So, all my broken feels didn't stop me from writing, hooray! I've got about half of the next chapter finished so it may go up tonight.

Warnings for the feels, all the feels. I don't own anything Marvel (but god I wish I did!)

For Science!

Natasha stared at Clint expectantly while he clutched her phone. When he finally looked up, she couldn't identify what was going through his mind. She didn't push though, gave him time to process and formulate his response. Even if it was just work they were discussing, it felt good to be close to him, talking to him again. She'd never wanted to hurt Clint. Everything had just been so confusing when James showed up.

Finally, he spoke, "You were always so much better at the recon work. Give me a target to eliminate? No problem. But this? This is quality work." He sighed, running hands through his hair. "I was sloppy. Figured I could get them to tell me. Well, they did, even if it almost got my nose broken and almost got us a visit from the Hulk."

There was nothing false in that, but still, Natasha hated it when Clint went so hard on himself. "I was trained for this from before I can remember."

"Yeah, well, I still fucked up, Nat, but I can't look at this, like you do. I mean, I get it. If Stark isn't careful, Bruce could lose control and we all know Stark's track history with relationships. Even with Pepper, they were fighting every other week and broken up at least once a month. Odds are, Bruce is going to get hurt." Then Clint's blue eyes locked onto hers. "But you took this all to Fury, didn't you?"

She hated that look, the disappointment. She was used to it from most. Natasha had all the training of the Black Widow and could easily follow orders that most would hesitate with, so she got that look all the time. But from Clint, it hurt. She tried to explain, "I know you as good as cut ties with Shield, but Nick has been the only one I could talk with about this. He's more than earned my trust; you know that. He's kept everything, even this last part, off the record."

"And what about when he doesn't, huh? What about when he decides this is too high a risk or worse, Stark fucks up and Fury brings Shield in to contain the Hulk? We're on a team here, Nat and this is something the team should handle. We need to protect each other, especially from Shield getting involved. We're Avengers now. They've given us a family, a home." He hesitated before adding, "I don't want to lose that again."

The entire ride to the restaurant was an encore of the argument in Bruce's head that morning. Tony didn't seem to notice though and had cheered up. Despite the internal conflict, dinner was actually quite enjoyable. Tony took him to nice Indian place, softly lit with candles at each table. Waitstaff appeared and disappeared between sips, topping off their glasses. Once or twice, Bruce could have sworn he hadn't even taken a drink when the staff refilled his glass. The food was incredible and closer than he could have expected to authentic outside of India. And Tony not only turned up the charm, but didn't drink, even when they offered him a complimentary bottle of their best wine, giving credence to the voice in the back of his mind insisting that this was a date.

They discussed some of the latest work Stark Industries had been producing. In the past few weeks, Tony hadn't been in the office much and so Bruce was bringing him up to speed. Aside from his personal projects, Banner spent plenty of time in giving input to several of the R&D departments. The medical research and development had some pretty interesting developments in particular.

"So, these viruses are being engineered to infect the cells of damaged nervous tissue and trigger mitosis. It took a while to isolate exactly what genes needed to be triggered in order for nervous tissue to begin cellular division, and given the particular combination, it's no wonder natural healing of nerves is so rare. In the long run, we should be able to use this treatment to regenerate the nerves of those with traumatic injuries and several forms of paralysis.

"It's really quite incredible watching crushed nerves, that otherwise would have had almost no chance of ever functioning again, repair themselves in as little as a few days," Bruce explained, getting lost in the excitement that he had drowned out the fighting in the back of his head. "We're still about a year off from human studies, but it's all been very promising."

Tony smiled serenely as he listened. Noticing the atypical smile, Bruce asked, "What?"

"Fifty-seven," Tony answered casually.

"Huh?"

"Fifty-seven," Tony repeated. "That's how many products, formulas and innovations Stark Industries has made that you had a hand in. I'd say this one will make fifty-eight, but you'll get more finished before this one given the time involved getting passed the FDA."

Bruce blushed. "You keep count?"

"Well, it is my company. I should know who is responsible for what developments," he answered. "Besides, it's been important when explaining to the Board why you're out best paid consultant. Well, the best paid next to Richards, but he provides his own equipment that is both costly and constantly needing to be replaced."

"Wait, what?" Bruce's face dropped as he tried to process that. "Tony, what do you mean paid consultant?"

Tony gave him a confused look. "Bruce, remember the ID I gave you, back when you agreed to stay at the tower for a month, while I went through a friend in the FBI and had them create a whole new identity like they do for people in witness protection?"

Bruce had been carrying around the license, passport and credit cards of one Glenn Summers for years now. Of course, Tony convinced him to stay before the end of the month, so he didn't really need the identity anymore. He nodded a little bit. "Yeah but what's that have to do with working for Stark Industries?"

"With, not for. I set you up as a consultant for our R&D, so we could work together and you'd have what you needed to start any new life you wanted. You didn't even have a non-compete clause and believe me, the Board was not pleased with that."

Completely speechless, Bruce just stared, listening.

"I wanted to make sure that no matter what happened, you got to keep your new life, even if you decided not to stay. You made enough in that first month to support yourself comfortably anywhere you might want to go." Tony's dark brown eyes locked onto his, sincere and warm. "I'm glad you decided to stay though."

"I- I just," Bruce struggled for words. "This is too much Tony."

Tony reached across the table and placed a hand on top of his. "Nonsense. It was the least I could do after you saved my life. As far as Stark Industries goes, you've more than made up for it and honestly, for me it'd have been worth it for just that first week."

It took a few moments for Clint to realize how vulnerable he let himself be. Only with Natasha could he open up like that. Even though it still hurt, he was glad to know he still could. He reached for her hand.

Natasha took his hand and gave it a squeeze. She opened her mouth to speak only to shut it without a word.

"You're part of that family too, Nat. Any of us would defend you just the same." There was something in that he was afraid to say.

Finally, after another squeeze of his hand, she asked, "Are we okay, Clint?"

He paused. It had been months and the lies and secrets and seeing her in his arms still cut him deeper than he knew he could feel. Still, as he met her green eyes, Clint knew he couldn't lose her. "We're partners, Nat. You're stuck with me."

Most wouldn't have seen the touch of tension she'd been carrying for months ease away, nor would they have caught the briefest flash of a smile that crossed her lips. Clint wasn't most people. He tightened his hand around hers and as he pulled it back, his thumb lingered at her pulse. They could say so much without a single word.

"So, how do we fix this?" Barton asked, sliding back into the agent mindset.

"We need to assure that Stark doesn't screw up and that Bruce doesn't lose control. So long as we can do that, Nick has no reason to get Shield involved." A smug grin formed on Natasha's lips. "Which one do you want?"

Clint winced. His nose still hurt and Bruce was the more forgiving of the two. "You take Stark. I'll get the Big Guy."

Natasha almost laughed. "Jarvis, where are Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner?"

"Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner left the tower approximately ten minutes ago," the AI replied.

"Where did they go?"

"They did not specify. Shall I call Mr. Stark for you?"

"No thank you. Could you let me know when they return?"

"Yes Miss Romanov. Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you Jarvis."

Clint sighed. "Well, what do we do til then?"

Natasha glanced at his bed with a teasing smile.