Welcome to my little fic. This started as something I needed to get out of my head in order to proceed on my original work; however, it seems to have taken a bit of a life of its own. This is not my best work and I know that, but feel free to review anyway. I could always use pointers.

I'm not sure how long this will continue, but eventually, they will end up together, so if you can't handle Stanner, don't read it.

For science!

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Bruce glanced at the clock while tapping a stylus on a screen full of equations. He turned back to the formula that had been troubling him and scratched out three variables which vanished from the screen. He scribbled in one and then another, but neither seemed to get the right answer.

"Something's missing," he thought aloud.

Tony would know. Of course, Bruce's lab partner hadn't set foot in the lab for weeks. Bruce hadn't seen Tony outside of practice and a few brawls with some Hydra thugs in two weeks actually.

Normally, Bruce would have pushed with his latest idea- and it was a good one too, the sort that would result in a manic Stark throwing himself into the lab for many sleepless nights- but Pepper had been missing for just as long. The rest of the team was convinced that Tony and Pepper were planning something big. Steve had even suggested a wedding. Bruce knew better, though.

Tony hadn't been himself since it started. He still made the witty, sarcastic jabs at everyone but the enthusiasm just wasn't there. He hadn't worked on the latest incarnation of the Iron Man suit or touched either of their joint projects. And he'd been drinking. A lot. The rest of the team wouldn't have noticed an increase in Tony's drinking. Well, except maybe Natasha, but the Widow had been dealing with relationships problems of her own. No, something was definitely wrong.

They must have fought and it must have been over something pretty big to be going on this long. Of course, Tony was too proud to admit how lost he was without her, which was a real shame because Bruce was pretty lost now too.

"What happened to me?" he asked with a heavy sigh. "I used to work just fine alone."

Bruce slid the computer pad aside and stretched out, finding his feet. Maybe some fresh air would help? His lab was on the top floor, made it easier to get to the equipment on the roof for manual adjustments. A quick walk down the hall, and he was at the stairs to the roof.

As the door swung open, the cool breeze raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He pulled his jacket tight as he made his way to the ledge. Lights from buildings and cars sparkled below. Bruce was grateful to be so high up; not only was the view fantastic, but his thoughts weren't being drowned out by the constant noise of the city. There weren't many places in New York so peaceful, and ironically, Tony owned half of the others as well.

After having spent so long on the run, making do with scraps, it still caught him off guard, at times, just how much he had access to now. Sure, when he was working for the military trying to recreate the super soldier serum, Bruce had access to all sorts of equipment and supplies, but that had all been so closely monitored and controlled. Here, Tony not only allowed him free reign but actively encouraged Bruce to go all out when he'd otherwise have made do with less. There wasn't much Tony wouldn't gladly provide, at least, not that Banner had found. All he had to do was make mention of enjoying the roof top and Tony had moved his entire lab up to the top floor that day.

He knew better than to let himself relax too much, of course; however, every now and then, Bruce enjoyed a moment's peace up here before forcing the anger to swell back up. Being angry all the time wasn't the best life, but it was better than the alternative: never being in control, always being afraid of when the "Other Guy" might show up. And, as tiring as it was to be so angry, all he ever had to do was think of her and he had a whole pool of rage to fuel his adrenaline.

For a moment, Bruce pulled out a photo from his jacket pocket. Long brown hair framed her pear shaped face and soft blue eyes smiled back at him. A hollow laugh shook his chest as he stroked the photo. He shoved it back into his jacket. Yep, that would do.

Bruce took in the city once more before turning back toward the door, but before he could take another step, a loud crash on the other side of the roof pulled him from his thoughts. He ran to the landing pad to find the mechanical arms struggling to remove the shredded remains of Tony's suit. Sparks shot off from exposed wires and there were several areas where exposed skin showed bruises, cuts and burns.

"Jesus Christ, Tony! What the hell happened?" Bruce shouted as he ran to Tony's side.

Tony looked up, one eye uncovered as blood dripped from cuts where his helmet had been ripped from his face. A vague awareness crossed that eye and it was immediately clear he was wasted. Even drunk, the suit should have been enough protection.

"Bruce," he stammered. "I.. the suit- it's stuck. I'm running... on reserves..."

Bruce fought to stay calm as he circled Stark, taking in the damage. One of the legs was warped and cutting into Tony's leg and all but half of one of the arms were missing entirely. His chest, like his face, was half exposed. Even if they had the time, removing the suit was going to do more damage and if he was running on reserves, they didn't have time. "You're not going to have much left if I'm removing it," he responded with a pause. "And it's going to hurt."

"I know- Just get me out of here..."

Bruce sighed. So much for an uneventful evening. He slid off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. He pictured her once more and let the rage take over. He stumbled as it felt like every bone in his body broke and his skin stretched tight over expanding muscles. The pain blinded him for a second before the raw anger flooded his mind. With massive green fists, the Hulk ripped apart the remains of the Iron Man suit. Even with his strength, tearing the armor was a challenge. Still, he managed to get the major pieces off.

Seeing Tony so broken was enough to sober up even the Hulk, or perhaps, especially the Hulk. Although Bruce was only half aware of what the Hulk saw, he was constantly aware of his overwhelming emotions. Ever since the day the Hulk caught Iron Man, falling from the tesseract portal, Bruce had found the Hulk feeling more and more protective of him. Tony had been the only one to completely trust him for the longest time; Bruce suspected that the Hulk knew that.

Bruce took back control as his body shrunk down, ignoring the pain that always accompanied transforming. Carefully, he lifted Tony up and helped him into the building. He managed to get as far as the elevator before Stark slumped over, passed out from shock.