The plane had just reached a more cruising altitude and he felt safe enough to uncurl his fingers one by one from the arm of his seat when Bruce felt the weight of someone leaning against his chair.

Really, he didn't even need to see his face to know who it was. He'd known immediately by a single sniff of the splash of the newcomer's preferred aftershave.

"Hello, Tony." Bruce says just loud enough for the other man to hear him as out of the corner of his eye Banner sees his former 'science bro' sliding his sunglasses down his nose for added effect before giving his answer.

"So, are you going to head back to Nat willingly or am I going to have to drag you back to her by the back of those stretch pants you didn't think I know you still have?"

Bruce couldn't hold in a low sigh as he opened his eyes as he turned toward Tony's voice. "Nice to see you too," he whispered in greeting.

"Don't make me ask again Banner," Tony answered dropping his voice lower as the stewardess came up the aisle forcing the billionaire to slide into the empty seat beside his best friend. "Nat was really upset when the two of you ditched her."

The mention of his other half reminded Bruce all to clearly of one of the several reasons he'd grudgingly agreed with Hulk's decision to leave in the first place. That and the still-raw pain he'd felt at the phantom feel of Natasha's hands pushing just enough against his chest and hearing her 'but I need the other guy' as he fell before, she'd even allowed for the burning warmth of her distracting kiss to fade from his lips before she'd done it.

Her 'Judas kiss' Bruce had decided mostly as a way to taint the hopeful longing he caught himself feeling whenever he'd remember the look in her so open and trusting as she whispered those three simple words to him. 'I Adore You'

"Careful Stark, some would say you've grown a real heart." Bruce jokes his eyes flickering briefly to the glowing thing not so easily hidden beneath the black and purple zip-up sweatshirt Tony was wearing. Bruce almost asked if his best friend had stolen the thing from Barton's closet before he remembered that according to what he'd been told before being sent back to Earth from Asgard Clint and Tony hadn't been on speaking terms for some months now.

"And you broke Nat's." Tony fires back visibly struggling to keep his voice low.

Bruce hangs his head in shame at the trust behind his friend's word. "I just hope I haven't missed another window." he mused softly "but why do you think I came back now?" he goes on peaking up into Tony's narrowed eyes. "

"Trust me you haven't," Tony promised rolling his eyes at his friend's kicked puppy yet hopeful glance as he tosses over a key card wrapped in a folded piece of paper rubber-banded together with an honest to Vision key. "Just remember to duck the first time just to be safe," he suggested, and Bruce was still trying to figure out if Tony was being serious or not as Tony went back to his own seat.

Bruce unfolded the pages finding lonely a single page of plain white page covered in handwritten directions in a hand he knew at a glance wasn't Tony's own. the second being a postcard.

Two snow leopards lounging in the snow. obviously a couple given the licked kiss the two had been caught sharing

"I meant what I said. PS: Join me for a sunset?."

Bruce grins as he slips the card into his jacket pocket as he goes back to studying the directions for the rest of the flight considering he'd have to burn the page before the flight landed.