I ship Steve/Tony but I'm an absolute fan of the epic friendship between Bruce and Tony. I loved the fact that Tony was the only one who wasn't afraid of Bruce, even going as far to antagonize him. I'm of the opinion that the Hulk likes Tony and would be pissed if he was hurt. His face was so sad when they all thought Tony was dead after falling from the portal and he had to be the one to catch him, even though Thor had it handled.

So that's where this came from. I'm sure everyone—and by everyone I mean the Avengers— would assume that Tony would be the one to break Steve's heart because of his past as a playboy but it could be the other way around. And Bruce wants to set them straight… well figuratively speaking.

His Own Personal Bodyguard

When Bruce steps into the gym, the first thing that catches his attention is the echoing thud of Steve's fists striking the punching bag. The poor thing looks ready to surrender but Steve doesn't give it any mercy, his body crouched, arms raised, his fists swinging out every few seconds. Looking around, Bruce can see the destruction that has befallen two other bags lying pitifully against the wall. They didn't stand a chance, not against someone like Steve. Behind him, six more bags lay in a neat row, ready to get pulverized by the man with superhuman strength.

After months of working with him, Bruce understands that this is how Steve relaxes. He immerses himself so far into the exercise that his brain mentally checks out. Occasionally a memory of the time before he was frozen slips through but most of his exercise is spent in mindless reactions. He's so focused on his target that he fails to notice Bruce at first, which gives the scientist a moment to figure out how he's going to get Steve's attention. Conversation usually snapped him out of his funk but Bruce had no idea what to say. Talking wasn't his area of expertise, not after so many months of living alone. Tony usually did enough talking for the both of them and Bruce had found out that, while he wasn't a talker, he was an excellent listener. It fit their unique friendship.

In the end, when the punching bag had finally had enough abuse—after Steve had punched it into the wall and it slumped down against the floor in surrender—Bruce decided to take a page out of Tony's book and use sarcasm. It always seemed to work for him.

"I'm not sure what it did to deserve the abuse but I'm sure it's sorry." He says, effectively breaking Steve out of the trance he's in. Steve whirls around to stare at Bruce, not expecting anyone to interrupt him. No one but Tony usually does and he usually isn't as quiet in his approach. Steve can usually hear him coming from a mile off without his super-hearing.

"Hey, Bruce," Steve said smiling at him, "What can I do for you?"

He uncurled his wrapped hands and stepped closer to the scientist. Bruce eyed the sweaty man appreciatively, watching his muscles flex in the old shirt he was wearing. He absently noticed that it was one of Tony's band shirts. The man had a weakness for old rock that no one else understood, least of all a man from the 40's, but it was nice to see Steve wearing something that was completely Tony.

"I just want to talk." Bruce assured the man, "About Tony."

Steve's brow furrowed in concern, immediately working on un-wrapping the tape around his hands at a frantic pace. He couldn't take them into the sterilized infirmary. A nurse would just escort him out and he'd have to wait even longer to see Tony.

"Is he hurt? Did something happen in the labs?" Steve asked rapidly. Tony was scheduled in the labs today, working on some modifications to his suit. And knowing how little impulse control the genius, billionaire, ex-playboy, philanthropist had, it wasn't the first time he'd experienced a work related accident.

"No, he's fine… as far as I know." Bruce said and Steve sat down on a nearby bench, clenching his eyes shut. His heart still beat frantically in fear.

"I didn't mean to worry you." Bruce said honestly. It hadn't been his intention but Steve's reaction wasn't surprising as it should have been. The Captain had been a little jumpy since their last mission where Tony had nearly drained his arc reactor. He'd scared the shit out of all of them when he'd dropped mid-flight after they beat the latest madman who attempted to attack them, seeking the glory of taking down the mighty Avengers.

"It's ok." Steve smiled weakly at him, brushing a sweaty piece of golden blonde hair out of his eyes.

"You really love him, don't you?" Bruce asked him. This was a new development. Last time any of them checked, Steve and Tony's relationship was still very new. Most of them were sure that they hadn't even slept with each other yet.

"More than I thought I was capable of." Steve replied cryptically, pain flashing behind his eyes. It was the same look he got whenever he talked about his memories of his time before being frozen… losing all his friends and those he loved.

Bruce waited, sensing that Steve wasn't finished. He just needed a minute to think.

"When I lost Peggy…" he trailed off, clenching his eyes shut as a sharp pain invaded his heart. He'd probably never stop loving Peggy. Tony knew this and accepted it. Just like Steve accepted that Pepper would always hold a special place in Tony's heart.

"You have to understand, I'm not replacing her with Tony. I never could do that to either of them. But after I lost Peggy, I thought that I would never be able to love someone that much ever again. I never wanted to go through the pain of losing them like I did her." Steve said. He was hunched over himself, leaning his elbows down on his thighs, staring at the palm of his hands while he talked.

Steve smiled fondly, "The first time I saw Peggy, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the whole world. No one could compare to her, in looks or character. She was one of a kind." His smile slowly curled into a smirk, "And the first time I saw Tony, I had a hard time holding back my urge to punch him."

Bruce had to fight a smile. It was such a contradiction to the polite Captain that they all knew and loved. But his statement was frighteningly accurate. He remembered the tension that had crackled between Steve and Tony during the mess Loki had made, right before he hulked out and almost destroyed the helicarrier in the process. After the fighting was done, a calm seemed to settle between them, each accepting the other's differences and trying to move past their rocky start. But the problem was that they had clashing personalities. Natasha had later compared them to oil and water, two substances that—no matter how much you tried—would never mix or see eye to eye.

She was the most surprised when they'd both started tentatively dating. Bruce wasn't. Oil and water many not mix but they could exist in the same container. And it was only a matter of time before the two realized it. Thor had just clapped them on the back and told them he was happy that they had stopped fighting their feelings and admitted they liked each other. He was just intuitive like that.

"He was such an insufferable prick," Steve continued, not realizing that Bruce had gotten distracted by his own thoughts, "But after spending more time outside of work with him, I started to see the amazing person he is, the one he hides from everyone. Peggy was a straightforward person inside and out but Tony has so many layers. And each layer made me want to uncover more and more until I was so wrapped up in him that I couldn't see a world without him in it. That was when I knew I had fallen in love with him."

"Good." Bruce was no longer afraid for his friend's heart. Tony was in safe hands.

"Good?" Steve asked, bemused.

"I'm glad I don't have to explain to you how fragile Tony's heart is. Most people don't realize that he puts up so many fronts so that he won't get hurt from the people he cares about the most. He learned that the hard way after never getting the love he needed from his absent father and emotionally distant mother. He uses sarcasm as a shield but underneath all the posturing, he's even more vulnerable than any of us. His suit is the very embodiment of that. When he's in his suit, he's powerful. So powerful that he can hold his own against a superhuman and demi-god. But when he's not in his suit, he's defenseless."

"He does have his intelligence. I've never seen someone think as fast on their feet as Tony can." Steve said in a slight contradiction. He didn't disagree with Bruce. Most of what he said was true but he didn't believe that Tony was as frail as Bruce was making him out to be. The man was an opposition of ultimate strength and crippling fragility.

"I don't doubt his intellect. It's saved our bacon more than once." Bruce said. Steve was slowly getting used to twentieth century lingo, so he wasn't confused by Bruce's words.

"But when he's with you, he's exposed. It's like him going to battle without his suit. You, out of any of us, have the potential to hurt him like he's never been hurt before. I know it's not something you can control. It's just how love works. You have to open yourself up first." He continued.

Steve frowned, not liking the idea of hurting Tony. He'd rather cut off his own arm before he voluntarily hurt the man who had captured his heart.

"I wouldn't." Steve's answer was absolute.

"I'm glad." Bruce smiled and turned away, heading towards the door. He stopped in the doorway, hand leaning on the frame. Turning to look over his shoulder, he gave Steve a chilling smile.

"Because if you did, I'd have to go all hulk on you. And we wouldn't want that, now would we." He said before leaving Steve sitting there with a shocked expression on his face.

Later that night Tony, after escaping his work in the labs with only mild burns, knocked on his boyfriend's door for their scheduled date. He was dressed to impress in a nice but comfortable dark suit. The first two buttons were undone on his maroon dress shirt, covering up the glow of his arc reactor. His hair was slicked back with light product and his beard was neatly trimmed for tonight's event.

Nervously, he twisted his hands together as he waited for Steve to answer his door. The butterflies in his stomach seemed to grow lead wings and he resisted the urge to tap his foot nervously. He was Tony Stark, damnit, he didn't do nervous. Charm and self confidence were second-nature to him and he never let something as tiresome as nerves get to him, especially with prospective bed partners. He never had this problem with anyone else. Even with Pepper, he'd never felt this out of touch with himself. Of course that could be because he'd been her boss first and she'd known him for years before they decided to try dating. That had only lasted a few months before she realized that her future wasn't compatible with his.

He was too invested in the Avengers and as much as she loved being a superhero's girlfriend, the amount of time they spent away from each other had ultimately damaged their relationship. She still loved him but it wasn't enough anymore. She wanted a partner that was invested in her life as well as his and Tony would never be able to step away from his work. It was one of the things that she loved and hated about him. Their genuine feelings for each other had saved their professional relationship and it was because of this she could still work with him. Not as closely as before but they were still rather close.

She'd surprised him the day she'd arrived at the tower and gave her blessing to date Steve. Not that Tony needed it but it was nice to know that she didn't have any ill feelings towards him moving on. Her visit had also been to tell him that she'd started dating again and was going out with a junior agent from the FBI.

"How does the boyfriend handle his girlfriend having a higher clearance level than him?" Tony had smirked and teased her. Thanks to Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D, Pepper had access to things that could only dream about knowing.

"He doesn't care." Pepper shook her head, smiling at him tenderly, "He's not as petty and arrogant as you."

"I take offense to that." Tony snipped, without heat in this tone.

Talking about Steve was a lot different. Pepper could spend hours talking about the man she was seeing but beyond the cursory "We're going to try dating." Tony was tightlipped about the details of his relationship with Steve. Luckily for him, Pepper understood how Tony operated, more than any person in existence and she didn't push him.

He hadn't admitted it to anyone but himself that he loved Captain Steve Rogers. And he wasn't going to brag about it if it had an expiration date. Pepper was the only person to ever get him and they'd only lasted half a year. He didn't mean to be a pessimist but history showed that he sucked at relationships, even those he was serious about, and he hoped that the inevitable end would hurt less if he kept it to himself.

Taking a deep breath, Tony resolved to put all of his negative thoughts behind him and enjoy his date with his boyfriend. But thoughts of a nice candlelit dinner, lively conversation and chaste affection flew right out the window the second he saw Steve open the door. The man was wearing a comfortable pair of dark wash jeans, a red, white and black plaid button-up flannel and a white undershirt that showed off his impressive muscle tone without making him looked like an overstuffed turkey breaking at the seams. His hair was done up in that annoying 40's coif that only seemed to look good on him and his smile was radiant, his alluringly kissable lips framing perfectly white teeth.

Tony couldn't think of any man or women more attractive than the Captain. And by god, how he wanted to rip off all their clothes and have his wicked way with him all night long. He had to take another deep breath, reminding himself that he had to take this slow. He didn't want to scare Steve off.

Not only was this the Captain's first relationship with a man (he also suspected that he would eventually be the man's first time as well, since most people from his time tended to fall in love and marry before they had sex) but he felt like he had prove himself to Steve. That he wasn't a man-whore or a complete fuck-up. He could be more but many people, Steve included, tended to judge him by their first impression of him. And he'd already screwed that up.

Steve's first impression of him wasn't a very good one but he was doing his best to make up for that. Instead of jumping him and dragging him back to the bed, he simply smiled and gestured past him towards the hallway.

"Are you ready to go? Our reservations are for eight." He said, lips twitching into a small one-sided smirk, a look of utter nonchalance that he had perfected over the years. Steve just smiled back at him. It was an amused smile that said Steve knew something that Tony didn't. And that was rare for Tony, not knowing something.

"Cap?"

Steve's amusement grew at Tony's confusion. It was that infuriating nickname, the one he used to hate but now smiles whenever he hears it, because Tony gave it to him.

Before Tony could say anything else, Steve's hand shot out and drew the bemused genius to him, crushing their mouths together. The scratchy feeling of Tony's beard and mustache against his face was something that he wasn't used to yet but he was slowly getting there. Someday he hoped that he would never have to find out what it felt like to miss it. Tony was breathless when he pulled away from the kiss and Steve took advantage of that, pulling him into the room while helping him shed the outer layer of what was probably a horribly expensive suit, and throwing it to the floor like it didn't matter.

"Let's stay in tonight." Steve suggested before locking their lips again. Tony felt like he was being devoured. His hands grabbed hold of Steve's powerful arms as he took complete control, backing him up against the closed door. There was nothing he could do but hold on and let Steve have his way. In the end, Steve would always overpower him physically and it was sort of thrilling letting it all go, allowing Steve to lead him as well as he did in battle.

There was one thing he was sure of. And it was that wherever Steve was taking him, it wouldn't be a boring ride. He hated boring.

They didn't end up having sex. But it was Tony who was oddly satisfied with that. The heavy petting and extensive make-out session that lasted well into the night was just as much fun. And Tony was ok with blowing off their reservations if Steve wanted to cook for him. Steve was a simple man with simple tastes.

Now, hours later, lying in each other's arms while basking in the mere presence of each other, Tony wondered if he had ever felt happier that he did now. He was tucked in the crook between Steve's warm side and the arm slung around his back, head lying comfortably on Steve's pectoral muscle. He could hear his strong heartbeat underneath his cheek and feel the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

"Did you finish your work?" Steve asked, breaking the stillness that had settled over them. It was an odd occurrence. Normally, it was Tony who couldn't stand long silences but he was content to be held.

Tony launched into an extensive explanation that made Steve's head hurt just thinking about it. At first Tony's conceited bragging about how smart he was had got on Steve's nerves. But after saving the day so many times because of his intelligence and hearing about his earlier accomplishments—attending MIT at fifteen and attaining two masters' degrees by the age of nineteen—Steve had realized that Tony deserved every bit of bragging he did. He couldn't remember doing anything that remarkable at such a young age. Steve had never been into any type of sport because of his asthma but he wasn't what others would consider book smart. The only thing he really had any talent for was drawing but that hadn't impressed a lot of people, especially in that day and age.

Steve didn't even bother pretending to understand. He just nodded and shook his head when necessary, letting Tony babble on about his day in the lab. He skipped over the little accident he had with his thrusters, glad that the minor burns hadn't even needed bandages. He knew how high strung Steve was about his safety. It was sort of endearing in a totally overbearing way.

"What about you?" Tony asked when he was done, "How many punching bags did you destroy today?"

Steve laughed, "Only three but according to Bruce, they had it coming."

Tony glanced up at him, eyebrow raised, "Bruce?"

"Yeah," Steve nodded, "He came down to talk to me today."

"What about?" Steve could sense that Tony was getting irritated at his answers. They didn't really explain much.

Steve looked down at him intently, "You."

"What about me?" Tony looked taken-aback.

Even from the beginning, he and Bruce got along amazingly well but it must have been bad this time if the other scientist was going to Steve to complain. He tried to think back and remember what he could have done to upset his friend. Normally Bruce wasn't afraid to tell him when he'd stepped over the line.

Now Steve looked amused, "He threatened me. He said if I broke your heart, he'd unleash the hulk on me."

Tony was stunned into silence, slowly digesting Steve's words, trying to understand their meaning.

"He said that about me?" he finally asked in awe. It was the first time anyone could say that Tony Stark looked unsure of himself.

Steve frowned, "Don't look so upset. Despite your talent of pissing people off and being a complete ass, some people actually like you. Bruce genuinely cares about you. I think it's sweet." He said.

Tony had a hard time believing that people cared about him beyond a superficial level. Steve knew that the man often marveled at the fact that he wanted anything to do with him, even after this long. Tony expected the pretenses, the ass-kissing. People often pretended to like him because of his money and connections and he expected the hate that he received when he provoked them into admitting it. He hated fake truths, preferring to make people come clean about what they really felt. And he respected those who never tried to bullshit him.

Besides Pepper, Bruce, Steve and Rhodey were the only ones who attempted to take down the walls that Tony put up. There was no denying that Thor, Clint and Natasha all cared about him. They were a team, a family of sorts. But they just preferred not to come out and say it to his face, each having their own way of showing it. Bruce had never had that pretense and Steve had admitted to outright disliking him the moment they met.

And if Tony thought that Steve should have been insulted, he would have been wrong. Because how could he be mad at Bruce for only having Tony's best interests at heart.

"I'm sure Bruce won't really set the Hulk on you…" Tony attempted to alleviate any worries Steve might have. "He might tweak the water temperature in your room or replace all your uniforms with a smaller pair but violence isn't his thing. He doesn't like to bring the Hulk out unless it's necessary."

Steve shook his head, "He seemed pretty serious to me."

Tony smiled, turning his face into Steve's side.

Steve hugged him closer, drawing the blankets around them. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Tony's head.

"Stay here tonight?" It was a question as much as it was a demand. Tony rarely listened to anyone when they were telling him what to do but in this case, he wouldn't have minded.

"I thought you'd never ask." Tony said as he snuggled closer, each of them stripped down to their boxers. He didn't care that his suit was probably going to be ruined in the morning, too comfortable to move from Steve's warm embrace.

Neither of them were willing to admit they loved each other yet, but it was there in every caress, every heated glance. The dim glow of Tony's reactor was the only light source and Steve thought back to those nights when he was younger, terrified of the dark. His mother would have to come in and sit with him till he fell asleep most nights and his dad pretended not to notice how frail his son really was. But with Tony by his side, he'd never be alone in the dark ever again. The man was his own personal nightlight.

The next morning when Tony walked into the lab, he gave Bruce a big hug. Both of them knew the reason but neither of them mentioned it. Tony worked the whole day with a bright smile on his face. And even Dummy, his clumsy robot that he never dismantled no matter how many times he threatened to, could not make him stop smiling. Bruce mentally patted himself on the back and hoped that he'd never have to go through with his threat. Because while he could say that he was bluffing, he wasn't so sure he could stop the hulk from appearing and killing Steve if worst came to worst. The hulk was oddly protective of Tony and Bruce had no idea what the 'other guy' would do if it ever came down to that.

In the end, Bruce shrugged it off and grinned at the sight of his friend bouncing off the walls.

I'm not really happy with the ending but I rarely am with any of my stories so I'm going to go with my gut and leave it as it is. I know that doesn't make much sense but just go with it.

Drop by and leave me a review. This is my first Avengers story so I hope I kept everyone in character. Tony is a complex person and I wanted to explore him a little bit.