starkingenuity | (no subject)

When a guy had been missing for as long as Banner had been, Tony didn’t bother to ask any questions when mild mannered physicist with anger issues waltzed back into his life. Things with Pepper had gone down hill again pretty quickly. Peter Parker decided he wanted to just be a kid with super powers and a part time, after school crime fighting job. Rogers was in exile with half of the Avengers. Rhodey’s walking support system kept him active in the military. Romanoff was having fun being a spy or breaking the hearts of other scientists the world over and driving them away from their best friends. Thor-- Who knew. Vision was still around but mopey and so un-JARVIS sometimes that it hurt to be around him.

Which left DUM-E and DUM-E-er (affectionately known to most as Happy Hogan). And sure. They were great. And FRIDAY was great too now that Tony made sure she could never take over the world like Ultron had or get a physical body like the artist formerly known as JARVIS had. But as great as they were, they weren’t Banner.

Since his move into HQ, Tony had done some design work with Maria Hill. His workshop was bad-ass, all chrome and glass, and the sound system was killer. He’d been listening to some hardcore metal as he worked on repairing a shield he half-hoped and half-dreaded Rogers would decide to pick back up again when the shadow beyond the glass door made him look up over the safety glasses FRIDAY made him wear before she allowed the torch in his hand to light.

“Music off,” he said, tongue dry in his mouth. He clicked the torch off too. “Wow. Are you ever late,” he called.

Threaded | Flat

Life... Life had been a hell of a thing.

Something in him had broken after everything that had happened in Sokovia, snapped like a support beam already fragile from too many years of stress and not enough repair. Everything he had done, regardless if it had been his own choice of actions or not, replayed again and again and again in his head until he had known he needed to go. To run. It was what he did best, and even that tended to be terrible.

But it got him freedom again. Freedom from certain things, even if not freedom from himself or his past. It had been enough to let him think and decide on what he wanted to do in his future. Given him time to realize how badly he missed being there with Tony. It had been the first time in a long time, maybe forever if he was honest with himself, that it felt like he had a life. A real friend. Tony, Natasha.. Home.

So he went home, when it felt like his mind was put together. He could only hope that home still wanted him there.

"...yeah, sorry I missed curfew," Bruce half-joked, but he was never great on his delivery. The corner of his mouth lifted as he looked to Tony who looked... better. Sort of. Place looked good.