Bruce had never thought his return to having a love life would include a bottle of Absolut and his best friend's daughter. True, he should've been more set off by that, but his science-oriented mind found more pros than cons.
First, by normal standards, he was more than 50 years old. But thanks to the gamma radiation, his aging was slowed, and he was still in his 30s. Not too terribly old for a girl entering her 20s, right?
Second, yes, he turned into an enormous green rage monster. But hadn't they been conditioning that rage monster to answer to Alex? Wasn't she supposed to be his "anchor?" If she slowed down his heart rate enough to turn him back to his human state, nothing bad could possibly happen in that regard.
Third, they worked together. Not in an office, not in a school, but as a super hero team. They lived together, they worked together, and they were attached at the hip. No worrying about a long distance relationship.
So that night, he decided to make his move. He was going to open up to Alex Stark and tell her how he felt.
He just didn't know it would take half a bottle of vodka.
Alex was almost bouncing off the walls when Bruce had asked her to have dinner with him that night – without her father. Granted, Tony was off on a diplomatic journey with Steve, but the gesture was still enough to cause a flush to creep up her neck as she stammered out a "yes."
To be completely honest, she had never thought of Bruce as more than her father's closest friend. But that day, when he approached her with his favorite purple shirt and his messy hair, she found herself biting her lip and staring at her shoes and twirling her hair. Not very much herself, she thought, but psychology books in her father's library led her to the conclusion that she had feelings for Bruce.
Not surprising, she thought to herself, twirling in front of her large bedroom mirror as she weighed outfit options, he's a reasonable man. Perhaps this will work out very well. And if not… well, I hope it will. There was no time to deal with the awkwardness of an unsuccessful relationship in the workplace.
She settled for a simple white button-up shirt, one that just faintly revealed the blue light of the arc reactor, and a pair of denim shorts. She checked herself out in the mirror and nodded in approval. If this was a date (and she knew it was), then she would give Bruce something nice to look at (although she didn't think he'd oppose if she showed up in an AC/DC tee shirt and jeans).
He never noticed how much she looked like Pepper until she walked in with her ginger hair pulled back and her freckles very prominent across her ski-jump nose. But there was one way in which she was so unlike Pepper – she looked human. With every laugh she gifted him with, when she would reach out and grab his hand, or when she would take a shot of bitters, only to make a face as it burned her throat, he would get a rush, a swoosh feeling in his stomach that was impossible to ignore.
In a haze of alcohol, he thought about how much he loved the way her nose crinkled, the way her lips curled upward as she grinned at him, and the way her tongue grazed her top row of teeth. He found himself leaning in closer and closer, gripping on to every word she said like they were keeping him from falling off a cliff.
Alex became hyperaware of how close he was when she could see flecks of gold in his brown eyes. After that thought occurred to her, she took another sip of her bitters and Absolut.
"Wow, Bruce, you really know how to treat a girl," she said, looking admiringly at the glass in front of her.
"What?" He had been staring at her mouth, only roused from his gaze by the fact that they were moving. "Oh, well, your dad provides the resources, I just, ah, used them."
She laughed, probably louder than she would have when sober. She loved seeing the blush grow on his cheeks when she laughed at what he said, and the small grin that exposed his eyeteeth. Before she knew it, she found herself drifting nearer to him, almost nestling herself under his arm.
He responded by draping his arm around her shoulders and resting his cheek on her hair.
"This is perfect," he said quietly, and she nodded.
"Oh, I know," she murmured back, stroking his hand.
"Hey, Alex."
"Yes?"
He felt her turn her head and her forehead slide against his stubbly chin. Bruce swallowed hard and sighed.
"I – don't wanna sound weird. But I really, really like you. Like, sometimes I just look at you and I wanna hold you close so no one can ever hurt you, I could never live with myself if you were hurt and I could've done something about it. I love you, Alex Stark."
He made eye contact with her, and those green eyes pierced through him.
"I love you too, Bruce," she whispered, and their lips met.
They woke up that morning tangled up in the 1,000 count linen sheets.
"So," Alex muttered, her voice husky with sleep, "is this what you had planned, doctor?"
"I never saw it coming," he admitted, "but I'm glad it did."