Chemistry

Bruce and Tony - Bad Timing Clint

Bruce:

I turned to Clint when Natasha had left.

"Did she say, Coulson's alive?"

"Yeah. I'm, I'm just as shocked as you." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, looking around the room. We were standing in Tony's newly re-done bar-living area. Except- there was stuff all over the place, and the bottles Tony had smashed were on the ground, causing a health and safety hazard.  I looked to clint, who was surveying the damage.

"Where's Pepper Bruce? Isn't she-"

"Pepper left him." I reply quietly.

"What? Why?" Clint looks confused.

I groan, "because Tony can't sleep, he drinks too much, he has panic attacks, he shuts himself away, and he told her something, I don't know what, but I think it got to much for her."

Clint looks, well, surprised and kinda sympathetic, I think I kinda see empathy there too, but he shuts off pretty quick.

"That's not good. Poor guy. So why're you here?"

I sat down on the nearest chair, I am not ready for this conversation.

"Well, because I'm Tony's friend and Fury asked me to."

"Friend?"

"Yes friend."

"You sure?"

"Yes of course."

"Okay." He backs off a bit. "So you wanna check on Sleeping Beauty up there while I clear this shit up?"

I nod and after showing him where the dustpan and brush are, I move upstairs to Tony's room.

I knock quietly on his door, "Tony?" I whisper, there's a quiet grunt-grumble-snort thing in response, so I walk in slowly.

The room is dark and I haven't actually been in here often, so I trip over the rug, the electrical cords and a table leg as I move to find a light switch.

Tony:

The lights come on, and it's really fucking bright.

"Mm Bruce..." I grumble.

"Hello Tony. How do you feel?"

"My head fucking hurts."

Bruce smiles a little and I smile in return. I hear someone downstairs swear, "you fucking stupid god forsaken, oh fuck, shit, god damn it, sonofabitch, fuck this," and Bruce flinches as we listen to the string of cuss words.

"It's Clint." Bruce explains

"What's he even doing?"

"Clearing up the glass you knocked over slash fell on."

"Oh." I stop, that's not good enough.

"I'm, sorry by the way-" Bruce interrupts.

"It wasn't your fault okay, you're fantastic. Don't apologise."

"But I really am, Bruce, I'm sor-" but he wasn't having any of it.

"You're absolutely positively fantastic."

"I think you mean absolutely negatively fantastic. I'm a pretty negative person, at the moment at least."

"But so am I, and not just at the moment, so that makes us positive."

"Bruce that's not how chemistry works."

"But it is, you know what. I love you Tony. And I guess you're going to have to live with it."

"I-um. Okay. I can do that." Suddenly, no control over myself.

I kiss him.

And just as that happens, Clint walks in.

He leans on the doorway. "Just friends then?"

fuck