Tony stood outside of Bruce's apartment.

Well, stood in the parking lot, inside of his car, looking up at the penthouse. After years and years of not seeing him, after wondering whether or not he was dead or alive, after searching high and low for the world's most elusive man, he had found him. And for once, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to see him.

That's bull. Of course he wanted to see him, he just didn't know if he could handle seeing him, or if Bruce could do the same.

If Bruce was anything like the last time Tony saw him, he would have no doubt that he could control himself. Tony almost broke down into tears thinking about the last time he saw Bruce…

Tony didn't remember how long ago the last time he'd seen Bruce. He'd stopped counting years ago, he just knew it had been too long now.

10 years. 10 years was the year that Tony stopped counting. It wasn't because Tony didn't care about Bruce anymore, because that's basically all he cared about. It was because Tony was out of money and drunk and couldn't even tell you his full name or that he used to be Tony Stark as in the Stark Industries. These things weren't important to him at all; only finding Bruce.

It wasn't until 4 years, 2 months, and 6 days that Tony had found out Bruce was alive.

He was locked in his lab again, working endlessly on useless things, trying to think of anything but Bruce, when some woman whose name, occupation, or anything he can't remember because he was slightly drunk at the time, told him that she had seen Bruce somewhere. Bruce had told her to tell Tony that he was okay. That meant Tony would be okay, too, but he had to find out where Bruce was and just be with him. That's all he wanted.

But now that Tony was here, in the exact place he had wanted to be at in the past however many years, he wasn't sure he wanted it.

What would this new Bruce be like, anyways? Married with children? Rich scientist, like he'd always dreamed? Hostile? Fragile? Or what if he'd just never changed except in age and things that came with it? It would be strange yet completely welcome, because Tony has changed too much for his own comfort ever since Bruce was gone.