#ScienceBrosWeek

[jule1122]

Science Bros Week Fic - Do you have enough love in your heart to go and get your hands dirty?

@rnmsciencebrosweek made me think about Liz and Kyle’s different approach to medical ethics in practice and in theory and how that could change if they were both in a relationship with Max.  So here  is a slightly angsty Kyle/Liz?Max ficlet.

Do you have enough love in your heart to go and get your hands dirty? on AO3

Summary: Kyle knows Liz will do anything to save Max.  Will he go as far as she will? 

Title from “Dirty” by Grandson

“All good?”  Max asks with a raised brow as he starts buttoning his shirt from the bottom up.

Kyle peers over Liz’s shoulder as she looks through the images on her tablet one more time before nodding.  “Everything looks normal,” she agrees.

“Well, normal for you and your backwards heart,” Kyle can’t resist teasing now that he can put his worry aside again.

“Great,” Max smiles and hops off the examination table.  “I’ve got to get back to work, but I’ll see you both at home later.”

He hugs Liz from behind since she’s still holding the tablet and kisses her cheek before turning to Kyle. Max pulls his close for a quick kiss, slapping his ass as he walks away.  “I’ll pick up dinner so we have more time to celebrate my good health.”

Kyle laughs at the way Max winks and walks backward out the door, but Liz just gives him a distracted wave and “see you later.”

As soon as Max closes the door, Kyle crosses his arms over his chest and turns to Liz, “What’s wrong.”

“What?  Nothing’s wrong,” she waves the tablet at him.  “You saw the same thing I did.  Max’s heart is fine.”

“Max just promised us sex, and you didn’t try to jump him.  That means something’s wrong.”

“In the examination room?  Really, Kyle,”  Liz says with false outrage.

Even her protest is half-hearted, and Kyle is actually starting to worry.  “You’ve done it before so stop stalling and tell me the truth.”

“Fine,” Liz slumps into the nearest chair, setting the tablet on the counter. “You know, I really hate that you know me so well.”

“No you don’t.”  Kyle sits across from Liz and takes her hand, massaging it gently with his thumb.  “What’s wrong?”

“It took Max’s heart a week longer to recover this time.”

“He expended a lot of energy this time.  As long as he’s not healing people regularly and has time to recover, he should be fine,” Kyle tries to reassure her.

“You want to count on that?  With the way our lives go?  No,” Liz shakes her head.  “And it’s not just healing.  I’ve been monitoring him, and every time Max uses his powers, there is an impact on his cardiac function, and it takes longer and longer for it to recover.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kyle tries and fails to keep the hurt out of his voice.  They are supposed to take care of Max together.

“I’m telling you now,” Liz leans down and kisses their joined hands.  “But I didn’t tell you before because I know how to fix it, and I know what you’ll say when I tell you.”

“Liz,” Kyle’s voice carries a warning and regret.  He wished he hadn’t pushed Liz because he doesn’t want to have this conversation.  “We’re not there yet.”

“Not today, we’re not, but we don’t know how soon we will be.  And we don’t have to get there at all.  The serum I made from Jones’ DNA can fix Max’s heart permanently,”  Liz leans forward, eager to convince Kyle.

He knows she’s right.  If they use the serum, Max’s heart will work perfectly well into old age, and maybe beyond considering how little they know about how aliens age.  “He doesn’t want it,” he reminds her gently.

“I don’t care what he wants,” Liz argues petulantly, pulling her hand away from Kyle.  “It worked for Maria, it’s working for Dallas.  It will work for Max.”

“I know that, and he does too.  He’s just afraid, Liz, of what having more of Jones’ DNA could do to him.”

“It will save him, that’s what it will do,” Liz throws her hands up in frustration.  “He’s just being stubborn and stupid.”

“It’s still his choice,” Kyle insists.  “We can’t treat him if he doesn’t want to be treated.”

“Why not?  I did it for Steph.  Oh, come on,” Liz cuts him off before he can even start to argue.  “You can’t tell me you’re not happy she’s alive.”

“You know I am.”  Kyle swallows down the shame that comes with that admission.  It was so easy to abandon his principles when he was the one to benefit.  It makes him worry that there’s more of his father in him than he’d like to admit.  “But this isn’t the same thing.  Steph would have agreed to an experimental treatment if you’d asked.  Max has specifically said he doesn’t want the serum.  There’s nothing we can do unless he changes his mind.”

“He doesn’t have to know,” Liz grabs both Kyle’s hands, holding them tightly.  She gives him her most persuasive look.

“Absolutely not.  We can’t do that to Max, he’d never forgive us.”  Kyle stands up and starts pacing.  

“At least he’d be alive to be mad at us.  I won’t watch him die again, Kyle, not when we can save him.  You don’t know what that was like.”

Kyle whirls toward her, angry now. “You think I don’t know?  I watched him die day by day for a year while you were off in California.  There was nothing I could do for him, and it was killing me too.  Don’t tell me I don’t understand!”

“And that was before us, before you loved him,” Liz reminds him quietly, taking the wind out of Kyle’s anger.  “Think of how much harder it would be to do that now.  Can you really tell me you’re prepared to stand by while Max dies?”

Kyle closes his eyes and lets his shoulders slump.  He can’t even think about what losing Max now would do to him, to both of them.  He knows in his heart, if they lose Max, he’ll lose Liz too.  Even if she forgave him for not taking her side, the absence of Max would leave a hole so big it would inevitably drive them apart.

It’s too much for Kyle to think about when Max is fine, when he’s healthy and planning a romantic night at home for the three of them.  “Why are you asking me this now?” he asks, pleading with her to let it go.

“Because you’re right, we’re not that yet, but we might be soon.”  Liz's voice is gentle and that makes Kyle feel worse than when she was yelling at him.  She stands up and reaches for him, and Kyle doesn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms, drawing comfort from her closeness.

“Then we just have to convince him to try the serum,” Kyle says, holding on to hope that Max will save them from ever needing to make this decision.

“We can keep trying for now, but I’m not waiting until the last minute and hoping the damage isn’t too severe for the serum to fix.  I won’t make this a Hail Mary.  One more event like this, and I’m prepared to move forward.”

“Liz,” it’s all Kyle can say as his heart starts to pound thinking about how soon he might have to decide if he’s strong enough to honor Max’s wishes even if it kills him.

Liz pulls back and cups his face in her hands.  “I’m sorry.  I’d keep you out of this if I could, you know I would.”

Kyle believes her.  Liz had no doubts treating Max with the serum, even without his consent or knowledge, is the right decision.  She also understands it will never be that simple for him.  If she’s willing to risk involving him, she must have a reason.

“I can’t do this without you.  To do this right, to make sure it works, I’m going to need your help. I need to know I can count on you.”

Kyle closes his eyes and rests his forehead on the top of Liz’s head.  It’s hard to remember his life before he figured out Liz and Max were the two pieces he needed to complete his heart, and even harder to imagine his life without them.  Losing Max is unimaginable, but Max isn’t a lab experiment.  They can’t just ignore his wishes as much as he wants to.

Kyle opens his eyes and straightens up so he meets Liz’s eyes.  “I’m not saying yes, I can’t, but,” he runs his hands down her arms to soothe her when she starts to protest.  “I’m not saying no either.”

Liz looks at him for a long time before nodding, “Okay.”

She leans into his chest, relaxing in his arms, knowing as well as he does, that his decision has been made.  Kyle kisses the top of her head, and prays he never has to act on it.

#sciencebrosweek #kyle/liz/max fic #rnm fic #my fic

[tonybannerblog]

It’s Science Bros Week!!

This really doesn’t fit any of the prompt ideas, but I liked how it turned out so I’m throwing it in for fun.

#science bros #sciencebrosweek #sciencebrosweek 2019 #bruce banner #tony stark #my edit

[twentyghosts]

Science Bros Week, Day #3: “Bitter”

Peter hears glass breaking and looks up from his workstation to see Mr. Stark swear, "Dammit, DUM-E!"

The bot beeps, and Mr. Stark sighs. "Okay, well, I guess I didn't build you to be a barista."

"Is everything okay, Mr. Stark?" Peter asks.

"Oh, fine. DUM-E decided to do an experiment to test the effects of gravity on the coffee pot."

"Oh."

"Actually, Peter...I know I promised you wouldn't have to do typical boring internship stuff, but...will you run upstairs and make some more coffee? I'm going to clean up this whole...situation." Mr. Stark gestures vaguely at the puddle of coffee and broken glass on the floor. DUM-E is holding a single paper towel in his claw. “But I really need coffee. I swear you’ll never have to make photocopies.”

"Yeah, of course!" Peter still can't believe how awesome his life is sometimes. He gets to hang out at the Avengers compound with Tony Stark and his robots, and do interesting experiments and training simulations. And now he gets to make coffee for Mr. Stark! It’s just like being on The Office, except he’s pretty sure Mr. Stark won’t think it’s funny if Peter puts his coffee in Jello.

But when he gets upstairs to the kitchen, he realizes that he has no idea how to use this big, shiny coffee machine. The lab has a normal coffee machine, kinda like the one May has in her kitchen, but probably more expensive. The kitchen has something that looks more like a car engine. Peter opens up cabinets just to make sure there isn't a regular coffee maker hiding somewhere. He finds the coffee grounds, which he knows he'll need. He finds a teapot and twelve different kinds of tea. He finds a lot of mugs, most of which have the Stark Industries logo on them. But it looks like he's stuck with the high tech coffeemaker.

Okay, no big deal. Peter has faced way bigger challenges than this. He inspects the coffee machine closely and finds the information he's looking for: the model is called the Breville BES870XL Barista Express. He fishes his phone out of his pocket and searches YouTube for "Breville BES870XL Barista Express how to".

Normally, he'd try to watch the video and follow along with it, but this thing looks super expensive and Peter really doesn't want to mess it up, so he casually flips upside down and hangs from the ceiling to watch the whole video once through before he starts trying to make coffee. Sometimes being upside down helps him focus, maybe because all the blood is going to his brain? Or maybe just because it's fun.

He's a few minutes into the video when he senses someone enter the kitchen. He pauses the video and looks down to see Dr. Banner get a glass from the cabinet and fill it with tap water. He leans against the counter and takes a long drink of water. Peter drops down from the ceiling--halfway to the ground it occurs to him that maybe he shouldn't surprise Dr. Banner? But Peter's sure it will be fine. He's never seen Dr. Banner Hulk out, except in videos.

(read the rest on AO3)

#sciencebrosweek #science bros week 2019 #bruce banner #tony stark #peter parker #dumb stuff i make up

[sciencebrosweek]

SCIENCEBROSWEEK: PROMPTS 2019

July 15: Dust July 16: Drip July 17: Bitter July 18: Merge July 19: Pressure July 20: Record July 21: Anything

Okay everyone – GO! =P

It’s okay if you don’t finish the prompt before the day of posting, I will be checking and reblogging from the sciencebrosweek tag all month. Just please do not post before the date. ;-)

If you get stuck or just absolutely hate any of the prompts, feel free to do whatever you want! The prompts are just a starting point and can be used as minimally or as majorly as your inspiration dictates. This event is first and foremost about spreading the Science Bros joy! =)

Also, if I somehow missed your entry, please please please do not be embarrassed to inbox me and I will reblog with no comment. Tumblr’s tagging system is so jacked and I absolutely do not want to miss anyone! :D

Have fun and if you have any questions, reference the FAQ or just ask.

#science boyfriends #science bros #tony/bruce #stanner #truce #sciencebrosweek #science bros week #sciencebrosweek2019

[ganetart]

I’m a little late to the party, but here is something for @sciencebrosweek

Day 1, 2019 - Dust

#sciencebrosweek #2019 #science bros #science boyfriends #my fanart #marvel #tony stark #bruce banner

[brucebannerblr]

Science Bros Week 2019. Day 1: Dust.

There is dust on the suitcase.

Bruce finds out when he brings it out from under the bed, and it all floats up, making him cough. It's what makes him realize how long it's been since he last took it out.

The suitcase is black, sturdy plastic, small but spacious and it can be worn like a backpack.

Tony gave him the suitcase because he insisted if Bruce ever needed to run again, he should have something good.

Tony also insisted he wouldn't ever have to run again, too, and suddenly, with his hands on a dusty suitcase, Bruce realizes he was right.

Tony never even gave him a chance. Ross had three lawsuits by the time Bruce told Tony who was the general after him, and he was in jail in less than six month. Absolute record for the judicial system, probably, but the force of Tony Stark and Betty Ross, who Tony dragged into helping, was to be reckoned with.

And now here he was, dusting the suitcase with his sleeve and smiling. He took the purple shirt from his drawer, the one he wore when he and Tony met, and put it there. It felt pretty amazing, packing with the feeling of anticipation rather than dread.

As he unfolded the small handle of the full suitcase and started wheeling it down to the garage, he couldn't stop a giddy smile.

Tony already waited in a car, a living promise that the suitcase will only ever be needed again if they're going to a conference together.

For holidays, Tony bought Bruce a larder one, promising to never give it time to gather dust.

#bruce banner #tony stark #bruce banner appreciation #science boyfriends #science bros #sciencebrosweek #science bros week 2019

[atlantiss505]

Science Bros Week: day 3 - “Bitter”

#SCIENCE BROS #sciencebrosweek #tony stark #bruce banner #science boyfriends #Fanart

[lunamikk69]

@sciencebrosweek -- SCIENCE BROS WEEK – Day 7: Anything

They were both lying on the couch, Tony seeing things on his phone with enough interest, Bruce simply with his head resting on Tony’s chest, watching the arc reactor with great intensity, reaching to slightly pass his fingers over the edge. -If you could choose to change something in your life, anything, what would you change? -Of my life now?- He asked trying to clarify something else, Bruce just nodded. -There's nothing you wouldn’t like to change right now?- He raised his head a little, looking at Tony. -I have you, with me, I don’t need any change right now. Well... maybe... I don’t like those curtains, I think I'll change them. -You're an idiot.- Bruce said laughing slightly, putting his forehead back on the other's chest, noticing how Tony was grabbing some of his curly hairs pulling gently, just to get his attention. -Would you change something in your life? Because I’ll be an idiot, but I am YOUR idiot forever, you can’t change me. -I could want to change anything, but never you.

#ScienceBrosWeek #Tony Stark #Bruce Banner #Science Bros #Stanner #OTP #Science Boyfriends #I really love them #Love Love Love #Theyre so PERFECT #Soulmates #My edits #Little Fanfiction #My texts

[jfridley]

Pressure

Day 5's prompt (PRESSURE) from @sciencebrosweek

This is part of my Hulk Babies series.

“Shit” Tony mumbled as he scanned the screen again. “Fuck” he mumbled again in growing frustration.

“Daddy gets mad when you say that word” Ellie said.

Tony whirled around in shock to see Ellie and Eddie sitting at the table staring at him.

“What in the world are the two of you doing up?” Tony said clutching at his heart. “Jarvis is supposed to tell me when you two are up” he said then stopped.  He had muted Jarvis after the 120th time he had asked Tony to go to bed.

“Jarvis wouldn’t say anything once we got at the bottom stairs so we came in anyway” Ellie replied.

“What are you working on Papa?” Eddie asked.

Tony sighed “A project for work” he said. Then he added “Next time Jarvis doesn’t respond I want you to knock before you come in here ok?” he added staring at the two of them.

“Yes papa” the chorused.  

Ellie frowned at him “You look like when daddy’s numbers don’t work” she replied.

Tony looked at his reflection in the monitor “How do I look like dad?” he asked.

Ellie and Eddie looked at one another “It’s an s word” Eddie said.

“ST” Ellie said trying to remember the word.

“Stressed. He looks stressed” Bruce replied from the doorway.

Tony whirled to face the doorway “Babe what are doing up” he asked.

“Jarvis alerted me that these two were going into your lab and he couldn’t warn you because you had muted him” Bruce replied.

Tony sighed “I am sorry’’ he said. “I shouldn’t have muted Jarvis you need your sleep” he said.

“So do you” Bruce said.

“I just need to finish this for the board meeting in the morning” Tony bargained.

“Do they keep adding things like last time?” Bruce asked.

Tony looked down briefly “maybe” he admitted.

“They have no right to keep doing this to you. They pressure you EVERY time, not taking into consideration you have a family now” Bruce replied getting agitated.

“I know babe” Tony said trying to calm Bruce down.

“Are you doing your best?” Eddie piped up.

The two men blinked over at the kids, they had forgotten the two were in there .

“What honey” Bruce asked.

“You and papa always tell us to do our best” Eddie said.

Ellie nodded “If you are doing your best but these board people don’t like it is that bad?” she replied.

Tony shrugged “not bad necessarily but not good either” he said.

“Will they fire you papa?” Eddie asked.                                                 

Tony shook his head “No” he said.

Ellie shrugged “Then does it matter” she replied.

Tony sagged in defeat “No it doesn’t” he agreed. Then he glanced at Bruce with tears in his eyes “How am I learning life lessons from them” he whispered.

“I think that’s the point of parenthood” Bruce replied.

Tony smiled “Come on guys let’s get some hot cocoa then go cuddle in bed?” he suggested.

“Yeah” the twins yelled as they ran up the stairs.

Tony kissed Bruce as he passed him “love you” he said.

Bruce smiled “love you too-come on” he said as they climbed up the stairs to the kitchen.

#sciencebrosweek #science husbands

[burlybanner]

Merge (ScienceBrosWeek2019)

Summary: Some secrets are better left unsaid - and some are better cracked wide open Disclaimer: This is different from my usual style and I’m not sure where this story is going. So I’m not sure when I’ll continue. But keep me honest; it’ll happen eventually.

Disclaimer deux: I struggled with getting chapter the way I wanted, and the theme fought me tooth and nail. But it is what it is, and I don’t want to get too far behind. So - read at your own risk!

Unbeta’d.

Reference: Dust(1), Drip(2), Bitter(3)

**

Bruce woke, remembering precisely why he didn’t like drinking with Tony. He vowed this time (why was there always a “this time”) to leave the whisky on its designated shelf where it belonged. He squinted and rubbed his thumb and forefinger beneath his eyes, still feeling the heaviness of his mind and limbs with Tony’s body draped around him.

“You awake?”

Bruce grunted. “Yeah. I guess.”

“What do you want?”

“Aspirin, coffee, and donuts.” Not that he expected the donuts. But still. He’d seen them yesterday and couldn’t get them out of his mind. 

“Side table. Check the drawers.” Tony yawned and rolled off of Bruce like a cat. Bruce glanced over, watching Tony tap his wrist twice, then his jaw. “Hey. Who’s on the donut run today?” Pause.  “Really?” Another pause. Two gestures on his wrist. “Can you grab a dozen sorted for me and bring ‘em down?” Pause. “But if you don’t w--” Long, long pause. “Okay, okay. See you.”

Jaw tap.

Bruce stared at him, hand hovering between the table and the bed. “What was that?”

Tony smirked, tapped his wrist and middle knuckle. “SIberNet. Spelled SI, for Stark Industries. The evolution of telecom patented by yours truly.”

He continued staring. “You fucking scare me.”

“I’ve always scared you. But then, we have a mutual scare pact.”

Bruce pursed his lips and conceded Tony’s point. He found Ibuprofen and bottled water in the side table, then palmed two tablets and scowled at Tony before quaffing half the water. “I bet they’re all connected to SINet, or whatever you’re calling it.”

“SIberNet. Everyone’s connected, but not everyone has access to all functions. Just the higher ups.”

Bruce finished his water and shook his head. “But of course you have access to everything.”

“More or less.”

“Emphasis on the more?”

Tony smiled.

Bruce sighed heavily and felt a stronger ache in his bones. “I’m gonna go take a piss,” he muttered. His head hurt, partly from the hangover. “Grab some coffee. Maybe take a shower.”

“Make it fast, donuts’ll be here in less than ten.”

To his credit he barely tripped from the bed. Even now, in the light of day (was there sun? How did they survive without the sun) the puzzle seemed unsolvable. Too many pieces were missing and until he felt warm, clean, and headache-free Bruce didn’t expect many answers from Tony, or his own sluggish psyche.

But donuts would definitely help.

Tony gestured to Bruce’s clothes. “Wanna put something on?”

“What for?” Was his body that repulsive, that Tony couldn’t bear the sight of him sober--? “You’ve seen me naked. I’ll grab a towel after I shower.”

Tony’s face softened, revealing too much vulnerability. But Bruce’s hangover was having nothing to do with introspection. Not this early in the day. 

“Birthday suit yourself, Brucie.”

Bruce rolled his eyes and shuffled from the room.

His mind calmed after leaving Tony’s bedroom. It wasn’t horrible sleeping with him but Bruce wanted more, so it heightened his anxiety. Luckily he didn’t need to feel anything in the front room and his mind could blunt its sharp edges. 

Bruce shuffled to Tony’s window and its great view; also luckily, Tony hadn’t bothered shutting the curtain the night before. He felt like Alice in Wonderland - like he was still dreaming. But Bruce’s mind was not savvy enough to conjure waterfalls, slick mossy crags, and winding jungle vines. His mind wasn’t nearly quiet enough to recreate this joy. 

Bruce placed a hand on the glass and briefly shut his eyes. The hum of the cave filled him but so did the urgent need to piss. His physical body forced him to leave Eden behind, to relieve himself. 

While pissing his mind roved over Tony’s opulent bathroom, top of the line of course. He glared at Tony’s walk-in shower with the perfect, pristine jets and high level stonework. He knew he said he’d shower but he needed to ground himself more, and...no. Peace first. The shower simply reminded him of the future and he needed more of now’s peace.

He left the bathroom with the sole intent of making coffee and staring into perfection. Tony would either join him, or wait, it wouldn’t matter. He just...needed this. Right now.

“Tell me when, I’ll show you around.”

Bruce squawked, visibly jumping after hearing a not-Tony voice in the corner. How long had he been there, sitting, not staring at Bruce at all? Quiet, proud, and waiting. Calmly staring into the abyss. Lost in his own mind’s prison.

“Hey, Bruce.”

“Jesus - you motherfucker - you...” Bruce closed his eyes, put a shaky hand to his chest. “You know better than that. You know.”

“Yeah, well. Guess I figured you’d notice.” James Rhodes chuckled, folded his hands over the handle of his cane. Bruce’s eyes drew to the ornate pattern of the platinum handle, a twisty network of vines and fauna drawn down into an obsidian shaft. He thought if Rhodes were a Disney villain, that this would be the cane for him. But he shot the image from his mind. No Disney villain would be as classy.

“Maybe I would’ve, if I weren’t so hungover.” A chill reminded him of how very under-dressed he was, and he finally understood Tony’s vague question, regarding his clothes. 

He hated how nervous he felt.

“It’s been a while, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Rhodey used his cane to push up from his chair, slowly limping his way to join him. Bruce frowned, eyes instinctively shifting to the rhythm of Rhodey’s shuffle. Rhodey’d either just finished his morning exercises or his other leg had been overcompensating, due to the prosthetic. Bruce wondered, absently, when the last time Rhodey had seen an orthopedist. 

“Kinda makes sense Tony has the best view.”

Bruce took a second to drink Rhodey in before sharing the pristine outskirts with him. A dark chuckle died in Bruce’s throat. “It wouldn’t be Tony otherwise.”

“Heh. True.”

His fingers slowly stroked the glass but he didn’t have the strength to stare at Rhodey directly. Instead Bruce watched the other man’s reflection, as Rhodey’s reflection watched him. “I’m sorry,” Bruce said, unable to find anything better to say.

Rhodey nodded. He shifted his stance as his left hand massaged his cane’s handle. “Nothing to be sorry about, really. It happened. We happened. Other things happened to us. It’s life, man.”

“Still.” Softly, tentatively. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Rhodey’s. Bruce felt tendons jump, then relax. The ground they shared was uneven at best but not broken; Bruce felt some relief in that. 

“It wasn’t fair. I...I ignored you. Didn’t know how to talk to you. Twenty years of friendship, and I--”

“Thirty.”

“Pardon?”

Rhodey’s expression turned wistful and he stared at the carpet. “You...always forget to include your fugitive years, Bruce. You’ve known me and Tones for over thirty, not twenty. But I get it. Happens to POWs a lot.”

Bruce’s face fell and he blinked once, twice, rapidly. He felt his mind shift but he forced his expression to remain neutral. “Oh. You’re right. Of course.”

Then Rhodey reached for him, and Bruce couldn’t tell if it were from pity or love but both equally soured his stomach. “You wanna sit?”

“Sure.”

Bruce sat at the place he’d been the night before, feeling painfully naked and cold. 

“Here.” A cup of coffee was pressed into his hands and an apple fritter suddenly appeared within easy reach. 

“Thanks.” Bruce took a sip of the coffee and a large bite of the donut. A small smile curled his lips. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget? Six sugars, a tablespoon of cream, and a bunch of donuts. Every Saturday for years. It was your go-to breakfast.”

“Go-to hangover breakfast.”

Rhodey snorted. “Well. We didn’t do Friday nights halfway.”

“No,” Bruce sighed. He slouched deeper in the chair, letting his toes curl into the carpet. “We didn’t.” The silence lingered but Bruce didn’t feel pressured to fill it. Rhodey grabbed his own cup of coffee and filled their silent space with little posh sips, while they enjoyed watching the cave’s waterfall. 

“Did Tony tell you about the clouds?”

“What? Out there?” Rhodey nodded. “You’re joking.”

“Nah, I’m serious.” Rhodey smiled and drained his coffee cup. “More like condensation, though. The atmosphere builds up and makes its own clouds. Gets so humid, it feels like a misty rain. Pretty incredible.”

Bruce shook his head, enjoying their easy conversation. He didn’t...he honestly didn’t believe they could return to this. They’d barely spoken for five years. Really ten, since when he got back he’d been too mentally unstable and...well. 

Things.

“I tried.”

Bruce finished his fritter and found the donut box. He poked his finger around the stacks until he found a jelly filled one. “Tried what?”

“Finding you.”

He’d just bit into the thing when Rhodey dropped him into the painful present. The jelly soured in his mouth but he finished chewing it. Swallowing felt like swallowing marbles of sand. “It...ah. You couldn’t. It wasn’t. It--” Bruce tried again. “There weren’t any drones, like we have now. Facial recognition software was shit back then. And I was really good at hiding.”

“But I found Tony. I should’ve found you. I’m...sorry I couldn’t.”

Bruce shook his head like an animal shaking off a collar. “No, don’t. It’s not--”

“No. Remember it wasn’t just you and Tony, and me and Tony. It was me and you, too.”

He couldn’t say anything to counter because it’d just make it worse. Sadness threatened to overwhelm Bruce but he hid it by taking another bite of donut. He had to spin it, though.  “Can’t really change the past,” he said, mouth full of jelly. “We both got hit hard, y’know? It changed all of us. Everything did. We changed.”

Rhodey nodded. “We did. If we hadn’t, you would’ve known about this place when I did. You would’ve been a part of it.”

Sighing heavily, he ran a hand over his rough skin. He needed a shave, badly. “I don’t know, Rhodey. I don’t...this is too much. All of it. I don’t know what it is, but now I’m culpable. What--what’s the end goal really? What’s the purpose? What’s my purpose?”

“Well,” Rhodey sighed. He cocked his head, peering at Bruce. “It’s always been the three of us, you know that. If one of us doesn’t make it, it doesn’t work. It would’ve never worked without you. Tony’s mind would’ve been worried. I would’ve worried. We had to have a consensus.”

“Merging of the minds?”

Rhodey shrugged. “If it makes you feel better.”

“I haven’t said yes.”

“Haven’t said no either.”

Bruce finished his donut, allowing it to settle the fear building in his stomach. “But if I do? If I walk away?”

“Nothing will happen. But I imagine we’d get shut down in a few years or we’d move up our time table. Either scenario’d probably hurt us.”

“I...shit. Rhodey, I need to know. I can’t make any decisions without knowing the big picture.”

“You willing to hear it all out, Bruce? From start to finish, without bolting?”

“What choice do I have?”

“Fair.”

“I mean...” Bruce grabbed another donut. A cruller. “Tony wouldn’t’ve dragged me out here on the guise of a two week business trip without good reason. I’d like to hear out this fucking grand plan. Besides I’m guessin’ it’s already in place. It’s just...hovering. Waiting on me to--what? Agree?”

“Probably.”

“And that’s what I’m afraid of.” He peered at Rhodey and swallowed uncomfortably. “So level with me, then. Are...are we the heroes? Or...the villains?”

Rhodey shrugged. “To be determined, I guess. You know as well as I that history’s written by the survivors.”

“ ‘You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ “

But Rhodey didn’t respond and Bruce followed his gaze back to the cave. They’d lobbed that phrase at each other for years, laughed at it, used it as a barb whenever one of them messed up in a major way. But it never seemed more apt, than now.

Bruce sighed. “I’m going to take that shower now.”

“Mm.”

The rest of the day would probably break him, but he was used to being broken.

#sciencebrosweek2019 #sciencebrosweek #science bros #james rhodes #bruce banner #tony stark #ah a wild rhodey appears #again the fic with no name #stumbling in the dark with this and hoping the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train #@sciencebrosweek

[superblizzardfire]

Aquaphobia (Science Bros Week #2)

Everything was fine until Tony pushed Bruce into the pool.

It was mid-July, and over the past week the temperature had soared to record-breaking highs. Then aliens had invaded so the Avengers had had to save the world during the hottest day on record. The result was a very cranky, sweaty bunch of superheroes.

Then Tony remembered the pool.

When the elevator doors opened, Steve whistled. 'When you said you had a pool on level thirty-one...'

'Yeah I should have clarified: level thirty-one is the pool.'

The entire floor consisted of a blue-tiled, high-ceilinged room filled with sparkling water. Tony walked ahead, turning back to enjoy their reactions. Only Thor seemed underwhelmed, but the dude was a god. He probably had a personal ocean back home. 'Changing rooms to your left and right, Ms Romanoff gets hers to herself.'

Natasha smiled, sports bag hefted over her shoulder.

The boys filed in, Thor shooting him an amused look as he passed. Clint's fringe was plastered to his forehead and he looked as though he'd happily jump in fully-clothed. Steve looked better, though there was a telling dark patch soaking through the back of his shirt. And Bruce...

'Buddy, it's July. Do you not own a t-shirt?'

Bruce blinked back at him, still a little dazed from the last fight. 'What's wrong with this?' He gestured at his blue shirt and cream pants.

What indeed, Tony thought. Trust Bruce to insist on his overdressed professor look in the Satan's hellfire that was this summer. 'At least Hulk can't get heatstroke. Or sunburn.'

'Mmm.' Bruce hung back, not following his teammates. 'I think I'll sit this one out. Water's not really my thing.'

Tony clutched his chest. 'Damn, but how else am I supposed to see you in your speedos?'

The shy scientist didn't seem to know how to take that, and settled for a self-conscious laugh. 'Tony. You've all seen me. More than any of you would ever want to see.'

But Tony just patted his shoulder. 'It's what you don't see that counts. Tease 'em with just enough to get the imagination working. Can't have the fuck without the foreplay, Doctor.'

Bruce stuttered, blushed, then hurried off mumbling something about finding his glasses.

Tony smirked after him.

(read the rest on AO3)

#science bros #science boyfriends #science bros week #science bros week 2019 #sciencebrosweek #Bruce Banner #Tony Stark #Bruce Banner x Tony Stark

[mcusic-to-my-ears]

Day 2 of Science Bros Week!

#sciencebrosweek2019 #sciencebrosweek #sciencebros #bruce banner #tony stark #medical truama #comas

[tonybannerblog]

Science Bros Week Day 3

prompt - bitter

“Bitterness is like cancer, it eats upon the host. But anger is like fire, it burns it all clean.”  -Maya Angelou

#science bros #sciencebrosweek #sciencebrosweek 2019 #bruce banner #tony stark #my edit

[twentyghosts]

Science Bros Week Day #7, “Anything”

Her tone studiously casual, Pepper asked, "Tony? Have you ever seen Bruce smile?"

Tony sipped his coffee and took a moment to think about Bruce's rare, fleeting smiles. Bruce smiled like he thought that if anyone ever noticed he was happy, they would immediately try to put an end to whatever was making him feel that way. "Yeah, sure."

"Hmm. Do you know if I did something to offend him?"

"No, of course not. Why?"

"I don't know." Pepper stirred her oatmeal. "He just always seems sort of sad when he sees me? Or scared, maybe? To be honest, I don't usually mind if it men are afraid of me, but usually I've worked to cultivate that effect...I wasn't even trying with Bruce."

Tony laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm terrified of you."

"Tony, seriously though, about Bruce?"

Tony sighed. "Bruce is just like that. He's just...shy." Shy wasn't quite the right word for it, but he wasn't sure how to express what Bruce was. Traumatized might come closer, but he wasn't sure that captured Bruce's resilience.

"But he's not shy with you."

"Well...I've spent more time with him than you have. It took him awhile to warm up to me. And he's still not...the warmest." To some extent, Tony appreciated Bruce's reserve; people were often overly familiar with Tony, and one could never accuse Bruce of that. Still, he took Pepper's point--it would be nice to see Bruce smile more often.

"You spent like two days together and then you brought him home with you like a stray puppy."

"Well, they were two really intense days. You're not jealous, are you, Pep?"

"No, of course not. Just, he's been here for a week and I've really only seen him in passing, and every time I encounter him he looks terrified. If he's going to be sticking around for awhile...I'd love for him to stop making that face at me. …Is he going to be sticking around for awhile?"

"I don't know," Tony said honestly. "I...I hope he will, but pretty much every day he makes vague noises about how he should really be moving on soon. He's not really used to staying in one place for very long." The other Avengers had all gone their separate ways shortly after their shawarma dinner, but Tony had coaxed Bruce into staying at the Tower. He couldn't let Bruce leave so soon, not after what they'd shared. Not when Bruce didn't have anywhere else to go.

(read the rest on AO3)

#sciencebrosweek #science bros week 2019 #science bros #bruce banner/pepper potts/tony stark #dumb stuff i make up

[sciencebrosweek]

I have loved participating in ScienceBrosWeek in the past and was wondering if you were planning on running it again this summer since I saw that you haven't uploaded 2019 dates yet! Thanks for all you've done for this ship/fandom!

Heeeey so! First of all, I am so thankful that you have had a positive experience in years past! And that you have thought about it this year again! 

But I have to say I have really been on the fence about this. Last year I really phoned it in at the end there and I feel pretty guilty about it. I was really not in a good place mentally and I struggled through it and I know I missed some reblogs after the week was over, which I have always tried to avoid. Although I am doing MUCH better this year and am actually reengaged with fandom right now, I still feel badly about how I ended things last time and I’m not sure if I’ve burned some bridges. =(

Additionally, I wasn’t sure this was something anyone still wanted to participate in, especially in light of endgame. Certainly I could run it in July if there was interest! And I would be excited about it! But I guess what I’m saying is if you could drop me a line if you’re interested in this, I would appreciate it! Because I’m honestly not even sure how many people are still shipping Tony and Bruce out there right now.

#replies #sciencebrosweek #science boyfriends #science bros #tony/bruce #iron man #tony stark #bruce banner #the hulk #percy-superwholock-jackson

[jewishbrucebanner]

Genius

For ScienceBrosWeek2018

July 23: Genius

“You didn’t. Oh my god, you didn’t.” The edge of Bruce’s mouth twitched. “I did.” “And he fell for it?” Tony asked incredulously. “I don’t even have four, how the hell did you convince Thor that you had seven?

“It helped that Thor has no idea what a PhD is,” Bruce admitted with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Also it may have been in response to him insinuating that I couldn’t be as helpful as Hulk.”

“Ouch. That must’ve stung.”

Bruce shrugged it off, fiddling with his shirt cuff. “He was really shaken up about his father’s death and the invasion of Asgard by his evil and previously unknown sister, I’m gonna cut him some slack. But yes. Though it did backfire on me when Thor made me pilot a spaceship for a while.”

“You did what?!” Tony spun around in his chair to gape at Bruce. “You never mentioned that! You flew a spaceship? With no prior piloting experience? Why didn’t you tell me earlier, that’s one of the most badass things I’ve ever heard and that’s including everything the Big Guy does!”

“Oh, uh, yeah that happened. It was... all right, it was awesome I won’t lie, but also quite terrifying for the first few seconds.” Bruce couldn’t help but smile incredulously at the memory, hardly believing it was himself that had done that.

“But it was an alien spaceship! You were forced to operate technology created by a whole other species far advanced beyond our own, and you figured out how to use it in seconds! I mean, I did something similar with the donut ship-” “The what?”

“-and even then I’d had time to study how it was being done.” Tony sounded almost giddy as he leapt up and grabbed Bruce’s shoulders. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re a genius?” “You’ve used several words to describe me in the past to describe me,” Bruce said, leaning away. “I wouldn’t remember if that was one of them.” “Well I’m using it now. Seriously, you gotta tell me the truth, how many PhD’s do you actually have because you’ve clearly been holding out on me.” “Well I told Thor seven because that was the first number I thought of, but the truth is...” Bruce trailed off. “What?”

“I have eight.” “Fuck you, Banner.”

#sciencebrosweek #sciencebrosweek2018 #science bros #science boyfriends #bruce banner #tony stark