Day 59
“Stark?” Nebula shook Tony’s shoulder to wake him from the light slumber he had fallen into, “Hey I found something that will help your wound heal.”
“Hmm,” Stark sounded disinterested in what she was trying to offer him.
“Come on, roll over. This stuff’ll have it sealed up, and healed in a matter of days,” Nebula shook him a second time.
“Fine,” Tony grumbled and rolled over onto his back.
“Lift your shirt up,” Nebula ordered unscrewing the lid of the healing paste tube, “This might hurt a little.”
“It’s fine, it’s not like I am pain free right now anyway.”
“So Terra- uh Earth, tell me more about it,” Nebula’s reasoning for asking went beyond just curiosity. She needed to keep his mind off the pain that was about to go down.
“Didn’t I already?”
“You told me a little bit about Pepper, but something tells me there is more to it than that.”
“What do want to know about?”
Nebula felt Stark’s whole body stiffen and seize as she spread the past on to the large gash, but he made no sound to express his pain.
“Your fine,” Nebula rested a reassuring hand on the man’s forehead.
“I thought you said it would hurt a little,” Tony hissed between clenched teeth. The muscles on his neck bulged, and his nostrils flared, “nmmh ah son of a bitch!”
He writhed as the paste on his abdomen began to bubble a little.
“Earth. Tell me about Earth,” Nebula coaxed.
“Oh you know pain and misery with a slight occasional side of joy,” The man growled between bared teeth.
“Pain and misery?” Nebula questioned.
“Yeah,” Stark seemed to relax just a little, “You know, give it your all, try, and then have it chew you up and spit you out over and over again because you didn't do enough. Try to do something right and then get betrayed, and have the universe smash you in the face, and break you chest with a metal shield? Pain and misery.”
Nebula raised an eyebrow as Stark finished his explanation of what Earth was like. The details seemed oddly specific.
“Those details seem very specific,” Nebula commented. His wording had been odd to. He had used chest not heart, it could have been that it was an Earth thing, but she didn't think so.
“Maybe,” Stark shrugged, and then changed the subject, “Do you need to do the other side?”
Nebula nodded. What was this man’s story?
Tony didn't even need to be told to roll over on his stomach, he just did it. He convulsed a little less this time when she put the paste on. Nebula rubbed her fingers through his hair as he silently worked his way through the this second round of pain.
She would figure him out eventually.