After these last few weeks, Bruce was decided he was going to try his best to get close – well, closer. It was odd, to him, to just touch someone if he felt like it. So, the physicist decided he was capable of learning it all over again. He had to face his fears. Even if it meant raising his heart rate a bit more than he was used to.

Bruce found Tony in his workshop, of course, looking at about four screens at once. The doctor mustered up all of his willpower and practically ambushed him from behind, murmuring the man's name in his ear as a sort of code so that he wouldn't think he was being attacked. He wrapped his strong arms around Tony's middle, holding him as closely as possible, burying his face between Tony's neck and shoulder.

"Am I missing something?" Tony asked, clearly surprised. He let his hand come up to stroke Bruce's curls.

"No, but I was."

"Oh. Well, that helps. A lot."

"Sooo... I was thinking..." Bruce could feel his face already growing hot.

"You always are," Tony mused.

"No, I mean I was thinking maybe it's time we take our, um, relationship to the next... level," Bruce said softly.

Tony twisted slightly to look at him. He saw the most adorably bashful smile on Bruce's lips, along with a pink blush that spanned his cheeks. "You wanna have sex?" Tony asked blatantly, raising a curious eyebrow.

Bruce's face quickly flushed beet red. "...something like that, yes."

"Ah, well then, Doctor. This way." He released himself from Bruce's embrace and pulled him toward the elevator. The scientist stumbled after him.

"Now?" Bruce asked nervously.

Tony halted for a moment. "Is that not what you meant?"

"Well, I don't... I guess... I mean, it's, well, I want, and you-"

Tony stopped the man's stuttering with a luscious kiss against the back wall of the elevator. He slid his tongue against Bruce's teeth and bit his bottom lip. "How's that?"

Bruce's lips quirked into a smile. "Acceptable."

Tony relocked their lips, determined to turn acceptable into something less coherent. He didn't think he'd ever been so excited for sex in his entire life – not even when he was younger. Like, finally being able to touch Bruce? This was totally worth the wait, he realized. It was almost overwhelming how much he wanted to show Bruce how much he loved him, how good it would feel to love someone again. They both sort of needed that at this point. It was only when they got to their floor that Tony released him and pinched Banner's buttocks, receiving a small yelp in return.

As soon as they got into their room – or Tony's room, not that Bruce really used his anymore – Stark proceeded to kiss his boyfriend once more. The scientist's eyes flickered around nervously. Oh god, they were really going to do it, weren't they? He was going to have to get really, really close. The thought was as unnerving as it was intoxicating. His heart was fucking pounding, yet he didn't seem to be losing control. If anything, he was losing control of his sex drive.

Tony tried his hardest not to just rip Bruce's shirt off, and pulled at the infuriating buttons, deciding that if one broke off, he could just buy the man a new shirt. He finally got the damn thing off and left his own in place. Bruce watched as he lowered himself, planting kisses that tickled Bruce's nerves rather than set them on fire with a frantic feeling of proximity. Tony was at his knees now, pulling at Bruce's belt, button, and zipper until his pants were around his ankles. Bruce didn't try to stop him. When the boxers came off, Banner tensed a bit in apprehension, and Tony looked up for approval.

"Still acceptable?"

"Yeah," Bruce said. It was almost a squeak, but it was all he could manage.

But that all faded when Tony put his mouth on Bruce's erection – when did that get there? – and flitted his tongue around skillfully.

Bruce knees gave almost immediately, and he nearly sunk to the floor. "Oh god, Tony..."

Tony glanced up at him with an amused grin. "I've hardly started, babe."

He regained his position and began working Bruce's cock with his mouth, eliciting small whimpers from the other man. Bruce curled his hands into fists and braced his bare bottom against the wall. Tony began to stroke Bruce's length with his hand, gradually moving faster.

Now, Bruce was desperate to be touched. His legs trembled and his hips bucked against Tony's mouth and hand involuntarily. If Bruce had been in a normal state of mind, he would have been wildly embarrassed for all of this, especially fucking someone's face – namely that of Tony Stark – so perhaps it was good that he could hardly think straight. A low moan caught in his throat.

"C'mon Bruce, you know you can let it out. Let go for me," Tony purred.

It was so, so tempting hearing Tony's voice like that, his breath hot against his cock. A higher pitched noise escaped Bruce's mouth. Tony shuddered; that was wonderful. He let his tongue grace Bruce's tip, hoping for another lovely moan. One was elicited in the form of Tony's name. With his fists clenching and unclenching, Bruce didn't quite know what to do with his hands, so he settled one atop Tony's head, lightly tugging at the man's lush, dark locks. Tony's head bobbed underneath. Bruce's back arched tightly.

He gasped. "Tony, I think I'm going to..." His voice was a bit strangled. "You should... stop..."

Tony took his mouth away, but left his hand on the base of Bruce's penis – the head covered in a mix of saliva and pre-cum. "Ohhh, you're a quick one, aren't ya? You really want me to stop?" A smile played at Tony's lips, studying Bruce's face, which was contorted with a fatal combination of distress and ecstasy.

"It's probably... a good idea," Bruce gasped.

"Doesn't look like one. You're too close," he said, a hand resting on Bruce's thigh, and resumed the action, working Bruce's length for a while until he came with great force and one loud, shuddering moan that vibrated through the both of them.

"Oh that was..." Bruce's eyes were closed as he groaned. Wonderful. Orgasm flowed through him like it hadn't in years. "But I- I want to make you feel good, too," he panted.

"You want sex or..." Tony prompted.

"Sex sounds... nice." Bruce said weakly, his voice taut with nerves.

Nice. He was being reduced to nice. No, not reduced, Tony reminded himself. This was the farthest they'd gone, and it was going really well. The fact that his pants were tighter and Bruce's weren't even on reminded him of that. "And you'll be okay?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"I... I think so..."

"Bruce, I'm not asking if the Other Guy will make an appearance, I'm asking if you're okay with us having sex."

That question seemed tricky, but really it was quite simple. "Oh. Well then, yes."

Tony kissed him lightly and led Bruce over to the bed, helping him to lie down at the end of it. He then walked away to retrieve a condom and an unopened bottle of lubricant from his nightstand. Tony unzipped his jeans and pulled them all the way off – along with his boxer briefs – relieving much of the tension down there. He rolled the condom onto himself, covering it generously with lubricant. The mechanic positioned himself against the edge of the bed, directly in front of Bruce. "We'll take it slow." He looked to Bruce for authorization. Trailing a hand from Bruce's chest to his hip, he asked, "Ready?"

Bruce nodded apprehensively. "Yeah." He wanted to sound firm and reassuring, not only for Tony but for himself.

Tony bent down and let his fingers enter Bruce first. The scientist whimpered slightly; his eyes were squeezed shut. Tony rubbed the other man's leg. "Just relax," he soothed. Then, once Bruce had unwound just enough, Stark entered him slowly. Bruce grabbed at the sheets beneath him, twisting them beneath his fingers.

"This okay?"

Bruce nodded furiously. The sight pain, which was mostly just premonition, was subsiding, ultimately masked by the feeling of Tony inside him. Tony's hips rocked slowly against him, pushing just slightly further in. God, that actually felt pleasurable now. But not too much so. Couldn't let it. Still, he moaned softly as Tony moved a bit faster.

"Good?"

"Yeah," Bruce gasped. Because it was, really.

Sweat was starting to bead from Stark's forehead. Oh, this already felt so good. Better than the showers. Tony rocked against him, murmuring Bruce's name between pants. Then he leaned further downward, changing their position slightly. This gave Bruce the opportunity to tug at Tony's dark t-shirt, pulling it up slightly. If he was going to touch Tony, he wanted to touch every inch of him and make sure he was still there, that Bruce was still Bruce and Tony still wanted him there. The engineer looked down at him and grinned a little. Tony gave in, taking his shirt all the way off and casting it aside, letting the blue arc reactor light glow between their bodies.

"God, you're so brilliant like this," Tony murmured.

"This is not when usually I hear that sort of thing," Bruce replied with a huffing laugh.

That was the comfortable part. The part where he was with Tony, who would love him and take care of him and trust him. But the other part. The other guy. That was far trickier. Bruce really wanted to give back, and he was trying, but the need for control was imminent. He'd tried not to count the years since he'd felt someone like this, since he'd had sex, since he'd even held someone's hand other than Tony's; his situation created complications no one wanted to deal with – and Bruce didn't blame them.

He rocked his hips in rhythm with Tony's, not knowing what to do with his legs at this point, as Tony was holding them up a bit. Bruce was enjoying it – the wonderful hot tingling that engulfed his nervous system as hormones flooded in his brain – but maybe not as much as he should be. Acute observation would give him approximate heart rate, as well as skin pigmentation and what could be done to make Tony feel good. But he needed to make himself feel good, too. This was a mutual thing. If he could only stop thinking so much like before! Then Tony calling his name swam through his ears, and pulled him to the surface awash with in-the-moment thoughts. Everything was fine – no disasters, heart rate wasn't even near the point of destructive, and nothing was green.

Bruce could do this. He wanted to do this.

With that thought, Bruce shifted further onto the bed, so that Tony could rest his knees on the mattress. They were both grateful for the change as Bruce's legs became wrapped around Tony's torso in a sort of delightful entanglement. Tony thrust against him, now with feverish intent as both let out sighs and whimpers of delectation, along with the ever-present n-no, a little over... and yes, just like that. Bruce was thrusting back, like actually engaging and watching Tony's aroused expression, almost with a sense of pride. Stark's muscles were taut and glistening with sweat as he closed his eyes and shouted one final time before coming with a primal grunt and a jerk of his hips. They both exhaled deeply as Tony slid out and removed the condom, tying it off before flopping onto the bed next to his partner.

"Well that was..." No other word came to Bruce's mind besides sex. He'd just had sex with genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark, who was also his boyfriend of what was approximately three months – he couldn't even focus on counting exacts – and Bruce hadn't Hulked-out once. What word describes all of that?

"Stupendous." Tony winked at him, giving him a bit of an 'I-told-you-so' look.

Bruce laughed easily. "Yeah, that would be the word."

"Want me... to take care of that?" Tony breathed, gesturing Bruce's erection.

"No, I think I got this one." Bruce couldn't help but wonder how he'd even gotten hard again so fast. He turned away slightly, but Tony reached up to pull at his arm.

"Don't have to be so shy about it." He grinned.

Bruce smiled back and faced in Tony's general direction. He worked at relieving the slight throbbing of his cock, putting on a bit of a show for the other man, who was now sitting up on his elbows to watch. Bruce stroked lightly at first and then a bit faster, his eyes closed, face determined, before letting go onto the dark sheets beneath him. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled back at his boyfriend. They both laid back down; the air filled with the sound of hot and heavy breaths.

As the nervous energy in the room diminished, Tony shifted beneath the covers and invited Bruce to join him. He wrapped his arms around the doctor, who was allowing himself to be held because he knew if Tony removed his body from this position, Bruce would be left with the feeling of emptiness turning his insides boreal. They both would, actually. As Tony shifted against his back, the arc reactor's initial cold was becoming less prevalent, and Bruce could feel the just the hardness of it and Tony's soft warmth behind him. Tony's breath tickled the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Bruce twitched. Not hard, but enough to send vibrations into the other man's body.

"You okay?" Tony asked softly into the other man's shoulder.

"Yeah." Bruce smiled. He was just fine.