Chapter Text
Tony shot through the air, pushing the suit harder than he’d ever pushed it before.
“Where are we, JARVIS?” He demanded breathlessly. The kidnappers had already made it clear that one of the hostages had been hurt and didn’t have much time. He needed to get there NOW.
“If you maintain this velocity, you’ll catch up with them in twenty minutes.”
Tony swore under his breath. Already almost an hour had passed. This was taking too much time. He wanted to tell JARVIS to push the suit even faster, but he knew it was useless. He already had everything in the thrusters. There was physically no way to go any faster.
“Did you manage to establish a link with the jet?” He asked.
JARVIS threw up an image on the screen that made Tony’s heart stop cold in his chest. “I’m afraid so, sir. It’s not looking good.”
Four men stood at the front of the plane; guns drawn. They seemed to be laughing and joking with one another, but Tony watched as they took turns carefully watching the two women at the other end of the jet. You were lying on the floor, a distinctive pool of red swimming around you. Tears streamed down Peppers face as she pressed paper towels, already dyed red with your blood, to your side.
You were pale.
Too pale.
“Shit.” Tony cursed. “JARVIS?”
“Her vitals are weak, sir. She’s lost too much blood. If you don’t get there soon, I’m afraid she’s not going to make it.”
“We need to go faster, J.”
“Sir . . . “
“Whatever you have to do, J. Do it. We have to get there!”
“As you wish.” JARVIS murmured, deactivating a few of the last remaining safety protocols as he funneled more power to the thrusters. Warning bells light up Tony’s visor as the thrusters threatened to explode.
He ignored them all.
An image of Bruce appeared on screen. “Shall I call Dr. Banner, sir?” JARVIS asked.
Tony sighed as he glanced at your still form on the floor of the jet and then back at the image of Dr. Banner on the screen. Tony squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to make an impossible decision. Finally;
“Yeah. Yeah, JARVIS. He deserves to know.”
The ringing of Bruce’s phone startled the scientist from his thoughts. For the last half-hour, he’d been staring at the clock on the wall, trying not to let his imagination run wild with the worst possible scenarios that could be happening out there right now.
Bruce glanced at his phone and saw Tony’s name flashing across the screen. He scrambled for it. “H . . . hello?” He stuttered breathlessly, adjusting his glasses after he almost knocked them off his face in his haste.
“Bruce.” Tony’s voice was tense.
Bruce stood from his chair and started pacing around the lab as he took deep breaths trying to control his surging emotions.
“Tony. What’s wrong?” He asked.
Tony sighed. “Listen. Bruce. I’m almost there and it’s going to be fine. Okay? I’m going to get her out . . .”
Bruce’s adrenaline spiked and pure fear shot straight through his heart. Green tinged his irises and his voice had taken on a darker tone when he interrupted Tony. “What’s wrong? Where is she?!”
Tony winced at the sound of the Hulk already trying to break through. “She and Pepper are on a Stark jet.” He explained as quickly as possible. “It was hijacked. The kidnappers want a suit. There was an accident though. She . . . she was hurt. It’s not looking good, Bruce.”
Bruce took in deep lungsful of air as he tried to remind the Hulk that if you were hurt, Bruce was the one best suited to look after you. Hulk could rip your attackers apart after. But first, they had to help you. Hulk roared inside of Bruce’s mind, his desperation to get out and hurt the people who hurt you an almost physical thing that Bruce did his best to keep contained.
Tony waited breathlessly on the other end of the line, listening intently for the sounds of destruction.
They never came.
“How bad?” Bruce managed to ask. The scientist once again in control. Bruce glanced at his black monitor and saw green irises staring back at him. Hulk, too close to the surface for them to fade back to his natural brown.
A hologram flickered in front of Bruce as Tony had JARVIS show him the live feed from the jet. Bruce’s eyes snapped to your fallen form and the blood already surrounding you.
He swallowed heavily as a double sense of loss so profound, it actually drove him to his knees ripped through him.
In his head, Hulk roared again, but seemed to curl into himself, leaving the scientist feeling so very alone as he watched Pepper do her best to fight for your life.
Distantly, Bruce heard shouting as Tony called him over the phone. Bruce picked up his cracked phone and held it to his ear. “She’s gonna be fine. Bruce. She’s gonna be fine. Okay? I’m almost there. I’m almost there. We’ll save her. We can still save her. But I need you to stay with me. Alright? Dr. Cho won’t get here in time. She won’t. You’re her only hope, Banner. You hear me? You gotta stay with me.”
“What do you need me to do?” Bruce asked almost robotically, two sets of ears listening intently as Hulk caught the importance of the billionaire's words.
“Your cellular revivification project. We need it.”
Bruce shook his head frantically. “You want me to TEST it? On HER?”
Tony was grim as he watched you pale further and Pepper start crying in earnest. “I don’t think we have a choice, here Bruce. I’ll get her to the hospital as fast as I can but . . .”
“I’ll be there.” Bruce interrupted, terrified at the thought of Tony finishing his sentence.
“JARVIS, get him a suit.” Tony ordered.
Tony swung towards the jet and ran parallel with the top of it, hiding from whatever radar sensors they may have had.
“We’re only going to have one shot at this, J. You sure they’re all up front?” Tony asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Flash the lights, then.”
Inside the plane, the lights flickered to the beat of ‘Shot Through the Heart’ and without thinking twice, Pepper flung herself over the top of your body, throwing her tied hands around your head.
Only seconds later, the door at the front of the plane was ripped open and you and Pepper were dragged towards the door as Iron Man flew in, swinging the door shut behind him. The bad guys pulled their weapons and tried to fire shots off, but Iron Man shot out a single blast, knocking three of them into one another. Then he spun around and slapped the remaining hijacker upside the head with his metal gauntlet. The man went down with a thud.
The three others were pushing back to their feet, but Tony lifted his gauntlet and three darts shot out, knocking the three of them down almost instantly.
“Pepper!” He called out, after making sure the three were down for the count.
“Tony!?” Pepper called, pushing herself off of your unconscious body. “She’s . . . she’s . . .”
“I know.” Tony murmured, coming up to her and untying her wrists before he gently pushed her away as he glanced at your pale face. “JARVIS?” He asked.
“She needs a hospital. Now.”
Tony and Pepper exchanged a glance and Pepper shook her head. “Go.”
Tony glanced at the bad guys in the corner and then at Pepper nervously, but she shook her head as she pushed to her feet and straightened her dress. Tears were still present in her eyes as she rolled her shoulders back and did her best to look braver than she felt. “Go.” She ordered more firmly.
Tony squeezed his eyes shut. “I love the hell out of you, you know that?” He asked.
Pepper smiled, though the smile was shakier than normal. ‘I know.’ She said.
Tony reached down and pulled his gauntlet off. He handed it to her. “They make a single sound and you shoot them again, got it?” He ordered.
Pepper took it and slipped it on her own hand, turning it and pointing it at the unconscious men at the front of the plane.
Tony waited until he saw her nod and then he reached down and picked you up.
He stood and started walking towards the rear of the jet. “You shoot them, no questions asked, got it?” He ordered again.
Pepper nodded before she gestured at the door at the rear of the plane. “Go, Tony. Save her.” She reached out and wrapped an arm around one of the chairs in front of her. Tony nodded once and then he slid his face mask back over his features before he opened the door and shot out.
“JARVIS, get her down safely.” He ordered.
“Will do, sir. Just make sure you do the same.” JARVIS said.
Tony nodded as he shot you towards the nearest hospital.
Bruce stumbled out of the suit as it touched down just outside the hospital. He pulled the briefcase out of its grip and ignored the looks of astonishment as he raced inside and towards the reception desk.
Breathlessly, he stammered out your name, begging for a room number.
“I’m sorry- she's still in the operating room and only family can be admitted . . .”
“He IS her family.” A voice interrupted. Bruce swung around and watched as Tony and Pepper walked up. Tony was clinging to Tony’s hand, her clothes still stained with your blood.
Bruce gulped at the sight.
Tony turned to the nurse again. “He’s her fiancé." He lied. "And the doctor we’ve been waiting for.”
The nurse’s expression shifted in an instant as she glanced back at Bruce. “Oh! Dr. Banner. Of course. Please, right this way.”
Bruce swung around and glanced at Tony, giving him a nod of thanks as he rushed after the nurse as she led him towards the operating room.
Pepper turned and wrapped her arms around Tony’s waist. Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as they watched Bruce race away. “Will he be able to save her?” Pepper asked.
“He has too.” Tony murmured. “He has too.”
Bruce scrambled to change into the scrubs the hospital provided before he scrubbed at his hands and then dressed in a surgical gown. You were already on the operating table, tubes and wires sticking out of you in every direction. Some were pumping your lungs, keeping you breathing. Some were keeping blood pumping through your veins as you did your best to bleed out on the table. A steady beeping rhythm was like music to Bruce’s ears as your heart beat weakly in the background as doctors called out orders and tried to keep it that way.
Time seemed to slow as Bruce stepped towards your pale form and the doctors and nurses parted out of his way. He held out a hand and a syringe already filled with the cellular revivification formula already drawn up. Bruce looked at the wound in your side, being held open with medical devices. He saw the hole leading into your open stomach and his heart clenched. His eyes flashed green before fading back to his natural brown as he gently slipped the needle into the wound and injected the serum into the torn stomach lining. The room collectively held its breath as they watched Bruce work.
Seconds later, though it felt like hours to everyone watching, the ruptured lining started closing itself back up.
A cheer went through the room as the serum worked and your vitals started leveling off.
Bruce held his hand out for another syringe and started on repairing the rest of your layers one by one. With the worse now over, Hulk slipped into the background and let the scientist work in peace.
You would be okay. That’s all that mattered.
Almost twelve hours later, a beeping sound woke you up. You swallowed hard as your eyes fluttered open and you glanced at the unfamiliar ceiling.
“There you are. Nice of you to finally wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” You turned to your left and saw Tony sitting in an uncomfortable chair. His face was pale and there were dark bags under his eyes.
“Tony?” You asked. “Where . . . where am I?”
Tony chuckled. “You’re at the tower. More specifically in the medical ward in the tower.”
“Medical?” You asked in confusion, your sluggish brain struggling to keep up with the conversation. “What am I doing in medical?”
Tony put his tablet on the nightstand by your bed and rested a hand teasingly against your forehead. “Do you have a fever to boot? You can't be forgetting how you were stabbed in a heist gone wrong?”
You furrowed your brow as you tried to think back.
It took a second and then you almost bolted upright.
You didn't get far, though. A heavy weight kept you pinned to the bed.
You glanced down and saw a large green hand keeping you pinned to the bed. Your eyes followed the hand up the attached arm until they came to rest on Hulk’s sleeping face.
Hulk was sitting next to your bed. One hand was keeping you pinned safely to the hospital bed. The other hand was propped up on a single large knee, keeping his head cradled as he snored softly.
You smiled softly at your big green teddy bear before you turned back to Tony who was smiling at you knowingly.
“Bruce?” You asked softly.
Tony shook his head. “He held it together long enough to patch you up in Florida. Once we got the all clear to travel, we brought you home. Hulk came out to say 'hi' just as we were setting you up in here. He’s been like that ever since.”
“How long?”
“A few hours.”
You nodded slowly and reached out a hand, stroking it against Hulk’s. The best giggled lowly in his sleep. You smiled again.
Tony looked like someone had just told him Santa Claus was coming to town.
“I told Pepper you’d come save us, you know.” You said softly.
Tony shot one more disbelieving look in Hulk’s direction before he turned to you and smirked. “Yeah? I heard about that. Sounds like you have more faith in me than you’ve been letting on.”
You smiled as your eyes drooped. You reached down and tugged at Hulk’s thumb, bringing it against your chest as you cuddled against it. “You should have more faith in yourself than you do, Tony.” You mumbled. “You’re a hero.”
Tony glanced down at you with an affection in his eyes you never got to see as you slipped back into unconsciousness.
Warm hands slid over his chest behind as Pepper leaned against him. “She’ll be okay?” She asked.
Tony nodded and pulled away from Pepper’s touch so he could stand and wrap her in his arms. “Yeah. She’ll be fine.” He said. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”
Pepper leaned against him and nodded, following him out of the room.
Hulk peeked a single eye open and watched as they shut the door behind them before he turned his gaze to you. He wiggled his thumb in your hold, but you just clung to him tighter in your sleep. He smiled softly to himself before he let himself fall back asleep.
There was one thought going through his head as he followed you into dreamland;
Maybe Banner wasn’t so bad after all.
