Uncalled for, but the apology is nice. Maybe a little unexpected, but deserved, Bruce thinks, so there. He glances at Tony over his shoulder as he reaches for the samples they'd been working with
( ... )
"And what would me being any closer do except... complicate things?"
Bruce likes this distance. He can pretend like it's yesterday, and he's just watching Tony sleep, like he's done in their lab before. Watching Tony sleep is maybe one of his favorite things these days.
He stops what he was doing -- playing a word unscrambling game; it's soothing -- and bites his lip. He's not obligated to tell the truth, but would not being honest about things help or hurt the situation?
"I don't mind your presence either, which is an understatement that thankfully a truth serum isn't going to make me elaborate on. It's better if I stay over here."
Because what? What did he just say? Tony's eyes harden slightly because the world has grown unfair and Tony knows he's done a whole lot of bad and probably deserves it, but he's been trying to atone.
He wants to be a better man. He truly does.
He watches Bruce glance up. And glance down. The man is uncomfortable in his own skin. The thought strikes him that, being so repressed, Banner must be pretty wild in bed.
At this point, Bruce is just confused. And hurt. And sure that this won't get them anywhere good. What had been funny is now probably an unfortunate end to the best friendship he's had in a long time, and now he has to push Tony away and shut Tony out and... God, that is just so unappealing. It's so unappealing it actually, physically, hurts. Bruce doesn't decide to let people in lightly; sure, Tony had barged his way in, but Bruce could've shut him out, too. He didn't, and he still doesn't want to.
"What are you talking about?" He frowns, his nose wrinkling in confusion. "Isn't this kind of it, right here?"
Tony isn't helping. Tony doesn't help. All he does is make things worse and worse and worse because-- He's a jerk. Because he can. Because he is an emotionally stunted late thirty-something year old. Because he doesn't understand that friends don't hurt friends for social experiments that they really don't understand.
It's unfair. And Tony is ridiculously ill informed on how friends ought to react towards friends.
"No, like, your heart rate. When does it switch over so that you can't stop it from happening?"
This seems like a non sequitur to him. Tony has Pepper, Bruce has the other guy, and that's just it, right? That's the way things are, and the way they have to be, and Tony now is just off on some tangent that's somehow related and Bruce just doesn't see how yet. That's actually somewhat normal.
He sighs and looks up from his game again.
"205 beats per minute. My watch starts beeping at me around 150."
"Is it fixed? I mean, do you know for a fact? Have you done research? It's not in your files and-- Jarvis, note. Update Banner's files." Tony is trying to get some rest. Which explains why he is currently crawling towards the bottom of the bed to slip off the foot and invade Bruce's space
( ... )
Pointedly, Bruce isn't looking up. He's glad at least this isn't in his file because he doesn't really want to have a sit-down with a SHIELD person claiming to look after his best interest asking him to therapeutically masturbate in the next room for science. And that's what it would be, right? Bruce is working on meditation; he has a better control over the other guy than he's had in the past, and maybe he's swung an orgasm on his own. It's the danger of hurting someone else that stops him from researching any further than that.
He's trying to whittle down the agonizing thought process it took Bruce to reach that point, and he's maybe got a sentence started when he finally looks up and there's Tony, and then there's Tony's mouth.
He doesn't stop him. God help him, and he's sorry, Pepper, but Bruce closes his eyes and kisses Tony back, but it's only for a moment. Then he pulls away, shrinking back in the chair, trying to put physical space between them, but without actually pushing Tony away.
"Nothing good," he admits, quiet only because their lips are still inches apart. He takes Bruce's hand and flips his wrist over to glance at his watch. "One hundred forty-two."
Pretty good for a kiss laced with fear. He likes the spark of it and... And it's fine. For now. There's so much more to do and still the ceiling is no where in sight.
Bruce huffs a broken laugh and closes his eyes. This is bad. This is really, truly, a situation that he needs to remove himself from, and he knows he has the restraint to do it. The trouble is, the longer he restrains himself, the longer he has to stop himself from living the life he wants, the longer that resentment has time to brew. And Bruce has a lot of resentments. Tony's good at prying Bruce away from some of those things he's been refusing, at drawing out some of the bitterness and replacing it with something good and, for once, actually happy.
He isn't sure that's what's happening here, though. But pushing Tony away? Walking out of his room now and maybe, probably, forever? Tony isn't a perfect guy; Bruce has no weird ideas about that, but he does understand Bruce, he pushes Bruce like no one else does, and sometimes (like now) that's really frustrating and aggravating and he hates it. But does he want to lose it
( ... )
"We're not going to tell Pepper any thing. Unless you end up destroying the Tower again and then, yes. It was all for science. It's a big deal, Banner. A very big deal. But the chances are good that it will be just fine. And if it isn't, then we'll deal with it after. I'm good at fixing things. Great really. Probably the best."
Well, that was truth serum at work.
Tony lightly takes the phone from Banner's hands and less than lightly throws it clear over his shoulder.
Great, so he gets to carry on an affair behind the back of someone he likes, while living with them more or less. And he runs the risk of turning into a giant rage monster. Bruce watches Tony throw his phone away, and he's kind of annoyed at that; generally he doesn't give a crap about things he can replace, and he's even less fond of things that can track him, but he'd had a high score at that game. But really, it doesn't matter. It's just a phone, and he and Tony might be throwing away something much bigger than a phone right now
( ... )
Tony lets him think whatever he wants for a few more seconds, mouth open to enjoy the heat and intensity of Banner's kiss, before he pulls back again, the corner of his lips lifting. "I don't think anything is too dangerous. Just not dangerous or just dangerous enough."
He pulls off his shirt, the arc reactor glowing brightly in his chest, and climbs back up into bed.
Not one part of this is a good idea and that's what makes it feel so right. He's on his elbows, watching Bruce with lidded eyes that must have driven a few thousand of his prior bedmates absolutely crazy to see.
"Jarvis, start document. Title: Project Green. Save to private servers. Banner, what's your BPM?"
He stays still, watching Tony, trying to accept that he's really being this stupid. This selfish. He was selfish a long time ago too -- not that he thought it was selfish at the time, but how much of what he did in that lab was because he thought he was doing something good, and how much was because he believed in the work? He'd like to think he's better than that now, that he's more selfless; he works to be, anyway. But Tony's shirtless, in his bed, looking at Bruce like that, and Bruce wants... God, he wants it.
He will stop them as soon as it becomes too dangerous. He will. Tony may not have a danger limit, but Bruce does, and he's determined he won't violate it. He glances at his watch as he stands up, and he starts unbuttoning his shirt as he approaches the bed.
"144. You can call me Bruce, you know." He drops his shirt on the floor, and, um... sits on the bed? Sure. "I think we're at that point."
"Right, Bruce." It's not that he minds, Tony just doesn't do... First names. Not usually. But he can try. Just like he can wait while Bruce is overly formal with the way he undresses. And sits on the bottom of the bed. Such a child. Nervous.
And hairy. The man's a bear.
Tony's got only one expression for that. Confused.
And that shifts to amused. Which in turn becomes turned on. He's had men here and there. Of course he has. He's tried almost everything. He's just always been more of a 'most masculine dude in bed' sort. It's hard to be when Banner is like the three bears in one.
"I might bite you-- What? Fucking truth serum." It takes all the fun out promising not to!
Yes, Bruce is hairy. Honestly he's fighting off some self-consciousness that he knows is silly because when is he ever not naked for people these days? Still, it's different when it's like this. He's putting himself out there this time, rather than just finding himself here, and though Bruce is used to people judging him, scrutinizing him, it doesn't mean he's gotten fond of it.
At that, he gives Tony a rather impish smile.
"And I might bite back." The way he says it makes it clear that's a guarantee. He glances down at his watch and back up, eyebrows raised, that smile still on his face. It's make like he's confident, or slink off the bed and hide. This is the better option.
"147. If we don't get a move on, the suspense might actually kill you."
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Bruce likes this distance. He can pretend like it's yesterday, and he's just watching Tony sleep, like he's done in their lab before. Watching Tony sleep is maybe one of his favorite things these days.
He stops what he was doing -- playing a word unscrambling game; it's soothing -- and bites his lip. He's not obligated to tell the truth, but would not being honest about things help or hurt the situation?
"I don't mind your presence either, which is an understatement that thankfully a truth serum isn't going to make me elaborate on. It's better if I stay over here."
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Because what? What did he just say? Tony's eyes harden slightly because the world has grown unfair and Tony knows he's done a whole lot of bad and probably deserves it, but he's been trying to atone.
He wants to be a better man. He truly does.
He watches Bruce glance up. And glance down. The man is uncomfortable in his own skin. The thought strikes him that, being so repressed, Banner must be pretty wild in bed.
He doesn't need that right now.
"What's your point of no return?"
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"What are you talking about?" He frowns, his nose wrinkling in confusion. "Isn't this kind of it, right here?"
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It's unfair. And Tony is ridiculously ill informed on how friends ought to react towards friends.
"No, like, your heart rate. When does it switch over so that you can't stop it from happening?"
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He sighs and looks up from his game again.
"205 beats per minute. My watch starts beeping at me around 150."
Back to the game.
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He's trying to whittle down the agonizing thought process it took Bruce to reach that point, and he's maybe got a sentence started when he finally looks up and there's Tony, and then there's Tony's mouth.
He doesn't stop him. God help him, and he's sorry, Pepper, but Bruce closes his eyes and kisses Tony back, but it's only for a moment. Then he pulls away, shrinking back in the chair, trying to put physical space between them, but without actually pushing Tony away.
"What're you doing, Tony?"
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Pretty good for a kiss laced with fear. He likes the spark of it and... And it's fine. For now. There's so much more to do and still the ceiling is no where in sight.
"Jarvis, delete recording protocols. Initiate level Four-Three-Z lockdowns."
"As you wish, sir."
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He isn't sure that's what's happening here, though. But pushing Tony away? Walking out of his room now and maybe, probably, forever? Tony isn't a perfect guy; Bruce has no weird ideas about that, but he does understand Bruce, he pushes Bruce like no one else does, and sometimes (like now) that's really frustrating and aggravating and he hates it. But does he want to lose it ( ... )
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Well, that was truth serum at work.
Tony lightly takes the phone from Banner's hands and less than lightly throws it clear over his shoulder.
"I'll get you a new one."
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He pulls off his shirt, the arc reactor glowing brightly in his chest, and climbs back up into bed.
Not one part of this is a good idea and that's what makes it feel so right. He's on his elbows, watching Bruce with lidded eyes that must have driven a few thousand of his prior bedmates absolutely crazy to see.
"Jarvis, start document. Title: Project Green. Save to private servers. Banner, what's your BPM?"
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He will stop them as soon as it becomes too dangerous. He will. Tony may not have a danger limit, but Bruce does, and he's determined he won't violate it. He glances at his watch as he stands up, and he starts unbuttoning his shirt as he approaches the bed.
"144. You can call me Bruce, you know." He drops his shirt on the floor, and, um... sits on the bed? Sure. "I think we're at that point."
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And hairy. The man's a bear.
Tony's got only one expression for that. Confused.
And that shifts to amused. Which in turn becomes turned on. He's had men here and there. Of course he has. He's tried almost everything. He's just always been more of a 'most masculine dude in bed' sort. It's hard to be when Banner is like the three bears in one.
"I might bite you-- What? Fucking truth serum." It takes all the fun out promising not to!
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At that, he gives Tony a rather impish smile.
"And I might bite back." The way he says it makes it clear that's a guarantee. He glances down at his watch and back up, eyebrows raised, that smile still on his face. It's make like he's confident, or slink off the bed and hide. This is the better option.
"147. If we don't get a move on, the suspense might actually kill you."
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