The thing is, it's not anything unusual. Not anymore. It should be.
There's a measles outbreak. An outbreak of a disease they are capable of preventing.
And Bruce is so achingly exhausted.
But he's not… he doesn't get to be angry.
And Tony meanders into the lab with a mug of coffee the size of his face, flops down at a desk, spins his chair around to face Bruce, and says, "Another measles outbreak."
Bruce sighs heavily. "I saw," he says, glancing up and then back down.
Tony clicks his tongue a few times. "Doesn't it piss you off, Banner? Come on. You're a scientist."
Bruce hums and continues inputting data, standing at the touch screen.
He can hear Tony moving closer, and he finally makes the concession of looking up.
Tony's eyes are sparking, a combination of the way he looks when something is a puzzle and the way he looks when he's started venting about idiots who don't believe in climate change.
"Seriously," Tony says, and his voice has dropped a bit, his curiosity piqued. "Doesn't it piss you off?"
Bruce sighs, taking off his glasses and setting them down, looking at him seriously.
"I don't get to be pissed off. Come on, Tony, you know this. I don't get to… Of course I want to. People are dying because of stupidity and I want to be completely furious about it. But when I get angry, people get hurt. It's… Yeah, I want to scream. I want to throw things. I want to tell them how completely idiotic they're being." He stops, takes in a breath, counts off ten seconds. "But I don't get to," he says, quieter this time.
Tony's face shifts from into something that looks almost heartbroken, pained enough that it hurts Bruce in return.
"Shit, Bruce," he says softly.
Bruce shrugs. He's… used to it. Sure, it would be nice to be able to be angry about things. But. Well, in the end, a lot of things that would be nice aren't a reality for Bruce. He's used to it.
"It's fine," he says. "I'm used to it."
"You shouldn't have to be," Tony says, and he's back to looking furious. "You have just as much right to feel as anyone." He steps closer, into Bruce's space. Bruce blinks at him. He always forgets they're almost of a height - Tony's confidence and bravado often make him feel taller. His voice drops low and full of intent. "You're allowed to feel," he repeats.
Bruce feels his breath catch.
They've been dancing around the edges of something for ages, Tony flirting and Bruce… Bruce alternating between pushing back with sarcastic comments, and pulling away because he's terrified. Because he knows what happened last time he got close to someone.
But Tony is something else. Tony looked at him and complimented Bruce first, then the Hulk. He's not afraid of Bruce; he never has been. He doesn't shy away from confrontation, but he doesn't terrify Bruce with it either.
And maybe it's stupid and maybe it's selfish. But Bruce… Bruce wants this.
So when Tony raises a hand and traces the line of Bruce's mandible, Bruce leans into it instead of pulling away.
And when Tony learns in, Bruce meets him halfway.
And maybe, just maybe he can have this.
…
Word Count (Dragons, writing month, auction): 550
Auction: song: love will keep us together, 13.1
365: confrontation
Insane: 197: theme: guilt
Appreciation: 2. Lent - Write about someone giving something up for a long period of time (for lent or otherwise)
Bex's Basement: Tony Stark/Iron Man; (Trait) Genius
