Robert Bruce Banner & Anthony Edward Stark
A series of Friendship One Shots
Based off of quotes

Author's Notes: This will be set as a series of one shots involving the friendship between Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. The stories will not be in any sort of order but they will all be set after the movie, I also would like to say that yes I prefer Science Bros over Science Boyfriends but these stories can be taken as either friendship or pre-slash depends on you point of view. At the head of each story/chapter there will be a quote regarding friendship which the one-shot will be based on. Please Read & Review! Also I would like to add that there will be about nine chapters maybe ten for this in total. I will try and get up more chapters real soon, not to mention cover art when I'm finished working on it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Marvel

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."
-Bob Marley

Bruce had never had what he would consider a friend, yes he had acquaintances but it was noticeable that no one wanted to get close to him. How could he blame them? He was a breakdown away from becoming the Other Guy almost every minute, every second, every beat of his heart. That didn't affect one genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist though. Tony Stark was unlike anyone he had ever met before; he purposefully antagonised him, he poked and prodded and joked with Bruce. Not because he wanted to draw out the Other Guy but because that was what friends did, Tony treated him like he was anyone else, not a ticking time bomb that was a second away from exploding. Bruce was wary though to let Stark get close, he didn't really trust anyone any more he had been hurt one too many times. It was hard though to distance himself from the engineer, the other man was constantly in his personal space, asking questions, antagonising him to the point that every now and then Banner would have to tell him to back off. Tony never did though, not really. He would leap away with a smile and a chuckle and five minutes later they would start back at the beginning It was a never ending cycle that would bring a smile to Bruce's face and a warm feeling in his heart.

After a few weeks of this playful banter, the warmth grew more prominent and Bruce realised that this is what it felt like to have friends, to have a family. It was not only Tony that was welcoming, it was Pepper as well. The woman had the patience of a saint, to be able to put up with Tony Stark constantly, and now with the threat of the Hulk constantly looming over her, she did nothing extraordinary except for smile, laugh and join in the witty banter when she understood it. Cause lets face it, Tony and him generally would insult each other with more scientific methods. Bruce wondered how long he could keep this up, how long could he play happy family before it was ruined and destroyed by the Other Guy. Bruce couldn't think like that, it made him depressed which alerted Tony and that made the entire situation awkward between them. He could remember after a few days at Stark Tower, Bruce had told the engineer that he was going to leave, the look of hurt on Tony's face had almost broken his heart. It was as if he told his friend that he could no longer be Iron Man, as if he was removing one of Tony's favourite toys and confiscating it permanently.

After that awkward encounter Bruce had decided to stay, maybe for just a little bit longer. He never brought the subject about leaving up ever again. Pepper suspected that he would eventually wake up one day and walk out of their life, but she too kept silent around Tony. It was scary to think how the other man was going to react when he finally did pack his bags and take off to some third world country to heal the wounded and cure the sick. Would he start drinking again? Well Tony drank now but Bruce had seen him depressed and how self destructive he could be. The man may of had a high drive to survive, to live, but he wasn't immune to his erratic tendencies. His birthday last year, the palladium poisoning, Tony was a slave to alcohol and a slave to stupid decisions. It made Bruce realise that the billionaire needed someone there for him, someone who could teach him to stop, take a step back and survey his life. Bruce knew all about bad decisions, he lived his whole life based on them, but now he realised that someone else may need his expertise and this person was not a stranger, no he was a friend and the Doctor found that terrifying on some level.

There was one night where Bruce couldn't sleep, he was plagued by nightmares of running, full of fear as he woke up drenched in sweat and breathing hard. He could feel the Other Guy clawing at his brain, fighting for control, wanting to destroy and smash and remove the fear that was in Bruce's life. Of course there was nothing around here that was actually harming the Doctor, the Hulk didn't know that of course and it took thirty four minutes of severe breathing exercises to keep the creature at bay. Sweating, sticky and feeling nausea rolling through him, Bruce felt like he needed to escape, needed to enjoy some fresh air so he could settle down and clear his mind. As he road the elevator up to the penthouse, he couldn't stand still, it was moving so slow that when the doors finally pinged open it felt like years had passed. Bruce stumbled out into the main area, with every intent to head out onto the balcony, but he stopped dead, his breath in his throat with what he saw.

Tony was sprawled out on the couch, there was an empty bottle and glass in front of him and the man was staring out at New York through the window seemingly entranced by the lights on the Empire State. Bruce approached slowly, controlling his breaths as he studied the bottle, picking it up with a small frown on his face. Absolut Crystal Vodka, that was one thousand dollars a bottle! Tony definitely didn't have cheap taste. Had Stark drunk the whole thing tonight? Well shit, this was going to be a problem. Why did the man have to be self-destructive when Bruce was having a breakdown? Sighing, he moved to sit on the coffee table reaching out gently to touch his friend's shoulder. He stopped short, his dark eyes studying the arc reactor and the faint blue glow it gave off in the room. He wondered briefly where Pepper was and if he should call her, a quick glance at his watch told him the answer. Three fifteen, he doubted she would appreciate the rather early wake up call. Finally gathering his wits, Bruce laid his hand on Tony's shoulder and shook it gently.

"Tony? Tony... Are you all right?" The drunken depressed look he received almost broke his heart. Why would a man do this to himself? Although why would a man chose to run off and live in isolation? Looked like their demons were catching up on them.

"Hey Brucey! Care to join me?" His words were slurred.

"Love to but I'm afraid you've drank everything."

"Oh... I have more."

"I'm sure you do." Bruce watched as Tony shuffled up the couch and patted the cushion beside him, the physicist sighed but joined his friend anyway, a look of concern on his tired and weathered features. "What's wrong Tony?"

"Nothin'."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"No."

"Me either. Afghanistan?"

"Yep. The big guy?"

"Yep."

They fell into a companionable silence, Bruce left alone with his thoughts as he wondered what to do with the said billionaire, playboy, genius before he made a fool of himself. Tony was going to have one hell of a headache tomorrow morning, not to mention the stiff muscles and neck he'd get if he stayed out here on the couch. Bruce let him have this though, the few minutes of silence so they could think back on everything either of them had been through. It was a dark past for both, and neither wished to really talk about it tonight. If Tony wanted to open up he would of by now, he would of started talking and not stopped until he passed out from the amount of Vodka he had consumed. Bruce wasn't about to pry, he thought it best for his friend to confide in him when he was good and ready. It could take days, weeks, months even years but the Doctor was patient and he would be there for Tony when he finally did open up about his experiences in Afghanistan.

"Let's get you to bed."

"But mum... I don't want to!"

"Tough luck kiddo. Come on up you get!" Bruce grasped Tony's arm, half pulling, half supporting the other man from the couch. When Stark was on his feet, swaying slightly, he wrapped his arm around Bruce's shoulder and leant heavily on him, of course his drunken stupor didn't stop him from bitching and whining all the way towards the elevator and for the ride. Bruce ignored him for the most part, nodding and agreeing when it was needed and telling his friend to shut it when it became inappropriate. Drunk Tony was a lot like sober Tony, just without those neurons in his brain that told him not to blurt out every single thought that came to his mind. It was an awkward situation at best. Eventually Bruce got Stark to his room, thanking JARVIS for letting them in and he proceeded to dump the engineer on the bed where he landed with a dull thud.

"Tony. You know when your ready, and not drunk as a skunk-"

"I never got that saying."

"Shut up."

"No I mean there are moose and squirrels that eat fermented fruit but not-"

"Tony shut up."

"Yes sir!"

"Tony when you're ready to talk, I'll be here to listen."

"I know. I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of getting hurt."

"Sometimes pain is vital in a friendship, you can't keep it bottled up or-"

"I'll turn into an enormous green rage monster?"

"Very funny."

"I thought so."

"Go to sleep Tony."

"Do I get a goodnight kiss?"

"No."

"Aww. How about a hug?"

"Goodnight Tony."

"You're no fun... Goodnight Bruce." The Doctor smiled, patted his friend's shoulder and turned on his heels to leave. He didn't even make it to the door before he heard Tony's soft snores. Funny, he no longer had the need to go outside any more he couldn't feel the Other Guy scratching at his mind and he wondered whether now he could get some peace and some rest. Knowing that he was going to have to have his wits about him tomorrow to deal with hungover, annoying, obnoxious, Anthony Edward Stark. God help him.