and sipped from it, not drowning himself like he had wanted. There was a brief thought of heavy metal poisoning, but Stark wrote it off, seeing as the arc reactor could handle it. Probably. Whatever


"... and it should cut down some nanometers. For the circuitry, though... What've you tried thus far?"


These words pulled the genius (yeah, let's stick with genius) back into where he should be, where he wanted to be. Quickly though he found himself exasperated. He took his hands and ran them through his wild hair, spiking it up dramatically. There was a large, tense sigh. "I don't know. I had been trying to stick with basic elements; gold, copper, iron, rhodium." He spun his chair back over to face the work bench. "I'm trying to work within the parameters of trace elements within the body or in the air, so the nano-bots," a small snicker at the word, "could build others if need be, and in any enviornment."


Tony Stark let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, letting his shoulders slump and the weight of his head collapse into his open palms. He supported himself on the table with his elbows, and gazed, or even glared, at the small, so small machine in front of him. "But I shouldn't be thinking that far ahead if I can't make something to build something so intricate and so minute."

 

[Eli]

Bruce paused to rotate the holographic model and view it from another angle. In his peripheral vision he caught sight of Tony, ridiculously expensive scotch bottle in hand, scrabbling for something suitable to drink out of; he bit back his objection to the supposed genius using a crucible to drink his scotch from. On closer inspection Stark wasn't just burnt out from working a few too many hours. His eyes didn't linger, and quickly returned to the hologram, but a passing glance combined with his earlier impression had been enough: Stark was clearly sleep deprived and had been relying solely on scotch for sustenance. As a man who'd spent several years of his life working as a quasi-doctor, Bruce wanted to check him over, give him something solid to eat, and send him packing to bed before an eventual collapse. The rest of Bruce didn't dare mention his condition; they both had their own super-sized issues, and it wasn't Bruce's business to act as doctor or confidante. Although they were friends and colleagues, Banner could think of few things more uncomfortable than confronting Tony's problems.


Stark refocused on the science, the comfort zone; despite himself Banner was relieved. He returned to his previous train of thought, even as his friend raked through his oily hair and huffed in frustration. "I don't know. I had been trying to stick with basic elements; gold, copper, iron, rhodium..." Banner nodded as Stark continued, "... so the nano-bots could build others if need be, and in any environment." Self-sustaining nano-bots. The very thought of it instilled in him a rare sense of wonder. But Tony then brought up one of the most important, and most discouraging, prospects: "But I shouldn't be thinking that far ahead if I can't make something to build something so intricate and minute."


Banner rubbed at the shade of stubble on his jaw and made a feeble attempt at humor, "Well, we can start from the ground, er, bottom-up. Or build a shrink ray -- go at it like Fantastic Voyage." He glimpsed at Tony's features for some sort of reaction. A sign of life. Seeing Tony slouched and forlorn sobered the scientist. "Uhm, how about taking a breather -- look away, come back to it, and then solve all the mysteries of nanotech?" He quirked his eyebrows questioningly. From what Banner had witnessed, Tony could take a concept and craft it into reality at a breakneck pace. Taking a moment to clear his head might do Tony some good. Or, if he were a more optimistic man, Bruce might try to wheedle Tony into some food and rest. The scientist considered it. Best not to push anything yet.

 

[DarkledMind]

There was a small snort that came from Stark as he raised his head, now a small grin on his face. Again, he rotated the chair back towards Banner and smiled, crossing his arms. "Tried the whole shrink ray thing, couldn't get the refraction equation right to actually get things tiny. He laughed at his own joke, and slumped slightly in the chair, staring at the doctor with a smile that actually reached his eyes.


Tony let his thoughts wander for a mere moment. Bruce was the only friend that he could think of who he truly could speak his mind to. Even Pepper -- no not Pepper, let's not think about her. Happy? Rhodes? The engineer quickly let his thoughts shut down just in time to hear the other mention something about a break, and food. Quickly, he stood up, the chair flying out from behind him at the force of his desperation. There was a small panicked look before he let his calm(ish) physique take over. Trying to act casual, but still jittery as ever, Tony leaned on the work station, crossing his feet and placing his other hand on his hip. He flashed a smile, lost his balance for a split second, and then regained it.


He furrowed his brow and gestured with the hand that was on his hip, giving a flabbergasted glance. "A break? I just ate lunch not too long ago. You know--"


There was a small nondescript noise that filled the air of the lab before JARVIS spoke, "Sir, I doubt most people consider a package of gummy bears lunch."


A wince, and then Tony looked down at the Haribo gummy bear wrapper, the type that only have five gummies. A small, sad, and awkward smile came over his face as he picked up the wrapper between two fingers, no longer leaning on the desk. "Pepper came by earlier. A representative from Martin House Children's Hospice was wondering if we would like to make a donation. He left those." He held up the wrapper in front of his face, holding it about six inches away. Truth was Pepper didn't leave it, his new assistant did, the one who Bruce had met earlier. She looked a little like the fiery haired woman, which was why she got the new job of being the billionaire's personal assistant.


She had been just recently hired into the accounting section, working hard day and night. When Tony was reappointed as chief executive officer, he had decided to go through every department and at least make an appearance. When it was mentioned how hard of a worker this young and sprightly woman was, he felt his heart break at the memory of Pepper, and how calmly another woman--who had been a major part of his life for more than ten years--had packed up her bags and walked out. He needed something to cling to, and had tried Salt, as he called her, a mildly amusing name, but truly agonizing to the billionaire. When that didn't work, he tried nanotech, and now that was beginning to slip. There was only Bruce left.


Tony shot himself out of his reverie and smiled fakely. "Well if you were hungry you could have said something. I know this great noodle bar not far from here. Momofuku? Great place, run by Daniel Chang. He did a PBS special recently." As he spoke, he quickly strode towards Bruce and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling the doctor along back towards the elevator door. Quickly with fumbling hands, he grabbed a nice and colorful blazer as well as some sunglasses.


The man was obviously desperate.

 

[Eli]

Bruce couldn't help the small, lopsided smile that graced his lips. With nobody else could he exchange science jokes. Tony's eyes crinkled up in a genuine grin -- he didn't look as tired with that expression on his face. It'd been a while since Banner had had such a grin pointed in his direction, though. The other scientist stilled for a moment, as if in thought, and Banner briefly returned to the holographic model. I'll mention the carbon nanotubes later. With slight reluctance -- he already wanted to test a few ideas with this technology -- he flicked the model away to be marveled at another time.


After Bruce mentioned a break, Tony sprung up with such an abrupt burst of energy he flinched. He didn't miss the unsteadiness of Tony's step, and his eyes skimmed over the shaky man with a concerned, clinical gaze. Stark started to say, "A break? I just ate lunch not too long ago. You know--"


JARVIS interjected dryly, "Sir, I doubt most people consider a package of gummy bears lunch." Bruce's lips twitched upwards. It wasn't his fault if he found that mildly amusing.


"Pepper came by earlier. A representative from Martin House Children's Hospice was wondering if we would like to make a donation. He left those." Tony was holding up an empty packet of gummy bears in front of his face. What a meal.


"I'm sure it was delicious." He paused to readjust his glasses. "And nutritious." The words could be interpreted as judgmental, but the voice behind them was not. Banner, too, had gone lengthy stretches of time without a proper meal. A long, long time ago, further back than Bruce liked to recall, he existed off of similarly processed foods. But now, depending on where he was hiding out, his meals tasted infinitely better than food in the States.


Stark's next smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Bruce didn't mind. His smiles were rarely crammed full of sunshine. He didn't know how the man opposite of him could beam at cameras and girls and businessmen whenever he wasn't in the lab.


"Well if you were hungry you could have said something. I know this great noodle bar not far from here. Momofuku? Great place, run by Daniel Chang. He did a PBS special recently."


And next thing Banner knew Stark was wrapping his arm round his shoulders. The scientist stiffened, and the Other Guy, a ceaseless presence in his mind, stirred from within his skull. If it had been any other person, Banner would have squirmed away and told them that he wasn't very fond of touching. But some deprived sliver of the scientist was refreshed at the fact that without a hint of apprehension Tony, who knew full well what he -- the Other Guy -- was capable of, could grab him like an old pal and pull him to Momofuku. Instead of wriggling out of arm's reach Banner allowed himself to be pulled away by Stark, if rather awkwardly.


"I, uh - I could eat." Actually, he could always eat -- the Other Guy gave him an accelerated metabolism. The last time he ate was on an airplane, near the beginning of his first flight. He'd be lying if he said his stomach wasn't trying to gnaw through his spine. Still, he was tolerant of hunger -- being technically homeless for years could do that to a man.


"Y'sure you wanna go out?" Bruce wasn't exactly jumping up and down to go back into traffic, hunker down in a busy restaurant, and then somehow wrangle Tony to the Tower after he drank too much. But if Tony wanted to go eat at PBS Special Daniel Chang's place, then by all means... Superior to gummy bears, he supposed.


They stepped into the elevator after Tony snatched a blazer and sunglasses. He'd left his pack in the lab; it'd be safe there. Of course, it didn't contain anything important. At least he had more than a toothbrush this time around. Well, he didn't have a toothbrush, either, but he had some things. And he couldn't bring himself to care about his attire: a wrinkled button down and heavily worn khakis. Momofuku would have to excuse his rags.


Banner found his mind meandering back to the lab; he couldn't help it. It'd been months since he'd been around decent lab equipment, and even longer since he'd worked on something truly intriguing.


"So why nanotech and not something grander?"

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony was standing not very far from Banner in the elevator, their shoulders nearly brushing together. He was using the highly reflective surface of the doors to adjust his hair into its signature crow's nest fashion. He found himself relaxing more as the elevator shot down a hundred or more floors. Getting into his facade of the debonaire billionaire was almost second nature for the engineer, making him reliable at press conferences.


Unless something significant had been itching at the back of his mind, which it had.


CEO of Stark Enterprises became limp momentarily as his thoughts wandered back and forth between his many weaknesses. He felt vulnerable, and suddenly his heart began to clench up. Radiating from his chest he felt an itching, tingling sensation that only grew as he thought about it. The sensation spread across his shoulders and into his mouth and throat as well as down his arms and legs. His whole body began to quiver slightly, as if from an overload of energy, like he had been electrocuted.


Behind the sunglasses, his eyes began to flit back and forth nervously. His hearing became sharp and his eyes widened and could see everything. Thank God he was wearing the sunglasses, or else the elevator light would be far too much to handle. Even the whir of the mechanics that were usually comforting began to itch and feel nearly physically painful.


As the panic attack progressed, JARVIS noted that Stark was showing symptoms, and spoke softly into his earpiece. "Sir, please calm down. You are simply going to a restaurant. Momofuku is smaller, which is why you chose it. Correct, sir?" The man swallowed and tried to hide the awkward and stiff nod he gave the computer. "Good. Try doing your breathing exercises. Would you like me to inform Doctor Banner?" Again, Stark tried to hide the shake of his head, running his hands through his hair and fussing up what he had just made. His heart beat faster and the tingling sensation that felt like his veins were on fire intensified at his slight mess up.


"I'm sorry to inform you, sir, but Doctor Banner is inquiring why you chose to develop nanotechnology." Stark took a deep and shaky breath, glancing quickly to his companion. He was scared, terrified even, of leaving the building and going out into the town. But as his quick glance turned into a gaze, he realized that with Bruce Banner next to him, it might be easier. Then he thought that because of that gaze that the doctor might know of the imminent panic attack (despite the sunglasses, which he forgot he was wearing) and the fiery sensation that had calmed momentarily spiked up once again.


Avoiding eye contact, Tony's voice was higher than usual and contained an uncharacteristic stutter. "Uh-um I ah..." He couldn't tell the doctor the whole truth, seeing as he started developing it as mainly a way to lure in a friend, in this case Banner. "Sto-Stark Industries," wrong company, Tony, "I mean Enterprises wants to work o-on a catch all t-t-tech," he knew he couldn't finish that word, so he quickly moved onto the next, "to help better enhance living!"


He finished the sentence and breathed a sigh of relief, believing that he had passed off as seemingly normal.

 

[Eli]

Tony had just finished fussing with his hair when his body language shifted. Bruce glanced at the man beside him, his attentive eyes running down the man's physique and taking note of what he saw. He deviated from the mindset of a scientist to that of a doctor. The first thing he checked was the arc reactor, which shone a steady blue through Stark's shirt. At least that wasn't a concern.


It became apparent a millisecond later that Tony was experiencing a panic attack. The man made a valiant attempt at responding to Bruce's ill-timed inquiry, but his speech was addled. The scientist knew he needed to step in and aid him however he could.


"Tony, breathe with me," he uttered in a smooth, mellow tone. He repositioned himself more comfortably, and took a deep, steadying breath, just how he'd taught himself all those years ago. The method was simple, but if it could help curb a minor disturbance with the Other Guy, it could help Tony, too.


"Hear that?" He repeated the audible breath. He glanced at Tony once more, to reassess how he was doing. "You can overcome this, alright?" He infused a calm encouragement in his voice and slowly reached forward to halt the elevator in its descent. With a soft mechanical purr it stalled then went still.


"Concentrate on your breathing. Everything's fine. You're not in danger." That wasn't necessarily true; as long as Bruce was there, he'd always be in danger. But that wasn't the point. He licked his lips and added, "I'm right here, Tony."


Bruce continued to breathe with Tony, the action so practiced it was second nature. Quiet permeated the elevator; the only sound was of the in, and out, the inhale, and exhale.

 

[DarkledMind]

Bruce's calming voice seemingly had no effect on Tony, but it did. Despite Tony's heavy breathing that rasped in the back of his throat, and the now light sheen on his forehead, the scientist was being calmed. The rush of thoughts in his head about being accosted by the press and the bright camera flashes of the paparazzi calmed to a gentle whir. But his body didn't seem to listen to his thoughts, continuing on at break neck pace.


When the elevator stopped, Stark felt like he was going to throw up. He prayed not to, as alcohol flavored stomach acid was never pleasant. He held a hand to his mouth, and then bent over, placing his hands on his knees in an attempt to calm his stomach. He could taste blood in his mouth, and his breathing became raspier and heavy. His throat was raw and his eyes began to water as he clenched his abdominal muscles in an attempt not to dry heave.


"Concentrate on your breathing. Everything's fine. You're not in danger." The billionaire playboy philanthropist, currently a sweating mess, backed himself into a corner and let one of his hands reach out for the cool steel walls, marring the shine with his sweaty palms. Bruce had no idea; he was always in danger. They all were. But Tony had no real life experience to deal with his home being bombed by a terrorist--his mind flashed to Pepper above him as she attempted to save him. His breathing became heavier, irregularly paced. It sounded like an asthma attack. Tony would have laughed at this realization, but just coughed loudly in an attempt to get the stale air out of his lungs.


Through the breaths, Tony tried to speak, holding back the quip about being in danger. "I'm fine. I can do this. I have gotten through this before." But without waiting for the breathing to slow and the sweating to stop, he pressed the go button on the elevator again, groaning as his stomach and his palpitating heart met in his chest at the movement.

 

[Eli]

Tony's condition only seemed to deteriorate -- the man curled in on himself, as if on the verge of heaving up the (meager) contents of his stomach. His breath was coming out in short, pained gasps, and droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead.


"I'm fine. I can do this. I have gotten though this before."


Good. He had the right mentality, at the very least. Despite this the physical symptoms persisted. And there Tony went, pressing a button so the elevator would continue its descent; it lurched, which mustn't have felt good on the man's stomach, but Bruce could only purse his lips and keep at it. Seeing the man in such a state was disconcerting; Stark advertised himself as, well, an iron man. Bruce had known, always, that this wasn't the case. He knew what this felt like, to an extent -- he knew how it felt not to be able to control his body, his breathing, when he so desperately wanted and needed to. He could feel, now, the Other Guy within him, anticipating an opportunity to smash through his mind and into reality. Banner refocused on his friend in need.


"Tony, stay in the present. Keep breathing." He paused and said something undeniably cheesy, "I... believe in you?" Bruce decided he would resort to the more practical means of helping the man; being reassuring wasn't exactly his field of expertise. "Let's sit down," and he lowered himself to the ground with considerable ease. "Close your eyes. Block out the light. And breathe." Banner did all of this himself -- it wasn't the time to be embarrassed if the doors opened and he was quietly meditating next to Tony Stark.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony let himself slide and stagger down to the floor of the elevator, leaving marks as he did. It was cool and relaxing and Tony just wanted to sprawl and hug the ground with his whole body. He felt calmer now, the peak of the attack now over. But still, his body felt tight and tense. A headache was developing just behind his eyes, while the rest of his body felt like he had been slammed into a concrete wall. This wasn't an unusual feeling for the renowned "superhero," but it was still bizarre to feel like this in his private elevator with no bombs or super villains.


"I... Believe in you?" Tony stopped his descent to the floor suddenly, looking at the man across from with his mouth agape. He was still panicking, and he didn't stare for long before his body reminded him breathing was necessary, and the heavy breaths began again.


When he reached the floor and got comfy as deemed by the doctor, he mentioned the odd occurrence between slowed breaths. "Really? I believe in you? Nice motivational speech, Doc." Mockingly, but with a smile on his face, he stuck his thumb out and winked, making a small clicking noise with his tongue. Then Stark let his muscles go limp, and he knocked his head against the steel walls. And then he did it again as his breathing slowed to normal, and then again, this time a little hard and he winced visibly.


Exhausted, the genius took off his sunglasses and stared at the doctor before him. Eyes watery and pupils large from the influx of adrenalin, he nodded to the doctor in an almost humble way as a thank you. He wouldn't admit, but Bruce being there did help with his attack, making the actual attack last a shorter amount of time, and he didn't doubt that his re-uptake would be shorter as well.

 

[Eli]

Tony settled down beside Banner, adhering to the his instructions. And, even though Tony was in the midst of a panic attack, he had time to deliver his signature wit to the doctor. "Really? I believe in you? Nice motivational speech, Doc." He even added the embellishment of a wink and thumbs-up, before succumbing to his labored breathing once more.


Retaining the same steady, calm voice, Banner quipped, "Thanks. I trained with a motivational speaker in Paraguay. He said I had a knack for it." He cracked his eyes open once more to blink at Tony as he thumped his head against the steel wall. Banner's cheek quivered in a nearly imperceptible grimace. Eventually -- thankfully -- Tony stopped his thumping and instead removed his sunglasses. He looked considerably less tense; he was improving, slowly but surely. Then Tony did something that thoroughly surprised the scientist -- he nodded, as if to thank him. He wanted to deny the thanks, say he didn't do much, the same way he shrugged off the thanks of the hundreds of patients he had dealt with in the past. Instead his lips twitched in what could have been a smile, and he returned to his breathing. "Just keep breathing, Tony."


By this time the elevator had descended to the lobby. With a cheery ding the doors started to part. Banner twisted to face Stark, eyes questioning. Had he recovered enough yet to head out into the streets?

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony had been relaxing his head against the side of the elevator when there was that god awful ding of them reaching the lobby. Again there was a lurch and the engineer had to swallow and blink a few times as a way to calm himself. Then the doors opened and he felt his heart beat in his chest again. This was it, this is what he was freaking out about. But thank God (which he did not do very often) that there was only Salt sitting at her desk, giving a timid smile.


The CEO of the company smiled and winked, giving her a small salute. With a shake of her head, the secretary went back to typing on her computer, but giving an odd glance when Tony simply laid his head back against the wall. Soon the doors closed, and the silence was returned, only interrupted by the occasional clacking of heels outside the door. When the door closed, he lifted his head again as if to check.


There was a sigh and he shook his head slowly, another thump of the head as he relaxed and let his neck fall. "Not quite yet." Not ever was what he wanted to say. At that thought his heart began pumping again, but he swallowed and resumed the breathing. In and out, in, hold, out. Inhale exhale. Relax. Yeah, bullshit.

 

[Eli]

The doors opened to a much quieter lobby than earlier. No more people rushing about, nobody murmuring or laughing raucously. No security guards staring down the passerby as if each person might spontaneously combust. Even if the latter was somewhat justified. The same doe-eyed woman from before was ensconced behind her desk and smiled gently, if curiously, in Tony's direction. And the playboy philanthropist, of course, responded with a smile, wink, and salute, briefly slipping into his typical mannerisms.


A few seconds later the door slipped shut. A sigh, and then a thump, sounded beside Bruce. "Not quite yet."


Banner inclined his head in silent assent. He had no qualms with waiting, and shifted on his seat bones into a more comfortable position. It was then that Bruce's exhaustion truly weighed down on him; it settled deep in his bones and numbed his mind. The notice that he was to leave had been short, the journey long, and being in New York always left a bad taste in his mouth. He glanced at Tony. He'd flown across the globe for this guy, not knowing what awaited him or why he should even make the effort. He realized he couldn't be bothered to care much, at least not now, and resumed his relaxed, steady breaths.


The tension that had been emanating from Tony faded sluggishly. Bruce had been listening to his breathing, keeping track of the hitches and the gasps. While it hadn't returned to normal, it was smoother. To keep himself from nodding off, and to test the waters, Banner broke the silence in a muted voice, "Have you reached enlightenment yet?"

 

[DarkledMind]

There was a small smirk on Stark's face as he held up a single grease stained finger to his pursed lips. His eyes were still closed, but twitching slightly at the corners as he raised both hands up, palms open above his head in reverence. The man lifted his chin and lifted his brow when a smile burst onto his face. There was a small whisper. "Quiet, you are interrupting the angels."


His arms went slack, and then he sat up. The grin was huge, but his eyes seemed dead, tired, but still a smile shone through. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving." With a quick swipe of his hair and a tug on the light gray blazer he was back into his persona. He tapped on the "open" button and waltzed out of the door.


Salt was smirking at the CEO as he all but sashayed up to her desk. Realizing that he was over doing it, Tony stopped and swallowed a little, his throat clenching nervously before he spoke. "Hey," he tapped on her desk lightly with his knuckles, "tell Daniel Chang that we are going to Ssäm."


Her smirk grew wider as she continued to tap on the computer, likely making last minute reservations. "It's David Chang, sir. And would you like me to start sending bourbon up instead of scotch?"


Stark had been walking towards the door and paused for a mere moment before raising a finger in the air. "I didn't hear that."


"No, sir." There was a grin on the bond's face as she glanced towards Banner.

 

[Eli]

"Quiet, you are interrupting the angels."


Banner chuckled lightly, eyebrows stretching up to his forehead as he watched Stark pose angelically. Then the man's arms fell, and he grinned widely, "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving." Stark was on his feet in an instant, slipped into his blazer, and soon he was leaving the hushed bubble of the elevator and jauntily heading towards the woman at the desk. The Tony that had been high-strung and distressed a few moments earlier had taken a back seat to the Tony Stark persona the people of the world were familiar with.


While Stark made inappropriately sudden reservations at the restaurant, Banner lingered a few feet away from the desk. When they were just turning away to leave, the young woman commented with a smirk apparent in her voice, "... And would you like me to start sending bourbon up instead of scotch?"


Yeah, Tony definitely handpicked her, he thought as he nearly choked on his own spittle. He cleared his throat as Tony halted and said, "I didn't hear that."


Banner briefly glimpsed over his shoulder and caught the beaming woman's glance in his direction. He supposed that was the price he'd have to pay for being Tony's mystery visitor from a foreign country. Removing and pocketing his glasses, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and strode -- pace slightly more hurried than usual -- after his friend and into the New York evening.


The lights, scents, and sounds of a Friday night in the city immediately enveloped him. Car horns were blaring and hordes of people traipsed along the sidewalks. Bruce narrowly avoided colliding with one man hastily pushing through the crowds. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slipped through the throng and stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. The guttural roar of an engine neared them, and a vehicle -- undoubtedly one of Stark's -- rolled to a halt before him.


"Good thing JARVIS is driving -- I think my license expired," he cast a sardonic look in Tony's direction and approached the vehicle.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony laughed and went around to the driver's seat, opening the door with a flourish. He had to, because it was a vertical opening door to the Lamborghini. "You think JARVIS is driving this babe?" The CEO slipped down into the vehicle, his sweaty palms wrapping around the fine leather of the steering wheel and grasping it tightly. Like a child with a new toy he revved the car, and laughed ecstatically. "God I haven't driven this girl in too damn long." He hit his palm on the horn and it loudly squealed, which just made him laugh again.


Impatiently he rapped his knuckles on the roof of the car and yelled, "Come on Brucie, get in! I'm waitin' on ya!" Stark wiggled into the seat of his car, adjusting the height of the steering wheel and getting comfortable. Then, he tapped a few buttons on the obviously custom sound system, and music began blaring out, and the car shaking with the beat of the bass. Even Tony thought it was too loud, and turned it down to a respectable volume that could be talked over, but just barely. He was lip syncing the words, banging his head and rather his whole body with the rock and roll.


In seconds, the nervous and almost shy Tony Stark was gone, pushed into the recesses of his mind, and out came the one and only Iron Man. But he grabbed the sun glasses for a reason, so when you look at him you don't see how empty the super hero really felt. He revved the engine again in delight, whooping and laughing like he wasn't absolutely terrified.

 

[Eli]

"You think JARVIS is driving this babe?" Tony disappeared into the confines of the admittedly beautiful car. While Banner appreciated the practical more than the aesthetically pleasing, he couldn't deny the fact that the ridiculously luxurious vehicle was indeed a 'babe', even if he wouldn't choose those words to describe it. He flinched as the billionaire blared the horn and revved the car, which quivered with power. The probing presence of the Other Guy stirred.


"Come on Brucie, get in! I'm waitin' on ya!"


'Brucie' furrowed his brows in concern and fumbled to open the door. Tony shouldn't be driving -- Bruce recalled the scotch bottle up in the lab, the panic attack that Stark had only just started to recover from. As Banner peeked inside the car his friend activated the sound system, and the music grated on his ears until the volume was dialed down considerably. Banner gulped in enough air to attempt to speak over the still-loud music.


"Y'know," he leaned in closer, but didn't settle in the car. "I already broke this place twice. I'm not exactly trying for 'third time's a charm'."

 

[DarkledMind]

Stark blinked behind the glasses, then furrowed his brow at his companion. He could drive, and he knew it. The world wasn't spinning yet, although it probably was going to be by the end of the night. Briefly he considered he shouldn't be drinking with his potentially volatile friend, but he was thirsty and, having fully slipped into the Playboy Billionaire persona, he really didn't care.

(But of course he cared about his friend. But when you have this urge, this gnawing in your stomach that makes your neck sweat and your eyes open wider than they ever should be, you can't think of anything but how dry your mouth is. And you can't act like you care for a moment when you are supposed to be someone who doesn't. If you do, the emotions overwhelm you and then there is no stopping it. That's what happened earlier.)



Tony frowned and whimpered loudly, leaning over into the passenger side and looking at Banner. He rolled over onto his back and held his hands in prayer even more like a sad dog. Okay, now the world is a little woozy, and he was rethinking about driving his "baby" but not what he was going to say. "Come on, baby, I'll be gentle. It's our first date. I'm a good guy, I'm safe."


Now that he was no longer panicking, he realized he was already a bit too drunk. But he was determined to win this fight.


He sat back up into the driver's seat. "And admittedly, we both broke New York last time. Don't hold it against yourself, buddy."

 

[Eli]

Tony's caricature of a begging dog didn't do much to faze Bruce. He blinked, deadpan, at his inebriated friend, and didn't move a single muscle.


"Come on, baby, I'll be gentle. It's our first date. I'm a good guy, I'm safe."


"Tony, I--" Banner cut himself off, removed his head from the car and glanced behind him.


Passerby were starting to gather and gawk at Tony Stark and his shiny car and rumpled companion. Bruce visibly shrunk; he disliked the sensation of having eyes on him. He climbed into the cabin quite awkwardly as Tony sat up, "And admittedly, we both broke New York last time. Don't hold it against yourself, buddy."


"Doesn't matter." He resisted the temptation to close the door. If he did that, he'd bet his shoes -- his only pair -- that Stark would drive off in a heartbeat. He thought of how ironic it would be if Tony Stark, Iron Man, a man who'd battled and defeated alien warriors, ended up as yet another crushed body in a husk of a crumpled car. The last of the Starks gone, all by car accident. Something in him bubbled up, vaguely amused by this, and Banner squashed it down. He was tired; his mind had a tendency to take a wrong turn down a dark road when he was tired.


He snapped back to reality a short second later. Banner knew he didn't want this to escalate; that wouldn't be beneficial to anybody. Compromise would have to do the trick.


Banner kneaded the bridge of his nose before sighing, "I assume JARVIS can intervene before we fly out the windshield?" His hand rested on the handle of the door, waiting for Tony's reaction. His eyes surveyed the billionaire's face, concern -- and slight, safe exasperation -- evident in his gaze.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony smirked. "Bruce, I have the highest level of technology in this whole damned world. I practically won't be driving this thing." He pressed a small button on his own door and Bruce's began to close. "Every motion I make is calculated and quantified then predicted and compromised. I may be turning the wheel, but JARVIS is keeping everyone safe."


He smiled and leaned back into his seat. "Don't worry. You really are safe." He nodded to the windshield and the vehicle really sprung to life. The edges dimmed lightly and an uncountable number of dials and numbers, constantly fluctuating and changing. With another nod the car began gently rolling forward, and merged effortlessly into traffic, without a single touch from Tony.

 

[Eli]

With a mechanical buzz the passenger door closed on its own; Bruce removed his hand from the handle and settled more comfortably in his seat. That was what he wanted to hear; he'd be surprised if the car didn't have such features, but with Tony in the state he was in, he could take no risk. Nowadays the scientist wasn't so fond of risks.


"Don't worry. You really are safe."


"It's not my safety I worry about," Banner murmured under his breath, hand reaching up to rub at his chin. The car easily navigated itself into the bustling traffic, proving the capabilities that the scientist knew were child's play to Stark. Bruce's eyes swept over the traffic, the pedestrians, the buildings, and they eventually wandered to observe the interior of the car. State-of-the-art technology, millions of dollars of innovations, all packed into this single vehicle. Coming from somewhere else to this city, this man's exorbitant wealth, always took him a little off guard.


They weaved through the traffic, the music blasting, and Bruce blinked away from the shiny bells and whistles. "So, 'Daniel' Chang? You clearly watched his PBS special." Safer territory -- he wasn't going to touch on drunk Tony, or elevator Tony.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony, seeing that Bruce was mildly satisfied, gunned it. The car purred as he mashed his foot against the gas and sped down the road. Even more dials and numbers came up on the windshield. If the billionaire wasn't so enamored with the feel and the sound of his new car, he would have noticed that almost constantly, JARVIS was adjusting his movements. He didn't care though as it felt good to drive, and his eyes were narrowed wickedly as he chased his pleasure to the next bar.


He heard Bruce's quip about 'Daniel' Chang. He snorted and took a sharp left turn to discombobulate his companion. Of course he was going to test Bruce as well as the Hulk, especially feeling as dangerous as he was. "It was playing in the back ground one day while I was working on my new suit. Thought it sounded good." Tony laughed, and then suddenly the car began to slow down, but not jarringly so.


"We have reached your destination, sir."


Stark paused. That was a lot quicker than he expected.

 

[Eli]

Banner was reading all of the dials, taking note of Tony's movements and how the car reacted, and knew that if not for JARVIS, the ride would have been infinitely more precarious. But Banner had been stuffed into matatus that were driven by reckless conductors before, and while Tony's inebriated attempt at driving made him uneasy, to be sure, he had endured much worse. Regardless, the Other Guy was scratching at his brain like a petulant child, and Banner stifled the kindling of irritation that sparked within him. The seat belt cut into Banner's chest as they zoomed down the road; he felt his stomach lurch as they took an abrupt left turn. It almost felt like Stark was trying to ruffle his feathers, and knowing the man, he probably was.


"It was playing in the back ground one day while I was working on my new suit. Thought it sounded good."


The car unexpectedly decelerated, and the cool voice JARVIS sounded, "We have reached your destination, sir."


Banner's eyes darted to meet the entrance of the place they would be dining at. "Well, I guess we'll find out," he responded to Tony, "Should be an improvement over airport food." His fingers brushed the handle of the door, and he added, "Or gummy bears."