A/N - The story is going to go pretty quickly for a few chapters, because most of it will be filler or for comedy value. Danny's got a week to get through, and nearly all of that will be spent with the Avengers (and Tony specifically, because friend). I'm not gonna list every little activity he does with them, because it'd just take too long and would probably be boring to read. Hell, this is probably boring to read. Sorry.

Moving on, the story will go quickly from here, for a few chapters. Thanks, and enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

Not Less Than Human

Danny wasn't even aware Tony had a motorcycle until he received a text telling him to head down so he could be picked up, and made it out to the parking lot. The halfa could just tell that it would be something new every morning, and just prayed that Tony would never get the idea of showing up in his Iron Man suit and carrying the teen back to the tower. It would be too embarrassing for Danny to accept. He'd rather walk.

"Hey, squirt! I brought you a leather jacket and a helmet. Y'know, for protection. I don't think your parents would appreciate it if I just drove you to the tower without any safety gear." Tony held out a black helmet with a tinted, full-face visor and a black leather jacket that was obviously new, and obviously his size. Of course.

Danny knew better than to protest, and just settled for rolling his eyes. "Thanks. I take it the tinted visor is for privacy?" he asked.

The billionaire nodded, and shrugged. "People will recognize me, and probably want to know who I'm riding with, if they haven't already figured it out from when we ate at that Italian restaurant yesterday," he admitted. "We're meeting Steve, Clint, and Bruce for breakfast. Well, it's brunch now. I slept in a bit."

The teen chuckled and pulled the jacket and helmet on. "Alright. Let's head out, then."

Engine revving, the motorcycle took off onto the streets of New York City, Tony laughing happily as they went.

The duo pulled up at a classy French restaurant called 'Balthazar'. Tony turned off the bike and allowed Danny to hop off and remove his helmet. Both of them took a moment to fluff up and fix their hair, Danny's from the helmet, and Tony's from being windblown.

Steve was already relaxing against the wall outside, and nodded in greeting. "Clint and Bruce haven't shown up just yet. Do you want to go in and get a table, or wait for them?" he asked as they approached.

Tony glanced over to Danny, who shrugged, and answered, "We'll get a table. It isn't usually that busy in the mornings, but I'd rather get seated now instead of being made to wait for half an hour later. I'll just text Bruce that we're already inside."

The blond man nodded, and added, "They should be along shortly." He glanced at Danny, and smiled. "How's it going? Not tired of us yet?"

Danny laughed, grinning. "Nope. It should take a couple more days," he joked. "You guys are entertaining. Honestly, I didn't even know Tony had a motorcycle. I thought you had one, and I could've expected Natasha or Clint to have one, too, but for some reason I didn't think Pepper would let Mr. Impulsive have one."

The super soldier let out a surprised laugh. "Sadly, Pepper doesn't have the time to monitor Tony's purchases. I also think that if she did, he'd be really bored..." he commented. They followed 'Mr. Impulsive' inside the restaurant.

"Probably," Danny conceded. "That also explains the secret compartment in the wall last night. The one he used to store those beanbags?"

"Yeah. And him buying you an expensive, new suit?" Steve added, poking Danny in the shoulder. They both laughed at the memory of that experience. Tony definitely did what he wanted, and very few people could stop him.

The raven-haired teen threw in, "A movie night complete with twenty large pizzas?"

Tony walked back over to them, and they both adopted innocent expressions. Danny couldn't keep it up, though, and the corners of his lips twitched up before he burst out laughing. Steve quickly followed, and it left the billionaire muttering about weird friends.

Once they were all seated and waiting for the other two, the three spent their time chatting about vehicles and what they preferred to ride in (or drive).

Brunch went by very quickly. Once Bruce and Clint showed up, they had all ordered, eaten, and chatted. Tony and Steve were arguing lightly over things to do that day, with an occasional comment thrown in from the rest of the group.

It was actually mostly Tony arguing with Steve over whether or not he'd get to spirit Danny away to his workshop again to teach the teen more about engineering and inventing. The teen himself didn't mind, but Steve and Bruce both wanted to spend some more time with their new friend while they could, and Bruce was leaving the next day.

The argument ended with Clint bursting into laughter after a particularly whiny complaint from Tony, and it led into the whole table giggling. The bill was paid, and they all headed back to the tower.

Once they were all back in the tower, Bruce asked for a word with Danny. The scientist had a very strong suspicion that the teen wasn't completely normal, due to the accident with the portal, and he just wanted to make sure he was okay, and maybe give him a safe person to talk to, if the teen needed it.

"Hey, Danny? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Bruce asked quietly.

The blue-eyed teen glanced over at his friend, and gave him a small smile. "Sure."

The two of them strolled off to a more private area, so Tony or the others wouldn't get nosy and eavesdrop. Bruce wouldn't put it past them to listen in, and this just wasn't any of their business. This wasn't even Bruce's business, really, but the scientist could relate.

When he closed the door, Danny asked, "So, what's up?"

Bruce grimaced, and held a finger up. "JARVIS, please cease all surveillance in this room until both of us leave. None of this conversation is to be recorded, due to privacy."

"Of course, Dr. Banner," the A.I. replied cordially.

The scientist waited a moment, and then answered Danny. "You know I spoke with your parents last night, because I was interested in their research, right?" When the teen nodded, he continued. "Well, they brought up the two artificial portals they had made, and then commented on the fact that you managed to turn their portal on."

He watched Danny's reaction. There was a flash of panic, some fear, determination, and then his mask, that Bruce hadn't even been aware of before, slipped back into place. The teen was certainly hiding something, but he didn't know what.

Danny didn't say anything, just nodding for confirmation, so Bruce went on. "They also mentioned how clumsy you were after the accident, and how your school records changed. In fact, Tony mentioned that you hadn't been to a hospital for three years, when he was first telling me about you."

There was a sharp gasp, and the scientist watched Danny stumble back a few steps. He held up his hands in a peaceful gesture, eyes full of understanding. Danny now reminded him of the panic attack the teen had experienced yesterday, only slightly less defensive.

"Relax, Danny," he pressed softly, "I'm not going to do anything. I don't know what happened to you, but I can sympathize with some of what you must be going through. You know what I am, don't you? How I could-could go on a rampage and kill innocent people without a thought? I'm less scared of myself than I was, before meeting the other Avengers, but... there's still a part of me that fears someone is going to try and lock me away, or that I'll snap and hurt people. That much gamma radiation should have killed me, but it didn't."

The raven-haired teen listened to what Bruce had to say. He let the underlying message wash over him, realizing that this person could probably be trusted to not do anything to him. He could relate, in a way. He had heard about the Hulk. Who hadn't, at this point?

He could take a risk. There was a chance to have another person in on his secret, and it would be someone who could understand him. He wanted another friend to talk to.

It was too risky to tell him the full truth, though. "Yeah. Something happened to me. I was... inside the portal when it turned on. I can do small things now, but I'm terrified of anyone finding out about it. I just... my friends and my sister are the only people who know. It's so hard to hide it sometimes, or come up with excuses," Danny explained, omitting a lot.

Bruce nodded. "Something happened, it changed you, and now you're scared of being discovered because you're different enough to warrant research?"

Danny nodded, swallowing thickly. They were both dancing around the real fear. Research would be nothing. If they just observed him, and how he function as a whole being, that wouldn't be so bad. No, he was scared of something much worse. Experimentation. Dissection. Vivisection. Because he wasn't alive, it was okay. He wasn't alive. Not really.

"I... research would be the least of my problems," he admitted, grimacing.

Bruce frowned. "If you ever feel comfortable telling me what happened, I can help. I won't pressure you into telling me, though. I know it's your choice." He gripped Danny's shoulder tightly. "Just know that I'm here if you need me. Thank you for admitting that much. It's more than I expected, honestly."

The teen gave him a pained smile in return. He'd really like to trust this man, with his soft words and understanding eyes. Bruce reminded him of Clockwork. More straightforward than the old stopwatch, true, and probably more caring about people in general, but they had that calming effect on him. Danny even considered asking Sam and Tucker if they thought it was alright to tell the scientist the rest of the story.

So, when Bruce held open the door, Danny followed him out with a more honest expression of relaxed happiness than when he entered. He had someone new to rely on a bit, and day three was off to a good start. Now, hopefully, it would stay that way.