Welp, that's it. Thanks so much for coming along, I hope you enjoyed the ride. I'm sad that it's over but I'm also bloody glad that I finished it too because I hate leaving things unfinished.

Special thanks to: Tri-Color (haha don't worry I know what you mean I feel the same), dcfg21, Hilson86, Sherlocked in the Death Star, Bloodypassion, Lotus-brody, Luna S. Renaldi, Ginshi-chan, Validate0, The Writing Dead, pbk, .death (it is my personal mission to slip as many geeky little references into everything. ALL OF THE REFERENCES), HersheyKissesLove, Sir Stud Muffin, and again, thanks to everyone who has read/commented/fave'd. You guys are the best.

Nick Fury didn't have any special powers. He didn't have super strength, or regeneration, or fancy little mind controlling magic tricks. He didn't even have a special suit that let him fly and shoot lasers from his hands.

But regardless, he was not a man you'd want to mess with. Nick Fury was basically the epitome of the term 'one bad mother fucker'.

He sat in the diner eating a doughnut and drinking bad coffee from a travel cup. He grimaced with each mouthful.

Three white kids sat at the table behind Fury. Two of them were telling the third a very interesting tale indeed about their 'encounter' with the Hulk. Apparently they were bad ass enough to have taken him on themselves, only the papers hadn't said that because it was a cover upand really it was all one great big government conspiracy. Apparently the Hulk was just one 'great big pussy'.

"Don't talk shit," the third friend said around a mouthful of burger. "You expect me to believe you two took on the Hulk? He's fuckin' huge, man."

"Shit man we had him beat! I'm not even lying."

"Why?" said the third. "I mean… why even start on him? Kinda' dumb as fuck if you ask me."

"'Cause he's a dick, man."

"Gentlemen," Fury turned in his seat and smiled at the three of them. "That's some story you have there."

The trio stared back, making no attempts to hide the fact that they were all fascinated by his eye patch and likely what lay beneath it. "Yeah," one of the two 'Hulk Defeaters' swallowed his burger. "What's it to you?"

"Oh it's everything to me," Fury said and he gestured grandly to the door. "Take a walk with me."

They stepped out onto the street and the sun shone harsh and dry, bleaching the tarmac. It was so hot that they could see the heat distorting the horizon.

Fury led them down the street and they followed without even seeming to question why they were following. "I've got to say, I'm glad I found you," Fury admitted, not turning to look at his trio of followers.

"Wait… you were looking for us? Why? Who the hell are you man?"

Fury ignored the question, he lead them down one street, and then another. "I've been wondering about who was responsible for taking care of the Hulk. I mean when I read it in the papers, I found myself thinking well shit, those must be some kinda' guys." He turned around, his one eye looked at each of them and he smiled wide and shark like. "Some kinda' guys."

Doubt seemed to sink into the trio's combined minds.

"You must be some kind of brave. Because let me tell you, that lot? The Avengers?" Fury shook his head, whistling. "They're not the kind of people you want to be messing with, sons. "If you ask me, I'm thinking there's something wrong with them, because they're just not right, you know? Makes them crazy like… kind of twitchy."

By now they had come to a parking lot round the back of a deserted bowling alley. They stood in the shadow of the building. The trio shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable and sizing Fury up, deciding whether or not they could take him and how.

Fury smiled his shark's smile at them and in the shadows his eye patch looked like a black hole right there in the side of his face.

"The police never believed you, did they? But don't worry, I believe you. And I'm telling you this as a warning, fellas. You've got a mighty dangerous team of people mighty pissed at you, you may wanna' lay low for a while." Fury's smile disappeared, he glared darkly at them. "Or you know; it could be too late for that."

The team emerged behind Fury. Iron Man came down from the sky, the heat from his thrusters scorching black marks into the ground. Black Widow sashayed towards them, dark and dangerous and idly toying with a throwing between her fingers. Captain America followed close behind, his shield at his side and an angry scowl on his face. Thor stepped from around the side of the building and his sheer size dwarfed everything including Fury. They heard something above them and looked up to see Hawkeye crouched on the roof above; he had an arrow drawn and trained on them. He wriggled his fingertips at them, smirking.

Whatever bravado the trio might or might not have had, it drained instantly from them.

"Please, man. Don't hurt us," said one.

The third, the unfortunate member of the party who had only been privy that morning threw his hands in the air in anger. "I wasn't even there, man! I'm not with these jackasses!"

Fury bowed his head once in acknowledgement, the Avengers stepped aside to let him go. When the two 'Hulk Defeaters' tried to follow suit, the Avengers closed ranks, trapping them against the wall.

Iron Man lifted his hand, the circle of light from his gauntlet glowed in the shadows and he shot once. The blast struck the wall just to the left of the duos' heads, showering them with shrapnel. They flinched away from it and cried out, hiding their faces beneath their hands.

"We're sorry, man, ok? Just don't hurt us, please!"

Iron Man didn't speak, none of them apart from Fury spoke, they just stood around like terrifying sentries with their weapons drawn.

"Word to the wise," Fury said low and dangerous. "Don't fuck with my team."

The Repulsor Generator in Iron Man's gauntlet started charging again. The sound of which elicited a cry of pure panic from the duo.

Subtly, Black Widow and Captain America stepped aside, allowing them an escape route which they took. They fled from the parking lot like they had actual hounds of hell on their heels. The team watched them go, making no move to follow.

Only when they were long gone did Iron Man lower his hand, the power ebbing out, and the visor of his helmet lifted.

"Jesus, Tony," Steve said, removing his own headpiece. "Did you have to shoot the wall?"

Tony shrugged. "It felt right," he said, not showing any particular remorse. "Besides, I never touched them."

"Shame you couldn't have gotten them to bleed at least a little," Clint said. He'd holstered his bow and arrow and leapt down from the single-story roof, landing in a crouch in the spot the duo had cowered in.

Bruce emerged from behind the building, joining the group. He looked down the street where the duo had run, his expression uncertain. "I'm still not sure that's the best answer to this…" he said doubtfully. "Especially with what the papers are already saying about us."

It was Fury who answered this. "We didn't touch them, for all anyone knows we were just making a few friendly public appearances. Plus, all the hot air they're already blowing about the other guy? No one's going to believe them." He looked amongst the team with a hint of amusement shining in his one eye. "Good work, Avengers."

"Avenging's what we do best," Clint said lightly. He and Natasha stepped away from the group. "Now that's done with, we've got somewhere to be."

Thor, who was long due back in Asgard, left with Nick Fury along with Steve who was keen to get back on his bike.

Soon enough, it was just Bruce and Tony alone together, which was a situation that Tony had recently made it his personal mission to ensure happened as often as possible.

Tony pulled Bruce close, hooking an arm around him. It wasn't the most comfortable stance considering the broad rigidity of Tony's suit, but Bruce leant fluidly into the gesture. They touched their heads together, both inspecting the hole Tony had blasted into the side of the wall.

"Don't tell Fury," Tony said softly. "But I kind of wish I'd actually hit them… in the face. Maybe a little bit."

Bruce shrugged, smiling. "I think you schooled them pretty efficiently."

Tony dropped his head to rest against the curve of Bruce's neck, he could feel the muscles of Bruce's shoulder tensing beneath his shirt as Bruce wound his own arm around Tony's waist and pulled him in close.

They stood together looking at that hole in the wall like it was the finest piece of art either of them had seen.

"What're you thinking?" Bruce asked gently.

Tony breathed in pensively and then exhaled. "Hot dogs," he said eventually. "Let's get hot dogs." He kissed Bruce's collarbone. "With mustard and onions and those little spicy things. I'm starving."

Bruce rolled his eyes but he wound his arms around Tony's neck and Tony locked his own arms around Bruce's waist. They stared into each other's eyes; Tony leant in and touched his lips against Bruce's in what wasn't quite a kiss but was more a way of exchanging each other's heat. And then Tony's thrusters kicked in and they took to the air, Bruce holding onto Tony and Tony holding Bruce close as they flew off into the city.