A/N: This came to me in the middle of the night. Just a brief look inside Bruce's mind.
Dr. Bruce Banner sat across from a S.H.I.E.L.D. psychologist, a small table in between them. The counselor, who had been assigned to him following the Battle of New York, was trying to help keep Bruce from "Hulking out" at the wrong time. He was failing miserably.
"No, you don't understand," said Bruce. "There's no problem with me working with Tony."
"But he needles you constantly," replied the counselor. "Aren't you worried that he'll provoke you to where you can no longer control it?"
"No, that's not an issue at all. Look, Tony and I work together well. There's a sort of creative synergy when we work together. I suppose it's like two musicians jamming together."
"Dr. Banner," the counselor said with a sigh, "We understand all that. We are just concerned that Mr. Stark's unprofessional attitude will create a situation that nobody wants."
Bruce removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Do you want to know why Tony's teasing doesn't bother me?"
The counselor nodded his assent.
"When Tony teases me like that, I know he's not trying to provoke me. He's telling me that he trusts me. He's telling me that he's my friend. Friends tease each other. Tony Stark may be emotionally immature, but he's not an idiot. He would never deliberately provoke me unless we needed the Other Guy to appear.
"When Tony teases me, he's telling me that he knows that I have the self-control to deal with it. Tell that to your superiors. We're done here."
Dr. Bruce Banner replaced his glasses, stood, and calmly left the room.