Warning for man lovin' and Tony's language. But seriously, when is Tony ever a good boy? Read and review at the end :) More reviews = more inspiration = faster updates.
Chapter 7:
He laid both hands on the desk in front of him, his fingers splayed over the paragraph Bruce had been reading.
"We need to talk Bruce."
Tony watched as Bruce's whole body stiffened and his pencil stilled. Bruce frowned but kept his head down, still not daring to look into those syrupy brown eyes.
"Is that so?" Bruce drawled as he tried to at least pretend he was still reading the paper. It was considerably harder since his focus was on how those words had sent his heart jackhammering against his ribcage. Knowing that it was a failed performance he set down his pencil, though he still didn't lift his eyes.
The movement caught Tony's attention and made his eyes flicker from the mess of brown locks to the print before they found a mark and something clicked.
"Is that-?" he tilted his head slightly to get a different angle. His mood shifted from curious to shock in a moment and his stomach turned to cold spaghetti the second he realized Bruce was searching the employment section. What was going on? Tony stared wide-eyed at Bruce who hadn't looked at him once this whole time and was oblivious to Tony's shift in mood. Why would Bruce be looking at the employment section?
Tony suddenly remembered Mr. Hansen who had quit because of him. Oh god...
"Is it because of me?" Tony asked, sounding neutral to most. But he couldn't completely hide how he was shocked and horror-struck at the idea; one look into his eyes would have told it all. Had he done something wrong? Overstepped some boundary?
"My mood has nothing to do with you." Bruce answered crossly. Tony just needed to give him space. He was too close and Bruce could hear his heart pounding in his ears and it was all very distracting. And it only made him angrier with himself to know just being this close was already affecting him.
He thought about picking up the pencil again and circling an ad for an elementary school teacher just to look like he wasn't phased by Tony but he didn't. Something about Tony's tone didn't settle right with him. There was some odd emotion in there that he couldn't quite place what it was but he knew it shouldn't have been there.
"You're quitting?" Tony pushed the newspaper away, demanding Bruce to please just look at him.
Bruce realized too late that that emotion had been worry. Tony Stark worried?
Bruce looked up at that and, oh boy, that was a mistake. The hurt and shock in those syrup dark eyes made him almost flinch away - the closeness, however, did make him.
"Tony, please," Bruce leaned back, "Personal space."
Tony didn't think Bruce realized he had automatically switched to his first name. He disobeyed regardless, unyieldingly holding his close proximity and locked eyes.
"Why are you quitting?" Tony frowned, not liking at all the idea of no longer having an excuse to see Bruce. This was serious. This was very serious. Bruce shouldn't be quitting. Of all his professors he should be the only one that should never quit (unless it was to come to work for him).
"I'm not quitting," yet, "I'm just looking."
Tony's frown turned into a frown containing deep emotion, furious, hurt, demanding emotions.
"Don't bullshit me Banner." Why are you fucking looking at the employment section if you're not planning on quitting? "Now tell me the truth. Go ahead, make me feel like the jackass I am. Tell me it's my fault - are you quitting because of me or not?"
Bruce just stared at him, his doe brown eyes frozen like a deer caught in the headlights. He blinked, once, twice. Then, "It's not your fault." he intoned.
Tony's mind froze. Bruce didn't deny he was quitting. Bruce was quitting. Why was Bruce quitting?
"Why?" Tony whispered. He wanted the desk to be gone. He wanted all the distance between them to be gone. He wanted Bruce.
Bruce frowned when he saw Tony's eyes softened in choked desolation and despondence.
"I..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. He couldn't tell Tony about the harassment because he knew Tony would feel responsible. With a resigned frown he lowered his eyes and felt his throat tighten around any excuse he could have made.
"It's not for the reasons you think." he finally settled on.
Tony huffed unamused, "Enlighten me. Because right now I think you're running away from me for whatever reason. And if I'm right then it's because you-"
"Just drop it." Bruce demanded, cutting him off, because even though he felt like he had no control he was still his teacher. "I want to be alone." he stated, meaning for Tony to leave.
Tony glared at him, "No." he said defiantly, "Like hell I'm walking away when you are considering leaving."
Bruce snapped his head up at that, glaring at Tony, "What's it matter to you if I leave?" he demanded, his temper boiling dangerously "I'm just another annoying teacher at this college full of ignorant professors you so clearly don't want to be near. Why did you befriend me anyway? Am I just a pet project to amuse you or are you just waiting for me to fuck up?" he was fuming as his eyes seethed with anger.
"Are you fucking blind or just pretending to be?" Tony snapped sharply, "Pet project? What the hell? I'm around you because I-" his temper cut off along with his sentence. Why the heck were they fighting? This was not how he wanted this to be. This was ridiculous. Why would Bruce even think those things? Didn't he see how much he mattered to him? How close they'd gotten over these weeks together.
Bruce frowned at the lack of anger in Tony before returning his eyes to the desk and glaring holes into it. He just wanted to be alone. Why was he yelling at Tony? Bruce sighed deeply and, keeping his anger barely capped off, asked roughly, "Can you please just leave?"
Bruce saw Tony's hands withdraw from the desk, like he was actually going to leave but Tony didn't move until finally he hissed, "Fuck that." and instead of storming out, like Bruce had initially thought he was going to do he stormed right up to Bruce.
Thunk. Then the next thing Bruce knew the back of his chair was shoved against his desk and Tony's body was bowed over him. He became acutely aware of Tony's arms leaning on either side, trapping him from moving away. Then Tony leaned forward and in his perturbed state Bruce didn't think to move until he just about reached his lips and then the ruffled man couldn't move.
But their mouths never touched, Tony just lingered over his lips staring holes into his eyes with those deep syrup dark orbs. There was no anger in Tony's eyes that Bruce could see, just determination. Bruce's breath hitched and he knew that he should push away, tell Tony no, but he was curious what he was going to do.
His heart rate was slowly inching upwards- Bruce forced it down, forced himself to be calm.
Bruce now saw that Tony's eyes were filled with a passion that had always been there, always been lingering in the back or on the edges, but he'd just never noticed before now, or he had ignored it. And if Tony saw the same in his eyes he didn't say so. They just stayed there for a few moments, absorbing everything and mingling breathes. Tony was being drawn into those soft doe brown eyes like a fly to honey. There was something completely absorbing in the way Bruce was staring at him like he was hesitant and curious and Tony really hoped he wasn't just imagining the held-back desire in the other man's eyes.
Bruce nervously licked his lips and that of course brought Tony's attention to them. The palpable desire in Tony's eyes deepening before his very eye made Bruce's breath hitch.
"Doctor Banner," Tony whispered and not for the first time his breath sent enthralled chills down Bruce's spine, "If you don't say anything I'm going to kiss you."
And that sent a deep, scarlet blush shooting up to Bruce's cheeks. Damn. That was so...
But Bruce didn't get to finish that thought as Tony's lips crashed onto his own.
Before Tony knew it, his lips were on Bruce's, and, to his surprise, Bruce didn't push him away and run stuttering out of the classroom. Instead he melted into the kiss and slowly slipped his tongue into his mouth as the kiss deepened. That was all the encouragement Tony needed.
Tony hungrily grabbed at Bruce and yanked his lips along with his body up. He grunted as Tony backed him into the chalk board and began ravishing his lips and neck. Suddenly Tony's hands were wandering everywhere and Bruce was becoming very aroused. Bruce's own hands were tangled in Tony's calculatedly chaotic hair. Tony's leg slipped between Bruce's and gave plasma-hot friction that made Bruce moan against his mouth and Tony's own member harden in interest. And, damn, Bruce didn't know this could feel so good. So exciting. It was like electric was racing in his blood making him feel tingly and sensitive everywhere that Tony touched. The scrape of Tony's beard against his chin was different but Bruce didn't dislike it, he could get used to it.
Bruce grabbed at Tony's shirt when the taller man began ravishing his neck in wicked bites before smoothing them over with his tongue. Consequences be damned, because there was no way in hell he could stop this any more. However, that didn't mean they could be caught. Anyone could just walk into his classroom.
"Wah-wait." Bruce's voice came out breathier than he'd like as he pulled away from his kiss, "We can't...not here."
Tony growled against his neck and he gave all the reasons why they should not stop through his actions. He grabbed Bruce's hips and pulled them forcefully against his, eliciting a moan from the flustered doctor.
He began kissing up Bruce's jaw before the physicist panted his name and damn if that wasn't the most erotic he'd ever heard his name sound. Bruce was having a hard time remembering the concern that had spurred his words just a minute before. He knew that there was a problem with what they were doing, but that information was stored in his brain, which had been almost completely overridden by his body at that point.
Bruce clutched at the chest of Tony's shirt and gently pushed away and looking into those lust-dazed eyes Tony realized Bruce wasn't saying they should stop at all. He could see Bruce was as riled up as he was. "Closet." the shorter man demanded before his brain completely shut down to the heady desire, and his eyes were hard and horny and stubborn and that made Tony's interest peak. Bruce was as hot as fuck in that naughty professor way and right then Tony wanted to be the best fucking teacher's pet ever.
And then they were in the closet and Bruce was slipping his hands under Tony's shirt and Tony was grabbing him through his pants and making Bruce moan into his mouth. It was all very primal but both took moments here and there to slow down just enough to express that it was more than just sex.
Bruce quickly unbuckled Tony's belt and unfastened his jeans as Tony for once fumbled to undo Bruce's pants.
Bruce pulled Tony in for a kiss once their pants were taken care of, and it was gentle and passionate and expressed his feelings without words. Showing the other man that he was everything and Bruce cared for and maybe even loved him. Tony returned the kiss, using his hips to say how much he wanted Bruce and using his lips and gently moving hands to express how much he needed and loved Bruce.
"Oh god...Tony."
"Fuck." Tony moaned against Bruce's lips.
And that's what they did.
Afterwards they tried to clean themselves up as best they could and straighten their clothes to a presentable state.
Both were unsure of what to say.
They waited a few moments before Tony finally thought of something to say, quickly stopping when he noticed Bruce opening his mouth at the same time, "Sorry. Go ahead." Tony urged.
Bruce chuckled as he scratched at his already messy brown locks, "I was just going to say I have no clue what to say..." He mumbled to the floor, flicking his eyes up to Tony, and Tony just wanted to kiss the adorable man before him, so he did. Gentle and soft; just a short kiss.
"I..." Tony had his hands around Bruce's waist now, pulling the slightly shorter man against him, "I think I might have fallen in love with you the second I saw you." he confessed, "I haven't been interested in anyone else since I've met you. And that's never happened to me before. And now..." he didn't need to finish his sentence because Bruce kissed him gently. He knew. Even if words couldn't express it.
"This shouldn't have happened" the physicist said with a wistful smile despite being glad it had happened, "But now that it has..." he shook his head softly, before sighing and changing his sentence, "I could lose my entire career..."
"This is crazy." Tony said petulantly, "We're both consenting adults."
"But I'm your professor." Bruce pointed out with a frown and crease of his brows. What had he done?
Tony frowned, "I guess we have to keep us a secret?"
Bruce paused, before he caught the underlying context in that statement. "Tony we can't continue to-"
"Like hell I'm letting you get away from me after that." Tony said softly as he held Bruce closer, unwilling to let him go, "Like I could ever go back to anyone else after you."
"I..." Bruce started.
"Can continue to work here for as long as you want until I can finally convince you to move into Stark tower and work for me." Tony Stark finished.
Bruce smiled before raising a doubtful eyebrow, "What makes you think you can convince me?"
Tony gave him his signature billionaire-playboy smile, "Please. I'm Tony Stark. You won't be able to resist my charm when I start to lay it on thick."
Bruce rolled his eyes, and closed the distance between their lips for a quick peck. "I'll practice swooning in advance. Right now, though, I think we should get out of this closet." then after a pause, "I'm starving." he said thoughtfully.
"Sassy." Tony snickered before declaring, "Take out at my place!" and before Bruce could say a snarky comment about Tony inviting him over - again, Tony opened the closet and was leading Bruce out with him.
Bruce just shook his head and wondered how long good things could continue to happen to him before it all went wrong. But, for now, he thought, he would just live for the moment. Because out of all the moments in Bruce's life, this one deserved to be lived in more than any other.
OH! and I cannot believe how absent-minded I've been-I forgot to tell you all that I've written another Tony/Bruce story already. It was finished right before I started this one-a one shot with a lot of angst and finishing with happiness.
The Avengers get the shock of their life when they're trapped inside Bruce's mind to relive his life. "I'm going to trap your collective consciousness into the mind of the most lurid, tortured member of the Avengers as you relive their most painful moments."
So if that sounds interesting read my story titled "Shadow of a good doctor's past". You can find it by clicking on my profile name and going to it from there or by searching it by name. I'm really proud of that story so I seriously encourage it.
And on that note - I'm really insecure about this chapter because I SUCK at writing smexy stuff. So? Was that good?
I seriously love you guys for reviewing and keeping me so happy with your comments. They seriously always make my day! Especially to those of you who have been repeat reviewers and been with me since the beginning -you know who you are. And you are awesome. Well. You're all awesome actually! But them especially.
