A.N. Hey, guys. Sorry if this is a little late. I forgot it was Science Bros Week until now, and my WiFi is a little slow and limited just now, since I'm in Germany. This is my first Science Bros fic, and my first Marvel fic in general. It's actually part of an AU I have, where the Avengers are all teenagers. This fic takes place during sophomore year (or Fifth year, as we call it in Scotland) and is set on New Year's Day. As usual, I own nothing. There's notes at the end, that provide a little context.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked. They were sitting on his bed, watching The Sound of Music on his huge TV. There was probably other places in the room where they could've both sat, but he'd decided to sit here, and Bruce had decided to join him. After everything that had happened last night, though, Tony couldn't really blame Bruce for wanting to be close to him.

"No, I'm not. I've been thrown out of my house, and I don't know what I'm going to do now. Will I stay with Clint, Steve and Natasha in the S.H.I.E.L.D facility? Will I stay with my aunt and cousin, even if it means moving away from here? Should I even stay in the country?" He sighed. "I know it sounds like I'm being over-dramatic, but I really don't know what to do." Tony thought about it.

"You'll probably move into the facility. I mean, in all honesty, I'm surprised you didn't end up there a long time ago. It is safer there, after all. There's measures in place to deal with the Other Guy, and you don't have to worry about the military getting involved," he replied, not stopping to think if he'd possibly been offensive.

"You might actually have a point there. Still, I'd have preferred to make that call myself, you know? Rather than be forced out because my dad can't stand the thought of me being gay." He sighed again.

Tony wasn't really sure what to do. Yesterday, he and the rest of his friends/ future teammates, Natasha Romanoff, badass yet kinda cold spy, Clint Barton, basically useless archer, Steve Rogers, annoying boy scout, and Thor Odinson, actual living deity, had gone over to their friend/ Tony's new boyfriend Bruce Banner's house, to bring in the New Year. Bruce had decided to take the opportunity to introduce Tony to his parents and come out to both of them. His mother had taken it well. His father on the other hand, not so much. It was moments like these that made Tony have a hard time that Bruce's dad had once been such a great scientist, or that he could even be of any relation to his boyfriend. Until the accident that turned his son into a monster when angry, he'd been famous in the science world. Now, all he did was stay home, drink and berate his wife and son. In that sense, maybe Bruce was better away from that house.

"If it's any consolation to you, I'm gonna tell my parents about us today. So, at least you're not the only one risking a lot this week." He smiled, hoping that would help in some way.

"That's true, but I highly doubt your parents will actually throw you out. Still, I appreciate your attempt at solidarity," Bruce replied, smiling weakly.

"You never know. I mean, my dad doesn't exactly like me very much, ever since I decided that being associated with weapons of mass destruction wasn't exactly something I wanted. Of course, good luck getting him to see it that way. According to him, I'm abandoning the family business to try and be a superhero. The problem there, is the only superhero he cares about is good old Capsicle. How's anyone supposed to compete with that?"

"Okay, you're starting to pass the point of solidarity, and you're getting into 'My life sucks, let's let everyone else know how much it sucks, even if their problems are bigger than mine' territory." Bruce sighed. "I know that sometimes it helps to rant, but maybe this isn't a good time." Tony nodded.

"You're right. This isn't about me. It's about you, and what you're going to do now. Honestly, I do think that your best bet is to stay in the facility for now, and wait to see if this blows over. Who knows, I might even join you. Although, if that ends up happening, I wouldn't think it was anything you did. They loved you being my friend, I'm sure they won't object to us dating."

"I really hope you're right. After yesterday's mess, I really don't want anything else to go wrong this week."

"Of course I'm right. When am I not?" Bruce rolled his eyes, but didn't otherwise respond. "Anyway, maybe something good will come out of this. I mean, you couldn't have stayed in that house forever. Anyone could see the effect it was having on you. So, even if you get the option, maybe you shouldn't go back. It's a new year. Take this as a chance for a fresh start. Nobody knows what's gonna happen. We might even finish this year as famous, world-saving heroes, who knows? The point is, try not to worry about what could happen, and try looking at what is happening in a positive light. It's gotta be worth a try, at least?"

"You're right. It is worth a try." He leaned over and kissed Tony's cheek. "Thanks for being here. I really do appreciate it." Tony blushed lightly, and smiled.

"Don't mention it." He checked the time and stood up. "I should probably go talk to my parents. Do you want to come with me?" It was probably best that Bruce did come with him, considering what it was he wanted to talk to them about. Fortunately, Bruce nodded.

"Yeah, of course I will."

Ten minutes later, Tony was standing in the living room in front of his parents, Bruce beside him. He took a deep breath.

"I'm not really sure how to say this," he began.

"Just start from the beginning," his mother replied. He closed his eyes.

"Alright. I think it all started about a year ago, when Pepper moved to California. We decided to split up, and be friends instead. A few months later, I started seeing things a little differently. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but it's true. One of the biggest changes was in the way I saw Bruce," he paused, and pointed to his boyfriend for emphasis. "Within a matter of weeks, I'd fallen in love with him, and a few weeks ago, we started a relationship. That's really all there is to say on the matter. I'll take questions, though, if you've got them." Tony sighed, relieved that it was over. Now, he just had to hope for a positive response.

"So, how does that work exactly?" his father asked, sounding slightly confused. "I mean, the last time I checked, you liked girls. Well, mainly Pepper, but still. Does this mean you don't like girls anymore?" Tony sighed again, this time in exasperation rather than relief.

"No, not at all. It just means that I don't exclusively like girls, or exclusively like guys for that matter." He frowned. "Look, that's not even the main issue here. The main issue is, can you accept me being with Bruce as easily as you accepted me being with Pepper?" His dad frowned at them both for a moment.

"It's not really the same, is it? Even if Bruce was a girl, I'd have reservations due to his... Hulk episodes. The concern isn't whether or not he's a boy. The concern is whether or not he's safe to be around." Tony was aware of Bruce stiffening beside him. Instinctively, he squeezed his hand. He was just about to open his mouth when Bruce spoke up for the first time.

"I can assure you, Mr. Stark, that Tony isn't in any danger. I've got ways of controlling the Hulk. You've not got anything to worry about there." Tony was surprised to hear Bruce talking so confidently about his ability to control the Other Guy. Normally he was nowhere near this calm, so it was a nice thing to see. His father nodded.

"Alright, if you're sure, then I don't see why you two can't see each other." He turned to his wife. "Maria, is there anything you'd like to add?" She shook her head.

"I don't think so. You have to understand though, Tony, that it's going to take your father and I a little time to get our heads around this. We'll do our best, but we may need a couple of days to understand this. After that, though, everything should be fine." Tony smiled, relieved that it had gone so well.

By the time Tony went to bed that night, he was feeling optimistic about what was to come this year. He was so close to getting his first suit built, and the team was really starting to click together nicely. Well, apart from the times he and Capsicle would get into fights. Honestly, they'd go to war against each other one of these days. What he didn't know, of course, was that in a few years, they would do exactly that. That wasn't important, though. Nor did it matter what had happened to him or Bruce in the past. Yesterday wasn't important anymore, and the only tomorrows that mattered were the ones within his reach. Tony might not be able to predict the future, but as long as Bruce was in it, it couldn't be too bad.

Notes

I figured I should include a little bit of context and background for this AU.

The Avengers: The Avengers, at this point in time, are a group of teenagers that Nick Fury and Coulson have been gathering together over the years. The events of The Avengers take place a few months after this story, the only difference being that the Avengers knew each other before Loki showed up.

Tony: You'll notice that Tony's parents are not dead in this story. In the timeline of this AU, they die a few weeks after this story, which triggers the events of Iron Man. In this version, though, Tony isn't in charge of Stark Industries, nor does he want to be. The terrorists that kidnap him wanted Howard instead, and let him live because they thought he might know how to build the Jericho missile. Also, in this version, he's been working on the suits for a couple of years prior to this story's events. However, he hadn't managed to successfully complete a suit, as he didn't have a good power source. He was actually part of the fledgling Avengers group all that time, after a near deadly explosion in a classroom. He'd been considered prior to that, but had been rejected due to his poor attitude. However, after that incident, it became clear that he if he continued doing whatever he wanted, he'd get himself killed, and that was the last thing S.H.I.E.L.D needed. He was better in, putting his brains to good use, than out.

Bruce: Bruce Banner has been turning into the Hulk since he was twelve. In this version, it was his father who came up with the idea to use gamma radiation to recreate Captain America's serum. Unwilling to test it out on himself, he tricked Bruce into being his guinea pig. The experiment went horribly wrong, and after a few problems with the military, Bruce became one of the first Avengers, along with Clint and Natasha. Since then, Brian Banner sank into a pit of drunkenness, riddled with guilt over what he'd done to his son. Bruce, on the other hand, became smarter, as he sought to learn as much as he could about what had caused his unfortunate condition, and tried to become calmer, as he tried to learn how to stop himself from going green.

Pepper: Pepper was Tony's first serious love. They were together throughout the majority of middle school, and a fair sized chunk of high school too. However, they couldn't make a long distance relationship work, as they discovered when Pepper moved to California. However, when Tony loses his parents shortly after this story, she moves back, to be there for him.

The Facility: I mention a facility quite a bit in this story. This is a SHIELD building, hidden at an undisclosed location in New York. It has become the home of the Avengers team, at least until the Tower is completed later in the year. It's not really important, but I figured I should offer a little explanation just in case.