Chapter Two: Kiss Now, Talk Later

Tony had managed to flip them; their mouths were still sealed together, the two swapping heated breaths and soft moans as they explored each other's mouths. Bruce was on his back, his head having missed the pillows and instead resting on the twisted sheets. Tony sat between his legs, all his body weight on his left forearm and knees, while his right hand explored Bruce's chest and neck (over his shirt, because Bruce kept slapping his fingers away every time they tried to crawl up and touch soft, warm skin).

Bruce wrapped one leg around Tony's thigh and tried to pull him forward, even while his other leg fell open, welcoming him in. Tony grinned to himself; no one could resist Tony Stark.

That is until Bruce's mind seemed to catch up, and he remembered that they needed to talk and that Tony hadn't bathed in five days.

He huffed and pulled back, the two men panting heavily and staring at each other with glazed eyes.

'Um... there a reason we stopped?' Tony demanded.

'You need a shower,' Bruce said.

Tony groaned and tried to kiss him again, but Bruce moved. 'No,' he whined, 'kiss now, shower later.'

'Tony-'

'I hate you!' Tony pouted.

Bruce chuckled and brushed his fingers through the other man's short brown hair. 'You do not,' he said softly and Tony smiled. 'And we have to talk, remember?'

'Yeah,' Tony sighed. He was still hoping to get out of that, but didn't like his chances. 'Okay, a kiss for my trip to the shower?'

'You're incorrigible.'

'And...?'

Bruce ducked up and captured Tony's lips again, making the billionaire groan and giving Bruce the chance to slid his tongue in.

Things were just getting heated again- Tony was grinning to himself- when the bedroom door flew open and Clint walked in.

'Hey, is Tony...' He trailed off and raised both eyebrows when Tony pulled back from Bruce to look at him. Clint grinned while Bruce blushed and tried to push Tony up, but the billionaire wasn't budging. 'Well hello,' the archer leered.

'What do you want?' Tony huffed.

'Tony,' Bruce said and again tried to push the genius clear.

Without taking his eyes off them, Clint turned and shouted over his shoulder, 'Steve, Tasha, you both owe me a hundred bucks!'

They heard Natasha swear and Steve groan. 'What?' Tony asked.

'Steve bet that Bruce wouldn't say anything,' Clint told them, 'and Tasha bet that you and Bruce would talk it out only after you'd eaten.' His grin widened. 'But I said you'd go at it like horny teenagers regardless of food or anything else.'

'We aren't going at it,' Bruce huffed.

'I beg to differ,' Clint said and waved a hand, indicating the two men who were still twisted together on the bed.

'We were just kissing,' Bruce said.

'Mm-hmm,' Hawkeye hummed.

'Did you and Natasha "talk it out" before fucking?' Tony asked.

'That's none of your business!' Clint snapped while Tony finally let Bruce sat up.

'Neither is this!' Tony told him. 'So get lost, Bird-Boy.'

'Oh that's original,' Clint snickered.

'Out!' Tony shouted.

Clint saluted him and, still laughing, slammed the bedroom door shut. They could hear him laughing and teasing Steve and Natasha, no doubt collecting his winnings.

Tony turned back to Bruce and watched the other scientist sit up and run a hand through his hair. 'So... kissing?' Tony asked.

'Shower,' Bruce replied and Tony pouted. Bruce quickly pecked it away and Tony smiled. 'Go clean up and come join me in the kitchen; we'll talk while you eat.'

'God, all you ever wanna do is talk,' Tony groaned.

'Tony-'

'Yeah, yeah,' Tony flapped a dismissive hand and climbed off the bed. 'Fine; we'll talk.'

'Good,' Bruce said and pointed at the bathroom door.

Tony bounced forward to kiss him quickly before disappearing into the en-suite, leaving Bruce smiling stupidly in the bedroom.

{oOo}

Bruce hadn't slept at all since the whole "Tony totally wants Bruce too" revelation, and was feeling a little run down as he left the genius' room. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he walked down the hallway and into the living room.

Clint was perched on the armrest of the sofa, with Natasha sitting beside him and Steve across from them on one of the leather armchairs. Thor was nowhere to be seen, thank God (Bruce so didn't need his input as well).

The other three looked up at him- his lips were still kiss-swollen, his clothes in disarray, and his hair mussed up from Tony's fingers. He couldn't stop the blush that worked across his face as Steve himself turned pink and Clint and Natasha snickered.

'You lost me a hundred dollars,' Natasha grumbled.

'I didn't force you to bet on Tony and me,' Bruce shrugged.

'I love you, man,' Clint said. He held up his closed fist. 'Come on, show me the love.'

Bruce rolled his eyes but bumped his fist against the assassin's; it was best to get it over with.

'So are you and Tony together?' Steve inquired.

'Um... we haven't really... talked properly,' Bruce admitted.

'Yes!' Clint pumped the air with his fists.

'Shut up,' Natasha said and elbowed him. Clint pouted at her but she ignored him. 'Bruce, you should really talk it out.'

'I know, we are,' Bruce assured her. 'Tony's just... well... it's hard to say no to him.'

'I'll bet,' Clint sniggered. He dodged another hit from Natasha and flopped onto the other end of the sofa.

'I'm happy for you,' Steve said honestly.

'Thank you,' Bruce smiled. And he really meant it; it was hard for Steve to get used to homosexuality being acceptable these days. He was in no way homophobic, but the result of a different era. Thankfully he loved and accepted his team mates, so he was fine with Tony and Bruce dating. 'I'm going to go make him something to eat,' Bruce said.

'We were going to order in pizza,' Steve informed him, 'but there's some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you don't want to wait.'

'Thanks,' Bruce repeated and smiled at them all before leaving the room.

'Tony and Bruce, sitting in a tree!' Clint shouted after him, followed by a grunt- no doubt Natasha had smacked him again.

Bruce just smiled as he entered the hallway. When he got close to the elevator, the doors opened of their own accord (well, Jarvis opened them).

'Good evening, Dr Banner,' Jarvis greeted as the doors closed behind the doctor.

'Good evening, Jarvis,' Bruce replied with a grin. It was a very good evening.

{oOo}

Tony ran a thick, fluffy towel through his hair, but eventually left it damp as he pulled on some dark grey sweats and a black AC/DC shirt. He was too hungry to properly dry himself, and Bruce was somewhere in the Tower; Tony needed another kiss, damn it!

He whistled to himself as he left his room, completely ignoring Clint, Natasha and Steve, who were all watching a movie and arguing over what pizzas to order in the living room. Clint wolf-whistled and Natasha smirked at him, but Tony just moved through the room in favour of finding his... boyfriend? Friends with benefits? Fuck-buddy?

Huh, we really do need to talk, he mused as he walked down the hallway.

Every floor above the helipad was now officially known as "Avengers Tower" (Nick fucking Fury had gone ahead and decided the Avengers would move in, and even though Tony really didn't mind, he liked to have a say in what his goddamn building was called).

Tony's own penthouse still took up the top floor, complete with master bedroom, office, pool, bar, games room, and a living room that most of the other Avengers usually avoided (you know, except when Tony was making out with his maybe-boyfriend and Clint decided to go and barge in while Natasha and Steve waited for the gossip).

The first floor, which also housed the helipad just off of the balcony, was mostly conference rooms where they'd have weekly meetings with all the Avengers, Phil Coulson, and Fury (When Fury decides to grace us with his presence, because he's such a busy man, Tony thought with a snort). The second floor was made up of gyms complete with weight machines (that had been specially made by Tony to be used by Thor and Steve), an armoury, target range, and other crap the team members needed to keep themselves fit. The third and fourth floors were living quarters (Natasha and Clint on the third floor; Steve, Bruce and Thor on the fourth floor), a games room and living room on each, as well as a kitchen.

The fifth floor Tony had converted into a lab that he and Bruce shared. Though Tony usually preferred his labs underground (he really liked concrete, the cool air, and having re-enforced walls in case any of his inventions went haywire and blew up), he liked sharing a space with Bruce, his "Science Bro". It was nice working with someone who was almost as smart as him. And Bruce definitely had a brain on his shoulders.

Of course, when Tony had his own inventions to work on, he went to his lab in the basement of the tower, where most of his Iron Man suits were now kept, as well as his many cars.

Tony exited the elevator on the fourth floor, where the main kitchen was. Steve, as the only Avenger who could cook anything other than microwavable meals (and no matter what Clint said, macaroni and cheese was not okay for dinner every night), had fully stocked the kitchen and thus the fourth floor was usually where all the Avengers hung out (you know, besides invading Tony's personal space on the sixth floor looking for gossip).

Tony entered the room to find Bruce bent over as he heated up some lasagna in the microwave. There was also a large bowl of salad sitting on the counter and Tony grinned.

'Wow, you sure take care of me,' Tony said as he walked up behind Bruce.

Bruce stood and immediately smiled. 'You look better,' he said. Tony grinned and pressed his lips to Bruce's. 'Mm, smell better too,' the doctor commented.

'I always smell good,' Tony said, fake-pouting.

'Not after five days in the lab,' Bruce shook his head.

'Don't deny it; my manly smell totally turns you on.'

Bruce rolled his eyes and grabbed Tony by the arms. He steered the other man around the counter and made him sit on one of the stools.

'What, no making out before dinner?' Tony asked.

'Eat first,' Bruce ordered.

'Yes, Dr Banner,' Tony grumbled. He leaned forward on the counter, chin resting on one hand, the other drawing patterns on the marble-top. 'So...'

'So...?' Bruce echoed as the microwave beeped. He made his way over and pulled out a plate, the large chunk of lasagna steaming.

'Are we going to talk?' Tony asked.

Bruce raised an eyebrow and without looking up said, 'You actually want to talk?'

'Well... I was walking over here and realised I don't know what to call you,' Tony admitted. 'Boyfriend? Friend with benefits? Fuck buddy? Science fuck buddy?'

Bruce snorted. 'Science fuck buddy, really?'

'Hey, I'm already rubbing off on you!' Tony grinned. 'You said a naughty word.'

Bruce rolled his eyes again. 'I am capable of cussing, you know.'

'You say cussing,' Tony said with a wrinkled nose. 'I think that just backed up my point.'

'Which was...?'

'You're so cute!' Tony beamed.

'Whatever you say,' Bruce chuckled. He cut the lasagna in half, divided it between two plates, and pushed one over to Tony with a fork.

Tony dug his fork in and blew across a chunk while Bruce got them both a can of coke from the fridge.

Bruce grabbed a stool and sat at the edge of the counter so they were at right angles to each other. He watched as Tony dug into his food, moaning under his breath and licking his lips as he ate. After five days of not eating anything other than packets of chips, the lasagna was the best thing Tony had ever tasted; though Steve was a great cook, so it was always great.

Bruce played with the salad, and Tony waited patiently.

'Well,' the doctor finally said and cleared his throat after swallowing a tomato, 'what do you want us to be?' He looked up hesitantly. 'Boyfriends? Partners? Fuck buddies?'

'Mmf,' Tony mumbled through a mouthful and swallowed thickly. 'We can... erm, that is I'd like to... you know...'

Bruce smiled as Tony struggled with his words.

'What?' Tony huffed.

'You're nervous,' Bruce grinned.

'I am not; Iron man doesn't get nervous.'

'And embarrassed.'

'What did I just say?'

'You're blushing,' Bruce teased.

Tony swore when he realised that his cheeks were, in fact, heating up. He'd never really done this before... well, he'd done it twice; when he was fifteen and asked out Mary Johnson- who slapped him, but that was neither here nor there- and Pepper. And really, that hadn't turned out too well... nothing in their romantic relationship had, they were better off as friends.

Bruce wasn't Mary Johnson or Pepper, but he wasn't some random hook-up either. He knew everything about Tony and still liked him. There was also the fact that he was an Avenger; if this didn't work out, there'd be a massive shit storm.

Bruce seemed to know what he was thinking and smiled warmly. Tony jabbed his fork into the large salad bowl and stuffed a heap of lettuce and cheese into his mouth. As he chewed, he thought about what to say; how to convey exactly what he wanted.

Eventually he swallowed and asked a nervous- though he'd certainly deny that if ever asked- 'So, um... how long have you... liked me?'

Bruce tilted his head and played with his lasagna as he thought.

'Was it when I called you an enormous green rage monster?' Tony asked. Bruce snorted. 'Or when I zapped you in the lab on the the Helicarrier? Or was it when you caught me after I fell from the portal, because I just knew you were trying to feel me up beneath my suit.'

Bruce chuckled at that and said, 'Yeah, that's what I was doing.'

'I knew it,' Tony beamed.

Shaking his head, Bruce said, 'I don't know when, exactly. I think it was... all of those times combined together, as well as us working together for days at a time in the lab, and just hanging out with everyone else... I suppose my feelings just shifted a bit.'

'Yeah,' Tony nodded. He totally got that; it's what had happened to him, after all.

'Same for you?' Bruce guessed, though it wasn't really a question; Bruce knew Tony so well.

'Yeah,' Tony repeated.

'Right,' Bruce cleared his throat and looked back down at his plate. 'So, erm... boyfriends, then?' he asked hesitantly.

A brilliant grin spread across Tony's face; not his trademark "I'm a genius" grin, nor his "I'm sexy and I know it" playboy grin; it wasn't even the "I'm awesome, you know you love me" grin that he wore at press conferences. It was more a "that's so awesome and I'm jumping up and down on the inside 'cause you like me too" grin. Bruce really could read Tony well, because that was a hell of a lot of words to convey with one smile.

'Great,' Tony finally said, grin still firmly fixed in place.

'And... monogamous, right?' Bruce asked.

Tony snorted. 'I can only sleep with one person, you know.'

'Even though we aren't sleeping together yet?' Bruce inquired.

'Yet being the key word there,' Tony pointed out. 'And I can wait... that's what hands are for.'

'God,' Bruce groaned and Tony winked at him. 'I knew what I was getting into,' the doctor shook his head.

'It's your own fault,' Tony agreed and sucked lasagna from his fork.

Bruce just smiled and leaned across the counter to kiss Tony softly. Tony was all for forgetting dinner and throwing Bruce across the counter- or having Bruce throw him across the table, either way- but Bruce ended the kiss entirely too quickly and nudged Tony's plate closer to him.

'You take such good care of me,' Tony said and batted his eyelashes.

Bruce smiled and went back to his own dinner. Tony couldn't help but glance up every few seconds as they ate in a comfortable silence.

He was actually dating Bruce Banner. Bruce banner was his boyfriend.

He didn't care if he was acting like an idiot, or if the term "boyfriend" was a little young for them.

He felt too good to care.

'You still have to make it up to me,' Bruce commented suddenly.

'Damn it,' Tony groaned.

Author's Note: So another chapter, I hope you like it. And yes, Tony still has to make it up to Bruce; I have a few things planned :)

Cheers,

{Dreamer}