Title: So Call Me, Maybe
Chapter: One
Pairings: Bruce/Tony
Warnings: None for this chapter, in further chapters there will be blood. And misplaced limbs.
Genre: Drama, Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After the battle in New York, Dr. Banner is once again off to the furthest corner he can find; but when disaster follows in his footsteps that is none of his own doing, Tony Stark won't sit idle.
Author's Notes: My first Avengers fic. :3
It was annoyingly catchy, the song that blared from one of the apartments they passed as they strolled down toward Stark Tower. Someone, in the aftermath of disaster, was blaring their IPod on portable speakers as they brushed broken glass out their front door; a young teenage girl with pink hair that was presently covered in a light coating of dust. She sang along, seemingly unconcerned with the devastation; her townhouse seemed mostly untouched. Lucky.
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But here’s my number
So call me, maybe
Definitely catchy, but out of place, for sure. The streets were mostly deserted, aside from a clean-up crew working their way down the street, and a tow truck pulling away with one of many wrecked cars. They would be out here all night doing that.
Tony heard a low chuckle, and caught sight of Bruce’s smirk from the corner of his eye.
“Something funny?”
“”Just…how quickly they bounce back,” Bruce said softly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Alien attack, and the kids just turned on the music and picked up the brooms.”
Tony shrugged. “Better than sitting around doing nothing, right? Me, I’d be out in the street seeing what kind of bits and pieces fell off those alien craft. Imagine bringing that to a science fair.”
That earned a laugh from the other scientist. “Yeah, I don’t doubt that you’d do that…”
“You know, you don’t have to leave tomorrow,” Tony pointed out. “The place will be patched up in no time, even better than before. We have apartments below the R&D floors, you could get all set up, no shacks without running water.”
“You know I can’t stay,” Bruce said, a well-rehearsed line. “You saw the room they had for me on the Helicarrier. Fury may be in charge, but you know there are other people puling strings in SHIELD. The second I settle down in one place for too long…”
“They wouldn’t be able to get away with it. You really think they want to piss us off? After all that?”
Bruce sighed, running one hand through his hair. Tony’s eyes lingered there for a moment, on those curls, and the tense, unsure expression on the other man’s face.
“Just…I need to get away for a while,” Bruce finally said.
“But you’ll come back? Because really, you could have a field day in these labs.”
“Yeah, sure. Sure.”
“If you don’t, I’m sending someone after you.”
“Oh, I know.”
Tony smirked.
* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *
The next morning, after making sure Loki got a secure send-off, Bruce hopped into Tony’s Ferrari and the two took off for JFK. All Bruce had was the bag of supplies SHIELD had provided as a ‘parting gift’ of sorts, no doubt Fury’s doing, because there were already disgruntled rumblings in the higher-ups about letting Bruce leave their custody. Fury had told Tony that if Bruce was leaving, he needed to go now, soon, before anyone tried to pull any funny business on them.
“So, where’d you get a ticket to?” Tony asked, nearly yelling to be heard over the wind whipping by them. He wasn’t driving as fast as he might usually go; he didn’t want to be making this trip at all. Saying goodbye to Banner was making his stomach feel unsteady; he tried to ignore that, and any implications that came with it.
“Philippines.”
“Couldn’t even go for someplace a little closer, huh?”
Bruce shrugged. “Just picked the first flight that had a cancellation that I could get on.”
“That how it usually works? You jump on whatever train or bus is around and hope you end up someplace decent?”
“Something like that.”
Tony pulled up and stopped in the drop-off lane, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel nervously as Bruce gathered his jacket and bag. He thanked Tony for the ride, and they both hesitated, a pause seeming to hang in the air between them. Bruce, as usual, couldn’t seem to meet Tony’s eyes; it seemed rare that he looked anyone in the eye, as if he expected to see fear there.
Tony reached into his pocket, pulling out a small phone.
“Untraceable by SHIELD,” he said, and then he pulled up the contact list, and with a smirk, began entering his number. “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy…but here’s my number, so call me, maybe?”
Bruce laughed, truly laughed, and it was the best thing Tony had heard in a long time. He held out the phone and Bruce took it, their fingers brushing together, and another heavy pause held them for a few more seconds. Finally, Bruce broke the silence, bashfully looking down.
“Thanks for everything, Tony. I really do appreciate it.”
“Just be careful. I am not kidding about sending someone after you in a helicopter. I have three.”
Bruce smiled again. “I know.”
Tony watched him turn and head into the airport, lost in thought, keeping his eyes on him until the other scientist disappeared behind the doors of the terminal. Only when the car behind him gave a loud honk did his throw it back into gear and peel out, engine jumping back to life with a roar.
* ~~~~~~~~~~~ *
It had been two weeks. Tony had holed himself up in his lab, trying to think of nothing but his work; after all, his not-even-done-yet suit had been nearly destroyed in that battle. He had a lot of work to do to get the new one ready for whatever might happen next.
That, and he certainly didn’t want to think about a certain scientist who was probably living in a filthy shack right now. No doubt he’d found the most run-down, out of the way corner of where he was going to settle in.
That thought distracted Tony more than it should have. Dr. Banner was just as much of a hero as any of them. The rest of them were enjoying a relatively comfortable life of their own choosing; Bruce still felt like he had to run.
“Sir, I must interrupt. There is a news report that concerns the region you told me to monitor,” JARVIS interrupted him, nearly making Tony drop the piece he was working with. He’d been lost in thought, lucky to avoid cutting his own hand off or something equally gruesome. He swiveled in his chair, ready to scold JARVIS for interrupting when he saw the monitor.
“Reports are still coming in of massive damage. Most of the structures in the area have been flattened. Scientists have been estimating this newest quake as an 8 on the Richter scale, but as more news comes in, the number may climb higher,” the blonde at the station desk was saying, and behind her a video played footage from a helicopter. There was nothing left of what lay below but twisted wreckage and flames dancing amidst the ruins.
“JARVIS, how close is this to where Dr. Banner’s cell phone is tracking to?” Tony asked, standing up and changing to another news channel. Then another. Then another.
“-fires raging out of control-“
“-death toll in the hundreds, and still climbing-“
“-all communication with the mainland is cut off, and aftershocks keep the rescue efforts at bay-“
“Sir, Dr. Banner’s cell phone is approximately .7 miles from the epicenter of this particular quake. It has not moved since the event.”
Tony’s heart sank. Hadn’t moved? Then either Bruce had lost it, left it at home, or…Bruce himself wasn’t moving.
Tony was picking up his phone and dialing before he even realized what he was doing. Pepper picked up on the fourth ring- he hadn’t realized that it was nearly 3 in the morning.
“Tony? What’s wrong?” she murmured, groggy.
“Pepper, I need my fastest jet and my pilot ready to go in under an hour. Then I need you to call ahead to whatever embassy we’ve got in the Philippines and secure me a runway to land on and transportation to the disaster site.”
“Disaster site? Tony, what happened?“
“Just do it, I’ll explain later,” Tony said, hanging up and moving quickly to begin gathering his things.
Forget waiting on rescue to get there. He’d find Dr. Banner himself.
Chapter: One
Pairings: Bruce/Tony
Warnings: None for this chapter, in further chapters there will be blood. And misplaced limbs.
Genre: Drama, Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After the battle in New York, Dr. Banner is once again off to the furthest corner he can find; but when disaster follows in his footsteps that is none of his own doing, Tony Stark won't sit idle.
Author's Notes: My first Avengers fic. :3
It was annoyingly catchy, the song that blared from one of the apartments they passed as they strolled down toward Stark Tower. Someone, in the aftermath of disaster, was blaring their IPod on portable speakers as they brushed broken glass out their front door; a young teenage girl with pink hair that was presently covered in a light coating of dust. She sang along, seemingly unconcerned with the devastation; her townhouse seemed mostly untouched. Lucky.
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But here’s my number
So call me, maybe
Definitely catchy, but out of place, for sure. The streets were mostly deserted, aside from a clean-up crew working their way down the street, and a tow truck pulling away with one of many wrecked cars. They would be out here all night doing that.
Tony heard a low chuckle, and caught sight of Bruce’s smirk from the corner of his eye.
“Something funny?”
“”Just…how quickly they bounce back,” Bruce said softly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Alien attack, and the kids just turned on the music and picked up the brooms.”
Tony shrugged. “Better than sitting around doing nothing, right? Me, I’d be out in the street seeing what kind of bits and pieces fell off those alien craft. Imagine bringing that to a science fair.”
That earned a laugh from the other scientist. “Yeah, I don’t doubt that you’d do that…”
“You know, you don’t have to leave tomorrow,” Tony pointed out. “The place will be patched up in no time, even better than before. We have apartments below the R&D floors, you could get all set up, no shacks without running water.”
“You know I can’t stay,” Bruce said, a well-rehearsed line. “You saw the room they had for me on the Helicarrier. Fury may be in charge, but you know there are other people puling strings in SHIELD. The second I settle down in one place for too long…”
“They wouldn’t be able to get away with it. You really think they want to piss us off? After all that?”
Bruce sighed, running one hand through his hair. Tony’s eyes lingered there for a moment, on those curls, and the tense, unsure expression on the other man’s face.
“Just…I need to get away for a while,” Bruce finally said.
“But you’ll come back? Because really, you could have a field day in these labs.”
“Yeah, sure. Sure.”
“If you don’t, I’m sending someone after you.”
“Oh, I know.”
Tony smirked.
* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *
The next morning, after making sure Loki got a secure send-off, Bruce hopped into Tony’s Ferrari and the two took off for JFK. All Bruce had was the bag of supplies SHIELD had provided as a ‘parting gift’ of sorts, no doubt Fury’s doing, because there were already disgruntled rumblings in the higher-ups about letting Bruce leave their custody. Fury had told Tony that if Bruce was leaving, he needed to go now, soon, before anyone tried to pull any funny business on them.
“So, where’d you get a ticket to?” Tony asked, nearly yelling to be heard over the wind whipping by them. He wasn’t driving as fast as he might usually go; he didn’t want to be making this trip at all. Saying goodbye to Banner was making his stomach feel unsteady; he tried to ignore that, and any implications that came with it.
“Philippines.”
“Couldn’t even go for someplace a little closer, huh?”
Bruce shrugged. “Just picked the first flight that had a cancellation that I could get on.”
“That how it usually works? You jump on whatever train or bus is around and hope you end up someplace decent?”
“Something like that.”
Tony pulled up and stopped in the drop-off lane, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel nervously as Bruce gathered his jacket and bag. He thanked Tony for the ride, and they both hesitated, a pause seeming to hang in the air between them. Bruce, as usual, couldn’t seem to meet Tony’s eyes; it seemed rare that he looked anyone in the eye, as if he expected to see fear there.
Tony reached into his pocket, pulling out a small phone.
“Untraceable by SHIELD,” he said, and then he pulled up the contact list, and with a smirk, began entering his number. “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy…but here’s my number, so call me, maybe?”
Bruce laughed, truly laughed, and it was the best thing Tony had heard in a long time. He held out the phone and Bruce took it, their fingers brushing together, and another heavy pause held them for a few more seconds. Finally, Bruce broke the silence, bashfully looking down.
“Thanks for everything, Tony. I really do appreciate it.”
“Just be careful. I am not kidding about sending someone after you in a helicopter. I have three.”
Bruce smiled again. “I know.”
Tony watched him turn and head into the airport, lost in thought, keeping his eyes on him until the other scientist disappeared behind the doors of the terminal. Only when the car behind him gave a loud honk did his throw it back into gear and peel out, engine jumping back to life with a roar.
* ~~~~~~~~~~~ *
It had been two weeks. Tony had holed himself up in his lab, trying to think of nothing but his work; after all, his not-even-done-yet suit had been nearly destroyed in that battle. He had a lot of work to do to get the new one ready for whatever might happen next.
That, and he certainly didn’t want to think about a certain scientist who was probably living in a filthy shack right now. No doubt he’d found the most run-down, out of the way corner of where he was going to settle in.
That thought distracted Tony more than it should have. Dr. Banner was just as much of a hero as any of them. The rest of them were enjoying a relatively comfortable life of their own choosing; Bruce still felt like he had to run.
“Sir, I must interrupt. There is a news report that concerns the region you told me to monitor,” JARVIS interrupted him, nearly making Tony drop the piece he was working with. He’d been lost in thought, lucky to avoid cutting his own hand off or something equally gruesome. He swiveled in his chair, ready to scold JARVIS for interrupting when he saw the monitor.
“Reports are still coming in of massive damage. Most of the structures in the area have been flattened. Scientists have been estimating this newest quake as an 8 on the Richter scale, but as more news comes in, the number may climb higher,” the blonde at the station desk was saying, and behind her a video played footage from a helicopter. There was nothing left of what lay below but twisted wreckage and flames dancing amidst the ruins.
“JARVIS, how close is this to where Dr. Banner’s cell phone is tracking to?” Tony asked, standing up and changing to another news channel. Then another. Then another.
“-fires raging out of control-“
“-death toll in the hundreds, and still climbing-“
“-all communication with the mainland is cut off, and aftershocks keep the rescue efforts at bay-“
“Sir, Dr. Banner’s cell phone is approximately .7 miles from the epicenter of this particular quake. It has not moved since the event.”
Tony’s heart sank. Hadn’t moved? Then either Bruce had lost it, left it at home, or…Bruce himself wasn’t moving.
Tony was picking up his phone and dialing before he even realized what he was doing. Pepper picked up on the fourth ring- he hadn’t realized that it was nearly 3 in the morning.
“Tony? What’s wrong?” she murmured, groggy.
“Pepper, I need my fastest jet and my pilot ready to go in under an hour. Then I need you to call ahead to whatever embassy we’ve got in the Philippines and secure me a runway to land on and transportation to the disaster site.”
“Disaster site? Tony, what happened?“
“Just do it, I’ll explain later,” Tony said, hanging up and moving quickly to begin gathering his things.
Forget waiting on rescue to get there. He’d find Dr. Banner himself.
peaceful1 | +
