Attraction...
Summary: A one-shot/drabble about Tony and how he discovered that he was asexual. Part of my 30 OTP challenge. Bruce/Tony
Warnings: Discussions of sex. Implied under age sex. Implied sex before marriage. Bad language
Prompt: Asexual!Tony/Can't-have-sex!Bruce
A/N: this is the 4th fic in my 30 OTP challenge, which is very late, but here it is. This has been in the works for a long time. Anyway, that's all for now. Enjoy the fic
...And Lack There Of
The months after Tony had the Arc Reactor inserted into his chest were filled with pain. There was the obvious, like the gaping hole in his chest, the torture, Yinsen's death, and the Iron Monger. Then there was the less obvious (his breathing was shallower, since there wasn't enough room in his chest cavity for comfortable deep breaths; every time he hiccupped, his lungs collided with the Reactor; coughing caused problems; if he got ill, it could become serious; chest infections were common; pain often flared up in the area and radiated outwards. That was just a portion the physical). There was an adjustment period after Obadiah's betrayal. Tony had to work through his issues, he slept less than he used to (which was saying something), he drunk less (drunken flashbacks were a bitch), nightmares often woke him from the little sleep he did get, and seeing anymore than a cup of water made him freak out (heart beating painfully fast, sweat pouring from him, lungs harshly smacking the reactor...).
Just when he was getting over everything and working his way back to a relatively normal life, the palladium poisoning hit him. And he was going to die...
But then he didn't.
He replaced the Arc Reactor and his veins stopped burning, and he could no longer feel his heart beating slowly (painfully, almost stopping occasionally) in his chest (struggling to pump tainted fuel around his body).
Then, about a year later, the sky ripped open and aliens rained down on New York. At the end of the Battle, Tony died. But not permanently. He survived. It did not do his heart any favours.
He let the Avengers move into his Tower, building them a floor each, and gave Bruce a lab to himself. Tony was maybe, possibly, could be a little teeny tiny bit smitten with the other scientist. If he were being honest with himself, all started when he first read an article by Dr. Banner.
Tony always knew he was different to the other kids his age. He was smarter, he was richer, his dad didn't like him (or love him), maybe he was socially awkward; he didn't like girls the same way as the other boys. Tony played games with them when he was three, he pulled their pigtails and pushed them over when he was seven, he complimented them on their dresses (and hair and eyes) when he was ten, he dated and kissed them when he was twelve, he thought they were hot (or pretty or even beautiful sometimes). But he never saw what the other boys saw in them. When he heard the older kids- from MIT- talking about sex and how they would so 'tap that', he never got what they were talking about. He thought he was a freak, abnormal, and...broken.
Rhodey saved his life. Literally. Tony's college roommate was his best and only friend. Rhodey was so relaxed and accepting of everything. It was wonderful. No matter what Tony did, his friend would not shun him. Roll his eyes, sigh, and huff in exasperation, yes. But never shun. Tony could ask Rhodey anything he wanted, and he would get a straight answer.
("Can I ask you something, Rhodey?" Tony had asked one day, looking up from the simply amazing work of art by this Dr. Banner.
"Sure," the older man shrugged.
"What's the big deal with sex?"
Rhodey had coughed, his head snapping round to look at Tony, gauging whether the younger boy was serious.
"Um, well," he had paused, clearing his throat before asking back, "Have you ever had sex, Tony? Or, you know," he made a strange hand gesture, "jerked off?"
The younger student tilted his head to the side and blinked, "No..."
"Okay...well, it, erm, feels nice- great actually- it's...hard to explain."
"How do know who you want to do it with?"
"You ever...fancy anyone? Think a girl- or guy- is particularly good looking? And you want to kiss them...or anything?"
"Yeah," Tony nodded, "kissed a lot of girls, a few guys, dated them," he shrugged.
"Did you ever get a feeling in your abdomen? Like a pressure? Like did you ever get horny when you were making out with them?"
"...No."
Rhodey paused, "Then I can't really explain it to you."
There was silence for several minutes, before Tony spoke up again, "Am I broken?"
"No, Tony," was the immediate response, "you're just different, and that's okay.")
After that conversation, Tony watched and observed the older kids in how they socialised. And, as soon as he could, he started going to parties. In his first party, he drank. A lot. But he wasn't smashed, only tipsy. So, he thought it would be a good idea to see exactly what the big deal about sex was. That's why, halfway through the party, he was making out with some pretty blonde. As her hand snaked down his front, he felt something in his stomach turn. He felt sick, and dirty. He pulled away from the girl and choked out a "Be right back", before fleeing.
He locked himself in the bathroom, wondering why he had thought this was a good idea. Tony swallowed the rising bile in his throat, collecting himself, before heading back out. He swiped a bottle of alcohol and drunk more, steeling his nerve. He then made his way back and found the girl again, who eventually dragged him upstairs. After it happened, he left the girl passed out in bed and ran to the bathroom. He vomited into the toilet, feeling the phantom violation of the girl's hand on his body. Some girl found him as he was throwing up again. She rubbed his back and made sure he was alright, before leaving him to make his own way back to his dorm. As Tony stumbled into the dorm, holding in tears and choking back the bile of his empty stomach, Rhodey glanced up at him. The older man was about to ask what had happened, but, with the look Tony shot him, he left it.
The youngest Stark tried again and again with different girls (sometimes dating them first, sometimes not), to see if he just needed to find his type. Nothing worked. So, he moved onto sex with guys, seeing if that did it for him. That didn't work either. He was never physically sick afterward that first time, but he never managed to repress the feeling of violation. Of course, word got out that he slept around and drank too much (alcohol was the only way for him to manage it); he got a reputation.
As Tony got older, the reputation stayed, and all he had to do was be seen flirting with someone for the rumours to spread. He had to sleep with someone occasionally, to keep up appearances, but it was easier. He still didn't like it, but it was automatic, like... getting dressed- something mindless, but necessary- and the feelings of wrongness were numbed down to a sick feeling and the occasional spike of violation.
It continued on for several years, until JARVIS showed him an article when he was 23. Tony Stark was an asexual. A sexual-repulsed asexual, to be precise. From that moment on, he never had sex again. That was great... until he started dating Pepper.
He put it off for as long as he was able, but it was inevitable that something would change. By the time they broke up, they'd only had sex four times. He was relieved (and felt so so guilty).
But, then it didn't matter because Bruce was there and suddenly Tony was 15 again, falling for someone he'd never met before. But he had met Bruce, and the man was brilliant! It didn't matter what Tony did: the other scientist would respond kindly. It was rare enough to find someone who wouldn't tell Tony to piss off after hearing him tease them, but Bruce...he actually teased him back. It took a while of course, but the older man responded to his comments in kind and laughed at his sarcasm.
In the end, Tony realised he was completely smitten with Dr. Banner.
Doctor Bruce Banner had a problem. (Well, he had many, including the giant green rage monster inside of him, but this was a more normal one...for him, at least). He was in love with Tony Stark.
He knew that Tony didn't favour any particular gender (or he didn't seem to, at least), and that his friend would give him the time of day, judging by the looks he'd been receiving. What Bruce couldn't work out, however, was whether Tony just wanted to sleep with him like he had so many others. (And sex with Bruce...was just not a good idea, for anyone involved.) But, Tony must know that; he'd read the files SHIELD had on Bruce, and the man was a genius, so he must have worked out that sex was a no go. Was that why Tony hadn't made a move on him? Was Tony only interested in adding a freak like Bruce to his little black book? But, the billionaire had to have at least some morals and consideration for a friend's feelings, since he hadn't made a move on Bruce, so...would Tony say yes and still try and sleep will him, despite the raging green beast inside of him?
After months of pining, which sent him straight back to his teen years, Bruce finally gathered the courage to talk to Tony. It was a...surprising conversation, to say the least. It all started after a charity ball.
To learn that Tony Stark, of all people, was a sexually repulsed asexual...
It actually made a weird kind of sense.
Needless to say, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were a perfect match: one was sexually repulsed, the other couldn't have sex.
They would always be there for each other. They would also be together.
A/N: that's it for now. I don't think I will be turning this into a series, or multichap fic since I'm pretty happy with leaving it here. I know I didn't put in any Bruce/Tony interaction, but I was writing this from a different angle to the other OTP fics I've done. So, next up in my OTP challenge I will be doing Criminal Minds, pairing: Reid/Hotch. I was going to do a Torchwood fic next, but with all that's going on with Trump and his discrimination, I felt that my prompt for Criminal Minds is much better suited