Archive of Our Own ^beta

Bruce buried his head in his partner’s chest. His cologne, smelling of orange blossom and vanilla, did little to hide the rich musk of motor oil smeared across his signature black shirt ; that smell was home. His partner looked so peaceful in their bed, the evening out of his breaths a rare occurrence, with his hair a mess and his facial features relaxed. He was beautiful. Someone Bruce didn’t deserve. The ‘thing’ between them, their ‘spark’, was a new progression, and whilst it was foreign and unexpected, it also felt so goddamn right. It was fragile. Something to take care of, something to protect, someone to hold onto, but the threat of losing it was worth the gift of experiencing it.

Bruce didn’t let anybody touch him. He had been shy, reserved, and antisocial before ; only now the threat of ‘hulking out’ made him skittish, wary of the slightest movements and the quietest of sounds, and afraid to let anybody close to him. Not that anyone would want to get close to him in the first place. The government was just as afraid of his potential as appreciative of his cooperation. At charity events and investor galas, he was avoided like the plague — not that he enjoyed the spotlight, anyway — and the fellow guests flinched at every mention of the giant green rage machine. Bruce stuck to the shadows. He was a creature of comfort. His lab was quiet, everything had a place, and there were no assistants or technicians daring to disturb him. He didn’t need anything or anyone else. Well, that was what Bruce thought, until Tony became the exception.

Because Tony Stark, the playboy billionaire behind the modern day Stark Industries, was not his egocentric, arrogant, apathetic, and callous front. Because he was warm and gentle and kind. Because he saw the scientist before the monster. Because he never blamed him for the anger inside. They danced around each other, perfectly in sync ; their minds as one. After learning to coexist in their labs, it took little effort for them to adapt their working relationship to one in the field, and so when it came to the bedroom, they were a perfect match. Tony and Bruce completed each other. As cheesy as it sounded, they were yin and yang, different yet similar ; the two sides of the same coin. Tony knew more about Bruce than his own Mother and Father. Bruce adored Tony more than anybody he had ever known. Tony hung the stars in the sky and Bruce was smitten. It was the fairy tale ending neither of the men knew they were seeking.

Tony’s arms were safe and secure. They wrapped around him like a comfort blanket, a little boy clinging onto his teddy bear, and Bruce melted into the feelings of mattering to someone. Their hearts beating to the same rhythm, and their soft breaths synchronised, their sleepy bodies’ played a duet, so that the butterflies in their stomaches could dance to their love song in the night as they would in the day. Bruce slept best in his partner’s arms. His demons struggled to surface in his dreams when his bodyguard laid beside him. Tony was his knight in shining armour. The man he had been subconsciously looking for since he was a little boy. By his side was where Bruce belonged. Wherever Tony went, Bruce vowed to follow. He hoped it would stay that way, that he would always be Tony’s and Tony would always be his, but Bruce knew how cruel the world could be. Ideally, they would be together, until death do them part. Realistically, they would be driven apart much earlier than their demise.

But Bruce didn’t need to worry about the worst case scenarios. Not whilst he was snuggling his partner : warm and safe and loved. He could think about the last page of their story when they reached their ending chapter. Right now, most of their book was empty, the pages were waiting to be filled, and Bruce couldn’t wait to fill them. It was time he and Tony took their destinies into their own hands and wrote the future they wanted. A future where they could be happy together. A future where the world didn’t judge them. A future where they belonged ; forever in each other’s arms.

“I love you.” Bruce whispered.

Tony smiled, stirring in his sleep, and rubbed circles into his partner’s back. “‘Love you, too, brucie bear.“ He whispered in reply. “Go back to sleep.” He yawned. “‘M not going anywhere.“

Bruce’s eyelids fluttered shut. His partner’s words were all he needed to sleep soundly once more.