And I'm back. So, pretty long chapter this time. There were 3 other scenes I wanted in it too. Guess it's good I have some sense of control and put a stop to that. Read and review please?

Warning: All the things are ahead.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these

For Science!

Rarely one to sleep through the night, Tony found himself awake long before Bruce began to stir. He held still, wrapped around Bruce and watched him sleep. It didn't take long for his insecurities to get the better of him. One of the downsides to having at least five fully formed trains of thought at all times was the rapid pace in which the dark and fearful could develop.

There was no going back from this. Even if Bruce didn't immediately regret the night before, what happened when he came to his senses about Tony? What happened when he realized just how messed up Tony really was? What happened when Bruce left, like everyone else he had ever trusted? Everything he'd opened up about in the last few days turned shallow and selfish as he replayed it again and again.

When Tony felt Bruce stir, he wasn't sure how long he'd been lost in thought. He glanced down as Bruce shifted in his arms, his hand sliding off the reactor. "Morning," Tony managed, already missing the security of Bruce's warmth over his cold core. He could feel the bliss of the previous night and the familiar intimacy of the past few years slipping away and yet, could do nothing to stop it. Everything slid out of reach with Bruce's hand. No, not out of reach. All he had to do was muster the courage to reach over and take it back.

"Mmm morning," Bruce murmured, not meeting Tony's gaze.

Please just look up, Tony silently pleaded. If he could just see Bruce's eyes, he was somehow convinced that whatever he'd see there would make or break him. Expecting rejection, Tony reached for Bruce's hand and pulled it back atop the blue glow thrumming in his chest. He held Bruce there, letting himself believe for just a moment that he wouldn't fuck this up, that he could wake up like this again and again, that Bruce wouldn't run away.

"Um Tony?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can I have my hand back?"

Crushed, Tony mumbled an affirmative and let go of Bruce's hand. Bruce shot up out of the bed and ducked out the door without a glance toward him. Of course it had been too good to be true. Tony sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and buried his face in his hands. He knew better than to hope for anything more. He knew he didn't deserve to be happy. He didn't even deserve last night.

"Tony?" Bruce asked anxiously, startling Tony from his self loathing thoughts. "What's wrong?"

He jolted up, meeting Bruce's worried brown eyes. "I- I thought you-" Tony stammered and then realized that Bruce was standing at the bathroom door, not the bedroom door.

The doctor glanced downward and asked, "Should I leave?"

Tony's feet hit the floor and after untangling himself from the sheet, he crossed the room and grabbed a hold of Bruce. One hand and his face were in Bruce's hair and the other hand pulled the doctor closer. Bruce flushed red and warm in Tony's embrace.

"Never," Tony said, though it sounded more like a question than an answer, filled with unspoken pleading, begging even.

After a moment, the shock wore off and Bruce wrapped his own arms around Tony.

When Bruce left the bathroom only to find Tony with his face in his hands, his heart dropped. Tony regretted the night before. He was going want Bruce to leave. After finally finding a home, everything was slipping away. As much as it killed him, it was almost worth it having that one night. Almost.

"Tony, what's wrong?" he asked, his doubts filling in the answers already.

If it wasn't clearly hurting Tony, it would have been worth it. He'd spent so long dreading the day when he'd lose control and the Other Guy would hurt Tony that Bruce had never expected to be completely in control of himself when it finally happened. Of course, he'd taken advantage of Tony when he was hurting over Pepper. Bruce convinced him to open up, to make himself vulnerable and this was how he repaid that trust. Every ounce of hate he'd harbored for himself came back ten fold.

Dark brown eyes wide with shock, Tony stammered, "I- I thought you-"

Thought I was gone already? Bruce stared at the ground, knowing he couldn't handle seeing Tony's face when he asked, "Should I leave?"

He heard Tony scramble, probably to cover himself up. Then, suddenly warm arms wrapped around him, pulling him close and tight. His mind went blank, offering no explanation.

"Never." That one simple word, that single, desperate word dismissed every fear and doubt, even the ones Bruce hadn't realized he'd been holding onto. Tony wanted him here. He wrapped his arms around Tony and let out a heavy breath.

Tony would have loved to spend the whole day in bed with his new lover, learning Bruce's body, his kinks and preferences. Unfortunately, he had three meetings for SI that he absolutely could not miss (and another 3 he shouldn't have been planning to miss.) So, after an hour of holding each other in Tony's bed, he resigned himself to at least make an appearance. Bruce was all smiles, reassuring Tony that he wouldn't let Clint goad him again.

Neither expected Romanov on the other side of Tony's bedroom door.

"Natasha, I- er, to what do I owe this pleasure," Tony managed.

"Morning Tony, Bruce," she spoke, voice unwavering and untelling.

If Bruce had been shocked, Tony missed it; he greeted Natasha with a broad smile, "Good morning Tasha. Tony, I'll see you in the lab after your meeting but I'll make sure to run the scenario you suggested."

Tony took the cue, nodded and added, "Don't forget to adjust for the density of the rhenium we'll be using in the final model."

Bruce waved over his shoulder on his way to the elevator and Tony turned his attention back to Romanov. "Just had to work out the next stage of our experiment before being CEO eats up most of my day," he offered an unsolicited explanation. "What can I do for you? You'll have to make it quick, though; I need to be downstairs in five."

"Your PA asked for a favor from Natalie Rushman," said Natasha, holding up a folder and a tablet. "I'll be filling in for the next couple weeks."

If it hadn't been for the night before, Tony probably would have broke right then and there. It still hurt that Pepper was making it official, but knowing that Bruce would be there for him helped him keep it together. "I see, well then, Ms. Rushman, what's on the agenda for today?"

To his surprise, Natasha seemed to be genuinely filling in for Pepper. He didn't believe for a second that she was doing this without ulterior motives but nothing she did so much as hinted to what those motives might be. She prepped him for all five meetings with a level of expertise that would put Potts to shame, giving Tony a new found respect for Romanov. Still, by the end of the third meeting, his curiosity got the better of him.

"So, Bruce said you might know why Barton was being such an ass yesterday," he probed.

Hurt crossed her face but only for a moment. She turned to her watch and then answered, "It was my fault. He's still upset over James, so I really should keep my distance."

If Tony had learned anything about Natasha over the years, it was that she cared far more than she was willing to admit. Suspecting her steady voice was just a mask, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll come around. He's lucky to have someone like you on his side."

Natasha paused and looked as though she were about to say something, but simply nodded.

Barton approached the door to the yoga room and stopped just shy. Hopefully, Bruce brought Natasha's explanation yesterday, or at least had calmed enough for this. He stepped up and opened the door, taking a couple tentative steps in and closing the door behind him.

Inside the room, Bruce didn't look up from the adho mukha svanasana. "Hello Clint."

Without another step, he asked, "How did you know it was me and not Stark or Natasha?"

"Tony's much louder and I wouldn't have heard Natasha at all."

Clint would have been able to tell as well, but it surprised him that Bruce picked up on that sort of thing. He ran a hand through his hair and spoke nervously, "Yeah, so, about yesterday- I was being an ass."

"Mmmhmm."

"You know what they say, 'Misery loves company.' Even months later, Nat's still rubbing salt in the wounds." He had to dismiss a very kinky image that popped up in his head at that. "I really didn't mean what I said."

Bruce casually rose and faced Clint, extending his hand which Barton took. "We're good, Clint.

Now, did you just come here to apologize or are you going to keep me company today?"

Clint shrugged. "I figure is Nat shows up, I can ignore her."

Smiling, Bruce responds, "Good. I've got a couple positions that require a partner if you want to give me a hand."

Natasha had mentioned Bruce's recent interest in some of the more extreme yoga positions: AcroYoga, she had called it. Even her descriptions hadn't prepared Clint for this. Not only were the positions complicated but they required two or even three people to coordinate their movements, balance and breathing perfectly. The biggest shocker, however, was being welcomed into Bruce's personal space.

This change in Bruce went much deeper than just his interactions with Stark. The once reserved and often anxious doctor was all smiles. Even when Clint lost his balance again, crashing on top of Bruce, he just laughed. There was no tension, no fighting the urge to run. Clint had never seen Bruce so relaxed. And damn if it wasn't contagious.

When Tony opened the door to the yoga room, he found Barton sprawled across Bruce's back and both laughing hysterically. Jealousy flared up and he scowled. "It's been three hours Bruce. If you two are finished relaxing, we've got work to do."

Clint stopped laughing and scrambled off Bruce and to his feet. Barton's panicked reaction both amused Tony and fed into the sudden possessiveness that overwhelmed him. Bruce, however, took his time to stop laughing and find his feet. His smile didn't waver as he spoke to them both. "Alright, Tony. See you tomorrow, Clint?"

Bruce looked at him expectantly and Clint gave him an anxious nod. "Yeah, I'll be here."

Once the elevator door shut them in, Bruce put his arm around Tony's shoulder. "Nice angry face back there. I'm pretty sure you had him ready to run right up the air ducts."

Not wanting Bruce to know just how real that jealous outburst had been, Tony nodded and forced his face to loosen. "What were you two doing anyway?"

"A two person variant on the natarajasana, it's a complex yoga position from a set Tasha and I do sometimes, but the balance with two men is much different than the balance with a man and a woman. Just when Clint thought he had it, he declared his victory over gravity and promptly fell, taking us both down." Bruce was still smiling as he continued, "He showed up after about twenty minutes and apologized. He's definitely up to something though."

Tony nodded. Natasha was too, but he'd hear Bruce out first.

"He gave me all sorts of weird looks when he thought I wasn't watching. He talked about relationship problems and brought you up a couple times never too far apart. I think he's trying to figure out what's going on between us. Yesterday, he baited us into defending each other. Today he was trying to win over my confidence.

"He didn't come right out and ask but I'm sure he was fishing for it. I might even give him a little bit tomorrow, if he keeps it up. Yoga's great with him around." Bruce seemed so happy when he said that.

Tony had always had a "don't touch my stuff" mentality but the sudden urge to kick Barton's ass and learn yoga took him by surprise. Bruce wasn't interested in Clint and Clint had Natasha. They were just friends. But no amount of inner logic touched the pressing need to keep Bruce that much closer. He didn't even realize he was scowling until Bruce spoke up again.

"If you'd rather, I won't tell him," said Bruce, both his smile and gaze dropping.

"That's probably best for now, don't you think." It wasn't really a question. Until they knew what Clint and Natasha were up to, it'd be best if they kept their new relationship a secret. Of course, as soon as everything was settled, Tony planned to make many, very public appearances. He was anything but discrete and looked forward to showing off Bruce. "After all, Romanov's in on it too. I don't know if she and Barton are working against each other or just don't know what the other is after, but she didn't all of a sudden decide to fill in as my PA. She wants something and if I had to guess, it's the same info Barton's digging for."