Ablaze {Marvel} ||2||

15. Frazzled

I felt dampness on my skin when waking up.

I didn't move too much, because I still felt the after effects of the dizzy spell that had washed over me. I was in a lab of some sort, judging by what view I had. There was technology around me, and I was lying on a metal table. Cold, damp cloths were pressed on my exposed skin, from my arms to my forehead, to one wrapped around my neck.

At least I wasn't stripped naked and put under a massive cloth pile.

As I raised an arm, some of the cloths slipped down, leaving a thin sheen of wet against my skin. I still felt a little warm, like there was the potential for me to burn inside again, but the cloths and the cold were keeping it at bay.

"Good, you're up," said Bruce. I smiled weakly at him as he adjusted the glasses on his face. "We were hoping you would."

"Mind filling in the blanks for me, Bruce?" I asked as I sat up slowly.

"Keep those on you." He gestured to the cloths. I tried my best to keep the exposed skin covered. "Tony and I were working on something when J.A.R.V.I.S. told us what was going on. It wasn't easy, but we got you cooled off." His brown eyes cast down to his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Bruce," I whimpered. His hands were proof enough that he, along with Steve no doubt, tried to help me. "There weren't any severe burns?"

"No. Apparently, only your skin is the thing that runs hot. Your clothes were starting to get destroyed. Thankfully, Pepper was around, so we had her change you into something different. Your other clothes aren't good anymore."

"Damn." I closed my eyes. "Where's everyone else?"

"We took a blood sample from you, we're trying to see if there's any clues hidden in there. Tony's got the sample in another lab, I wanted to stay behind to keep an eye on you."

"You said you guys had hoped I would wake."

Bruce looked at me gravely. "With how your temperature was growing, we thought it would somehow send you into a coma. Fortunately, we were wrong on that."

"Mm. So, we have no idea what caused this?"

"Well, what happened?"

"Nothing unusual." I shrugged. "Steve and I went to dinner, he drove me back here. I was about to walk back inside the tower when the pain started. It's never happened before, Bruce." My heart galloped at the thought of another episode happening. "I have no idea how this is happening, or why."

"That's what we can hopefully manage to figure out."

Bruce watched me carefully as I stepped away from the cold table, draping the semi-damp cloths on my skin. I looked like a half-wrapped mummy. I felt a little woozy still, but it wasn't going to be enough to render me unconscious again. "How long have I been out?"

"About half the day. I will say you got a lot of sleep."

That seemed to be about the only good thing that came out of this new episode I'd had last night.

Steve. I looked around the laboratory for my phone.

"Tony took that too, so he could keep Steve updated on you," Bruce said, noticing my slight panic.

"Stark has his own phone." I smoothed my skin down with one of the cloths on my arms. "I'm going to go find him, see what progress he's made if any." And possibly murder him if he's touched my phone and hacked into it again.