starkingenuity | Radioactive

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Tony presses a finger to his lips and gives Bruce a 'shh'ing sort of command before he opens the door to Pepper's room. The place is lined in monitors and recording equipment but otherwise, he's done his best to make it comfortable for her even if she refuses to come back to their actual bed two floors up. If she thinks herself a danger, she's just as likely to burn the place down from here as she is from beside him but...

He's not going to give her any more fuel for the panic fire, pun intended.

Tony lets Bruce in first and follows after. "Pep? Honey? Guess who's here?"

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"You decided to announce to the world where your home was while a madman was looking for you. I think you do have a bit of a reputation." Bruce removes his glasses awkwardly and sets them to the side, hand moving slowly. "...what do you mean, should have?"

"I enacted Clean Slate," he says, eyes having drifted shut already because it just feels nice okay? "Blew up the armor. All of the armors. Not much of a choice."

Tony probably already told him this, didn't he? Bruce's hand slows but doesn't stop as he thinks it through. Everything's changed for Tony, hasn't it? Clean Slate... Meaning that not only had Tony planned that some day it would need to happen. The other being that Tony is armorless. No more Iron Man... "Why did you chose to do it?" He murmurs, knowing Tony is falling asleep. Good.

"Faulty planning on my part," Tony says. "Locked their attack HUDs on the energy readouts of Extremis and... Well, I guess I could have taken the time to have JARVIS talk em down from firing on Pep, but it was just... She hates them." There, easiest thing to say. "And they were holding me back."

Bruce isn't a fool; he can read between the lines. Tony destroyed his armory, all of his armors, for Pepper. If that isn't love, Bruce doesn't know what is. His fingertips unconscious ring around the edge of the scar. "So that's it. The end of Iron Man..."

But a little part of him wonders if that's true. If Tony can really give it up entirely. If one suit didn't escape Clean Slate on purpose.

Oh Bruce, his lips are curling up. There's more to it than that. His eyes are closed and his breathing is just evening out but, that's so very, very telling isn't it?

"Told you, Banner. It's part of me."

"...you are Iron Man, suit or not," Bruce says softly, his hand unconsciously shifting until it lays over Tony's heart, feeling the slowing, strong beat under his palm. maybe, despite his words earlier, he's falling asleep, too.

Hopefully a nod will suffice anything further because Tony's already drifting off into nothingness where he hopes worm holes no longer exist. Well done, Banner.

This would be the moment Pepper appears lingering in the doorway, looking slightly guilty and lonely in her pajamas.

“Tony? I couldn’t—“

Oh. Well that’s – an interesting sight to see. Pepper stands there, slightly confused and uncertain as to how to proceed. “I’m sorry. Am I interrupting?”

What is she interrupting is a better question. And Bruce is – touching Tony, her boyfriend, when Pepper herself hasn’t in some time. She’s…jealous.

Bruce lifts his head at the voice, and all at once it hits him what this must look like. His hand leaves Tony's chest and he holds his finger up in front of his lips. "...I finally got him to sleep," he says softly to Pepper. "He's been up all night, so doctor's orders."

Awkward. Bruce very slowly starts to move, knowing he should leave comforting Tony to Pepper, if she can manage. "Sorry, Mrs. Potts. I couldn't think of anything better. It works on children, so I assumed- ah, not that he's-"

Yeah he's a child. Yeah, stammer, Banner. But don't move because that's making Tony seek you out and if your knee isn't there to curl against he might just wake up. Also? Keep it down!

Well that's -- you know. Kind of painful, ow -- right there, a stinging shot in the chest. The look she's giving them is one of longing and frustration but she nods and takes a step back.

"He needs the rest. Let him sleep."

Bruce shakes his head, seeing that look on Pepper's face. He holds up his hands, still speaking softly. "He's just instinctively looking for someone. Here, sit here, sit with him. Please."

This is about them, not him. He's going to help Tony get through this so he can be the best man he could be. And help Pepper so she'll survive all of this. Not get in the middle.

Bruce couldn't be more right. Tony needs something. Some sort of touch and warmth. Right now, Bruce is the only one willing to give that to him.

She inches closer, a hand reaching out before she settles on the bed, opposite Bruce. She eyes the sleeping ~~child~~ Tony, then looks up to Bruce. Her voice is a quiet whisper.

"You don't think I'll burn him, do you?"

"No," Bruce says immediately. "No more than I would. I can stay and make sure you'll both be fine, how about that?" Maybe he could do well for both of them to get some decent sleep.

Tony's asleep but if he was surveyed, he might mention that this arrangement happens to be fantastic. Bruce is warm. Pepper is warm. He doesn't feel boxed in either, just comfortable.

That would be the trust kicking in. He leans into both touches. Pepper, he missed you. Come and lay down.

Pepper eyes Tony, then glances at Bruce, a smile twisting her lips.

“I don’t think you have much of a choice. You’d better get comfortable.” Because Pepper is going to. She’s sliding right up against Tony and getting cozy and warm, beckoning for Bruce to follow suit.

"But-" Bruce looks between them, a touch helpless. He finally sighs and slowly settles himself back in, but sitting up. More than a little tense as for him, this couldn't get more awkward. "I'm sorry about this, Mrs. Potts."

You're so formal, Bruce. But that's fine. Your thigh makes a fine pillow and with Pepper curled up at his back--

Had he been awake, he might mention that he missed her breasts. Maybe he will if he wakes up like this! That will probably get him hit but it'd be so worth it. He sinks against her heat, hair a ruffled mess.

She buries her face in his hair and inhales; she'd missed his warmth, and his scent. Arms around him, he's firmly boxes in between herself and Bruce.

"Don't apologize." Her voice is a little muffled. "He needs you, too." More than she'd realized, apparently.

Needs him? Bruce looks down at the couple laying curled up together, then sighs to himself. No, he needs you. He needed someone to help him sleep. Bruce is fine with providing that as needed, that's why he became a doctor. Still... His fingertips lift and gently brush Tony's hair, light, just a moment, then he grabs his tablet and settles himself in for the haul.

But he finds himself reading and re-reading the same thing over and over, unable to focus.

Generally, when Tony picks out bedroom furniture, he doesn't select bed sized based on sharing it with someone that could potentially use the leg room if he has a bad dream. Still, the mattress can comfortably hold more than just himself and Pepper so if you decided on extending your nap from earlier while Tony is actually sleeping pretty well, now's a good time for it, Banner.

With Pepper's arms around him, Tony is actually sleeping pretty easily. He's already slid a hand across her forearm to her elbow. Being close again--

He was worried it might never happen.

Pepper doesn't say anything, but she saw what Bruce did and she wonders at it.

Not for long though -- with Tony's heat against her, she's out pretty fast. If Bruce doesn't crash with them, he's in for a long night.

Eventually, still sitting up, Bruce lets himself fall asleep. However, not after setting an alarm that wakes him every hour and a half, following the natural REM cycle, with a gentle vibration. It's enough to check on the pair, as he promised Pepper, before falling back asleep.

It's one of his Better nights, actually.

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