Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist

Tony, there isn’t anything you could have done to avoid this. It’s not like anyone exactly expects ninjas to pop up during a meeting at a school, even one that has experience with weirder things.

*Tony takes the mug, and looks up at Bruce. His eyes are bruised from lack of sleep, and the reactor light shines weakly through his shirt.*

Yeah. *Tony nods, head bobbing like a puppet, then again, more strongly, and reaches to put his hand on Bruce's shoulder.*

Tony, there isn’t anything you could have done to avoid this. It’s not like anyone exactly expects ninjas to pop up during a meeting at a school, even one that has experience with weirder things.

*Tony takes the mug, and looks up at Bruce. His eyes are bruised from lack of sleep, and the reactor light shines weakly through his shirt.*

*Tony stares at the screen, then drags his hand across his face, sighing*

Well, they were ninjas, even for us that’s still not run of the mill…

You don’t know that. Jesus, she doesn’t even like me, but… what if she dies?

You, uh—*exhales*—you sound like you want to make peace with her, for all the difficulties you two have had.

She did wake up, briefly.

I don’t think that one is personal.

Which is weird, cause we’ve collectively had a lot of practice at it.

It’s one of those things that doesn’t really get easier with practice.

*Tony stares at the screen, then drags his hand across his face, sighing*

Well, they were ninjas, even for us that’s still not run of the mill…

You don’t know that. Jesus, she doesn’t even like me, but… what if she dies?

You, uh—*exhales*—you sound like you want to make peace with her, for all the difficulties you two have had.

She did wake up, briefly.

I don’t think that one is personal.

Which is weird, cause we've collectively had a lot of practice at it.

*Tony stares at the screen, then drags his hand across his face, sighing*

Well, they were ninjas, even for us that’s still not run of the mill…

You don’t know that. Jesus, she doesn’t even like me, but… what if she dies?

You, uh—*exhales*—you sound like you want to make peace with her, for all the difficulties you two have had.

She did wake up, briefly.

*Tony stares at the screen, then drags his hand across his face, sighing*

Well, they were ninjas, even for us that’s still not run of the mill…

You don't know that. Jesus, she doesn't even like me, but... what if she dies?

I wish I was. JARVIS can’t even analyze the origin. It’s like the stuff was engineered just for her, it doesn’t match any toxins on record. 

*puts his glasses back on, and squints up at the molecules on the screen*

I don’t know, they could have.

We are…pretty limited with what we have right now.

*waves his hands, dismissing the screens, then brings up a simple grid workboard, banishing the rest of the images to the outer edges*

*looks up at the grid, pursing his lips*

*Tony stares at the screen, then drags his hand across his face, sighing*

I wish I was. JARVIS can’t even analyze the origin. It’s like the stuff was engineered just for her, it doesn’t match any toxins on record. 

*puts his glasses back on, and squints up at the molecules on the screen*

I don’t know, they could have.

We are…pretty limited with what we have right now.

*waves his hands, dismissing the screens, then brings up a simple grid workboard, banishing the rest of the images to the outer edges*

I wish I was. JARVIS can’t even analyze the origin. It’s like the stuff was engineered just for her, it doesn’t match any toxins on record. 

*puts his glasses back on, and squints up at the molecules on the screen*

I don't know, they could have.

Lab Work

*Tony, working on his holographic screens of SCIENCE, leans forward and knocks his forehead head gently on the desk*

*points without looking*

*Tony peels his face off the desk and looks at Bruce through some floating blue equations*

*nods*

I wish I was. JARVIS can't even analyze the origin. It's like the stuff was engineered just for her, it doesn't match any toxins on record. 

Lab Work

*Tony, working on his holographic screens of SCIENCE, leans forward and knocks his forehead head gently on the desk*

*points without looking*

*Tony peels his face off the desk and looks at Bruce through some floating blue equations*

Lab Work

*Tony, working on his holographic screens of SCIENCE, leans forward and knocks his forehead head gently on the desk*

*points without looking*

Lab Work

*Tony, working on his holographic screens of SCIENCE, leans forward and knocks his forehead head gently on the desk*

*Bucky moves forward, standing by the bed. Hesitant, he lays a hand next to her- not touching her, not without her permission, not right now- and relief breaks over his face like the tide*

Nothing, yet.

*Tony has decided, for the moment, to say silent (being so close to Natasha in such a state), so it’s Bucky that explains, slowly and evenly*

YespleaseJamesbyallmeansproveitrightnow.

<You know I can’t>

*the sound of blood in her ears is deafening, like static, or rising water.*

*Tony steps back, breathing hard*

*Tony has decided, for the moment, to say silent (being so close to Natasha in such a state), so it’s Bucky that explains, slowly and evenly*

YespleaseJamesbyallmeansproveitrightnow.

  Right.

Fuck you.

*there is an especially loud beep from the monitors, and a previously lifeless hand snakes up to Tony Starks collar and yanks him down with the inevitability of an avalanche*

*Tony yelps- his eyes flick from Natasha to Bucky, wide and panicked, and he holds his hands back, the needle in one*