A Few Minor Details

Isilarma

So I wrote this ages ago, but completely forgot to post it. Sorry about that. Thank you so much to everyone over at The Beta Branch for reading this over; you guys are all brilliant.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Tony, will you please calm down?"

Tony didn't even look back. "No."

"Tony-"

"How the hell are you taking this so well?"

"It's called self-discipline," Bruce snapped. "You might want to try it sometime." He sighed as surprise flickered across Tony's face. "Sorry."

Tony grinned for the first time since their discovery. "I knew you were only acting calm." The smile changed to one that was much darker. "Here we go."

"Aren't you going to-"

Tony barged straight into the room, ignoring the exclamations from the gathered agents.

"-never mind." Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose; honestly, what they were about to do was going to be dangerous enough without pissing off the man in question. But he supposed tact was never going to be one of Tony's specialities, as evidenced by his first words.

"What the hell is this?"

Nick Fury raised an eyebrow at the pair of them. "Most people knock, Stark." He nodded at Bruce. "Dr. Banner."

"Director Fury." One of them had to be mature here, a point that was proven when Tony waved his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We want answers."

"To what?" Fury asked.

Tony folded his arms. "You know exactly what."

"I'm not a mind-reader, Stark."

"Course not, just a sell-out."

Fury's eye darkened. "Excuse me?" His tone made the Hulk stir in Bruce's mind, but Tony just glared right back.

"'We request that you hand over the subject, after taking due precautions to ensure its risk is negated," he quoted. "Any of that sounding familiar?"

"Heaven's sake Stark, what did I tell you about reading my emails?"

"Just as well I did though, isn't it? Tell me, Nick, when exactly were you going to tell us that General Ross was in contact with you?"

Fury's gaze flickered to Bruce for a moment. "It wasn't relevant."

"Not relevant? It's his life we're talking about!"

"Tony," Bruce snapped. Tony glanced at him but fell silent, and he turned to Fury. "I would have appreciated being kept in the loop."

Fury sighed. "We just didn't want to put any undue stress on you."

"Yeah, because finding out this way was so relaxing," Tony muttered.

"You weren't supposed to find out at all."

"So I'd just wake up in a cage somewhere?" Bruce demanded. The Hulk growled, but he forced it aside. "Thank you, but I think I prefer knowing."

Tony stepped forward, his dark eyes blazing. "You know it's not happening right?"

Bruce sighed. "Tony-"

"Hell no. I've spent too long searching for someone I didn't have to dumb down every other sentence for to let you disappear again."

"Tony, he's a General of the United States Army," Bruce pointed out in exasperation.

Tony just looked at him. "Er, hello, Iron Man here."

"You can't take on an army!"

"Maybe not, but I bet Thor can."

"Tony!"

"Nobody is going to be taking out the Army," Fury interjected pointedly.

Tony swung round to glare at him. "And who exactly is going to stop us? Never mind that, who would want to? You think there's anyone who would approve of putting one of the reasons our world is still free in a cage?"

Fury scowled. "That isn't the point."

"No, the point is that we are not letting you take him, and if you want to try, you're going to have to go through all of us to do it." His voice dropped, and suddenly Fury wasn't the only one the Hulk was wary of. "You really think you can do that?"

Fury held his gaze for a long moment. Then, without saying a word, he spun his laptop round. There was an open email on the screen. Tony frowned at him.

"What's this supposed to be?"

"Just read it, Stark."

Tony scowled, but moved closer and rested his hands on the desk as he leaned forwards to read. Bruce shuffled up beside him. He saw the name at the top and glanced up.

"Your reply?" Fury nodded, and he glanced back at the screen. He read the first few lines. Then read them again. His mouth fell open. "What?"

"Tell me about it," Tony muttered. His eyes were still racing over the lines.

Bruce ignored him. All his attention was fixed on the Director. "That's what you're sending?"

Fury shrugged. "That's why I wrote it."

Bruce slumped into a chair. This couldn't be true. There was no way this could be true. Fury shook his head.

"You really thought I was going to let that idiot just waltz in here and take you?"

Bruce didn't reply. When Tony had found the email, he had been so shocked he had barely been able to breathe. Tony's reaction had been the same, albeit rather more explosive. Neither of them had expected this.

"He said you had no choice," he murmured.

Fury snorted. "We're so far outside his jurisdiction he couldn't find us with a map."

"Clearly," Tony murmured. He whistled. "Are you really going to say this to a General?"

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who said you didn't like liars, Stark."

"I did, didn't I?" He kept reading, but Bruce shook his head.

"But I'm still dangerous."

"You've been working with Stark for the past week and neither of you are dead. As far as I'm concerned, you're fine."

Bruce stared at him. "But-"

"Banner, are you sure you don't want to go back?" Fury demanded. "'Cause you're raising a hell of a lot of objections."

"Of course not. It's just..." He trailed off. How could he explain this? He had been hunted for so long that it was almost second nature by now. Tony might trust him, even like him, but he knew the other Avengers were still wary. And S.H.I.E.L.D., well S.H.I.E.L.D. had built a cage that might even have killed him. He couldn't believe that they were just going to let him go after all that.

It was Tony that voiced their concerns.

"Why?"

Fury just looked at them. "You did help save this planet," he said quietly. "Sticking you in a cage would be pretty poor repayment."

Bruce shook his head. "He won't let this go. He's put too much into this to give up now."

"He won't have a choice," Tony snapped. "Even if I have to pay him another visit, and this time drag the whole damn team along." He smirked. "I can imagine Natasha would have some things to say to him."

"There won't be any need for that," Fury interrupted. "Tempting though it might be," he muttered under his breath.

Bruce stared from him to Tony and back again. "You really think he'll just back off?"

Fury smiled, and this time it wasn't just the Hulk that shivered. "You really think he'll have a choice?"

"Hang on a minute," said Tony abruptly. "How do we know you're even going to send this?" The suspicion was back in his eyes. Bruce stiffened. That sounded like a distinct possibility. Fury glared at them.

"You think I'd type up a fake email just to put you off guard?"

Tony snorted. "I think you'd set up an entire company and redesign the web to put me off guard."

Fury smirked at him. "You're learning. But in this case..." He leaned over and clicked 'Send.'

Bruce realised his mouth was hanging open and quickly closed it again. Tony wasn't quite as quick.

"Huh?"

Fury leaned back in his chair. "Was there anything else, gentlemen?"

Seeing Tony still struggling to form coherent sentences, Bruce answered for them. "I think that was everything."

"Then clear out. Some of us have work to do."

"Yes, sir." He got up and grabbed Tony's arm. "Come on."

"But-but-"

"Come on." At the door though, he paused and looked back. "Thank you."

Fury just nodded back, and Bruce allowed a smile to cross his face as he dragged a still protesting Tony out the room.

Only once they were outside did the impact of what had happened hit him.

He was free. Free. No more running from the military, no more having to watch every action, no more fear that everything might suddenly spiral out of control. Admittedly, with Tony around the last one was probably still a probability, but that was different.

And Betty...

"Bruce?"

The voice jerked Bruce from his thoughts, and he turned to find Tony staring at him. "What is it?"

"You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you were sort of staring at the wall and you didn't seem to be blinking."

"Says the man who spent the last few minutes gibbering," Bruce muttered, but there was no heat to his words.

Tony just shrugged. "Can you blame me?" His expression turned serious. "So what are you going to do now?"

Bruce looked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"There aren't many people who will want to get on Fury's bad side. You're a free man."

Free. It still didn't seem real. He twitched when Tony waved a hand in front of his face.

"Yes, Tony?"

"What? You were doing the stare-y thing again."

Bruce shook his head. "Right. Sorry."

Tony tilted his head to one side. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

Bruce had to fight back a laugh. "You could put it that way."

"You know the offer's still open right?"

Bruce blinked at him. "You meant it?" Hurt flickered in Tony's eyes and he quickly moved to apologise. "Sorry. It's just..."

Tony smiled. "Yeah. I know." After a moment, he brightened. "So what about it? You can have a floor to yourself, I've got all the coolest toys, much cooler than the ones here, and I'm sure I could create a playground for the Other Guy if he starts getting antsy-"

Bruce held up a hand. "I said I didn't want to be any trouble."

Tony just looked at him. "Why would you be any trouble? Fury said himself that he trusts you. And I trusted you even before that."

For a moment, Bruce could only stare. He had an unstoppable, giant green monster inside of him, one that had proven capable of destroying cities and giant space whales without batting an eye, and that Bruce only just had control over, and yet Tony trusted him. It didn't make any sense.

Then again, this was Tony Stark. Maybe it made perfect sense. He looked up to meet Tony's gaze.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I know it's a lot to ask-"

"It's not," Tony interrupted. "It's really not." He shuffled his feet, and for a moment Bruce was reminded of a schoolboy. "It would be cool to have you around."

How many people could say that and actually mean it?

"Are you sure Pepper won't mind?" It was his last resort, and a poor one judging by the grin spreading across Tony's face.

"Who do you think came up with the idea in the first place? I was going to buy you a hotel. But this is a much better idea," he added quickly.

Bruce thought about arguing. He really did. But if Iron Man was formidable, Tony Stark was even more so. "So, when can I move in?"

At that Tony's face lit up in the brightest smile he had ever seen; not the fake one for the cameras, or the smirk for enemies, but one of genuine delight. "How soon can you be packed?" He rubbed his hands together. "This is going to be so much fun. Just wait 'til I introduce you to Dummy. You're gonna love him."

Bruce allowed a smile to spread across his face as he listened to Tony ramble. It might not have been what he had expected, but he certainly wasn't about to complain.

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