Such Sweet Nothing

I let my head meet the floor as I felt my eyelids become heavy and unresponsive to my brain’s wishes to stay open. My mind was going a mile a minute but my eyes were just so tired. I didn’t understand what had gone wrong. I did everything perfectly, I had the room securely locked and yet something had happened.

Tony was pacing the floor in his penthouse as Bruce was watching him with a familiar calculating expression.

“I thought you were a doctor, shouldn’t you be able to figure out your own problems?” Tony made a frantic motion with his hand as he stopped pacing and turned to face the man sitting on his couch.

“Once again, I am not that kind of doctor and even if I was, no.” Bruce’s hands were clasped together as he leaned forward on his knees.

“You guys really need to figure this shit out. I don’t understand.” His tone became frustrated as he raked his hand down his face and let his arms drop to his side quietly.

“There’s really nothing to understand. I fucked up and it seems like I continue to fuck up with her. No matter what I do right now, I am going to hurt her. So I am going to go with the decision that will hopefully keep her alive.” Bruce’s even tone was familiar to Tony, but he wasn’t buying it this time. There was a whole layer of feelings underneath that calm exterior that he wanted to rip out and expose.

“So the decision where you are pretty much lying to everybody then, including yourself?” Tony went back to pacing as Bruce clenched his hands into fists and held them against his inner thighs.

“She might not know how you feel but everyone who isn’t romantically stunted can see it through a god damn steel wall.” Tony stopped suddenly and turned to face the windows that looked out at the city.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Tony turned his head to look over at Bruce who was staring at the floor with an intensity that might have burned a hole through the marble

“Yeah well that’s how it is with you. You shut people out when you feel like it’s enough. That’s not fair to her and it isn’t fair to you. You’re self destructing by being too scared to destruct.” Bruce lifted his head to meet his friend’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, but have you seen the fucking research she has done for you? Do you know how much time she had to have spent to come up with all of that? You left her with a shitty explanation and no way to know if you were alive or not. What the hell would you have done if she did that to you?” Bruce closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

“Well she isn’t a god damn monster is she? She doesn’t have to worry about killing me.”

“You’re being selfish.” Bruce stood up quickly at Tony’s accusing tone. Tony matched his stance, not afraid that the man in front of him could ‘hulk’ out at any moment.

“I’m being selfish!?” There was the anger Tony was looking for.

“Yeah, she has the right to choose to be scared of you or not. Well newsflash Banner, she isn’t scared of you. She’s had a chance to run, she isn’t going anywhere. You lose.”

“I lose?” Bruce’s tone sounded like he thought Tony had finally lost his mind.

“Yes, you lose. You found someone who doesn’t think you are a monster and you don’t think you deserve that. Well you do, so you lose.” He sounded like a kid on a playground who just struck someone out at baseball.

“This isn’t a game, Tony.” Bruce’s anger seemed to be under control now.

“I know, which is why I think you’re being an idiot right now.” They were both glaring at each other now, their stances matched as Tony opened his mouth to speak again.

“Sir?” JARVIS interjected before Tony could start talking again.

“Kind of in the middle of something JARVIS.” Tony snapped to his faithful AI.

“Yes sir, but there seems to have been an accident on the tenth floor. I have sealed it off but it looks like it happened in Doctor Munroe’s lab.” Bruce was already heading to the elevator and pressing the button many times in succession.

“Wait,” Bruce paused at Tony’s tone. “Bruce, you can’t go down there.”

“Excuse me?” His tone was icy and angry.

“She was doing the gamma testing today, you can’t go there in case it-“ The elevator doors opened. “You can’t go, you have to wait here.”

“I will be fine! You can’t just expect me to stay here while she is down there!”

“And what happens if more exposure makes the other guy come out?” Bruce opened his mouth to protest but quickly closed it; he was seething at the man in front of him.

“I’m putting my suit on and I’m going down. JARVIS, evacuate the building and make sure no one goes to the tenth floor.” Bruce clenched his hands into fists before crossing his arms and bringing his right hand up to his mouth, where he began gnawing at his thumbnail.

“Tony, you don’t think she-“ Bruce didn’t have the chance to finish his question as Tony called his latest suit to him and it latched on.

“Stay here.” Tony flipped his helmet down and got into the elevator.

“Did it on purpose do you?” Bruce finished quietly, and to himself as the doors slid shut.