I'll be your family now

Device X

Bruce had calmed down, the green monster was out, and the doctor was in it's place. Something they needed when a teammate was slammed by the Hulk.

"How is he? Okay?- No, of course he's not okay, the Hulk fought him, god, Tony" Bruce rambled, feeling the guilt creep it's way through all of his bones. God, and the anxiety.

"Bruce... calm down, yeah? He got the suit before major damage was done" Natasha smiled, trying to reassure him "We just need you to check him out, nobody blames you"

"I should've been stronger" he shook his head, walking faster and leaving Natasha behind for a moment, trying to get to his friend as soon as possible.

And Nat was right, he realized, Tony just looked like he got into a really bad fight, with bruises everywhere that made him look horrible, but that's it. He didn't look like he fought the Hulk, just a very strong human.

And he was conscious, something he wasn't expecting.

"Hey... Tony..." his voice sounded like a grimace, he should be accustomed to this incidents, but he wasn't, and every time something like this happened it left him with a gut wrenching guilt, at least today wasn't as bad as it could have gotten.

"Hi, Brucie" Tony joked, waving his fingers as a greeting, trying to ease his friend's guilt "Came to let them know that I'm all okay and I can get out of this bed?"

"I hope, let's get you checked out"

Tony and Bruce worked in silence and harmony, but for the first time it was kind of awkward.

"Look, Tony, I'm really sorry about this" Bruce looked down, ashamed "I tried to contain the other guy, but, to be honest, you really pissed him off. It wasn't nice what you said back there... and we all love Peter, I don't know what's happened to you, but... Peter could be in danger, or worse, and this is really serious, Tony, please, act like it" Bruce practically pleaded as he moved his friends wrist to see if it was broken, which wasn't, as FRIDAY said.

He looked ya his friends bruised face, seeing as... something, shone in his eyes, recognition, maybe? But it left as soon as it appeared.

"Will do, promise" Tony just said, not wanting to anger the Hulk again, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"It all seems okay, what more did FRIDAY said?" the doctor asked Tony.

"The team said something about my stomach, I think, Fri?"

"It seems like there's an irritated part in your abdomen, below your ribs, Boss" she replied, automatically.

"Okay, lets check it out, shall we? I don't know what might have caused it" Bruce replied, as Tony lifted his shirt above his ribs and, indeed there was a part which was red, but it wasn't the important part, that part was a small metallic circle in the middle of it, surrounded by irritated skin.

Bruce looked at it suspiciously "Tony, what's this? It seems to be the cause of your irritation"

Tony looked down, clueless, a blank expression in his face. What was that? Why every time he looked at it he felt like he was a computer being reseted? Why it made him feel so nauseous? Tony didn't know.