Second helping! Have fun guys! We sure as hell did :D
WE DON'T OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS, WE'RE SO SO SORRY.
Chapter 9 - Benefits
"Sirs, it is now four o'clock. Four hours until the annual benefit," the AI system said overhead.
Bruce didn't stir from his comfortable stop in Tony's arms at the sound of JARVIS. He had been awake the entire time. Even with Tony's magical presence, it wasn't enough to allow the man to totally escape the nagging fear in the back of his mind: public recognition.
He let out a sigh and rolled over yet again on top of Stark. Banner gave a smile that at least Tony looked peaceful in his sleep, probably thinking up ways to tease him next. The doctor moved up closer to the man and gave him a sweet midafternoon wake up kiss. He brushed at his cheek and then rested his head on Stark's own.
"Good afternoon," Bruce said with a little grin.
"Good afternoon," Tony replied his eyes still closed. It was obvious he had been sleeping fairly deep. When he finally opened his eyes they had their devious look as he leaned forward and kissed the man again. "If you woke me up like that everyday I'd be more likely to get up before noon."
He tangled his fingers in the man's hair feeling the soft locks. "Ready to get ready for the benefit?"
"As I'll ever be," Bruce said biting his lower lip, his nervousness showing. Getting ready meant sealing his fate for the entire world to know who he was, along with that he was boyfriends with a genius like himself, plus billions of dollars added to him. Banner sat up, despite Stark's protest, and scratched his head as if he could try to clear it that way.
"So...what's the plan?" he asked sheepishly.
"Well first we should get dressed. It's a formal event so tuxes. When we get there we will be seated for dinner where you and I will be seated with members of the Stark Industries board. We'll have small talk about nothing in particular as we eat then it's on to mingling. Thanking everyone for being there and such. Then we leave. The reporters shouldn't bother us until we're walking in and out. Just keep walking with me while I answer the questions and we'll get through fast. If you want to answer a question feel free, but it will just lead to more," he said all this quickly as if this was a normal person's routine.
He left out the part about dancing and that press would be taking pictures in the benefit too, they just wouldn't be attacked by a mob of reporters while in there. There was likely to be a VIP reporter or two that would come up to them while they were mingling.
The doctor nodded, happy he would only deal with an onslaught of people before and afterwards. Hopefully it would be quick enough that he wouldn't stress himself too much. He gripped at his watch again thinking of worse case scenarios that had flashed in his mind while he was 'sleeping' with Tony.
"What if...the other guy comes out? We don't know the effects of my treatment so far so is there going to be any...precautions in such a turn of events? Will you be bringing one of your suits?" Bruce was very sullen having to think about this. The world didn't know he was the Hulk, and he wasn't willing to share that information with everyone. If he had a Hulk out, there would only be more attention on the man.
"Well, I will be bringing the latest suit. Happy will be there and he will have it for me. He will be on alert and ready to hand it off to me when needed. If your heart rate reaches 190, I'll take the suit and we'll slip off to the bathroom and lock the door. We can try to calm you down there and if you Hulk out, then nobody will know it was you. Sure the city might get a beating, but we get to test out the treatments to see if they worked out well," he said with a proud smile.
This was something Tony had thought out carefully. He knew Bruce would only agree to go if there was a backup plan or two. This was Tony's first big event since getting together with Bruce and frankly he needed some moral support there for when he made it public that he was no longer a playboy. Not to mention Bruce would be a great shield from temptation. Many people say that as soon as a man says he is no longer available, that was when women threw themselves at him. Hopefully having Bruce there would keep those women away from him.
Bruce was relieved to hear the man thought his plan through. What didn't excite him was on how eager he was to figure out the results of their tests. It helped to hear that there would be someone he knew there. Maybe even Pepper would be there, but Stark just didn't want to announce it. Tony probably figured out that the redhead would spill little stories about him to Bruce whenever he wasn't around which was amusing to say the least.
"Alright," the doctor said thinking it over. Get ready for one hell of a night, Banner... Was what he was mentally saying to himself.
Tony gave a small smile as stood up slowly. He stretched with an extended yawn. "Man, I was sleeping well. I considered blowing off the benefit so we could sleep more, but I know how you'd hate for me to be rude and blow off work."
He was using the man's polite tendencies against him, but it was payback for the man making him Rogers. "JARVIS, my tux and the one I bought for Dr. Banner."
Tony had purposefully kept the fact that he ordered one for Bruce a secret. There was no way he was going to let the man convince JARVIS not to order it or to change the order. How he managed to get JARVIS to change the order he'd never know, but Tony did know he'd have to upgrade JARVIS's hardware to remind him who made him and who had control over him.
"Right away, sir," JARVIS said overhead. Dummy soon came wheeling out with two separate suits, each nicely hung up and hidden between a tinted plastic covering.
The physicist let out something between a groan and a whimper. The fact that Stark was teasing him about going and the man buying him more clothes than necessary was enough to do that to Banner. He stood up and followed Stark to the little robot as he picked out his own suit, the other he handed it to Bruce as if he was about to propose to the man. Tentatively, he took the suit from Stark and held it by resting it over both arms.
"Thanks," he said quietly with a blush.
"Hope you don't get too mad at me. I just thought you'd look amazing in this. Of course not as amazing as out of it," he hinted with a small smile. The man's blush hadn't gone unnoticed. Tony loved making Bruce blush. It was adorable. He stayed in the proposing position as he took the man's hand and kissed it. "So what do you say about giving me a show before getting ready?"
The body language didn't match the request, but that's what made it all the more fun. Besides it made it so he caught Bruce off guard therefore if he said no it was less lightly to include a snarky comeback. Then again he probably didn't have the social capacity to handle that at the moment considering for the first time in years he was about to go to a major social event.
"P-preferably not," Bruce stuttered at the oddly placed request. This was not the time for him to be in the mood for that and it only caused him to get flustered, his face turning a darker red. Sometimes he could only handle so much of Stark's requests. Stripping for the man would possibly give Banner a heart attack while he was this nervous for the event. It was also preferable he'd be able to function for the evening if he did manage to survive Stark's teasing beforehand.
The doctor turned around to hide his face and started making off to his room. "I-I'm going to get changed in my room if you don't mind."
"Why don't you get changed in our room?" He asked calling after him. Standing up and getting taking his tux. Tony walked over to the man and kissed the man's temple. "I'll change in the bathroom. Just relax Bruce, everything will be okay."
Taking the man's hand and lacing their fingers he led him to the room with a small smile. "Use any of my colognes or anything you want." With that he went into the bathroom and got changed into his personalized tux. The coat and pants were black, but the shirt was red with a gold vest. He brushed his hair and touched up his beard some more. He made sure the collar on his tux covered the hickies on his neck. As much as he loved showing off that he had gotten Bruce to be that forward, it was not the best of ideas to show it off in front of the press. When he came out he put on an expensive watch and cologne. "Ready?"
Bruce was relieved to hear that Stark would let him be as he put on his doomsday clothing. The man had to laugh at the clothing once Stark had left the room and he removed the cover to his tux. It was in three pieces, traditional black for the coat and pants, but the shirt and vest was coloured to his 'other guy' persona. The dress shirt green, while the vest was purple along with a matching bow tie. Oh god...he expects me to go there looking like the Hulk. Fantastic, he thought.
He removed his clothes except for his boxers and folded the garments neatly, placing them on an end table by his side of the bed. The doctor made sure to set aside his glasses and ID on top of his clothes to remember to grab them once he was done. Slowly, Banner changed into his tux which easily covered the hickies he had on his own neck. The only problem was the bow tie which he had never worn before. When Stark came out he was still fiddling with the thing on his neck, at least it gave a minor distraction for him from the event he was going to depart for shortly.
"I would be if not for this," Bruce said maneuvering the piece of fabric around his neck while in front of a mirror, hoping it would help aid him if at all possible.
"Here let me help you," Stark said as he chuckled and shook his head. He walked behind the man and brought his arms around to tie the piece of fabric. He made sure to make it so the man could see what his hands were doing in the mirror. Once he finished he gave a smile "And that's how it's done. So my payment please?"
Tony was treating this like any other night as best he could. He hoped it would help relax the man. If he was focused on avoiding Tony's usual attempts at molesting him, then he wouldn't be able to worry about the dinner.
"Thanks," Bruce said, appreciating the help. He put the tutorial in his memory bank just for when he would probably have to do this again. Stark's next statement gave him another blush at the proposal and the fact he knew where 'payment' lead with this man. He turned around to accidentally look Tony straight in the eyes, which automatically diverted after the contact with an extended blush attached.
"I thought you said I could get a tab," he said trying to be calm, his anticipation for the event showing through it easily.
"Are you sure you want a tab? If you're not careful you can fall into some heavy debt," he teased. He loved the when the man looked into his eyes. He took his chin so the man would look up. "Hey, everything will be okay. Just calm down. Otherwise I'm going to make you smoke some weed."
He gave the man a gentle kiss before pulling away so they could get going. He offered the man his arm. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Bruce said accepting the man's arm after grabbing his glasses and ID. They walked out to the main elevator and descended towards the garage where Tony kept all of his expensive toy cars. Once the doors opened they were greeted by Pepper Potts wearing a nice dress with a revealing back and Happy Hogan in a tux with the latest compact version of the Mach VII handcuffed to him. Stark had used a lot of his time developing a more readily accessible version of the Mach VII after the invasion and the rebuilding of the Tower. It responded faster to command and was in a smaller briefcase compact form to shot out at Tony upon his word. The suit also registered the cuffs faster, which they were currently placed in Stark's pocket if need be.
"I'm surprised. This is going to be the first event you'll actually be on time for, for the first time in, approximately, ever," Pepper remarked as she saw the two leaving the elevator. "Aww, Bruce you look wonderful. It's a nice change to see you in something that fits, no offence."
"Thank you, Pepper," Bruce said with a blush. Still holding onto Tony's arm, they started walking towards the car of choice for the evening.
"And you're even calling me Pepper after all those times I asked you too!" she said giggling. They had gotten friendly enough after being left alone for hours while Stark was off at the office. It had been a hard time for Bruce to start calling the woman by her first name, but eventually he had gotten it down after repeated reminders.
"Pepper I see you're wearing the dress I got you for your birthday last year, it still looks stunning," he said ignoring her comment, while making a stab at the fact that he bought the dress for her. He waited for Happy and Pepper to get into the Aston Martin DBS and closed the door for Bruce once he got in. He got in the driver's seat buckling up. "Let's see if I can be early to an event for once."
With that he tossed the car into drive and sped off into the street. He took every turn quickly and drove through every amber light. He came to an abrupt halt in front of the valet fifteen minutes early. He had purposefully got there so early so they could avoid at least some of the press. "Well look at that, fifteen minutes early. I think we're the first people here."
Getting out the car he handed the valet the keys as he walked around the car to stand with Bruce. He offered the man his arm. "Shall we?" he asked gesturing to the Cipriani.
The valet went around and opened Bruce's door allowing the man, Pepper, and Happy to get out and stretch. Stark had extended his arm and Bruce wordlessly accepted it by giving him his own. He had kept relatively quiet in the car and that wouldn't change without real provoking. All the man did was breath and allow Stark to take him in the right direction, wishing he had his other arm free so he could play with his hands to calm himself down.
They all walked up a red carpet, Tony leading with Bruce while Pepper and Happy tagged along. Happy looked on edge, just in case Stark really needed to use the suit this evening. They had been told that Bruce was the Hulk only a few weeks ago and they seemed accepting enough, Pepper amazingly so, but of course having a Hulk on the scene tonight was not top priority.
Many reporters snapped pictures as the guests walked in. Every question was ignored as Tony walked with Bruce. It'd definitely be worse on the way out, especially since after the benefit nobody would be trying to get pictures of people walking on the red carpet. But they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.
When they walked into the hall Tony was impressed by the decoration. The high ceiling had drapes going across it in beautiful patterns. The tables had candles and roses petals were sprinkled on top of them. The dance floor was large with an orchestra on stage. Then there was the best part: an extremely large open bar.
They were all lead to their table by one of the waiters. Tony pulled the chair out for Bruce, and pushed it in for him once he sat. At the table there were two other couples' names to be sat at the table. Within each of the couples at least one of the spouses was on the board for Stark Industries. Tony sat next to Bruce with a small smile on his face.
"So far so good right?" he asked Bruce trying to make sure the man wasn't already freaking out. If Bruce was getting really worked up already, then they'd definitely have to leave. It would be too much for Bruce to handle it once the guest were actually there if he was freaking out now.
"I'm okay," Bruce managed to say, playing with his hands under the table. Pepper sat next to him, while Happy took Stark's side. There were still four empty seats across from the group. The doctor could only hope the other arrivals wouldn't be too hostile them.
"Mr. Stark, do you need the note cards for the welcoming speech or are you good?" Pepper asked in her personal assistant mode once everyone looked situated. She ignored the jab at her early, just wanting to do her job like normal. Now seemed like a good time to ask before the entire hall filled with people and reporters, making it nearly impossible to talk to the billionaire.
"I'll take the note cards. Thank you, Pepper," he said with a grateful smile. He had completely forgotten he was giving the speech, since he had been so worried about Bruce. Tony smiled at Bruce and gave his knee a small pat to reassure him.
Happy watched as people were walking in there were a lot and he remembered how Stark had responded when Happy had said something wrong, he didn't want to think about what he would do if one of the people here said something insulting.
"Don't need to thank me. I get paid for it," she said teasingly. Pepper handed over the cards from a clipboard she was carrying with her. It may be a 'party' of sorts, but it was still business.
Banner was purposely looking at the table, there was a blush that wouldn't go away, and probably wouldn't for the entirety of the night. He didn't want to see other's reactions as they walked in by the man with Tony Stark. He was unfamiliar with the situation and everyone unfamiliar with him, he was bound to be a target for questioning why he was there with the billionaire. Bruce felt Stark's touch on him, something small to slightly calm down. He gave a small smile, but continued to fidget with his hands. His body was still very rigid, but Stark had managed to loosen up the man enough to make him look like he wasn't going to pop at any second.
"You know Pepper, sometimes I think I should give you a raise," he said only half joking. He really did feel he should give her a raise, but that would only come when he was sure she wasn't going to gossip with Bruce about him. He stood when the other two couples arrived. "Mr. and Mrs. Gosse. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson. Nice to see you again."
He shook their hands and sat as they did. They looked at Bruce with an inquisitive look. It wasn't often that Tony Stark was surrounded by men. Tony smiled ready to introduce the man next to him. "This is Happy Hogan, I know you remember Miss Pepper Potts, and this is Dr. Bruce Banner."
The couples shook everyone's hands before sitting. The way Tony had said Bruce's name it was obvious that he held great respect, admiration and affection for the man. He hadn't said that Bruce was his date or his boyfriend for the simple fact, he thought it might embarrass Bruce a bit too much for that to be in the introduction rather than just an answer to a question.
Bruce was happy for the simple introduction. Short, sweet, and didn't give much away. He shook their hands and gave a nod as they greeted him. He snuck a glance at the others across the table once they sat down, the dressed it what appeared to be in expensive taste. The doctor looked around the room to see the place filling up, making it more crowded, and causing him to regulate his breathing in fear of anything possible. It caused him to look back down to the table relatively quick, and his normal hand motions were hidden from sight.
Pepper appreciated Stark's comment. She greeted the Gosses and the Gibsons warmly, talking to them like they were long lost friends. It had been a year since she saw them last and she had gotten acquainted enough with their wives to be able to socialize with them.
Happy was rarely invited to participate in these events rather than just wait ready to act. He felt a bit out of place, but he was able to pick up some conversation with the men. It wasn't too hard unless they started on stocks and the company's future, but they got back into a subject Happy could participate in relatively quickly.
Tony would hop into the conversations everyone once in a while, but he mainly just listened as he had the waiter bring him drinks. He wasn't really interested in talking about the company or political issues. He was just waiting for the go ahead to give the welcome speech so they could be served dinner and then get on to mingling. Tony liked mingling; it was more fun because it didn't involve trying to sustain long conversations about things he didn't care about with people he didn't care about.
"Is any couple here interested in getting their photo taken for the event?" came a chipper young voice from behind where Dr. Banner was sitting. He glanced over his shoulder to see a rather young girl holding a very professional looking camera ready to take a picture.
"We'd be delighted," Mr. Gibson announced as he wrapped his arm around his wife. Mr. and Ms. Gosse followed suit. The girl took a quick snap with her camera of both of them with a smile.
"Thank you! You can find them online with these cards," she distributed a card to each of the couples as she moved around to the other side of the table. She held up her camera positioning it towards Bruce and Pepper. "How 'bout you two? You look wonderful together," the girl said with a high schooler-ish squee to it while focusing her camera.
Bruce's face went to his ears when he noticed the camera in his and Pepper's direction. He wasn't exactly expecting this to happen. "W-we're not together! Um, I mean, we came together sure, but all four of us did in the same car. That's why we're all seated here, together. And well, not that Pepper isn't lovely and everything. She's fabulous and everything and very pretty, but I'm not with her and-" Bruce was cut off before he would pass out from lack of oxygen from saying all that in one breathe. Tony had put his hand on the man's shoulder before he could do any further damage.
"He's with me, and we'd love a picture," Tony said stopping the man from getting to the point where he'd either overload or talk about whether or not he'd bang her. As the high school sounding girl aimed her camera Tony turned his head at the last second to kiss Banner's cheek as she snapped the photo. Tony took the card with a smug smile. "Well I can't wait to see that one, I'm sure it will be good."
Happy couldn't help but smile a bit. That display of just pure affection was actually quite cute and so un-Stark. He had to suppress a laugh when he saw the surprised faces of the other two couples. Happy decided to try and save the atmosphere. "Miss Potts if you don't mind I'd love a picture with you. As Dr. Banner said you're fabulous and very pretty. It'd be something nice to hang on the wall."
"Sounds wonderful," she said with a smile as she walked over to lean over Happy since the man was chained down. Banner's babbling was adorable in its own sense, and downright hilarious. It was obvious why Stark liked the man so much: he was an easy target for teasing. The girl took another photo and handed them their card.
"Thank you very much!" she said with a giggle and ran off to take pictures of other guests.
Bruce had managed to make a small smile for the photo, mainly out of embarrassment. His face was completely flushed and when Stark had kissed him, somehow he managed to get even hotter. It was obvious the others at the table were staring at that moment and he looked back down at his own hands to distract himself. Happy's comment only made it worse and made him feel very guilty for going on about Pepper. Once she sat down he felt like he could make a formal apology for his ramblings.
"P-Pepper I'm so so sorry! I-I couldn't stop and it turned out horrible and now I'm probably making this worse and for the love of god stop me," Bruce went on another rambling, his watch starting to beep even over the sound of chatter within the hall.
"Calm down, Bruce! It's fine. You said I was pretty and that's good enough for me," she said with a kiss to the man's cheek and gave him a reassuring smile.
Tony almost had a heart attack when the man's shackle started to go off. He couldn't help, but smile when Pepper reassured the man. It was nice to know that she was there for him when he needed her. "Well I'm going to go give the welcome speech, I'll be back in a bit."
As Tony walked he stopped by Pepper and leaned down. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek and whispered, "thank you. Keep an eye on Bruce for me don't let anyone interrogate him."
With that he went on to the stage in front of the orchestra. "Welcome everyone. Thank you for coming, every year we are able to hold this benefit because of you. Give yourself a round of applause" he was reading from the cards, but of course he had to deviate off of them. "So as a reward enjoy the open bar and hopefully you'll all get lucky tonight if you get your dates drunk enough. Once again thank you."
Happy was amazed at what he heard. He shook his head slowly. "How the hell do you give him cards with everything to say, and he still manages to be inappropriate?"
He was back to the table in time to be served dinner. He smiled at Bruce with his 'wait til we get home' smile. It was one Pepper would probably recognized.
Bruce had managed to calm himself down enough by the time Tony got on stage, his watch was silent. He kept regulating his breath more closely afterwards, still scared of any possible thing that could set him off. While trying to calm down, he managed to miss Stark's short speech. Only catching Pepper's and Happy's reactions which could tell him the whole story of what Tony could have possibly said.
Pepper kept an eye on the doctor who looked very flustered. She gave him an extra pat on the back to see if the man could cheer and loosen up. She couldn't help but shake her head along with Happy during Stark's speech. "He didn't even read half of it," Potts said rolling her eyes.
Stark came back to the table, which Banner actually turned to welcome back. The look in his eyes was obvious, even to him, so the reactions of the other two were appropriate for the situation. Bruce gave him a look along the lines of 'you're insane.'
All through dinner Tony indulged the couples at the table with their ideas about the company and where it should go. Once it was time to mingle, Tony stood up ready to talk to new people. He offered a hand to help Bruce up. "Well it's been lovely talking to you, but I must go tend to other guests. I will see you at the next meeting."
With that he led Bruce away so they could talk to random business people and diplomats. No one really asked about their relationship, considering that it would be kind of rude. After an hour or so of boring small talk Tony led Bruce to the dance floor among the other couples dancing. He pulled the man into his arms placing one hand on Bruce's hip and the other held Bruce's hand. He stepped to the beat of the music moving slowly. "You're doing great. This isn't so bad is it?"
"It feels like if I dropped a pin, I would potentially have a heart attack," Bruce admitted. He was enjoying the dancing, getting to hold onto his hand and shoulder. Even if he had two left feet, he awkwardly sidestepped in order to avoid scuffling on Tony's feet. But actually getting to be close to Tony, even amongst all the people, it was making him more at ease then just sitting down and fearing for the next potential disaster that could happen.
"I can honestly say, I am enjoying this though," he said blushing, referring to the dancing as Stark led him around.
"I'm quite enjoying this too," he said as spun the man slowly. Taking Bruce back into his arms he pulled the man even closer. The warmth he felt from the man in his arms was the best part of the night. As the song came to a close Tony couldn't resist spinning the man one more time before dipping him. "Did I ever tell you how much I love dancing?"
He pulled the man back up so they could clap for the band it was time to get back to mingling, but that had been a perfect break. He'd made a mental note to do that one more time before going out to face the press.
"Not once," Bruce gave a lopsided smile, his face still completely red. It was embarrassing being the 'female' of the dance, but he didn't mind. He rather enjoyed Stark's lead. Plus, it was better Stark took control rather than the gamma scientist who would have tripped endlessly in a circle. The two started to walk away, back into the crowd until Banner felt a tap on his shoulder signaling him to turn around once a few feet away before they were hidden in a mass of people. Of course he obliged the request, despite his mind telling him to run away, he would feel too rude otherwise.
The looked over to see a fairly tall young man, about mid-20s. He had an eager look to his eye that Banner only caught briefly as he turned around and then intentionally avoided eye contact. The man had some sort of recording device on him, along with a small photographer's camera around his neck. He beamed once he had gotten Bruce's attention and went straight into introducing himself.
"Hi! My name is Tom Sanders. I'm a reporter for the Daily Bugle and I was wondering if I could get an interview with you and Mr. Stark," he talked fairly quick. The device in his hands ready to go whenever they were.
Tony sighed when he saw it was a reporter. They had been caught. Generally Tony didn't agree to interviews with men. only pretty women who he thought he had a chance with, but this time he was with Bruce and this was supposed to be his chance to come out and say he's changed. "I suppose a quick interview won't kill us."
He answered with a small smile. This was a lot better than getting hounded by reporters outside. A small quiet interview was much much better. "Shall we go somewhere your recorder can pick up our voices?" he asked before leading them to a table in a far corner of the room. It was relatively quiet and there weren't a lot of people and there was easy access to the bar. Yes this place was perfect.
"Perfect!" Tom exclaimed once they got to the table. He was beaming at the fact he was getting an interview with the Iron Man and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He quickly turned on his recorder and went to work.
"It's an honour to get a chance to talk with you Mr. Stark. First off, I have to say thank you for taking your time and for saving the entire world while you were at it. It's greatly appreciated. May I ask who your companion is?" he said, of course gesturing to Bruce. "I saw both of you dancing beautifully on the floor just a few moments ago. It makes me wonder, has the playboy Tony Stark start going after men now?"
The question asked last seemed far too forward for the doctor. He was playing with his hands, appreciating silently the thanks for saving the city, not that Sanders would know his alter ego. Once it got to him he moved in closer to Tony as if to make himself smaller, hoping he would keep his promise and answer the questions for him so he wouldn't have to make a fool out of himself like he did earlier. Every instinct in Bruce telling him to leave the premise. So far he hadn't had to deal with anyone really questioning him, and he still had to worry about the horde of press outside of the establishment which was the only reason keeping him in there at the moment.
"Well you're more than welcome," they were training the reporters really well now a days. They seem to play to his ego well, and knew how to drive right to the point. Feeling Bruce move closer into him to hide, he put an arm around the man. He wanted him to know it was okay and that he had this. "Before I answer I want you to know I expect my words to be printed how I say them and in the same context. Do not fuck up this interview Tom, or I will personally see to it that the Bugle goes out of business within a month of it being printed."
Tony wanted to make sure they weren't going to construe his words to make it seem like anything less than it is. Reporters could be bold and toss words around in their reports that could ruin some people. Naturally, when the reporters did stories on Tony's sexual habits he had welcomed it, now he had to be careful, because now it wasn't just him in the picture on the page.
"This is Dr. Bruce Banner. And no, I'm not going after men now. Just this man. Dr. Banner here is my boyfriend," he said giving Bruce's shoulder a small squeeze. It felt a bit weird saying it out loud to a reporter. But he wanted to make it known that if he was seen walking out of Miss Potts house at night, it was always going to be purely for business now. Lucky, Tom Sanders got to be the first reporter to get a chance to interview him about it and likely the only one to get to with Bruce right next to him. "In all honesty, I'm giving up my playboy title. I can't really keep it when I'm in a committed relationship, can I?"
"I'll be sure to have everything word for word," Tom said with a quiver in his voice at the threat. Jameson would have his head if anything went that wrong. He was here to learn more of the Iron Avenger after a month of relative silence from the man since the alien attack.
"Congratulations. Must be a remarkable man to make the Tony Stark settle down," he turned to Bruce with an interest sparkling in his eye. "How did you get him to do that? Apparently even Miss Pepper Potts his last squeeze couldn't keep this Avenger."
Bruce gave a small smile from Tony's words. They were much more concise than what would have spewed from his mouth. Then the reporter directed at a question meant for him. He froze slightly, giving a wistful glance at Tony to help him out. His face was a bright red, and it only felt like it would get warmer. After much struggling, he pulled at his tie slightly and spoke up.
"Um well, I-I have no idea really. It sort of just happened," he managed to stop himself before he went on rambling. Banner bit his lip in order to keep it shut, in case he went off again. Breathing through his nose, he made sure to watch himself extra carefully. It was evident he was fairly worked up already.
Looking at the man Tony realized he was starting to get nervous. He moved the hand that wasn't around Bruce to hold on of Bruce's under the table. Slowly he made circles with his thumb in the back of Bruce's hand trying to calm him a bit. "It's like you said, he truly is a remarkable man."
Tony looked at the reporter seriously trying to hide the concern he had for Bruce. "Tom, if you wouldn't mind only directing questions at me. Dr. Banner prefers to keep his personal life a bit more private. Though he's given me permission to answer questions about our relationship because he understands my social position, he would prefer not be answering them himself."
Tom gave a pout, wanting more of a juicy answer. He kept his eyes on the doctor, and made a mental note to get back to him when he was alone. The reporter did give a nod to make Stark at ease and gave a smile. "I'm sorry, it's wonderful to know. I do enjoy both of your Avenger colours tonight. The classic Iron Man for Mr. Stark and a Hulk get up for Dr. Banner. I'm slightly disappointed; I would have thought you'd match each other."
Bruce was appreciating Tony's efforts to keep the man away from him. He was surprised that his watch hadn't gone off yet, until Tom started talking about the Avengers and loosely referred to him as the Hulk. That was the part of his identity he would never feel ready to disclosing on the world. The watch went off and Bruce gave a quick glance once he pulled out his glasses to read the thing. 134...You're okay Banner, relax...It's just the man pointing out a few facts. No one but the government knows who you really are...
"Well, this a bit of a tribute to the Hulk for saving my life. Wherever he is, I want him to know I'm grateful for it. I figured there'd be enough press here snapping photos that if he's in the U.S. he'd see it," Tony was lying through his teeth, but he never missed a beat. He had thought through their attire and if someone would question it. "Dr. Banner is just kind enough to indulge me."
Hearing the watch go off he was ready to cut the interview short. He saw the numbers on the face of the watch and relaxed a bit. Things weren't getting out of hand yet. Hopefully Tom would not ask about the Hulk anymore.
Tom nodded, intrigued with what he was hearing. This was more of the thing he wanted to get for his article. But Stark's relationship would be a good spice to flavour up the story. The beeping coming from the doctor's watch was a minor annoyance, but it must have been an alarm for the man covered his wrist soon enough to muffle the sound so he chose to ignore it. "Marvelous. Would you want to relay the tail? Also, what of the other Avengers? If you don't know where the Hulk is, where are the others? Are you all available in case there's another crisis in the future?" he asked quickly, barely breathing in between questions.
Bruce was glad Tony had thought out a lie so quickly. He had covered his wrist while he breathed evenly so that his heart rate went down enough to silence the machine. He was also glad no questions were asked about it. There was a knowing blush on his face, he remembered Stark's interpretation of the event and he also witnessed it on TV. It was heartwarming to see that even as his 'monster' side, he could protect the people he cared for.
Tony smiled always happy to tell the tale as long as it was in front of Bruce. "Well after going into space my suit shut down. Guess I need a better long distance service, maybe I'll switch to Vonage. With my suit shut down I had no oxygen, even the arc reactor shut down. I began falling, next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with my mask off, looking at my teammates and praying no one gave me mouth to mouth. My teammates told me not only did that Hulk catch me as I fell out the sky, he kick started my heart again too."
As he said the last part he squeezed Bruce's hand gently, to thank him again. "Legally, I cannot disclose the location of the other Avengers. Just know that we can get in contact with each other if need be. And when the world needs us again, we will be there."
He said this with such pride, but it was a promise. He was pledging the Avengers would take care of the world every time they were under attack by something the militaries couldn't handle. It was a vow that he intended to keep.
"Well the world can't thank you enough. You and the other Avengers" Tom said gratefully. "I think I need to grab some more stories around the benefit now. Thank you for your time Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner. Look forward to seeing you two dancing in the article that'll be out in the next day or two in the Daily Bugle." He extended his hand to shake Tony's and Bruce's before running off to get his next story. He did give Bruce a look that seemed he was still interesting in learning more for the man; it would just have to be done another time.
Bruce let out a sigh of relief once Sanders was gone. He rested on Tony's shoulder trying to recuperate after sitting so tensely for so long. The feel of Tony's warm hand on his own was comforting. After a moment's rest, the doctor said with a smile, "I think the Hulk would say you're welcome."
Tony let the man rest for a while, the interview was probably a bit intense for him. Hearing Bruce's words he smiled. This was the first time he spoke of the other guy in such light. "Well, we'll see one day. I'm sure. But what does Bruce say about getting out of here? I think I was enough of a good host that Pepper won't bite my head off."
The billionaire was just ready to go home himself. It was annoying being around all these people that he barely remembered the names of. Then there were the poorly hidden stares that Tony wouldn't mind as much if he wasn't worried about Bruce getting upset or embarrassed.
Bruce nodded, relieved to hear the suggestion. They went back to the table to see Happy and Pepper chatting with one another. Banner was holding onto Stark's arm as heads turned to meet them. The doctor gave a blush and turned his head to look another way. Pepper could tell it was time to go by Stark's expression. She got up along with Happy to go to their sides.
"You alright Bruce? You two haven't been hammered with interviews yet have you?" she asked concerned.
"I-I'm alright for now. Thank you. We've only had one," he said meekly, appreciating the comfort.
Tony gave an awkward cough and pulled Bruce closer so he could whisper as they headed for the doors. "Bruce, whatever you do stay with me. Just keep walking and only stop if I stop. Most times Happy can get us through fast, but this is the first time I'm making an appearance since the alien attack, so they're pretty hungry."
As they walked out the door Happy took the lead, there were flashes everywhere and people yelling out questions and sticking out recorders to pick up on what ever they might say. It seemed the crowd was a lot larger than usual. All that could be heard were random words popping out of the crowd 'Avengers' and 'bi' and 'date.' No real cohesive questions could be heard over everyone trying to get their question in.
Bruce's breathing became very shallow, his eyes unable to divert themselves from everyone surrounding the group. He was starting to panic from being slightly claustrophobic after years of avoiding people and was now thrown into this tight space filled with people trying to get at them. Banner was only out there for moments and he could feel his heart race. There was nothing he could do, he couldn't even hear his watch from the shouts of random questions that became incoherent babbling. His breaths were completely irregular and he felt trapped. Quickly he pushed up his sleeve to see the watch. 189! Get the fuck out of there Banner!
There was no time to heed Stark's warning, he spun around and headed back into the building, he dashed his way into what seemed to be the deserted men's room. Bruce leaned on the sink, trying to get his breath back together. He looked at his watch again after the run, which read 196 bpm. Breathe Banner! He thought to himself when a stall flushed and out came a familiar reporter he saw through the mirror.
"Dr. Banner! It's good to see you again," came from Tom Sanders going to wash his hands. "I was wondering if you would be so kind as to answer a few more questions for me." He said with a smile, completely unaware of the danger he was potentially in.
The surprise visitor was enough to do it. His watch flared off reading just over 200. Bruce's eyes turned a glowing green as he grabbed the man, opened the bathroom door, and shoved him out. He locked it soon enough and the horrible sensation of his entire body morphing took over. No..., he thought before letting out a roar that echoed the hall as he transformed completely, the garments on the upper half of his body completely torn and were shaken onto the floor.
The Hulk looked around the bathroom and decided to make his own exit. He pushed off against the floor and sprung upwards, landing on top of the roof. The monster let out another roar as he looked down at the city below.
