Okey Dokey. I've been SLAMMED with school and such and had a lot of family problems lately. Also, WRITER'S BLOCK. But I think I got something. Let's see...

Disclaimer: I don't own this because no one will text me the deets on how to get to the place where you buy it. If one of you guys could do it, that would be TOTS AMAZE!

Word count: 757

Bruce was the first to move into Stark Tower. He had been there when the lab blew up. He had been there when Tony had nightmares. So was Pepper. He had also been there when General Ross came.

It had happened on a night when Tony and Bruce were out of the lab for once. They were watching T.V. on the couch, an empty pizza box on the coffee table. Tony was slumped on the sofa, glass of whiskey in hand. He was working on some stuff for SI. Bruce was sitting up straight on the other side, sipping warm chamomile while he looked over some lab results from earlier. All in all, it was pretty relaxing. Pepper was on a flight to California for a board meeting. This was pretty much the first time Bruce had been able to relax since the Other Guy had come into play. So to say he was shocked when Jarvis informed them that General Ross was in the elevator and on his way up was the understatement of the year. Immediately fear took him over, with the Other Guy whispering, Ross bad. Hulk smash Ross. Let Hulk smash. No, Bruce told him firmly. If he hulked out now, he could hurt Tony. And that was unacceptable.

"Why didn't you say anything, Jarvis?!" Tony's voice broke through his thoughts. He sounded furious, which was unusual for the relatively cool and collected man.

"Ross tampered with my systems, Sir, setting the cameras on a loop. I was only able to fix them just now," responded the AI, sounding ashamed of himself.

Bruce had gotten used to the emotions Jarvis showed through his voice. At first it had been disconcerting, but that was to be expected. And it was also to be expected that Tony would invent the first AI that could feel emotion. Tony got up quickly, rushing towards the elevator entrance, telling Jarvis to get some type of equipment ready, presumably a suit. Bruce timidly followed him, ready for the worse. Of course, when it came to Tony, he was almost always wrong. He watched as Tony stared stone-faced at the elevator. Soon, the steel doors opened to reveal Ross himself. He had changed from the last time Bruce had seen him, albeit he had not seen him in 3 years. Tony had switched his face out from one of danger to one of light sarcasm, a clear smirk on his face.

"General Ross, what a pleasant surprise! I do like my guests to buzz in first, but setting the cameras on a loop is acceptable. Now, what do you want?" Tony said, voice darkening towards the end.

"I want that monster destroyed! He doesn't deserve to live! He's killed more than he's saved! He is a risk to society! He must die!" he replied, scathing tongue burning Bruce, because he knew it was true.

"Well, sir, you certainly get right to the point! Rest assured, there is no monster. I monster proofed this entire tower, which is why I am surprised to see you here. And don't be so harsh on yourself. You'll get enough of that from me. Now, I suggest you scram before my suit gets here and I tear you apart, bit by bit," replied Tony, voice lowering to a deep growl.

Ross looked shocked. No one had ever talked back to him. Ever. He was a general. You didn't do that to generals. But apparently, Tony did. Bruce felt a tug of warmth inside him when Tony made a 'shoo' motion with his hands. It was so typical Tony that he had trouble holding back a chuckle. He watched Ross slowly back up, still in shock, into the elevator. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief when Jarvis told them he was gone.

"So, are you ready to go back to watching The Twilight Zone?" asked Tony, gesturing towards the couches with his hand that still held his whiskey, miraculously. Bruce nodded, flopping down with Tony, ready to enjoy the evening. It was on that day that Bruce promised to himself that he would protect Tony, like he had protected him. He broke that promise six months later when he woke up to Pepper crying.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, panic beginning to set in when Tony wasn't by her side.

"H- h- He's gone!" she hiccuped through her tears.

"Pepper, Pepper! Calm down, please. I need you to calm down. Who's gone?" he asked her, a deep sense of foreboding settling in.

"It's Tony! He's gone!"

Yay! CliffY! Kinda... Welp, hope you liked it! Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back! This is much better than what I had originally posted! Review please! Constructive criticism welcome! This took 46 minutes. Yay!

~BreezyForever