Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count - 1368

Fic Details - TonyBruce / Soulmate!au

Smile Lines

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks."

…

"I can't believe you left me behind!"

Tony looked over the back of the sofa to see Clint standing by the elevator.

"Did you tell me you were planning to come?" he asked, frowning. Unfortunately, it was entirely possible that Clint had said it, and Tony just hadn't been paying attention.

"Well, no but—"

"Then I didn't leave you behind. You were a dumbass," Tony said, hiding his relief. "Come in, take a seat, we're watching Star Trek. Or J.A.R.V.I.S. can lead you to your room if you're one of those weird people who don't appreciate bad television?"

Clint blinked and then shrugged, dropped his bag to the floor, and hopped over the back of the sofa. He bounced when he landed, and almost ended up on the floor. Bruce was polite enough to pretend he wasn't laughing, but Tony wasn't.

"You're a jerk, Stark."

Tony nodded with a grin. "Tell me something I don't know."

…

Having people in the tower was a novel experience. Tony was used to having people around him, hell, he was almost never really alone, but there was a difference between having people around and having people that would actively seek him out.

Clint, and a few weeks later Natasha and Steve when they moved in, were often asking him to join them for movies, or for all of them to eat together a couple of nights a week, or if he wanted to join them when they went out.

It was strange.

More than that though, was Bruce. He seemed to just… fit into Tony's life as though he was meant to be there. It was amazing and it was frightening, because the loneliness that Tony had had for almost all of his life was disappearing and leaving behind it a warmth that Tony wasn't really sure what to do with.

He walked into Tony's workshop at all times of the day or night, or he had J.A.R.V.I.S direct Tony to the lab he'd taken over. He'd show up with a craving for food and drag Tony with him. He'd even discovered that they shared a weakness for The Great British Bake Off and he often tugged Tony down on the nearest sofa to watch a few episodes when he was suffering from the ever present insomnia.

Tony loved it, of course he did, but it also scared him. He didn't want to get too attached to any of them, because when they found their soulmates, they'd leave him behind.

People always did.

…

"You know, just because you still look eighteen, doesn't actually mean you should act it," Pepper said, pursing her lips at him.

"Pep… I really don't want to go to the meeting. Like, really actually don't wanna. So… I think I'm just gonna swerve it."

"Tony—"

"You don't need me there! You get more done when I'm not there, in fact, so I'm really doing you a favour by not going."

She sighed. "You're a pain in the ass," she muttered.

"But you love me, and you're not going to make me sit through a boring meeting that I don't need to be at. Right?"

She nodded, rolling her eyes. "Right. But, I expect you to read the email I send you with the major points, okay?"

He smiled up at her and nodded his head. "Will do, promise."

She nodded her goodbyes to the others and kissed his cheek before she left, her heels clacking on the floor.

"Oi," Tony called out. "Put your star-spangled eyes away, she's taken!"

Steve blushed and Tony sniggered.

"Can't blame the man for looking, Stark," Clint said. "She's dynamite."

"Rhodey will throw you off the tower and he will not catch you like I do," Tony said flatly, shaking his head. "He's possessive of my Pepper-Pot."

"How is he possessive when you call her yours? Surely she'd be his Pepper-Pot."

Tony rolled his eyes. "No, because Rhodey is also my Honeybear. They're my people. Them and Happy."

"They must have been together for a while," Steve said, clearly not thinking his words through.

Bruce choked and put a warning hand on Tony's back but it was unnecessary.

"Wow, Aunt Peg was right, you really don't know a thing about women," Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Please, Steve, for all that is holy in the world, please don't ever say that to a woman. They will flay you alive."

"I… what?"

"You literally just said she looks old," Clint explained. "By saying she's been with her soulmate for a while… you're basically saying that she'd clearly aging. Bad idea to say that to a woman. Terrible idea."

"Oh, I didn't mean—"

"Doesn't matter what you mean, Cap," Bruce said softly. "It's what people hear that matters."

"I… right. Wait? Aunt Peg?"

…

"Tony."

"Hmm?"

"Tony!"

Tony looked up to see Rhodey standing by the door to the lab. He immediately abandoned what he was working on to hug his best friend.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to see it for myself!"

Tony blinked as Rhodey held him at arms length. "Um. What?"

"The effects of aging, Dumbass."

"I'm not aging! Where did you hear that?!"

"I… saw the last photo of you in the paper, Tony. You… don't tell me you haven't noticed?"

Pulling himself from Rhodey's grip, Tony crossed to the mirror and examined himself carefully. "I'm not—"

But then he saw it. It wasn't much, but he was different. There was a slight difference in his hairline, and he was getting very faint smile lines that he'd never had before. "What the… how did I not notice this?"

"You've met your soulmate," Rhodey grinned. "Who is it?"

"I… have no idea."

…

Telling Rhodey he didn't know who his soulmate was kind of a lie. Only a little bit of what, because he wasn't completely sure but…

He looked at Bruce carefully. There were minor changes in him too, but Tony didn't know if he'd noticed. He didn't know if he should say anything or not and it was starting to stress him out and—

"Finally noticed, did you?"

"Uh…?"

"It's fine, Tony. I wasn't… I don't expect anything. With… the other guy… I never really expected a happy ever after, you know?"

"Bruce… I didn't know. Like, actually didn't notice. Rhodey told me three days ago because he saw a photo of me in the paper."

Bruce snorted and then shook his head laughing. "Of course you didn't. So, uh. You weren't avoiding the subject because—"

"Oh, hell no. I've been in love with you since a few months after you moved in. Way before any aging signs started!"

"You—"

"Love you, yes. And the Hulk. He's not a problem to be handled, Bruce, I've told you this time and time again. He's great. Saves my ass all the time."

"He likes your ass," Bruce said, and then flushed. "I did not mean to say that."

"He's got good taste then. Is he the only one that likes my ass?"

"I, no, of course not. It's a good ass, but—"

"Do you love me?"

"It's not as simple as—"

"Bruce. Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Then of course it's as simple as that. Jackass."

…

"Oh my god, my eyes!" Clint complained, shielding himself.

Tony rolled his own eyes and leaned up from where he'd been laying on Bruce's chest.

"Barton, just cause you're jealous that you're not getting any—"

"Any what?" Bruce interrupted. "We're watching Bake-Off, we're not even—"

"It's the levels of shmoop," Clint complained. "I think I'd rather walk in on the pair of you banging than this much cuteness."

"Go fuck a cactus," Tony grumbled, lying back down on Bruce's chest.

Clint let out a bark of laughter and threw himself over the couch. He didn't quite time it right, and actually bounced off onto the floor.

Tony wasn't polite enough to hide his laughter, and this time, neither was Bruce.

"I hate you both."

Written for:

Romance Awareness, Day 26 - People stop aging at 18 until they meet their soulmate

Romance Awareness, Extra - 1. "I can't believe you left me behind!"

365. 236. Dynamite

1000. 198. Loneliness