Where Will All The Martyrs Go?

by Woman of Marvel

After the Chitauri attack on NYC, an airborne space virus spreads through the city, infecting its inhabitants. Normal humans become zombie-like. SHIELD and the X-Men are working to cure the disease for both humans and mutants . Tony Stark makes a delivery from the helicarrier via his armor to the X-Mansion and stops in to spend time with his fellow Avenger, Bruce Banner. SLASH.

Where Will All The Martyrs Go When The Virus Cures Itself?
Fandom: Avengers / X-Men crossover - AU (I Am Legend-ish).
Characters: Iron Man, Hulk.
Rating: PG-13-ish.
Features: Slashy!flirting, zombies!, implied sex, and a pickup game of horse.
Length: Series.
Word Count: 7,102.
Date/Time During Fic: Fri., 05-18-2012 6:35pm.
Premise: After the Chitauri attack on NYC, an airborne space virus spreads through the city, infecting its inhabitants. The virus, un-incubated, dies. But the infected humans (non-superhumans) begin displaying cannibalistic behavior, eventually spreading the disease into a country-wide (then worldwide) epidemic. Humans rise from the dead, reanimated and hungry. Superhumans who are bitten rise from an incubation period, "undead", but not mindless like their homo sapiens brothers. They're more similar to vampires, who also crave the blood of other (uninfected) people. SHIELD and the X-Men are working to cure the disease (for both humans and mutants). Tony Stark makes a delivery from the helicarrier (via his armor) to the X-Mansion and stops in to spend time with his fellow Avenger, Bruce Banner.
Notes: Their perspectives are separated by lines - and quotes in italics were said by the other character. Read, review, comment, share, whatever!

Everything had seemed so promising a few months ago... Tony had just built (then rebuilt) Stark Tower - the first ever self-sufficient and completely green building in the world. The Avengers had repelled an invasion from space and managed to capture and imprison a demigod. The day the Avengers had gathered to see Thor, Loki, and the Tesseract cube off felt like a new beginning for the world. It turned out it was, and that was the last day Tony remembered ever feeling the sunshine on his skin.

Almost immediately things started to go wrong. People in the city became sick, not acting like themselves. SHIELD quarantined the wreckage and Chitauri bodies left over from the attack, but none of them could have realized how much damage had already been done. Less than month after the wormhole had been opened, Stark Tower was shut down again - locked down for the unforeseeable future, or, until the damned no longer roamed the streets below it.

Since then, the once-proud Tony Stark had spent his time aboard the very helicarrier that he and Steve had prevented from falling out of the sky. It was a sterile, cold environment - a place where Iron Man could still operate and pretend that maybe the land below hadn't become the stuff of nightmares.

Most of the Avengers had not ended up on the SHIELD flagship - they resided at Xavier's mansion, a sleepy little fortified castle, nestled into the cleavage of Westchester County. The X-Men had put together a formidable group of scientists and 'darkseeker' (the term used for the zombies infected) killers. He respected the power Xavier had amassed; he was a bit envious of it, actually. But the time for hoarding for the apocalypse was over - the end was nigh.

That impressive little brain trust was the reason Tony had flown solo to the mansion. He was relaying the latest packet of information the helicarrier regularly transmitted to the X-nerds. Normally, the info traveled by computer - over the surprisingly lag free internet, or if the little AOL guy just couldn't get it up (there was a problem somewhere over the network), someone in a quintjet dropped the info by. But Tony had been looking for a reason to stretch his legs in a positive way. So he'd volunteered for the mission, and hopped the first suit of armor for New York.

He'd arrived, been fed, and visited a few people that he felt deserved a little of his attention. Mostly Zap, because damn... right? After his meet-and-greets, he'd realized that time had gotten away from him, though, there was no reason why Tony couldn't fly back to the carrier at night. But having seen far too many people dispatched by hoards of darkseekers, Tony was leery. At least that's what he told himself, as he traveled the "below levels" to see the person he'd been most excited to visit.

"I know, you missed me." Tony said simply after the door to Bruce's lab slid open. He braved a small smile - the first of the day, when he set sights on one of the few people he marked as an equal. "I'd say the apocalypse was getting to you... but you look good." They were all strained and worried - Tony knew that, but Bruce seemed to be carrying it better than most, no surprise. "In the land of the stressed, the man with the Hulk shall be king?" Tony asked with a mere fraction of his former glorious pizzazz. He supposed having to live with the other guy taught you to handle things like... zombies. Good for Bruce, another thing the former-billionaire admired about him. "I guess they trust you," Iron Man's hand gestured around the lab, "with the bat cave and all." Why put Bruce beneath the mansion unless you trusted the man - or unless Thor was playing table tennis next door?

After a moment for all of his sarcasm and 'wit' to fall away, Tony brought it in for the real thing. He sized up the perpetually disheveled scientist with the dark curly hair and smirked a bit. "It's good to see you again." Like the world made sense again - like there weren't monsters roaming freely all around the world. "You need some help or? I'm kind of grounded for the night, so..." 'got a place for me to sleep' had almost passed his lips, but Iron Man refrained. Small talk first.

"I know, you missed me." To some extent, it was true. Despite Tony's jabs (literally), Bruce did miss the conversations and viewpoint (and antics) of the billionaire. He'd admired Tony's work and efforts before meeting, despite their differences in politics. Now, well, he had a personal frame of reference for his respect. Bruce had looked up slowly, no sense of urgency, and moved his glasses from his nose to his work space. There would be no use for them, now that Tony Stark was in the room (and seemed bored). "I'd say the apocalypse was getting to you... but you look good."

Dr. Banner smiled. "Hi." Iron Man went on about Hulks and kings and Bruce glanced away for a moment, feeling that the topic was moot. But then he'd said, "I guess they trust you with the bat cave and all." Bruce wet his lips, then spoke. "There's nothing more important down here than people," he countered Tony's logic. It would take The Hulk a lot of time to get to the surface (see: digging) if Xavier's Institute (the building, the occupants) decided he needed to stay below deck for a while. Tony's voice wasn't full of the panache Bruce had come to expect, and some of the twinkle in the inventor's eyes had been snuffed. So, despite the 'grand' entrance, Tony wasn't fooling anyone. And Bruce didn't think he was trying to. He just seemed... lonely. The man who shied away from people when the world was full of admirers was seeking out the company of a recluse, now that the world was much more empty. It was sort of a downer...

"I'm glad to see you too." He replied with a genuine laugh in his voice, having averted his eyes at the last moment before Tony spoke, feeling a bit antsy under the taller man's smirking gaze. Tony had got him to laugh, which wasn't an incredible feat, but it was one Bruce was grateful for. "You're a fish out of water, Stark. You know that?" He motioned for the other man to sit down in one of the plethora of office chairs and stools and then leaned his hip against his counter top. His sweater-clad arms crossed at his midsection as he focused his full attention on Tony. "You're welcome to swim in my tank," he said, as a followup statement to his accusation/observation. That's what Tony was asking, right? The nanite-infused mover-and-shaker didn't get a lot of shut-eye, Bruce had learned. Neither did Dr. Banner. Did he need help? Maybe not how Tony had meant... "I'm still working on this antidote." Blink. He closed his eyes and smiled briefly at his own flub. "Of course I am." If he hadn't been, Tony would've certainly heard about it. "Doesn't help that the virus effects homo sapiens and homo superiors differently - but we've got a start." He and Dr. McCoy were plugging away, and Sue's expertise in environmental medicine had only iced the medicinal cake (being that they were trying to unlock a space disease).

"But... I should probably take a coffee break." And by 'coffee', he meant 'snack cakes'. There happened to be an excess of prepackaged confections, and powered drink mixes, so he'd taken to keeping a variety on hand, in lieu of caffeine, of which the doctor didn't partake (for various reasons). He pushed himself clear of his leaning spot and made for the cabinet that housed his snacks and opened it wide for Tony to see its contents. He glanced over his shoulder at the unsuited one (heh) and ran a hand over his hair as he tried to unwind from where his mind had been tightened with thought. "I'm glad you're here," he told the cabinet, almost too quietly.

"You're a fish out of water, Stark. You know that?" The biologist's accusation would have been endearing just based on his docile tones, which seemed to serve the dual purpose of putting Iron Man at ease and making him want to rile the good doctor up a bit. Tony wasn't particularly sure why Bruce had that effect on him - perhaps he just wanted to make sure Bruce kept strutting that line.

"Not untrue."

"You're welcome to swim in my tank."

"Actually, I like to think of it more as 'I'm a fish whose extremely large, expensive tank was drained and put out on the side of the road and left to fall into decay'." But he wasn't bitter. "Anyway, I do appreciate the sentiment, Bruce." The darker man went on about their progress or lack of progress but Tony found himself much more interested in Bruce's body language - especially the smile during his verbal misstep. Iron Man wore a smile of his own, that Dr. Banner had no doubt noticed after he reopened his eyes.

"But... I should probably take a coffee break... I'm glad you're here."

Seemed odd, as Tony didn't know Bruce to deal much with coffee or other caffeinated beverages, but then Tony thought it might have just been an expression - at which point Tony realized he'd spent so much time with Steve lately he'd forgotten how to read between the lines.

Tony's tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he glanced sideways from the cabinet full of food to Bruce's face. Something about how he'd spoken his last statement had caused the words to linger in his head. "Thanks, I'm glad to be." Iron Man said in an uncharacteristically simple way.

There was a pause, perhaps awkward to some - but not to Tony. Most of the silence he'd endured over the past few weeks were because of terrible situations getting worse and nobody having the stones to say anything about it. This was completely different, he was simply just enjoying the company of an equally as intelligent man. Tony had moved to stand behind Bruce, not once bothering to take the seat the doctor had offered - he felt far to antsy to sit down. Finally, after spending half of the pause in conversation to look at Bruce and the other at the cabinet Tony spoke, "I'll have the chef's specialty, maybe a light salad to start - you know something... balsamic." Tony smirked, then eyed the 'Fancy Cakes' on the other side of Bruce's head. "Or just that." Tony pointed, politely and took a step back to give Bruce some room to move. "She was winking at me anyway." Tony spoke of Little Debbie, then eyed the half-finished cup of something orange Bruce had been drinking from. "What is this, Tang?" Tony said as he reached down, snatched the cup and took a sip. "My God, that's amazing... is this what Tang has tasted like all this years?" He still wasn't sure what was in the plastic cup, but it was better than the billionaire had expected. "Huh, I would've tried it sooner."

He smiled, but kept the cup as he'd decided its contents was too good to give up. "No, really Bruce. I know we're working two different angles of the problem here..." Bruce the medical, Tony the... not medical. "But I'm not just good for energy sources and grid maintenance. You need anything..." Tony left his statement vague, mostly because he hadn't planned on what words would come next. He found himself in the unfamiliar spot of making himself available to help another person and he wasn't even sure with what. "I mean, you know... anything." Was Tony asking because he wanted to help or because he was asking for help? Even Tony didn't know at that moment and that made Iron Man look away from Dr. Banner, briefly. "You sleep down here too?" Tony openly changed the subject, hoping that Bruce would hand him the Fancy Cakes so he'd have something to shove into his mouth and stop him from saying anything else too telling. "Not judging." Tony's finger pointed at Bruce so he understood. Iron Man had spent more than one night asleep in his lab, "just checking up on you."

"Actually, I like to think of it more as 'I'm a fish whose extremely large, expensive tank was drained and put out on the side of the road'. Anyway, I do appreciate the sentiment, Bruce."

They'd all had their ups and downs, and they'd all made mistakes ('they' being humanity, but in this instance, the Avengers). Bruce possibly the most. In the long pause between Tony's response ("Thanks, I'm glad to be.") and his mention of Stark Tower, Bruce had had a lot of time to think, which was twice as much thinking as someone else might've done in said amount of time. "You're alive, aren't you? You have your health - more than most other people, in fact. This is the shiniest 'fish tank' I've ever had the honor of occupying, and it took a global catastrophe to get me here, so I'm not even enjoying it. You're in a rare position to help people, and you're doing it. So, despite what you've lost..." and that included more than most people, in the physical sense, "think about what you can gain." Bruce smiled, then, but not the pleased smile of someone who'd bested a colleague or chided a youngster. He wanted Tony to look on the bright side, and by God (or by Hulk), he was going to make it happen. The clever optimist before him needed to be that man again. Otherwise, what was Bruce going to do with himself? Start being a glass half full man?

No. And Tony was making that especially hard, seeing as he was drinking Bruce's orange drink. He finally tossed the inventor a two-pack of snack cakes and smirked a little at his previous jabs. "Debbie? You better watch your back, Stark." Bruce's girl was winking at Tony now? The billionaire really did have a reason to switch to optimism. "Yeah, last I remember," he said, of Tang, then shook his head while he watched Iron Man wander a bit aimlessly. Then, he got serious again. And a little wayward.

Anything?, he wondered. If Bruce had really needed Tony's help, or something from the billionaire, he probably would've summoned him, or haled for the favor. But something (something as obvious as a glowing blue light?) was telling Bruce that Tony wasn't necessarily looking for busywork or to help out a friend. "You sleep down here too?" Tony had asked him. Bruce laughed, then raised his eyebrows as he prepared to speak, but Tony had gone on in self-defense. Fair enough. "I try not to sleep down here. Charles thinks everyone needs to carry on as if things outside the wall are normal - professional dress," he glanced down at himself - while disheveled, it was the most put together he'd looked in a few years, "proper eating and sleeping habits. I can't argue with him. Neither has anyone else. And it's good for the kids. Keeps balance." Society and civilization weren't going to slip on Xavier's property; Bruce had an inkling that it was more important than even he'd considered. 'X' worked in mysterious ways.

He glanced down at his own unopened Nutty Bars and then decided to pocket them. "Leave the Tang," he said, and motioned for Tony to follow him. "I've heard what you were up to all afternoon - the radio." Or whatever they called it. Smartcom, he guessed. "You go outside? Maybe a little fresh air - feet planted in some grass - could do you some good?" Time was ticking. It would be dark soon and the mood outdoors would shift. He wanted Tony to see what it was like before sundown. "C'mon." Pause. "Y'know what? Bring the Tang if you want." Bruce smirked and began pulling off his sweater so he could roll his sleeves up as he waited for Tony's response (and footsteps). They were going outside, come hell or high water (which, in this case, would've made Tony go outside - on both accounts).

"When's the last time you played HORSE?" Bruce wondered as he gazed across the court. He took a hard chomp into his first bar.

"Hola, Dr. Banner!" Wind Dancer called (melodically) as she dunked over Rockslide's head.

Bruce grinned and gave the aerokine a wave. "Hola, Sophia," he called to the dark-haired teen. "Nicely done. Mind if we play?" he asked her in Spanish.

"Thank you! Mr. Stark too? ¡Planche a Hombre!" (Iron Man!) she said, laughter in her voice.

Rockslide turned to fully face the two old guys newcomers and he shrugged his input. At least they were both Italian. "Fuck yeah, Iron Man."

Bruce laughed, a little timidly, then told Sophia, "Yes, and I promise he'll play fair."

"None of us do, doc, why start now?" Santo countered honestly.

Another laugh from Bruce, and the scientist had his final word: "Alright - whatever you guys do, don't knock into Tony's left side. He's got Little Debbies there for later." Ahem. Bruce took the final bite of his remaining Nutty Bar and brushed his hands before stuffing the wrapper in his pocket. He could almost feel the eyes of thieves and snack-crushers on Tony's jeans. Good. Bruce walked and stood next to Wind Dancer, aligning himself with she and Mercury. Tony would be with Rockslide and Network. Game on.

"You're alive, aren't you? You have your health - more than most other people, in fact. This is the shiniest 'fish tank' I've ever had the honor of occupying, and it took a global catastrophe to get me here, so I'm not even enjoying it. You're in a rare position to help people, and you're doing it. So, despite what you've lost... think about what you can gain."

Was he? Technically, yes. Iron Man was indeed alive, even if he didn't always feel like it. Since the catastrophe, Tony had felt more like a zombie than some of the very lively darkseekers - and not just because he'd lost his stuff, or a few of the people that mattered to him. And while he knew Bruce wasn't accusing him of being petty about his tower or his things, but he was doing his best to cut through the layer of jade that had formed around Tony's body. And for that, Tony was more grateful than for the Tang. "It's not a bad tank, little more rustic than I prefer." A smirk appeared his lips while he contemplated the rest of Bruce's words. "You're right, Bruce. I don't know... I guess it's harder to focus when you don't have a clear target." There was something about the way Bruce spoke and the hope in his eyes that did much more for Tony than any of Steve's or Fury's brands of encouragement. "There's no God, or villain here. Just a global crisis, with more sides than a quadridecagon. It's just been hard for me to get any traction."

The small talk and light humor of the snacks and Tang had fallen away. And Tony eyed his fancy cakes with far more attention than they deserved - focusing instead on Bruce's words, over his sweet treats. Bruce spoke of the mansion and Xavier's rules and Tony didn't disagree. He supposed children needed structure, Charles certainly had more experience with kids than the billionaire. "The helicarrier is run like a military base." That wasn't a shock. "Kinda cramps my style." But Bruce knew all about the helicarrier and being cramped.

"Leave the Tang."

"Haven't heard that in a while." Smirk. Tony was glad he'd listened to his instincts and come to visit Bruce, he was already in a better mood for banter.

"I've heard what you were up to all afternoon - the radio. You go outside? Maybe a little fresh air - feet planted in some grass - could do you some good? C'mon. Y'know what? Bring the Tang if you want."

"Voyeur." Pause. "Outside?" Tony stared blankly for a moment while he contemplated what Bruce was suggesting. "That's ludicrous. But since you said I can bring the Tang..."

Bruce pulled off his sweater and Tony watched unnecessarily and with his brow quirked. "Who keeps the air conditioner so low down here; Hank?" His money was on the feral mutant. "Oh, on the way out we need to swing by Brian's lab. I gotta press my face into the glass." Beat. Pause. "I'll explain on the way."

"Horse? I play with Jarvis all the time." Undefeated, he might have added if he hadn't been distracted with the little Latina getting some mad hops.

"F'uck yeah, Iron Man' is right." Tony said while he pointed toward Rockslide and started to strut toward the younger man. "He's on my team." Maybe the Hulk was on to something.

"Alright - whatever you guys do, don't knock into Tony's left side. He's got Little Debbies there for later."

"Gotta touch me first, Bert." Tony gestured for the ball, "Hey, pass the rock..." then caught it with one hand and began to dribble the ball with the same digits. "All right, Shaq-attack." Tony gestured to Rockslide and pointed toward the basket, "Center. Post up and wait." He turned over his shoulder to the known Zap-disciple and nodded his head toward the other direction. "Go wide, stay open for the three." Tony stayed by the arch and waited for his team to get better into position. "And don't mess with Banner. He's mine." Tony winked toward Bruce, then started to move forward with the ball. "Come on, Dr. J. Show me what you got." Iron Man smiled, the first real smile in a while, and waited for Bruce to charge him. Game on, indeed. As soon as Bruce made a move, he'd pull up and showoff his nanobot targeted fade away jumper. Come at me bro.

Forty-five minutes into the remarkably well-balanced game of three-on-three and the kids were ushered into the mansion like a slightly less creepy scene from an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Tony stood under the basket for a minute and eyed Bruce, the wind picked up a bit and Tony realized they were the only two left outside - besides the X-Men stationed in the ground towers like the knights of the watch. "That... was a good idea." Tony still wore the smile the mutant teens' antics had plastered on to his face. "You're good with kids. The future Mrs. Dr. Banner will be even more lucky." Tony said and bounced the ball back to Bruce. "And you were right, I hadn't been outside and on the ground in a while. Almost forgot what it felt like."

Tony stepped closer to Bruce, closer enough to smell the other man's after shave and see the tiny beads of sweat that had formed on his brow. His fingers tapped the side of the basketball that Bruce was holding next to him and the billionaire spoke without looking directly into Banner's eyes. "You were right, earlier as well." He'd already said that, but he hadn't meant it as much. "Those kids... the ones that are going to inherit this messed up world. They're who we need to think about now. Who we need to work for. I'll have time to lament when I'm writing my memoirs." Tony smirked then stopped his tapping. "Speaking of that, you any good at proof-reading, editing maybe? Nah, don't worry about it. You can just sit and listen to me talk and tell me if it's stupid or not." Tony pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck a few times, realizing Bruce wasn't the only one that had worked up a sweat. "I don't know about you, but I could use a Gatorade and shower." Smirk. "Still free for the rest of the night?"

Tony had cheated, but just as Rockslide had said, the nanite-carrier fit right in. Bruce had left his super side off court, however. He'd lost track of the score, and with Tony, he could only assume that wasn't an easy thing to forget.

"Heh," he began, thinking about, for the first time in a while, the possibility of a significant other. "I have a limited number of candidates - not necessarily by my choosing." There might've been plenty of fish, but Bruce had to find one that was immune to radiation poisoning. And he'd come to terms with that. "But thanks," he said, of the kids. Bruce loved children and young people - it might've been the reason he was thriving at Xavier's. To be around them again (like he'd been at the school) was exactly what he'd needed. He caught the ball and bounced it a few times before Tony's approach, and had been smiling at Mr. Stark's revelation about the great outdoors. Bruce would've lived outdoors, if he could've - and had only realized his passion for said choice of scenery within his last few years. Being a vagabond could do that for a man.

"I'll have time to lament when I'm writing my memoirs." The tapping had stopped and Bruce was wearing a smirk of his own. "I can't believe how many times you've said 'You're right' to me today. You really did need to come back down to earth..." He chuckled slightly and glanced idly at his watch, just to be safe. When he looked back up to Tony, he began speaking again and Bruce quirked an eyebrow before he began to spin the ball on his thumb. "I'll see what I can do." He could listen to Tony talk, and had, for hours on end. Their senses of humor were too similar to not get hooked in, waiting for the subtle reference or the bawdy bomb to go off.

"Still free for the rest of the night?"

Bruce's brain had branched off in two directions - both with thoughts of the kids and of Tony's restlessness and clinging shirt. The reactor was glowing brighter now that the sun was setting, was all. He spoke a quote then, both with a commentary for Tony's sentiments and as a vague reply to his final query. "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." He smiled, not knowing if Tony would know the reference, but not caring, either. It didn't matter. He watched Iron Man's eyes for a moment, which were shaded by his temporarily flopping hair. "Yes." He was free.

Bruce was in a castle, and a billionaire was in his shower, and there were zombies outside. He thought he'd led a strange existence before. Huh. "Are there towels?" How could he have forgotten about towels? "Here," he said, after he'd heard the water shut off. Steam rolled out through the partially opened door and Bruce held a large bath towel in for Tony to grab. He was ready to take the next shower that left the station, stripped down to his underwear and leaning in the doorway, before he'd become distracted by the book that was sitting on the end of his dresser. Flip, squint, read. He'd left his glasses in the lab... He picked the thing up, but felt like a poor host, so he spoke once again to Tony before his eyes shifted back to the pages. "Do you need a room? I'm sure Charles can cook one up." So some fire codes had been broken... times were tight - in more way than one.

The devil on Tony's shoulder hopped off, but didn't go far, and the inventor felt bad for setting up Bruce for the eventual emo realization about his love life. But Tony had found it necessary to make sure the doctor's dance card hadn't been filled in his absence. Bruce was too tasty and made Tony feel far too good about himself to simply let him walk away. Especially into a bad relationship with a half-wit woman that simply liked the fact that his curls looked divine when they were dripping with sweat and he used big words.

"I can't believe how many times you've said 'You're right' to me today. You really did need to come back down to earth..."

"Take the compliment." Tony said without fanfare.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Good, it's a vague agreement between colleagues... friends." Bruce continued, and busted out his quote and Tony colored himself impressed. That was the single longest 'yes I'm free' sentence he'd heard in his life, though he appreciated the sentiment. "Reagan, Right?" Tony asked as they'd begun to walk back toward the mansion. "Dad liked Reagan, said he partied like a rock star." Tony smirked, then looked more seriously at Bruce. "No more running, big guy. The next army that comes around won't have you in its cross-hairs. That's a promise."

Twenty minutes later, Tony was just finishing up his shower in Bruce's bathroom. He was happy to be standing in a tub and not in the locker room style shower stalls of the carrier. He was also glad to hear Bruce's voice worrying at the towel situation. "Thanks." Tony said to Bruce's hand and snatched the fluffy white towel, then proceeded to dry off his hair and beard. Iron Man had tied the towel around his waist and returned to Bruce's bedroom before the doctor even knew he was there. He'd forgotten about clothes, so he stood dripping and mostly naked on Bruce's carpet for a minute.

"Do you need a room? I'm sure Charles can cook one up."

"First, I think we need to have an underwear intervention." Tony smirked toward the absentminded professor. "I mean, I appreciate the show," his white pair of undies didn't leave too much to the imagination, "But, Bruce..." Maybe Brian had hoarded all the designer pairs within fifty miles, or maybe Bruce didn't see the point it wearing better underwear when the other guy probably ruined them so frequently. Either way, it was time for a fresh pair. "We didn't think about clothes, fellow genius." Tony smirked. And stepped close to Bruce and his book. "Something wrong with this room?" Tony asked the other almost-nude man. "Bed's big enough, unless... you know, the other guy likes to stretch out in the middle of the night." Tony knew he didn't, but he wasn't going to invite himself into another man's bed without giving him some kind of out. "If that's all the underwear you have, I might wait for mine to be washed." Another smirk. "Hope I didn't use all the hot water. I'd hate for you to have to take a cold one." Tony winked then snatched the book from Bruce's hand. "Not bad." He tossed it away. "I can't take you seriously in those. Take 'em off." Tony said putting his foot down and gesturing to Bruce's manties.

"That's a promise." Time would tell.

Bruce had hardly looked up to Tony before his own underwear was mentioned. Then, he was flat-out staring. He blinked, quirked his eyebrow up, then turned his head to the side to cover the laugh Tony had earned at this: "I mean, I appreciate the show," then he looked back, mostly smirking, "But, Bruce..." Tony seemed floored. "What? They're Calvin Klein." Tony had him pegged, though. Bruce wasn't too hep on fashion, let alone the style of the clothing no one would see - let alone in one piece.

The current wardrobe he possessed was very new. He'd spent a lot of his SHIELD payments on (nice) clothing and other items that he'd gone too long without. Since he had control, and he was going to be working in a/the city, he figured he might as well have made the most of it. But now his shirts and pants were worn below ground, amongst a semi-fallen society. Go figure. "You can borrow some of mine," he dismissed Tony's smirk, and had moved to go to his closet, but Iron Man had cut him off at the pass.

"Something wrong with this room?" Heh. "Heh. I guess not. I didn't know if the OCD would want to sleep on the DID's sheets." No matter how clean they were. He was still the Hulk. And Tony was still a germaphobe. "Kidding." Mostly. Heh. He was moving ever closer to Bruce. "Bed's big enough, unless... you know, the other guy likes to stretch out in the middle of the night." Bruce wet his lips, then bit on them as they turned inward for a moment while he thought. "He doesn't come out much at night." It was a loaded statement, for Tony to do with as he pleased. Which was just how the billionaire was treating Bruce's underwear situation. He hadn't even known there was a situation.

The doctor glanced down at himself and then back up into Tony's face, "I have some boxers?" Another eyebrow quirk. "You're a piece of work," he sighed, but Tony wasn't finished. "I don't mind cold showers..." Blink. His book was gone and Bruce let out a nervous laugh. Tony hadn't even looked at the title before he'd launched it elsewhere. His heart rate was rising and Bruce raised his hand - mostly so he could look at his watch, but in some part to put up a barrier between himself and Tony. "I will." He said in a hushed tone, of removing his underwear. When he showered, that was. What had gotten into Stark, all of a sudden? He was... he'd given Bruce wood.

Underneath his drooping curls, Bruce's eyes closed slowly shut as he realized he'd had an erection for several moments, and Tony had been ever-so-focused on his briefs. Bruce's shoulders raised when he drew in a steady, calming breath. He needed that - to calm down. "Don't take me seriously. If you stay," he laughed, "then these stay." He wasn't changing his style of underwear, even if Tony wanted to have a sleepover. He swallowed and glanced downwards to the towel Tony still wore, and his eyes soon shifted away from the shadows and highlights of the abdomen above the wrapped article. Bruce's arms crossed at his upper chest, then he took his left elbow in his right hand, and his left hand fingers fell to his lips to keep themselves busy. Tony was making him antsy, and there was an internal conflict happening in the physicist - one that happened far less than his typical inner-struggle. Fuck. "Do you want those shorts?"

Tony couldn't help but smirk when he realized how Dr. Banner's body had reacted to his own behavior - he was pitching a tent in his Calvin Kleins. This was going to work out quite nicely. The revelation was so extraordinary, Tony let most of what Bruce said fly out the window. He could tell the other man was deflecting, both verbally and physically. It didn't matter, his body had played the role of Judas to Bruce's Christ-like brain. The good doctor was starved for attention - hot, sweaty, lustful attention. It was Bruce's lucky night; so was Tony's.

While something of a playboy in his youth (16-38), Iron Man had quite literally slowed Tony's roll - and the change was for the better. But needs still arose, and the population of models and actresses had dwindled to endangered levels, which meant Tony's old crop of sexies had been cut down. The inventor had decided a while ago you couldn't be a playboy when the population levels were so low. So, against his better judgement, he'd decided to find someone he actually cared about. Enter the absentminded professor. Bruce was beyond intelligent, one of the few people Tony respected as an equal, and the only Avenger (Earth's mightiest) that could hold a prolonged conversation with the inventor. That alone was attractive to Iron Man, but throw in their nearly instant chemistry and Bruce's sublime since of humor... Tony was just a moth to his flame. He wasn't hard on the eyes either... something the billionaire (who appreciated beauty in any form) would testify to any day.

"I have some boxers?"

"Good, get two pairs.

"You're a piece of work."

"So are you, Dr. Banner." Tony's eyes flicked down, then returned to Bruce's.

"I don't mind cold showers..."

"I hear they're not good for the heart."

"Don't take me seriously. If you stay..." adorable laugh, "then these stay."

Challenge accepted. "We'll see."

"Do you want those shorts?"

"Not quite yet." Tony let go of his towel and left whether it fell to the floor completely up to physics and chance. "Tell me something, Bruce." Tony had begun, feeling the terrycloth blend rub against is own growing excitement. "How do you feel right now?" Tony's eyes inspected the shorter man's, cutting through all levels of squirrelly. "Because, I'm gonna be honest with you right now." Tony's hand moved to Bruce's forearm and the inventor gently positioned Bruce so their shoulders were squared off. "I don't usually try to seduce men, but when I do - they're pretty amazing men." Tony smiled, more genuinely than Bruce had probably seen since they'd stopped Loki. "You're tiptoeing a fine line, big guy. You should be strutting." Tony repeated some of the first words he'd said to Dr. Banner because they were also some of the most meaningful. Bruce needed to learn to take what he wanted. Tony did, and would. Iron Man moved forward and held his lips close to Bruce's. The other man didn't pull away and the Hulk hadn't emerged, but Tony still lingered just above Bruce's olive skin, taking in more of the genius's thick scent. After what felt like a minute (but was only a few seconds) he pushed forward and kissed Bruce, lightly. He stayed for a moment and felt the other man's stubble against his beard, enjoying the sensation more than he remembered. Finally, Iron Man pulled back to survey the damage. His towel brushed against Bruce's Calvin Klein's and even Tony's poker face couldn't hide the pleasure of the situation. "Shower, or...?" Tony gave the other man an out, again showing his respect for the doctor.

"How do you feel right now?" He didn't answer. He hadn't answered, that was, before Tony had carried on his rhetorical conversation (as he was prone to do). Bruce saw his in when Tony drummed up part of their first (private) conversation. "I feel... dirty." He needed that shower. He blinked, recalling the word 'amazing' from Tony's breakdown and paused to consider it. Was he just flattering Bruce? Did it matter? The time Bruce was given to think was also Tony's time to move in closer and linger nose-to-nose. Bruce focused and refocused his eyes to watch Tony, heart rate ever rising. The clean heat from Tony and the cool musk from his own skin was leading Bruce down a path and sweeping up his breadcrumbs behind him.

He stopped when there came a roadblock; Iron Man's mouth. He twitched and jerked involuntarily beneath his underwear and his arms did everything they could to raise and touch Tony - someplace. But Bruce held himself steady, and when Tony relented, the shorter man was breathless and properly lost. His eyes reclosed almost immediately after he'd opened them when their scarcely-clad erections bumped together. "Sh-shower, yeah." Bruce swallowed hard and watched Tony's eyes until his head had turned to follow after his body, which had nearly turned the corner into the bathroom before his head, completely. He'd been wedged between his dresser, the wall at his back, and a billionaire who was admittedly trying to get him out of his shorts. He needed to think. He needed to calm down. He wanted to make out like a school boy on his bed and hope not to be caught.

He shut the door behind him and rested his hand on the counter for a moment while he hunched and caught his breath. He began his traditional slow inhale and slower exhale and then glanced toward the shower. Tony's clothes were tossed here and there, including his bright red and black jockeys. Bruce narrowed his eyes to see what they said, distractedly, but couldn't read words. He bent and scooped them up before he turned and leaned his upper thighs on the vanity. As he squinted, the shorts came nearer and nearer to his face, and Bruce sniffed out a breath through his nose, dismissively. 'Express'. In-freaking-deed. He shifted his eyes from side to side after he'd inhaled again, having taken a subconscious sniff of Tony's underwear. They came closer, then. Bruce breathed in until his eyes slowly fell shut, first one, then the other. His hand grasped the cloth into a wad in his fist and he swallowed hard before he dropped them to the floor and turned to lean on the counter, braced with both hands. He dared a look into the mirror and realized just how hot and bothered he looked. Well, he was. He cleared his throat. "Tony?" he said, breathlessly, having a feeling he was still near the door.

Bruce turned and bent lower so he could turn on the shower, and he set it to warm. Still bent, he pulled his white briefs down and stepped out of them, freeing himself to the hazy, clammy air Tony had cooked up in the bathroom. "It's gonna be hard to strut in the shower. Mind givin' me some pointers?" He stood again, and glanced over his shoulder to see if he'd have any company. The door clicked and the air pressure changed and he sought out Tony's face. "I haven't done this yet - not since the accident." His chest raised and fell, body language betraying his inner turmoil. "I know patience isn't your forte..." It really wasn't. Whatever counter argument he'd cook up, Tony liked things his way. Well, Bruce needed to go slow, no matter what his body (and brain) believed. "I could probably moon walk." The brunette smiled, finally, which released some unneeded tension in his upper body. They could work up to a strut.