Author's Note- I can't stay away from this pairing, or from angst fic, apparently. I don't own anything, just letting you know.

There are a few things that surprise Tony in the aftermath of the battle in New York. The first is that Bruce Banner doesn't take off immediately afterwards. The second is that the physicist takes him up on his offer to stay in Stark Tower.

Tony lends him clothes for their little shawarma adventure. He starts off by using logic (which of his clothes will fit the other man best?) but ends up using his hormones (which of his clothes will fit the other man best?). During the meal, he watches Bruce, and resists the urge reach out and touch him, those soft curls, the shadow on his jaw. Even though nobody says much, something makes Bruce laugh, and Tony wants to commit this to memory forever, because he's pretty sure that the doctor rarely gets the chance to laugh because he's happy.

They leave together (not that kind of together, but he's working on it), and go back to the Tower. Tony shows Bruce to a spare bedroom, tells him to rest, while he calls Pepper. The conversation is full of yelling ("You flew the suit into space, Tony? Why would you ever do that?"), and tears ("I'm so sorry, I'll keep my phone with me all the time, I promise. I'm so sorry Tony, I love you, I'm so sorry…"), and it leaves him more confused than he was before. Finally, he pours himself a drink, stands behind the bar, looks at the mess that is now his living room.

"I'm sorry about the damage," Bruce says, and Tony didn't even realize he was standing there. He's dressed in dark pants and a dark shirt, curls messy from the pillow, feet bare.

"Don't be," Tony says. "I told you I was a fan of your rage monster." Bruce just shakes his head. He's not wearing his glasses, and Tony realizes they must be broken somewhere, probably on the Helicarrier. He's not gonna lie, he likes the glasses, likes the way Bruce takes them off and puts them back on, likes the whole stereotypical nerd look. "Drink?"

"No, thanks. I don't really…" He looks apologetic, like the fact that he actually has self-control is something to be sorry about.

"Rage monster?" Tony makes his way over to one of the leather sofas, tumbler in hand.

"Sometimes. That, and an alcoholic father." There's a silence, during which Bruce continues to look uneasy and Tony tries not to think about Howard and the sins of the father, and it's finally broken when Bruce makes a very obvious effort to change the topic. "My bag is still back on the Helicarrier, so I'm going to need a few things."

"Anything," Tony says, and he means anything, whatever Bruce could possibly want….

"Thanks." Bruce pauses. "I don't want to be a burden…"

Tony snorts. "Please. You're the first…(person I've actually liked enough to keep around? Friend?)…intelligent person I've met in a long time." There. It's honest.

"I thought 'genius billionaire playboy philanthrophist' would have people lining up to stay with you." He smiles a little, like he's maybe making a joke, but he's maybe serious as well.

"Those people aren't smart the way you are," Tony admits, because it's true, and also because he likes the way Bruce looks when he blushes from the compliment.

"Well, I'm not a Maxim cover model," Bruce jokes, definitely jokes this time.

"Don't sell yourself short, Big Guy." Tony puts his glass down on the table, and turns to the other man again.

"Are you flirting with me?" His voice is incredulous.

"Are you objecting?"

"No, but….you…you're Tony fucking Stark and I'm….a monster…and there's your girlfriend…"

"Doesn't matter." And he shrugs, tries to play it cool, but inside the mess that's his chest, his heart is about to explode, because Bruce likes this….

"You-" Tony is sure whatever Bruce is about to say is perfect and logical and well-reasoned and probably filled with ethics and morals and things real people care about. He's not interested.

They kiss, and it's so fucking wrong and so fucking perfect and it's better than Tony could have imagined.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Tony mutters in his ear, and Bruce's fingers find their way to loop through Tony's beltloops.

They shower first, and then go to bed. Tony realizes a few things- one, that Bruce must do yoga to relax, and two, that India was, in fact, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra.

He mentions these as they're falling asleep, and Bruce laughs again.

The next morning, Bruce gets up before Tony, and Tony walks into the kitchen to find him making pancakes and chatting with JARVIS.

"Do you do this for everyone you sleep with?" Tony asks while they're eating.

"Only the ones who promise me ten floors of R&D," Bruce deadpans.

Tony shows up the top ten floors, because finally, he's got someone who'll appreciate the workshop for what it is. Bruce examines every machine, asks questions that even Tony doesn't know the answers to. They order Chinese takeout for lunch and Tony shows him the suit and sucks him off in the lab.

The Tesseract is still at the Tower, and they don't dare touch it, but Bruce can't help but ramble about its potential use in clean energy, and it might be one of the hottest things Tony's seen. For dinner, they get Indian food and eat while sitting on lab tables, and when they kiss, Bruce tastes like curry and coconut and genius.

The official S.H.I.E.L.D. communiqué comes, summoning them to Central Park the next morning. There's a note from Natasha for Bruce, arranging to meet him so he can get his stuff, and a curt reminder from Fury that Tony needs to bring the Tesseract.

Bruce suddenly looks mournful, and Tony wants to ask what's wrong, but Bruce kisses him before he can even open his mouth.

"You know I can't stay, right?" Bruce says, head resting on Tony's chest, face illuminated by the arc reactor.

"If this is about Pepper, I can-"

"This is about being a wanted man," Bruce corrects. "We both know that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection will only last so long."

"I have friends in the military. I could make a few calls…"

"It's not that simple," Bruce insists. "Please, Tony. I know you don't understand, but please."

Tony swallows hard. I think I'm in love with you, he wants to say, but he isn't sure how. Bruce brings his lips to the cover of the arc reactor, and Tony wonders if he knows anyway.

This time, Tony is the one who gets up first, and he brings Bruce an omelet in bed. Tony watches him eat it, slowly, carefully, and finally when he's finished, he looks up, and those beautiful brown eyes are sad and regretful.

"I'm so sorry," Bruce says, and Tony can't help but reach for him.

They get dressed, and Tony tries not to think about how he's seeing Bruce's body for the last time, how this is the last time they can pretend to be domestic together. He drops him off at the designated spot, watches him get into a car with Natasha and Clint. It hits him that this is a practice run for later, watching Bruce walk away from him.

They send Thor and Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. They smile and laugh with each other. Tony shakes Steve's hand. Natasha gives Bruce his bag. It's all very congenial.

"Are you sure about this?" Tony asks, one last attempt at keeping Bruce around.

"Positive," Bruce says. His smile has faded. He looks pensive.

"I could use a lab partner. High-paying job, room and board, omelets in bed in the mornings."

"Tony." There are cracks and fault lines in Bruce's voice, and Tony shuts his mouth.

The Port Authority is calmer than usual, maybe because there are so few people left in New York who want to be traveling. They stand in a corner, trying to hide.

"Take this." Tony hands him a wallet, expensive leather, full of more cash than the average American household makes in a year.

"Tony…" There's that warning tone again.

"I want to keep you safe," he admits, and Bruce reaches out and takes the money. He wouldn't take Tony's credit cards, wouldn't even tell Tony where he was intending to go. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Tony. I'm one of the most wanted men in America. I'm a monster who destroys everything in his path. You, you're brilliant. You're changing the world. You have the arc reactors and the good looks and the beautiful girlfriend." He places his empty hand over Tony's arc reactor.

"Will you at least visit? Or call? Send a birthday card?" He tries to smirk, but it's halfhearted, lopsided.

"I can't. It's too dangerous." It's those eyes, those huge sad chocolate eyes. "I'm so sorry." He makes to pull his hand away, but Tony puts his hand on top of Bruce's before Bruce can move.

"I love you," he says, impulsively, stupidly, because hello, he's only known the man for what, two days? But he thinks it's true, thinks it's real enough that he wants to keep Bruce here, wake up next to him every morning, fall asleep with him every night.

"I love you too." Bruce's voice is gentle, warm. "Thank you, Tony, for…for everything." And then they're kissing again, just as gentle, just as warm, raw, passionate.

"If things ever change, you know where to find me," Tony whispers against Bruce's lips.

"I won't forget," Bruce whispers back, and Tony isn't sure if he's talking about their time together, or where Tony is, or what, but it's a good enough answer anyway. He steps away, towards the waiting buses, but then turns back. "And Tony?"

"Yes?"

"I wish it didn't have to end like this," Bruce says.

"Me neither." Their eyes meet for a moment, acknowledging, and then Bruce turns and disappears into the crowd.

Later (and he isn't sure of time, because it seems so irrelevant now), he stands, Pepper resting against him, at the top of Stark Tower. He spreads out designs, plays with them. She puts her arms on his shoulder, gazes at him adoringly, and for a moment, he imagines that instead of Pepper, it's Bruce.

I love you, he thinks, and stares out at the skyline, out at the world, where somewhere, Bruce is.