The next day showed a marked improvement to Tony's mood, Bruce decided. The billionaire sauntered into the lab, clapped Bruce on the back in that endearing way, and asked him how he'd hacked JARVIS.

"Why Tony, I'm afriad I don't know what you mean," Bruce said innocently. He hadn't made it to his bed the night before, or to sleep, and he was in that state of near-delerium that his best -and absolute worse- ideas came from. He usually tried to avoid getting this way -he was much more prone to diaherra of the mouth in this state- but he was riding a science high, and he was just so close to a breakthrough he could taste it.

"Uh huh. And I'm NOT a genius/billionaire/playboy/philantropist. Now, how did you do it?" Tony demanded and Bruce only grinned.

"Well, he IS your AI, so it was a simple matter of bribing him with the computer equivalent of a blow job," he said, and then his eyes widened comically as he realized what exactly he had said. "Erm. Uh, n-not that you could be h-hacked with a blowjob, I mean, you aren't that easy to, erm, you know hack or whatever the human equivalent of hacking is, I really didn't mean that you were a manwhore, even though you kind of are, but you haven't really been whoring that much recently which is weird because you're a pussyhound if I've ever met one and I've met Bill Clinton and...I should really just shut the fuck up now, shouldn't I?"

There was a long, awkward silence that followed Bruce's little speech that probably birthed about a hundred gay babies, and the doctor looked anywhere but at the billionaire, and the billionaire looked as if he were torn between laughing and being fatally insulted...when the deep baritone of his echoing chuckle reached Bruce's ears though, the doctor found he could breathe right again. "Have you been hitting the peace pipe or something, Doctor Banner?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with familiar mischief, and Bruce was so damned relieved to see that expression he could have kissed the man, he didn't want things so tense anymore he loved the easy friendship they had, loved the way his friend laughed and joked and talked science with him, and wow his lips were so soft and pliant, and...wait, what?

It had taken nearly a whole minute of being plastered against Tony's lips to realize that he hadn't just thought he could kiss the man, he had actually KISSED Tony-fucking-Stark. And not only was he kissing Tony-motherfucking-Stark, he was being kissed back. The realization hit him in the gut with all the force of a bullet, and he jumped back from his best friend as though electrocuted. His brown eyes were bright and wild, with all the sanity of a wounded wolf tha found itself cornered. "I, uh, I'm s-sorry I don't knwo what came over me- I should go," he said, and he fled the lab, heading straight for the Green Room, as the Hulk-proof room Tony had built for him had been dubbed, and locked the door.

His action caused a chain reaction in the room and there was various clicks and hisses as the windows and doors all sealed off with the clear alloy that somehow managed to withstand the force of the Other Guy and still be clear. Jazz music started playing softly in the backround, and Bruce threw himself down on the extra large, bolted down and nearly indestructable bed Tony had designed himself, his mind racing and a mantra of "stupid, stupid, stupid" escaped his lips. What the fuck was wrong with him, kissing his best friend like and attention starved teenager? Seriously, what the hell had gotten into him? He wasn't even attracted to Tony like that!

Was he?

"GOD MOTHERFUCKING DAMN SHIT FUCK!" Bruce screamed, punching the titanium bedframe, and yowling when the force made his knuckles crack in a way that was neither relieving or remotely enjoyable. His heart monitor spiked, the shrill beeping only serving to make him more pissed off. "I can't believe...best friend...hate myself...fucking idiot..." he growled, nearly inccoherent as he stripped off his clothes, not wanting to ruin and good pair of shoes or another shirt...he was down to three already, and he didn't want to go clothes shopping; he absolutely loathed clothes shopping.

Ironically, it was the thought of clothes shopping, coupled with a bit of sleep deprived delerium and irrational anger at how exceedingly stupid he had been, that caused the final transition from Bruce to the Hulk...and boy, was the Hulk pissed off.

"Hulk NO SHOP FOR CLOTHES!" he roared.

Tony was pleasantly bewildered. He had expected a few things when he had entered the lab that day but none could have come close to what had actually happened. He was still riding high on the fact that Bruce Banner had kissed him. For a full, blissful minute, the good doctor had been all tongue and teeth and hot lips, and it had been absolutely amazing. Better than anything he could have possibly imagined and most certainly better than any of his fantasies had ever been.

Despite the fact that Bruce had run off almost immediately after kissing Tony senseless, he was feeling better than he had in weeks. Months, even. And now that he knew that the good doctor wanted him too, he could begin to properly scheme and plot on how to seduce the object of his desire...which is exactly what he did for the next four hours. Bruce was shy, so something grand and big would probably be unwelcome, to say the least. He enjoyed the little things, but he also loved rich, decadent and severely expensive chocolates, even though he would never admit to such a thing. So, something small that held signifigant meaning for the both of them as well as a healthy dose of chocolate, and it had to be romantic...Bruce would respond well to romantic, Tony thought.

He was interupted in the middle of planning a moonlit mountaintop date by JARVIS, who sounded just a bit worried.

"Sir, Doctor Banner retreated to the Green Room nearly four hours ago, and has not managed to change back. He keeps asking for his "tiny tin man."

Tony scrunched up his nose and sighed, wondering why the Hulk would be so agitated as to ask for him. He had thought that Bruce had scuttled off to the Green Room for some alone time, not to actually transform...Worry tinted his brow as he thought of the implications. Had Banner really been angry enough with himself to Hulk out and stay that way for this long? Was he mad at Tony?

The thought was a daunting one, and he sighed as he touched his bracelet, calling his suit to him. When he was properly encased in the heavy metal, he made his way to the green room, making sure the door closed and sealed behind him before he made a noise to alert the dauntingly tall even when sitting green giant before him.

"Hey big guy. You called for me?" he said softly, and the Hulk turned his brilliantly green orbs on him.

"Tiny Tin Man!" the giant exclaimed, and picked Tony up by the waist with one enormous hand. Tony had expected as much when he had entered -the Hulk often asked for him when he wasn't angry enough to rampage- but he still found it disconcerting when he was lifted so easily. Realizing he wasn't in danger of being thrown about, as was sometimes the case, Tony let the face plate of the suit fall back with a click, and grinned at the big guy.

"Hey there, Hulkaroo. How's it going?" He asked, falling into an easy sense of safety as the giant cradled him against his expansive chest, almost like one would hold and infant.

"Hulk no happy. Hulk wanted Tin Man to make happy," Hulk said, his rough voice surprisingly soft. It wasn't often the Hulk showed this kind of gentleness, and it was horribly endearing.

"Well, I'm here now, big guy. Are you happy?" Tony inquired, feeling a smile tugging at his lips. Bruce didn't realize just how damn cute the Hulk was when he went all gentle-like. Hulk nodded his assent, and with a blindingly fast movement, had them both in the Hulk-sized bed, with Tony and his armor nessled snugly against the door-sized green chest. This wasn't exactly odd, as gentle, non-smashing Hulk was a bit of a cuddlebug, but this was the first time he'd ever cuddled with Tony in quite this fashion. The billionaire found it it...oddly comforting, actually. The jolly green giant had a soft smile on his massive face, an expression that softened his entire visage and made him look more human than Tony had ever seen him.

"Tin Man make Hulk happy. Tin Man make Bruce happy," the Hulk murmured, and Tony felt himself grin.

"You make me happy too, Big Guy," Tony replied, and this seemed to make him happy, as he closed his eyes, and began to snore in what Tony was sure was a world record. He shifted off the sleeping giant when he began to shrink and morph back into his favorite scientist. As much as Tony liked the position he was in, he didn't to crush the scientist.

Tony watched the de-transformation with fascination. He had seen Bruce Hulk out plenty of times, but watching him change back was a rare thing. It started with the slow shrinking of his muscles, the skin and bone slowly creeping back to Bruce-size, and his skin reclaiming its beautiful, milky white color last. Tony smiled as he watched Bruce sleep, realizing that, besides his special stretching boxers, he was mostly naked. When it became obvious that Bruce was going to carry on sleeping, Tony debated on whether or not to leave...and decided he didn't want to.

He smiled and left for a moment to remove his suit, and then returned, unashamedly curling up against Bruce. If the Hulk was allowed to do it to him, he was allowed to cuddle Bruce.

The first thing he became aware of was the all-over ache that always accompanied a transformation. The second thing he became aware of was the warm, heavy arm draped across his chest and the legs entangled with his. His eyes snapped open, and he looked down at the arm, knowing who it was connected to before he raised his eyes to look at the face of a sleeping Tony Stark. He stared, frozen, at the man for about ten minutes before he tried to extract himself from his friends grip.

"Oh, no you don't, Banner," Tony murmured, his voice heavy with sleep. "I haven't slept this good in years. You're staying right here."

Bruce stilled, and gulped, remembering what had happened before he flipped out, and looking at the billionaire speculatively.

"Tony."

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Cuddling."

"Obviously. Why are you cuddling me?"

"Because, the Hulk gets to cuddle me. So by default I get to cuddle you."

"I see. And this has nothing to do with...earlier?"

"It has everything to do with earlier."

"I see." He didn't, really.

"Go back to sleep Brucey. We can talk later."

Sigh. "Okay."

A/N: I couldn't help myself...I had to throw in a little Hulk love. Thank you, everyone who has reviewed! You keep my addiction well fed and inspire me to write faster! Also, I want to warn you about possible future angst...because when I do angst, I do full throttle, in your face, suicidal, so-sad-you-wanna-cry angst.

Anyway, review if you like it n.n