we're a time bomb.

                        ” aren’t you one of those                            heroes i’ve been reading                            about —- ? ” 

           Bruce frowned, surprised to be recognized and even more surprised at the pointed tone the kid was using. Granted, there were plenty of people who weren't exactly fans of mutants ---- or "super heroes," as a lot of media outlets had been calling them lately, as uncomfortable as that made Bruce feel. But it was usually older, more conservative people who voiced those kinds of opinions, not youths like the young man before him.

          He pushed that thought aside and shrugged.

Clint holds up his hands. It’s not mock innocence, for once - it’s real. 

"Learned it as a kid. Necessary." 

It’s as much as he’ll let slip out without getting maudlin about the whole thing. 

     Bruce knew next to nothing about Clint's past, and he wasn't especially interested in learning it ---- he wasn't the type to pry into people's personal lives, especially when that person's personal life was classified information. Still, Bruce couldn't help but wonder what Clint meant by his comment.

          "Nineteen?" That's still practically a baby as far as Bruce was concerned, but he looked younger than that to him. Christ, maybe Bruce really was getting old. Pushing that aside, he peered at the kid a little more closely.

       "That was my thinking, too, actually ---- but I've tried some of the strongest known paralytics, sedatives, and poisons in the world and so far all they've done is make the Other Guy even angrier."

        He did not add that he wasn't worried about hurting or killing the Other Guy, or himself. It would be a shock of a poison did what a bullet to the brain couldn't manage, but if it did, Bruce wouldn't exactly consider it a great loss. But that wasn't the kind of thing you mentioned to anyone, much less a kid.

        There was something about the way the kid said that that made Bruce raise an eyebrow ---- it almost sounded true ---- but he decided to drop it, at least for the moment.

        "Nothing you'd be too interested in, probably. I've been trying to develop a tranquilizer for myself ---- or, you know. The Other Guy. I know nothing will work on him when he's already fully on the surface, but I thought maybe if I used it right before... Well, it hasn't been working too well, to put it simply, but I didn't really expect anything different.

                he gets excited, then, and restraining himself from                 bouncing on the balls of his feet takes much more                 self control than it reasonably should. raven always                 says he gets a bit mad when pleased, bursting with                 frenetic energy. usually she’s talking about a scientific                 breakthrough or development on his thesis, as it’s rare                 for him to get so worked up about other people.

             but, well, bruce banner. neurophyscist and genius and              brilliant scientific mind. charles grins, checks himself, and              smiles at the other in an appropriate display for the situation              at hand. right hand fingers tap restlessly on his upper thigh              as the left gets stuffed into his trouser pockets.

        Bruce's was more than a little surprised at the excitement from Charles. He was no mind-reader, but there was no missing that gleam in the other man's eyes, not to mention that grin, even if it was quickly toned down. Maybe Charles really wasn't exaggerating about his admiration of Bruce's work, or maybe Charles was just that type of person. Either way, Bruce was endeared, and more than a little flattered.

         Bruce's eyebrows inched upwards, surprised to find that he actually believed him. After a moment's contemplation, Bruce shrugged.

                     "Lunch break?"

        This kid was an odd one, that was for sure ---- but he didn't seem especially dangerous. Maybe he was an Agent's kid? Then again, if he was, wouldn't he have just said that?

          Bruce wasn't buying it ---- who would? But he also wasn't overly eager to sound the alarm on the kid, either. After all, how much trouble could one kid cause?

           . . . Okay, probably a lot. Bruce pushed that thought aside.

             doing things, staying active, never letting his mind wander too far into dangerous territory         these are all things Tony excels at. that’s the trick to insomnia, as far as his experience has been. pretend a problem doesn’t exist for long enough and eventually you can fool even yourself into believing it, right? he won’t pretend to know what’s supposed to be The Right Thing To Do when it comes to the multitude of problems between them but hey, he’s glad neither of them have to stick it out alone anymore.

             Tony’s gaze lifts, catches Bruces at an angle that makes his eyes seem wider and more honest than he usually allows them to be as he gives a small shake of the head.

                                           ❝You don’t have to thank me, Bruce. ‘S what friends do, right?❞

              and even though he viciously hates the brief flicker of genuine uncertainty, he’s guessing it must be, judging by the smile on Bruce’s face. people don’t tend to have a lot of reasons to smile around Tony; smirk and chuckle and laugh, sure, but smiles? those are… rare things to be found in his general vicinity, rarer even for them to be real. so he lets it sink slowly in, stored away in the near perfect veracity of his memory. a smile of his own is twitching at his lips, half obscured by the fist he has his chin perched upon. he sniffs, nose scrunching as he shifts back in his seat, straightening his spine with a groan.

                       ❝Something about elevators in Sweden. Nothing you couldn’t have afforded to miss.❞

                                     he pauses, head cocking at an angle.

              Bruce came close to arguing. Friends or not, Bruce was grateful. He had not had someone he could talk to so openly since Betty, and even with her Bruce had held some reservations. He had never been a people person, never excelled at making friends before the Other Guy, least of all after. What friends he did make, he kept at a safe distance. There was simply too much lurking under the surface for Bruce to let anyone come close enough to peer inside.

             Bruce wasn't sure what made Tony the exception to that rule, but he had long gotten past questioning it. He was simply grateful.

             In the end, he voiced no argument. After all, it was a nice sentiment, to think that Tony made such offers for nothing but the simple reason of their friendship. Instead, he smiled. "Yeah. I guess it is."

             Still, Bruce couldn't help but think that he would have to find a way to repay Tony for his kindness, friendship or not. After all, friendship was a two-way street, and if Tony was going to invite Bruce into his life in such a way, Bruce would have to find a way to do the same, even if Bruce's life didn't exactly have many openings that Tony wasn't already casually occupying. Assuming he managed to keep Tony a part of his life long enough, Bruce figured he'd eventually get his chance, one way or another.

           "...Elevators in Sweden?" Bruce echoed, a little belatedly. There were about a thousand questions he could ask about that ---- and, damn it, he couldn't help but feel guilty about falling asleep in the middle of Tony's spiel. After all, what was he here for if he couldn't listen? Still, Tony seemed content to move on to other topics, so Bruce followed his lead.