Tony's POV

"Forget the hearse 'cause I never die. I got nine lives', cats eyes, using every one of them and wonder why. 'Cause I'm back, yes I'm back-"

"Hey!" I whine as I look up from my project as the head pounding rock is quieted. "I was listening to that."

"Yeah." Bruce agrees as he walks to his workstation. "So was I. See the problem?"

"Fine." I huff. "Just don't play Vivaldi or any crap. Go on." I shoo him towards his work.

Bruce just laughs and shakes his head at me as he sets up his equipment. "Is Taylor not coming in today?" he asks once he sees her unused station.

I shake my head. "No. She's currently in Malibu, meeting with some other VP's that have signed different contracts with us over the years. Something about reporting on their bosses and moving the companies together fluidly in a way that will benefit as many people as possible."

Bruce blinks at me and shakes his head. "Never ceases to amaze me. Are you worried about her being across the country by herself?"

I shrug. "She's not your average teenager. She's got her suit, bow, quiver, knives and guns galore. She can take care of herself. However, that's not to say I didn't put a tracker on every device she owns, her suit, and sown a few into her bags. And who knows how many eyes Clint has on her."

Bruce nods. "True. Well, when you talk to her, tell her I wish her luck and I need my science niece back for the Stratozi-Kibman projects."

I nod even though I have no clue what he was talking about. It's not unusual for Bruce to be worried about Taylor; he is my science bro, which makes him a sort of uncle to her. I can assure you that if Clint and I were somehow hurt, she would probably run to him, for whatever Natasha can't heal.

We both eventually get immersed in our projects, setting into a familiar routine of muttering, clanking, and the occasional explosion.

Until Jarvis speaks up. "Sir," he alerts me with urgency in his voice, "one of your key words has come up in a news broadcast in Clifton, New York, about five minutes ago."

"Pull it up." I order. I then notice Bruce looking at me with a perplexed look on his face. "When we formed as a team, I told Jarvis and my PR department to keep an eye and an ear out for certain names, words, or phrases in the news and media." I explain. "Key words being triggered means one of our names, aliases, and certain other names and identities have popped up in mainstream culture."

He nods and we both turn our attention towards the screen coming to life in front of us.

Footage appears, that of a sandy-haired man with a big bushy mustache, cold eyes, and an army uniform. He also happens to be the estranged not-father of one of the most intelligent women in the world.

"Ross." I hiss. "Jarvis, enable audio."

"-any progress being made. I assure you, I have men working extremely hard to capture and eliminate this monster, this menace, so that your homes, spouses, children, and families will be safe and all he will become is a story to frighten children. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a beast to catch. Good day, ladies and gentlemen."

Ross walks out of camera range, and is soon replaced by a news anchor.

I blink at the screen. "Well, you know what they say, if at first you don't succeed…What do you think, Brucey?" I ask, my eyes fixated on my computer. "Bruce?"

I glance over at him to see him gone stock still, with emerald bleeding into his chocolate eyes. "Bruce?" I ask again, with no response.

He's rapidly breathing and gaining a jade hue just as quick. "Bruce, you need to calm down-"

"CALM DOWN?!" he roars, barely human. "ROSS HUNT HULK, HULK NO CALM DOWN!"

"Oh, screw this." I mutter. "Jarvis, call a Code Green, get me the nearest suit."

"At once, sir."

Within seconds I'm encased in the suit that was under my work table, save for the helmet. Bruce completes the transformation just as the rest of the team bursts through the door, weapons in hand but not drawn, lacking their armor; as is customary for Hulk-outs.

"Hi, Hulk." I call up conversationally. "How are you?"

"Hulk bad, Tin Man." he grunts. "Bad man hurt Hulk and Puny Bruce and Tin Man."

"Don't forget Star Man, Jumpy Bird, Red and Black, Shouty Hammer Man and Metal Girl." I remind him, pointing at Steve, Clint, Natasha and Thor in turn.

Hulk nods and then grunts again. "Where Metal Girl?"

"She's okay, Hulk, she's not hurt-"

"Hurt? Bad man hurt Metal Girl?" he asks, steadily getting louder. "HULK KILL BAD MAN!"

I duck as a workstation is ripped up and sent through the wall behind me. "Where is Betty when we need her?"

"At a conference in 'Frisco." Clint answers from where he is ducked behind another table, notching a tranquilizer arrow, should it become necessary.

"We need to end this, before this entire room no longer exists!" Steve shouts from my left a few feet.

I nod and slowly go to stand. "Hulk! We need you to calm down."

"Bad man hurt Metal Girl!" he insists.

"No he did not. Metal Girl is safe, I promise. She's just busy, and not here."

"Bad man not hurt Metal Girl? Metal Girl safe?" he asks with a tilted head.

"I promise."

"Tin Man promise." he agrees contentedly.

"Yes. Now, can we have Bruce back please? You're smashing his things, and I would bet Bruce isn't too happy about that."

Hulk sighs and mutters something about puny pink people, but his eyes close anyways and he quickly lightens in shade and shrinks in size.

I rush forward to catch a naked Bruce before he face plants into the concrete floor, softly calling for someone to grab him some sweatpants.

"Bruce?" I call, "You with us?"

He groans as his eyes flutter open, completely brown. He immediately squints against the harsh overhead light and I tell Jarvis to dim the lights to forty percent.

"Tony?"

"Hey there Big Guy. Nice to see you…you again."

He groans again. "Did I hurt anyone?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Not a scratch on any of us."

"How much will the damage cost?" he asks as he takes the sweatpants and stands to put them on.

"What makes you think you're paying for the damage?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"But…all the equipment, the projects, the furniture…"

"Hello, billionaire here." I point out. "Seriously, Bruce, don't you dare try and pay for any of this. Wasn't your fault."

"Whose fault would it be then?"

"Ross. The general, not Betty. That…that…scum is threatening to find you, in case you didn't catch that."

Bruce nods wearily as he sinks back to the ground, and I kneel next to him. "I should go…"

I glare at my best friend. "Why?"

"So he doesn't hurt anyone."

I stare at him for a moment before I almost fall over laughing.

"Nothing is funny about this, Tony!"

"No, it's just….god, Bruce, for the third smartest person alive, you sure do act like an idiot. You, my big green brother of science, are an Avenger. Have you checked our roster lately?"

He stays silent.

"Then let me remind you. Five geniuses, one of which is kind of assassin-y, two in metal suits of armor, two master assassins, one god, a super soldier who may or may not outrank Ross-"

"He doesn't."

"What?"

"Generals outrank Captains."

"Whatever. We can pull strings. Anyways, the super soldier, and then we have one crazy intern with a tazer and access to guns. Do you doubt us in our abilities to kick some General butt?"

He chuckles. "Definitely not. And…thank you, Tony." he says with a shy smile.

I give him one of my true smiles as I give him a hand up. "No problem. Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, father, and therapist, at your service."

"And the list just gets longer and longer…"

I laugh before an earlier conversation comes to mind. "So…what are the Stratozi-Kibman projects?"

His eyes – brown – light up, and I lean back, knowing Bruce, pure Bruce, is standing before me.

Then I only hear science.