𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗳- ʙʀᴜᴄᴇ ʙᴀɴɴᴇʀ

Tony's attempt

Tony Stark leaned back in his lab chair, spinning it slightly as he eyed Bruce Banner, who was calmly tinkering with a piece of tech on the workbench. The silence was comfortable for Bruce, but Tony had other ideas. He drummed his fingers on the armrest, smirking to himself.

"So, Bruce," Tony began casually, "you ever get annoyed? I mean, like really annoyed?"

Bruce glanced up, quirking an eyebrow. "I try not to," he said, his voice even and calm. "Not exactly healthy for me to let that happen, you know?"

Tony grinned, not missing a beat. "Right, right. Big, green, and smashy-got it. But come on, doesn't something tick you off?" He leaned forward, tapping the table as if egging Bruce on.

"Like...oh, I don't know, traffic. Don't you hate being stuck in traffic, crawling along for hours when you've got better things to do? People cutting you off, honking like idiots-"

Bruce chuckled softly. "I just take the subway, Tony. No need to get worked up."

Tony narrowed his eyes slightly. "Subway, huh? Alright, what about...oh! Ever have your coffee order messed up? You ask for a simple black coffee and they give you some frothy, vanilla-flavored nonsense instead?" He leaned closer. "Bet that gets under your skin, right?"

Bruce shook his head, still focused on the tech in front of him. "It's just coffee. Not worth getting upset over."

Tony drummed his fingers again, thinking. He couldn't let it go that easily-he wanted to see how close he could get to pushing Bruce over the edge, without being too obvious.

"Okay, how about this one-ever try to find something online, like a tech paper or research, and every single link takes you to an ad-filled, pop-up nightmare of a site? Or you finally get what you're looking for, and it's hidden behind one of those 'enter your email to continue' walls?"

Bruce chuckled again, more to himself. "Yeah, that's annoying, but I manage."

Tony's smirk widened as he leaned in closer, undeterred. "Or what about people talking during a movie? Loud chewing, texting, kids kicking the back of your seat-God, that's got to grind your gears. I can see it now: you're sitting there, trying to relax, and some guy three rows down is giving a full commentary on the plot. You're just itching to-"

Bruce looked up this time, his gaze meeting Tony's with an amused glint. "Is there a point to all this, Tony?"

Tony raised his hands innocently. "Just making conversation! I mean, you're one of the calmest guys I know, but even you have to have a breaking point." He paused, his voice lowering just a bit, baiting the line. "Not that I'm saying I want to see it or anything. That'd be...irresponsible, right?"

Bruce blinked, staring at Tony. "Uh-huh. You're not exactly subtle."

Tony's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Subtle? Moi? I'm just wondering what would set you off. You've got, like, the ultimate 'poker face,' Banner. But deep down, there's something, right? Something that makes you go full rage monster?" He leaned back, watching Bruce carefully, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Bruce placed the gadget down, standing up straight as he faced Tony fully. "You really want to know what makes me angry?" His voice was calm, but there was an underlying tension now, subtle but present.

Tony sat up, intrigued, but he played it cool. "Yeah. Purely for, uh, scientific curiosity."

Bruce took a step closer, his eyes narrowing slightly, and Tony instinctively held his breath, wondering if he had finally pushed too far.

"It's people," Bruce said, his tone soft but firm. "People who think they can control me. People who think the Hulk is just some kind of circus act. People who poke and prod because they want to see the 'show' up close without realizing the consequences."

Tony's smirk faltered just a little, sensing the shift in the air. Bruce's eyes darkened, and for the briefest moment, Tony could almost swear he saw a flicker of green in them.

"I don't like being treated like a science experiment, Tony," Bruce continued, his voice dangerously calm. "Because if you keep poking, you might not like what you find."

The tension hung in the air for a beat too long, the lab suddenly feeling smaller, more confined. Tony was silent, his playful grin now a bit more cautious.

Then, just as quickly, Bruce exhaled and stepped back, his calm demeanor snapping back into place. "But you're lucky," he added with a smirk of his own. "I'm not that easy to rile up."

Tony let out a small, relieved laugh, though he was still watching Bruce carefully. "Okay, okay, point taken. No more poking the bear-or, uh, the Hulk."

Bruce gave him a knowing look and returned to his work, leaving Tony quietly impressed. He hadn't gotten what he was after-but for a moment, he'd been close. Too close.

Tony couldn't help but grin, though. "One day, Bruce, one day," he muttered under his breath, though this time, he wasn't sure if that day was something he really wanted to see after all.