Day 4
Despite his small panic attack the day before, Bruce wouldn't give up what he was doing. He decided to make up for his small scene the day before.
Tony was acting as if nothing had happened, and perhaps believing that in fact nothing had happened. It was casually that he offered some blueberries when he passed Bruce's table, but not so casually that the other one accepted.
He extended the package's opening gently with two fingers, to only then to pick up some blueberries. He took one of them with one hand while the other held the rest. He slowly approached the small fruit of his closed lips, as if he intended to kiss it. When it made contact with his lips, he opened them just enough to push it into his mouth. He savored it, closing his eyes to better focus on the flavor and slightly tilting his head back when he swallowed. He let out a soft sigh and opened his eyes slowly, as if he had just gone through an intense sensory experience. And then did the same with all the others.
Tony couldn't do anything but stand there, admiring the spectacle. His eyes were fixed on Bruce, with his pupils so dilated that the light was hurting him, he wanted to devour the image with a look. Bruce smiled almost imperceptibly when he noticed that Tony had slightly opened his lips and left them like that. He was still offering the packet of blueberries, as if completely immobilized. When the fruits ended, Bruce fixed his eyes on him and said, little louder than a whisper, "Thank you."
Tony shook his head. "Whenever you want." he replied knowing that it sounded stupid. And then he went back to his own table, but Bruce noted that he couldn't keep working more than five minutes without diverting his eyes to observe him. And if he was being watched, Bruce would make a real spectacle.
Tony was no fool, much less innocent. He knew something was happening. He just couldn't understand what. Something made him want to touch Bruce when they were in that closet, he wanted some kind of contact. It was something that the other one was doing, he decided. But what? Looking at him? Breathing? Since when this stuff were messing with his mind? And to make matters worse, Bruce was now doing blueberries seem erotic. Whatever was happening, Tony would find out.
To say that neither of them worked that day would be overkill. Bruce was definitely working, it was just Tony who couldn't concentrate. And how could him, seeing Bruce fingers gently glide by his microscope, as if stroking the back of a lover? And what he was doing with those blades should be illegal: preparing them slowly and gently, caressing them after they were done, placing it carefully under the microscope, gently biting his lips while watching, making his notes with a perfect and well designed calligraphy... No, Tony couldn't concentrate, especially because his jeans were starting to get uncomfortable.
However, what Bruce did with the burette was too much. He put it on a beaker, dripping something that Tony couldn't identify. He looked at it impatiently, heaved a sigh of indignation, and then covered its top with his lips. He was blowing it, to accelerate the process, but that almost innocent action led Tony's mind to very dangerous places.
"What do you think you are doing?" he almost cried.
"I'm adding a bit of..." he began to explain like he hadn't done anything.
"No, this ..." he did a general gesture with one hand, as if he couldn't describe what he was seeing. "This that you made with your mouth." he said finally.
"Oh, I was just blowing it a bit to go faster. Why, do you have something against blowing?"
It was amazing how he could keep the air of innocence, as if he had no idea what he was implying.
"It's against security procedures." he managed to articulate.
"Since when do you care about security?" Bruce replied with a smile that disarmed him completely.
He got up and left the lab, taking care to keep his back to Bruce. When he got back he would figure out what Bruce was doing, but now he needed to think and in no way he could do it there.