I couldn't resist writing another Avengers fic. Of course with Bruce. He's too cute not to write about!

Warning: None that I saw.

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Groaning softly Bruce rolled over in his bed for what felt like the hundredth time sine he laid down. One would think that laying in a bed that was Tony Stark approved would make it comfortable. That was very much not the case.

He had been laying there for… Honestly he didn't know how long and he did not want to put his glasses on so he could read the clock. All he wanted to do was get a few hours of sleep and get back down to the labs.

The results for a test that he and Tony had been running for the past few days were finally done and they could be working on the second part of the experiment. If not for the fact that they had both been locked out.

He had been shocked and a little scared when all the screens in the lab went black and Jarvis announced that everything had been saved. The AI was probably the most sophisticated computers in the world. If someone was breaking in they had to be powerful.

Instantly Bruce was wondering if Ross was coming after him once more. It wasn't as if he didn't think that was going to happen one day. The man would stop at nothing to get him and Hulk back in his grasp.

Then his mind went to the enemies that Tony had made. Which were quite a few and some of them were almost as smart as the engineer was. It wasn't hard to believe that any of them were try to get into the building.

After that he had to think about everyone that would be after the rest of the Avengers. He had tried to point out the fact that having all of them living under one roof had made it easy for people to attack them, but he had been over ruled.

As he stood there trying to figure out whether or not Hulk was going to be let out that day he heard Tony cursing under his breath beside him. The Other Guy growled in the back of his mind ready for whatever was coming.

Looking around he waited anxiously for whomever was coming to attack. That was when he finally looked at the other man. Tony was glaring (pouting) at the computer screen as if it had betrayed him. Which it kind of did.

Apparently Pepper had somehow convinced him, Tony swore there was a threat of no sex involved, to put a lock on the labs. It was just a little insurance that stopped not just Tony, but all of the scientists from working themselves too hard.

At least that's what Tony said. Bruce was sure that it was for when the engineer stayed there too long and ignored everything else he was supposed to do. Like eating and bathing. It was Pepper's way of getting him to take care of himself.

It was a good idea. The other man stayed in the lab for days at a time not paying attention to any of his needs sometimes. He had seen it happen more than once. Mostly because he was usually right beside his friend doing the exact same thing.

Against his better judgment he had tried to argue with the woman so she would lift the rule for him. She had practically laughed in his face. According to her, and Jarvis, he took worse care of himself than Tony did. She refused to help him slowly kill himself.

Bruce had wanted to fight her and say that he had been taking care of himself longer than she had been alive, but it was Pepper Potts. Before he could even open his mouth though she was leveling him a glare at him.

Suddenly he understood perfectly why his friend not only gave her power over the company but fell in love with her. She was perfectly powerful and poised enough that there was no question that they were going to do exactly what she said before they got what they wanted.

So, that left him with two options. Either he would complete three, fairly simple, tasks and get the labs open again or wait a full week for the lock down to be over. It really shouldn't be that hard of a decision to make. Yet he really wasn't sure what he was going to do.

At first he had thought that he'd just do the tasks and that would be that. It was just doing a little self-care. That couldn't be that hard to do. Also, the woman was reasonable. She knew both he and Tony well enough not to ask for miracles. Then he heard the tasks.

The first one sounded easy enough. Despite the fact that he was currently failing at it. Get five hours of sleep. It didn't even have to be all at once, though it would be if he ever fell asleep. Staying up for 80 hours did that to a person.

The problem wasn't staying asleep. It was falling asleep. His mind was still in science mode and it wasn't as if he could just shut it off. Especially since he still had ongoing experiments that he could be working on. Sleep was not easy.

The next task was getting out of the building for two hours. That, again, sounded a lot easier than it was. It was just two hours and in a city like New York it wasn't as if there was nothing to go out and do.

He even knew that there was a fairly quiet little park a ten minute walk from the building. He had told himself that he was going to go down and walk through it the next time he had some free time on his hand. Which he now did.

It wasn't as if he disliked being outside. He actually preferred it. He liked hearing the birds chirping and watching the wind rustle leaves. He even knew how to identify most flowers just by sight. That wasn't an issue. People were.

When he went out he wanted to go somewhere peaceful. Where he didn't have to think about anything other than the sights he was seeing. He did not want to listen to people yelling about nothing over the phones or cursing at each other for whatever reason.

That brought him to the last task. Going to get something to eat with another person. That was not one that he was looking forward to trying to navigate. He wasn't even sure who he was supposed to ask to join him!

He wasn't a social creature in any way, shape, or form. At least not anymore. It had been a long time since he spent any real one on one time with a person and that was what the goal of the dinner would be.

It would be him and someone else sitting in a restaurant talking. How was that supposed to sound like a good idea? He could point out so many flaws in that plan and he… He hated being out of his comfort zone like that.

All of those things brought him to where he was right then. Laying in his bed in his underwear wondering if he could stay there for a week so he could get back to what he was doing. It sounded a lot easier than anything else that was on the list.

Rolling over once more so he was laying on his back Bruce sighed and shut his eyes once more letting himself think about whatever that came to mind. He expected thoughts to come pouring in. Instead he was greeted with a static that he hated.

"Bruce!" Tony's voice suddenly rang out along with banging on the door, "I know you're not sleeping in there. Let me in."

"Not moving," the man muttered rolling onto his stomach to bury his head in his pillow.

"I can open the door if you'd like, Dr. Banner," Jarvis offered as the banging continued.

"He won't give up until he gets in, will he?"

"Past experience says he will only get louder if ignored."

"I heard that!" Tony yelled out, "You two are so cruel to me!"

Shaking his head Bruce let out a soft chuckle before telling the AI to let the other man in. A moment later Tony was dropping onto the bed hard enough to cause him to bounce. Taking his head out of his pillow he glared at his smirking friend.

"Love the Bruce burrito look you have going on," Tony snarked motioning at him with his hand.

"What do you want, Tony?" he questioned continuing to glare.

"Can't I come see my science bro without having an alternative motive?"

"I don't think you can do anything without an alternative motive."

"Wounded!"

Rolling his eyes Bruce laid there watching as his friend stand up and climb under the blankets beside him. A part of him wanted to argue, but then he noticed the way the man was dressed. Obviously he had been about to go to bed himself.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it he rolled onto his side and waited as Tony got comfortable. It took a moment before the engineer was smiling down at him like he had just won something. Considering he hadn't kicked him out he might have won.

"Pepper is having the bathroom redone and I forgot," Tony finally offered after a moment of silence.

"Can't sleep with that going on," Bruce agreed calmly.

"Couldn't sleep even without that going on. Sleep is the natural enemy of scientists."

"Really?"

"You're not sleeping either, Scientist, so I'm not wrong."

"Sounds like you've spent a lot of time thinking about this."

"There might have been a few conversations between me and Pepper about sleeping habits."

"A few?"

"Shut up."

Shaking his head Bruce let out a sigh and rolled onto his back once more. A comfortable silence fell between them as they both got lost in their thoughts. At least Tony was probably thinking Bruce's brain had gone silent.

Well, not exactly silent. It was more like his mind was filled with static. Which was good for sleep. Or it would be good if he was tired at all. You'd think after close to eighty hours with no sleep he'd be at least a little tired.

That was the last thing that he felt though. So even if he wanted to sleep he couldn't. Which was pretty sad. It also, possibly, added a little credence to Tony's argument that sleep and scientists were enemies. Not that he was going to tell the other man that.

"Please, tell me you're not sleeping," Tony questioned barely over a whisper as if he thought Bruce might be.

"Not even close," he sighed moving around so he was propped against the headboard with some pillows.

"Good. Jarvis, play that show I was recording."

"What show?"

"I don't remember what it's called. It's about Tesla though."

"Nikola Tesla?"

"The one and only."

"Play it."