p • r • e • s • s • u • r • e

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"It's not your fault. The worst part of it was my father."

Bruce's eyes darken angrily.

"He blamed me. Said I was asking for it-y'know, the usual. It pissed him off that this was an issue he had to deal with. But the pity...god, I hated being pitied."

The usual...

The scientist moves forward and holds him awkwardly. Tony climbs in his lap and settles against him. Bruce holds him tight, but the billionaire chokes back a scream.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nnn...still just a little sore; that's all."

Bruce huffs and delicately tries to shorten the distance between them. Two inches felt like a thousand miles.

He holds Tony's face and brings their foreheads together.

"Hey."

"Hi."

The engineer kisses his way down, then stops.

"You have a weird scar on your neck," Tony points out. "What happened?"

"'Tried to hang myself."

Tony splutters.

"What? You don't just...nonchalantly say something like that!"

He shakes his head and leans back into Bruce's warm arms.

"Why?"

Tony nuzzles his face in the scientist's shirt and hopes that it'll be easier to talk, if he didn't have to look at him.

"Hulk. We've made peace, though."

"Did you ever try again?" Where did that come from? Dumbass, you're making him uncomfortable.

"I err....yeah, yeah I did. A lot."

Tony makes a stifled noise.

"Guns, ropes, razors, bridges, skyscrapers, planes, train tracks-I used to have way more fun, back in the day."

The engineer's eyes are snapped open.

Whatthefuck.

Tony starts chuckling.

"What?"

"You are such a fucking hypocrite!"

Bruce smiles.

"Yeah, yeah."

They kiss, and it deepens, limbs wrapping around limbs.

Tony makes a muffled scream, shaking.

"What's wrong?"

"Just...sore. Almost crushed to death, remember?"

Bruce's lips are tight.

"Did it have to be that painful?"

"What?"

"Putting the new reactor in?"

Tony grasps for an excuse, but surrenders.

"No. No, I made it that way. Controlled shock upon insertion," he mutters, a dildo joke dying in his throat.

"How do you do that to yourself? That wasn't...I don't think I've ever seen you so..."

"Yeah, you weren't meant to see that."

"Did you know it would be that bad?"

"Yes and no. I...knew what the amount of energy was quantified, but not the pain. I gotta say, it was pretty intense." He smiles, like he's proud of himself.