"Hello Banner." Tony greeted as Bruce walked into the lab they shared, although Bruce would never admit possession of it. Bruce was slightly surprised by Tony's tone of voice. There was no teasing, no arrogance, he sounded almost…shy. But that was impossible Tony Stark was the complete opposite of shy. Everything he did screamed confidence, like he was sure of every move he made, ever word he said.
"Stark." Bruce nodded as he walked toward his desk, like he's done almost every day for 3 months now.
He moved in shortly after the building was restored, although he was very grateful to Tony for allowing him to stay, he still wondered if the billionaire would soon tire of him and kick him out. Bruce sat down at his desk and was struck by a sudden thought. Would he be able to handle leaving if Tony kicked him out? Bruce had become so used to working side by side with him, staying up for days at a time working on some new project, bringing him coffee when he was this close to finding out the answer to his latest equation. Could Bruce really just leave all that behind and go back to some third world country? Forget Tony and the other avengers, forget what it was like to live normally again? He finally owned more than a tooth brush and enough clothes to get him through a week. His research, this technology, there was no way he could continue any of this if he was kicked out. Bruce was pulled from his thoughts when Tony spoke.
"You know what I don't understand?" he said suddenly, his voice quite but harsh. Bruce looked up from the piles of papers he was sorting through. Tony was sitting in an office chair, elbows on his knees leaning forward with his face turned toward the ground studying an object in his hands.
"you don't understand something? I'm shocked." Bruce said with a faint teasing tone, but one look from Tony made Bruce flinch. He was in no joking mood. "I'm sorry." He apologized.
"I don't understand trust." Tony said the word with such disgust you think he would be talking about something worse than a mere word. "Can you define it for me Doctor?" Tony asked closely examining what Bruce now saw was a screw driver in his hand. Bruce looked around slightly confused before answering his friend.
"Trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, or surety of a person or thing, confidence, hope, to rely on somebody or something, et cetera." Bruce explained but didn't notice how with each word Tony's grip tightened on the handle of the tool.
"No! Bruce, I don't want a god damn dictionary definition! I want the Bruce Banner definition." Tony demanded, raising his head to look at Bruce. His eyes were dark and full of smoldering anger. Banner thought a moment before finally answering him.
"trust is not being afraid." He said and it took Tony a moment to realize just what he meant. People never trusted Bruce because they were always afraid of him, so for him trust and fear went hand in hand. To trust someone meant to not be afraid of them.
"You know I don't fear you right?" Tony asked and you could hear the restrained anger in his voice, the pain he was desperately trying to hold back. His head dropped back down.
Bruce thought back to the first time they met. Tony had zapped him, poked and even threw things at him. He had never tip-toed around him; from the first moment they met till now Tony had never really been afraid.
"Yeah," Bruce said with a soft chuckle, "but I'm not sure if that makes your brave or completely crazy."
"So you trust me?" Tony said, completely ignoring Bruce's comment. There was an uncharacteristic seriousness in his voice. Giving up all attempts to lighten the mood Banner leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, almost hugging himself.
"yes." He said whispered.
"What?" Tony demanded.
"yes, Tony, I trust you." Bruce said louder, more sure of his answer. The billionaire's shoulders shook with anger.
"then why damn it? WHY?" He yelled, suddenly standing up and hurling the screw driver across the lab. It hit the opposite wall, the handle shattering. Bruce nearly fell out of his seat, his heart rate jumping up as Tony's angry, light brown eyes bored into his own darker brown.
"Wha-what are you-" Bruce stammered trying to understand what Tony was so outraged about.
"I found it Bruce, I found your little notes. Your plans." Tony spat, pulling up a glowing blue screen between the two of them. On it was all of Bruce's old notes on the Hulk, all his old researched. And new notes, scribbled on it, crossing things out where he had made mistakes, adding things he figured out. And at the very bottom, was a date; a date exactly 4 months from now. The date Bruce Banner had decided was going to be his last day here on this earth.